Begin to Begin (11 page)

I'm turning out the lights and walking out the door when Aunt Dot pops up behind me scaring me half to death.

"Jesus, Aunt Dot. What are you doing out here? It's late." I put my arm over her shoulder as we walk toward the stairs to my apartment.

"I just haven't seen you in a few days and wanted to check in."

I quirk my eyebrow skeptically. "Really? It's Eleven at night. You couldn't have waited until morning to see me and check in?"

She nudges me in the side. I love my Aunt Dot. She married my Uncle Mel when I was young. But you would have never been able to tell that they haven't been together their entire lives. Actually, I'm not sure what she sees in the old coot.

"Mel told me you've been seeing a pretty girl." Ah, I should have known. She's fishing for information. I chuckle and shake my head.

"Leave it to the old man to be spreading rumors all over town." I sit down on the stairs and she sits beside me. "There is a girl, but we are just friends. You would like her." She scrunches up her nose like she just took a big swallow of vinegar.

"Friends," she says, and it sounds like she ate something sour by her tone.

"Yes. Friends. She's not in the best place right now. She's been through a tough time."

"And you haven't?" she asks sadly. “Maybe it’s fate that you’ve found each other.”

"Well, yes, I have but she doesn't know that." I stand up. "And … I'd like to keep it that way. I don't want her involved in that life. We met under dire circumstances and became friends, and I want to keep it that way." I notice Charley, Aunt Dot’s beloved pit bull, running around the parking lot. If he wasn't out I would offer to walk her back to the house, but no one comes near Charley. He wouldn't hurt a fly but people see that he's a pit bull and that's enough to scare them off. "Take Charley and get on back to the house and let me worry about my love life or lack thereof." She sighs and brushes her jeans off as she stands. Her long blonde hair is pulled back in her usual tight braid. How Uncle Mel managed to charm her into falling for him I will never know.

"OK, but I just worry about you. I want you to find happiness with someone. Have a companion by your side so you aren't alone. Someone who will love you for your goodness and kick the snot out of your not so good." She turns to walk away but calls over her shoulder, "I want to meet this 'friend' soon."

I watch as she walks back to the house, Charley by her side. I need to figure out a way to be completely done with my old life. Aside from moving to another state, I don't know what choices I have. I won't bring Marin into my life for much more than friendship until the old me has completely disappeared.

Tonight I'm meeting Dalton for dinner and I want nothing more than for it to go smoothly. I don’t want to act like a total spaz and have him think I’m crazy then never want to talk to me again. I really do like spending time with him. He makes me smile and, well … it feels good to smile again.

The few days since he asked me have flown by and my nerves are eating me up. I have a weird feeling deep in the pit of my stomach that something is going to happen. I'm not sure if it's something good or bad. Just … something.

I was going to take the day off but decided that I better go in for a few hours. The last thing I need is Amelia breathing down my neck about going out to dinner with Dalton. If she knew we were going out tonight, I wouldn't put it past her to follow us and spy on us. I know she is only overprotective because she worries and cares about me but I'm not a child and she will have to learn to let me do things on my own. She doesn’t want me to get hurt again, I get that, but little does she know that nothing could hurt me the way Benji’s death has. He took my heart with him when he left us, and nothing can fix that.

But having dinner with Dalton can be a good thing. If nothing else, it goes to show that I can have a life outside of the store and my tiny circle of friends.

The bell rings over the door as I'm clearing out a shelf in the romance section for the signing that is scheduled tomorrow. It's a new author of an indie romance and he's local. One of my favorite things to do here in the store is help out new authors however I can. Especially local ones. I can only imagine how hard it is for them to throw their work into the sea of many authors.

The handful of books in my arms starts to become heavy as I turn to see Dalton watching me.. "Oh, hey! I didn't expect to see you this morning." He grabs the books from my hands.

