“Okay, suit yourself.” His response held a note of irritation as he started walking away.
Elena knew she should accept his offer of help, but her determination was like a rock inside her. She stared at her dead phone and the smoke still coming out of her car. Damn her luck. She looked in the review mirror and knew she only had seconds left before he was off again and she was left stranded. She screamed in frustration and got out of her car. “Wait.” She put her hood on and started walking his way. Elena looked at up at the imposing trees surrounding the highway, swaying from side to side with the force of wind and rain, threatening to spill over and crush them all. She held her jacket tighter together and quickened her pace. She was soaking wet and could feel the chill of the gloomy skies in her bones.
He turned around and stood there waiting for her to beg for his help. Elena’s pride was on the line, and it killed her to need anything from him. “I accept your offer.” Her voice was shaking from the cold. She looked past him and noticed the parked motorcycle. “On that?”
“Yes—on that,” he mocked. “You will have to sit close to me and hold on tight unless you have a death wish.”
His sense of humor did not help her uneasiness. She looked around hoping there would be a cop coming to the rescue, but all she saw were drivers ignoring them. She sighed. She was out of options. Her shoulders slumped. “All right then.”
They walked toward his motorcycle. Daniel produced a second helmet from under the seat and handed it to her. “Where do you live?” He put his helmet on and mounted the motorcycle with ease. It was like they became one, master and beast.
“In Port Orchard. Take the Sedgwick exit, make a left toward the apartment complex.” Elena examined the bike, trying to figure out the best way to mount it with the least possible contact with Daniel.
“What are you waiting for?” he asked, as they both got rained on.
“I’ve never been on a motorcycle before,” she admitted, a little embarrassed.
Elena was caught off guard by the sudden vibrancy of his laughter. She realized it was the first time she had heard him laugh since that night so many years in front of the club in Japan, and a little part of her smiled too.
“Just get on behind me. It’s like riding a horse; wrap your arms around my waist and hold on.”
“Okay.” I can do this, she thought. Plenty of people ride motorcycles, and there is nothing to it. She climbed on the bike, leaned in close and wrapped her arms around his waist. She couldn’t believe the irony of having to hug a man she had slapped earlier in the day.
They took off on Highway 16 with the rain slapping their helmets; she wondered how he was able to see in this weather. As they took the curves on the highway, she could feel Daniel’s tense muscles under his jacket, and her big ole thighs were rubbing against his. It was such an intimate position—to be so close to him, her breasts against his back, her arms around his torso. She hated how vulnerable she felt with him right now, but her fear of falling off the motorcycle was even greater, and because of that, she held on tight.
The twenty-minute ride to the apartment seemed to go on forever. Thankfully, the rain had stopped, allowing for better visibility. When they arrived at Elena’s apartment complex, she jumped off the bike before Daniel had come to a complete stop. In her desperate attempt to get away from him as fast as possible, she almost landed on her face.
He parked the bike and took off his helmet. “Slow down there, tiger. I don’t bite.”
A blush like a shadow ran over her face. She handed him the helmet. “Thanks for the ride.” She was soaking wet and shivering. She could feel her hair was a complete frizzy disaster and her curls were plastered everywhere. She swore never to wear a helmet again.
She hesitated for a moment before she left. “Listen, I’m sorry for what happened earlier.” It had never been her intention to hit him.
“Yeah, you know, I probably deserved it,” he said. “It was none of my business, and I was out of line.”
For a moment they agreed to a truce. They stood there in awkward silence not knowing who would speak next.
“I guess I better go,” Elena said.
“You did pretty well for your first motorcycle ride.”
Elena smiled at the compliment.
“Although for a moment there I thought you were going to give me the Heimlich maneuver, you were holding on so tight.” He grinned.
“Well, you were going a little fast, and it was raining,” she said. “I was afraid we would slip and fall to our deaths.”
Daniel’s smile quickly turned into a frown. It seemed his sense of humor was as lacking as Elena’s. “I can fly a fighter jet going over nine hundred miles an hour. I think I can handle a motorcycle at sixty miles an hour.”
Elena held her tongue back from telling him how statistics show there was a greater chance of having a car accident than a plane accident because she would just be playing his game. So instead she decided to call it quits while she was ahead and bow out of the situation. “Good night, Daniel.” She walked away refusing to take the bait. They had played this game once before, and she wouldn’t allow herself to fall for it again.
“Sweet dreams,” he yelled after her.
She was relieved to be inside the confines of her apartment. After a long hot shower, she walked over to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to see what she could eat without having to cook. She opened the freezer door and reached for her favorite go-to food when she was stressed or had a bad day. Who was she kidding; she would eat this every day if she could. She grabbed the ice cream and debated about scooping some out and putting it in a bowl and put the rest back in the freezer as she should, but the events of the day called for eating the entire pint.
