The Reunion: Emma's Vacation (The Starting Over Series) (6 page)

“
Boy, this is the most depressing day at the beach I have ever had
…”
Gaven said laughing. She bumped her shoulder into his and started to laugh too.

“
Can I buy you dinner?
”
she asked without giving herself time to think about it.

“
No. Sorry
…”
he said. Her stomach was in knots as she realized that she had just been rejected.

“
Oh. I understand
…”
she said even though she didn
’
t.

“
I will buy you dinner
…”
he said.

“
What?
”

“
I am a Southern gentleman, Emma. My momma taught me that men always pay for the date,
”
he said smiling at her.

“
Oh
…”
she replied with a smile.

“
You thought I was saying no to going out with you?
”
he asked.

“
Well, yes
…”

“
No. I would love to have dinner with you. Seems like we have a lot in common,
”
he said.

Emma rifled through her luggage trying to find the perfect thing to wear to dinner. After all, this would be her first date in many years. What do women in their forties wear on dates? Where was he taking her? She wasn
’
t even sure how to dress for the occasion.

She finally decided on a blue sundress and some strappy sandals. She pulled her blond hair back in a ponytail and dabbed her face with some powder. As she reapplied her lipstick, she heard a knock at the door. Her stomach churned like a thousand butterflies were taking flight.

“
Hi, Gaven,
”
she said smiling as she opened the front door.

“
Wow. You look stunning. These are for you. I thought you could use some fresh flowers for your table,
”
he said. He had a handful of tulips from his front yard and wore a pair of jeans, a red shirt and a pair of cowboy boots.

“
Thank you. These are beautiful. You like to garden?
”

“
Yes. Just one of my many hobbies
…”

“
Well, we will have to talk about your hobbies at dinner,
”
she said with a grin. With that, they walked down to his car - a restored red 1968 Mustang.

As they drove with the windows down, the heat of the Georgia sun lessened while the evening sea breeze took over. She loved the feeling of the wind whipping through her ponytail as he took the corners of the island streets quickly. There were few people around, even though it was Saturday night. It felt like they had the island all to themselves.

“
Do you like Italian food?
”
he asked.

“
I love it.
”

“
Great. I know the perfect place then,
”
he said smiling.

She liked the feeling of a man taking control and not having to worry about anything. Even when she was married to Henry, she never had that experience. She always had to worry that she was acting right as the wife of the famous doctor. There was no room for error
…
and no room for just being Emma.

A few minutes later, Gaven pulled up to a beautiful restaurant situated by the ocean. It had a large deck overlooking the beach and looked like it had been dropped right out of the middle of Italy. The big sign out front said
“
Fiorenzo
’
s
”.

“
This looks like a beautiful place,
”
Emma said as Gaven opened her door. Something as simple as a man opening the door for her was unusual. It was nice.

“
They have fantastic food,
”
he said as he put his hand on the small of her back and led her up the front steps. She felt a chill run up her spine at his touch. Why had she never noticed what it felt like for a man to touch her there?

They walked inside and were given a table on the deck overlooking the ocean. The waves were crashing to shore as they enjoyed wine and cheese and bread sticks. When dinner came, the conversation continued.

Emma told him all about Samuel and how challenging single motherhood was. He talked about his experience of only getting to be a weekend father with his daughter. They talked about their hopes and dreams for the future. He told her he played guitar, carved wooden sculptures and loved a good football game. She told him that she loved to dance and how her grandmother had taught her to knit as a small child.

Before they realized it, the restaurant was closing and they had stayed the whole night. Emma didn
’
t want their time together to end. She was already feeling so close to this man
…
this virtual stranger a few hours ago.

They walked to the car, and Gaven opened the door. Emma stopped before she sat down and looked at him.

“
Thank you so much for dinner. I needed this
…”
she waved her hand around. Gaven stared at her for a moment before speaking.

