The Only One for Her (6 page)

Chapter 12: Lindy

Sitting on the lanai, gazing out at the ocean that now contained Dane’s ashes, I was trying to make sense of what had happened. One minute I was spreading his ashes, the next I was in the arms of the most handsome man I’d ever laid eyes on. He was movie star good-looking and he had the physique of mythical legends. His muscular arms wrapped around me and held me tight against his broad chest. He…was…there were no words. Words didn’t do him justice.

He had saved me from falling in and potentially being slammed into the rocks. He had
saved
me. The only other man to ever encase me in protection and safety had been Dane. From the moment I met Dane, he was looking after me. Now I had met Trace and he had clearly been watching over me.

I had to call Ro. I had to talk to her before I went on…a date? How did I have a date? And with the sexiest man alive? This was all too surreal.

“Ro, it’s me. The minute you get this I need you to call me right away. Oh, I hope Todd is doing well. Call me.”

She was going to freak out hearing my message. I never sounded anxious and desperate. My feelings, needs, wants, desires had been suppressed for so long, I sounded stoic most of the time. It was how I could accept my life. The hand I was dealt. Every day I looked for things to be grateful for and fought like crazy to not dwell on what I didn’t have. It was either that or live my life sad and depressed. So, I woke up each morning, thanked God for what I did have and decided to do my best to be content. Did I want more? If I were honest with myself, I’d say yes. A resounding yes. But I worked really hard at wanting what I had.

My phone lit up.
Ro
. “What the hell, Lindy? What’s wrong? Did something happen? Are you okay?”

“I am okay, but something did happen. I met a man.”

“You did? You’ve been there less than a day. How did you already meet a man?”

I proceeded to tell Ro how I met Trace. When I was finished, I figured she would tell me I had lost my mind to accept a date with a stranger. I was readying myself for her lecture.

“Lindy, this is great. You’re planning on going to dinner with him, right? You’re not going to chicken out, are you?” She knew me so well.

“Chicken out?” The thought had crossed my mind. I could get a message to him at the restaurant, apologizing for not showing up. “You think I should go?”

“Yes, you most definitely should go. It’s time. You deserve a life. What you’ve been doing hasn’t been exactly living. You gave up on living when Dane died. You’ve been just surviving for too long.”

Hearing her words hurt, but I knew she was right. I had been just surviving.

“Do you think Dane would want you to just survive?”

Her question hit me hard. I had to sit down. Oh, wait. I was already sitting. Maybe I needed to lie down. “No, he wouldn’t. I know he would want me to be happy.”

“Then go out with the hunky man who saved you today. Maybe it’s a sign. Maybe God sent him to you just in time.”

“Maybe, Ro. Maybe He did. Okay. I’m going to start getting ready. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a date. I did bring my blue dress just in case I needed something nice to wear.”

“You look amazing in that dress. The poor man doesn’t stand a chance,” she said giggling.

I laughed too. Ro always had a way of calming me down when I needed it. She had been my best friend for a long time.

“So…do you think I should—”

“I think if you want to wrap your body around his while he does things to you that make you scream out in ecstasy, you should. And definitely do it more than once.”

I could feel the heat on my face and imagine my cheeks turning red. Ro sure knew how to put things. “I’ll keep that in mind, Ro. Probably just having a date is going to be enough for tonight. Plus, you know Dane is the only man I’ve ever been with. I don’t know that I’m ready.”

“Well, I suggest you get ready, Lindy. It’s time.”

We went on to talk about Todd’s injuries and recovery. He would be in the hospital for at least a week. But that didn’t stop Ro from putting a bid in on Mrs. Guidry’s home. She was waiting to hear back from the realtor. As we said our goodbyes, her parting words were to let go and have fun. I was going to do everything in my power to do just that. But probably not as much fun as Ro had described.

I took my dress into the bathroom with me so the steam from the shower could freshen it up. Carefully shaving my legs, flashes of wrapping them around Trace’s perfect V stimulated all my nerve endings and I became aroused just thinking about him. It had been a long time since
that
had happened to me.

I washed my hair, redid my makeup, and slathered my shea butter moisturizer all over my body. I wanted every inch of me to feel soft and smooth. I wasn’t sure why. I highly doubted I would have the courage to sleep with him. I didn’t know a thing about him, except I had never been so attracted to a man in my life. I also saw the look in his eyes. The pull we had for each other was undeniable. Maybe that’s all I needed to know. I was going to stop analyzing what might happen and just go with what happened. Hopefully, it would be a night I would never forget.

