Penny Serenade (8 page)

“A bit of everything,” he answered and changed lanes. “Housing construction and painting, some designing, and sometimes I inspect historical buildings to advise the best way to restore it.”

Okay, the guy had skills. “Wow, you really do a bit of everything.”

“My dad was what you called a jack-of-all trades,” he said, “and after he died I became the jack junior of all trades.”

She started to chuckle when she noticed his jaw flex. Had she touched on a sensitive subject? Before she could change the subject, they’d arrived at the planetarium. Dominic pulled into the nearest parking spot and killed the engine.

The both sat unmoving, her hand on the door handle and his still on the steering wheel. She took a deep breath, nearly choking on the heat inside the car. “Um, if asking about your job was a bad thing, then I sincerely apologize.”

The tension noticeably lifted from his face. “Don’t worry about it,” he said and flashed a dazzling smile. “Let’s just have a good time tonight.”

Audrey nodded and flung open the door, glad to be out of the sauna. The air felt crisp and cool in her lungs. Dominic walked to her side and together they followed other couples into the dome-shaped building. With its blackened windows and space age style architecture, it looked more like a spaceport into another dimension.

Inside the large room were rows and rows of deep blue seats. She pointed toward the third row and he nodded. She’d sat in different areas over the years and liked the third row best. It also provided the most amount of leg room. An enormous black telescope took up the center of the room, it’s larger than life lens aimed at a pitch black ceiling.

Dominic nudged her. “This is cool. I feel like a little kid.”

“Yeah, I love to come here,” she said and settled herself into the seat. “It’s a great way to unwind after work.”

He sat to her right and then looked behind and around them. “Do these shows inspire you? I mean for your writing.”

“Sometimes.
Mostly it’s an escape.”

He leaned in close, “What do you escape from?”

Shivers flitted across her skin.
“Memories of my past.
The unknown future.
The same things most people need a break from when things get monotonous or overwhelming.” And anything that took her out of her comfort zone, she thought.
Like now
.
She felt his breath fall gently along her neck. Why was her body so hypersensitive around him? It aroused her and scared her at the same time.

 
To her relief the lights started to dim. She hoped the whole out of sight, out of mind theory would apply here. “I hope you won’t be sorry you came here,” she said.

“Not a chance,” he whispered, his lips much too close to her ear.
 

She breathed in and tried to relax. The darkness provided a small sense of security. A reprieve from watching his mouth move and wondering what his hand would feel like wrapped around hers. She didn’t dare use the armrest in case he wanted to use it. Betsy’s words about making out ran through her mind, as did the morning Dominic’s face entered into her fantasies. When she’d agreed to go with him tonight, she expected to be in control. She wanted to stay angry and prove to herself he wasn’t what she needed in her life. Instead she found herself warming up to him. If he asked her out again, she might consider saying yes, though it needed to be on her terms. Maybe she could do this dating thing after all.

Chapter Four

Dominic relaxed into the comfortable seat. So far things were going well. He hadn’t felt the need to open mouth and insert foot, but it came natural for him so he remained on guard. If he could get through the night without screwing up, Audrey might agree to see him again. The idea of taking her out to a fancy restaurant appealed to him. Somewhere nice where they could talk and he could watch her beautiful lips move. The dark was fine for now, but he found his mind wandering. It surprised him how much he liked her when he knew so little about what made her tick. He couldn’t remember the last date he went on where he looked forward to a second one. The norm was checking his watch every ten minutes wondering when he could bail. Tonight he hoped the night took its sweet time.

He gave a sidelong glance over at Audrey. In the faint glow from above he could make out the contours of her face and the curve of her neck. Those lips of hers had never strayed far from his mind. It took some restraint to keep from acting on his impulses, but the last thing he wanted was to blow it, especially when she was giving him another chance. She’d made it clear she didn’t consider this a date, so she probably wasn’t considering kissing him. With his luck she’d dated a handful of assholes and he was being measured against them. Anything he did would be analyzed to death and he’d either come out on top, or join the ranks of the losers. God he really didn’t want that.

He turned his gaze upwards and watched in fascination as the dome-shaped ceiling became a portal to the stars. Thousands of tiny dots filled his field of vision. Soft music played that normally wouldn’t appeal to him, but matched the ambiance perfectly. Dominic relaxed further into the seat, letting his head fall against the headrest. His problems seemed insignificant right now. He felt like an ant again and it helped him put things into perspective.

He propped his foot up on his knee and rested his hands in his lap. This was by far the coolest thing he’d done in years. No wonder she came here to escape. Between the awesome sights and sounds, it wasn’t hard to do. For an hour and a half he let himself be transported all over the galaxy.

When the lights came back on, he looked to Audrey. A soft smile tugged at her lips. She faced him and cocked her head to the side. “So what did you think?”

“I think I’ll be back again,” he said. “It was amazing.”

Her eyes stayed on him a moment before she answered, “Good, I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Ready to go?”

Dominic didn’t understand the hurry and tried not to show his disappointment. “Sure, if you are.” It felt strange to stand up and be hit with reality again. He reached his hand out to help her up but she ignored it, instead clutching her purse.

Feeling slighted he added, “Lead the way.”

She moved so fast out of the auditorium, he had to sprint to catch up. He hadn’t said much but it was clear she didn’t want to be with him for longer than she had to.

