Pro Bono Romance

by Shirley Holder Platt

  “Wow,” she said as they were seated. “Great seats.” He sat beside her and watched as she crossed one long leg over another. The short skirt slid up to reveal a slim thigh. Her legs glittered slightly. Was she wearing hosiery? Did women still do that? The play started, and he reluctantly dragged his mind away from her legs.

  He was ready to stretch when intermission rolled around. He’d enjoyed the fight scenes with Mercurio and York, but watching Rainy’s face during the balcony scene had been worth every penny he paid for the tickets. As they made their way to the lobby behind a horde of people, he took the opportunity to place his hand on her back again. He loved how a woman could feel so warm and yet not be sweaty. If he had been that warm, he’d be dripping.

  “I’ll be in that for a while,” she said as she pointed to a long line of women waiting to enter the restroom.

  “Want another glass of wine?”

  “Better not. I don’t want to gulp it, but thanks. Do you think they have water?”

  “I’m sure they do. I’ll get us both some.”

  He left her and made his way to the bar again. A bottle of water cost him five dollars. He thought that he must be in the wrong business, since he’d seen the same bottles at the grocery store for less than a buck. He laughed at himself for worrying about the price of water. He’d gladly spend twice as much if it made Rainy smile like the wine had. She was still in line, so he walked over and handed her the bottle. She unscrewed the lid and drank half of it quickly. The line moved, so she gave it back to him and went inside.

  “Hey. What brings one of the Hart boys out to a shindig like this?”

  He twirled around and found himself facing Darlene, a woman his brother Zeke had lived with for eight months before she left him in a cloud of dust one day in front of everybody and their dogs.

  “Darlene. How have you been?”

  “So, so. How’s that idiot brother of yours?” She wasn’t a bad looking woman, but he wasn’t interested in having a conversation where she trashed his kinfolk. He found a table and set the two bottles of water down.

  “He’s well.”

  “Tell him . . .No, wait. He doesn’t deserve the time of day from me. Tell him whatever you want.” She spun around and collided with Rainy who’d just come out of the restroom.

  “Excuse me,” Rainy said. She did that raised eyebrow thing again as if to say, ‘What’s going on?’

  “Rainy.” He held his hand out and took hers, pulled her toward him. Darlene was looking from him to Rainy and back with a smirk. “This is Darlene.”

  “Yes, I remember you from when you were with Zeke. Nice to see you,” Rainy said. She held her hand out, and Darlene shook hands with her. She seemed in a hurry to get away.

  “Likewise,” she said. “Look, I’ve got someone waiting on me. See you, Gabe.” And she was gone.

  Gabe worried that Rainy might think something had gone on with him and Darlene in the past. Rainy didn’t ask, so he didn’t elaborate. They headed back to their seats. He was afraid of another misunderstanding.

  “Darlene is an old girlfriend of . . .”

  Rainy put two fingers on his lips. “I don’t care.”

  “But . . .”

  “Let’s just enjoy the play.”

  This wasn’t the first time she’d cut him off from a very reasonable explanation. If they were going to be together much at all, he was going to have to tell her to stop. He figured that conversation could wait a couple of months, or years, or maybe it would straighten itself out. Yeah, that’s what he’d go with. He settled in, and she reached over and took his hand in hers. He couldn’t keep the smile from his face and was glad the lights had already been dimmed. He probably looked like a love-struck puppy about now.

  When the show was over, Rainy was crying. Gabe thought the kids killing themselves was such a waste and said so.

  “But it wouldn’t be the same if they had a happy ending.” Rainy sniffled and told him to wait while she visited the ladies’ room one more time. When she returned, he held out his good arm and walked her to the valet stand. He held the door for her just to watch her climb in with those gorgeous legs. He thought he’d have to punch the valet if the guy got in the way.

  “I have the movie,” Rainy said as Gabe drove away.

  “Romeo and Juliet?”

  “Yeah. Sometimes, I stop it when the monk sends the message to Romeo about Juliet faking her death. I like to imagine them living to an old age together. It’s like watching a whole different story.”

