Fallen for Her (3 page)

~ Ray ~

He was up at 7:00 AM, showered and shaved. He dressed carefully, in worn comfortable khakis, a T-shirt and a sport coat. Mrs. Perkins cooked ham and eggs and made him toasted Italian bread.

“Oh my!  You look handsome shaved and wearing that jacket.” She winked at him.

“Thank you, Ma’am.” He automatically responded.

After breakfast, he went to his room and brushed his teeth, then used mouthwash.  He put a few breath mints into his chest pocket.  He sat on the front porch of the Victorian trying to appear casual.  He opened his iPad and waited for Ella to pick him up.  She wasn’t due until 9:00 so he had a full hour to waste.  He clicked on Ella’s Facebook page and read more about her.  She liked gardening.  He viewed photographs of her Petunias and Zinnias and Cabbage Roses. Those were her favorite, Cabbage Roses.  She also loved Russian Sage. The blue-violet flowering shrub was thriving in her garden.  He thought she might be religious, or somewhat spiritual.  He noticed artifacts in her garden indicating that.

The odd thing about her Facebook page was that her significant other, Bob, was in most of the photographs with her, but they were never touching. In fact, if he hadn’t read the description beneath the photo, he never would’ve guessed the guy was
with
her. There were a lot of photos of Bob, but in most he was golfing or with a group of guys.  He saw a sign that said General Technology in the background and thought Bob looked like a sales-type. There were pictures of him with groups of men in suits in places like Hong Kong and Germany.
Something just seemed off.

She had some music linked to her page and he listened to it. Surprisingly, she liked most of the same music he did. He scrolled through her favorite artists and knew the words to every song.  Then he sorted through the movies she had listed as favorites.  Ironically, they were the very same movies he liked.  Coincidence?  He was beginning to get a strange feeling of Déjà vu.

One other thing that was evident on Ella’s Facebook page: she had lost her dog, Maverick, not long ago and was searching for a puppy. The dog that died was a black and white beagle mix and she had a special Facebook photo album dedicated to Maverick.  He noticed posts from friends offering Ella other dogs, but every time her response was: 
Not yet
.  Ray realized Ella was not just missing her father, she was also missing her best friend, Maverick. 

Ella’s green Honda CR-V pulled in front of the bed and breakfast early and he jumped to his feet.  As she got out of the vehicle and approached him, she took his breath away.  He thought she was beautiful in the photographs, but seeing her in person was
mind-blowing
.  He suddenly felt as awkward and tongue-tied as a 14 year old teenager.

~ Ella ~

Ella smiled politely and extended her hand to Ray.  When his dark blue eyes met hers, she felt herself blush slightly.  He was a stranger, after all.  She was a little nervous but forged ahead.  When her eyes connected to his she noted they were the most unique color of blue she had ever seen.  And his skin had an olive tone.  Italian.  She imagined he got a tan standing outside for five minutes.  She sized him up in a matter of seconds.  He was about six feet tall and probably weighed close to 200, muscular athletic build. 

“Great to meet you face-to-face…” she managed.

“Yes, the pleasure is all mine.” Ray said unexpectedly.

“Hop in.” she opened the passenger side door and he slid into the seat.  She smiled at him as he fumbled with the seatbelt.  He smelled wonderful.  She had no idea what fragrance he wore or if it was the soap he used, but he smelled so good it distracted her a little.

“Hungry?” she asked, shooting him a sidelong glance as she got into the driver’s seat.

“Yes, a little.” He grinned.

Ella felt him observing her as she drove.  She regarded him with a somber curiosity.  He wasn’t staring but once he touched her hand by accident as she rested it on the console.

“Excuse me,” he apologized and his dark eyes met hers.

“That’s okay, Ray.” She smiled. “No worries.”

There was a line at the breakfast diner, as usual. They waited for ten minutes before a table was available.  Ella felt like it was the longest ten minutes of her life.  She dreaded talking about her father’s estate.  She still could barely speak of her dad without crying.  She was afraid to have this stranger watch her fall apart.  Taking a deep breath, Ella slid into a booth with Ray and their eyes locked once again.  Ella felt herself beginning to perspire.