She walked over to her laptop with the spoon in her mouth. She had been working on her manuscript for a couple of months now and needed to get her thoughts straight and focus on the end goal of finishing it and finding a publisher who was willing to give her a shot and make her dreams come true. She clicked on her manuscript, and her imaginary world covered the screen. She re-read the scene she had written the night before to get back on track.
Isabella stood there knowing her life would be over within minutes. She gazed out into the crowd searching for a familiar face to whisper her final goodbyes, but all that answered were the muffled cries of the crowd. Although she was of noble birth, she was condemned to die before the public and not in the private sanctuary of the tower’s walls.
“Come, my lady,” urged the guard behind her.
Isabella grew irate; she would not be rushed to her death. She turned ready to battle till the last breath.
She froze.
Piercing arrogant blue eyes stared back at her from the confines of his helmet.
He was here. He was alive.
She wanted to scream with joy and run into the embrace of his arms, but she held herself back. They were in a precarious situation, and both their lives were now at risk.
“We must hurry, my lady,” he whispered with urgency. His strong hand rested on the hilt of his sword, ready to battle.
A tear of joy ran down Isabelle’s face. She never thought she would be so happy to see the man whom she once vowed to destroy. She had been so stubborn in accepting her feelings for him until it was too late. But he was here now, and she would fight for both of them…
After writing for a couple of hours, Elena lay back in her chair happy with the turn of events her book had taken, and for a small moment, she wished her story was true. Life had been lonely these last couple of years, and she had found comfort in her stories. But since Daniel had appeared back in her life, her world had taken a different turn. The boredom and loneliness were replaced by a constant state of alert preparing for the next confrontation with him. He had become a distraction in her life, and she was upset at herself for letting him preoccupy her thoughts. She looked back at the screen and the blinking cursor waiting for her to continue writing. She was tired and all out
of ideas for tonight. She saved the document and promised herself she’d continue writing tomorrow.
Before shutting down her laptop for the night, she logged into her online dating profile. She never thought she would resort to seeking love through the Internet, but after seeing several friends meet their spouses online, and having no luck on her own, she decided to give it a try. What better way than to lay out everything she wanted in a partner and then sit and wait for the fish to catch the bait—it was like a made-to-order husband.
The first challenge had been creating her profile. For a wannabe fiction romance writer, she was having the hardest time trying to describe herself and what she wanted out of a partner. Part of her didn’t want to admit she was a book worm who loved going to living museums so she could see actors dressed in period clothing and imagine herself living in those times—but only as a wealthy person of course; the poor had it terrible. With her luck, she would have died of a toothache or something silly. She was a helpless romantic who just wanted the whole fairy tale package. The sad thing was she was afraid if she wrote the truth about herself she would sound like a loser and get an email from the company saying she was unmatchable. So instead, she had opted for the following:
Modern style Jane Austen with an appreciation for the past and the promise of the future. Great cook who loves to try new ideas and different types of culinary delicacies. Enjoys traveling and visiting new places but also appreciates sitting by the fireplace at home with a good book. Looking for someone with a great sense of humor who loves learning new things, is not a picky eater and still believes in chivalry.
She figured any man who was willing to approach her after that was someone worthy enough to try. She noticed most people in Washington put things like adventurous and outdoor-lover on their profile, both which she was not. Her idea of camping involved a stocked cabin with a down comforter, cable TV, a fireplace and tons of romance novels for her to read—and some good wine of course.
She checked her account to see who the system had matched her with based on profile description and preferences. Elena waited in anticipation as all the new potential matches filled her screen. Her excitement was short-lived as she paged through all the profiles just to find most of them were old enough to be her father.
She sighed, disappointed. Maybe her mom was right after all. She was an old soul, and the only people who were like her were decades older than her. She wondered if she was just wasting her time and money on this. She went to sign out when a new message appeared in her window—she had a new match with “Flyer Guy.”
“Why not,” Elena thought. She just hoped he was born in the same decade she was. She took another spoonful of ice cream as she clicked on the message ready to be let down again. The new page opened and she almost fell off her chair as penetrating blue eyes, and black hair stared back at her.
She had been matched with Daniel.
Chapter 9
Elizabeth sat in front of her son, calmly eating her salad. “Honey, I did it for your own good. It’s not healthy for a young man like you to be alone.”
Daniel looked around the restaurant in frustration. He adored the woman sitting in front of him, but right now all he wanted to do was get up and leave. He didn’t need anyone playing matchmaker for him. He already knew who he wanted in his life; he just had no idea how to make that happen. “Online dating, Mom. Are you serious?” Daniel was used to his family meddling in his life, but he never thought his mother would stoop to this level.
“Yes, I’m serious. One of my friends at yoga class found her second husband that way.”
“Is this the same friend that is like seventy years old?” Daniel snorted.
Elizabeth frowned at her son. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
Daniel knew there was no point arguing with her. Once she had her mind made up, there was nothing he could say or do to change it. She reminded him of Elena, and he was surprised that what drove him crazy about his mother was also what he loved about her. “You don’t even know how to check your email, so how did create a dating profile for me anyway?”
