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The Kitchen Witch --------------------------------------------------------------- [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7] [Chapter 8] [Chapter 9] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] -------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 5-Dinner Out That evening Viggo made his way to the bookstore. He arrived just before six and Nellie let him in as she was locking up. "Hello again Nellie." Viggo said smiling at the old woman as he ducked inside the store. "Hello...Sarah is upstairs of course." She said smiling. Viggo nodded in thanks and went up the winding stairs to the café. Sarah was standing by the counter writing tomorrows specials on the chalkboard. She was wearing a long green dress that made her eyes appear darker. "You look lovely." Viggo said smiling at her. "Thanks...you don't look so bad yourself." She said blushing slightly. She was getting bolder but still blushed. He had on jeans, a nice button up shirt, with a blue blazer over it and boots. It was only the second time she had seen him actually wearing shoes. They went to dinner and had a wonderful meal and conversation. Viggo drove her home; it was the first time he had seen where Sarah lived. Her home was a small yellow cottage with white shutters and gardens much like Viggo's at his cottage. "Would you like to come in for some tea?" She asked. "Sure." He smiled. As they went inside a fat calico cat came bounding up and curled himself around her legs. "This is Osiris." She said introducing the cat as she picked him up and nuzzled the fur ball. Viggo smiled. "Hello, Osiris." He said scratching the cat on top of his head. The cat leaned into his touch and purred loudly. "He likes you." She grinned. She set Osiris down and led Viggo to the living room. "Have a seat...I'll go start the tea." "Thanks." He said but instead of sitting he wandered around the room. She had several bookshelves filled with old books a few of the titles he recognized from his own library back home. A few books caught his eye books of folklore, poetry, Shakespeare, Chinese fairy tales, herbal medicine, Hans Christian Anderson, and he spotted very old leather bound editions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, which made him smile. He wondered if she did know who he really was and was just being polite. He also noticed that she had two bowls one with crystals of various sizes and colors and one with what looked to be rocks and gems and a small white handled knife sat on the shelf next to them. He stared at the items for a few minutes and then a thought hit him...Maria calls Sarah a kitchen witch. He began to wonder if that nickname wasn't far off the mark despite her claim in his kitchen the other day. When she walked back into the room Viggo's hand was moving down the spine of The Lord of the Rings, the leather felt soft and worn under his fingers. Then a rather large very old wood and leather bound book lying on the console table caught Viggo's attention. Sarah stepped up to him then and put her hand on the book. "It's a family heirloom...just family history and such." "Beautiful binding." He said admiring the book. The worn leather had pewter details and engravings. In the center was a relief of the Celtic tree of life. "Yes it is. It was made by one of my distant grandmothers back in the mid sixteen hundreds. It's been rebound a number of times since; the last time was in the late 1800's by my great-great grandmother. It contains recipes and stories, and other things the women in my family chose to hand down from generation to generation." She explained. "Quite a treasure to have something like this." Viggo commented accepting the cup of tea she offered him. "Yes...when I left California it and the Tolkien books were the only things I brought with me." She said softly walking over to the couch and sitting down. Viggo sat down in a chair across from her. She always looked so sad when she spoke of her past so Viggo decided to change the subject. "You have a wonderful collection of books...we have similar tastes I think." She smiled. "So have you seen the movies based on the Tolkien books?" Viggo found himself asking...he had to know for some bizarre reason. "No...the closest theater is on the mainland and I don't even own a DVD player or a television." She admitted. Viggo smiled at that...she really had no clue that he had played Aragorn. Sarah liked him for being just Viggo, not because he was a movie star. It had been a long time since he had a date with a woman who didn't know exactly who he was and therefore seem to want something of him. Although he thought grimly at some point he was going to have to tell her, but not yet. "I don't own a television either." He said setting his tea on the coffee table. "I think I knew that." She said smiling. "I have been in the cottage enough lately." "No I mean I don't own one at all...not back home and not in Idaho. Well I personally don't own one, though my son has one in his bedroom at both homes. It's one of the few things he and I argue about. I would prefer that he watch much less of it than he does, but he likes to play video games and a TV is a must have for that." Viggo explained. She smiled at him. Her ex husbands life had revolved around television, he was a big name in Hollywood and lived for entertainment news of any kind. It drove her a little crazy over the years. It was nice to meet someone who didn't care about that sort of thing. They talked then for a while, mostly about Viggo. He explained that he had degrees in both Government and Spanish and that he spoke it and Danish fluently as well as bits and pieces of several other languages. She listened intently when he spoke of all the places in the world he had been and lived in. "So you have traveled the world taking photographs?" She asked. "Well yes, though that wasn't the main reason most of the time. I have a confession to make...I asked about the Tolkien movies because I worked on them." He said searching her eyes. She looked at him a moment a bit stunned. "Worked on them?" She asked moving away from him further. "I am an actor...I played Aragorn." He said not quite understanding her reaction. "Actor? Aragorn...well I guess that's why you are here to get away from it all." She said shifting and then standing up. Her body had suddenly become tense and she caused the cups to click together as she carried them back to the kitchen. Viggo looked down at his hands. This isn't going that well. He thought. "I am sorry I didn't mention it earlier, but honestly I didn't want to think about it." He said following her to the kitchen. "No don't be sorry...I understand. Well I am very tired Viggo...I think perhaps we should call it a night. Thank you for dinner it was lovely." She said in a clipped voice as she placed their cups in the sink. Viggo wasn't sure how to feel now...Sarah had just turned quite cold towards him and he wasn't quite sure why. "Why are you upset?" He asked. "I am not upset, Viggo." She said turning toward him. "Your business is yours not mine...it's not like you will be here beyond a few months anyway." Viggo felt as if she had slapped him, actually he thought it would have felt better had she actually slapped him. "Right. You aren't upset yet when I said I was an actor you turned stiff and cold and began trying to run me off." Viggo said stepping away from the counter he had been leaning against. "I am not running you off...I am tired. Sorry you feel that way." She responded lightly as if her change in behavior was all in his head. "Do you have something against actors?" He asked bewildered by her suddenly shift. "No I don't have anything against actors...I do have something against the entertainment industry and that isn't your fault of course. Please Viggo just go before this gets any more awkward for either of us." She said pushing her hands through her golden hair. He noticed when she did this her hands were shaking. "I know that we haven't known each other long Sarah but I hope at some point you will open up to me...if only in friendship. If you will let me I want to be your friend, if my being an actor prevents that then I am sorry." Viggo snapped heading toward the door. Sarah waited a few seconds and then ran after him. "Wait!" She called from the door...he was on the last step of the porch. He stopped but
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