Blind Side Of Love (22 page)

“I don’t need to paint a picture to remember that, Drew. Some things don’t need to be displayed to see them clearly. Some things are best seen if we just close our eyes and look inside our hearts…. and that kiss will remain in mine for the rest of my life.”

And the memory of you will be in my heart forever, too, Becca.

"I'm starving....dinner?" I asked Liz as I poked my head in her office after a long day of sitting behind a desk, catching up on paperwork and reports from the case that I had just come off.

"I would love to, but Natalie's parents are in town so I have a dinner date with them."

"Ah, I see how I rate," I teased, pulling my ringing phone from my pocket. "Boudreaux," I answered.

"Hi Agent Boudreaux, it’s Becca Keeton." She didn't need to tell me who she was. I knew that voice anywhere. "I know it's kind of late, but I was wondering if you had time to stop by my office just to go over a few questions I have from the tapes that I listened to today."

"Yeah, no problem," I replied, hoping that I didn't sound too eager. "On one condition."

"What's that?"

"Well, I'm starving and no one wants to go out to dinner with me." I looked over at Liz, who was shaking her head at me. "So, if you agree to dinner, then I agree to answer your questions."

She laughed. "Umm....okay, that sounds fair. But only because I'm pretty hungry myself."

"I'll meet you at your office in ten," I said before hanging up the phone.

Liz was staring at me as I placed my phone in my pocket. "What unsuspecting female did you just con into going to dinner with you?"

"Don't you worry about it, Lizzy." I looked away.

"Mason! No! Don't even tell me it's Becca."

"Liz, just calm down. It's work related."

"Mason, I know you better than anyone and I know that you have more than work on your mind when it comes to her. I'm telling you.....don’t!"

"I'm a big boy, Liz. I know what I'm doing."

"I know you are, but have you ever stopped to think how it's going to affect her if you two start something up again?"

I didn't want to think about that at the moment. All I wanted to think about was being with Becca and spending time with her again. I wanted her to be able to see the real me. I wanted her to realize who I was without telling her. "Have fun with your in-laws." I gave her a quick grin and hurriedly exited her office, sparing myself from another lecture.

I arrived at Becca's office and was greeted by a security guard sitting at the front desk. It was after hours and the rest of the office staff had gone for the day. I flashed him my badge and told him my reason for my visit before he buzzed me in and I made my way back to Becca’s office. Becca skimmed her fingers along a piece of paper as I stood in her office doorway, silently watching her. I knocked lightly and jumped when I was greeted by a barking dog.

“Oh shit,” I whispered.

Becca began to giggle. "Did she scare you?" she asked as a Golden Retriever stuck her head out from underneath her desk.

"Just a little."

"This is Lilly....She’s my eyes."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Lilly," I said.

"Go ahead girl, you can go and say hello."

The dog got up to greet me and I bent down to pet her. "She's a sweetheart."

"Yes, she is. She's my baby. Aren't you, girl?" She perked up at the sound of Becca's voice and went running over to her with her tail wagging back and forth. "Since it was such a nice day, I decided to walk to work, so Lilly had to come with me to help me get here." I bit my lip, still having such a hard time grasping the fact that she was blind. "So would you mind stopping off at my place to drop her off before we grab a bite to eat?"

"No problem."

She reached down on the floor and moved her hand around until she located her briefcase, grabbing all the papers that were written in braille from her desk. I was amazed by how well she had adapted to everything without her sight. She grabbed Lilly's leash, feeling around for the latch on her collar. "Ready?" she asked, grabbing onto her briefcase with one hand and Lilly’s leash with the other.

Her apartment was right up the street from her office. I watched as she unzipped her purse and grabbed the key ring. I was readying myself to help her insert the key into the lock, but stopped myself when I saw her do it with ease. "I just want to feed her dinner and get her some water before we go."

“No problem.” I stood in the middle of her living room as she maneuvered her way through the tiny kitchen like she had twenty-twenty vision.  

"Do you mind if I change really quick?" she asked after she took care of Lilly.

"No, go right ahead."

"Have a seat, if you aren't already." She smiled.

"I'm good."

She walked off to her bedroom as I began taking everything in her apartment in. It was decorated to perfection and part of me wondered why she needed all of the elaborate paintings and portraits that were hanging on her wall if she couldn’t see them. My eyes skimmed over them and my heart sank when I saw the one hanging over her sofa. The same one that I had hanging in my apartment. The one that Becca had made for me all those years ago. I moved closer, examining the details of that star filled sky that had been so beautifully captured on canvas. It was filled with so much intricate detail and was almost identical to mine with the exception of the moon. She had put her whole heart and soul into those paintings. I closed my eyes, remembering the night that she had given it to me. I was speechless, especially when she explained the symbolism of the moon, making me feel like total shit for lying to her and leading her to believe that I was someone that I wasn’t. The only thing I wasn’t lying about back then were my feelings for her. Every emotion. Every kiss. Every touch was real. Becca Keeton made me feel things that no other woman ever had been able to make me feel before or after I had met her.

"I'm ready," she said, walking out of her room. "Do you mind if I use you to help me out a little? I'm perfectly fine in here but once I get outside, I get a little lost."

