Castiel pulled the car into an angled parking spot in front of the post office, a mid-century modern building of slender tan native limestone bricks and teal glass tile accents. He was surprised that there was no parking closer to the Chase County Historical Society Museum. For such a small town, it certainly had a bustling "downtown" area. He had plans to register for both a personal P.O. Box and one under his physician's credentials, as well as pick up a few shipping boxes to mail some local items back home to Anna and Balthazar as gifts. It would've been nice if the post office was still open. However, he'd spent more time at his patient's house than he'd planned, and just missed operating hours. He figured he'd just register online and pick up the shipping boxes another day.
Claire and Jack had already headed down the sidewalk towards the museum a block away on the opposite corner across the street. Castiel walked briskly to catch up.
"Dad, I want to stop by this store after the museum," Claire said as she took a quick peek in the windows of the Prairie Pleasures Arts & Crafts and Antiques Store. "They have jewelry and hats and scarves. Maybe not everything is so provincial in this town."
"OK, Belle," Jack teased. "If you're not careful you're going to run into a Gaston, if you keep acting like that!"
"Ew! This place is probably full of Gastons! I'd rather run into another like-minded Belle."
"What? You think even a Beast from this town lives a too provincial life?" Jack's face looked crestfallen.
"I don't know, but we are in the middle of Bumfuck Egypt."
"Claire! Language!" Castiel reprimanded. "Swear jar will be awaiting a feeding when we get home. I don't want to hear that you don't have enough to buy something today because of it either." He gave her a stern look and waved to usher them across the street.
"Besides, I've told you both not to go around disparaging the town we have to live in for the foreseeable future. People are not going to take kindly to you if you insult where they live, or whether or not you find this place a backwater dump." Castiel was a bit agitated. "Either way, I've told you before, I have to care for the people of this town, so eventually, I'll likely meet at least 90% of them. I don't need any of them coming to me with a grudge because they think my daughter has a superior attitude and a chip on her shoulder. Do you understand, Claire? Jack?"
"Yes, sir!" Jack said with a slight giggle as he turned and stepped up on the curb. "Your mouth always gets you in trouble." He elbowed Claire.
"Dad!" Claire exclaimed loudly.
"Claire, I don't want to hear any more! I'm done with your attitude."
"No, Dad, your nose is bleeding!"
"What? Oh, this is the second time..." Castiel tilted his head back and put his fingers to his nose. "I don't even have a tissue." He could feel the blood drop sliding down his upper lip and heading towards his cheek.
Jack and Claire stood by watching their father trying to stop the bleeding. "Why don't you carry a purse with tissues? Most girls have purses full of all sorts of handy things!"
"God, Jack! I don't want to carry a purse! Why don't you carry a purse? You're the one always dragging around bags! Laptop, notebooks, water, pencils and novels."
"Do you two really have to do this while I stand here with my head in the air? Could one of you find me a tissue or nap..."
"Napkin, Doc?"
Castiel recognized the distinctive accent. Turning, he saw Benny Lafitte, ice cream in hand from Gabriel's Sweet Spot and a handful of small napkins.
"I'm not a sloppy eater, so I'm not gonna need all these." Benny offered with a charismatic grin.
"Oh, yes, I'd truly appreciate it." Castiel nodded.
"Then allow me," Benny drawled and set his cup of ice cream on the windowsill of the museum. He took one of the napkins and wiped the blood dripping down the side of Castiel's cheek while placing a gentle finger and thumb under his chin looking Castiel in the eye the entire time. He handed a second napkin to the doctor.
Castiel took the napkin and pressed it to his nose. The other man did not step back. Even through the nosebleed, he could smell the clean fresh scent of woodsy soap and hint of a light leathery, amber-scented cologne. The sky blue eyes were twinkling with amused concern and ...interest? Benny stood by him, hand on his shoulder, until he felt he could hold his head straight without more blood dripping out. Benny's hand lingered on his shoulder an instant longer than necessary.
"There ya go, Doc. Better?" Smiling, Benny gave a single pat to his shoulder and took a slight step back.
Castiel checked the napkin, dabbed his nose and checked the napkin again. He returned the smile.
"Castiel, please. And thank you. Really. I think you saved my shirt."
"Always willing to help a damsel in distress, Castiel." Benny winked with a laugh.
"I appreciate it." Castiel, gave a brief laugh back. Looking into Benny's crystal blue depths, he could understand the comments and stares he always seemed to receive regarding his own eyes. They we're definitely something to look at.
"So, Dean told me you had found his dog and returned her. He was mighty happy when I talked to him earlier." Benny still did not take his eyes off of Castiel's eyes.
"Yes, she had come scratching at my door the first night I was here, during that thunderstorm. She was soaking wet and muddy. I took her in, bathed her and let her stay the night. She was very attentive and slept with her chin on me all night."
