Chapter 11
It was a lovely day to be outside. The cool April breeze stirred the leaves on the trees and felt pleasant on the skin.
She had parked her car at the shopping mall and decided to hoof it for the rest of the journey.
She wanted to clear her head, and it did not hurt that there were lots of things to admire along the way.
School was obviously on spring break; she had completely forgotten about that.
The Monday morning traffic along Main Street whizzed by leisurely as if the drivers were in no worry.
It was difficult to remember that this was a small town and things moved slower.
The people certainly did. She had passed a park with children playing and mothers sitting and having conversations.
Some had even waved to her in recognition.
That too was something she was not accustomed to.
She had grabbed an ice cream cone from a vendor, chocolate mint.
A homeless man sat on a cardboard box with his hand held out to receive alms from whoever was generous to drop something in his tin can. Touched by his plight and his disheveled and dirty clothing, she dug into her tote and took out a ten.
She was rewarded by a big smile showing stained teeth.
"God bless you pretty lady."
"That's going to disappear in a bottle of booze. He'll wait a few minutes and then he's off."
She turned to see a woman with curly black hair and caramel skin grinning at her.
"Hi. The name is Carly. I've seen you around, but not to talk to." She extended a narrow hand.
"Hi. A-Lydia." She amended hastily, hoping the woman had not noticed the slip.
"Are you a resident?"
They had moved away from the homeless man and were making their way past delightful store front shops that were just beginning to open their doors. A bookstore announced Easter sale on Bibles and religious books. Further up, there was an art gallery with its doors firmly closed.
"Born and bred. I work in the Irish pub." She gestured toward the building Aria had passed several times with the shamrock and clover signs emblazoned on the stark white board.
"I suppose that's how you know the guy would be pouring the ten dollars in drink."
Carly laughed as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her light jacket.
"Poor Eddie cannot afford the Irish Inn.
He's more of a downtown kind." She gave Aria a curious look, admiring the flawless skin and the shape of her face.
Carly was certain the sweater she had on was cashmere and her boots were genuine leather. They looked as soft as butter.
"You're here visiting."
"I am. Yes."
"It's a wonderful place to settle." She wanted to ask the woman some questions but was not sure they would be answered. She also wanted to address the rumors going around about her involvement with the very hot and very rich Kenneth Tierney.
The guy and his uncle and daddy were the hottest items in town and most females married and unmarried had at one time or another set their caps at them. Not that they would bite, Carly thought in resentment. They always took what they wanted out of town.
"I love the shops." Unaware of the woman's thoughts, Aria smiled. "I'm here." She had finished her ice cream. "Nice to meet you Carly."
"Same here. Pop on in at the pub one of these days. We open at eleven and go on until midnight." With a smile and a wave, she turned in the opposite direction.
Shaking her head at how friendly people were here, she pushed the door open and was immediately assailed by the wonderful scent of coffee and fresh pastries.
*****
She dressed with extra care that evening.
The trip into town had energized her and put her in a very good mood.
She had eaten a large breakfast of scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, freshly baked biscuits and two cups of very good coffee and engaged in conversation with Sally, the woman who ran the place.
By the time she was ready to leave, she was all caught up with the gossip.
It had made her feel wanted as if she belonged.
Afterwards, she had strolled into Marcie's, an exclusive department store, and bought some slacks and a couple of sweaters. As she was shopping it occurred to her that she was accumulating more stuff. She had been here a week now and still had not made a decision.
Not to mention the fact that she had checked out a couple of empty buildings up for lease.
She had two more weeks to decide if she was going to stay or leave and go somewhere else.
The thought of leaving paralyzed her and it was mostly due to the man waiting in the living room for her. She was caught up, involved.
She had no idea what to do about it. For now, she would go with the flow. She had told him her dreaded secrets, and he had not run for the hills.
Taking one last look in the mirror, she decided the snug lime green sweater was a good choice.
The black jeans were figure hugging but went well with the knee-high black boots.
Large gold hoops dangled when she moved and her hair was brushed back, the tiny curls shining.