"Oh, not at all," I said, walking over to her and looping my arm in hers. It felt so good being this close to her again. We walked out of her apartment building and I flagged down a taxi. "Do you like Italian?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Love it," she replied as I helped her in the cab.

I gave the driver the name of one of my favorite restaurants and we headed on our way. "Sorry for making you wait so long. You must be really hungry by now."

"Nah, it's all good," I said. I was finding that trying to make small talk with someone that you pretty much knew everything about was pretty hard. I was relieved when we finally arrived at the restaurant. I helped her out of the taxi and we headed inside. She opted to sit in the outside seating area and since it was such a nice night, I didn't object.

"Umm....I hate to be a pain but would you be able to tell me what is on this menu?" She smiled.

I looked over the menu, finally locating her favorite. "Pasta primavera -"

"Say no more.....I'll take it!" she said, taking a sip of her wine. I smiled at her as I gazed into her eyes. She was still the same girl from all those years ago. I just wished that I was the same guy. "So, Agent—"

"Mason," I Interrupted.

She furrowed her brows. "I'm sorry-what?"

"Call me Mason. That's my name."

She nodded. "Oh. Okay."

“So Becca, do you have a boyfriend?” I blurted out.

“Oh….um, no.” She shook her head, seeming a little embarrassed by the question. “No guy in their right mind would want to be burdened by me.”

My heart sank to my knees. “What do you mean?”

“Well, for instance, look what just happened now. I can’t even read my own menu. It’s like going out with a three year old. Sometimes I just feel so helpless and I would never place that load on anyone else.”

“Are you crazy? You are a beautiful, intelligent girl with a great personality.”

I was happy to see the remnants of a smile adorn her face. “Well thank you very much, Agent…I mean, Mason. But unfortunately, my perception of how others see me will always be tainted.”

“I don’t see you that way, Becca, and I would love to take you out on a non-business date some time.”

She began to fold her napkin and I could see she was feeling uneasy over the whole situation. “That’s so sweet of you. But trust me; my inability to see isn’t my only defect.” She shook her head and sucked in her bottom lip as she silently stared into space. She looked down at the table and began to speak again, totally changing the subject. "I've gotten through half of the tapes so far and I'm just a little confused. How did you know that Mueller was involved with the Trent Roberts deal?"

I couldn’t stand the pain in her eyes. How could she feel that way about herself? To me she was still that same beautiful Becca from all those years ago. I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the sadness in her eyes and answer her questions. "Easy. Trent Roberts was one of Mueller's main
customers
in both the drug business and his prostitution ring that he ran. Mueller was using his women to transport the money and drugs. Roberts, who was the
All American Guy
in everyone's eyes—perfect husband, perfect father, CEO of a very reputable company—was living this whole other life. And in return for drugs and free women, he allowed Mueller to funnel the money through his charities that he was running and a few of his company owned bank accounts. It's a very common thing. I've worked on a lot of cases like this one."

"The night of the bust….the amount of drugs that were seized, that is unheard of."

"Yeah, they were rolling in drugs and money until it all came crashing down."

"So, you were Alec Williams, the bartender in Mueller’s once booming restaurant?"

I nodded, as she sat there staring at me blankly. "That is correct," I finally answered. I rubbed my hand over the scruff of my face. "Ninety percent of the deals went down there. So it was the perfect
job
for me. Plus, I learned how to make a pretty mean martini."

She raised her eyebrow and let out a giggle. "I can't even imagine pretending to be someone else. How do you do it?"

I looked away. "Some cases are easier than others."  

We continued going over the case until the waiter brought us our food. She felt around on the table for her fork and tasted a piece of her pasta. "I feel like such a pain, but is there salt?" I picked up the shaker and placed it in her hand. "Thank you," she whispered.

"So, is it hard going into a courtroom and not being able to see?"

"Well, at first it was a little scary. I don't get to actually lead the case. I'm just what they call a second chair. I assist the main prosecutor. You'd be amazed by how in tune your other senses become when you lose one of them. I hear and smell things that others can’t. I could just sense certain things almost as if my other senses are picking up the slack for my lack of vision. Plus, we have a few part time college students that read for me.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, they read police reports and rap sheets and stuff like that to me and I just make my notes in braille.”

“Wow, that’s pretty amazing.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Well, it’s not exactly how I had hoped to be practicing law. I wish that I could be walking around the courtroom, making eye contact with people and gauging their reactions, but I guess it’s better than nothing, right?” She had a look of defeat on her face as she took another bite of her pasta.

“You should be very proud of yourself. Most people don’t achieve half of your accomplishments even with their sight.”

Her eyes filled with tears as she stared into mine. “Well, someone once told me to not ever let anything prevent me from what I wanted to do. If I wanted it bad enough, it’s always obtainable no matter what obstacles are in the way.” She quickly wiped her eye with the back of her hand and I felt my heart ripping from my chest as I remembered saying those words to her like it was just yesterday. She shook her head, trying to shake it off. “Even though I want to forget the person that said it, those words stuck with me and kind of kept me going….weird, right?”