A light and cool breeze blew outside and he grimaced at the thought of them pouring into his sauna for a car. He really needed to do something to make it more bearable to
drive,
even it was a short term fix. The night sky was clear, though not nearly as full of stars as what they’d seen inside. It was nearly a full moon and in the distance the sound of crickets could be heard. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d stopped to enjoy the evening.

Head facing forward he looked to his car. Audrey stood next to the passenger side door, arms folded and impatience on her face. Wanting to stall for more time, he gestured up to the sky.

“So what fascinates you about the moon?”

Her head jerked up, brows furrowed. “When did I say that?”

“On the way here.
You said the moon holds you captive, and I wondered why.”

She fixed her eyes on him, biting her lower lip. The last thing he wanted was for her to be uncomfortable. Couldn’t he say anything right?

“Don’t worry about it,” he said and walked to the driver’s side. “You don’t have to tell me if it’s personal.”

“No, it’s just…it’s fine. Um, the moon reminds me of my father.”

Dominic rested his forearms along the roof of the car.
“Yeah?
What kind of memories? Good ones?”

She let out a deep sigh and hugged her arms around her body. “He was a fisherman and loved being out at sea. He used to go out every day, up until my mom left. He still went out, though only for a few days here and there. When he was gone my aunt Colleen, his sister, watched me. I didn’t mind so much because he’d tell me all these amazing stories of places he’d seen and people he’d met. We’d spend most mornings down by the dock, sitting on the rocks and watching the water. I’d gaze out at the scenery, trying to figure out why he loved it so much, and wished him to love me more. I didn’t know how to compete.”

She paused and her eyes got glassy. Dominic came to stand next to her and leaned his back against the car. “My favorite mornings were when he’d pull out a shiny new penny and say “penny for your thoughts.” I’d tell him whatever was on my mind, and sometimes I made stuff up. I’d stop when I got to a good part so he’d have to give me another penny to hear the rest. I’d come home with my pockets brimming with pennies and fill mason jars with them. I never cared about how much money I had. It was our special thing, our bonding time. Things were perfect until—”

She paused again. A gentle breeze blew and shifted her hair around her face. Dominic wanted to reach out and touch her, to let her know she wasn’t alone.

“One night he had to go out on a rescue mission, some buddies of his ran into a problem. A storm had come out of nowhere and I guess they’d been tossed from their boat. He promised he’d be safe, but I never saw him again. People said they’d found his boat, and that he must be lost out at sea. He went out and saved his friends, but he didn’t make it back. A week later his body surfaced in the water, found by some tourists out on a boat. My world crashed down around me, and I felt like I’d drowned with him.”

Dominic watched her blink away her tears and put on a brave front. “I’m so sorry,” he said, wishing he knew the right words to comfort her.

She waved a hand his direction. “Thanks. Anyway, the times I begged him not to go, he’d tell me to look to the moon, and that within its light he was watching over me. I was young, so I believed him. At night I’d lie in my bed and watch the moonbeams stretch across my blankets. I thought of them like giant arms, his arms, wrapping me up in a great big hug. It made me feel safe.”

“Who ended up taking care of you?”

“My mother didn’t want me, so I was raised by my aunt.” She turned to stand in front of him. “That’s why I think it’s great you’re close to your niece. Without my aunt, I’d have had no one who wanted me.”

“I promised myself to always be there for Chloe. I’m glad you had your aunt. Did it help you deal with things to be with her?”

“Not at first,” she answered. “I was too overcome with grief. For years I retreated into myself. I would sleep all day and then stay up all night, just so I could be in the company of the moon. I came out of my shell when I started junior high school. I’d leave little notes in lockers of random people with little sayings or words to help break the ice. I made a lot of friends that way.”

A faint smile curved her lips and he thought her so breathtaking.

“They were always hoping they’d find a note hidden away somewhere. Tiny tokens from the heart, the reason behind the name of my shop. It was how I coped. I missed the times with my dad and the pennies he gave me. After high school I didn’t know what I wanted to do, or what I wanted to be. For fun I took some classes on how to make copper jewelry and learned to make pendants. It was then I got the idea to make the flattened pennies, and combine the positive sayings with them. Things my dad said to me after I shared what was on my mind. Eventually I sold them. You know, those things you think are so stupid?”

“You aren’t going to let me off the hook with that, are you?” Dominic gave her a pleading look.

She smirked. “We’ll see.”

“You’ve no idea how much I want to take those words back.”

“I know. It’s okay. Anyhow, my aunt saved up a ton of money and helped me get a loan. I was able to open my shop and sell the pennies. Someday I plan to pay her back. Without her I’m not sure what I’d be doing right now. I mean, I never thought I’d get to combine everything I love and all my favorite memories into one.”

He’d already thought her amazing, but he had even more respect for her now. “I admire the way you continue to honor your father’s memory. I don’t have any kind of passion like that.”

“What do you mean passion?”

“The drive you have,” he explained. “The inspiration and motivation behind what you do. You’re passionate about your father, and all the symbols that remind you of him. I’m envious.”

Her shoulders raised and lowered. “Oh. I never thought of it that way. Maybe you just haven’t found your passion yet.”

“It’s a little late now.”

“Not so,” she insisted. “You have many talents, all the things you can do with your hands? Did your dad teach you or did you learn on your own?”