The Broken Road (8 page)

“Sure. If you don’t mind. I haven’t had a good home cooked meal in a long time. And I love beef stew.”

I gave him the directions to my house. Barring any traffic issues, he was about twenty minutes away. I stared at the phone for a minute, in a daze. Then a jolt hit me. I’m a mess!

I tore upstairs and threw on a pair of slimming jeans and a low cut pink shirt. Thinking way out of line, I quickly disrobed, and changed into a sexier pair of pink boy shorts and matching bra, then put the outfit back on. I’m not planning anything in particular, but one should always prepare, right?

I got back downstairs, threw the bread back in the oven to keep warm, straightened up the kitchen, and closed the laundry room door. Act natural, I thought, as the doorbell rang. I walked through the living room to the front door.

“Hi,” I said brightly, opening the door wide. Thick snowflakes fell heavily around him. Alex dusted off his boots and shook off his hat. He walked in, blowing his hands warm.

“Hi there,” he said, planting a kiss on my cheek. “It’s really coming down out there.” I took his coat and led him inside.

“It looks nasty out,” I replied, as I hung his jacket in the closet. “I hope you're hungry. I made enough for an army.” I led him to my kitchen.

“You have a beautiful home,” Alex said, his gray eyes surveying the oak floors and wine colored walls. He handed me a bottle of wine. “Oh here. I picked this up. This should go well with the stew.”

“Thanks.” I looked at the label; it was a label I have heard of but never tried. I’m not a wine connoisseur by any means, but I have my favorites and a budget. This was over my budget. I went over to the cabinets and pulled out some wine glasses.

“If you don’t mind opening this up, I’ll get everything else on the table,” I said handed him the cork screw and the glasses. I pulled out the bread and started cutting off thick slices. I set down two cranberry-colored bowls filled with piping hot stew. Alex poured the wine and seconds later we were digging in.

“This is fantastic,” Alex said, and took a sip of his wine. The wine was delicious and a great complement to the stew.

“Thanks. It’s my mother’s recipe,” I replied.

“Well, it’s your mom’s recipe, but you made it. It’s great,” he teased gently, the gray in his eyes shining like silver.

I blushed slightly and smiled. He was flirting with me. He was cute, I was slightly buzzed. Things couldn’t be better.

“I’m glad you decided to join me. With all this snow, my car would have never made it home,” I joked, as I refilled our glasses. Our bowls were practically empty. “Would you like some more?”

Alex stood up and stretched. “Yeah, I’ll have some more. I’ll get it.” He refilled both our bowls and brought the rest of the bread over to the table. “You guys don’t get much snow up here do you?”

I shook my head. “We get snow about once or twice a month. Just enough to royally mess up the roads and cause headaches; nothing substantial. What about you? I am curious if your Porsche handles well in the mess out there.”

Alex laughed. “Yeah, I’m surprised she made it here. Roads were horrible, just like you said.”

We talked easily about his grandfather’s declining health and how he was moving into an assisted living facility in Edgewater. He told me stories of his grandfather’s antics back when he was younger, and I could tell that he was quite fond of his predecessor. I told him about my relationship with Tommy and Shane moving in. I left out the part about being in love with him. It didn’t make much sense to bring that into the conversation when I was technically trying to get over him
.

We finished the stew and he helped me with the dishes, then moved into the family room with our wine. After realizing that we shared a common favorite movie, I put “Super Bad” into the DVD player. We watched the movie, sitting close to each other, but not quite touching.  This is a new feeling, the feeling of discovery and getting to know someone. Once the movie ended, Alex stood up and stretched. An electric shot went through me as I sneaked a peek at his muscular abs. The temptation to touch them is almost too great.

“I really don’t think you should be driving in this,” I commented as I stood at the window. The snow had stopped, but a good five inches of fresh powder blanketed the ground.Especially in his small car, the roads would be treacherous.

Alex came up behind me. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck as he looked over my shoulder.