“Wow, is it hot in here or is it just me?” she laughed fanning herself with the menu.

“Yeah, it’s hot in here,” Ray smiled and shot her that bad boy look, the one she noticed in the photograph.  

She looked down at the menu for a moment and the server approached the table.

“I’ll have the Wisconsin scramble and a side of bacon.” Ella said softly.

“I’ll have coffee and a blueberry muffin.” Ray added.

The server left and Ella put her hands on the table in an attempt to calm herself.  She was jittery and sensed Ray noticed.

~ Ray ~

It was impossible to take his eyes off Ella, but he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable so he tried not to stare.  She was beautiful beyond words.  And she smelled so damned good.  Whatever fragrance she wore smelled sweet.  Her eyes were a shade of hazel green and brown, fringed with dark lashes.  She wore little make-up except the rose lipstick.  Her skin was porcelain; her nose dainty, her lips were full and sexy.  He couldn’t stop thinking of what it would feel like to kiss those lips.

He tried to get her attention but she seemed incredibly shy.  She waved and said hello to several people in the diner as they walked by the table.  She was a regular.  When she rested her hands on the table, he covered her feminine hand with his and her eyes finally rested exclusively on him.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” He said, noticing she didn’t pull away.

“Thank you,” Ella whispered and he tried to hold her gaze.

“I know you’re grieving the loss of your father, but I’m sorry you lost, Maverick, too.” He whispered.

There was a moment of disbelief on her face. But once his words registered, she opened up.  Her eyes warmed and became filled with expression.

“How did you
know
?” She asked.

“I saw Maverick on your Facebook page.” Ray replied.

“My father gave him to me as a pup.” Ella looked down at his hand holding hers.

“I know, you miss him…terribly.” Ray added. His thumb stroked her hand and he noticed her demeanor became more relaxed.

“Do you want another dog?” Ray inquired cautiously, “because, I understand if you don’t just yet.  It takes a long time to get over something so painful.”

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Ella’s eyes locked with his again.  When she looked into his eyes he thought he might faint.  Her eyes were a combination of innocence, intelligence, and kindness.  He felt overcome with something he couldn’t describe.  He had never felt it before.  Was it understanding?  Empathy?  Sadness? 
No, he had an overwhelming urge to comfort her
.

The server arrived with their food and Ray’s hand moved to his plate.  Her hand, however, remained on the table and she smiled at him.  He thought his heart would melt.

“Thank you, Mr. Adriano.” Ella’s eyes lit up.

“For what?” Ray smiled back. 

“For saying that about Maverick,” she whispered. “I do miss him terribly.”

Good Lord, she was beautiful.  All of a sudden he didn’t care about coffee or a muffin.  He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her.  He watched every move she made, willing her to look at him again.  When her eyes met his as she spoke, he felt hypnotized.  He watched as she sliced up her food and slipped each bite between her lips.  She even drank her coffee in a ladylike way that fascinated him.  The imprint of her lipstick was left on the rim of the white coffee cup. 

“We’ll start with the commercial properties in Portland,” Ray suggested. 

“Sure, that sounds fine.” Ella murmured as she finished her coffee.  He could barely wait to be seated next to her in the car again.  He was giddy with the thought of spending the entire day with her.  He could think of nothing else but looking into her eyes.

He opened the door of the vehicle for Ella and she smiled at him, “Thank you, Mr. Adriano.” She whispered, “Chivalry is not dead.”

“Please, call me Ray,” he was so close to her he could whisper in her ear. 

He jumped into the front seat and they drove to the first commercial property.  While in the car, he thought it might be a good time to get some general information from Ella.  He asked her what she planned to do with the buildings and explained that he was a licensed appraiser in all of the New England states.  For once he was glad that he had obtained the license for Maine; his hard work would pay off.  If he hadn’t been licensed they would have had to bring another person along.  He wanted Ella all to himself today.

