Chasing Air (4 page)

“I’m off on Thursday, and I’d love to.” As soon as she said yes, he pulled her closer to him and kissed her passionately, his mouth taking hers. She could taste the remnants of wine still on his tongue and he tasted delicious. She could feel the beat of his heart through his chest as he held her close.

Suddenly, he pulled away to arm’s length. “I’d better go. I gave you my card this afternoon with my cell on it. Call me tomorrow. Goodnight, Makenzie.” He quickly leaned in and kissed her cheek before he turned and walked away.

Makenzie watched as he disappeared into the elevator. When she entered her loft, she felt wanted by a man for the first time in a very long time. She also felt her heart warm with desire, a craving that had been missing from her life. But, she was torn from letting go of her past.
Would fear kept her locked into her old life forever,
she wondered.

CHAPTER FOUR

Makenzie quickly got into bed and for the first time in a long time went to sleep with a smile on her face. She felt free from the cloud of fear that had swallowed her for so long.

As the room filled with light, Makenzie woke up to sunshine and smiles, until she glanced at the clock.
One o’clock, that’s impossible
, she thought, flying out of bed. She double checked her iPhone, yep, she had slept very late for the first time in years. While the rest was probably more necessary than she was willing to admit, she had a long to-do list, plus she needed to go shopping for her new office and she wanted to call Jonathan.

She took his card from her bag. When she picked up her phone, she became aware of her sweaty palms and racing heartbeat.
It reminded her of what a crush felt like. It had been so long that she had forgotten.

Makenzie’s heart leapt in her throat as she dialed Jonathan’s number. Voicemail, dang it. “Hi Jonathan, its Makenzie. I wanted to thank you for a lovely evening. I’d forgotten how good it felt to go hang out. Give me a call when you get a moment.” She hated leaving voicemails. Who likes the sound of their own voice on voicemail? Seriously. Even worse was the waiting until the guy called back. She suddenly felt sixteen all over again.

The chores had her busy for a while before she dressed to run errands. She made a trip to the office supply store and the usual stop at the small market within the neighborhood.

While in the market, she rounded the corner a bit fast and ran into someone’s cart, spilling the contents of the basket she was carrying.

“I’m really sorry, I should have watched where I was going,” she said as she picked up her items from the floor. When she stood back up and made eye contact with the driver of the grocery cart, she was shocked to see who she’d run in to. Detective Buchanan was all smiles.

“Mak, great to see you. You live in this area?” He was dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and flip-flops. It was nice to see him casual and without the suit.

“Hmm, yes, Detective, I live in Vitruvian Park. And you?”

“Please call me Ryler. I’ve got a home a couple of blocks from here. Nice coincidence bumping into you. Hey, if you don’t already have plans this evening, I’m lighting up the grill. I hate eating alone. How about joining me for a little impromptu dinner, nothing fancy? It would be easier than arresting you for failing to control your speed while inside the market,” he said with a laugh.

Makenzie laughed at his humor as well. “Well, I certainly don’t want to be arrested. Let’s see, I have laundry going at home, so I would need to run by there for a few minutes. Can we make it for about six o’clock? And only if I can bring something.”

Her eyes shined up at him and he melted at the thought of getting her alone and away from her normal comfort zone of the ER department.

“Sure, I’ll text you my address, what’s your cell number?”

She gave him her number and realized that he’d made a sneaky shot at getting her number so quickly. She smiled.

He saw her smile and couldn’t control his happiness, either.

She noticed his chest puffed out and his stance seemed instantly taller. She was keenly aware that he thought he had harpooned her into a date. “Seriously, let me bring something.”

He pointed to his cart, “I was going to grill this fish and I’ve got stuff for a fruit salsa. I think I’ve got everything. That’s if you even like fish, of course,” he said, not wanting to prepare something she didn’t like.

“Absolutely. I’ll see you in a little bit then.”

She turned to walk away, but not before he had a great laugh at her expense when she ran into the end-cap on the next aisle and knocked over a platform stacked with animal crackers.

“Are you sure you want me to come to your house? I’m batting a thousand right now,” she said through her laughter.

“I’m sure. I’ll see you around six.”

After leaving the market, Makenzie was giddy, but also nervous. She was excited to spend some time alone with Ryler, wanting to get to know him, but she had to be careful with him. She couldn’t risk
having him looking into her background. It would be so easy for him to discover that she wasn’t really Dr. Makenzie Holder.

