Chapter 30

Day 262 Wednesday

Denise's day started off with a very energetic session at the dining room table while Victoria prepared breakfast. She had actually woken up that morning wanting to do exactly that and enjoyed it tremendously. The previous night had been spent with Larry and that had supercharged her sexual appetite. They had gone at it like bunnies and she had slept the night dreaming of a repeat.

She waltzed into work in a good mood. She had just finished a major user's manual and was expecting to get a new project. She actually enjoyed the first day of a new project. Karen waved at her to come into the office. Smiling, Denise walked in expecting to hear about her new project. She asked, "What's up?"

Karen said, "Walter is leaving."

Walter was the office manager. For the most part, Karen ran the company and supervised everything that went on, but Walter took care of the day to day details. If she had a problem, Denise went to Walter. When she had to report progress, she went to Karen. Walter's leaving was a surprise. Denise said, "Wow. What are you going to do?"

"I've got to replace him somehow," Karen said.

"Lots of luck," Denise said. It took a very special personality to balance the responsibilities of the job with the control streak that Karen maintained. Whoever got the job would have a tough time earning Karen's trust.

Karen fussed a little with a stack of papers on her desk. Finally, she said, "I asked him to recommend someone to take his place."

"That's a good idea," Denise said. She was silent for a second trying to think who Walter would recommend. She smiled when she realized that Laura would be the perfect candidate. She was a good productive worker and had a good rapport with her customers. She said, "Let me guess. He recommended Laura."

Karen laughed and said, "She was his second choice."

"Really? She would be my first choice," Karen said rather surprised by the announcement.

"You were his first choice," Karen said.

"You're kidding," Denise said shocked by the assertion. The idea of taking over the day to day operations of the company was rather frightening.

"I agreed with his choice, but wanted to hear it from him. His only concern was that I'd be losing my best writer," Karen said. She had wanted his input in case her judgment was clouded as a result of the history that existed between the two of them. She had come to trust Denise knowing that the other woman knew enough that she could have seriously hurt her business. She looked across the desk at Denise and said, "I kind of share that concern."

"So chose Laura," Denise said, "I'd have no problems working with her."

"No. The job is yours if you want it," Karen said watching Denise for her reaction.

Denise thought about it for a long minute. The job represented a major increase in responsibility and she was concerned that she might not be ready for it. Wanting to delay giving an answer, she asked, "Is there a raise?"

"Of course," Karen answered. She said, "It is a pretty substantial raise."

"I guess I'll take it," Denise said. She was quiet for a second. She had grown significantly over the past few months. A lot of the doubts and concerns that had held her back in the past had been eliminated during her time in the program. She wasn't the same woman that she had been nine months ago. She decided that she could do the job. She burst into a smile. She said, "I'll take it."

Karen had been waiting for the smile and relaxed. She said, "Good. Walter will explain the job to you."

"Thank you, Karen," Denise said. Thinking about the responsibilities involved, she said, "You won't regret this."

"I'm pretty sure that I won't," Karen said. Nine months earlier she wouldn't have ever considered Denise for the position. The changes in the young woman had been significant. Even Walter had noticed how much Denise had grown.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Denise asked.

"Well, I suggest that you find Walter and let him know that we've talked," Karen answered with a smile.

"Great," Denise said rising from her seat. She looked at Karen and said, "Thanks for giving me this opportunity."

Karen tried to look grumpy and said, "Get to work."

"Yes, boss," Denise said with a laugh.

"I'll take you to a celebratory lunch," Karen said.

After working most of the morning with Walter, Denise called Larry and told him the good news. He immediately offered to take her out to dinner to celebrate. It was an offer that she immediately accepted. She then called Dale and told him the good news. He offered to take her to dinner, but she had to decline. He understood her reasons and volunteered to take her out that Friday.

After swinging by the house to shower and change clothes, Larry took Denise to a modest Italian restaurant. It wasn't one of the very high end places, but it also wasn't a chain restaurant. The family that owned the restaurant staffed most of the positions. It was comfortable, inviting, and relaxed. She felt comfortable the minute they entered it. Denise had a feeling the Michelle had helped him pick out the place.

Once they were taken to her seat, she said, "This is a lovely place."

"Thanks. I found it shortly after moving here. I just kind of stumbled upon it. Albert and I come here for lunch occasionally to discuss some of our ideas. It is nice and quiet so I thought it would be a good place to bring you," Larry said.

"It is very nice," Denise said surprised that she had been wrong.

Larry said, "I think it is a good spot to celebrate your promotion."

"Thanks," Denise said.

He blushed and added, "It is also kind of romantic."

"I was thinking the same thing," Denise said.

"I'm so proud of you. I know that you'll do a great job in your new position," Larry said taking her hand in his. He looked her in the eye and said, "You're headed for success. I can feel it."

"You're so sweet," Denise said.

