THE IMMORTAL AND THE BAKER14

Zelda's house

Zelda had finally worn him down about coming to her home, though it hadn't been easy. Zara wasn't entirely sure why Tim didn't want to see where she lived, but she thought it was fear of inadequacy. For such an intelligent man, Zelda didn't know why Tim let his feelings hold him back and chalked it up to his personality, and that his father had likely created feelings of inadequacy in him.

Childhood training was nearly impossible to shake sometimes or at the least very hard, especially if at least one parent wasn't the nurturing, understanding type.

Tim seemed to be perfectly comfortable having her in his apartment, but then, Zelda realized that was his territory, not hers and that might've been part of the problem. For Tim, it was probably like walking into the unknown, which likely made him very nervous and why he had refused any and all invitations to come to her home.

In any case, here they were finally, and Zelda hadn't been about to let him back out of seeing her house and meeting her dogs who were absolute sweethearts.

"Come on," Zelda ordered him when Tim hesitated. "There's no backing out now. I know you're nervous, but the only way to get over that nervousness is to approach the problem head on."

Zelda unlocked her front door and waited for Tim to enter first before she followed, as she wouldn't put it past him to takeoff down the street, which is why she insisted that they use her vehicle to get here. If they had driven his, he would've been able to get in his car and drive away before she could stop him or not show up at all if he was so inclined.

Part of the problem was that Tim wasn't very courageous not in this type of situation anyway, and Zelda wasn't sure how he would ever be able to meet her parents if he couldn't relax.

Zelda closed and locked the door once they were both inside and then Zelda took Tim's hand after slipping past him and led him into the kitchen and gestured at him to sit down.

"Sit!" Zelda ordered Tim when he had moved after a few seconds.

Tim obeyed the command, and sat in one of the kitchen chairs, his back as stiff as a board. "For God sakes, Tim relax. I'm not going to murder you, you know."

"Here, have something to drink," Zelda suggested her tone now gentle. "We have lemonade, tea, soda or I can make some coffee if you like."

"A soda will be fine," Tim finally spoke relaxing slightly.

"Here you go," Zelda said bringing Tim a bottle of Fizz soda, which was very similar to Coke, but Coca-Cola had gone out of business sometime ago.

Zelda silently thought that Coke had used to be her favorite soda and she missed it sometimes, but the company had gone belly up several centuries ago due to bad management.

Fizz soda was very similar, but not quite the same, and Zelda could tell the difference, though she knew most people had never had a Coke or even heard about it. They had likely never even heard of the brand that had been around for a long time before the company had had to close down.

"I'm surprised you put up with my nervousness," Tim finally spoke after he had taken several sips of his soda. "I've been told more than once by my sister that I'll never get married unless I can get over my problem."

"Your sister cares about your well-being," Zara told him. "I know I haven't met her, but if my sister told me something like that, then I would listen. A lot of brilliant people are just like you and have trouble on the romantic front and in your case, I think it's fear of the unknown, that is part of the problem and why I had such a time getting you to come here. What you need is new experiences in all types of situations until you're comfortable in them. Considering the hard time I had get you to come to my house. I'm going to say that you've never been to your girlfriend's home before me."

"No, when I dated in the past, they either met me somewhere or I picked them up from a public place like their work or a store," Tim admitted. "Of course, most of those relationships didn't last long, because I couldn't seem to get over my nervousness. I felt as if I was standing at the edge of a cliff, and I was about to step off into the unknown. I suppose I was afraid I would fall off the edge of the cliff and never land on solid ground again."

"You need to have confidence in yourself. You're a brilliant man and a lot of brilliant people have similar problems and not just about relationships. Your self-esteem is very low, which is why such situations make you nervous. That's what you need above all more self-esteem," Zelda said.

Tim eyed Zelda, as if she was a creature from another planet. Zelda simply laughed at Tim's look. The laugh was lighthearted and not derogatory in anyway. The laugh wasn't mocking Tim, but was one of genuine amusement.

Zelda was everything that Tim could want in a girlfriend or a wife, as she was intelligent, fun and shared many of the same interests he did, including gaming.

Suddenly, there was a sound of little feet and two small dogs barreled into the kitchen.

"And where have you been sweeties?" Zelda asked them and heard their thoughts in her head, though she made sure she didn't respond since Tim's still wasn't in on the secret.

Zelda picked up Remington dog and rubbed his fur and kissed his nose before putting him back down and then picked up the other one and did the same. "Yew! Doggy breath!" Zelda joked lightheartedly.

