Anna's Visions (15 page)

Along the beach she could see rows of tiki huts. She
cocked her head wondering who would have thought of using palm fronds to weave
roofs for them. “Neat-O,” she mumbled. Then she decided it was time to
sunbathe.

She waded out of the water, picked up her stuff, then
walked a few feet before she spread her towel and applied more lotion. For a
few minutes she propped herself up on her elbows, watching many children
frolicking around her. She smiled as she noticed some of the parents were
helping their children build sand castles.

Seagulls were flying and some were scampering in the
sand looking for food. Tori laughed when one spunky bird dove at a man who was
holding food with both hands, snatched a morsel, and then flew off.

Her neck began to ache, so she lay flat and closed her
eyes. The sound of the ocean and the wonderful hypnotic waves coming and going
soothed and calmed her. Peace, joy, and hope for tomorrows swept over her as
the waves lapped the shoreline.

She was about to doze off when she sensed the presence
of someone standing near her. She opened her eyes and saw a man with a handsome
face and a magical smile looking down. He had golden-blond hair that fell to
his shoulders, and sapphire-blue eyes that seemed to look into her very soul.

As he knelt beside her, she lifted herself back onto
her elbows. He was probably the most handsome man she’d ever seen – and what a
body! With his washboard abs, muscular arms and legs, wide shoulders, and
narrow waist, he was the whole ball of wax, the whole enchilada, every girl’s
dream. She could only blink. Had she been in the sun too long and was perhaps
seeing a mirage?

“Excuse me,” he said. His voice was as smooth and
silky as butterfly wings. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” He batted his
eyelashes that were longer and fuller than most women’s were after applying
mascara. “I couldn’t resist coming over and introducing myself.”

Her stomach did a triple axel, and she still couldn’t
speak, as he extended his hand. “Hi, I’m Cody Baxter.”

Finally, she managed to stammer, “Um, I’m Tori Hicks.”

As he squatted beside her, his face close to hers, she
could feel his warm breath. His eyes were as blue as a swimming pool and his
smile was hypnotizing. He slipped his hand into Tori’s, and smiled a seductive
smile that could have made the world stop turning. “Hello, Tori. It’s nice to
meet you.” His voice was like a lullaby, soft and soothing.

“Nice to meet you, too,” she managed to say. He was so
beautiful. Was he a Greek god? She wanted to slap herself for thinking such
utterly ridiculous thoughts. Maybe she
had
been in the sun too long.

“Do you mind if I join you?” he asked, still holding
her hand, clasping a bit tighter, and sending electrical sparks up through her
arm all the way to the top of her head.

“Yeah, sure.
Pull up a piece of sand and make yourself
comfortable.” Tori wanted to cringe. Why did she always say stupid things when
she first met a good-looking man? She had done it with Wes back in high school,
and now she was doing the same thing with Cody. Maybe he wouldn’t think her a
dunderhead – or someone from the Macadamia Farm who was out on a weekend pass.

Cody laughed heartily from his belly and seated
himself beside her. “You’ve got a great sense of humor. I like that. Any woman
that can make me laugh can steal my heart.”

The air whooshed from Tori’s lungs. She felt like a
deflated balloon. She only hoped she didn’t resemble one. Her hair was wet, she
had on no makeup and her face was oily. But Cody seemed to like what he was
looking at. He continued to eye her from head to toe, smiling as if he was
taking inventory and she was well stocked.

“You have the most beautiful hair I’ve ever seen. I’ve
always been fond of redheads, they turn me on,” he said, as he gently pulled a
curl, turned it lose, and smiled as he watched it spring back into place.

Unfortunately, his playful gesture reminded Tori of
how Wes used to do the same thing when her hair was wet – and she’d come to
Florida to forget Wes. In spite of
herself
, she said,
“My hair isn’t
red.
It’s auburn! I hate being called a redhead!”

“Well pardon me all over the place!” Cody said
apologetically. “Then you’re a beautiful auburn-head, okay? Red, auburn, amber
– whatever color it may be, I happen to think it’s beautiful.”