"Miracle is a good dog. She's Dean's second service dog, and though she's gone AWOL once before, she's the only one he wants and she still does a mighty fine job."
Benny nodded. "Dean had a rough time when we did our tour in Afghanistan. A really rough time. Mine was no piece of cake, but Dean went through some things, so he really needs her. I owe you one for taking such good care of her and him."
"It's not anything anyone else wouldn't do." Castiel shook his head at the compliment.
"Nah, I insist. He's special to me and, well, you're new in town anyways. I figure you could use a few local friends."
"You're right about that. The only person I know in town besides my new coworkers and the few patients I've seen, are my brother, who owns the Sweet Spot and my children," he inclined his head towards them.
"Claire. Jack. This is Mr. Benny..."
"Lafitte. Benny Lafitte." He put his hand out and shook Jack's and Claire's hand in turn.
"Mr. Lafitte." Jack said as he returned the handshake.
"Nah, just Benny will be fine if you would like. We're not a formal town. But whatever you feel more comfortable with." He finished as he shook Claire's hand.
"Well, I'm going to let you three get on with your day. But I'd really like to take you out for a beer or a couple drinks, maybe dinner one night, as a thank you." He reached out to shake Castiel's hand and covered it with his other hand as the handshake ended.
"I appreciate that. I'm not saying I'll let you pay, but I'd like that, yes." Castiel smiled back, feeling a bit of heat rising to his cheeks.
"Alright. Might I get your number then? Or would you just prefer I give you mine? I don't want to be pushy or force my hospitality upon you." Benny winked at Castiel with a flirty smile.
Castiel felt his cheeks get warmer. With a nervous smile, he pulled his phone out.
"Not at all. We can exchange both." His palms we're feeling a bit moist and his heart was beating a mile a minute. Was this a date date? Did he actually just get picked up by a man? In front of his children?! He needed to relax, because it seems like the last two nosebleeds he had, occurred when his heart rate increased.
The two men traded numbers and put their phones away.
"OK, then, Doc. Castiel," he corrected himself. "Here. Just in case you get another nose bleed." He handed Castiel the rest of the napkins he was holding.
"Ever since Mr. Winchester punched me in the nose that second morning in the hospital, it's bled randomly. It just needs a bit more healing. Capillaries are very close to the surface in the nasal passages and easily injured."
"What? I knew Dean was having issues, but I didn't really think he'd punch you over anything." Benny shook his head, placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at Castiel's nose. "I hope he didn't do much damage or hurt you too much? Now, I'm definitely sure I owe you one. And more than just a couple of beers. Taking a punch from Dean Winchester and still treating him makes you a saint in my book —unless of course, you deserved it for some reason I could not fathom."
"No, no. He was just having a bit of a panic attack and had fallen out of bed. He was just lashing out at anyone nearby. Being I was the one closest as I was picking him up off the floor, my nose happened to be the thing that his fist found. I'm not even sure he was ever aware of it. I saw stars for a second, it bled for a bit, but I was able I to keep right on working to alleviate his anxieties." Castiel felt himself blushing again. Why did his body have to betray him like this? He felt like he was a kid again asking a girl out on a first date.
"That deserves a steak dinner, and a night on the town, I'd venture to say!" Benny laughed with a huge smile. "I don't mean to laugh, but that's such a Dean Winchester kind of thing."
"Funny, I was thinking it was such a Castiel Novak situation I found myself in." Cas laughed back.
"Dad, can we hurry up and go in now? I wanted to see the shop across the street, too." Claire implored.
"Yes, and I want to see the Knute Rockne Studebaker," Jack agreed.
"I'm so sorry. I've been keeping you from your day. I must say it was a pleasure meeting you two young ones." Benny tipped his hat at Jack and Claire and picked up his ice cream. "And I will be in touch with you soon, Doc. Castiel." Benny winked as he walked away.
Castiel tilted his head to one side as he watched Benny walk away. He smiled and turned back to Claire and Jack.
"OK, let's go in." Castiel, smiling, held his hand out to indicate the door.
"O, my god, Dad, are you finally going to go out on your first date in like three years!" Claire yelled.
"Shh! What?! No! Wait..." Castiel went from shocked to denial to confusion. He squinted back towards the direction Benny had walked off. He couldn't deny to his children that he had an attraction to men that he'd only come to truly realize just a few years ago, but he was still unsure if this was an actual invitation for a date or just two friends going out for a dinner. "I...I don't know." He answered finally.
"Can we just go in, now!" Jack begged. "We've been out here for 10 minutes."
"It's only been fives minutes, dumbo and I'm happy for Dad!"
"I'm happy, too. I just want to go see this exhibit before they close!"