Chapter 13: Trace

I was in the lounge, anxiously waiting for the beautiful, mysterious Lindy. The vision of her earlier today was etched in my mind. I nursed my liquid courage, but didn’t want any of my senses dulled. The whole thing was insane. Just a day ago, I was supposed to be a married man and now I was nervously waiting for a woman I was desperately drawn to. It didn’t make sense, but then nothing from the past couple of days had. My eyes were focused on the door, eager for her approach.

When she appeared, my heart began to race which was unlike me. I was usually controlled, reserved. Her blue dress was reminiscent of the ocean, and emphasized her gorgeous blue eyes. It also hugged her body, showing off every curve. She was so breathtaking and each step she took toward me made me light-headed. She was like a drug and I was hooked.

I stood when she reached me, pulling out the bar stool for her.

“Lindy,” I said, taking her hand for a brief moment.

“Hi, Trace. Thank you for inviting me to dinner. The restaurant is beautiful.”

I wanted to pull her into my arms and tell her she was beautiful. Everything else in the world faded away the second I heard her voice. She had my undivided attention.

“What would you like to drink? Our table will be ready in a few minutes.”

“I’d love a chardonnay.”

I motioned to the bartender and ordered her drink. When I turned back toward her the slit in her dress had fallen open revealing part of her thigh. Not too much, just enough to make me want to slide my hand up her sexy leg. Everything in my being was pulled toward her. But she was more than beautiful. Her words on the rocks and her vulnerability had seared my heart.

“I…um…want to thank you again for earlier today. You caught me just in time.” I could hear a slight shaking in her voice. She was nervous too. Hearing the tremble in her voice made me relax a little.

“I’m glad I was there. I must confess, you had caught my eye and I couldn’t help stopping and listen to you. Talking…praying.”

Lindy looked down for a moment. The bartender delivered her wine. She took a sip before responding.

“So, you heard. I didn’t realize.”

“I hope you don’t mind. I wasn’t trying to invade your privacy. It just sort of…happened.” It was hard to read her face and it occurred to me she could get angry and walk away. What the hell would I do then?

Her eyes locked with mine, searching to know me. Her lips parted for a brief second. “It’s okay. In a way, I’m glad someone was there to share the moment with me, even if you weren’t invited.”

I exhaled a sigh of relief. The hostess walked up, indicating our table was ready. We followed her out to the patio. The ocean was the perfect backdrop to what I hoped would be a perfect evening.

Once we were seated and alone I said, “So, if you don’t mind me asking, how long ago did your husband die?”

Lindy stiffened a little, seeming uncomfortable with my question. “Three years ago. He had cancer.”

I wanted to reach across the table, comfort her somehow. But I didn’t.

“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through.”

“It’s been difficult. No, actually more than difficult. Some days, it doesn’t seem like it really happened, but it did.”

A tear streamed down Lindy’s cheek. “I’m sorry. I probably should go. I’m just going to ruin your evening,” she said, wiping the tear away.

I reached across the table, placing my hand on hers. I couldn’t help it. I wanted to console her. “There’s nothing you could do to ruin anything. I’ve been waiting for hours just to talk to you. So, please, stay. I don’t want you to go.”

Lindy gave me a half smile, but she didn’t speak at first. “I’ll stay,” she said, nodding her head slightly. “I’ve been thinking about you, too.”

“Really? What have you been thinking?” I asked, flashing my irresistible smile at her. I finally had something to go on.

Her chuckle at my flirtatious statement ended with a wide smile, her eyes sparkling. Oh hell. She’s gorgeous.

“I haven’t stopped thinking about how you saved me from falling. How safe I felt in your arms.” I could tell by her downcast eyes it was a stretch for her to be so open. But my heart relished in the fact she’d been thinking about me.

Before I could respond, the waiter appeared to take our order. They always had the worst timing. He rattled off the specials and we both ordered. I was glad Lindy could decide quickly. I wanted the waiter to vanish so I could resume our conversation.

“So, you were saying—you felt safe in my arms?”

“You caught that, huh?” she said with a wistful look.

“Yes, nothing gets past me, especially when an intriguing woman like you says it.”

“Well, it’s a good thing because if it did, I would have been water-logged.”

“Glad to be of service,” I said, slightly nodding my head.

Glancing down, I looked at my hand still on hers. I knew I should let go, but I couldn’t. I gazed back at Lindy. She seemed to be reading my face. “Don’t let go,” she whispered.

“I wasn’t planning on it.”

Just like that, we were the only two people in the universe. Everything around us stopped and all I could do was focus on her—her skin, her eyes, her hair, her voice. I needed her. I moved my hand from covering hers to interlocking with her fingers.