The waitress, a middle aged woman of a rather stout build, came over to the table. She looked over Denise and hoped that she wasn't the type that picked at her food out of fear of gaining a few pounds. Smiling at Larry, she said, "I see you've finally brought a young lady here."

"She's my fiancée," Larry said.

"I'll go slap that son of mine upside the head for seating you here. Young lovers need secluded corners and he put you two in the middle of the room," she said.

Denise giggled at that and said, "That's okay. I don't mind kissing him in front of an audience, but next time I'll expect a corner table with curtains."

The waitress laughed and said, "Next time, you'll get it."

Larry said, "We're celebrating her promotion."

"Ah, that's wonderful. I hope that you aren't going to put your career before your man," the woman said looking at her.

"Never," Denise said. She leaned over and said, "My dream is a loving husband, a house with a white picket fence, and a yard full of children. I've found my future husband, we're saving for a house, and we'll start on the children once we're married."

The woman put her hands to her cheeks and said, "Oh my! You should talk to my daughter. Maybe she'd listen to you. Lord knows she doesn't listen to me."

The idea of giving advice to another woman surprised Denise. She said, "I'm sure she listens to you."

"I like you," the woman said. She looked at Larry and asked, "Since this is a celebration do you mind if I select the food for you?"

"That would be great," Larry said.

The woman frowned as a thought crossed her mind and asked, "Do you have any preferences?"

"No preferences. I'm sure that I'll love anything you bring us," Denise answered with a smile.

"I'll serve it family style and that way you can take as little or as much as you want," the woman said. She feared that Denise would only take a bite or two of everything. She shook her head thinking about the young women of the modern world. All of them were concerned with their weight.

The woman brought out the first course of the meal. Denise looked at the steamed mussels and then looked over at Larry. She said, "It looks like we'll be fighting over the last mussel."

The waitress laughed despite the fact that she didn't believe that Denise would eat with an appetite. She watched as Denise loaded Larry's plate with food and then filled her plate. She was pleased the Denise wasn't skimpy with her own portions. Waving her hands around, she said, "That recipe comes from my grandmother on my mother's side. She was big woman with a heart the size of all outdoors. She loved to cook seafood. It has just the right amount of spices; not too much and not too little. I hope that you'll enjoy them."

"They look delicious."

The woman said, "I'll be back with the next course."

As she walked away, she heard Denise say, "Oh, this is heavenly."

"It is good," Larry said nodding his head in agreement.

Denise enjoyed the food and the company. She thought that the waitress was a delight. The woman fussed over them throughout the whole meal. She brought out plates of food and presented them with pride. She talked about which of her relatives gave her the recipe. As the woman cleared away the last plate, she said, "It is so good to see a young woman enjoy food. So many of them worry about their weight and fail to enjoy their food."

"This meal was absolutely fabulous. It would be a crime not to enjoy it," Denise said.

The waitress beamed. She said, "You're a sweet a girl. You've found yourself a good man. He's a scientist. There is no profession more respected than being a scientist. He's so smart. He comes here for lunch with his friend and they talk about things that I don't even understand. They'll be erecting statues to praise his inventions."

Larry said, "They don't raise statues for scientists."

"They should," the woman said. She said, "If my son were to become a scientist or an engineer, I'd take out a full page ad in the newspaper."

"You sound like Candy," Denise said laughing.

"This Candy, is she engaged to Larry's friend Bill?" the woman asked.

"Yes," Denise said realizing that she shouldn't be surprised that Candy had been to this restaurant with Bill considering that he was in the program with Larry and Albert.

"She's such a sweet girl. Her fiancée is a scientist, too. I'd adopt her if I could. Do you know that she came here to learn how to cook some good Italian dishes so that she could feed her husband properly? She's such a good girl," the woman said. She smiled and added, "Everyone loves Candy."

Denise nearly choked when the woman made the comment about everyone loving Candy. She said, "You're right."

"Run along home and celebrate in private," the woman said gesturing towards the door.

"What about the bill?" Larry asked.

"Don't worry about it," the woman said. She leaned down and said, "I'm so happy that you found a nice old fashioned girl."

"Thanks," Larry said.

"Thank you for everything. This was a meal to remember for a lifetime," Denise said.

"You're sweet," the woman said beaming at her.

They had driven about a block away from the restaurant when Denise suddenly said, "Pull into the park over there."

Larry didn't question why, he just did as she asked. He pulled into a parking spot and asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is wonderful. I just want to sit here with you for a little bit," Denise said. She was full and wanted to give her meal a chance to settle.

"Did you eat too much?" he asked.

"Not at all," Denise said with a smile.

Larry looked at her for a second and, in a serious voice, said, "There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What?" Denise asked concerned by the serious expression on his face.

He shifted uncomfortably for a second and then asked, "Your goal weight — did you set it or did Dale?"

"Dale did all kinds of measurements on me and gave me a target weight range based on my body frame. I remember it was between 129 and 139 pounds. I picked 130 pounds," Denise answered.