"They don't close until 5pm!" Claire pointed out at the hours listed on the sign on the wall listing days, hours and admission fees.
"No, look on the door." Jack almost whined.
"Ugh!"
"We'll be closing early on Saturday, November 7 (2pm) for weekend building repairs. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. We are scheduled to resume normal museum hours Monday, November 9. Thank you for your patronage and patience. Chase County Historical Society." Castiel read.
"I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't know. It's alright though. We still have plenty of time. We can go to that section first." Castiel tried to placate his son. "Besides, even if we don't get to see it all today, we'll still be here to enjoy it at a slower pace any other day."
"I'm going in now!" Jack smiled as he shoved Claire out of his way and opened the door.
"If you're not a gentleman, you will not be seeing any of it."
"Some old car named after a dead football player can't be that interesting, dweeb." Claire shoved him back.
"Shall we!" Castiel held the door open for Claire.
They were able to see most of the museum, the Knute Rockne Studebaker, which actually impressed Claire, and the rest of the exhibit about his storied career in the early days of football. They laughed at the woolen uniforms, leather helmets and pads and the oddly different looking football. Claire seemed most fascinated with the portion of the exhibit about the plane crash that, then pilot Rockne, and seven others died in, not far from Cottonwood Falls.
"Wow! I can't believe planes used to be essentially made of plywood and still flew in the rain..." Claire scrutinized the old photographs of the wreckage and the illustrations of the horrific plunge to the earth.
Afterwards, they left the museum they headed towards the Roniger Memorial Museum that they were told was filled with local Native American artifacts and quite informative. It was a block away, nestled behind the imposing Chase County Courthouse. But on limited time they had to pick and choose what to do, and Castiel preferred that they learn some of the history of the town and surrounding areas before school on Monday. There would be plenty of time to go to the art gallery and the several antiques and the crafts shop later.
"Can we stop by and see Uncle Gabe on the way back?" Jack asked. "I want some ice cream."
Castiel held the door open for them as they exited the museum.
"No, we're going to head over to the little shop we saw when we first pulled up that Claire wanted to visit, then we'll have dinner at one of the restaurants. I'll call Gabriel to see if he might be available to meet us there and have dinner with us."
"Then can we get ice cream?" Jack pleaded.
"We'll see. Maybe you'd prefer to pick something off of the establishment's desert menu however. Too much ice cream is not good for you and I know you've eaten excessive amounts the last few days."
They made their way to the shop Claire had wanted to see, a sort of flea market, craft and antiques cooperative. Claire bought herself some earrings made by a local jeweler. Castiel picked up a pair for his sister Anna. Jack bought a book about local ghost stories and strange history as well as a bottle of local honey. And Castiel bought himself and Gabriel, each a handmade wooden kitchen roller. He also picked up two delicate and extremely soft hand knit bison yarn scarves and some local soaps for Anna and Castiel's cousin, Balthazar.
Castiel and the twins placed all their packages in the trunk of the car, locked it up, and began heading over to Kellum Feed and Wine— a local favorite restaurant, just four shops down from Gabriel's Sweet Spot. Castiel had called Gabriel as they walked from the craft cooperative to the car, and he agreed to meet up with them for dinner. Luckily, they arrived right before the dinner rush and were immediately seated in a corner near the front window.
The restaurant was fairly large and consisted of two neighboring buildings joined under one roof. One side consisted of the restaurant and kitchen area, while the other side, separated by several doorways cut into the wall, had a bar, small stage and intimate small table seating. The menu was extremely varied, and had nothing but good reviews.
Castiel ordered a glass of wine and two lemonades for the twins, and ordered the stuffed mushroom appetizer while they waited for Gabriel. They chatted about their day and their favorite parts of the two museums they'd visited while they waited. Eventually Castiel told them they could text with their friends for a while, while they unwound, but as always, phones would get put away as soon as it was family time. Castiel relished the quiet and looked over the menu as he sipped his wine.
The door opened and Castiel looked up expecting to see Gabriel, but in walked Benny and the other friend of Dean's from the hospital. Castiel immediately sat up a little straighter and cleared his throat nervously, which only served to gain the attention of the two who turned to look in his direction.
"Oh, hiya, Doc." Lee spoke up first with a wide grin. "Nice to see you again."
Castiel stood and nodded. "Nice to see you again as well. I'm sorry, I've met so many new people these past few days, your name slips my mind."
"No problem, no problem." Lee came over to shake hands. "Lee. Lee Webb. I'm sure I was most likely remiss in even introducing myself at all."
"Castiel Novak." Castiel shook his hand then indicated his twins, noses buried in screens. "These are my children, Claire and Jack."
"Claire. Jack." He repeated to get their attention. "This is Mr. Lee Webb."
They both looked up and said hello, Claire nodding and Jack giving a slight wave.