"I had to run into town for a few things and I thought I would stop by and say hello. See if you needed any help or anything." He runs his hand through his hair nervously. "And I was right. Looks like you could use some help this morning."

Laughing, I grab another stack of books. This will definitely go much quicker with his help. I explain to him what needs to be done and we get to work. "So you just couldn't wait until tonight to see me, huh?" I ask jokingly.

"No," he answers. I pause briefly at his answer, waiting for him to say something more, and when he doesn’t, I smile and turn to walk to another shelf.

He follows behind me, loaded down with books. “I’m sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just … I just like talking to you, I guess."

"It's OK. I like talking to you too." He smiles at my response and the slight feeling of discomfort I felt a few second ago dissolves like it never existed. His smile is so genuine and he always seems to be brooding over something, so it’s a rare treasure, and if you are lucky enough to be the recipient of one, it's a gift.

"Besides, I thought maybe I could convince you to let me pick you up tonight. I'm sorry but it just makes me a bit nervous knowing you will be driving there on your own."

I nod my head in the direction of the nearby shelf that I'm moving everything to for him to follow me.

"Really, I do appreciate it Dalton, but I drive places all the time by myself." We set the books down on the floor and I start to organize them. I glance over and find that the frown that I’m so accustomed to seeing has returned. I'm not sure what comes over me. Maybe it's the need to see him smile again but I change my mind in that moment. "But, if it will make you feel better, sure, you can pick me up."

And that beautiful smile returns and seems to light up the room.

"Great, you will have to give me your address, though."

"I will text it to you later, if that works." He nods, still smiling, and walks back over to the shelf we started pulling books off of to grab another stack. I watch him load up his arms quietly. I know everyone worries about me but I don't think this man would hurt me if his life depended on it. If anything, he would protect me with his life.

How can I get that feeling about a man I met a couple of weeks ago?

******

Dalton left right before Cole showed up for work. Thank goodness. I don't need any more questions. Gwenn has already texted me five times today with question after question.
What are you wearing? What are you going to order? What if he tries to kiss you?
I assured her that no kissing would be going on unless it's a friendly kiss on the cheek. Friends don't make out.

Well, at least I don't make out with my friends. Amelia and Joey are a whole other story.

Once I got home, I texted him and gave him my address. He responded only with, "I will be there at 6:30". That left me a couple hours to get ready. You would have thought that I would be ready by now. Nope … totally not ready.

Now I stand here in front of my closet with no clue what to wear and only an hour left until Dalton arrives.

The restaurant we are going to is well known and I’ve driven by before but not actually been there. I know it's very casual and laid back. So, do I go with jeans and a nice top or with a cute sundress? It's times like these that I could use Amelia or Gwenn's input but I don't want to add any more fuel to Gwenn's fire, and I definitely don't want to stoke Amelia's.

I settle on a black sundress with small white polka dots with a yellow cardigan and yellow flats. I pin my hair back with a pearl flower bobby pin. The curls are a little on the unruly side today and I like to keep them out of my eyes.

I have just enough time to brush on a little blush and apply some nude lip gloss when the doorbell rings.

Taking a deep breath, I open the door with no expectations on how this night will go.

She pulls the door open slowly and takes my breath away. Her dark curls are pinned back with something that shines. She's stunning and classy in her black and white dress with the yellow shoes and a thin sweater.

"Hi." I can't help but look her over from her toes to her forehead.

"Hi," she responds shyly.

I hand her the flowers that I almost forgot I was holding. "These are for you." She looks at me dumbfounded at first but then gives me that sweet smile I can’t seem to get enough of.

"You didn't have to do that. But thank you. They are beautiful."

"I hope you like them. I saw the same kind of flower the other day at the store when I was there and thought that these would be a safe bet."

"You're right. Tiger Lilies are my absolute favorite." I can tell by her beaming smile that she's telling the truth and not just saying that to make me feel good. "Come in for a minute so I can put them in some water." I follow behind her into her house. It's exactly what I would have expected. A small, well-kept ranch-style home. White with dark-blue shutters, perfectly landscaped and a swing on the small front porch.

