Invitation to Love (2 page)

He
wouldn’t think she was trying to pick him up. Just see it for the kind gesture
she means it to be. Right? Besides, she’s a mother—of twins. That’s not his
style. Once they’re out of sight, he’ll probably spray himself with anti-kid
bacterial solution, and laugh at the memory of her granny attire. Still, she
can’t leave it like this and just walk away. It would bother her all the way
back to Nashville. At that moment, she stopped in her tracks. As she turned to
face him, she cleared her throat for courage.

“Uh,
Mr. Vande-xx—Michael, I mean. Are you by any chance here with someone?”

“No,”
was his simple reply.

“Then
would you care to have lunch with the girls and me? I really feel I have to do something
to make up for your broken glasses.”

He
peered down at the pieces lying on his towel, then cocked his head and awarded
her with that half-sided charming smile. “Then how can I refuse.”

He
picked up a cotton t-shirt and slid his arms through the sleeves. As he lifted
them to stretch it over his head, the light of day seem to illuminate right on
his smooth chest and length of his frame. Her shameless gazing lingered on his
pure maleness, filling her with a surge of exhilaration. Only when he began
collecting his few belongings could she break the trance.

“Are
you vacationing?” he asked as they strolled toward her spot.

“Yes.
The girls and I have been here for about a week visiting the different beaches,
and soaking up this unhealthy sun.”

“Where
are you from?”

“Nashville,
Tennessee.”

“Oh.”

“What
about you?” she studied the profile of his chin, along the proud angle of his
nose, to his hair being stroked by the salty wind blowing from the Gulf. “Where
do you hail from?”

“Los
Angeles.”

“Really.
I’ve always wanted to go there. It seems so beautiful from the television’s
point of view; Not to mention the movie stars, and the excitement of the movie
industry. There was a time I wanted to live right in the middle of Hollywood.”

“What
stopped you?”

“Oh,
finances for one,” she shrugged and gazed out over the vast ocean. “Family
circumstances for another.”

“I
take it your husband doesn’t like the idea of going west?”

The
mention of Collen had her mouth twisting rather sternly. “No, he didn’t like
the idea one bit. He was afraid of waking up one morning and finding the house
floating in the Pacific. Then he’d harp about the earthquakes. His family’s
roots are in Nashville. And as long as he’s breathing, that’s exactly where
they’ll stay.”

Michael’s
brows lifted from the unexpected masculine impersonation of those last two
sentences. “Is he here with you today?”

“No,”
was her half-hearted reply.

“Don’t
tell me he’s off enjoying other sights, and left you here alone because all
this water makes him nervous.”

She
met his questioning stare with a serious one of her own, and mouthed the words
that filled her with slight anxiety each time she had to say them: “Collen’s
dead.”

The
witty smile died from Michaels lips, but the spark in his eyes remained. “I’m
sorry.”

“I
hope you don’t think me cold when I say I’m not.” She then closed her eyes and
exhaled. “I didn’t really mean that. This is the second time today I’m
apologizing to you.”

“No,
it’s okay,” he tilted his head closer to hers, a note of compassion in his
voice. “You don’t have to apologize for anything.”

“Thanks.
Well, anyway, here we are,” she gestured down to the huge beach towel where
Remi and Rachel were already bent over the lunch sacks, trying to pick out what
they wanted to eat first.

“Momma,”
Remi’s face was completely emerged in one. “Where are the Snickers Bars?”

“They’re
in the cooler. But, you know you can’t have one until you eat your sandwich
first.”

“I
know,” she blew.

“I’m
afraid it’s nothing fancy,” Taryn said to Michael. “You have your pick of ham
or turkey.”

“Turkey,”
he said and began spreading his towel beside theirs.

Remi
retrieved a ham sandwich and soda then sat on the border lines of each towel.
Michael sat on one side of her, Taryn on the other. She was quite surprised
when a usually shy Rachel dropped down next to him also, her legs folded, her
lunch spread out ready to be devoured.

“Are
you here on vacation just like us, Michael?” Remi muffled through a mouthful of
bread and ham.

“Mr.
Vande-xx,” Taryn reminded her.

“Mr.
Vande-xx.”

“She
can call me Michael. And yes, I’m sort of vacationing. I came here on business,
also.”

“What
kinda business?”

“None
of yours,” Taryn reproved.

“It’s
okay,” he was quite assuring. “I don’t mind telling her. I’m an architect. Do
you know what that is?”

“You
draw buildings,” Rachel answered before her sister had a chance to.

“That’s
right. I designed an apartment complex for a client, and I came to check on the
finishing touches.”

“Oh,”
Remi swallowed another portion of her sandwich and a swizzle of her soda, then,
“Are you married?”

“Remi,”
Taryn almost choked on her drink. The urge to clasp her hand over her
daughter’s mouth and keeping it there for the rest of the day was enticing;
Although, she’s just as curious to hear the answer herself.

Michael
threw his head back and laughed. “No, Remi. I’m not married.”

“I’m
sorry, Michael,” Taryn offered him a napkin. “She’s very inquisitive at times.”

He
ruffled her already tangled hair. “All children are.”

Taryn
knew that Remi’s sudden interest in her sandwich was her way of not having to
acknowledge her, and receive one of those looks.

“What
about you, Taryn? What kind of work do you do?”

“Up
until two months ago, I was an office manager slash bookkeeper for a small
publishing company. But, it finally had to close its doors. So, now I’m
unemployed.”

“I’m
sorry.”

“That’s
the second time you’ve said that today. And, for the second time my reply is,
I’m not. I’ve been working for that company ever since I graduated from
college. Everyone was like family to me, and I’m going to miss them. But, I’m
enjoying my short sabbatical; I get to spend quality time with my daughters.”