Anyone asking about her in her old life could get her, or more likely themselves, killed. Andrew “Drew” Donati and his family would come after her in a split second. The thought of Drew made her skin crawl and the hair on her neck stand up. She involuntarily looked at the door, almost like her body kicked into action. She went to the patio doors and double checked that they were locked as well.
Old ghosts had come back, haunting her brain. She shook her head, trying to chase her fears away.

Makenzie took a quick shower and got ready for her non-date with Ryler. She put on some music with a fun beat to change her mood. With hip-hop music piping through her apartment, she began to dance around and before long, she had relaxed.

Hmmm, Ryler looked so sexy in a t-shirt, jeans, and flip-flops
, she remembered.

She decided to match him. She pulled out a pair of low riders, a pink t-shirt, and some flip flops. Hair up or down? She couldn’t decide. She tried to coax her long, wavy dark brown hair into some sort of a style, but it wasn’t working. Finally giving up, she pulled it back into a ponytail and put on a cute baseball cap. As she finished dressing and put on her flip flops, she gasped. These feet will not do.
Dang, I need a pedicure
, she thought.

What if he had a foot fetish? Her next choice was flats. She took a deep breath and focused on the reality that it was just dinner with a new friend, nothing more. There was no need to self-inflict pressure to look cute.

She grabbed a pair of leopard flats, changed her t-shirt to a black one, and decided to leave the outfit alone.

Maken
zie approached the elevator but couldn’t go in. She let the cart go. Backing up against the wall, she stood there, her heart racing a million beats a minute. The inner turmoil of her thoughts driving her nuts. One minute she’s happy to move forward and letting bits of the past slip away, and then boom… The past grabs her by the throat and she can’t breathe anymore. She tried hard to remember the training from the FBI therapist. Be smart. Remember the goal. Stay focused. Live.

The navigation app said that Ryler lived less than a mile away. How convenient. She found his home with no problem. When she pulled up slowly into the drive, she was in awe of the beautiful, immaculately designed landscaping. The home was a lovely, stone and brick two story with old world design, sitting on a hill.

She approached the front door to knock, but suddenly shuddered with nerves. Her brain was telling her this was dangerous territory, but her heart wouldn’t let her run. She knew that any involvement with an officer was a huge risk. She turned to walk back to her car when the front door opened.

“Are you running away, Makenzie?”

Shocked and unprepared, she turned back to him, stammering for her words. “N, n, no, I left my phone in the car. I thought I would grab it and my charger before I came in.” She knew her nervous behavior was obvious. But looking down, she realized she was busted.

“Makenzie, you’re holding your phone in your hand. Now, be honest. Were you just going to leave and stand me up?” By this time, he had walked out onto the front porch with her, holding a hot pad in his hand.

“Busted. Yep, I was ’bout to chicken out, Ryler. I’m not very good with the dating thing. Out of my comfort zone. I’m sorry, I’m a schmuck, I can’t do this. I should go.” She turned back towards her car only to have Ryler follow her. When he grabbed her arm, it startled her and she jerked back.

“Don’t ever grab me again.”

Her reaction left her unsurprised, but it completely shocked him. Where on earth did that come from, he wondered?

Taking a couple of steps backwards and raising his hands up, he spoke. “Whoa, I apologize. I didn’t mean to startle you and I certainly wasn’t trying to force you to stay. I’m really sorry, Makenzie, for whatever happened to you that would make you so jumpy. Please know, you’re welcome here with no expectations. I just thought two new friends who didn’t have other plans could enjoy a nice dinner. I like to cook, I just don’t like to eat alone. Maybe we can try this again
sometime. I’ll see you.” Instinctively, his reaction was to touch her or pat her arm, but he put his hand back down without making contact, and walked back into his house alone.

Makenzie stood there on the sidewalk stunned. She felt awful for her behavior.

After a moment, she walked back to the door and knocked. When he opened the door, he greeted her with a soft smile.

“Ryler, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so rude.”

“You weren’t rude, Mak. I had no right to grab you.”

“Please forgive me. It’s the New Yorker attitude in me. You have to be tough to live in New York by yourself. If
it’s okay with you, can we start over? I’ll stay for dinner, but only if you let me help cook. I promise not to slip poison in your food or destroy your kitchen.”

“You got it.” He stepped aside and let her enter. He took note of her mercurial mood. He wasn’t certain what was behind it, but he had picked up on a dark cloud of some kind.

Instantly regretting her conduct, Makenzie knew she needed to get it together before she drew unnecessary attention to her past.

