Cherishing Mrs. Right

by Debbie White

  “I’m glad you asked. Swords represent air. Can

  you figure out the last one?” Darla asked, her eyes

  twinkling.

  “Well let’s see. We have water, earth, and air,”

  Cody said tapping his finger to his chin. His eyes

  widened. “Fire?” he yelled.

  Darla giggled. “You’re a smart cowboy, aren’t

  you?”

  “Process of elimination,” Cody said.

  “Here, shuffle the deck,” Darla said, pushing the

  cards over to Cody.

  Cody shuffled the deck and passed it back to her.

  Darla cut the deck and tapped the top. Cody put the

  one half on top of the other half and grinned.

  Darla tossed three cards face down in front of

  them.

  Touching the left card she said, “This represents

  the past. “The middle is the present and this one,”

  she said tapping the far right one, “represents the

  future.”

  She slowly turned over the one closest to her. She

  stared at it for a moment. “Eight of swords,” she said

  aloud.

  “What does that mean?” Cody asked.

  “This means you were trapped in a hurtful

  relationship at one time.”

  Cody lowered his head. He rose quickly and

  locked his eyes onto hers. “This could be

  representative of anyone who’s ever been in a

  relationship before.”

  Darla frowned. She slowly turned over the

  middle card. “Two of cups,” she whispered.

  Cody laughed. “Okay? I can’t wait to hear what

  this one means.”

  Darla softened her face. “This card represents a

  union. It’s time to bury the hatchet or pursue

  someone passionately.”

  His left eyebrow took a quizzical dip.

  “Interesting,” he said.

  Darla turned the final card over. She stared at it

  long.

  “Well? What does this card tell you, Darla?”

  Darla arched her eyebrows. She reached up and

  played with a lock of her hair. “This is the lovers’

  card.”

  “The lovers’ card? What does that mean?” he

  asked.

  She locked her gaze onto his. She didn’t want to

  mince any words on this one. Her heart was beating

  fast and her hands felt clammy as she handled the

  last card.

  “A love relationship of your lifetime began

  melting your heart as these cards were dealt.”

  Cody pushed the stool back. He looked off into

  the distance. He swallowed hard. Just once. He

  cleared his throat and turned to face her.

  “You can stay with me for a couple of days while

  we figure this out. Can’t you ask your family for any

  financial help? ‘Cuz I hate to tell you this, but telling

  fortunes is not big business.”

  “I’ll have you know I had a very lucrative

  business reading cards. Don’t you want to discuss

  your cards and their meaning?”

  “This is voodoo stuff. I’m not going to believe it.

  It was fun. I’ll give you that much,” Cody said as he

  stood up and stretched. “The guest room is down the

  hall and on the right.”

  Chapter Four

  

  Cody was up before Darla. He didn’t like the day

  to get started without him. He poured his second cup

  of coffee and was leafing through the paper when she

  came strolling into the kitchen with her hair all kinky

  and black mascara smudges under her eyes.

  Cody laughed. “Good morning. Do you always

  look this beautiful in the morning?”

  Darla let out a gruff sound and plopped down on

  a stool. “I don’t do mornings.”

  “Coffee?” Cody asked. “Cream, sugar, black?”

  Cody inquired as he got a mug down.

  “I like my coffee the way I like my men—dark.”

  Cody angled his head. “Come again?”

  Darla threw her head back and let out a roar.

  “You’ve never heard that expression before?”

  Cody got the cup down and poured the coffee. He

  slid the mug over to Darla. “No, can’t say I have.”

  “It just means I like my men dark and

  mysterious. Some substitute the word dark for black.

  I’m good with that, too,” she chuckled.

  Cody frowned. “You sure do have a way with

  words. What do they say for people who like a little

  cream and sugar in their coffee?”

  Darla leaned in closer to the kitchen counter. “Oh

  well, that’s interesting, too. It just means you like

  your women, or men, to be fun, flirty, and not a

  stuffy shirt.”

  Darla wrinkled her nose. “They say opposites

  attract,” she said as she took a sip of the piping hot

  coffee.

  Cody pursed his lips. “They say a lot of things. I

  don’t listen to them,” Cody said. “Let’s talk about

  what you mentioned last night. About staying on

  here,” Cody continued.