Lindy inhaled sharply. “What’s happening?” she asked. I knew exactly what she meant.

“I’m not sure, but something has happened between us. A connection I can’t explain.”

She nodded. I could see she was deep in thought and I had to ask, “What are you thinking?”

“It’s been a long time since…”

I thought about saying something, but I didn’t. I waited, urging her to go on.

“The first time I ever felt truly connected to someone besides my parents was when I was ten years old. I met my husband Dane when I had to go to foster care.”

“What? Why were you in foster care?” I couldn’t imagine my poor beautiful Lindy in foster care. What
was
happening? I already felt like she belonged to me. At least I wanted her to belong to me. Had I entered some other reality? I was here to lick my wounds, get through the pain of what had happened with Angelina. But pain was the farthest thing from my mind. I was captivated by the woman before me.

“My parents died in a car accident and I didn’t have any other relatives, so I went to live with a couple who had several foster children. I was with them from ten until eighteen.”

“I can’t even imagine what that must have been like.”

“It was hard, but Dane made it easier. He made me feel safe…protected. Just like you did earlier today.”

I leaned in closer. “So you met your husband when you were ten?”

“Yes, I was lucky. I knew he was the one for me. We got married after I graduated high school.”

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“How about you? Have you ever been married?”

Well, I could truthfully say no, even though the answer to this question was complicated. Divulging what had just happened to me wasn’t what I had in mind for this evening. “I’ve come close, but never been married.”

“What does close mean? Were you engaged?”

“Yes, I was engaged. But it wasn’t meant to be.” The debate began in my head about whether or not to tell her how recently I had been engaged and how things had ended. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel sorry for me or think I was on the rebound.

“Why didn’t it work out, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“She decided to be with someone else, so we’ve gone our separate ways.”

“Sounds like we’ve both had a rough time of it,” she said, her thumb caressing mine, and compassion filling her eyes.

“You could say that.” Her caress sent sparks through me. Her returning my affection just made me want her that much more.

Our dinner arrived and I had to let go of her hand. The interruption annoyed me slightly, but the waiter was gone soon enough. All I wanted was Lindy all to myself.

“So, Trace, what do you do back in the real world?”

“I own an electronics company, TEK Medical. We manufacture 3D scanners and printers.”

“That’s so fascinating. I read an article in college about how 3D printers are on the cutting edge of creating organs and prosthetics.”

She has brains, too. This woman was perfect. “Yes, in fact the goal is to save lives by having the surgeon create a scaffold of an organ and then coat it with cells from the patient. We’re hoping the technology will save people before they become too ill. So many people are on waiting lists to receive organs.” It occurred to me she had said her husband had died from cancer. Maybe he had been one such patient who’d died waiting.

“So, where is your company headquartered?”

I almost laughed out loud thinking that I wanted to know everything about her, but she was doing all the questioning, and we didn’t know the basics about each other like where we each lived. “My company is in San Diego. I live in San Diego.”

“Oh, I’ve never been there, but I bet it’s an amazing place to live.”

“It is, actually. I can’t imagine many places being better. How about you? I can tell by your accent you’re from the South.”

“I’m from Louisiana. A town called Lafayette.”

“Have you always lived there?”

“Yes, born and raised. My parents grew up there too. It’s the only place I’ve ever called home.”

“So, you mentioned college. What do you do for a living?”

Lindy’s face dropped a little. “I’m a waitress…at a truck stop,” she said slowly, her brow furrowed.

Obviously, that wasn’t her dream job and I wasn’t sure what to say, but one thing I knew for certain. I hated the fact she worked in a greasy spoon where she probably had to fend off pushy men every day. “Oh,” I said, trying to sound nonchalant.

“I didn’t start college right after high school. So, I only had been in college for two years when Dane got sick and I left school to take care of him. I planned on going back, but without his income, I couldn’t afford it. The economic downturn made jobs scarce, so I became a waitress.” She said all of this like she was apologizing to me. This beautiful creature, a woman who I wanted to make mine, had been through way more in her life than I thought was bearable. How was she so put together?

“It’s an honest living and I’m sure it pays the bills. Nothing wrong with that.”

“I manage. It’s taken me three years to save up for this trip, but I’m used to the simple things in life. Coming here is a luxury.”

I had an overwhelming urge to tell her she didn’t have to struggle any longer. I wanted to be with her. I wanted her by my side. I wanted to give her everything. How could I possibly meet someone I felt so connected to within days of devastation? It was surreal, but I felt blessed nonetheless. But I knew saying all of that would make me sound like I was some kind of lunatic or a stalker. I had to hold back. How could I have these feelings anyway? We just met a few hours ago.