4. Roxie
Using the torch on my phone, I left the bitumen and followed the thin path toward the beach. My mind swooped to my last date, just over three years ago. I hadn’t had this sense of anticipation then. I’d actually dreaded the date. And I’d been right. It had been a total disaster.
My best friend, Katrina, had set me up with her flatmate, Robert. He was decent enough. Had a good career, good hygiene, good manners. Nothing was wrong with him, really. Except he’d spent the entire night talking about Katrina. After dinner, he’d poured his heart out over how much he loved her.
While eating his dessert, he’d actually cried into his napkin, wiping chocolate onto his left cheek in the process. I’d stared at the brown smudge while Robert told me that he’d only agreed to the dinner date with me in the hope that I could help him date Katrina.
Stupid wanker.
He was just another wanker in a long list of wankers.
Being a forty-two-year-old woman who’d been single for a decade meant I’d met my fair share of wankers. Ironically, the humiliating date with Robert hadn’t cut as deep as it should have. But it did swear me off dating for a while. Three long years, actually. Until tonight.
Henry didn’t come across as a wanker. Tonight would be different. I felt it deep in my stomach, where the butterflies danced and twirled around, making me nervous and giddy. If anything, it wouldn’t take much for Henry to improve on Robert’s debacle. Just turning up with his gorgeous smile would make me happy.
The angst that had plagued me all the way there dissipated with the sounds of the crashing waves. A bird squawked somewhere in the darkness around me, and there was laughter in the distance.
I told myself that if Henry didn’t appear, I’d take a long walk along the beach anyway. Then, it wouldn’t be a complete waste of a night.
I reached the top of the ridge, and rather than try to follow the path Henry had taken toward the tree, I went down to the beach first. Millions of stars dotted the black velvet above me, but the moon was yet to appear. Endless waves took on an almost luminous glow as they tumbled onto the shore. The sand was still warm, but the sea breezes had cooled enough to have goosebumps prickling my flesh. In the distance, a cruise ship was lit up like there was a party happening on the top deck.
My question about whether or not Henry would be there was answered within minutes. He’d hung a couple of candle-lit lanterns in the tree, and the glow was enough for me to see two chairs and a small table nestled beneath the foliage. My heart swelled at the effort he’d made.
But it wasn’t until I approached the setting that I realized just how much effort. A bunch of flowers lay across the middle of the table along with two champagne flutes and an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne.
But all that paled in comparison to the man himself. Henry wore a blue button-up shirt with khaki chinos. He’d taken his shoes off and rolled up the cuffs. His classy yet casual style was accentuated by his incredible smile.
“You came.” I could barely breathe, let alone speak.
“Of course. How could I resist after our fascinating introduction?” His deep baritone was that of a man in his prime.
“Oh.” As I giggled, a flush of heat blazed up my neck. I stepped up to him, and he placed his hand on the small of my back and leaned in to kiss my cheek. His divine scent was a delicious blend of soap and spicy aftershave. It was mutually masculine and sensual and had my already racing heart galloping.
“I hope you like Oriental lilies?” He handed me the bunch of flowers.
“They’re my favorite.” I’d never been given these flowers by a man before, but I knew them well.
“You’re just saying that.”
“No, I’m not actually. I buy them at my local Sunday market all the time. I love how their scent fills my home.”
Henry inclined his head and seemed to be impressed. “I chose well then.” He indicated to a director’s chair, offering me a seat, and I crossed the small distance and sat. “I can’t believe how much you’ve done.”
Mischief and intrigue lit up his sapphire eyes. “It’s the tree, it’s magic.”
I giggled, and his smile broadened.
“Would you like champagne?”
“Yes, please.” I placed the flowers on the table. The blooms were all closed at the moment, but come Christmas day, they’d start to open up beautifully.
He plucked the bottle from the ice bucket, and as he worked the cork out, I admired the muscle definition along his arm. Not too much muscle to indicate he spent every available moment in the gym, but just enough to make me feel safe should he wrap his arms around me.
Woah. Calm down, woman.
