CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Edward
I didn’t think there would ever be a color I liked better on Cara than deep emerald green to match her eyes.
But tonight? As I sat across from her in one of Charleston’s best restaurants, I knew way down deep that I’d never see another woman as breathtaking as she was in her silky crimson dress.
Her lipstick matched, and I found myself obsessively glancing at her lips through half the meal.
I was kind of worried that she would tell me to quit staring at her, if I didn’t get it together. But I wasn’t sure I could look away.
I was completely, utterly gone over her. “I want you to be my…” I blurted, then stopped. What? My what? ‘Girlfriend’ sounded lame, like I was in sixth grade and passing a note to her in class asking her to ‘check yes or no’ if she liked me. But what else did I call it?
She raised her eyebrows as she looked at me. I didn’t blame her. My mouth was open like a fish or something as I tried to work out what I wanted to say.
“Your…” she prodded.
“Girlfriend,” I choked out, my voice raspy.
She got a beautiful smile on her face and ducked her head a little as she looked up at me. “Yeah?”
Okay. She didn’t think I was a total loser. “Yeah. Definitely.”
She reached across the table for my hand. “I’d like that.”
I felt like my heart was about to burst from my chest. I took a gulp of water from my glass, and I wondered where my ‘smoothness’ went when I was around Cara. With other girls I’d always had game. But not her. Never her. Thank God she didn’t seem to mind.
“When can you come back to Charleston?”
I wiped my mouth as I thought about it. “I’m not sure.
I think I should be able to get back over here in early October.
” It was almost an entire month away. I didn’t like it, but I didn’t see a way around it.
September and October were some of my busiest months because of apple harvesting season.
Ashton Orchards produced many kinds of fruit and nuts, but apples were our primary crop.
Her face fell, but she tried to hide it with a forced smile. “Great,” she said.
“I hate it, too. Have you heard anything from the dance companies?”
“I have,” she nodded. “But the only one who has a spot is Savannah.”
“Oh.” I couldn’t hide my disappointment.
“It’s only an hour closer to Wixby,” she sighed. “I don’t know,” she shook her head. “I guess I’m going to widen my search a bit. I just…” she trailed off.
“What is it?”
“I’ve been feeling burned out lately,” she admitted, then took a deep breath.
“Whew. That’s the first time I’ve said it out loud.
It feels kind of good to tell someone. It’s not that I don’t love to dance.
I do. It’s just that I’ve been practicing day in and day out for… decades. I could use a break.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m not sure?” She shook her head and looked through the large plate-glass window that overlooked the city streets.
Couples walked by holding hands and enjoying the weekend that marked the unofficial end of summer.
Of course, in the South, it would still feel like summer for the next couple of months at least.
She turned back to me. “I guess I’m saying that I’m starting to wonder if it’s worth it. If I should keep trying, or if it’s time for a major change.”
“You have several months,” I said, trying to be the voice of reason. Selfishly, I wanted to tell her to give it all up and come home to Wixby so we could be together all the time. But her happiness was important to me. I didn’t want her to make a hasty decision only to regret it later.
“I do. You’re right.” She smiled as the waiter came and dropped off the change. She opened her mouth to say something else but stopped as her eyes landed on something over my shoulder. Her eyes widened and her face went pale.
“What is it?” I turned and looked behind me. I saw nothing to explain her reaction.
“Monty,” she said, her voice just above a whisper. “I… I thought I saw him out the window…”
I frowned and scanned the streets as far as I could see from our vantage point in the restaurant. “I don’t see him,” I said. Not that I didn’t believe her. He just wasn’t currently in sight. I put my napkin on the table and started to rise.
“What are you doing?” she asked, reaching for my arm.
“Going to find him and tell him to leave us the hell alone.”
“No,” she halfway stood to stop me and pull me back down. “I’m sure I’m wrong. It wasn’t him,” she said. “I’m just being paranoid.” She smiled, but I saw the way her hands shook as she lifted her glass for a sip of wine.
We sat there finishing off the bottle together until the color came back to her cheeks. “Come on.” I stood up and held my hand out for her. “I have somewhere I’ve always wanted to go.”
Cara bent to retrieve her bag, then laced her fingers through mine. “I think I’d go anywhere with you.” She laughed a little, self-consciously. “Does that sound cheesy?”
“Not when you say it.” I smiled at her as I held her hand tightly.
We headed out of the restaurant, and I took deep breaths of the warm, humid air, trying to calm myself down.
I had a feeling Cara had seen Monty. I didn’t think for a second she was just being paranoid.
I looked all around, trying to catch any sight of him.
But if he’d been watching us, he was long gone now.
“Hurry,” she said as if sensing what I was doing.
She was trying to take my mind off things.
And it worked. I ran along beside her and couldn’t help but smile at the way we looked.
Dressed to the nines and running down the street like we’d pulled a dine and dash.
And she looked crazy beautiful, her long, black hair bouncing around her shoulders and down her back as we ran.
“How can you run in those heels?” I asked fighting back laughter. I felt giddy. We were together. Somehow, despite how badly I’d screwed up in the past, life was giving me another chance with the prettiest girl in the world.
She gave me a look as she giggled beside me. “Seriously? You have seen me dance en pointe right?”
“Yes,” I admitted, slightly breathless as we made it to her car and got in. “I should have known better,” I said, grinning at her. “How did you know just how to get my mind off the possibility of him being around?”
She shrugged. “It just felt right. Monty’s bothering us, but we can’t let him get under our skin. Then he’s won. Don’t let him take this,” she gestured between us, and I knew she was talking about our chemistry, our vibe, “away from us.”
I pulled into traffic quickly and navigated towards Waterfront Park. I wasn’t ready for the night to be over. “Let’s take a walk through the park. Sound good?”
“So good,” she agreed.
Luckily, we found a decent parking spot close to the beautiful landmark.
We made our way through the huge old trees dripping with Spanish moss, admired the wrought iron detailing on centuries-old buildings and churches, and turned into the park.
We entered by the pineapple fountain and stood enjoying the lights dancing in the water while we held hands and talked.
Then we strolled through the scenic park, talking, laughing, making out with an inappropriate amount of PDA, taking selfies, and enjoying the gorgeous views of Charleston Harbor and the Cooper River.
We stayed out way too long, until the stars started to fade and the first streaks of color appeared in the sky.
It had been a perfect night.
Almost.
As I drove Cara’s car home to her townhouse, she fell asleep.
That left me with too much time to think, and I couldn’t get the look on Cara’s face when she thought she’d seen Monty out of my mind.
The look of fear that flashed over her lovely features made me want to find him and beat the hell out of him.
The coward. He only approached her when I wasn’t around.
And he knew I couldn’t fight someone who wasn’t there.