Winner, Winner, Wine and Dinner

Claire Compton had never won anything in her life. And it wasn't for lack of trying. Every payday she found herself taking home more than groceries, her purse always holding a few scratch offs.

She often wondered what the odds were that a 30 year old woman, who'd been buying at least ten scratchers a month for over a decade and never at least breaking even, could be.

This Friday was no different than any other of the roughly 530 she'd had. She worked for Crunch!, a monthly subscription company that's sole purpose was mailing out healthy snacks and recipes.

Claire had been a dedicated assistant for the last 6 years, making sure the weekly articles, phone calls, and emails were completed on time. She enjoyed the work, as it was steady and the benefits were nothing to sneeze at.

As the end of her day neared, Claire headed to the employee break room. She hated to forget the few groceries she brought throughout the week, even though she knew she'd end up throwing the leftovers away. She smiled at her coworkers as she walked to the fridge.

"There she is! Congratulations!" Andrew, a tall and lanky man, famed for his vegan recipes, was grinning at her so wide every tooth in his mouth was visible.

"What?" she chuckled as she abandoned her chore to stand with Andrew and Erika next to the sink. Ericka was short and plump, known for wearing bright colors, today's neon purple dress being no exception.

"You won the Restaurant Raffle, I'm so jealous!" Erika gushed, only the smallest hint of annoyance in her voice.

"I won? No, I never win anything, who told you that?" she had that hopeful feeling again, the one she got from the scratch cards, she tried to hold it down in the pit of her stomach.

The Restaurant Raffle was held at Crunch! every few months, one of the perks of being an employee, and included gift certificates to local eateries in the area. Claire had spent years listening to her coworkers talk about their fancy dinners, over-the-top donuts, even a food truck or two.

Andrew held up his phone to her. She saw the familiar email heading, sure that it was sitting, unread, in her inbox now.

"Congratulations to CLAIRE COMPTON for winning the July Restaurant Raffle. Please see Antoinette in marketing to pick up your prize. Have a fantastic time and enjoy! - Crunch! Management".

Claire felt herself grinning, she couldn't control the giggles and tears. So many years of losing every contest and now she'd finally won. She handed Andrew his phone back and started backing out of the room, mumbling something about finding Antoinette.

Antoinette was on the 4th floor. Her black hair was spun in tight curls, making her head look pleasantly alive whenever she moved. Claire was often in HR, so she knew Antoinette fairly well. And now she couldn't stop the smile and happy tears from rolling down her cheeks as she grinned at her friend.

"Oh Claire! I can't believe it!" Antoinette hugged her tight before they sat side by side on the small couch in the HR department.

"I can't either! I don't know where I'm going, but it could be something from the vending machine for all I care!"

"Well, you're definitely not going to the vending machines." Antoinette handed over a manila envelope, and Claire accepted with trembling hands.

One Week Later

Her raffle prize was the one of the most talked about in the office. She was headed to an all expenses paid dinner for a grand opening at Stem. Claire didn't know much about the happenings of the restaurant industry, but she'd heard of Stem, one of the cities most anticipated new eateries.

She went straight from work, changing in the bathroom. Antoinette was quick with a comb, and had Claire's brown hair braided beautifully. She'd treated herself to a new outfit. It was plenty warm enough to forgo jackets and long sleeves, so her tanned arms were complimented well by a coral pink polka dot dress. She'd painted her nails to match, and she'd finished the outfit with plain white flats, little bows decorating the heels.

She drove herself, having debated on paying for a cab. But she didn't often drink, and certainly didn't plan on doing so enough that it would impair her.

Stem was a beautiful building, the tinted windows showing heavy wooden tables and fairy lights lining the walls. Green ivy hugged the brick exterior, and the double doors looked antique.

Claire quickened her pace from the parking lot when she heard a rumble of thunder, she was glad she'd found a space near the front.

She held her small golden clutch, borrowed from Erika, close to her chest as she stepped inside.

The lights were low, but the atmosphere was cozy, and she noticed the ivy from outside was also crawling along the wooden beams lining the ceiling.

"Welcome to Stem! Name please?" the young woman at the hostess stage smiled sweetly, her red hair a near perfect match for her uniform shirt.

"Hi there, it's Claire Compton." she answered.

"Ok, Ms. Compton, before I take you to your table, I'd like to inform you of our seating arrangements. Stem is a family table restaurant. We ask our guests to embrace eating with others. If you'd prefer to wait for a private table, it'll be about 20 minutes, or I can seat you now at one of our communal tables?"

Claire frowned, she hadn't known her reservation was with strangers, and was perfectly comfortable eating alone. But she was a woman who could embrace an adventure.

