I Remember (Remembrance Series) (21 page)

He shook her hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“It is nice to finally meet you too, Gregory.” She turned her head in my direction, silently mouthing, OMG.

“Is everything ok? I thought you were working a full shift today and then going to your parent’s for dinner.”

“The store was slow, so I got off early. A kid spilled some drink on my dress, so I decided to come home and change before heading over there. ”

“I will be heading back to Deland, soon. Gregory was kind enough to help me get some more packing done. Between the two of you, I don’t know how I would’ve gotten this far.”

She grabbed my hand. “Jordan, I am in no rush for you to move out, so please feel free to take your time.”

I grimaced, as she moved my arm and caught site of the growing bruise. “What on Earth happened to you?”

Before I could speak, Gregory pulled me protectively into his side and answered, “Jordan had a little run in with your boyfriend, Tony, this morning. He came here demanding to talk to you and became violent when he discovered you weren’t around.”

Alley shook her head. “It couldn’t be him. It must be a mistake.”

“I was expecting Gregory, so I answered the door without verifying who it was. He asked for you, by name, and I told him you weren’t here, thinking he would leave and call you later. But, he wouldn’t accept that and…” I could feel the tears begin to roll down my cheeks as I started reliving everything.

Before I could finish, Gregory jumped in, completing all the sorted details.

Alley’s face was in shock. She kept saying, “It can’t possibly be him. He seemed like a decent guy.” She pulled out her cell phone and pulled up his picture. “Is this the guy?”

“I am truly sorry, Alley, but that’s him.”

“Just when I thought today couldn’t get any worse, it does,” she said, as she held her hand against her head.

“Are you mad at me?”

She gave me a hug, “No. I’m more upset with myself.”

“I don’t follow?”

“I didn’t tell you the full story about Tony. I caught him looking at several women when we were on a date, last week. Then he slipped up on the phone calling me a different name. He claimed he was talking with a cousin, but I didn’t buy it; so we had some words and he hadn’t called since.”

“When I talked with you the other night, I was already thinking about breaking it off. Your words helped me realize I needed to move on and so I left him a phone message to that effect. I’m just so sorry you had to deal with him.”

“I am a little worse for wear, but I will heal.”

Alley reached over to give Gregory a hug. “Thank you for being here for Jordan.”

“I should probably get changed and head out. I’m sure my parents could use help with dinner. Have a safe trip back. Tell your mom I wish her well and that I really am sorry this happened, today.”

Gregory and I started gathering the items to take down to the car.

“I’m heading out, now. Are you sure you are going to be okay, Jordan?”

I walked over to Alley and gave her a hug, “No worries. Tell your parents ‘Hello’ for me. I will call you soon, my friend.”

Gregory spoke up. “It was nice meeting you, Alley. Don’t worry about Jordan; I’ll make sure she stays safe.”

“Thanks for being here for her. It was nice meeting you. Have fun guys!” She was soon out the door.

My eyes began to tear up, again, as the events of this morning finally hit me.

“Are you all right, Honey?” He embraced me with a hug.

“I’m sorry, but I tend to suppress upsetting experiences in order to concentrate on the task at hand. Then, when things slow down, everything rises to the surface and I have a meltdown,”

He held me close, kissing my hair, “You are one amazing woman.”

I put on some sandals and grabbed some miscellaneous things from the bathroom.

Gregory grabbed a couple of boxes and followed me to my car.

I was not surprised to see that we were parked right next to each other, again. As I stepped out into the sunlight, I heard him say, “Wow!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just your hair; it is so beautiful. I didn’t realize how much gold and red tints are in it. Thanks to the position of the sun, you have a brilliant aura surrounding you. You look breathtaking.” His eyes remained mesmerized on me.

I began to blush instantly from his flatteries.

“We can put the rest in my car,” he commented, when my Civic was packed to capacity.

As we walked back to the apartment, hand in hand, I wondered how I ended up being so fortunate to find someone so attractive and generous. “What would I ever do without you?”
What was wrong with me? It’s like I have no filter and just blurt out whatever my heart feels.

He grabbed hold of my shoulder, turned me around, and leaned down so we were at eye level. “It is my deepest hope that you never have to find out.”

His response left me speechless. My mind was telling me that we were moving way too fast with a ‘relationship,’ but my heart was already full of love for this man. I felt safe and protected around Gregory.

We were able to fit the remaining boxes, my computer, and his picnic basket into his car, with plenty of room to spare.

I called Mom, as promised; to let her know we were on the way. I was overwhelmed and nervous at the idea of her meeting Gregory so soon but also comforted by the fact that he cared so deeply.

We made it to her house by five o’clock. She came out to great us, as soon as I pulled into the garage, and then quickly noticed the bruise on my arm. “Are you in pain, Jordan? Your arm looks more serious than I had imagined.”

Gregory walked up behind me as I started to explain. “It does ache, but it looks worse than it feels. I’m just grateful that Gregory was there.”

She turned to this man that was now my ‘boyfriend’. “How can I ever repay you for saving my little girl, Gregory?” My mother asked.

“I care a great deal for your daughter, Mrs. Carlisle. I would do anything for her. I’m just sorry that have to meet under such circumstances.”

He reached out his hand to formally greet her but Mom surprised us by giving him a hug. “Better circumstances would have been nice, but thankful you happened to be in the right place at the right time; otherwise, I don’t want to think of what could have happened.”

“Let’s fix him some dinner as a token of our appreciation.” My mother insisted and I nodded in agreement.

“You enjoy cooking, Jordan?” Gregory asked in amazement.

“I am surprised that hasn’t come up in our conversations; but yes, I love to cook. What’s your favorite?”

