Stolen Kisses

Chapter 1

One day, an old fat cat was riding along on his covered wagon with his family. This hoity toity businessman, tired of the harsh winters in the northern U.S., decided it was time for a change. This man was named William Deka and he had a passion for tangelos. He fell in love with the rich soil and the almost perfect weather that came with this part of Florida and claimed the territory as his own. Deka settled in his new town with his family and began planting tangelo trees. As more passersby drove by in their covered wagons, they stopped to try the tangelos. They loved the strange new fruit so much that they decided to stay. Stores popped up here and there and houses were built. A few years later, the town was officially named Deka Hill after its founder and it's "iconic" hill on which the first tangelo tree was planted.

Katherine Susan Mathers has lived in Deka Hill forever. Her great grandfather was one of the original settlers, who made a fortune with his tangelo marmalade. The recipe has been passed down generation after generation, Kate's father, Frank, has been keeping up the business since it was given to him by his father.

Kate usually listened to Mr. Mathers. She'd never been known to lash out at anyone else for that matter. Like most southern children, she had been raised to respect her elders, especially her breadwinner father.

Sometime around mid July, the movers trucks rolled into 701 Cherry Lane, one house down from Kate's. How peculiar, Kate wondered. Her thoughts rapidly shifted to fantasies of a family with a teenaged son with whom she would have an epic romance. She would be the girl-next-door and he would be the "New Kid" who needed guidance, falling in love with her along the way. Her daydreams were interrupted by her mother's deafening screeches.

"Katie Sue Mathers! Get down here at once, young lady!" That was Kate's mother, Heidi, she was one of the few people who called her Katie Sue. Heidi was a cookie cutter trophy wife, the body almost of a cougar, but slightly more wholesome. Of course, she was a housewife, tending to the tasks that María the maid didn't cover. That would include planning town events (as she was on the Deka Hill board of trustees), getting botox, and finding new ways to please her husband.

Kate dashed down the flight of stairs in a matter of seconds, "Yes?" Katie asked.

Heidi inquired, "Katie Sue, did I not tell you to prepare the pie for our new neighbor?"

She thought long and hard, but Kate couldn't conjure a moment when her mother made this request. She went along with it anyways, "I will get on it this minute."

"Hurry, we won't want to keep Dr. Kollier waiting. I hear those college professors run tight schedules," Heidi added.

Professor? All of a sudden, Kate's fantasies were washed down the drain as she imagined what was most likely a wrinkly old man moving in next door to her.

Kate began preparing the pie as soon as her mother left the kitchen. It was a Mathers tradition to welcome the neighbors with a pecan pie, her father told her it was so the little people felt important, but Kate thought of it as run-of-the-mill southern hospitality.

After the pie had cooled and the moving truck left the driveway of 700 Cherry Lane, Kate marched up to the drive of her new neighbor. She loved meeting new neighbors but was in a rush this time, so she didn't look her best. She wore her usual summertime getup: cutoffs, a 4H t-shirt, a worn pair of Chucks, and her long golden brown hair tied in a knot.

Once she reached the tall oak door, Kate gave three hard knocks. She wondered what the neighbor would look like as she waited. Will he be bald, abnormally short, covered in liver spots? Perhaps a giant mole-

Katie's thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the door. She was awestruck at the young, tall, handsome stranger that towered over her. He had to be at least 6 feet tall, a giant in comparison to Kate who was 5'4. He was very attractive. He had dark hair cropped short that paired well with his light olive complexion, quite different from the usual farmer's tans of the townsfolk. He had kind green eyes, almost like two shiny emeralds, which were quite hard to see due to his glasses, black frames. He wore the usual new neighbor attire: jeans, sneakers, and a wrinkled college t-shirt, this one was Penn State.

"Oh, hello. I wasn't expecting anyone," said Mr. College Professor.

Kate declared, "Good afternoon, I'm Kate Mathers, I live next door. We made this pie for you, pecan, hope you're not allergic."

"Thank you for the pie, I'm David Kollier. Do you go to Deka University? I'm supposed to start teaching for the upcoming term."

"Oh no! I'm only a junior. I go to William Deka High."

"I apologize, you looked...older." She liked the way he said that, older. He looked at Kate like she was a woman, not a 17-year old schoolgirl.

DU was where most townie kids attended after they graduated high school, it was in the middle of town. Those who weren't from Deka Hill, usually students from another town, thought Kate went there, the common assumption that she was older was due to her "aura of wisdom," according to her father.

Kate laughed it off and added, "I get it all the time, if you don't mind me asking, Mr. Kollier, how old are you? You seem too young to be a professor!"

"24, I was one of those whiz kids that got skipped a grade or two. I don't mean to sound obnoxious, but it's actually Dr. Kollier, but you can just call me David" Dr. Kollier replied. I liked the

"Sorry. Well have a nice day, sorry for the bother," added Kate nonchalantly.

David leaned in and spoke softly, "It wasn't a bother. You can stop by anytime you please." Kate felt his hand brush against her lightly tanned arm, there was something there, electricity one might say.

As she walked down the drive, David yelled out to her "Seeya Kate! Thanks for the pie!"

Kate's heart skipped a beat, there was something about that Dr. Kollier, that seemed rather special. Her arm still stung from the sparks.