Sam mentioned being willing to drive a long way for a home cooked meal, so that’s what Nell would give him. She actually had already put a pot roast in the slow cooker covered with carrots, onions, and potatoes, so it had been easy to ask Sam over for supper.
She had the bread machine timed for a loaf to come out at 7:00. Nell took some shortcuts, but the effect would still be close enough to food fresh from the oven that she didn’t think he would complain. She added a salad with beets and avocado that she could top off with balsamic vinegar and a tad of kosher salt when it was time to eat. As she worked, she thought about Sam not knowing who had made the comments and decided to give him a break. He talked to people in the bar all day long and probably liked to get some of their gibberish out of his mind. There would usually be no need to remember just what patron uttered every word. Sometimes she initially came down too hard on people.
Before she knew it, Nell heard a car door slam outside. Immediately, the boys were on bark patrol. Sam was right on time. She greeted him at the door.
“Sam, come on in. George and Newman are harmless.”
“George and Newman? Are you a Seinfeld fan?” Sam asked as he bent down to talk to the boys. “Hey there little fellas, how ya doing?”
They walked into the living room and the dogs followed at Sam’s heels.
“It’s still my all-time favorite show. I’m sure I’ve seen each episode at least ten times. How about you?” Nell noticed again how attractive Sam was, and even more so, out of the bar setting. He was wearing pressed blue jeans and a light blue shirt. He cleaned up good. Not to mention that voice.
“I liked it, but my favorite comedy was Cheers,” Sam flashed that beautiful, but somewhat crooked smile of his.
George and Newmie jumped up on him. “Guys, down,” Nell scolded. “Show Sam you have some manners. Was that why you opened a bar, Sam?”
“I was already in the business before the show aired, but that might have something to do with why I liked it so much.”
“Sit down. Stay awhile,” Nell said with a grin. “So, are you as much of a ladies man as Sam was on the show?”
“Not even close. My experience with women is much more like Norm’s.” Sam eased into the recliner.
“I don’t know. You were talking pretty smart to me. You seemed very sure of yourself and your ability to attract women,” Nell teased.
“That was my attempt to be funny. My humor is self-deprecating. I always joke around like that with my customers. I had no idea you’d think I was serious.” Sam gave her a solemn look.
She let the subject drop. “Any trouble finding the house?”
“No. Just outside of Peshtigo I started to recognize the wonderful aroma of food cooked in an actual home.” Sam sniffed the air. “When I got out of the car I was overwhelmed by the tantalizing smell. Believe me, even though I eat delicious food from the bar, it’s not the same.”
“I hope you’ll enjoy it. Could I make you a drink, Sam?”
“Oh, in my zeal to get closer to that tantalizing smell, the wine I brought is still out in the car. I’ll be right back.” He got out of the recliner and headed for the door.
While Sam went out to his car, Nell checked on the food and had a second to think. This almost seemed like a date. How did that happen?
“I didn’t know if we were having meat or seafood so I brought both a red and a white wine,” Sam said as he came back in the door. “Merlot and pino grigio—you do drink wine, don’t you?”
“Sure.” Nell handed Sam the corkscrew. “Thanks. The merlot will be perfect.” He opened the bottle and expertly poured them each a glass. “Our dinner won’t be ready for a few minutes so let’s relax outside. It’s such a lovely night.” Nell led the way to the sliding glass door.
They settled themselves on the Adirondack chairs in the yard by the fire pit with the boys following their every move. Sam talked to the dogs and patted their heads. He soon became their forever friend.
Nell smiled and took a sip of wine. That was saying something if her boys liked Sam. “Mmmm, medium bodied with a hint of dark berries,” she gushed with an attempt at a French accent that elicited a chuckle out of Sam.
“It must be wonderful to sit out here in front of a fire in the evenings,” Sam said as he looked around the yard. “Where’s your woodpile?”
Looking down, Nell admitted, “Actually I haven’t started a fire in a long time.”
“We could change that. But I don’t suppose we have enough time tonight,” Sam acknowledged.
“I don’t think so,” Nell murmured as she remembered past evenings around the pit.
“You seem to know more about me than I do about you.” He took a gulp of wine and then asked, “What’s your story?”
Nell paused, balanced her wine glass on the armrest , and then swallowed hard. “Until recently I was a middle school teacher. I was married thirty years when my husband died of a heart attack. We have one son, Judson, who I rarely see or hear from. He’s out of state. Since I retired, I’ve been working on my blog. Now that whole idea seems tainted. Is that enough story for you?” Nell said with hardness in her voice that was unlike her.
“No offense was intended, Nell. I just wanted to get to know you better. I thought we were getting along pretty well. I tell you I’m no damn good at this.” Sam shook his head. “I’m used to talking to customers and making everything a joke. I’m sorry.” Sam’s shoulders slumped.
“Not your fault, Sam.” Nell patted his arm, feeling guilty for snapping at him. “I’m just edgy and every little thing gets to me. I know I am being disagreeable. I don’t mean to be.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes just letting nature bring clarity to the situation. Then Sam offered, “Your backyard is so peaceful. I’ll bet it is beautiful here all four seasons of the year.”
