When You Least Expect It (44 page)

             
Ray laughed.  “It seems that way anyway.  Everything out here is old and has a lot of history behind it.  It’s been like this for generations.  There are lots of old Yankees out here.” 

             
“I had no idea, of course.  I’ve never been east of Texas before.  I feel so unworldly.”

             
“Well, you just haven’t had time to travel much, being a single mom and all, but just think how much you’re going to take in this weekend!  This will be so much fun, not just for you the first timer, but I’m going to have fun being the one who gets to show it to you.”  He took Amanda’s hand.  “Thanks for taking this big risk, Mandy.  I know it must have been hard, but I’m so happy to get to meet you, even if it’s only this once.”               

             
She looked deep in his eyes and was almost shocked to see how sincere he seemed.  She was at a loss for words, so she bent over and tenderly kissed his lips. 

             
It was Ray’s turn to be shocked.  “That was nice, Mandy.”  He touched her face, again drowning in her eyes.  He came out of his trance and went back to tour guide mode.  “Let’s go rent some bikes!”

             
They walked to Brad’s Recycled Bike Shop and rented two bikes.  The shopkeeper advised them to stay on the coast road, and it would bring them right back to the shop.  It was about four miles long.

             
Amanda’s eyes widened.  “Four miles?  I haven’t ridden a bike in a million years!”  She looked at Ray wondering if he felt the same way.  It didn’t look like he did.

             
“It’ll be a blast Mandy; another adventure to add to your list for the weekend.  You know what they say about riding a bike; well, they say it’s like riding a bike, you never forget.”

             
She looked confused.  “Isn’t it elephants that never forget?”

             
Ray laughed.  “Are you game or not?”

             
Amanda sighed.  “I’m game.  Let’s get this show on the road.

             
Once started, she found it to be easy and fun.  Ray had been right; it was just as if she was a teenager again.  They stayed on the road, and took in the beauty of Maine.  It amazed her.  The trees, the bay filled with sailboats, the lighthouses.  It was so beautiful.  They stopped for coffee at one point, just to rest their weary leg muscles.

As they cuddled on the bench to stay warm, she looked up at Ray and thanked him for everything.  “This has been quite a day.  I never thought I would enjoy bike riding again, at forty!  But I’ve loved it.”

              They rode their bikes back to the bike shop and got back on the ferry.  The chill in the air was even colder than before, but Amanda insisted on standing by the railing, taking it all in.  She loved the feel of the wind blowing in her hair, and the smell of the salt water as it sprayed up, sprinkling her face.  She was in love with Maine.

             
Once back at the apartment, they rested for a little while before getting ready to go out.  Amanda decided this was a good time to bring up his divorce, as he still hadn’t mentioned it at all.

             
“I’ve been wondering, how was court?  I thought we would be celebrating your divorce being final, yet you haven’t mentioned it.”

             
Ray leaned his head back on his couch and tried not to groan out loud.  Why didn’t he bring it up before now?  She’s going to think he was trying to hide it.  “I was so upset about it, Mandy, I just didn’t want to talk about it, and had no idea how to tell you.  Carrie postponed it again.”

             
Amanda’s hand covered her mouth.  “You’re still married?”

             
“Unfortunately, through no fault of my own, yes.”

             
Amanda was aghast.  “But I’m meeting your mom tonight!  Does she know?”

             
“Of course she knows.  I spoke to my lawyer and told him about you and he said it was fine as long as we were discreet, so that’s what I told my mom.”

             
She was speechless.  Discreet?  She felt like this was a 1950’s movie with her playing the mistress.  “So wearing a big scarlet A on my shirt would not be advised?”

             
This time, Ray did groan out loud.  “Mandy, I’ve been separated for almost a year.  There was no way I would know she was going to postpone the date.  You already had your tickets. I’m married legally, but that’s it, it’s not a big deal.  My lawyer said to be discreet so that Carrie doesn’t find out and use it against me, not because it’s wrong.”

             
Amanda was quickly moving from shocked to angry.  “You should have told me.  You should have let me decide what I wanted to do.  For example, I don’t want to meet your mom like this.  It feels wrong.  What on earth is she going to think of me?”

             
“Mandy, did you forget that you didn’t break up my marriage?  You had nothing to do with it; the timing of our meeting was just coincidental.  In fact, technically, we met yesterday. You’ve done nothing wrong and neither have I.  It is what it is.”  He grabbed her and hugged her.  “Don’t regret coming here, because I certainly don’t.  I’ve waited a long time to meet you.  Maybe it was selfish, but I didn’t want to put it off any longer.” 

             
She pulled away from him.  “Fine, but you should have told me before now.  I’m embarrassed to meet your mother, yet I understand that it’s too late to back out.  So if you excuse me, I’m going to go get ready.”

             
Ray couldn’t believe this.  Why were they arguing when they had such limited time together?  He knew why. Because he hadn’t been honest with her, and if he hadn’t learned anything from the countless hours on the phone with her, he’d learned that she hated any form of dishonesty.  He only hoped he hadn’t blown it with her.

             
                                                        ~~~

             
Amanda stood in the shower, trying to regroup.  She was so angry with Ray, but once she calmed down a bit, she understood why he did it.  It’s not as if he’d lied, but the sin of omission was just as bad in her book.  If you don’t tell someone something because you know that someone won’t like it; it’s just like lying. 

