“Well, yeah, but his hands are stained with grease,” Aubree pointed out darkly.
“Wow, just wow.”
“What?”
“You know how you call me and complain about clients who are like, “I love the house but I can’t buy it because I don’t like the tile in the powder room?”
Aubree narrowed her eyes. I know where this is headed. “Yeah.”
“That’s how you’re acting. It’s cosmetic. Get over it.”
Aubree sighed. I hate it when she’s right, especially she uses my own logic against me. “Thanks, Nance,” Aubree said in her grumpiest voice.
“You’re welcome,” Nancy chirped. “Now get off the phone with me and call Mr. Tow Truck. Tell him you agree to a date and see what happens.”
“Okay,” Aubree agreed. Her heart thumped as she disconnected the call. This shouldn’t be so hard. I’ve dated before. Sure, it’s been a while, but I’m putting way more pressure on this than I should. Biting her lip, she dialed Rick’s number.
“Well, hello, Ms. Melville,” he said in a jovial voice that held a hint of strain.
Methinks the man is horny. She smiled. “Mr. Lawrence. I hope you’re safe at your place, and not still skidding over the ice while talking on a cell phone.”
“I’m snug in my apartment, thank you for asking. And you? Did you find your home intact after the storm?”
“I’m short a few tree branches,” Aubree replied, glancing out the frosty window into her tiny backyard. “But otherwise no harm done.” Goodness, did I already forget how silly we can be together?
“Glad to hear it,” Rick said in his pseudo serious tone. “So, did you need anything?”
“Yes,” Aubree told him, and now her voice sounded intense. “Yes, I did. I needed to ask you…” she swallowed hard. Come on, girl. You know you actually want this, in spite of everything, and he’s stuck around through all your waffling. The least you can do is take the pressure off.
“Ask me what? Did you leave something in my truck? If so, I’ll look, but I don’t think I’d quite manage to get it back to you before the rest of the ice melts. I plan to sit tight now that I’m home safe.”
“That’s wise,” Aubree agreed. “It was pretty risky just getting this far, but the ice never lasts too long. No, I didn’t leave anything that I know of. What I wanted to ask you is… when the ice melts, would you like to join me for dinner at Emma’s?”
Silence.
“Are you seriously asking me out on a date?” Rick croaked after several agonizing seconds.
“Yes,” Aubree stated emphatically. “I know I must have driven you crazy with mixed messages, and I’m sorry. It’s been a long time since I’ve…”
“Had a boyfriend?” he suggested.
“Yes, that,” Aubree agreed. Boyfriend. Yikes. How official that sounds. The purring from her lady bits assured her that the title would fit just fine… among other things. And didn’t that club pushing into your back all night feel just perfect? Her whole body clenched.
“Okay, great,” Rick said, and he sounded every bit as happy as she expected him to. “Let me check the weather report, and we can make a tentative plan from there.”
“Sounds good,” she agreed.
“Oh, and Aubree?”
“Yes?”
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he informed her. “I appreciated your honesty even when I didn’t like what you were telling me. Keep on being honest, no matter what. Promise?”
“Promise,” she agreed.
“Okay, I have some stuff to do here. Take care, and be in touch, okay?” Rick urged.
“Okay,” Aubree agreed.
She hung up, still trying to make sense out of her own muddled feelings. One that shone through the confusion with the light of a bright golden beam was pure, excited happiness over the opportunity to see Rick again. I guess that answers a whole lot of questions, doesn’t it?
***
Two days later, temperatures rose into the sixties and stayed there. Within hours, the sheet of ice coating the streets of Garden City disappeared as though it had never been. The next night, Aubree tugged on a knee length sweater dress and a pair of black tights, and painted her eyes and lips in preparation to go to dinner with Rick, in front of the town, for everyone to see. I hope people just accept it and don’t make a big deal. It shouldn’t be, even though it is. Sighing, she stepped into knee-high boots and made her way down to her living room, where she flopped gracelessly on an armchair with her legs over the arm.