"I've got to tell you, Doc, how much I appreciate everything you did for Dean."
"Think nothing of it. Besides it being my job, it's just basic humanity. Looking out for our fellow man." Castiel bowed his head, uncomfortable with the attention.
"Well, nonetheless, I just wanted to say thank you." Lee smiled.
"Good to see you all again, " Benny chimed in. "Please, don't stand on our account." He nodded to Castiel's seat.
Castiel smiled softly as he sat back down.
"Do you have any recommendations as to what's best here?" Castiel asked.
"That depends on what you're hungry for," Lee grinned knowingly and lifted his brow. They make good burgers here, but if you ever want one of the best burgers, let me know. Because I'm the man that makes them. I'm going to have to cook you one of my burgers one day as a show of thanks." Lee winked at Cas.
Claire kicked Jack under the table. Though they still mostly had their eyes on their phone screens, they were still paying half-hearted attention to the adult conversation.
Castiel's mouth went a bit dry. Was he being hit on again?
"Thank you. I'm very busy getting settled in right now, but perhaps someday not too far off, but it's really not necessary."
Benny saved him by interjecting before Lee could push the invite.
"I, myself, am here for the start of crawfish fish season. Being a Louisiana Boy, I was over the moon when the proprietor of this restaurant put boiled crawfish and boiled shrimp on the menu. Who would've thought that in the middle of Kansas, a homesick Cajun-born man like me found out the delicacy had come to me, when I couldn't get to the delicacy." Benny winked at Castiel.
Castiel beamed. He couldn't help himself. Benny sure had a way with his words.
"I've been to Louisiana before. Though I never ate boiled crawfish, the food I did partake of was delicious."
"Oh, have you now?" Benny asked with a knowing look.
"Yes, New Orleans. I spent a short few months in their trauma center. The best experience to be had for one in the medical profession. And one short trip with a friend several years ago."
"If y'all will excuse me. I know when I am defeated. I'm going to grab a place near the bar for us before we miss out on our usual spot," Lee smiled at Castiel, "but my offer still stands." He nodded at them all as he squeezed past to make his way to the darker bar side of the building.
Benny laughed. "Never been much competition to me," he called to Lee's back."
He stepped closer to Castiel's table, eyes a smoldering deep blue. "I don't know what your usual tastes tend towards, but I like tried and true with a little variety now and then, to keep things from getting old or boring."
Castiel looked up towards Benny, knowing now without a doubt that they were both flirting with him. Besides a slight embarrassment and nervousness at never having been in the position of one being wooed, Castiel was elated, delighted and terrified. He hadn't had these feelings since his last intimate night with André and Betta.
Almost as if he could sense his feelings and were trying to put him at ease, Benny smiled tenderly and ran off a quick list of his favorite items:
"Pulled pork or a Cuban if you're leaning towards a sandwich. They make a mean Brisket Pizza, also just their Brisket as a plate dinner or in sandwich form, is a winner. But to me, you look like a man who might be looking for a bit more of a refined meal to go with your glass of red wine, so I'd recommend you try their Fried Ravioli in Marinara Sauce with a Caesar Salad on the side. Comes with an order of hot bread and dipping sauce."
Castiel found his voice right as the door swung open and Gabriel sauntered in grinning from ear to ear.
"Hey, bro. Already turning your charm on the locals I see." He paused at the table just to the side of Benny.
Castiel felt mortified. He quickly glanced at Jack and Claire. Jack was oblivious, furiously texting. Claire had glanced up when she heard her Uncle's voice, but just snorted and quickly looked back down at her phone.
"Benny Lafitte, my brother, Gabriel. Gabriel, Benny Lafitte." Castiel rose as he introduced them. "Benny is a friend of one of my patients." He said by way of explanation.
The two men shook hands.
"Ah, yes, the brother that owns the Sweet Spot. You waited on me earlier when I bought my Berry Legal Topped Hint of Mint gelato," Benny said with a grin. "It was delicious, by the way."
"Oh, handsome and charming. Thank you, I aim to please." Gabriel lifted his eyebrows suggestively.
Benny laughed. "I'm going to let you all get to your dinner now. I've taken up enough of your time. Remember Fried Ravioli." He winked at Castiel. "You kids ought to get yourselves one of their milkshakes. Chocolate's my favorite, but I don't think they make a bad one of any flavor. Best in the state."
"Enjoy." He tapped the top of the table lightly, skimming the edge of Castiel's hand as he did so, then nodded and walked off.
"Well, well, well. Looks like somebody had a good day." Gabriel sat down like the cat who ate the canary. "Do tell!"
Gabriel did not get an answer from Castiel that evening. Completely misunderstanding his Uncle's meaning, Jack looked up as he shoved his phone in his pocket and launched into a lengthy summary of their day.