Devil’s in the Details (14 page)

I had read the book a million times, but it still kept me entertained and at ease when I was stuck waiting. Waiting in a growing pool of unusual anxiety and nerves.

I stuck my finger to hold the pages where Bond begins the epic card game to look at my watch. I had arrived at Lee's house forty-five minutes early and that had quickly whittled down to ten minutes. Deep down in my nervous stomach, I was hoping Alex wouldn’t show.

I almost didn't bother to show up myself, but when I got up this morning and looked out the bedroom window to see Dale and Mary's family over for an early spring barbecue, I felt the strong need to get out of the house. I needed to get away from the happy, laughing normalcy of next door. I didn't want to be trapped in my house, listening to the happy sounds of family. Knowing that it would just make me ache inside to have something I couldn’t have.

I also knew that the second I stepped outside to water the lawn or shove the trash cans in the garage, Dale or Mary would be all over me, haggling me to come over and join them and their family.

Then they would segue into introducing me to their one still single son who worked for a congressman and who they felt would be a perfect match for me.

As I pulled the BMW out of the garage, that is exactly what happened. Mary waved me down and I couldn't ignore the kind older woman. Mary did her best to bargain with me through the open driver's side window, but eventually I won out with exasperated excuses of midterm papers drowning me. I was sent on my way with a small bag of brownies to tide me over as I worked in my office with promises of picking up leftover barbecue when I came home.

I did almost reroute the BMW and head off to my office and send Alex a ubiquitous text that I had a last minute work thing, but I didn't. For whatever reason, I drove down to Arlington. I started eating all of the brownies out of pure stress, wanting to chase away the strange nerves I had with a sugar high. I was over-thinking and over-analyzing what the hell I was doing. Going to lunch with Alex would lead to getting in deeper with her. The devil's advocate in me kept heavily hinting at the fact I could use a friend that wasn't tied to work and one that wasn't tied to endless lies, while the logical advocate in me heavily suggested that there was so much more to why I was doing this. It was the “why's” that I wanted to drown out with thick, gooey, double chocolate squares of heaven and loud music.

Now here I was, sitting on the porch steps of an ancient house, looking out on the best view this city had to offer, trying to find the courage to stand up and go back to my car and go home. I wanted to forget this crazy idea and the woman with genuine blue eyes and just continue operating my life as I had for the last ten years or so. I blew out a slow breath, and flipped my book open to stick the worn business card I used as a bookmark to save my spot. Maybe by the time I got home, Mary would have some still warm leftover pulled pork sandwiches I could wash down with Dale's home brew.

"A quarter for your thoughts?"

I swung my head up to catch Alex walking up the gravel path, grinning at me as she held her hand up to shield her eyes from the bright sun. I involuntarily swallowed at the sight of her. Her cane was gone, she was moving easier and most of the bruises had faded away enough to be hidden under minimal makeup, even the split lip looked just like an extra dab of lip gloss. The lack of bruises and evidence of the violence she endured, finally gave me a true view of how stunning this woman was. I dropped my head back to the book on my lap, very glad that I was wearing sunglasses and had the sun to use as an excuse for the blush I knew was creeping over my face. "A quarter? I always thought quote was a penny for your thoughts?" I stood up, grabbing my bag and dusting off the back of my jeans.

Alex shrugged as she stopped to stand in front of me, "It is, but my mom's boyfriend always offered up a quarter knowing it would take more than a penny for me to pay attention or spill the beans. I made at least forty dollars off of him in my freshman year of college." She turned to look out across the front yard, "This view, it's incredible."

I nodded to no one looking in the same direction she was, shouldering my bag, "It is. It's the one place in the city that someone can go and feel completely separated from the hustle and bustle of the nation's capital." I turned to sneak another look at Alex.

She was wearing the same light blue jacket she had worn in my office, a loose fitting white t-shirt with a generous scoop neck that offered up a revealing view of her skin and a bit of cleavage. I skipped my eyes over that detail to scan over her loose jeans and an old pair of boots that were once black, but were now more scuffed than black. The light spring wind fluttered around her, forcing her clothes to billow and hug around her curves as it also teased small pieces of her dark brown hair around her face. My jaw clenched at the sudden rush of warmth in my body from the ideas in my head about those clothes and what could be underneath them.

I turned back to dropping the old book in the bag, glancing at my watch. Alex was five minutes early, making me smile to myself. I was stuck now. I cleared my throat, "Are you hungry?"

Alex turned back to me, her eyes clearly roaming over my dressed down look of loose blue jeans with a few holes in them, and the old tattered pair of white converse. The haphazard outfit I threw on, was topped off with a light blue linen shirt that was one size too large for me, but did its job in covering the almost see through old white V-neck t-shirt. A shirt that had definitely seen most of the laundry compartments in the Navy's fleet of ships.

"It's nice to see you dressed down, Victoria." I could hear her cautiously test out using my first name, wondering if it was still okay to do so. "I don't feel the overwhelming need to salute you or make up a lie about my dog eating my essay." Alex grinned as she squinted against the sun.

I smiled nodding, "Thank you. Weekends are the only time I can leave the suits and uniforms in the closet and dress like a bum." I motioned over her shoulder, trying to ignore the silly joking banter Alex was attempting. It was out of habit, not out of purpose, to get this lunch meeting started so I could end it sooner. I just wasn't good at first impressions if it wasn't in a classroom or in a mark's house with their blood on my hands, "If you want, we can take the back path to the restaurant. It will be less tourist laden." I rolled my eyes under the sunglasses, could I be more stiff and rude? Probably.