The phone rang. Ten minutes until Rick is supposed to get here. I hope he’s not cancelling. The thought that he might not follow through on their date caused an unhappy clenching in the vicinity of her heart. Damn. I guess he was right all along. There is something special here. Stretching, she snagged the device and pushed the button without looking at the screen. “Talk to me.”
“Aubree,” Michelle whined, “I need you. I have got to get away for the weekend. Jay and I have had this planned forever. Mom agreed to watch the kids, but now she’s got bronchitis, so you’ve got to help me out…”
“Sorry, sis,” Aubree replied. Not as sorry as I ought to be – and yes, I am a bitch, but so be it – “I can’t watch your kids this weekend.”
“Aubree!” Michelle screeched. “What do you expect me to do? I mean, it’s not like you’re doing anything. You just don’t want to.”
“That’s a pretty big assumption, sis,” Aubree pointed out. “Granted, there was plenty of evidence to suggest I might be on the loose, but the thing is, I’m not. I have plans, starting tonight, and I have every intention of making them spill over into as much of the rest of the weekend as I can. Don’t you and Jay have any friends?”
Michelle mumbled something incoherent, but Aubree chose not to ask.
“What are you doing that’s so all-fired time consuming anyway?”
“I have a date,” Aubree pronounced, feeling oddly proud of herself. “With Rick, by the way. So as I’m sure you can imagine, I don’t plan to have any kids around in the near future. Good luck finding a sitter.”
Michelle spluttered as Aubree disconnected the call.
A knock on the door prevented her from indulging in either the smirk or the mental tirade generated by her sister’s untimely request.
“Date time,” she told herself, swinging her legs to the floor and making her way across the room. Opening the lock and turning the knob, she swung the door open and froze in shock.
Outside, a total stranger stood illuminated like a snow angel in the glow of her porch light. A chiseled face just shy of too gorgeous to be real, regarded her with a hopeful expression. The intense blue of his eyes, highlighted by the golden tone of his skin, bored into her with painful intensity. Powerful cheekbones, perfect lantern jaw with a hint of a cleft, and full, pale lips completed the picture of a warrior deity from someplace ancient and cold. Aubree opened her mouth, closed it, swallowed and opened it again. “Rick?”
“Yeah, it’s me,” he agreed, extending a bouquet of lilies. She took them numbly.
“You… you shaved,” she managed to stutter.
He lifted one eyebrow, which did unspeakable, tingly things to her body. “I did,” he agreed. “What do you think?”
“You didn’t need to do this for me,” she said, her eyes glued to the bare three inches of golden stubble that had once been his overly long hipster hair.
“I didn’t,” he replied. “I did it for me, for my reputation and my newly set goal of becoming someone important in this town. You made me aware of that, made me want it. I might be able to barrel my way in looking like I used to, but this is easier, and really, it doesn’t hurt me at all. I’ve been in the military, remember? Clean and tight makes sense to me, maybe more so than my experiment into youth.”
Aubree reached out with fingertips that wanted to tremble and touched the smooth cheek. He smiled and one fingertip disappeared into a dimple. She gaped. “Oh, wow.”
“I gues
s you like it,” he said. “I’ll consider that a win. But even better is that you agreed to the date first.” He grinned.
Aubree had no words. Rick extended his hand and she set hers into it. He escorted her outside and she locked the door without thought.
“Uh, Aubree, don’t you want your coat?” Rick asked.
Aubree shook off her distraction – or at least she tried. Muttering under her breath, she jammed the key back into the lock. A moment later, her coat wrapped around her body, her gloves cased her hands. “Better?” she asked.
“You tell me,” he replied, his hand on her back as he escorted her out to his everyday vehicle – a small and boring sedan. She eyed it and then turned questioning eyes on her date.
“What?” he demanded. “You’re not the only one who doesn’t want to spend a fortune on personal possessions while trying to grow a business. The tow truck is a gas guzzler, and did you really want to arrive to our date in something so conspicuous?”