  “Hopeless romantic?”

  “I guess I am.”

  They rode in comfortable silence. Gabe loved the fact that she let him hold her hand. He pulled into her driveway and left the car running, not wanting to push her.

  Rainy stared ahead, and Gabe was thinking he’d maybe get a good night kiss at her door when she turned to him and asked, “Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee? Or I have wine and strawberries.”

  “I love strawberries. How about coffee and strawberries for me and wine for you? I’ve had enough wine.”

  “Coffee, then.” She opened her door. He switched off the engine and followed her inside. Delilah greeted them, and Gabe was truly happy to see the little dog again.

  “Do you think Samson will come down?” he asked as he rubbed the dog’s belly.

  “If he hears me opening the refrigerator door, he’ll probably come to investigate.”

  “Good. I’ve missed the critters.” He stood and watched as she put a pod in her coffee maker for him. Dark, French roast, just the kind he loved. She opened the fridge, and as predicted, Gabe heard the cat bounding down the stairs. Soon, Samson was walking between his ankles and getting hair all over his pant legs. He stooped to give him a pat on the head, and got a loud meow in return.

  Rainy poured wine in a glass for herself and handed the mug of freshly brewed coffee to Gabe. She’d washed the strawberries and cut the tops off. He grabbed one and popped it into his mouth. It was sweet.

  “I like them when they’re red all the way through.”

  “Yeah, like the farmer left them on the vine long enough to let them truly ripen,” she said as she bit into one.

  They moved into the living room and sat on her couch, and Gabe watched as Rainy thoroughly enjoyed the strawberries and wine. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip, and he couldn’t wait any longer.

  “I really want to kiss you right now,” he said.

  He leaned toward her. When she didn’t pull away, he touched his lips to hers. Soft, so soft, with the taste of strawberries mixed with wine. He licked the lip she’d licked. She moaned and moved in closer. He deepened the kiss, turning his head to fit better with her. She opened her mouth, and he was lost. When she groaned, he pulled her in. He couldn’t get close enough.

  “Was that a yes?” he asked as he moved his lips from her mouth to trail kisses down her neck. He moved the collar of her dress to better reach her shoulder.

  “That was a yes, yes, yes,” she said.

  He leaned back. Her eyes were shut. Her face flushed. Her lips swollen from the kiss. He’d never seen a woman that could come close to her. He dipped down for another kiss, and she willingly kissed him back. When they came up for a breath, she ran a hand through her hair.

  “I was convinced that you didn’t want me when you said that kissing me was a bad idea,” she said. Her eyes searched his, questioning and beseeching at the same time.

  “I’m so sorry that I hurt you. It was bad timing on my part. You were upset. Too much emotional upheaval. I wanted you to be fully present and in control when you said yes to me.”

  “I said yes. I said, yes, yes, yes. Is that enough?” She kept those eyes locked on his. His body responded, and he stood and swept her up with his good arm.

  “I’d pick you up and carry you to the bed like a caveman if I had both arms.” He growled the words into her ear. He found the pulse in her neck and licked it. She shivered. He kissed his way back to her lips. She jumpe
d and wrapped her legs around his waist, pushing him off balance. He stumbled toward the wall, holding her tight and continued the kiss. She was everything and everywhere. There was no room in his mind for anything but getting closer to her. She ground into him.

  “Are you sure? Because you’re killing me,” he said.

  “I’ve never been so sure. Why don’t you take me to the bedroom?”

  He shifted to get a better hold and began walking with her. She purred as he quickened the pace, taking the stairs at breakneck speed. In the bedroom, she helped him pull his arm out of the sling and his sleeve, then lifted his shirt up and splayed her hands across his abdomen, eliciting a sharp intake from him.

  He fell onto the bed on his back with her on top. They didn’t leave the bedroom until noon the next day when Rainy said she needed to eat. Gabe smiled, thinking that their lovemaking was curing her lack of appetite.

  “Should we call anyone today?” he asked as he warmed muffins for both them in her microwave.