“I’m sorry,” Tori said. “I didn’t mean to get snippy.
I guess I’m overly sensitive about it.”

He put his arm around her waist and pulled her close.
“It’s okay. I know I can get a little pushy sometimes.” He looked up and down
the beach. “Do you like to people-watch? People intrigue me, and they can give
me a good laugh sometimes.” Before she could answer, he added, “Look at that
woman over there, for instance – the one who’s about eleven months pregnant and
still wearing a bikini.”

“I admire her,” Tori said. “What’s wrong in showing
off nature? I think she looks beautiful.” She watched the woman waddle a few
more steps, and then burst into laughter. “Well, maybe she
is
a little
funny.”

They huddled together and giggled like two children as
they people watched. They made comments about the hefty gals in their bikinis
who should have been wearing Muumuus, the older women with pleated thighs, and
the potbellied men who hadn’t seen their feet in years. The more they laughed,
the more Tori became enchanted with Cody Baxter.

“Would you like to take a stroll on the beach with
me?” Cody asked, pulling Tori up and brushing the sand off her butt. She felt
tingles race through her body when he touched her. “Let’s go.”

They walked the beach hand-in-hand and Tori felt
dwarfed beside Cody. He was at least two inches taller than Wes, who was six
foot even. Cody bought piña coladas for them at one of the tiki huts, and Tori
began to feel lightheaded. The only alcohol she’d ever consumed was the cheap
bottle of wine the musketeers had split on prom night, which seemed like 100
years ago at that moment.

Tori clung to Cody’s hand, barely able to take her
eyes off him. The salty air, the palm trees, the balmy breeze – it all seemed
like a fantasy, and she felt as if she had stumbled into the Garden of Eden.
Cody was Adam and she was Eve, the only two people in the world.

Cody looked at his watch. “It’s six o’clock and I
didn’t eat lunch. Would you like to join me for dinner?” Before she could
answer he said, “How about the restaurant in the Caribbean, where I’m staying?”

“You’re at the Caribbean? That’s where I’m staying,
too,” Tori said.

“Oh, yeah.
What room?”

“Room one-twenty-six,” she answered, a bit taken aback
by Cody’s change of demeanor. Until then, he had been suave, charming, and a
bit macho. She liked the child-boy qualities much better.
He’s so cute!

“Well, I can’t believe it! I’m in one-twenty-eight,
just two doors down,” he said, shaking his head. He regained his composure and
added, “Well, as I was saying, the food at the Caribbean is good, but we can
eat anywhere you like.”

Wow! For the first time in a long time, Tori felt like
a princess again – and it felt good. “The Caribbean sounds fine to me.”

“You’ll be the prettiest girl there, I promise,” he
said, leading her toward the hotel, eyeing her up and down as if she were a
credulous-girl-woman. He gently touched Tori’s nose with his index finger. “I
have to tell you, I think freckles are sexy.”

Tori looked up
at him and smiled. He was what Grammy would have called a silk-tongued fool.
She knew he was laying it on thick, but she was in the mood to be complemented,
and she was eating it up.

They wrapped arms around each other’s waist as they
walked into the back door of the hotel and down hallways until they reached
room 126. Tori unzipped her change purse and took out the key.

Cody gently took the key from her hand, inserted it
into the lock, and pushed open the door. He stepped inside, looked around, and
said, “I don’t see any strangers lurking, so I think you’re safe.” He placed
his index and middle finger to his lips, kissed them and touched them to Tori’s
lips. “I’ll see you in a bit. When you’re ready, knock on my door, okay?”

He backed out the door, leaving Tori with a smile on
her face and a heart that was doing flip-flops, reminding her of the day she
rode the roller coaster at the county fair.

An hour later, Tori was wearing a pair of tan shorts,
a green shell that was almost the color of her eyes, and tan sandals with heels
just high enough to give her legs more shape. She had smeared on foundation
with a makeup sponge, outlined her eyes with brown-black eyeliner, and coated
enough mascara on her lashes so they resembled tarantulas. She reapplied blush
trying to make her freckles completely disappear, but no luck.