She followed him into the kitchen. His hom
e was of very masculine decor. With leather furniture, animal hide rugs, stained concrete mixed with hardwood floors and the ostentatious big television mounted above the fireplace, it was a true man cave in every sense of the word.

He pulled out the bar stool for her to sit, “Can I get you some wine or a beer?”

“I’d love some wine. What can I do to help?” She didn’t want to sit and watch him, it made her nervous. She could control her nerves if she busied her hands.

“The grill is heating up and I’m about to make the salsa. It’s killing you to watch me do the cooking, isn’t it?” he teased as he poured more wine.

“It’s a habit, doctors are always trying to be in control,” she said with a quiet laugh.

“So are detectives,” he said with a big grin.

She downed the first glass of wine quickly while they made small talk. Eventually, she booted him out of the way and went over to his side of the bar where she helped prepare the mango salsa, while he took the cedar planks loaded with salmon out to the grill.

Both relaxed, they really began to enjoy each other’s company. Once, he even put his hand on the small of her back as he scooted past her to get something out of the fridge. This time she didn’t mind his touch and she gave him a quick smile and a wink to let him know it was okay. While he was outside grilling the fish, she walked out to chat with him and handed him another beer.

“Ryler, this backyard is nothing short of amazing. Did you do all of this yourself?”

His backyard was an oasis to die for in the midst of the big city. She walked around admiring the beautiful pool with multiple rock waterfalls surrounded by lush landscaping. As if that wasn’t enough, it was accented with butterflies and birds fluttering through the yard and lots of beautiful, colorful flowers.

“Well, I can’t take credit for the pool. My ex-wife designed it and all the landscaping. But I dug all the holes. I enjoy being out here, but would like it better if I had someone to enjoy it with me. Chris, Brody, and some of the guys from the department come over with their girlfriends and families from time-to-time, but mostly, it’s just me.”

“I met Chris at the hospital, right?”

“Yes, he’s my partner. Brody and I’ve been best friends since going to high school together. He also works on the force.”

Just then, Makenzie’s phone rang. Looking at the caller-ID, it was Jonathan. Un-perfect timing. She ignored the ringing.

“Feel free to answer that. If it’s like mine, they’ll keep calling.”

“Sure. Excuse me just a moment, Ryler. Be right back.”

Makenzie escaped to the living room to talk to Jonathan. “Hey there, how are you?” Why did chatting on the phone for the first time always have to feel so weird?

“Sorry, Makenzie. I was out at the park with Trippe. We were trying to fly some kites, but it wasn’t a very successful day without much wind. I apologize for being late getting back to you. Are you in the middle of something or can you chat now?” His voice was smooth and calming, very polished. He instantly put her at ease.

“Actually, I only have a minute, but I wanted to say thank you for last night. I enjoyed myself.” She was smiling way too big. What she didn’t know was that Ryler had come back into the kitchen and could easily overhear her conversation.

“I had a great time. The best in a while and I’m looking forward to Thursday, if we’re still on?” His voice was full of anticipation.

Her anticipation met his. “Yes, that would be lovely. What time should I be ready?”

“I’ve made reservations for seven-thirty at a really quaint place that I think you’ll love. I’ll pick you up about seven in the lobby if that works for you.” He sounded sweetly excited to see her again.

“Sure, that works for me. I’m looking forward to it. See you soon Jonathan.” She quickly hung the phone and tried to contain her smile.

When Makenzie turned to make her way back outside, she saw Ryler standing in the kitchen looking at her.

Makenzie was certain that he could read her like the back of his hand. After all, reading people is what he did for a living. The air became instantly thick. Neither of them addressed the call, but from the way he looked at her, she sensed that he knew she’d just made a date.

From what he had discovered from David and Veronica at the hospital, Mak wasn’t married, nor did she have a boyfriend since moving here. He also knew that to win her he had to be the best, and the last man standing. Mentally, he started devising a plan. Unbeknownst to Makenzie, she was in for a very different and romantic ride.

“Dinner’s almost ready. Would you like some more wine or can I get you something else?” He was already reaching for the bottle of wine.

“Wine would be great,” she said, handing him her empty glass. She needed liquid courage to spend time with him and still not get too attached. There was a pull between them that she couldn’t quite understand. Close quarters with him was risky, yet she couldn’t stop herself from wanting to be near him.

The hardest part would be making sure that she didn’t create any future plans with Detective Buchanan. To keep him off the topic of herself, she began to roll out twenty questions on him.