A loud pop announced the cork’s release, and it soared onto the sand a few feet in front of us.
“Oops.” Henry strode from the table to fetch the cork, and I watched the bulge and flex of his sexy ass. When he bent over, a flush of heat raced up my neck, and I snapped my eyes away.
Jesus, get a grip.I sucked in a huge breath and let it out slowly.
Henry returned and dropped the cork into the ice bucket. “How was the rest of your evening?”
I groaned. “Hectic. How about yours?”
“Just boring conference stuff with people who spend every opportunity bragging about themselves.”
“Welcome to my world. The film industry is full of them.”
“I bet it is. I don’t usually experience it every day.”
“You’re lucky. It can be draining. Sometimes, all I want is a normal conversation.”
He huffed. “The art of conversation is fading, I’m afraid. Mobile phones, which were meant to increase the ability to communicate, have done the exact opposite. Don’t you think?”
“Oh my God. I agree one hundred percent.”
“That’s two things in common.” His smile was incredible, taking him beyond handsome. He was stunning. Model-worthy even. In the film industry, I was constantly surrounded by handsome and confident men. Henry had that and more. He could walk right onto the movie set, and no one would question him being there.
The fact that he was here, though, with me, was crazy. He was a thousand times out of my league. Hmmm, I wonder what’s wrong with him.
My sister’s comment about Jack the Ripper raced through my brain.
But when Henry passed me a glass of champagne, in a real glass and not plastic, I decided that a creep wouldn’t be that refined. When he looked right into my eyes and smiled, that stunning magazine-worthy smile, I found myself falling into some kind of alluring spell.
Henry was a good guy, of that I was certain, and for the first time in years, I truly wanted to get to know a perfect stranger.
“A toast?” he announced with his glass raised.
“Okay.” Curious, I held my glass to his, waiting for his decree.
“To chance encounters.” He inclined his head, maybe seeking my approval.
His toast was perfect. “To chance encounters.” We chinked our glasses, and I sipped the delicate bubbles. It was sweet and delicious, and I had a feeling it was very expensive.
He held his glass up again. “To conversation.”
I giggled. “To conversation.” And we tapped our glasses together again. I drank another mouthful and placed my glass down. “So, what conference things did you do this afternoon?”
He huffed. “To be honest, I don’t know. It was impossible to concentrate when I was thinking about you.”
I hoped he couldn’t see the flush blazing my cheeks. “Oh.” I considered telling him that my afternoon had been consumed with thoughts of him, too. But decided I’d sound too eager. Or stupid. Or, more likely, too desperate. I liked to think I wasn’t desperate, but maybe I was.
“Are you hungry? I took the liberty of bringing a little cheese platter.”
I wasn’t hungry, but I didn’t want to disappoint him. He’d gone to so much effort. “Sounds lovely.”
He reached into a small ice box at his side and plucked out items. “So, what does Roxie do when she’s not making costumes and climbing trees?”
I giggled, then sighed. “I spend every spare moment helping my sister with her three kids. Her husband works in the mines, and he’s away six weeks at a time.”
“Wow, she’s lucky to have you. Do you have any children of your own?”
I shook my head. “No.” It was a topic that broke my heart. A topic that I’d rather not talk about. “What about you? Do you have children?”
“Yes. I have a beautiful daughter, Maleigha. She’s twenty-three, and she’s just made me a grandfather for the first time. Olivia Kaitlin is my granddaughter’s name.”
“Oh, that’s exciting.”
“It’s scary. I make Olivia cry all the time.”
I burst out laughing. Not many people would admit to that.
“It’s true. I swear she doesn’t like me.”
“I’m sure she loves you. How old is she?”
“Just turned six months. Maleigha had a six-month party. Can you believe that?”
“Really?”
“Yeah, my daughter inherited my ex-wife’s personality. She’ll make any excuse for a party. And the bigger, the better. I also have a son. Thomas, he’s a high achiever. He’s studying Design Engineering in Milano, Italy. Got a scholarship, thank God.”
“Wow, takes after his father, huh?”
