Ingrid straightened and turned to Kristin. “Apparently, love, my evening is to be spent putting out fires. Every year, coordinating this event gets me more and more brassed off. I’ll try to meet up with you later for a drink.” Ingrid started to follow the waiter, and then turned back. She gingerly clasped Kristin’s hand and held it up between them, the absence of the ring glaringly obvious. “And don’t think for a minute that I didn’t notice this.”
Ingrid smiled and squeezed Kristin’s hand. “Lead on, sir,” and she followed the waiter.
Kristin watched them go as the awareness of being on her own slowly tiptoed up on her once again, leaving her body covered in a cool wash of dread that pooled in her stomach.
Damn it James, why did you have to leave me? This would be so much easier if I weren’t alone.
Socializing without him just sucked. But in order to move on with her life, she had to try.
I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.
Repeating the mantra inside her mind gave her strength. She braced her shoulders and set off across the large room toward the bar. Of course, a nice glass of champagne wouldn’t hurt either.
Passing guests smiled and she made herself return their greetings, determined not to spend the evening moping. The satiny silk of her red dress brushed her legs sensually. She’d splurged on the garment, hoping it would provide some amount of confidence for these first steps toward a new life. And just maybe, she would catch the eye of a certain gorgeous someone. But she couldn’t do that unless she stayed and at least tried to have a good time.
Kristin found an empty seat at the bar and ordered a glass of champagne, turning around to watch the band. People crowded the dance floor swaying to the waltz. She caught the gaze of a handsome blond man a few feet away, and his brilliant smile widened.
Icy panic seized her and as she swiftly wrenched her gaze away, and the champagne glass nearly fell out of her hand. What was wrong with her? Could she not merely meet a handsome stranger’s eyes without having a panic attack?
Inhaling deeply, she focused again on where the man had been standing, but he was no longer there. The breath she released contained a mixture of relief and disappointment.
“Baby steps, girl. Baby steps.” She turned back to rest her elbows on the counter as she nursed her drink.
The hairs on the back of her neck rose, giving her a creepy crawly sensation of being watched.
“The lady in red,” a lilting Scottish brogue broke through her thoughts. The trill in his “r” was like fingertips dancing a tango along her spine.
Fear of meeting his eyes again made Kristin swivel slowly in her seat, coming face to face with the man she had been unable to forget. Her heart somersaulted in her chest as dark smoldering eyes captured hers.
His black and red dress kilt showed every inch of his lean legs. Strong shoulders disappeared into his jacket. She wanted to run her fingers through his dark hair. Oh God, she was out of control.
“It’s…lovely to see you again,” her words faltered as his image stole her breath. Her eyes flicked to the red rose in the buttonhole of his Prince Charlie Jacket. It matched her red dress. Perfectly.
His lips curled into a crooked smile as he took her hand. His long fingers grasping her small ones brought on that tingling sensation once more.
“Is it? I wasn’t sure you’d think so, seeing how I put my foot in it last time. I didn’t mean to upset you, or for Sophie to make it worse.” As he held her hand, his thumb rubbed gently back and forth.
She tried to keep her hand from shaking. Did he notice I took off my ring? Yes and no both rolled through her stomach like a roller-coaster.
God, he was gorgeous when he smiled! And that dimple of his made him all the more irresistible, a fact he had to be aware of as he continued beaming at her.
“I feel like it’s me who should apologize.” The heat of his hand as it clasped hers radiated from her fingers all the way to her toes. “I fear I may have over-reacted a bit.” Fear and guilt had spun out of control within her the last time they had met. Heat seared up her neck and face from the memory, until her ears burned.
As he quietly stood and gazed into her eyes, the world around them fell away and disappeared. Nothing and no one existed but the two of them.
David glanced toward the crowds of people circling on the dance floor and pulled Kristin to her feet to stand in front of him. “Miss Shepherd, my lass, would you do me the honor of a dance?” He bowed at the waist, as he exaggerated his brogue.
“Why, I’d be delighted, Mr. McDougal.” She giggled, letting him lead her onto the crowded dance floor.
Just as they reached the floor, the band changed to a slower number. As he placed his right hand around her waist, Kristin held her breath and her heart stopped.
It had been so long since she had let herself be held, even on a dance floor. The heat of his body caused a tingling in parts of her body long forgotten. His hands scorched everywhere they touched, and the sensations overrode all the practicality that her brain attempted to enforce as warden of her heart.
His scent was earthy, spicya jumbled concoction of soap, aftershave, and wool. He held her gently, yet she could sense a firmness behind his grasp. The muscles of his shoulder under her hand were taught, even underneath the material of his jacket. This isn’t cheating, it isn’t. Somehow, the attraction she had for this stranger felt like cheating. Stop it, it’s just a dance and James would approve. He wanted me to keep on living after he was gone.
Through her eyelashes, she peered at him and found his dark intense eyes fixed intently on her. The liquid onyx of their depths reined her in, and she had to remind herself to keep breathing. No one but James had ever been able to do so much with just a look.