She flashed him a bright smile. “And you would be right. The big yard is perfect for George and Newmie, too. Although after sitting out on your patio at the bar, I know I’m going to add some baskets of flowers out here. I want the beauty and the aroma.” Nell glanced at her watch. “I’m going in to check on the meal, so just relax for a bit.”
“Do you need any help?” Sam started to rise from his chair.
“No, thanks. Please relax. You probably don’t get much time off, so enjoy. The food part is easy, but I will let you take care of the boys. You may end up thinking you got the short end of the stick.” She laughed.
It felt good to Nell when Sam gave her a relaxed smile back.
With that, she went to the kitchen and scooped the food out of the slow cooker. The meat came apart easily with a fork and the vegetables were still firm. When she cut the bread, the aroma was like a slice of heaven. She grabbed the salads out of the fridge, added the dressing, and dinner was ready to go. She placed everything on the dining room table that she had set earlier.
She walked to the door to call Sam in. Nell saw that he had picked up a ball from the yard and was tossing it to the boys who were more than happy to retrieve it. Brushing a tear from her eye, she remembered how many times Drew had done that very same thing.
“Time to eat. Thanks for playing with the boys, but I know that ball gets slimy. You can wash up down the hall,” Nell directed Sam to the guest bathroom.
“The dogs sure stay in your yard,” Sam commented as he returned from washing up. “How did you train them so well?”
“I wish I could take the credit,” Nell explained. “But we put in an underground fence system that sets off a sound if they get too close to the edge and a light shock if they go too far.”
“It sure does the job.”
Not surprisingly, Sam loved the meal. He made a much bigger deal of it than was necessary for how little work it was to prepare. He did make a point of saying he wasn’t sure that Nell liked beef the way she blasted it in her first review. Nell knew she deserved that remark.
Sam insisted on helping her clear the table and pick up the kitchen. It was nice for Nell to share the chore with someone again.
Soon they were ready to relax with coffee and brownies and go over the information they had to share.
“I came up with a short list of names of people that I think are very attached to either me or my place. I also added a couple names of men that are not quite on top of their game.” Sam frowned and seemed uncomfortable about giving out names of his customers.
“What do you mean by that, Sam? Mentally challenged?” Nell asked, taking a sip of her coffee.
“Exactly.”
“I don’t know about going in that direction.” She set her cup down. “The blog comments were correctly written, there were a fair number of good sized words, and nattering nabobs of negativism isn’t a commonly used phrase.”
“You’re probably right. I’ll cross them off the list,” Sam breathed a sigh of relief. “Here are the other names.” He pulled his chair close to hers at the table so they could read the list together.
“Toby Larson—excellent customer, spends a lot of time at the bar, both eating and drinking. He was quite upset at the first review. His wife left him for another man a couple years ago and he’s bitter toward all women. Other than that, he’s a great guy.”
“Sam, being bitter at half of the population is not healthy. I think he deserves another look.” A brownie called her name, so Nell answered, grabbing from the plate on the table.
“That’s why I included him. Next is Bob Meacham, another good customer. He’s mentioned on several occasions how stupid this Nell must be and that he would like to make her see things the right way. He, too, is a friend of mine and I just can’t picture him actually doing anything inappropriate.”
At Nell’s invitation, Sam helped himself to a brownie, too.
“I also included a woman, Michelle Cranston.” He ran his finger over her name. “She comes into the Slam all the time. I think she is interested in me.”
Nell let out a huge guffaw. “Sam, I’m starting to believe you really do think every woman is after you, even though you deny it.”
“No, listen. She’s not just after me, but any fellow around my age with a job,” Sam countered. “She’s a hard luck story looking for someone to help her. The bad part is that she brings trouble on herself. Then she wants someone to give her a free ride. Michelle was hounding Ron over at the Car Stop for a few months. She stopped over there all the time with cookies and such. She drove past his house and shop all the time, brought in her car to be worked on a lot, and starting harassing his girlfriend. She ended up not paying for any of the work he did, but as long as she stopped bothering him, Ron considered himself lucky.”
“Now she is spending time with you?” questioned Nell.
“She comes in frequently and wants a lot of my attention,” admitted Sam. “I’ve just been hoping she’ll move along when she finds out I’m not interested in her.”
“Okay. We’ll keep her on the list. Who else do you have?”
“That’s all I could come up with so soon.”
“Just three?” Nell cried. “I was really hoping for a much longer list.”
“I asked the Bean to try to think of names, too, but that was right before I left to come here. I don’t know if she will have anyone or not. What do we do with these names?”
“That’s a good question. Maybe the next time they come in, you can steer the conversation to Nell’s Noshes Up North or the murder of the Nell in Wausaukee,” Nell suggested. “See if they have an opinion or if you get an extreme reaction.”
“Will do. Any other way I can help you?”
The way he spoke sent a shiver down her spine, but she needed to focus on the topic at hand. “Thanks, Sam. I can’t think of anything right now, but let’s stay in touch. I feel better that you are helping me. I don’t feel like I’m totally alone.”
Nell walked Sam to the door, as did George and Newman. He bent down to give them a little attention. Upon rising he glanced at Nell, and she wondered if he was going to kiss her. Instead he put one arm around her and softly said, “Good night, Nell. Thanks for the wonderful meal.”
“You’re welcome. Thanks for driving out here.”
That’s it? Good night, thanks for the meal?
So much for thinking this might be a date!