Happenstance (6 page)

“Wow, you’re gorgeous,” he says.

I smile at him and try to calm my racing heart. He never told me
where we were going but I didn’t want to be underdressed. So I decided on a
black pencil skirt and a beige sleeveless blouse with a curved opening at my
back right above my bra line. I’m also wearing my new cream colored Steve
Madden heels that have a bow on the side. His gaze travels from the top of my
head all the way down my legs and stays there. “Those legs really are something
else,” he whispers.

I lick my upper lip and make sure he notices. “Nice to see you
too Doctor. You don’t look so bad yourself.” And I mean it.

Of course, he looks amazing with black pants and a short sleeved
gray button up shirt. He has even shaved and smells as delicious as always. I
like his stubble, but the smooth skin is like satin I can’t wait to run my
hands on.

Opening the car door for me, I slide right in and get comfortable
in the leather seat.

“Ok, you have got to tell me what cologne you use,” I ask as I
put on my seat belt.

He winks at me. “I’ll keep that as my little secret.”
Damn him.
I know I’ve smelled it before
but for the life of me can’t think of the name now.

We make small talk on the drive but it isn’t too long before I
notice the tall buildings and realize where we are going.

“Downtown?”
I ask.

He nods while keeping his eyes on the road. “Yes, I know it’s not
far from where you live but have you ever been there?”

“Not really, I’ve done more of the touristy things when I’ve
visited Maggie.”

“I figured as much, wanted to show you the more local scenes. A
lot of college kids hang out here but
there’s
still a
few good spots for us oldies.” He grins.

“Ok old man, show me what you got.”

“Oh, I can definitely show you what I got,” he says looking over
at me and glancing at my lips. I swallow and fidget with my necklace. I need a
drink and I need one fast.

We park in the garage and he grabs my hand as we walk towards the
elevator. His hands are big and soft and fit solidly around mine. I have to
admit that I love the fact that we’re walking hand in hand just like a real
couple. My heart is soaring, I’ve missed these moments and I hadn’t even
noticed I had been holding my breath until I exhale.

“You ok?” he asks.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Damn it, I need to control my nerves.

He narrows his eyes and looks down at me but doesn’t say anything
else.

We’re the first in the elevator and have no choice but to move
back to let other people in. He stands behind me and wraps his hands around me.
I feel his thumb gently trace circles on my waist and I wish there would be
more oxygen in the elevator. A group of girls look back to check Jared out and
then continue with their discussion whispering and giggling.
Yeah bitches, check him out, but he’s here
with me.

“Stop fidgeting, you’re stunning,” he whispers and I realize that
I’ve been twirling my necklace with my fingers.

How did he notice that so quickly?

“You didn’t tell me you had some ink on you,” he says in my ear
referring to the small script tattoo across the top of my back.

Finally, the elevator stops on our floor and he grabs my hand
again to lead me down the walkway.

“I got it last month actually, after the divorce.” Shit. Why did
I have to add that? He glances over at me but I avert my eyes.

“Divorce?
Well, there are certainly
things we could talk about tonight.”

Hell no.
“The divorce
is definitely not one of them.”
Hell fuck
no.

“What about the tat? What does it mean?” He asks.

“It says:
Alis
volat propriss
. It’s Latin, it means:
‘She flies with her own wings’.”

“How did you find that?”

“Everything I know about life, I learned with Google,” I answer
him, giggling.

“Wow, that’s deep. I’ll have to get a t-shirt with that on it,”
he teases.

“Hmm, I like it though,” he continues and smiles at me. “Any
others I should know about?”

“Maybe.
You’ll just have to wait to find
out.” I reply with a mischievous grin.

He stops and pulls me closer to him leaning down to whisper, “Careful,
smart ass. I can have you begging me to find out.”

My arms are suddenly covered in goose bumps and it takes all that
I have not to shudder. I meet his gaze dead on and tell him, “We’ll see about
that.”

“Challenge accepted.”

