Chapter 2
Dominic Decker
He noticed that woman the second she came into the bar. Her scarf had caught his attention, but her smile had held it. That scarf was the brightest, most colorful, different thing he had ever seen. It was long and bold, and it was twisted twice around her neck when she came in. It was the coolest accessory, and it made Dominic smile the second she came into the bar.
A young woman was wearing it, and she took it off when she sat at the bar. He gazed at her face and realized she was gorgeous with a gentle, sweet smile. He sat there staring at her and taking her in for a few long seconds before he looked down at his phone.
Dominic received a text from his brother saying he was running a few minutes late, and he took time to answer it, but he put his phone down a minute later. He glanced at the woman again, and he noticed that Tucker McDaniel was standing next to her.
He watched their interaction for a minute, and he noticed that she wasn't responding positively to Tucker. She glanced Dominic's way at one point, but then she looked away. He kept watching, and the next thing he knew, she was looking at him again, and he was calling her over. He couldn’t believe it when she stood up and walked over to him.
Tucker watched her leave, and the two of them made eye contact a few seconds later when Tucker realized she was heading to Dominic's table.
She got settled on the stool next to him. She had darkish green eyes, similar to his mom and sister, but still somehow different. And she smiled a lot, so they sparkled. She wasn't nervous at all. A lot of women were nervous around Dominic, but this one was… she was unfazed.
He talked to her, and she said she was there for a job interview. He mentioned her scarf, and she told him it had to do with Mariam Waterson. He knew of the actress she was talking about, and he asked her to tell him more. He was intrigued by the story, but more than that, he was intrigued by this woman—his reaction to her. He was curious about the scarf, but now he wanted her to tell him more about it simply so that he could see her smile and the way she got animated when she talked. He enjoyed talking to her. She was so interesting. She was funny and innocent, and he loved her face. Dominic was spellbound.
As he sat across from this woman and had a conversation with her, he pondered the idea of having a muse. He wasn't a poet or painter. He wasn't an artist at all. But if he was, and if he did have a muse, this woman would be her. She stirred feelings in him. He had never had a reaction like this to a woman.
"I know who that is," he said, speaking of Mariam Waterson, and feeling desperate to continue the conversation. "How could I not? She's been in a ton of movies."
"Well, she's the lady who made this scarf. She knitted it."
"You're joking. The actress? Do you know her?"
"My grandma does. She's really old. I don't think they've seen each other in years. But she's friends with my grandma. They met through my granddad… because he's a scientist."
He smiled at her and nodded. "Okay, so the fact that he's a scientist… is it related to him knowing Mariam Waterson?"
"Yes, archeology was a hobby of hers."
"Are you talking about the same lady who was in A Crowded Room?"
"Yes. No one ever mentions that one, and that was a good one," she said, smiling at him. "I watched all of her movies in college."
"So, she made the scarf, and you got it through your grandfather, the scientist," he said, trying to get the story straight."
"Yeah, she gave it to my grandma, but they knew her through my Pa Frank. Mariam was a cool lady—she is still, I guess. I'm not sure how old she is now. I've seen photos of her knitting. Not this scarf… I've never come across one of her with it, but that would be cool. I have found a few on the internet of her knitting striped stuff, though."
"Can I see it? Do you mind if I look at it?" he asked.
"Oh, the scarf, sure." She turned and took the knitted strip of fabric off of the back of her chair. She was wearing a black shirt with a tan jacket, and the brightness of the scarf stood out against both. The stripes were about two inches each, and there were what seemed like a thousand of them. Dominic couldn't help but smile at the sight of the long tube of fabric that was stretched across the table.
"It's sort of the whole reason I'm here."
He glanced at her. "Here, at this restaurant?"
"No, here in Chicago."
"Are you not from here?" he asked.
Another smile. She was gorgeous.
"No, I'm not," she said as she stashed the scarf behind her again. "I’m from Texas. I moved here… not even a year ago."
"And what's the scarf got to do with it?"
"My grandmother gave me the scarf when I was a little kid. But then, she and my mom had this gigantic fight, and I wasn't able to be close to my grandma for years after that. Anyway, I went like half of my life barely seeing my grandmother and thinking she was the coolest person. All I had of her was this scarf, and I couldn't wear it because it would make my mom mad." She smiled, trying to make it light. "We talk now. Once I went off to college and started making my own decisions, everything was fine, and I'm close to my Nessa now. And she and my mom have worked on their relationship, too. It's all good. I'm just telling you to explain that, for years, I had the scarf in the back of a drawer, and I felt like I couldn't wear and enjoy it. I've had this idea of moving somewhere cold for years. And, in the back of my mind, I’m sure it's so I can wear the scarf."
He stared at her, feeling so intrigued. "So, here you are… you moved up here to Chicago from Texas so that you could wear your scarf."
She squinted at him. "When you say it like that…" she said in a funny tone, messing with him and causing him to laugh. "No, that same grandma has a friend who lives here. She has a house, and I rent a room from her. It's a good situation. She lets me use her car when I need to."
"You don't have a car?"