“Yeah, it’s not looking pretty. I think I’ll be okay.” I turned around to him and ended up being right under his chin. “But I’ll stay, if that makes you feel better,” he whispered softly. My heart started racing. I raised my head to his the same time he lowered his chin. His lips touched mine, hesitantly, and then added a slight bit of pressure. I relaxed and gave in. He wrapped his arms around me as the kiss intensified, the fire burning hotter as I felt his tongue caress mine. I could feel myself going down a road that I wasn’t necessarily sure I should go down. The two sides of me were dueling. The starved, ready-for-anything side cheered me on. The sensible side warned me of going too fast, too soon. He slowly broke off the kiss that I was almost sure I didn’t want to end.

“Wow,” I said, with a staggered breath. Alex tightened his grip around my waist and I didn’t object when his hands lightly grazed over my butt.

“Yeah. Wow,” he said. His eyes resembled liquid mercury, all shiny and silky. He reached down for another kiss, which I eagerly anticipated when –

“RRRRRRRING”

Damnit all to hell.
Someone has some serious bad timing. I jumped back in surprise, gave Alex an apologetic smile and reached for my phone.
Of course it would be Shane’s  calling.

“What’s up?” I answered, not bothering with pleasantries.

“Well hello to you too, Ms. Sunshine. I’m well, thanks for asking,” he quipped back. Sigh. He is such a pain in the butt.

“Hi Shane. How are you?” I muttered, as I took the glasses into the kitchen. I didn’t need Alex to hear me banter with Shane.

“Just checking in with my roomie, seeing how things are,” Shane said with a laugh.

My irritation lessened. He’s such a caring guy underneath that annoyingly sexy exterior. He just has horrible timing.

“Thanks, Shane. Things are going okay. It’s snowing down here; we’ve got at least four to five inches. You better be careful coming home. Roads are going to be a mess tomorrow.” I replied, watching Alex play with Penny. I started laughing at him; He was on all fours with Penny, trying to take away her woobie. Fat chance of that pal, I thought.

“What’s going on over there?” Shane asked.

“Alex is over and he’s wrestling with Penny.” I said vaguely.

“Who’s Alex?”

“Dr. Collins’s grandson. The vet,” I replied. I purposely answered in the most nonchalant way I could.

“Uh, okay. Well, anyway. Did they deliver my new bed?” Shane dismissed my news and changed the subject. Apparently, the jealousy that I’m hoping for is not there.

I sighed. “Yes, they delivered your bed yesterday. It’s all ready for you.”

“Good. I’m not sure how long we’ll be up here. Allison’s family’s up here, so we may take a side trip on the way home.” Really? Is he trying to make jealous? I brushed aside the ridiculous notion.
He has no idea how I feel. And it’s going to stay that way.

“That’s fine. Just be safe,” I replied, blushing furiously. I couldn’t help feeling a pang of jealousy.

“I will. Hey Megs,” he said softly.

“Yeah?”

“Just be careful, okay?” Shane’s voice was suddenly thick with worry.

“Yeah, Shane. I will. You too. Tell Allison I said hi,” I replied. Might as well heed Jen’s advice and try to include her.

I disconnected and stood for a moment. I knew that my affection or feelings for Shane wouldn’t dissolve instantaneously. I guess I didn’t factor in how hard it will actually be. I pocketed my phone just as Alex came into the kitchen.

“Everything okay?” he asked, as he put his arm around my waist. “You look… I don’t know... annoyed.”

I had to chuckle at his perceptiveness. “Yeah, I am slightly. Just a friend causing trouble again, that’s all. Nothing big.”

“Good.” Alex leaned in for another kiss. I raised my lips to his and then gently pressed my hand to his chest.

“Alex. I’m relatively new at this whole dating thing. And honestly, I want to go slow, okay?” I said, looking him in the eye. No point in playing games; I was through with all that nonsense.

Taken aback, Alex looked surprised. “I completely agree.” He kissed my lips softly again. “Just tell me where I can sleep tonight. It’s getting late and I’ve had a long day.” I smiled and led him into the laundry room where I kept the spare pillows and blankets.

I offered up Shane’s sweats, but he actually came prepared.

“I always keep an overnight bag in my car, in case I have to spend the night in a barn waiting for a mare to foal,” he replied before he braved the short distance to his car.
A gentleman, a boy scout, a great kisser; wow, I can get used to this
. I made up the couch with fresh linens and a heavy comforter. Alex changed in the bathroom and came out in a pair of jersey shorts and a long-sleeved gray t-shirt. The man had beautiful legs and I had to shake my head to clear the clouds.