She had also dabbed Taboo perfume behind her ears, in
the bend of her elbows, and behind her knees. She stared into the mirror.
“Looking good,” she said and picked up her clutch bag.

She walked two doors down the hall and just as she
raised her hand, Cody opened the door. Again, his good looks took her breath.
He was dressed in khaki slacks, a Polo pullover the same shade of green as her
shell, and wore sandals. His honey-blond hair was so perfect he looked as if a
coiffeur had styled him for the evening, and he smelled heavenly with what had
to be expensive cologne.

Cody took Tori’s hands in his and held her at arm’s
length. “You look ravishing!”

Tori tucked her head and said, “Ah, shucks. I bet you
say that to all the gals.” She playfully punched him on the shoulder.

“Just the
redheaded ones.”
He raised his
hands in front of his face as if to fend off a blow, and then he laughed.
“Ready to go, beautiful?”

“I’m ready, handsome.”

They walked arm-in-arm into the restaurant, and per
Cody’s request, the host seated them at a table next to the window so they
could watch the sunset over the ocean.

Tori made a mental note to take lots of pictures
because she knew Jill would never believe that she had captivated such an
amazing man. One day into her vacation and she was having the time of her life
– and if Cody disappeared from earth after their dinner, she’d still cherish
the memory for the rest of her life.

The host handed them menus and told them their waiter
would be with them soon. Tori picked up the menu, scanned it, and didn’t have a
clue as to what to order. She was so nervous that she dropped the menu twice.

Cody looked at Tori and said sweetly, “If you don’t
mind, I’ll order for us. I like seafood, but steak is my favorite, so we’ll
order prime rib.”

Although he was being nice about it, it was the first
red flag Tori had seen. She simply didn’t like a controlling man. Then she
wondered if she were being too defensive. Or maybe she’d been with Wes too
long.

Cody picked up the wine list and studied it. “Do you
have a favorite wine?” he asked, but he didn’t look at her to see her reaction.

Tori rested her elbows on the table. "Well, I’m
not sure. What would be best with prime rib?”

“Never mind, I’ll pick one,” he said, again not
looking at her. “A bottle of Chateau Petrus will go with prime rib.” He placed
the list on the table as if she were a moron.

Tori’s hackles rose, but before she could give him a
piece of her mind, he cradled her chin, winked, and said, “This is going to be
a special night.”

Tori wasn’t
comfortable with the way he had taken over: ordered
her meal, selected a wine, and made her feel inadequate. She could feel her
temper rising, but she kept it under control. Did he think he was some hotshot,
sophisticated, know-it-all from Yale? Florida was very different from Madison,
but the people there weren’t as backward as Cody seemed to think.

Tori wanted to scream,
No
,
I’m not a wine
expert!
Big deal, butt-wipe!

The food finally came, and although her steak was a
little too rare, she did enjoy the wine and polished off several glasses. When
they finished eating, Cody picked up the bottle of wine, topped off their
glasses, and then set the empty bottle on the table. “Good stuff, huh?” he
said, brushing a tiny breadcrumb from Tori’s cheek with his hand.

“Uh-huh,” Tori answered, and went gaga again.

Cody reached for Tori’s hand, and gently kissed her
palm. His warm breath and tender lips gave her chills. “Would you like to take
a walk on the beach, sit on the shore, and listen to the ocean in the
moonlight? It’s about dark-thirty.
My favorite time to be
near the water.”

Tori giggled.
“Dark-thirty?
I
haven’t heard that one before, but sure,” she said, rising from the chair a
little unsteadily.

Cody signaled for the waiter. “Hold on, baby. I have
to pay for the damage.”

Tori sat down and fought the urge to giggle. If the
people back in Madison could see her now! She was on a date with a total
stranger, a bit tipsy, and acting like she had a case of stupidities. The
images that she conjured of her family in their state of despair over her
un-lady-like actions made her laugh, but she quickly slapped her hand over her
mouth.