  “Already called Olivia. She’s handling everything for me. God favored me when he sent her into the café looking for a job.” Rainy got two water bottles out of the refrigerator and sat them on the table.

  “This is great. I was starving.”

  “Great sex will do that to you,” Gabe said.

  “You think the sex was great?” Rainy asked. She was all vulnerable and beautiful with a crumb from the muffin on the outside of her lip.

  He leaned over and kissed the sweet crumb away. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, he smiled and nodded.

  “Spectacular,” he finally said. He watched as she visibly let out a breath she’d been holding.

  “I thought so too.”

  “Want to do it some more?” he asked as he stroked the underside of her wrist.

  “Thought you’d never ask.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven – Rainy

  The following days were heavenly. When they weren’t working, they were together. Rainy smiled as she chopped onions.

  “You’re happy today,” Olivia said as she walked past Rainy’s station.

  “I am.”

  “Does it have anything to do with that guy at the Hart booth?”

  It was lunch time, and Gabe was the first of his brothers to arrive. He’d been coming to the café for all of his meals when Rainy was working. If she had time off, he took time away from his job if at all possible.

  “Am I that transparent?”

  “You are, but if you weren’t, Gabe would give you guys away. He can’t take his eyes off of you. I’ve never seen one of the Harts act so head over heels. Even Zeke and Sophie hid their relationship at first.” Olivia hip bumped Rainy as she walked by.

  “He’s something else,” Rainy said. She wasn’t one to talk about her love life with employees, but Olivia had her pegged.

  “So, has he said the L word yet?”

  Rainy almost chopped a finger off.

  “What? We’ve only been seeing each other for a short time.”

  “So?”

  Leon’s ears had perked up, and Carlos had a smile on his face. Neither of the guys would look at her.

  “Let’s talk about something else, why don’t we?” Rainy suggested. She could feel how red her face must be. So much for keeping her private life private.

  “Why don’t you go say hello, boss lady?” Olivia asked. “I’ll finish those.” She pointed to the onions Rainy had been chopping.

  “I will never turn down an offer from someone to take over chopping onions,” Rainy said. She wiped off her knife and rinsed her hands. As she left the kitchen, she tucked loose strands of hair behind her ear. Gabe was all smiles as she walked toward him.

  “Hey.” He stood up and kissed her on the cheek.

  “Hey, you. What will you have for lunch?” She had taken her order pad out and held her pencil over it.

  “I’ll have the meatloaf platter, with an order of you for dessert,” he said as he sat back down and patted the seat beside him. She slid in and sighed.

  “You know I have to get back in there.”

  “I know, but a guy can dream.”

  “How’s your day going?” she kept her voice low so the neighboring booth’s customers wouldn’t hear their conversation.

  “Pretty great morning for a start,” he said. She felt the blood rush to her face as she remembered their lovemaking. “It went downhill after that, but seems to have picked up now.” He reached for her hand and drew circles on her wrist. “You have the tiniest wrists. Makes me want to protect you.”

  “I can take care of myself.” She’d always taken pride in being independent. “I don’t need you to take care of me, OK?”

  “I didn’t say you needed it. Being with you just brings out that part of me.” He dipped his head as if to kiss her on the neck. She cleared her throat and slid toward the aisle.

  “I’ll get that order out to you as soon as possible,” she said as she stood and messed with her hair self-consciously. He just smiled that smile of his and didn’t seem embarrassed at all. She tried, but couldn’t hold back her own smile. Before she made a total fool of herself, she turned and fled back toward the kitchen. Olivia and Leon were leaning on the window counter with their faces in their palms, goofy smiles on their faces, watching her.

  “Get back to work,” she said as she walked through the kitchen door.

  “Yes, boss lady,” they said in unison. Carlos still had the smirk on his face. “That includes you, too,” she said to him as she picked up her knife.

  “Don’t point that thing at me!” he said with a laugh.