"We're hungry mommy," Lily said in her thoughts.

"Who is this?" asked Remington, as he approached Tim cautiously.

"Tim, these are the dogs I was telling you about the one that wants to be petted is Remington and the other one is his sister Lily," Zelda introduced. "I suspect they were sleeping on my bed until they heard voices and so came to investigate."

"They are adorable," Tim said, as he let Remington sniff his hand and then lick his fingers.

"Now you know why I had to have them when I saw them on the pet rescue's website," Zelda said. "The others of their litter had already been adopted into other families, and these were the only two left, so I called immediately, as there was a number on the site and set up an appointment to meet them. The rest, as they say, is history. I always had a dog growing up, as both my parents love animals too, and we had two dogs when I was a child at different times. One was pretty old when I was born and he died when I was young and the other one was gotten as a Christmas present for me and my siblings. Really, that second dog was for the whole family not just us kids. I remember loving that dog so much that I was very sad when he finally died."

"I can see why you opened an animal shelter, as it's clear you have the passion," Tim said eyeing Zelda.

"You actually enjoy working when you're doing something you love," Zelda said.

Tim nodded, knowing that very well, it was certainly one reason he had never wanted to enter the Navy, though his seasickness was a cause as well. He'd always been good with electronics, though creating electronic games was his true passion, but he also knew how to hack if necessary without being caught.

His father had never understood, nor supported his ambition and was damn determined that he was going to join the Navy once he finished college. Defying him hadn't been easy, and the two had been estranged before his death less than two years ago.

His mother and his sister, though had supported his dream and were proud of his accomplishments, which had helped him defy his father's wishes for him.

Tim knew that his mother Kristen had argued with his father on multiple occasions about the pressure she was putting on him, but his father had refused to budge.

Tim knew that his family would love Zelda and he was beginning to hope that his relationship with her would work out. For one thing, Zelda was patient and kind with all his hangups and he couldn't say that about any of the other women that he had dated in the past.

"Let me just feed these cutie pies and then we can watch a movie or something if you like," Zelda offered.

Zelda immediately went to where she stored the dog food and dished out a can of wet food between two bowls and then filled their water dish.

"So why did you name one of the dogs Remington?" Tim asked, having been curious about the name ever since Zelda had told him about her dogs.

"It's from one of my favorite TV shows," Zelda explained. "The main character Remington Swanson and he is CIA assassin that works for the government."

"As for Lily, it's my favorite flower and it's also a famous literary name. The name has been used in multiple book series over the centuries.

"Oh yeah, I think I've seen that show a few times," Tim said.

"We can binge watch if you want, as I have all the seasons," Zelda said. "I wouldn't mind watching them again, which is why I bought each season as soon as they came out. I didn't see the point of paying to watch an episode again and again and have to pay every time, so I just paid for the whole season, as soon as it became available."

"Well, if you really like a show, I can see doing that, especially since it would be far cheaper than having to rent the episode multiple times," Tim said.

"So why don't I fix us dinner here, since I finally got you to come to my home instead of us ordering something," Zelda suggested.

"Sounds fine," Tim said having relaxed considerably, as they had been talking.

"I hope you'll feel free to visit me anytime now that you've been once," Zelda told him. "You're welcome to come anytime and I'll never turn you away and that's a promise."