             
She dried off and started blow-drying her hair.  She would just have to try her best to get Mrs. Knight to like her, and hope she wouldn’t feel like she was the root of all evil.  Some of the things Ray had said about her weren’t exactly positive, and if she felt negative about Amanda in any way, she had a feeling it was going to be a long night.  She put on a very modest gray top and a pair of black slacks, and hoped she looked proper enough for his mother.  She just hoped her hair turned out, all she needed was to have a bad hair day.  The humidity in Maine wasn’t exactly helping her.

             
She put on the finishing touches and stepped out of the bathroom.  Ray was dressed in navy blue Dockers and a white dress shirt.  She thought he looked very handsome.

             
“Wow, Mandy, you look beautiful.  My mom will be very impressed.  How are you doing?  You okay?”

             
“Yes, Ray.  I’m fine.  I was just a little upset about the whole thing, but I guess there isn’t anything I can do about it at this point.  I just hope your mother understands, too.”

             
“She does.  Let’s go get this over with.”  He gave her a quick hug.  “Thanks for not being mad anymore.”

             
“Like I said, there isn’t anything I can do about it.  Being mad isn’t going to help, but I hope you haven’t kept anything else from me.”

             
Ray felt like a little boy getting a scolding.  “No, I haven’t.”  He opened the door for her, trying hard to squelch the anger he suddenly felt.

~~~

              Dinner with his mom had been pretty benign.  She asked a million questions about her life that she got tired of answering.  She drank a little bit too much wine trying to settle her nerves, and before she knew it, jet lag had taken over.

             
The best part of the night was when they were trying to decide where to go eat, and every where Ray suggested, she would say she would run into too many people she might know, and they would ask about Amanda.  Amanda sighed.  All she needed was a Scarlet letter to wear while they traipsed her around, keeping her a dirty little secret.  The evening couldn’t end soon enough in her book.

             
                                                        ~~~

             
On the way home, sensing Amanda’s irritation, Ray apologized for his mom.  “How can I make it up to you? Dancing? Or do you want to go to a movie?”

             
“I’m tired Ray; jet lag and all.  What time are we leaving for New York?

             
“As early as we can get up.  It’s about a seven-hour train ride.  So we’ll ride to Grand Central Station, then go directly to the hotel and check in.”

             
“Seven hours!  Wow.”

              “We’ll be there about twenty-four hours.  We’ll take in as much as we can, but there’s so much to see.  We probably should get to bed early so we can try to leave about six a.m.”

             
Amanda groaned silently.  She hated mornings, but that seemed ungodly.

             
                                                        ~~~

             
The train ride into New York was exciting.  She’d never taken the train anywhere before.  It wasn’t anything she’d imagined it to be.  It was almost like taking the bus, only faster.  They spent the hours talking, something they were very comfortable doing

             
They touched a little on the sleeping arrangements.  Last night had been another night of sheep pj’s and well, sleeping.  Ray wanted to know if he should be reading more into that than just the fact that she was jet lagged.

             
“No Ray, I’m sorry, I really was just tired.”

             
“Do you find me…icky?”

             
She laughed.  “Icky?  No, I think you’re adorable.”

             
Ray groaned.  “Now I feel like a puppy.”

             
“Ray, let’s just let it happen naturally.  Do we really have to rush it; after all we’ve only physically known each other two days!”

             
“I know, I know.  I’ve just thought about it for so long.  You’ve stirred up a lot of hidden feelings in me, and yes, some of them are physical.  When we kiss, those hidden feelings want to ignite!”

             
She looked up at him, a shy smile on her lips.  “Patience is definitely a virtue.  Just give it time.”

             
Ray agreed with Amanda that she should have all the time she needed.  “This is good enough for me, Mandy, even if we never go there.”

             
For some reason, she didn’t believe him, but didn’t say anything.  She had her own plans, and Ray would find out about them in due time.

             
Grand Central Station was something right out of the movies.  They went outside and Ray hailed a cab.  It was all surreal to Amanda.  There were more cabs than she’d ever seen in one place, and the traffic was unbelievable.  Even more so, the amount of people walking was also wall-to-wall, yet no one looked at each other even though it seemed their shoulders were touching.  It was like nothing else Amanda had ever seen.  It was a good thing Ray had a hold of her hand; otherwise, she would just be standing there with her mouth open. She felt like a country bumpkin.

             
They arrived at the hotel Ray had picked out; The Belvedere Hotel.  It wasn’t big, but as Amanda peeked out the taxi window at it, it looked impressive.  It had a door attendant, dressed in the proper uniform, a concierge, and bellhops galore.  One carried their luggage up to their room, which was beautiful. 

             
“Ray, this is great!  I love it!”

             
Ray was pleased.  He wanted to make Amanda happy, to make the weekend one she would not soon forget.  “I’m glad you like it.  So, shall we make the most of NYC, or shall we rest?”

             
“No, let’s go see Manhattan.  I’m too excited to rest!” 

             
Ray chuckled.  “I’m starved, so let’s go get something to eat. How does Planet Hollywood sound?”

             
Amanda’s eyes widened.  “The one Bruce Willis owns?” 

             
Ray rolled his eyes.  “Yes little country bumpkin, but he won’t be there.  Let’s go.”

~~~

After seeing all the great exhibits at Planet Hollywood, and wolfing down a burger, they set off to see the Empire State Building.  Amanda was overwhelmed at the sheer size of it, and could not wait to get to the 110
th
floor.  Unfortunately, the line was long, and it was a two-hour wait.