"Communal is fine." she gave a small nod, and followed the hostess to one of the smaller tables, where a man sat alone looking over the menu. Claire noticed how close these tables were, she supposed to enhance the community feeling.

"Mr. Miller, Ms. Compton will be joining you tonight, here's your menu, ma'am, " and at this the hostess, Claire hadn't caught her nametag, leaned closer to her and said quietly, "And your bill is already taken care of, per your office arrangement, so please enjoy!"

"Thank you," Claire smiled as the young lady walked away, and for the first time she and the man in front of her looked at each other clearly.

He was handsome, with grey eyes, and a head of blond hair. Claire pegged him at around 40, and his pale complexion was complimented by his casual dark suit.

"Hi there, I'm Peter." she was almost dazzled by his pure white teeth, and smiled back slowly, "Hi, I'm Claire." she shook his big hand, putting a little more force into it than normal, she suddenly didn't want to appear meek.

They sat quietly looking over the menu. Claire was annoyed when she felt her cheeks flushing. She'd been single for over a year, taking time to focus on herself. Still, she hoped it was dark enough to hide her visible attraction to him. She didn't intend to let a slightly awkward seating arrangement and a handsome stranger take away from this evening.

She drooled over the menu, which held a dozen or so options, many loaded with fresh and local ingredients. She toyed with the idea of a vegetarian curry before opting for the filet mignon.

When the waiter, a man around 40 with a balding head, came to take their orders, he deposited a small charcuterie board for them to share.

"Please enjoy our house special. The cheese is made right here, and the berries are grown just a few miles away. May I recommend a glass of Merlot? It will compliment not only this appetizer but also your entrees?", the water asked.

Claire glanced at Peter, he was heartily agreeing to a glass, so breezy was his demeanor she found herself losing whatever tension she had. She accepted the drink as well, and while not much for wine, she found it did indeed pair perfectly with the chive and cheddar cheese, blackberries, cherries, and figs.

In between his sips, Peter leaned slightly toward her, "Thank you for agreeing to dine with me, I would have felt more awkward if you'd said no, than I do now." he chuckled lightly, "I've never been to a restaurant that encouraged dining with people you don't know."

She swallowed a cherry before replying, "I didn't even know it was a thing in the first place! And I've never been to an opening weekend before."

"Neither have I, I'm only here because my sister is the chef. She's been planning this restaurant since we were kids."

"That's amazing. You don't share the cooking gene?"

"Oh God, no. I mean, I enjoy cooking, but it's just me so it's easier to get take out. My sister has been teaching me though, I'm the taster for her new recipes so she has me help in the kitchen. I think it's a test of her patience, more than a test of my skills." he replied. She could see the pride for his sibling, and it shaved a few years off his face.

"I understand the take out part. I can't seem to reduce a recipe enough for 1 person so I don't have a ton leftovers." she sipped her wine, happy to see the waiter hustling with their dinner. He also generously refilled her glass. She hoped she wouldn't need that cab after all.

Their conversation flowed warmly, talking of work and hobbies, hers for reading, his for hiking. Whatever he was discussing was done so with a restrained passion, as if he was holding back his words so not to be rude to her.

"Oh this is stupid good." she mumbled as the steak melted in her mouth. She swigged deeply from her merlot, getting so much pleasure from her meal she didn't care that she might have looked a little gluttonous.

"Please tell your sister that this was the best dinner I've ever had!" she smiled bigger than she had wanted, but blamed it on the wine.

"I'll be happy to, she'll love that." he was finishing his pork loin. "Think you'll get dessert?"

"Definitely, though I may need it to go, I'm stuffed."

"I recommend the chocolate cream pie. It's my personal favorite."

"That was actually what I had in mind." She was feeling that warm glow for this man, a stranger.

All to soon they'd finished together, walking out with their treats toward the parking lot. It was as if they'd intentionally been on a date together, instead of thrust into the evening by chance.

Claire wasn't so heady now she was full, and walked lazily to her car, feeling an awkwardness at the coming goodbye. The rain was sprinkling now, with the thunder having rolled elsewhere.

"Thank you the pleasant meal," she said, reaching for her door, "you were great company."

"No thank you, and this might be a little weird, but I'd love to see you again. I can get us a table here anytime!" he laughed softly.

"I'd like that, too. Can I have your number?" she couldn't wait to talk about this first date in the employee kitchen on Monday. "I'll text you this weekend if that's ok." she grinned at him, happy to see him return it.

"That's just...awesome." he didn't seem to be able to think of a better way to put it, and frankly neither could she. He handed her a business card from his wallet, pointing out his cell phone number.

"Okay, well, I'll talk to you very soon. Goodnight, Peter." she opened her door and slid in with her to-go bag.

"Goodnight, Claire. You made this evening better than winning the lottery." he blushed as she shut her door.

She could agree with that.