Alex laughed lightly, turning to where I had directed, "That sounds good." She waited for me to step next to her before she leaned closer to me, "Victoria, I’m just as nervous as you are."

I glanced at her, her eyes boring right through my sunglasses made my heart skip and my gut tell me that I needed to decide what I was going to do from this point on. I didn't say anything, just smiled again, then fiddling with my bag strap as I started to walk down the gravel path with Alex falling in line next to me.

"Why did you pick Lee's house to meet?" Alex’s voice was soft, an attempt to ease the strange tension between us with casual conversation starters.

I lifted my head up, focusing on the path ahead, "It's close to the sandwich shop and everyone knows where it is." I trailed off before I admitted out loud that the house was one of my favorite places in the city. There was something about this woman that made me want to tell her things that I kept locked up, and do it without thinking twice. I smiled softly, looking over at her, "Why did you pick Monument Meats?"

Alex chuckled, trying her best not to reach out for me as her steps would get a little wobbly on the downhill slide of the loose gravel path, "It's honestly the first place that popped in my head. I used to eat there on the weekends during my first and last years in college." She paused, "To be even more honest, I haven't been there in years, but I do remember that they had a massive corned beef sandwich." Alex suddenly grabbed my elbow as she stumbled. "Shit, sorry. I probably should have brought my cane. I didn't expect this path to be such trouble." Her brow furrowed in frustration that her body was still lagging on getting over her injuries.

Alex went to pull her hand away from my elbow, when I shook my head, gently grabbing onto hers, "It's okay. Use me if you need to. Some have told me that I am as stiff as a wooden board." I smiled at her, hoping the joke would ease the tense air around us.

Alex laughed, moving closer and gripping onto my arm right above my elbow as I dropped my hand from her. Her hand was warm, soaking into the thin, ragged material of my old shirt. Sending a shiver up through my arm and right to my chest. I clenched my jaw to fight through the sensation and focus on the way she squeezed ever so slightly. Telling me that Alex already trusted me far more than I did her.

"I wonder why anyone would say such a thing about you." Alex smirked at me, "I did want to ask if you took etiquette classes, I had never seen anyone stand up as straight as you did in your office the other day."

I sighed, "Blame the Navy." I then laughed lightly, "And that I’m actually a bit stiff and not much of a people person." I rolled my eyes, "Again, you can blame the Navy for that."

Alex laughed with me as we walked down the back path, past the park stations and maintenance huts. "You're a teacher Victoria, how can you not be a people person?"

I shrugged, guiding Alex out of the cemetery and out on to the bustling city street. I could feel my guard go up immediately as I subtly scanned the crowds out of habit and instinct, "I'm a teacher in a military academy. It’s the one place, probably the only place, where a teacher can be just a teacher and not a person." I pointed down the street, "It's just one more block, are you okay to walk a bit further?"

I felt Alex's hand squeeze my arm again, "I am." Her voice was so quiet, another clue that Alex was possibly a bit more interested in me than just seeking out a new friend.

I swallowed down the feeling of her hand on my arm, and how that simple act of her squeezing it was bringing up so much warmth through my body. I resisted the urge to look down at the woman who I could feel looking at me.

This was going to be a long lunch.

There was something about Victoria that was mysterious. It was the type of “mysterious” that went past an idea brought on by James Dean or television shows. It was sexy but frightening at times. Yes, her mysteriousness did add to her overall attractiveness and drew me deeper into her, but there was something there that had my gut sniffing around like a bloodhound looking for clues. It was that small thing that kept me from completely swooning openly over the woman the second I saw her sitting on the porch steps reading her James Bond book like an aloof college student in holey jeans.

Victoria was beautiful, beyond beautiful, bordering on gorgeous, and I couldn't stop myself from looking at her in the worn out bum clothes she wore. A far cry from the perfectly tailored Navy uniform I last saw her in. One that had left me and my thoughts going in directions I never thought I would venture into, especially in regards to the woman wearing that uniform. Then again, uniforms were always a weakness of mine.

I held onto Victoria's arm as she guided us out of the cemetery and down to the city street. Making me a bit giddy at how chivalrous she had been to offer up her arm and check on me. Chivalry was a lost and forgotten art, and for a romantic like me, any sliver of that came my way made me giddy, and it did leave me at a loss for words. I was only able to grin like a dope as Victoria walked us to the hole in the wall deli that I had indeed pulled out of thin air under pressure when Victoria suggested meeting up for lunch. I glanced at the bright red, white, and blue facade as she quietly announced we had arrived.

Monument Meats was exactly as I remembered it from my college days. A patriotic sandwich place that served huge portions cheap to the locals and the tourists who flooded this street every day. The huge, cheap portions had been the main reason why all of us nursing students hit the place weekly. I looked over at Victoria, "Hasn't changed one bit in almost fifteen years."

Victoria had pulled her sunglasses off, palming them to reach for the door. Opening it for me, she gently held on to my arm to keep my balance steady, "I guess that's a good thing?" She smiled softly at me, guiding me into the half empty restaurant.

I nodded, walking in and heading towards the closest booth that was also the furthest away from the handful of lunching tourists. "It is if the portions are still the same size." I slid into the creaky red vinyl seat, smiling at Victoria as she waited until I was safely seated before letting me go and taking the seat across from me.