Aubree looked at the tan car for another moment, shrugged, and climbed into the passenger seat. Rick shut the door. The interior retained a bit of warmth. Though the day had been pleasant, as night deepened, the cold grew.
A moment later, Rick joined her, firing the engine and pulling away from the curb.
Aubree ran her fingers over the upholstery. “I don’t think I’ll ever see small, dark places in quite the same way,” she commented. “I’m not afraid of either, but, you know, people always have this natural uneasiness in the dark.”
“And now?” Rick asked. Though his eyes remained on the road, his tone sounded attentive.
“Now I know that there is also safety and peace, and that when the lights go out, the heart sees what the eyes can’t.”
“Poetic,” he commented. “I like the sound of what you’re saying.”
Her lips curved into a smile. “I liked experiencing it.”
Rick own smile made her heart turn over.
Goodness, my feelings changed quickly when I stopped fighting against them. He drove with on hand on the wheel, the other propped on his knee. She reached across the console and rested her fingers on his.
“And are you nervous now?” he asked.
“Of course,” she replied. “Not about you really. We sort of laid that to rest the other night. But about the reactions I’m going to get, especially from my family members. I expect a lot of gloating.” She sighed.
“Sorry.” Rick rotated his wrist so he could capture her hand. “Try not to let it get to you, okay? What we’re building together has nothing to do with that.”
“I wish I could believe they’d just be happy for me, but it’s always a bit more pointed than that.” She thought a moment. “Are you sure you’re up for this?” she asked him. “My mom is pretty bossy. Next, she’ll want to know when we’re having babies and she won’t stop until I complete menopause.”
“Are you in menopause?” he asked, raising one eyebrow.
“No,” Aubree replied. “I don’t think that will happen for another decade or so, if my family genetics play out as normal.”
“So birth control is a must. Check.” He sighed, levity evaporating. “Listen, I don’t know how to deal with that, but it doesn’t seem bad enough to want to run. I guess we’ll just play it by ear.”
Aubree leaned back in the seat, words exhausted, and focused on the sensation of Rick’s hand in hers. She lifted and examined his fingers by the light of passing street lamps. Smudges of black decorated his tawny skin, though when she ran her fingers over them, she could see they were stains. He’s not dirty, but grease leaves marks that don’t easily wash away. Dad always had stains on his hands. As she regarded the splotches, it slowly dawned on her that although Rick had the hands of a working man, that’s where the similarity ended. He’s not passive. He’s not helpless. He doesn’t wait for a woman to tell him what to do. He goes after what he wants and makes it happen. I like that, and now, for some reason, his hands no longer make me uncomfortable. With his sexy new look, they seem more like the link to reality. She traced her thumb over one ink-kissed finger. Impulsively, she touched her lips to the tattoo, and then trailed them along his skin, drawing in the scent of soap and clean, sexy man.
“Easy, girl,” he urged. “I’m driving.”
“And?” She turned wide eyes his direction.
“You’re turning me on. Later, we’ll discuss this in more detail… in private, but since we’re heading to a public place…”
“I see.” Aubree lowered their hands back to his lap. I’m turning him on. Yes!
He pulled into the café parking lot and hunted around for a space. It seemed tonight a lot of people had decided to eat out. Into the deep end, girl. No tiptoeing around. Rick finally found a spot at the back, near the trash cans, and circled the car to Aubree’s door, opening for her and offering a hand. Though she had no problem exiting vehicles without help, she allowed the move, tucking her hand firmly into his and letting him lead her into the restaurant.
Naturally, dozens of faces she knew turned to stare as she walked in. As one, they dropped to her hand, still clutched in his. Chatter stilled as people paused, considered… and then returned to what they were doing without further comment.
***
Aubree kicked up her heels. Anchored by Rick’s arm in hers, she let her free spirit – and her two margaritas – fly free.
“You seem happy,” he commented. “Did you have a nice time at dinner?”