David smiled and held her closer. The roughness of his jaw brushed the side of her cheek, which made her breath quicken.
“I like your hair better when it’s down like this,” he whispered into her ear.
Kristin shivered. How delicious his lips had been against her ear, his hot breath caressing her skin. Those lips would be even more delicious pressed to her own. The thoughts that swirled around in her mind at his touch surprised her.
David’s dimple deepened as he focused on her again, just as another small shiver rippled through her body. Her brain had obviously taken a back seat in this journey, allowing her body to react however it wanted to him. And right now, she was on fire.
Kristin closed her eyes and laid her head softly on David’s shoulder, as much to break their heated look as to thoroughly enjoy his warm embrace. He tightened his arms around her just a fraction, but it was enough to melt some of her soft curves against him.
David continued to sway with her on the dance floor like an expert until the song ended, and they separated to applaud the band. Out of the corner of her eye, Kristin studied him as she clapped loudly and gathered her bearings.
After two years, she had finally summoned the courage to attempt to move on from her painful past, and Kristin could not understand why being near this man affected her so. Especially since he was engaged, which meant nothing could realistically develop between them.
That realization jolted Kristin. Maybe that was the reason. Knowing nothing could develop romantically between them was the key. In a way, that made him safe. Safe enough that she was able to let go of some of the control around her emotions.
Her emotions were a jumbled mess. Perhaps some fresh air would help reduce the fire between them and help her think more clearly about what she really wanted. She leaned over to David as the band started to play another song.
“I think I’m going to step outside for some air.” She turned to go.
David caught her arm. “I’ll join you.”
~~~
Cool air rushed into Kristin’s lungs as she walked out into the evening, and the light wind sent goose bumps along her overheated skin. Summer might come late this year in London.
Immediately, her head cleared, all
owing her old protective barriers to snap back into place. How foolish she had acted around David. He was just a man, and an unattainable one at that. She didn’t need that sort of drama in her life. Not now, not ever. But as she heard him come through the door behind her, the physical attraction between them slammed back into her hard. Her resolve wavered a little.
“Lovely night isn’t it?” His voice vibrated through her, like the strumming of a guitar string. What was it about a man with an accent?
“Yes it is.” Kristin didn’t turn around.
She closed her eyes and took deep, slow breaths, willing herself to remain composed and in control. On one hand, she liked how being around David made her feelexcited, alive, and sexy. On the other hand, the intensity of her reaction to him frightened her. Only James had ever stirred those feelings within her. That thought sent a shudder of fear and longing through her body.
“Are you chilled?” David’s voice came from in front of her and she opened her eyes.
The concern in his voice was apparent. He moved to take off his jacket, but Kristin reached and touched his forearm to stop him.
“I’m fine, really. Just walk with me a moment.”
David smiled and stuck out his elbow. Kristin linked her arm through his and they walked across the street to the south bank of the Thames, stopping to stand beside a section of railing.
Neither of them spoke, leaving Kristin to take in the spectacular view. The breeze gently tossed her hair about as she gazed at the stars that sparkled like fine diamonds scattered across the indigo expanse of the night sky. Their reflections danced along the small rocking waves of the water below. The exceptional colors etched themselves in her soul so she could capture them later in her paintings.
Leaning into his side, she enjoyed his quiet strength. Further on, she could see the London Eye. When the large wheel was created, some people thought it robbed London of some of its old world charm, diminishing the city’s skyline. But Kristin thought otherwise. She loved how the wheel stuck out amongst all the old architecture, a testament to progress and modernization coexisting with history.
One of the first things she and James had done when relocating to London was to take a ride on the Eye. You could see the entire city on a clear night, glittering like a fine treasure. Those times in her life were the happiest she’d been in the city. A small taste of joy before James’s illness had taken over their lives.
Kristin exhaled slowly and pushed away the thoughts, gazing to her left at David. He seemed just as lost in thought as she has been. Penny for your thoughts.
She’d hoped for an entire week to get the chance to see him again, and now that he was here, she didn’t know what to say.
David turned to her and flashed that amazing dimple of his, and she realized she’d been caught staring. Heat warmed her cheeks while her gaze flickered nervously away for a brief second. Then she took a breath and met his eyes again. The wind had tousled his dark hair, making it fall haphazardly over one chocolate-brown eye.
She fought the urge to reach out and tenderly brush the lock of hair back. That kind of gesture would be too intimate, too familiar. They had only met twice, and briefly, at that.
“How long have you lived in London?” David’s voice jolted her out of the jumbled thoughts bouncing around inside her head.
Hesitating and blinking, Kristin managed to gather herself together to respond. “My husband James and I moved here from the U.S. about three years ago, right after he was diagnosed with cancer. He had always dreamed of living here, so I made sure he realized that dream before he died. I just haven’t had the heart to leave since. My home is here now.”
Some of the best memories of her marriage to James were connected with this city. Staying in London kept her close to James, but at the same time, it allowed her to live in the past too much.