“I
hear that. How long will you be here in St. Petersburg?”

“Today’s
our last day…”

“Tomorrow
we’re going to Orlando,” Rachel burst out.

“I’m
taking them to Universal Studios for a few days. After that, it’s back to Nashville.
How long will you be here?”

“Today’s
my last one, too. I’m flying home in the morning.”

“That
means we won’t ever see you again,” was Remi’s sad response.

“It
looks that way.”

“But,
I like you. You’re the nicest man I ever met—besides my granddad.”

“Oh?”
he lifted a well-trimmed brow at the compliment.

“Here,”
Taryn nudged a Snickers Bar to her mouth before that girl proposed marriage
next.

After
lunch had been consumed, Michael and Taryn sat together and watched as the
girls jumped over the waves sliding back and forth to shore.

“Your
daughters are beautiful,” he broke the lazy hush that fell between them the
moment the girls left. “It’s obvious where they inherited it, and their curls
from.”

Taryn
mouthed a thank-you as she subtly checked to make sure they were contained.

“Having
identical twins must be a handful.”

“More
like an armload. Especially, since they’re only identical in looks. Rachel is
very feminine, a bookworm, and quiet. Remi, as you may have already guessed, is
strong-willed, hates school, but has a talent for art. I’d be miserable without
them.” A slight feeling of weariness sped through her at the thought of what
awaited her back home. “Their unconditional love is the only thing that keeps
me going at times. Too bad adults can’t be more like children. We can certainly
learn a lot from them.”

“I
agree. I like kids; Hope to have a couple myself one day.”

During
the brief moment their eyes locked, she was gripped by a longing that was quite
overwhelming—like discovering some untouched territory. Something that doesn’t
even come close to the usual tug-of-attraction when some guy notices her and
smiles his approval; Something that reaches deeper than anything she’s ever
experienced. It took everything she had to look away and fasten her attention
on the activities around her. He’s still studying her, she can feel it. But,
she was determined not to look back. Instead, she centered her attention on the
teen-aged boys sailing pass on their boogie boards along the shore; One ended
up on his back. People of all shapes and sizes wandered up and down the summery
beach. Mothers and fathers with their tots swinging in between them; Single
people out to attract and reel in their catch. She looked over in time to see
the teen-aged blonde in the blue-checkered bikini cause a sequential bump among
her five friends when she came to a dead halt upon noticing Michael. A chorus
of whispered “Ooohs” followed the moment she pointed him out. Taryn felt the
sting of their inspection when they focused on her. The one with the ponytail,
and way too much pink lip gloss, giggled in her hand before nudging the
giggling others on in their search. The sound of her name broke through her
wondering why she should feel put-off by that display.

“I’m
sorry, Michael, did you say something?”

“I
asked if you and the girls would have dinner with me tonight.”

The
question caught her off-guard, erasing every excuse she was suddenly thinking
of.

“I
could use the company. The thought of eating alone is not something I look
forward to—which is what I’ve been doing for the entire week.”

Tried
as she might, her barren mind just wouldn’t cooperate with a viable excuse.
Granted, he’s nice—very nice. And, it feels good to have someone to talk to on
a grown-up level. But, he’s also good-looking, shoot, downright gorgeous.
Something she noticed the moment she saw him. With those big eyes and long
lashes; The way his lips curve handsomely, especially when he smiles. Not to
mention the rest of him. Surely finding company for dinner would be no problem
for him. And, if she said yes, then she’d have to act all calm and not give him
the slightest inkling that she’s attracted to him. Men like him can easily pick
up on that.

“Remi
would love the idea,” he said to her obvious stalling. “Since, and these are
her words, I’m the nicest man she’s ever met next to her granddad. And, it
would be ample compensation for the loss of my sunglasses. My favorite ones, I
might add.”

Her
anxious nerves suddenly channeled through her laughter.

“Seems
I made my case,” he said with that charming twist to his mouth.

“If
you’re going to use blackmail, then I guess I have no other choice but to
comply.”

“Great.
Where are you staying?”

Taryn
wondered if that look of content on his face was as genuine as the joy she
felt. “We’re at the Bay Inn South. It’s pass the toll bridge off Highway
Nineteen.”

“I’m
here on the beach,” he pointed down to the gray resort building of balconies
and glass doors overlooking the ocean.

“Well,
if we’re going out for a change, I’d better get the girls back to the hotel so
they can rest up.”

She
called to Remi and Rachel, and he helped her gather up her things. While they
stood discarding the trash, the girls took one last look at the ocean.

“That’s
enough sentimental good-byes. I thought you were getting sick of the ocean,”
Taryn reminded them. “Come on.”

“See
you tonight,” he said through her car window, then waved them off.

“This
heat is killing me,” Remi slumped against the door on her side of the car in
the back seat.

Taryn
wiped the sweat away from her forehead and glanced at her daughter through the
rearview mirror. “It’s killing us all, Remi. You should be used to this by
now.”

The
car’s air conditioner wheezed into oblivion the first day she tried to use it. She
thought it would be too much trouble to take it all the way back and exchange
it for another vehicle. Now she’s sitting in it, sweating with regret.

“How
come we always have to wait in this hot sun for those stupid boats to go by?”
she scoffed again.

Taryn
sighed at the long line of cars waiting for the toll bridge to let down so they
could move on. Vapors from the pavement rose to the white-hot sun.

“Mummie,”
Rachel called from her side of the back seat.  “Are we going out to eat with
Michael tonight?”

“We
sure are.”

“Yaaay,”
the girls sang in unison.