chapter 2

The dinner Max placed before Amanda and Dr. Triokis was hardly what you would call gourmet fare. He made them a couple of open-face roast pork sandwiches, a side helping of sauerkraut and a dollop of mashed potatoes with a generous drenching of rich pork gravy. Plain simple fare, but the way Max made it was spectacular. Every mouthful was brimming with a succulent, down-to-earth flavor that virtually exploded in your mouth, leaving a smile on your face and a warm, full glow in your belly. Amanda was amazed and enthralled. She had never tasted anything so good in her entire life, and her mother was considered a good cook too. But there was something special, inviting about Max's cooking that drew you back to experience it all over again.

Max could see by the look on her face that Amanda was duly impressed with his cooking, but he said not word one to her. He was THAT shy. Besides, Dr. Amanda Frazek was what Max liked to call a golden girl, one of those rare creatures that combines exquisite beauty, sharp intelligence, quick wit, unquestioned ability and a basic, fundamental humanity that made her too special for an ordinary mortal such as himself.

Of course, Max was also prone to underestimating himself. Apart from his obvious culinary expertise, he was well-read, intellectually curious, not bad looking all things considered and one of the most thoughtful people you'd ever like to know. But he looked at himself and his accomplishments as though they were ordinary. How could he compare what he did for a living with saving lives the way Amanda did and would do? So he remained silent as Amanda lovingly consumed his delicious repast.

Unbeknownst to both of them, there WAS magic in the air. The stirrings of something extraordinarily wonderful was in the air, it was just that neither of them was quite ready to pick up on the vibes that other people were quick to see. Nick Triokis saw it right away. He had known Amanda since she began at DePaul as an intern. He took her under his wing, acting as both friend and mentor. She was the daughter he and his wife had never been able to have. As he watched her eat Max' meal and saw they way she'd glance over at him from time to time, it was nothing he had ever seen in her before, and not surprisingly she had been approached by a great many eligible men. But none of them seemed to intrigue her the way Max did.

So, after dinner, Amanda and Nick left. It had been a long, trying day and both of them were in desperate need of some sleep and time to decompress. Nick went off to his home in Hinsdale and Amanda went off to the resident's sleeping quarters. As she made herself comfortable, however, she couldn't shake the image of Max looking at her. She felt a twinge of something she couldn't put her finger on. Love? No, how could it be love? But it was something different than she had ever felt before.

Max cleaned up the kitchen, got everything prepared for the breakfast run that morning, which was only a few hours away. He too thought of Amanda, more convinced than ever that she was special, but not at all sure that she might become that special someone. Only time would tell!