"That sounds fine," Tim said, having relaxed now that Zelda had finally broken him down and got him to come to her home to meet her adorable dogs who were full grown now.

~~~Tim and Zelda~~~

A few weeks later

"I think I finally decided to get a dog," Tim told Zelda, as he played with Lily on the floor. Remington and Lily had become quite fond of Tim in a short amount of time and always looked forward to seeing him. As soon as he appeared, they jumped all over him, begging for attention, and Tim was happy to give it to them by patting them, and loving them, kissing their fur. "I never realized how much fun they could be or what good company. As you know, I've never had a pet, not even as a boy. I've never even had a friend that had a pet."

"Which is why you didn't know what good companions they could be," Zelda said. "You've always lived alone without even a goldfish."

"Yeah, that's kind of sad now that I think about it," Tim said, even as he played with Lily while Remington, lay on the couch snoozing away. "I'm not sure what my father had against dogs or cats I just know that he wouldn't allow Sarah to get one."

"Yes, too bad you can't ask him, since he's dead, but on the other hand, it's just as well, because I know he was hard on you in particular, especially after you told him you had no interest in joining the Navy."

"Yeah, I remember how furious he was," Tim said his eyes going distant, as he will remembered his father's reaction. "He didn't care that the few times I've been on boats, I got sick to where my stomach was queasy or that I threw up embarrassing him. I know there are medicines and everything, but with my luck, I would've forgotten to fulfill my prescription at some point and then where would I have been?"

"I would think since your father knew that he wouldn't have tried to force you into such a profession," Zelda said. "Yes, I realize, that parents have dreams for their children, and I'm sure that you becoming a cadet in the Navy was his dream for you when you were born. On the other hand, a parent should be willing to let those dreams go if that's not what the child wants for whatever reason, though I know that often doesn't happen."

"Did your parents ever try to push you into a certain profession?" Tim asked having relaxed considerably now that he been to Zelda's house several times over the last few weeks. "You said your mother owns a bakery and so does your brother so I was thinking your father might've tried to force you into a certain profession."

"No, that's not how my parents operate," Zelda said, shaking her head. "My parents aren't ones to force their dreams for their children onto those same children. So long as we are happy in whatever profession we choose then that's all they want for us. I know very well, that many parents don't react well when the dreams they have for their children are not fulfilled by them. Take your father, as an example."

What Zelda didn't say was that her parents were ancient and so had a different perspective than most parents. The day was coming, where Tim would be told, but not quite yet.

"Ready for some dessert?" Zelda asked him after the two had talked some more while playing with the dogs.

"Sure," Tim said. "Lunch was a couple hours ago, so I'm not as full as I was, because I've had time to digest. What have you got? More sweets from your brother's bakery?"

"Of course, I never go anywhere else, as not only would that be disloyal it wouldn't be half as good, even if I have to go out of my way. Besides, family gets their desserts for free and that includes both my family and the Hotchners, which means I never pay, which is a very nice bonus."

"I would think that your brother's bakery would lose money giving away the items for free," Tim said.

"You're not the first one who's joining the family that has made a similar comment," Zelda told him smiling. "The policy goes all the way back to the very first owner of the family business in a small town known as Moonlight Gorge. It is known as Jazz's Stupendous Delights and is still in operation. My brother's bakery doesn't have the same name, but is still owned by my family. You aren't going to change centuries of tradition and I wouldn't even bother to try, because you're not going to change anything if you do."

"So your ancestor owned the first bakery in a town known as Moonlight Gorge," Tim repeated, and Zelda nodded. "Now it's a chain?" Tim's words were a question.

"That's exactly right, as my family is quite large and spread all over the United States and even in Europe. A lot of my family own bakeries, though some didn't get the talent to bake, so went into other professions. It's a family business and while the bakeries might have different names that doesn't mean they aren't owned by the same family, namely mine. It's become quite a large chain over the last few centuries, though we don't have as many bakeries as say Starbucks has coffee shops, but still, there are quite a few."

"But how can it be considered a chain if they're under different names," Tim asked. "A chain is the same business under the same name in different places."

"Right, maybe not a chain then, technically," Zelda admitted, "but we still own many bakeries in different cities."

"I don't see why it matters one way or the other," Tim said.

"So you said you want to adopt a dog," Zelda asked. "So long as you're sure, that's fine with me. You'll still have to fill out our application you just won't have to have a normal background check."

"Yes, I believe I do, as your two, are sweethearts," Tim said.

"OK, we can go on Wednesday if you like unless you have other plans and I'll show you the dogs we have right now. Unfortunately, I don't have time either today or tomorrow to show you our operation. The ones that have been through training are available to be adopted while there are some that are still going through the normal training."

"Wednesday is fine," Tim said, "since I own my own company, I don't necessarily have to go in every day, though I normally do."

"I know you haven't been in business all that long since you're only in your early 30s," Zelda said. "You're still building your company, which will take a lot of time."

"No, less than 10 years, as I started it as soon as I graduated college, thanks to a inheritance from my grandmother on my father's side. She knew that her son wanted me to go into the Navy as soon as I finished college, but also knew it wasn't my wish. She was very supportive and told me that I should go into a profession that made me happy and not to let my father badger me into going into the Navy, just because that's what he had done," Tim said. "Still, it's doing well. I know I still have years of work ahead of me to make it really successful, but that's OK as I love what I do."

"Passion is what makes you good at whatever you're work is. I love getting dogs and cats into decent homes, as that's my passion and my life's work. I'll go get the dessert now and be right back," Zelda promised, as she got up and headed for the kitchen.

~~~Tim and Zelda~~