Pressing lips coated in shimmering tangerine, she grabbed her leather jacket and purse and left the room.
Kenneth turned from his absorption of the fire crackling in the hearth and felt the familiar thudding of his heart. His eyes wandered over her flawless face and settled on her mouth. Feeling the familiar tingling and tugging in his loins, he crossed to her.
"You look and smell delicious." He helped her on with her jacket, his touch lingering. "Why don't we skip dinner and the movie and stay right here? There's a fire burning. We could order takeout."
"Nope." She loved the fact that she felt relaxed in his presence, enough to tease him. "You're not getting out of taking me out." She turned her head when he leaned down to kiss the back of her neck. "You were the one who insisted on this outing."
He sighed. "Remind me to keep my mouth shut next time." Turning her around, he tugged her chin up for a kiss. "Let's go, shall we?"
*****
It was different. She had to admit that being with Kenneth was different from her past relationship.
With Everton, she had always felt as if she was on display.
She was certainly forced to behave a certain way.
Not only was she the daughter of a prominent lawyer, but Everton had always preened for the public.
He would always insist on them going to black tie functions where the movers and shakers were guests and her father had been the same way.
Now, sitting in an almost empty and darkened movie theater eating popcorn she had drowned in butter and a huge cup of Coke, she felt wonderfully free.
Kenneth had gone for hot dogs with all the trimmings and was casually eating from her bucket of popcorn.
The movie was a classic, an old John Wayne one that did not require her attention.
Which made Kenneth nuzzle her neck. He had removed the armrests, giving them access to each other. Her body was pressed against his. In between glimpsing at the large screen and eating her popcorn and his dog, he was trying to decide which was his favorite activity.
He had deliberately chosen somewhere at the back of the theater to give them some privacy.
Her exotic scent was sending desire coursing through his body. He had no idea how he was going to make it through dinner.
"We could skip dinner." He whispered in her ear as he stole another handful of her popcorn.
"Nope." Stretching her legs out, she tried to concentrate on the movie.
"Stop that." She whispered.
"I cannot help myself. I just have to touch."
"We came here to watch a movie." She reminded him. Pulling his hand away from her breast, she gave him a killer look that only had him smiling at her. Bending, he brushed his lips on her mouth, inhaling the scent of the lipstick.
"And the main reason why any couple takes in a movie is to do this." He demonstrated by nibbling the side of her neck.
Giving up, Aria closed her eyes and succumbed.
*****
Lucio's was a lovely restaurant with tidy red, green and white trimmings at the baseboard and around the edges of the ceiling.
The tablecloths echoed the same color scheme.
The owner, a rotund man, by the same name was jolly with a thick head of dark hair and a thick moustache.
He greeted Kenneth with an enthusiastic hug and a kiss to both cheeks and showed them to a table tucked in the far corner of the room.
Handing them embossed menus, he told them to take their time.
"The special tonight is Primavera." Kissing his fingers lavishly, he flashed Aria a charming grin that she could not help but return.
"We will start you off with soup. Minestrone. And the wine." He gestured to the bottle nestled in a bucket of ice. "One of your own, Signor Kenneth. Only the best." He bustled off, clapping his hands and calling to several people who were just coming in.
"A vineyard?"
Plucking the bottle out, he worked the cork out with a quiet pop and poured the pale gold liquid into two glasses.
"We're Italian and Irish, so of course we're drawn to alcohol. We have vineyards in Napa Valley and Tuscany."
"Of course you do."
His eyes searched her face as he handed her the glass.
"Does that bother you?"
She lifted her shoulders in a shrug and scanned the restaurant. It was almost eight, but people were starting to trickle in.
"Why should it?" Picking up her glass, she sampled the wine and felt the pleasure blooming on her tongue. It was not heavy and had a light fruity taste that was very delicious. "This is very good."
"An old vintage and aged to perfection." Taking the hand she placed on the table, he toyed with her fingers, admiring the elegance and polish of her nails. "What did you do today?"
"Went into town. I'm going to need my hand eventually."
"I love touching you." He linked his fingers with hers and brushed his lips on her knuckles. "It's like touching silk."