I beelined it to the window and immediately began cooing at the sweet puppies and kittens. A little golden lab in particular grabbed my attention. He stood up against the window, yelping and clawing like he was trying to escape right into my arms.
I heard Paul chuckling as he came up behind me. “I think that one likes you, Aly. Can’t say I blame him.” I turned and smiled, then returned my attention to the adorable puppy.
“Ohh, he’s so cute! I wonder if he has a name. Hey, little fella. I wish I could take you home with me,” I said to the pup as he continued trying to burst through the window. All of a sudden, a black lab came over and joined in with him. The golden one didn’t like his thunder being stolen and tried to inch him out of the way, but he black pup wouldn’t have a thing to do with that. He started nipping at his nemesis and they fell to the floor, nipping and wrestling.
I laughed at the scene before me. It was so cute. Turning my head to look at Paul, I asked, “Did you see that? I think they’re fighting over me!”
He lazily put his arm around my shoulder. “I sure did. I’m betting the golden one wins. Too bad he won’t get the prize, though.”
That made me frown. “I know. I wish I could have a little puppy, but my landlord has a no pets policy.”
We continued watching and laughing at the pups for a few minutes. They eventually wore themselves out, snuggled against each other and fell asleep. Kissing my fingers and touching them to the window, I bid the sweet animals good-bye.
Starting to walk again, I took a few steps and realized Paul wasn’t with me. Looking behind me, I noticed he was still looking in the window.
“C’mon slow poke,” I called out to him.
Seeing I’d walked ahead, he grinned at me and caught up. After a few more minutes of walking, we came across a little Italian bistro.
“This is one of the restaurants the front desk recommended,” Paul told me. “Should we try it?”
“Yes,” I said, already opening the door to walk in. I loved Italian food and this place looked wonderful. Walking to the hostess, I told her we needed a table for two. Picking up two menus, she motioned for us to follow her. We got to a little table in the corner and sat down. Looking around, I couldn’t help but feel the charm of the restaurant. It had the typical red and white-checkered tablecloths and a candle burning at each table. Soft Italian music was being played through the speakers, giving it an authentic feel. A few tables were occupied, but it wasn’t noisy which I was happy about.
Looking over the menu, I decided on the spinach ravioli with an asiago cream sauce. I hadn’t had anything since lunch and I was starving. I ripped open a roll and slathered it with butter, taking a big bite. Hearing Paul’s laugh, I looked up at him, chewing and swallowing my roll.
“What?” I asked him, dabbing my mouth with the napkin.
“You’re just cute. Most women would refuse to eat the roll or at the least, take dainty bites, but not you.”
Feeling embarrassed, I set my roll down. “Sorry, I’m just so hungry. I haven’t had anything to eat since lunch.”
He reached over and covered my hand with his. “Aly, please. Don’t apologize. I said it as a compliment. I think it’s very refreshing that you don’t pretend to be something you’re not. I love that you are comfortable enough with me that you can dive into that roll.”
Relieved, I picked up the roll and took another bite. Chuckling, Paul took his hand back and continued to look over the menu. As soon as he lifted his hand from mine, I felt the loss of it. Sighing, I continued to eat the roll when our server finally came to take our order.
“Good evening and welcome to Luigi’s. I’m Tate and I’ll be your server tonight. Would you like me to tell you our specials this evening?”
We both nodded. Tate smiled and indicated to a chalkboard on the wall, listing the specials and their prices.
“We have a delicious chicken gnocchi veronese which is made with a variety of cheeses served over a bed of noodles. Our second special of the night is our famous mouthwatering linguini in a light saffron sauce. This dish is my absolute favorite.