The first property was an enormous five-story historical brick building on the street that ran parallel to Portland’s scenic waterfront.  At one time it was a molasses house and dated back to the early 1800’s.  Now renovated as a tavern with unique office space above, Ray held the door for Ella as they entered the place.  The aroma of cheeseburgers and the smell of beer hung in the air.  People bustled in and out of the doorway as they sat in a booth.  Ray got out his iPad, but kept watching Ella.  He was trying to read her thoughts as she gazed through the large plate glass window watching people passing by on the sidewalk.  Her beautiful eyes had a faraway look and he knew she was lost in thought.

“It seems like life just carries on even though you’ve lost someone very dear to you…” she turned to him.  “I’m sorry.  This place reminds me so much of my father.” 

“I understand.”  Ray tapped the iPad and brought up the specs for the building.  He had done his homework.   “Do you want to walk me through?” 

Ella led him to the office in the back and they took an elevator to the top floor.  He sensed the sorrow that was engulfing her.  As they stepped to an enormous ornate window on the top floor overlooking the harbor, he saw a tear slide down her cheek.  Without thinking he pulled Ella into him.  He couldn’t seem to stop himself.  Her response was melting softness.  She allowed him to hold her and he ceased breathing for that moment.  His face was next to hers, her head fell upon his shoulder.  The leather bag slung across his body acted as a buffer between them and he suddenly wished it could have disappeared. 

“I’m sorry, Ray.  This place brings back so many memories.” Ella murmured. “Happy ones.”

His arm reached around her shoulders moving in an instinctive gesture of comfort.  Her tears were silent but she was breathing erratically.  His fingers touched the soft nape of her neck and were immersed in her dark hair.  He could sense the feelings rushing through her and wanted so much to offer her tenderness and compassion.  The moment was interrupted as Ella pulled away to find a tissue in her purse. 

“I’m sorry, Ray.  I didn’t think that would happen.” She apologized.

“It’s all right, Ella. I understand.” He wanted so much to drop his bag on the floor and enfold her into his arms, but he fought the urge.  Instead, he politely looked at the view as she collected herself.  She blew her nose and heaved a sigh.

“Let’s walk through the place.”  Ella started.  Ray followed her, chastising himself for watching her perfectly feminine form as she walked ahead of him.  He wasn’t paying any attention to the building.  He already knew the features and what it was worth.  A few times Ella turned to look at him as she explained an interesting feature.  But, he couldn’t take his eyes off
her
interesting features.  His eyes focused on her shapely rear while she was ahead of him. 

The next two buildings were easier and they walked through quickly with Ray taking notes on the iPad, following Ella with his eyes. 
Damn fine, he thought
.  His head wasn’t into real estate at the moment.  His eyes were on Ella and he was appraising
her
.  He’d do his job but was fighting the feelings pulsing through him.  Every time her gaze met his, he felt his heart do a backflip.  He knew he was in trouble.  He had never felt this way before about
any
woman. 

After the appraisals, Ella started heading in the direction of her home.  The town she lived in was a small rural suburb of the city of Portland.  While driving along the main road, Ray spied a handmade sign on the side of the road that said
Puppies for Sale
. 

“Let’s stop and take a look.” Ray said spontaneously.

~ Ella ~

Ella was suddenly caught up in his idea.  She had just passed the sign and impulsively made a U-turn in the middle of the road.  As she traveled back to the house she felt a kinship with Ray, especially in regards to her grief for Maverick. 
He understood
.  Ray knew Maverick was so much more to her than just a pet. 

Ray was smiling at her as she pulled into the driveway of the old farmhouse.  Ella eyes were drawn to the side yard where a mother dog was in a fenced in area with eight puppies.  As they exited the vehicle, Ella noticed a woman approaching them.  She was middle-aged with long gray hair pulled into a pony tail wearing a flannel shirt and jeans.  She extended her hand.