"Cute house, it doesn't even look like your typical Florida house."

"Yeah, it's got that Southern feel that I love. Reminds me of home." When she says home, I'm assuming that she means Georgia, where she told Uncle Mel that she is originally from.

"Georgia, right?"

"Yeah, I haven't been back in several years. I really don't have a reason to, though. All my immediate family is gone and my friends and Benji's family are here close by and they are all that I need." At first, I'm not sure who Benji is and then it dawns on me that she must be talking about her fiancé that passed away.

"So you're still close with his family?" I ask, hoping that maybe she will tell me more about him. I strangely want to know about the man that owns her heart.

"Just his brother Joey. You met him briefly at the store that night,” she says with tension in her eyes.

I know exactly what night she’s talking about of course. The night I pulled that scum off of her that was trying to hurt her.

"Ahhh, yes, I remember him. I don't think I made the best impression." The guy was definitely giving me the once-over that night. He cares about her for sure, but can you blame him?

"Believe me. He doesn't have any issues with you. If anything, he's thankful that you were there that night. They are just very protective of me and look out for me. It can be suffocating at times, but I know it's only because they love me and worry about me being alone. I don't have any family so it's just my friends and Joey. I never was really close with Benji's family but to be fair, neither was he or Joey," she explains and I guess it helps me understand her bond with her friends here.

Silently, Iwatch as she finishes primping the flowers in a glass vase and she places them in the middle of the kitchen table. "There. They are perfect," she says as she steps back and looks at them and then turns to me with a smile.

I think I might lose my soul in that smile that she so rarely gives … and I think that I'm OK with that.

He brought me flowers … wow.

He brought me my favorite flowers and I'm freaking out a little bit inside. This is feeling more and more like a date. And I'm oddly OK with that at the moment. I may change my mind in a little bit but I’m going to go with the flow for now.

He opens the door to the Bronco and helps me inside. I love the smell of this truck. Old and musty with a hint of grease and a hint of Dalton. I can't imagine him driving anything else. It’s just him.

After I'm settled in, he makes his way around to his side and hops in effortlessly and puts the key in. It starts with a roar. It sounds like such an angry vehicle but I love it.

As we make our way through the neighborhood and out to the main highway, he glances over at me and smiles softly. No words need to be spoken so we continue our trip in comfortable silence. It feels right—easy.

But eventually once of us needs to cut the silence so I choose to do it.

"So, have you eaten at Bubba's Place before?" I ask, even though I’m pretty sure he has.

He answers without turning to look at me, keeping his eyes on the road. "Yeah, it's great. It's really laid back and has a pretty cool atmosphere."

"I haven't eaten there. I know where it is and have heard good things about it." He finally glances my way for the briefest second and in the darkness, I can still make out the gleam of his smile.

"I think you will like it."

The rest of the drive doesn't take long and we spend the time talking about the garage a bit and how he is coming along with learning how to run the office. He doesn't seem to have run into any major snags as of yet. And I’m a bit proud that I was able to actually help him.

When we pull into the parking lot, the atmosphere is captivating. There are white lights strung around the expansive deck that wraps around the entire building. There are also lights in the small hedges on the corners of the building. It gives the whole place a very relaxing feel and we aren't even inside yet.

Once we park, I realize that I haven't been able to take my eyes off of the place and Dalton is standing at my door waiting for me, staring at me with a goofy grin.

“Pretty cool, huh,” he says and shuts my door after I hop out.

"I'm sorry. I've never seen this place at night. It's breathtaking." He gently places his hand on the small of my back and starts to lead me toward the wood walkway that leads to the front door.

"Wait till you eat the food," he says with a wink.

He freaking winked and the butterflies took flight in my stomach again.
What the hell is happening to me?