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“Great! Got it right here.” He handed me a bag and I found a large container of expensive cinnamon inside.

“Oh—you got the good stuff,” I remarked as I headed for the kitchen.

“Nothing but the best for your Grandma’s apple pie,” Rath said cheerfully, following me.

He watched with interest as I added the cinnamon, rolled out the crust, and added the filling. After I crimped the edges of the crust together, I brushed the whole thing with egg wash and sprinkled a generous amount of the sanding sugar on top.

“Thank you for this,” I said, as I sprinkled. “I would have forgotten all about it.”

“I remember your Grandma using it for her pies and cookies,” he said. “I wasn’t sure if she had left any in the cabinet or not.”

“She didn’t, so I’m glad to have it.” I smiled up at him. I had been a little nervous about letting him watch me bake, but he was so interested in every step and not at all judgmental, which made me fairly relaxed.

“I noticed you got me a bottle of wine, too,” I remarked, as I slid the pie into the preheated oven.

Rath shrugged.

“I thought you might like to have some at dinner.”

“Which I would love to invite you to eat with me,” I said. “I wish I had something more than pie to offer you. If you don’t mind waiting, I can whip something up.”

“Nothing fancy—I don’t want to make you work too hard after all that trouble you went to making the pie,” he rumbled.

“How about grilled cheese sandwiches?” It was what I had planned to have for my own dinner. I remembered my Grandma making me the most perfect, buttery grilled cheese and I was craving the creamy, crunchy texture.

“That sounds delicious.” Rath smiled. “Is there anything I can do?”

“Well…I think I remember my Grandma canning her famous vegetable soup and storing it in the basement,” I said, frowning. “But I was kind of afraid to go down there last night and look for it because the light has burned out. I mean, not that I’m afraid of the dark or anything, but…”

I trailed off. For some reason, the memory of the black door with the red X on it had popped into my mind.

“But you were probably worried that if you slipped and fell down the stairs, nobody would come save you,” he finished for me. “I know where your Grandma kept the light bulbs—I’ll change the bulb for you and then we can see if she left any of her vegetable soup. It’s one of my favorites too.”

The bulb was out of my reach, even if I stood on my tiptoes, but Rath had no problem reaching it. He changed it quickly and the two of us descended the basement steps into the cool, dim, subteranean space.

As soon as my eyes adjusted to the dim light, I felt like I had hit the jackpot.

The walls were lined with shelves, all filled with clear Mason jars which were neatly labeled in my Grandma’s spidery script. There were vegetables, fruits, soups, pie fillings, and more, all there for the taking.

“Wow…there must be hundreds of jars down here!” I breathed as I looked at the bounty my Grandma she had left me. “And to think I had a can of tomato soup and an apple for supper last night because I thought there was nothing else in the house!”

“There’s enough down here to feed an army—an army of Orcs, even,” Rath remarked. He shook his head. “I think this was how your Grandma kept herself busy, since she never watched TV.”

“She didn’t even own one, I don’t think,” I said, picking up a jar of green beans and examining the seal on the top, which was intact. “At least, I haven’t found one around here.”

“I have one at my place—a whole home theater system. If you like to watch movies or shows or whatever,” Rath offered. “Since you’re cooking for me tonight, maybe I can return the favor and we can have a movie night sometime.”

I gave him a flirtatious look from under my eyelashes.

“We’re not even done with the first date yet and you’re already asking for a second?”

I didn’t know where the words came from—or the sassy, flirty attitude either for that matter. I was usually so shy around men—mostly because I couldn’t talk to them. But with Rath, the conversation flowed so naturally and I felt so attracted to him…I hoped he felt the same way about me.

He gave me a surprised look, which turned into a smile.

“Well, yes—I guess I am,” he rumbled. “If you don’t mind dating Creatures, that is.”

“I don’t have a lot of experience dating at all,” I admitted. “Um, Creatures or otherwise. But I don’t mind. If…if you think we’re compatible.”

I was thinking of how much bigger he was than me and how I had never actually successfully had sex with anyone—let alone someone his size.

Rath smiled.

“We’re compatible. Creatures and humans get together all the time. My own mother was human and my dad was a full-blooded Orc.”

“How did they meet?” I asked, as I chose two large jars of vegetable soup and we headed back up the basement steps.

“Well…actually my dad carried her off during a raid.” He sounded kind of embarrassed.

“He did?” I asked, surprised. “I mean, does that kind of thing happen around here?”

“It used to,” Rath said. “Anyway, he always claims it was love at first sight—he saw her and just knew he had to have her.”

“How did your mom feel about that?” I asked, putting the jars of soup on the kitchen table.

“Oh, she hated him at first,” Rath said candidly. “But he eventually won her over.”

“How did he do that?” I looked in the cabinet and found a large stew pot to pour the soup in.

“He brought her back to his camp and then he basically waited on her hand and foot and showered her with presents and attention,” Rath said. He shook his head, a fond smile on his face. “He worships the ground she walks on—always has.”

“It sounds like they have a great marriage,” I remarked, smiling a little myself. “Even if it had kind of a rocky start.”

“They’re soul mates,” Rath said seriously. “I’ve always hoped that someday I could find what they have, you know?”

Actually, I didn’t know because I had never let myself dream about having a soul mate—or even a regular partner I could be with long term.

But I could see the look in the big Orc’s eyes and I knew he was serious.

I wanted to tell him I wished I could find a soul mate too—but would that sound too much like I was throwing myself at him?

“I think we all hope we can find the right person,” I said, smiling. “Um, how many grilled cheese sandwiches do you want?”