His brows pinched together and there was a spark of some identified emotion in his eyes. “I do wish to apologize again, on behalf of Sophie as well as myself.” Removing his arm from hers, David leaned one elbow casually on the railing as he faced her.
Kristin was touched by his sincerity, even if remembering their previous meeting still embarrassed her. “In all honesty, Sophie had no way of knowing her comment would make an already awkward situation even more so.” Kristin was compelled to be polite, even if she considered Sophie’s actions rude.
David nodded in agreement. “This is true, but Sophie does have a way of not realizing how she affects others at times. She can be quite indelicate in some situations.”
Kristin tilted her head to the side, perplexed by his words. That sure didn’t sound like someone describing the person they were supposed to be madly in love with.
“How long have you and Sophie been together?”
David glanced up, appearing to carefully choose his words before he answered. “We met while filming a television movie a few years ago. I had a small part, but Sophie was the star.”
The corners of his mouth turned down. No dimple. As if the memory confused him somehow. “We had only one scene together that should have taken no time at all to film, but she kept flubbing her lines. Later that day, while on the set, she admitted she had done it on purpose in order to prolong being near me.”
Kristin waggled her eyebrows with a grin. “Sounds like Sophie gets what she wants.”
“Oh yes, that she does.” He laughed, the musical timbre of his voice floating between them. “Sophie saw something she wanted and she went after it. That’s what she does.”
Note to self, keep what Sophie wants in mind. Kristin enjoyed finding out more about him while the wind rocked the waves along the river. “And where is it that you call home?”
“Right now, I have a flat here in London, as well as one in Cardiff. My parents still live in the lowlands of Aberdeen, in the same house where I grew up.”
The name of the city he mentioned struck a familiar chord. “Cardiffthat’s in Wales, right?”
“Aye, the BBC does a lot of filming there, so it’s easier to have a flat to call home close by after a long day.” David’s hand moved animatedly in the air as he talked about his home and his work.
“And what about Sophie? Where does she prefer, Cardiff or London?” As soon as the question left Kristin’s lips, David’s eyes became flat and expressionless.
“Sophie prefers London, where most of the action is. She has a flat of her own in the city.”
“I see.” Kristin wondered why the two of them had separate homes when they were supposed to be planning a life together.
“And where is Sophie now?” She hugged her arms, rubbing up and down as the chill started to get to her.
David ran his hand through his wind-tossed hair. “She’s inside somewhere, probably bending the ear of some journalist or hunting down a photographer.”
There was something unsettling about how he talked about Sophie. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
The silver buttons on his jacket glinted in the soft light as his arm moved. His hand had left his previously smooth hair unkempt, giving him a charming, boyish appearance, which she found quite disarming.
The earlier stiffness of his shoulders disappeared as he leaned casually against the railing. “So, Miss Shepherd, enough about me, I want to know about you.”
Kristin swallowed hard and hoped he didn’t notice her hesitation. She always found it so hard to share things about herself with other people. Whenever she trusted someone they left her. Or hurt her. Either way, habits of hiding the ache of that loneliness couldn’t be given up in one night. The decision that tonight would be a step toward a new chapter in her life came with a lot of fear.
She took a deep breath to let go of her pain. “What do you want to know?” she asked hesitantly. The possibilities of what he wanted chilled her more than the cool breeze.
“How long have you owned your art gallery?”
It seemed like he wanted to keep the conversation superficial. This she could do.
“Almost two years. I opened it just a little while after my husband died.”
“How long were you and your husband married?”
Her heart fluttered at his direct question. It was a difficult step to share the private memories about her and James. “Well, we were married right out of college, so about ten years.”
David’s eyes widened. “That’s some accomplishment. You should be right proud of yourself.”
Kristin looked down at herself, because she wanted to make sure she wasn’t naked. Memories, fear, and guilt about letting go made her feel exposed. “I never thought about it like that at the time. It just seemed right, James and I together. There was never a doubt about any of it.”
The full moon hung brightly in the sky, and illuminated David’s dark eyes like black glass. “You were lucky, to have found a love like that.” He crossed his arms and his brows pinched together in a frown.
Why did he talk about love like he didn’t have it? “But you’re lucky, too. You must feel something like that with Sophie, right?” Kristin’s furrowed brow mirrored his.
“Of course,” his voice remained flat, leaving Kristin unconvinced of his sincerity. Trust might be hard for him as well. There must be so much she didn’t know about his relationship with Sophie Miller.
The full moon in the indigo colored sky had lost its magic. Finally, the music from the activity inside the hall registered from across the street, and the chill of the cool breeze playfully tossed her hair.
David reached out and brushed a few strands of Kristin’s hair away from her cheek and gently tucked them behind her ear.
Her loneliness and confusion flowed through her as his fingertips lightly grazed her cheek.
David quickly dropped his hand and turned to peer out over the river once more, as if confused by his own actions.
Had he been thinking the same thing as her? Masking her inner torment, she shivered. The magic that sizzled between them had vanished in the silence following her question about David’s feelings about his fiancé.
Second Chances Page 3