“Oh yes,” she agreed. “The food there is always good, and the company was better than usual. No urchins. Don’t get me wrong. I love my sister – and her kids – but not having to pull climbing monkeys off the table and untangle grubby fingers from my food is a bit of a relief.”
“Sounds like it.” Rick stopped to consider her. She smiled, feeling the holiday lights, freshly hung on the sides of Main Street, reflecting off her skin and her smile. He reached for her and she leaned into him, for once not worrying about what anyone else would think. Their lips met. She recognized the firmness she’d noticed the other night, in his office. Tonight, without the tickling coarseness of his beard, his embrace felt even more enticing. A hint of scruff scratched at her cheek. Nice. So manly. Her arms slipped around his neck. His tongue took a first tentative foray into her mouth. She hummed, pondering whether to open to him or urge him to wait until later.
“Not dating, eh?” a familiar voice cut into the embrace. Aubree released Rick’s lips with an audible pop and whirled around, heart sinking as she faced Joe and the sad, betrayed look on his face.
“I wasn’t then,” she told him gently. “Things change.”
“Did I miss something?” Rick wanted to know.
“No,” Aubree stated firmly. “Just a misunderstanding.”
“Oh, sure,” Joe sneered, trying to cover his upset with bravado. “Because it’s so easy to misunderstand when a woman invites you to her bed.”
“Joe, please,” Aubree begged. “Don’t do this. I’ve explained to you.”
“You did,” he agreed, sorrow giving way to anger,” but did you explain to pretty boy here? Did you tell him how you led me on? Let me take you to a party, and then back to my place for the whole freaking night and then the next day told me it was a mistake? Did you?”
Aubree bit her lip. “I’m sorry. It was a mistake, Joe, and I really regret hurting you. But I did explain everything right away. You hanging onto this is on you, not on me. Now please, stop this. You’re not going to help anything. We’re not right for each other.”
“I waited for you,” he hissed, grief coming to the forefront again. “You acted like you were just in a transitional phase with your business. I waited for your work to settle down so you could date. I was there for you through every step of it. You never meant any of that, did you?”
“I never said any of that,” Aubree protested. “I value your friendship, Joe. You mean a lot to me. But as for holding out for a relationship, I think I’ve always made it very clear I’m
not interested. I don’t have those feelings for you.”
“You did once,” he insisted. “You know you did.”
Aubree scrubbed her hand over her face. “I’m not getting into that again. I don’t know how much more clearly I can say it. That was a mistake, an aberration, and didn’t mean anything.”
“Sleeping with someone who doesn’t mean anything to you makes you a slut,” he snarled, stepping forward and crowding into Aubree’s personal space. “Guess I’m lucky you’ve moved on.”
“Now watch it, mister,” Rick barked, interjecting himself into the conversation and shouldering his way between them, drawing Joe’s attention to himself. “I get that you’re disappointed, but there’s no need for name calling. Sounds to me like you are in agreement, so why don’t you move along? Quit trying to shame her.”
Joe narrowed his eyes and glared at Aubree until the gaze seemed to take on a physical presence, as though something hot had touched her. She held her breath, waiting to see what his next move would be. “She should be ashamed,” Joe muttered at last, “leading people on that way.” Turning on his heel, he stalked away.
Aubree studied the cracks in the sidewalk. She felt both angry and embarrassed. Rick’s hand closed around her arm. What must he think of me? Wouldn’t it be ironic if I finally agree to date someone, only to have him back out at the first sign of trouble? The thought cut into her heart much deeper than it should have.
Before she could process the question, Rick’s fingers tucked under her chin and he raised her head, staring into her eyes. “Aubree?”
“I didn’t…” she choked. Swallowing, she tried again. “I didn’t lead him on, I swear. We were friends, buddies. Nothing about the time I spent with Joe made me feel like a couple. We hung out together, with a group of people mostly.”
“But you slept with him,” Rick prompted. His voice remained gentle, but when she met his eyes, the intensity of his gaze spoke volumes.
Flawed Perfection: A Collection of Winter Wishes Page 17