Maggie and Andy sat on the sofa with the TV on, only half watching the news. Occasionally, they overheard Amelia explaining the situation to her husband on the phone, detailing the events of the past few days and their initial reluctance to contact the police. They both looked at each other and smiled.
"What do we do now?" asked Andy
"The kitchen is clean, so we can just relax." Answered Maggie.
"No, I mean what do WE do next now that this is all over?" he replied.
"Ahh, we talked about going on a proper date once this was all over. Maybe we could go on a date. Dinner and a movie, but nothing scary. I think we've had enough scary for a lifetime!" Maggie answered.
"Definitely! More than enough for a lifetime!" agreed Andy.
Together, they made plans for dinner out and tried to pick a move at a local theater. They found an animated movie that looked like it would do the trick for their desire for something light and fun to watch.
Friday night would be the big night for their official first date. They picked Friday to give themselves time to settle back into their regular lives and deal with all the fallout of being gone. And in Andy's case, the fallout of the CEO of the company being arrested for kidnapping and attempted murder…and being his birth father. The next couple of days at work were going to be crazy for him.
Maggie was probably looking at least one hundred emails, if not more, after being gone for the last few days. Both employers and students would have missed her presence and the day-to-day problem solving she did for all of them. She completed most of her post-career fair work before the chaos started, but additional follow-up tasks remained, delayed by her absence. But as she always told students, the world would not spin off its axis and fly out into space, causing an ice age and killing everyone on the planet because she had been out of the office for a few days.
The next morning, Maggie, Amelia, and Andy had a light breakfast, then clean up the kitchen. Each had come out to breakfast with their bags packed and ready to return to their own homes. After eating, Maggie and Andy packed up the food and toys that were still lying around for the dogs and had taken them out in the backyard to go potty. It was a pleasant change to do that for themselves.
When the unmarked police van arrived at 9am and pulled into the garage, they had their bags lined up waiting to be put in the van. The only thing that needed to be done was to turn out the lights.
The three passengers and two dogs climbed into the van for the last time and headed back to Maggie's place, since that was where everyone's cars were located. Once there, Amelia and Andy accompanied Maggie to her condo to inspect the repair work on the fire damage.
The photos in the entryway were all gone because of the heat damage, but other than that no one would have known a fire had been lit there. Everywhere they checked, they couldn't tell a fire had been lit.
Maggie would need to get a new sofa, but luckily her homeowner insurance was going to cover the cost of the few things that needed to be replaced. The sofa was the only big item that needed replacing.
The work crew were finishing the last few details in the hall and would be done within the hour. Maggie's home would all hers again soon. She slipped past them and put her bags in her bedroom, then returned to the living room to see Amelia and Andy off.
Both Andy and Amelia texted Maggie to check on her later in the evening. They each wanted to make sure she was doing okay now that the workers were gone and she was alone for the first time in days. She appreciated the concern of her friends and let them know.
She and Ripley spent the evening getting back into their regular routine, and evening walk and a lite dinner for Maggie after a quick trip to the grocery store. Lunch for the next day was packed and clothing for work was decided on and made ready.
Since there was no sofa to sit on, Maggie spent the evening in bed reading and texting with her friends. Amelia had another fight with her husband, but they quickly made up. Andy read work emails and wasn't surprised by everyone's shock at the CEO's arrest.
The next few days at work both flew by and were some of the longest Maggie and Andy had ever experienced. Everyone had questions about what had happened to them that neither of them was ready to answer. Both had a ton of work stacked up from missing several days of work with the unplanned absence because of the chaos of the kidnappings and attempted murder. Friday couldn't arrive soon enough for either of them.
When the clock hit 4:30pm on Friday, Maggie had her computer turned off and she was out the door. She drove directly home and got ready for her date with Andy. They went to a small local steak house that was known for good food at a good price. It wasn't fancy or fussy. It was very casual and comfortable. The casual and comfortable atmosphere was just what they needed after such a stressful week, both at work and personally.
Andy picked her up promptly at 6pm, and they took his car to dinner. Maggie liked this steak house because they usually had a special on filet mignon on Friday nights. Most other steak places had a special on prime rib, and she didn't like it all that much.
Andy only laughed a little when she made a face when he ordered his steak medium rare after she had ordered hers medium well. Both ordered the baked potato with sour cream and butter and a salad. They forwent desert so they could have popcorn at the movie.
Dinner was delicious, and the movie was just what they needed. They had a great time just being normal people on a date. No trauma or drama weighing on them gave them a special lightness that made the evening extra special. On the drive back to Maggie's place, Andy held her hand while driving. She found that to be very sweet.
When they arrived at the complex where Maggie lived, all the parking near her place was full, so they had to park on the other side of the property. On the walk over to where Maggie lived, they held hands and talked quietly about the movie. Both had found it enjoyable.
Between where Andy parked and Maggie's place was a small playground area with a bench. They stopped and sat for a few minutes before heading to her place.
"I had a great time tonight." Said Maggie. "I'm glad we got to go out and have fun with no police around us or craziness going on, either."
"Me too! In fact, I liked it so much that I want to do it again and again." Replied Andy. "I actually don't want tonight to end, if I'm being honest."
"I don't want it to end either and I want to see you again, too. I know we got started in an unusual way, but I really like you." She said shyly.
"I like you too!" said Andy as he took her hand in both of his and stroked it softly.
Maggie smiled and felt a thrill flutter through her chest as his fingers played with her knuckles. All she wanted in that moment was to do was kiss him.
They both smiled in the dim light, and Andy leaned over and gently kissed her on the lips. It was soft and tender. Just the right amount of romance and passion. Maggie sighed with contentment, and they walked the rest of the way back to her condo. They decided they would get together again the next day for lunch and a walk in the nearby park. Both of them were smitten with the other.
Together they walked up the short set of stairs to Maggie's condo and at the top they saw a box like all the others she had gotten. Andy pick it up and opened it. Inside the box were some long stem red roses tied up in a violet ribbon and a note that said, "Roses are red, violets are blue. You may have won for now, but I'll be watching you."