  She couldn’t believe this was happening. She had never been happier. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she worried that Martin wasn’t as hurt as she’d heard; that he’d show up and spoil everything. But she kept that thought tamped down tight. She passed the meatloaf order off and added a slice of death by chocolate cake to the ticket. Gabe couldn’t have what he wanted for dessert right now, but the cake would hold him over until the evening when he could have all of her that he wanted. She hummed while she worked and missed all the looks she garnered from her employees.

  Her phone rang and Sophie’s picture popped up.

  “Hey, lady,” Rainy said as soon as she could clean her hands and answer.

  “Who are you and what have you done with my friend Rainy?” Sophie asked.

  “What do you mean? Where are you?” Rainy scanned the lunch crowd but saw no sign of her friend.

  “I’m still at the office. Janice just got back from lunch. She saw Gabe kiss you. When did you start allowing public shows of affection? Or have the aliens actually landed and taken over my friend’s body?” Sophie was having a great time with this. The laughter in her voice made Rainy grin.

  “I told him to be discreet, but he can’t keep his hands off of me,” Rainy whispered into the phone as she moved to a more private section of the kitchen.

  “This is so much fun! I want you guys to get married. We’ll be sisters.” Sophie’s voice went up an octave as the exciting idea hit her.

  Rainy watched her employees. They were busy, didn’t seem to be paying any attention to her. She was glad for that, because her face was brilliant red, again.

  “It’s a little early for that, don’t you think?”

  “Hey, when you know, you know.”

  “I don’t know that.” Rainy turned so her back was to her employees.

  “Anybody that sees you two together knows,” Sophie said. “But enough about your love life. I have some news that I need to tell you and Gabe. Can you get off for a few minutes after the lunch crowd dies down a bit?”

  “What news? About what? Is it about Martin?” Rainy forgot to be quiet. She peeked over her shoulder and everyone was staring at her. She waved her hands at them and mimed the words, “Back to work.”

  “Just come when you can. You need to hear this.”

  “I am going to kill you. Tell me.”

  “Come to the office. Say, t
wo?”

  “If you don’t tell me now, I’ll grab Gabe and be there in five minutes.”

  “All right. Calm down. It’s good news, and yes, it’s about Martin. That’s all I’m telling you over the phone. Get here as soon as you can.” She hung up. Rainy pulled the phone away and stared at the screen blankly. She untied the apron strings and threw the apron on a hook as she swung through the doors on her way to Gabe’s booth.

  His brothers had arrived. They were drinking iced tea and talking about a ball game. Three heads looked at her when she got to the end of the table.

  “Sophie has news about Martin, and she won’t tell me what it is until you and I are in her office. How hungry are you?”

  “What kind of news?”

  “She won’t tell me.” Rainy tapped her foot in annoyance.

  Gabe slid out of the booth and put his hand on her elbow. As he guided her away, he told his brothers to put his meal in a to-go bag for later. They ran to the office without saying a word to one another.

  Sophie was waiting and ushered them into her office. Rainy barely noticed the outstanding view of the river, her mind whirled with worry.

  “Speak,” she demanded.

  “You guys sit down. This is good news. Well, maybe not for Martin, but for you it is.”

  “Get to the point,” Gabe said. He squeezed Rainy’s hand, and she returned the gesture while nodding her head.

  Sophie turned her computer monitor around so Gabe and Rainy could see what she’d been reading.

  Rainy gasped. An article from the Longview news station was on the screen with a photo of Martin’s bimbo in handcuffs. She’d tried to pull her blouse up to cover her face, but it was unmistakably her.

  “What does this have to do with Martin?”

  “Read the article.”

  Rainy read quickly. The Longview police got a tip about a meth lab in a middle-class neighborhood. Seemed a neighbor saw strange people and smelled something he couldn’t quite place and called in to report it. As the police approached the detached garage behind the house, an explosion took place, knocking them off their feet. One officer was in the hospital with a concussion. He’d hit his head on the concrete when the explosion knocked him down. Another was recovering from minor cuts and bruises. Martin had been in the lab. He was in the hospital with major burns. The doctors had induced a coma, and the police were waiting for him to recover enough to arrest him. Seems his bimbo girlfriend sang like the proverbial canary when they arrested her.