“Your sister typed everything out for me,” she admitted matter-of-factly.
“Of course,” he mumbled. He should have known there was a reason Samantha was avoiding his calls. She was his mother’s partner in crime. “I’m afraid to ask what you two wrote about me.”
She put her fork down and reached into her purse. “Here.” She handed him a folded sheet of paper.
Daniel opened it to find an old picture of him in military uniform as his profile photo. “Really, Mom?”
Elizabeth smiled. “Hey, women have a thing for men in uniform.”
This was not something Daniel wanted to hear from his mother’s mouth, but he was curious to see what else they had put about him.
Prior military flyer guy looking for someone to ground me back to earth. If you are reading this, it’s because like me, trying to find that perfect someone hasn’t quite worked out. I am a traditional man but have decided to give this alternate means a try. I’m not looking for someone who enjoys doing all the exact things I do because then I would be just dating myself. I’m looking for someone who can show me a different way of life, different enjoyments and adventurous and, in turn, someone with whom I can share my passions in life and show you my world.
I’m looking for someone who isn’t afraid to take risks in life and see where those risks take us. If you are out there, I would love to meet up for coffee. No 50/50; the tab is on me—that is one traditional thing I will not give up.
* * *
Daniel was surprised with the accuracy in which they had described him. He gave a small laugh and looked at his mom who pretended this was nothing out of the norm. “Mom, I know you worry about me, but I’m fine.”
Elizabeth’s eyes softened. “I don’t want you to be alone.” She placed her hand over his. “You’ve been alone for far too long.”
Daniel wasn’t ready to talk about his past. It was something he had buried deep down inside a long time ago, and he didn’t want to revisit it. So instead he deflected. “I’ll give the online dating a try,” he said while silently swearing to wring Samantha’s neck the next time he saw her.
Back at home, Daniel threw the paper his mother had given him in the garbage. He had no intention of following through with his promise. In a couple of months, this would all wash over, and she would forget about the whole thing and find something else to distract herself with. Since his father’s passing a couple of years ago, his mother’s mission had been to find him a wife. She thought him totally incapable of finding someone on his own and creating a meaningful relationship. He knew her intentions were noble, but he preferred to have a say in who he chose as a partner in his life.
He walked to his spare bedroom which doubled as an office and decided to do some work before bed. Thanks to Elena, he had to follow up with clients, reminding them of their flying lessons for the week. He grinned at her tenacity. She knew damn well he hated teaching, but what she didn’t know was this was a game he enjoyed playing with her. Up until a month ago, he had considered moving away and opening his own skydiving business, a personal passion of his, but his sister had convinced him to stay a while more, and he was happy he had listened. Having Elena back in his life changed everything and this time, he wouldn’t let her go.
Meanwhile, he would have to deal with the hand she had dealt him and teach for a while. He logged into his computer and checked his email. He scrolled through the long list of messages and paused when he saw one from the dating website his mother had signed him up for. Against his better judgment, he opened the email.
You have been matched with “‘The Modern Jane Austen.”
Login to see viewing profile.
“Give me a break,” Daniel said. “Who calls themselves that?” But his curiosity had been piqued. He clicked on the link to open the profile and was prompted to enter a username and password. Daniel walked over to the trash and dug ou
t the paper he had thrown away. “Aha, here it is.” He grabbed the paper and walked back to the computer and logged into his profile. He found the link to the new matches and clicked on it. He swore if they matched him with a seventy-year-old he would create a profile for his mother as payback. The new page opened and “The Modern Jane Austen” stared back at him.
It was Elena.
Chapter 10
Elena must have read his profile over ten times. She couldn’t believe the similarities they had in their description. She looked through his pictures; some of them were from his military days, and some looked recent. A small part of her was disappointed in herself for thinking the worst of what she would find in his profile. If she didn’t know him personally and what he was capable of, she would have liked to meet him.
It was too bad he’d forgotten to mention he was an egotistically sarcastic jerk who would backstab you the first chance he got. She could still picture him talking to the commander, telling him how she was getting mixed with the wrong crowd and the best thing to do would be to ship her off to Kuwait. She would never forgive Daniel for what he did, no matter how many nice things he wrote on the Internet to a whole bunch of strangers. Because of him, she never got to say goodbye to her dad.
A small window in the bottom of her screen popped up with a message.
FLYER GUY: I’m surprised to find you here. It looks like destiny is bringing us together again.
Elena sank in her chair and rubbed her temples. This wasn’t destiny; this was a run of bad luck.
THE MODERN JANE AUSTEN: I don’t believe in destiny. I believe in choices. Like the choice to block you from my profile.
FLYER GUY: Of course you believe in destiny.
Daniel’s keen observance was irritating. How can someone whom she had only argued with know the intimate details of her heart? She knew she should let it go and not bite the fish hook he dangled in front of her, but the shiny object he offered was too much to resist
The Man of My Dreams Page 7