“
You are so welcome. I needed this too,
”
he said softly as he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

Emma was taken aback. She ducked her head into the car as he closed the door. What did he expect from her? She hoped that she hadn
’
t come off as
“
easy
”
. What was expected of a forty one year old single mom these days? Did a kiss on the cheek mean something? Was he expecting sex from her?

The ride back to the cottage was quiet. Emma felt uncomfortable. She didn
’
t know whether to say something about the kiss on the cheek or not.

“
Can I ask you a question?
”
Gaven asked as they approached the driveway to her cottage.

“
Sure,
”
Emma said.

“
Did I make you uncomfortable with the kiss on the cheek?
”
A silence hung in the area for a moment.

“
Kind of
…”
she admitted.

“
It was nothing, Emma. I know you are probably gun shy right now. I didn
’
t mean anything by it. It was just a spur of the moment thanks for a great evening. I haven
’
t been out with anyone in a long time. The island doesn
’
t exactly have a happening social scene
…”
he explained.
“
I hope this doesn
’
t mean that you will avoid me while you
’
re here.
”

“
Of course not. I understand. I am a little sensitive. I haven
’
t been on a date in over a decade, you know?
”

“
It
’
s been a few years for me too. Why don
’
t we just hang out, have fun and forget whatever rules we have in our heads? We are adults, right? I mean we can just enjoy each other
’
s company, can
’
t we?
”
he asked looking over at her as he pulled in front of the cottage.

“
Yes, definitely. My trip here is about enjoying myself and learning who Emma really is. Not as a wife, not as a nurse and not as a mother. It might just take me some time to figure that out.
”

“
Well, if I can help you figure it out, I am always right next door,
”
he said with a wink. As he walked her to the porch, he stood about five feet away, worried that he might offend her.

“
Do you ever ride those bikes that I saw in your garage?
”
she asked.

“
Not as much as I used to. Why?
”

“
I would think seeing the island by bicycle might be fun. Would you be interested in showing me around tomorrow?
”
she asked.

“
Absolutely. How about I pack us a great brunch and we can eat on the beach afterward?
”
he asked. Was he serious? Where on Earth did this man come from?

“
That sounds great. I will be ready around eight thirty,
”
she said.

With that, Gaven walked down the steps toward his house. Emma wondered where this new friendship would lead. Was this her soul mate? Was there even such a thing as a soul mate?

Emma and Gaven spent at least some time together every single day while she was on the island. Their bike tour and brunch was fun, and they had spent the whole day on the beach swimming, eating and laughing. She had never been so comfortable with a man in her life.

She found that she could be herself. She was fun and outgoing and spontaneous. Those were qualities that she thought she had lost somewhere along the way.

Gaven made her smile and laugh and lose herself. It was hard to think about going back to the daily grind of life in the hospital. She had long dreamed of working in some little doctor
’
s office off the beaten path instead of in a large hospital. It would be less money, but maybe more happiness?

Running into Henry all the time in the city and at the hospital was hard. Knowing that he was ignoring his son and fighting her at every turn on alimony and child support was upsetting on so many levels. She couldn
’
t believe what kind of man he really was.

Being around Gaven showed her a different kind of man. He wasn
’
t anything like the other men she had dated in the past before Henry. And, he certainly wasn
’
t like Henry at all. But, at the same time, she didn
’
t want to make any rash decisions about him. His good looks were hard to deny, and she had many moments where she wanted to kiss him
…
and maybe a bit more.

“
Hello?
”
Emma could hear Gaven yelling into the front screen door.
“
Anybody home?
”

“
I
’
m in the kitchen,
”
she yelled back. After being there for two weeks, they were like best friends. Gaven came and went as he pleased.

“
What on Earth are you doing?
”
he asked when he saw Emma covered in flour.

“
Well, I found this book of old recipes in a drawer, and I wanted to make a pound cake. But, I think I did something wrong
…”
she said laughing.

“
You have some flour right
…
here
…”
he said wiping it off her nose with his thumb. Her legs felt like Jello every time he touched her.