"No, but the bus system's good here."
"You take the bus?"
"It's easy. Chicago's set up where it's fast to get around on a bus. I Uber if I have to. It's no big deal not having a car here, though. I only live two-and-a-half miles from work, and the bus ride is easy. I can afford to get another car sometime, but I don't want to right now. Like I said, Joan lets me borrow her car if I really need to go somewhere."
"Is that your grandma's friend?"
"Yeah, Joan. She's great."
"Where did you move here from?"
"Texas."
"I know, but what part? Austin?"
"Not far from Austin—small town—Chandler." She looked over her shoulder, peering around the restaurant.
"Do you see your guy?"
"No, do you see yours?" she asked.
"No. Was it the scarf?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"That made your mom and grandma fight?"
"Yes, it was. They had a strained relationship before that. I didn't see her much as a kid, but that really wrecked things between them."
"I’m sorry."
"No, I didn't mean to… it's fine. She and I talk all the time now—every week. She calls me on Monday to check on me. She asks me if I went to church."
"Do you go?"
"Yeah, not necessarily on Sunday, but yes. There's a church between here and my house, and I stop there at least once a week."
"That's great," he said.
She grinned. "You think?"
"Yes, I do."
"Which part? Talking to my grandma or going to church?"
He made a face at her. "What sort of man would I be if I said either of those things weren't great?"
"Yeah I guess you're right," she said with a casual smile.
She was wearing lip gloss, and Dominic caught himself staring at her mouth. He was clearly attracted to this woman. He blinked and focused on other things—the table and a person walking by. He took a deep breath. He had to talk to her while he had her here.
"And have all your dreams come true about moving to Chicago? Do you like the weather? Do you like wearing your scarf?"
She beamed at the questions. "Yes and yes," she said. "I love this thing, and I get to wear it all the time. I had it in a drawer for over a decade, and I imagined how luxurious it would be once I got to wear it regularly. I've lived here for only ten months, and Chicago's so cold that I've been able to wear it so much!"
"So, all of your dreams are coming true?" He asked, grinning at her.
"I guess you could say that. I like living in Chicago, and I get asked about it all the time. It's a great conversation piece."
"What do people say when you tell them who knitted it?"
"I don't tell everyone that much of the story. Most of the time, people complement it, and I thank them. If there's a secondary comment, they'll say how bright it is, and I say it's a gift from my grandma, and that's that. I've certainly never told anyone it caused a family rift." She said that lightheartedly with a laugh, and it was completely irresistible.
She took a sip of her drink. He watched her do it. Her cheeks were blushing and so was her chest and neck. Her skin was pink in spots, and she was delicate and vulnerable but yet still so confident and nonchalant. Dominic was spellbound.
"My family's fine now, actually—especially since I moved up here. They haven't been up here or anything, but they're always happy to hear from me, and supportive. I'm close to my sister. She's still in Texas, but we text all the time."
"What about the lady you're living with? Joan. Does she help you out?"
"She does, and I help her, too. She's got kids who live in town and stop by. They're older with families. They think I'm trying to weasel in on their inheritance, but otherwise, they're nice."
"Are you?"
"No," she said, smiling. "I don't think she has anything, anyway. She has a store, and I think it's seen better days." She took another sip of her drink. "But no, I'm saying too much. Joan's great, and her family's okay. It's all good. I like Chicago in general. I'm glad I came here. What about you? Do you ride the bus, too?"
"Do I ride the… no, I, I…" She was smiling, and he was distracted. "I have a truck that I drive. And a car."
"Oh, wow. Do you have a family?"
"Yeah, a brother and a sister."
"No, I mean a wife."
"Uh, no, I don't. I do not have a wife." Dominic thought about the women he had dated in the past, and he realized that none of them had anywhere close to the spark in their eyes as this woman did. He wanted to talk to her forever. He was so engaged in her eyes and in their conversation that he hadn't even seen a guy approach their table.
"Oh, hey!" she said to him as she turned that way.
Her profile.
Even her profile was beautiful.
"I didn't see you over here," the guy said.
"I was just sitting here for one second while I was waiting for you. There was barely any room at the bar. You guys are busy. This gentleman was nice enough to keep me company." While she was talking, she stepped off of the stool and gathered her things. And just like that, she smiled at the other guy and said, "Are you ready?"
"I’m ready when you are," he said with a shrug. "Sorry for making you wait."
"I'm Dominic," Dominic said. He held his hand out, and she shook it clumsily since her hands were full.
"They should have taken these things for you at coat check," Tom said, taking her attention.
"I wanted to hold them," she said to him. She turned promptly to Dominic with a smile. "Hello, Dominic. Thanks for the chair and for the good conversation. I'm Marley (a smile) with the scarf."
"Hey, Marley."
"Hey." Her smile broadened. "Take care, Dominic."
"Okay," he said dumbly.
"Are they taking care of you, Mr. Decker?" Tom asked. But just as he said it Dominic's server walked up to them. Tom gave the server a knowing glance and took off with Marley.
They walked across the crowded room together.
She didn't even glance back at him.