We continue walking past the lines of clubbers waiting to get in.
He is right about the crowd, a lot of younger girls stand around in skimpy
clothes talking amongst themselves and hoping to receive attention from the
male attendees. I sneak a peek at Jared to see if he notices them but he’s
looking straight ahead.

“Here we are,” he says and leads me into a small lounge area of a
restaurant called Dragon. He gives his name to the hostess and we are quickly
seated in a small booth with red leather seats. The ceiling is painted a dark
red with white modern lighting. Round black tables fill up most of the
restaurant and a long bar sits towards the back with a huge fish tank behind
the bartenders. It’s gorgeous and trendy.

“This place is awesome,” I tell him.

“I’m glad you like it. I’ve only been here a few times myself,
it’s fairly new.”

The waitress comes wearing a red corset top, leather black pants,
and heavy eye makeup. She hands us the menus and specifically asks Jared what
he wants to drink while batting her eyelashes. This time Jared notices the
obvious stare down he’s getting but he gestures towards me with his hand.

“I’ll let my girl go first.”

I smile, because I can’t help it. It thrills me that he’s showing
this tacky waitress some manners.

“I’ll have a Vodka tonic please,” in my best sugary sweet voice.
She narrows her eyes and then asks Jared, “and you?”

“He’ll have a Corona,” I answer for him and gently nudge his foot
with mine. He chuckles, but stays quiet and keeps his eyes on me the whole time
as the waitress huffs and walks off.

“Hasn’t anyone told you that it’s not polite to order for other
people?” His eyebrow
raised
.

“Don’t you like Coronas?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Then what’s the problem?” I ask him sweetly the same question he
had once asked me.

“Oh smart ass, you’re going to give me a lot of problems it
seems.”

Despite my past request about choosing my own meals, I let Jared
order for me because I’m not sure what is good and he highly recommends the New
York Strip Steak. It turns out to be delicious of course, moist and seasoned to
perfection. I pull the meat off the fork and close my eyes groaning, “This is
soooo
good.”

When I open my eyes again he is staring at me, at my throat and
collarbone to be exact.

“You look like you are enjoying yourself,” he tells me huskily.

“I am
,
everything is wonderful.”

“I’m glad you think so, but there are some things we should talk
about.”

“Like what?” We’ve already talked about school and that I finally
got what I needed printed for my first week, (I ended up going to Maggie’s).

“Like your divorce,” he answers.

This causes me to stop mid-chew. Jared laughs, “Come on, it’s
obviously a big part of your life. We need to talk about it.”

Shit.
I grab my drink
and take a sip before answering him. He’s looking at me expectantly and I let
out a breath of air.

“What do you want me to say? I got married young, it lasted two
years and now I’m divorced.
The end.”

I avert his gaze and try to focus on the ring of water that’s
forming on the table where I forgot to place my napkin. He puts his fork down
and wraps his arm around my shoulders.

“Hey, if it’s that tough for you, I won’t pry. But please, you
can trust me.”

Why does he want to know now, today? Why should I tell him that
I’m a failure and couldn’t please my husband? Two years,
two
! That’s all I got before it crumbled and fell leaving me with
pieces that I’m using to build another wall.

I take another sip of my drink and shake my head.

“I can’t right now. It’s too soon . . . I’m sorry.” I try to avert
his eyes again by playing with the napkin that’s on my lap. I am not longer in
the mood to eat and I hate myself for not being over it already and just
discuss this like a grown ass woman.

He takes my hand in his and brings my palm to his lips to give it
a peck.

“Hey, look at me.” I do and his eyes are full of warmth and
compassion. I hadn’t realized how tense I was, but his look makes me relax my
shoulders.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, ok? I’m sorry I asked.”

I smile weakly. “Some things are just meant to be.” I clear my
throat.

I look down at my food before making myself take another bite and
he does the same.

After a couple of minutes he says, “So a buddy of mine coaches a
little league.” Good, he’s changing the subject. I glance over at him and he
shrugs. “Maybe we can check it out sometime and help out, what do you think?”
he reaches for my hand again and entwines our fingers.