“Thanks for a wonderful dinner,” Alex said, giving me a good night hug. He brushed his lips against mine.

“Good night Alex. Sleep tight,” I said softly.

His cologne stayed with me when I went upstairs, Penny trailing behind me. I debated on locking my door, but figured if I couldn’t be safe with a vet in my house, who could I be safe with. I changed into what is now coming to be my standard bedtime uniform of boxers and a t-shirt, and climbed into bed. As I drifted off to sleep, I could hear the muffled ring of a cell phone.

Chapter 7

Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” jolted me awake, sending my heart into a panic. I almost jumped out of bed when I remembered that I had the day off. Groaning, I turned my alarm clock off and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I knew I needed to get out of bed, but I hesitated before I got out of bed. I wasn’t sure how to act after last night. I mean, I like Alex. I like being around him and I definitely like kissing him, but this feeling of waking up with someone downstairs that you I do not know very well, is almost akin to doing the walk of shame in the aftermath of a drunken one-night stand. Or at least that’s how I felt as I dragged myself out of bed. I pulled on my discarded sweats from last night and followed Penny down the stairs, where she headed straight to the kitchen. I sniffed the air and breathed in the delicious aroma of coffee brewing and what is that? Nutmeg? I wandered into the kitchen and my mouth dropped open in utter disbelief. What used to be a clean and orderly kitchen is now a disaster zone. Spices covered the counters, the sink filled with dirty dishes, and a busy Alex clanging away on the pans.
Is that egg on my tile?

“Good morning,” I said cautiously.

“Good morning,” Alex said, giving me a sheepish grin. “Um. I hope you don’t mind, but I figured I’d … you know... make breakfast. Since you made such a great dinner last night and all.”

              I let Penny outside and laughed. “Can I help you with anything?” I said, as I wiped up some of the nutmeg from the counter.

Alex hurriedly took away my sponge and led me to the kitchen table. “Nope. Here’s your coffee. I wasn’t sure how you took it, but I got out the creamer. Just relax. I got this.” He quickly leaned over and brushed my lips with his. I glanced around him and realized that he was making French toast. I love French toast.

I ignored the mess and sat down in the chair. “So, do you normally cook like this?” I teased.

This made him chuckle. “I’m normally a quick bagel or breakfast burrito type of guy. My mornings are hectic, so I don’t get a chance to go all out like this. But when the weekends come around, it’s my time to shine.”

I thought he told me that he lived alone. I tried to remember if he had a roommate or family living with him back in North Carolina, but I couldn’t. “I bet your housemates appreciate that.”

He paused for the slightest beat and chuckled again. “I didn’t have any housemates back home. I lived with my parents; helped them out for a while. I tried the roommate thing and that never worked out. I always ended up being the one to clean up.”

Okay, that made sense, I thought. I got the plates out of the cabinet and set the table. Alex brought a large stack of golden slices of French toast, the carton of orange juice, and the syrup.

“This looks great. I’m normally a small breakfast kind of girl myself. You can’t make a lot of food like this when you’re living alone,” I said, handing him the syrup. With his mouth full, he nodded. The food tasted amazing.  The familiar drone of the snowplow cut through our conversation as we finished breakfast. It was the unspoken cue that it’s time for him to go home. After all, going slow meant space, not in each other’s faces right off the bat.

Alex got up to change into his warmer clothes. I pulled on my winter gear and we shoveled our way from the carport to the street, along with the front walkway and the sidewalk. Without a word, he continued shoveling to my next-door neighbor’s front door, clearing the steps as well. When I gave him a quizzical look, he just chuckled.

“There was an old guy sitting on the front porch when I drove up last night, smoking his pipe. He reminded me of my Dad.”

Seriously? The guy is a saint to animals, a decent cook, has a hot body, and is thoughtful towards to the elderly.
Is he for real?
His compassion and sincerity amazed me. Maybe I had found a good one after all.

After a quick trip inside to grab his bag, it was time for him to leave. “Thanks for letting me crash here and for a wonderful dinner. I’m really glad you asked me over. It feels good talking to you,” Alex said, as we walked to his car.

“Yeah, same here.”

Alex leaned in and gave me a slow, lingering, syrupy, kiss. I reluctantly pulled myself away. Don’t want to show him too much too soon, right?