He huffed. “I don’t know about that. I couldn’t wait to finish my degree. What about you, did you study?”
“Hell no. I barely know how to Google. Put me in front of a sewing machine, though, and I’m a diva.”
“It must be wonderful to be so creative.”
“I guess so.” When I wasn’t thinking about Valleys of Doom and similar, that was.
“I can barely draw a stick figure.”
“Pfft, everyone can draw a stick figure.”
He nodded. “Okay, you got me. But don’t ask me to clothe him.”
I giggled.
Henry finished positioning items onto a cheese board, then he swiveled it toward me and paused. “What can I tempt you with?”
“What have you got?” I eased forward on my chair.
“Well, I have this old poem that I use when doing a cheeseboard: Something old, something new, something goat, something blue. Then, of course, we have nuts, crackers, and a sweet addition.”
My eyes flicked from the cheese board to Henry’s hands while he was describing his food selection. His hands were immaculate, with neatly trimmed nails, flawless skin, and no hair. I pictured those hands on my flesh and imagined how incredible they’d feel.
Good God, I’m losing my marbles.
He raised his eyebrows, awaiting my answer.
“Oh, ummm.” I cleared my throat. “How about you surprise me?”
“Oooh, okay then.”
As I watched him choose a sliver of cheese and place it atop a cracker with a small amount of dark paste, I decided that no matter what happened for the rest of the night, I’d already had the best date that I’d had in years.
“Try this.” He held the nibble toward me, and rather than take it in my hand, I opened my mouth. His eyes dazzled as he guided the food onto my tongue.
He watched as I chewed, and the pressure to like his choice of cheese was huge. To my delight, I did like it. “Hmmm, that was delicious. Which ones were they?”
“White Costello and quince paste.”
“Yum.”
He sat at my side, and while he built another cheese bite, I glanced at the handsome older man at my side. He appeared to be maturing gracefully. Just the right amount of gray hair and wrinkles. No sunspots. At least none that I could see in this light. Maybe that was why he liked the beach setting. No harsh lights to pinpoint the blemishes.
We ate a few more nibbles, of which he created each one, and our conversation flowed smoothly. I finished my glass of champagne and eased back into my chair.
“That was lovely.” I patted my stomach, hoping he’d get the hint that I was full.
“Would you like a walk along the beach?”
“Oh, I’d love to.”
He stood and offered his hand. I slipped off my shoes, reached for his hand, and as we walked hand-in-hand toward the beach, I didn’t feel at all uncomfortable. The butterflies in my stomach were doing a little happy dance, and I felt like a schoolgirl, giddy with life.
We walked parallel to the shoreline with the gentle waves lapping at our feet. Our hands swung back and forth in a comfortable rhythm, and our strides were equally matched like we were meant for each other. Being just over six feet, I had often encountered men who seemed awkward about my height. Henry was just a fraction taller than me. Put my stilettos on, and I’d be taller than him. Though, I rarely wore high heels.
“Looks like the moon’s about to rise.” He pointed ahead
I followed his outstretched finger toward the horizon. In the very distance, the white glow indicated the moon was about to grace us with its presence.
He led me away from the water to where the sand rose up a foot or two in a small embankment. “Shall we sit and watch the show?”
“Sounds good.”
He sat on the sand, and I slipped in beside him. I sat close enough that our shoulders were touching. He reached for my hand again, and our fingers entwined like it was something we’d done a thousand times before.
We watched in silence as the moon eased up from the horizon. Inch by inch, it grew bigger, casting a white stripe that shimmered on the water through the middle of the black ocean. It was magical.
Everything was magical.
The darkness of night, with just the right number of twinkling stars to see him. A slight breeze made it just the right temperature. A sexy man at my side who seemed to do everything just right, too. The moon was an aphrodisiac shimmering across the ocean, matching the shimmering through my body and providing sensations that I hadn’t felt in too long to remember.
He squeezed my hand and turned so he could look me in the eyes. I met his gaze, and a tiny smile threaded over his lips. I eased forward, and the anticipation hung between us like a warm, scented bath.
“May I kiss you?”