I lean back against the booth and softly exhale.
This
, I can talk about.

“I like the idea. And it’ll give me a chance to make new friends.”
The more that I think about it, the more I like the idea of Jared teaching
little kids how to pitch or swing a bat.

“What are you smiling about?” He breaks into my thoughts.

I blush. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize I was . . . I’m just
thinking about all the little boys in their cute outfits and the parents
cheering . . .”
You interacting with the
kids.
I decide to keep to myself.

He lets go of my hand to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Yeah, let’s do it.”

I blink at him. “What?”

“Well you’ll help me right?” He continues to play with my hair
and I’m getting more and more relaxed. His hands, his eyes, the Vodka sure
helps too.

I grab his free hand with mine and lean my head against his
shoulder.

“Sure, what do you need me to do?” I ask, softly caressing his
fingers.

“I have no damn clue, but I’ll find out and let you know. It can
be our thing.” He kisses the top of my head but his words are what cause me to
tense up again.
Our thing?
I have to speak to him like
I did with Steven.

 
“Listen, Jared,” I croak
out as if I have frogs in my throat. Oh Lord, let’s try this again. I pull back
and he’s staring at me with piercing eyes and I feel as if we are the only ones
in the room. I play with my necklace and try again.

“I just moved here, I’m starting my new job in a new city. I just
don’t have time for anything serious. I’d rather whatever it is that we’re
doing not get in the way of my plans.”

He stares at me for a while and then speaks, “So you want to keep
it casual?”

“Yup,” I manage to nod firmly.
“Exactly.”

He doesn’t say anything but takes out his wallet and places the
bills on the table. Moving over to get out of the booth I think I hear him say,
“I’ll take it slow.”

“What was that?” I ask him but he ignores me and extends his hand,
helping me to my feet. We walk out of the lounge and down the sidewalk for a
few minutes in silence. Not a word about what I said and it’s making me
nervous.

I glance over at him, but he’s looking straight ahead with a
pensive look in his eyes.

I bump him with my shoulder. “Why so serious?”

He exhales. “I just wish you would feel comfortable telling me
about your past.”

“No point. It’s the past, what good is it going to do me now?” He
stops walking and I turn to face him. He pulls me into his arms and my breath
catches, unsure of what he’s going to do or say.

“You have it festering in your mind, holding on to it. Let him go
Victoria.” His eyes
burn into my mine, making me feel
naked and exposed. I wiggle out of his reach but grab his hand in mine so we
can continue walking. I don’t have any words for him. I did let him go. I
signed the papers, I stopped talking to him, I
moved
out of the city for fuck’s sake. That’s letting him go. Isn’t
it?

We reach a quaint area with a wide cobblestone walkway and small
restaurants on either side. A huge, gorgeous fountain stands right in the
middle.

“Would you like some dessert?” he asks. He’s smooth when he wants
to changes the subject, which is a relief because I’m horrible at it.

“Sure, I would love some.
Where?”

“Up ahead, there’s a great ice cream shop.”

“I love ice cream.” I smile and his smile matches my own. I’m
happy we’ve switched the mood around to something lighter.

We quickly get our order and sit outside on a small table.

“Anything new with Lucky?”
I ask.

“Nothing at all, no catch.
I’m getting
worried, we can’t keep him in the clinic forever, but I can’t just dump him in
the street. I might have to contact a rescue shelter or something.”

Shit, it tears at my heart that Lucky might have to wait such a
long time for an owner.

“And he’s so sweet and friendly, even potty trained. Not one
accident.”

Ugh, kill me now.

“Maybe I can keep him.” The words are out before I even have a
chance to think about it.

Jared stops eating to stare at me and even I’m shocked to make
such a statement. I hadn’t really thought about it but it would be nice to have
a little companion around.

“Really?
You don’t look like you’re sure.”

I suddenly can’t wait to take him home with me. “No, I think it
would be good for me. I could use some company at home.”