He was quick to respond. “I could really go for some Italian.”

“Then I will get dinner started as soon as we unload the cars.”

We placed most of the boxes in the guest bedroom, until I had time to go through them. The remainder went in my room, along with the computer.

“I know this is going to sound strange, but your room is just as I imagined.” Gregory commented after putting down a box. He picked up the picture on my bedside table. “This is your father, isn’t it?” He asked, almost as though he recognized him.

I flashed back to the dream I had the night my father passed—where Gregory promised my dad that he would protect me from the darkness.
That was weird.

“That was the last family picture we had made, about a year ago.” I really didn’t want to discuss it further. “I’m going to start dinner, so I don’t keep you from getting home too late.”

His hand reached up, caressing my face gently and looking into my eyes. “I would love nothing more than to spend more time with you, today; but don’t go to any trouble. I can always grab something to eat on the way home.”

“I owe you a meal. Besides, cooking is a stress reliever for me,”

He laughed a bit; then gave me his quirky half curled up smile. “Can I see you again, next weekend?”

Before I realized it, I found myself agreeing. “Okay.”

I left Gregory in the bedroom, hooking up my computer, while I started gathering ingredients from the refrigerator and pantry to make my specialty, spaghetti and meatballs with a marinara and basil sauce.

Thankfully, all the ingredients were there.

“Do you need any help, Jordan?” Mom asked.

“Thanks, Mom, but I’m fine. You’ve cooked all week, so let me handle tonight.”

Before long, the smell of tomatoes, fresh basil and garlic saturated the air.

I was in deep, thought, preparing the salad and getting the bread ready to go into the oven, when I felt his arms wrap around me. He leaned in close to give me a peck on the cheek. “The food smells amazing. Could you use an extra set of hands?”

“Thanks, but tonight is my treat, remember?”

“Can I watch you cook, then?”

Cooking had always been therapeutic for me. I usually liked working alone but his eyes told me he wanted to be close, so I conceded. “You can sit at the bar, if you want. That way we can all talk while I cook.”

Gregory gave me a gentle squeeze, before walking over and taking seat on the stool.

It didn’t take my mother long to start bombarding him with questions. She asked about his job, what his family was like, what they did for a living, if he had any siblings, what his future plans were, and so on. The questions were relentless, but he answered them all in stride.

When the conversation started to wane, he asked my mother a few things about Clewiston and why we had moved, etc…

I was pleased by how well they got along. I noticed his eyes were always fixated on what I was doing; only turning long enough to respond to my mother. They both seemed to be smiling a lot, which made my heart overjoyed.

I attempted to lift the pot off the stove to drain the spaghetti and quickly dropped it back down. “Ouch!”

Gregory was by my side, instantly, while both of them asked in unison, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I just didn’t realize how heavy the pot would be. I guess I am going to have to watch what I lift for the next few days.”

Before I could ask, he drained the pasta into the colander in the sink.

I gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Thank you.”

Between Gregory, Mom and I, we transferred all of the food to the dining table and sat down to enjoy our meal.

He took one bite and smiled. “This is truly amazing, Jordan. You could give some Italian restaurants a run for their money.”

“Thank you,”

“No, he’s right, Honey. This is delicious,” Mom said with pride.

I was amazed at how casual Gregory and my mother talked during the course of dinner.

After dinner, I brought out some fresh fruit with a strawberry yogurt dip for everyone to enjoy for dessert.

The conversation between them seemed to go on forever. I glanced at the clock thinking it was early in the evening, but realized it was close to 10:00 PM. I hated for him to leave but suggested that we let Gregory get back on the road.

To my surprise, Mom and Gregory hugged, again. “Thanks for everything you have done for us, Gregory. You are always welcome here and I hope we will see you again, soon.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Carlisle. I hope to be seeing a lot of your daughter from now on.”

“I’m just going to walk Gregory to his car, Mom.”

“No worries. Take your time.” I was surprised at how nonchalant Mom was.

I was the first to speak. “I am sorry to get you out of here so late. My mom must have approved of you to talk as much as she did.”

“I hope so; because I don’t think anything can keep me away from you.” He paused for a moment, looking into my eyes. “I don’t want this weekend to end. It has been the most amazing time of my life.”

He leaned in closer, caressing my face with the palm of his hand. “I have dreamt of finding someone special and now my dreams have come true. I don’t think I can wait until next weekend to see you, again. Can we meet somewhere during the week?”

His words made my heart race, “I’m not sure how hectic my work schedule will be, but, I will see what I can do.”

“Are you stopping by the apartment this week?”

“I probably won’t go back until I have the movers lined up.”

“What route do you usually take to work?” He asked with curiosity.

“I take the Interstate. But if the traffic is too hectic, I often stop in Lake Mary for gas or at the mall in Sanford, to pass the time until the traffic thins out. Why?”

I saw a flicker in his eyes, “That’s perfect! I work in Lake Mary. We could always meet up at the mall or somewhere near it. I could take you to dinner.”

“You’re forgetting, the next one is on me.” I reminded him.

“But you cooked tonight. So it’s my turn.”

“We’ll see.” I wasn’t going to get by with letting him pay for everything.

His face drew closer to mine and I could feel his breath, “You never did respond to my confession earlier today.”

It was hard to focus with him so close. “What confession?” His lips brushed against mine.

“That I love you.”

It took a great deal of effort to try and avoid answering him honestly. “Isn’t it a bit soon to be saying that?”

His kiss was more intense, parting my lips and playing with the tip of my tongue. His lips trailed up my cheek to my ear, where he whispered, “I can tell you are avoiding the subject. Don’t think about things; just answer with your heart.”