Starke broke the silence when he said, "one good thing has come of this, when mother's day, birthday etc. comes around, I always know what to get my mom, a potted plant, cut flowers or candy she makes those decisions real easy for me," that made her smile, you're a good son aren't you? "I try" he said.
They went into the gazebo then and took a seat on the swing in there, and he put his arm around her and drew her close for a kiss, that made her tingle right down to her toes. And she kissed him back with all the passion she had to give at that moment. Starke said I'm falling helplessly in love with you, have been from the moment I looked into your eyes at the diner, and he looked into those eyes again, and all she said is I know, and he saw all that love coming back to him.
The back door swung open just then and Anne spoke in a clear loud voice as she asked, "would you children like more coffee?" they both said "yes and Anne said "it will be up here on the porch when you're ready." And she went back inside to give them this time alone, she knew her son had found happiness again, and she did not want them to see that she herself had been crying tears of joy as she watched them through her kitchen window.
***
The couple, strolled up to the porch, and sat down at the small wicker table to enjoy their coffee, which Anne had placed there along with a plate of her famous brownies.
Starke asked, Candee, I've got to ask you something, yes? You weren't really planning to kill this person who's causing you trouble were you? "Well no" she said, but if it's a matter of kill or be killed I suppose I would, do you really have a weapon? She reached into her purse that sat on a nearby chair, and pulled out a tiny gun with a pink pearl handle, he couldn't help it he burst out laughing!
"Hey," she said "this is real you know?" Yes, I can see that but it's the cutest looking tiny gun, I think I have ever seen, she said, well I have a license for it and I do know how to use it. I've had this since I started working at the paper and have been taking all those weird and threatening phone calls we get at the paper, these days. A few of the women there have done this, we were told to be careful going to and from our cars, in the parking lot and it scared us, I guess. He said, "I'm sorry I laughed," she said that's okay.