  Darla took another sip of her coffee. “I’m sort of

  hungry. What do you have to eat?”

  Cody furrowed his brows. “Eggs, toast, cereal.”

  “Are the eggs cage free?” Darla asked.

  Cody smirked. “I don’t know. I doubt it.”

  “Is the toast gluten free and the cereal organic?”

  Cody went to the cupboard and fetched the cereal

  box. “Here—you read the label.”

  Darla squinted at the box. “This is good. Yes.

  This is healthy. I’ll have a bowl of this. Do you have

  soy or coconut milk?”

  Cody’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

  Darla pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulders.

  “You’ll get used to me, yet.”

  Cody ended up making steel cut oatmeal for his

  guest with the dietary restrictions. He watched on as

  she ate the oatmeal with nothing on it. “That’s gotta

  be some of the most tasteless oatmeal,” he said

  shaking his head.

  Darla ignored his statement and continued eating.

  Cody got up from his stool and headed over to the

  sink to rinse out his coffee cup. “I’m headed into the

  restaurant today.” Cody looked at his watch. “In fact,

  I was supposed to be there fifteen minutes ago. What

  are you going to do while I’m gone?”

  Darla pushed back her stool and stood up. She

  started to speak and then paused. Cody looked on.

  She took a few steps and placed her bowl in the sink

  and ran water to fill it up. “I don’t really know. I

  guess I’ll shower and get dressed and then head out.”

  “Head out to where?” he asked.

  “Wherever the wind takes me,” she said.

  Cody furrowed his brow.

  “You really shouldn’t do that. See this crease is

  beginning to become permanent,” she said touching

  his forehead.

  “Okay. Whatever. So you’ll lock up before you

  go?”

  “Please. You live so far out in the country I doubt

  anyone even knows you’re out here,” she said.

  “I still lock up my house. So if you know what’s

  good for you, you will do the same,” he said as he<
br />
  brushed past her to get his keys off the counter.

  “You can stop by the restaurant if you want,” he

  added.

  “Why would I do that?” she asked.

  Cody locked his eyes onto hers. She was a

  strange lady. She always was second guessing him.

  He didn’t really appreciate that. “I don’t know.

  Because you didn’t get to have the million dollar tour

  the other night?”

  “True. And that is why I came.”

  Cody tilted his head. “You came out here just to

  see the restaurant? I thought you came out to see

  me?”

  “That, too. It’s a long story, but your friend Gabe

  sent me.”

  “Gabe?” Cody tossed his keys back onto the

  counter. “I’m not going anywhere until we get this

  story all ironed out. I thought you said Bryan sent

  you?”

  “Well, he did, sort of.”

  “Darla, please stop playing games. I need to

  know the truth.”

  Darla let a small sigh escape from the corners of

  her mouth. “I was visiting Bryan when he lived in

  New York. He hadn’t lived there long. Anyway, he

  was put in contact with Gabe to help get a job and a

  place to stay. Gabe’s a wonderful man. He has such a

  big heart.”

  “Yes, I know that about him. He’d give you the

  shirt off of his back.”

  “Just before Bryan admitted himself back to

  Walter Reed, Gabe and I had a long talk. I told him I

  didn’t know what I was going to do. I felt like a lost

  soul. He thought maybe a fresh start would do me

  good. He said he had friends all over the United

  States and the world. He started tossing out city

  names and when he said yours, something about a

  cowboy named Cody had me intrigued.”

  “Does Bryan even know you’re here?” Cody

  asked.

  Darla nodded. “I told him. He was happy.”

  “So this changes everything. You do realize

  that?” Cody stated.

  “How?”

  “How? Because Gabe sent you, that’s how. I owe

  that man everything. He helped me get the loan for

  the steakhouse. Without his help, I’d just be another

  former Marine trying to put the past in the past and

  make the future better.”

  Darla softened her face. “Did you see a lot of

  terrible things over there—wherever it was you were

  serving?”

  Cody brushed his hand through his thick dark

  hair. “Let’s just say I’d sooner forget about it than

  talk about it.”

  Darla perked up. “If you give me just fifteen

  minutes I can be ready. We can ride in together. How

  about that?”

  Cody pulled out a stool and plopped down onto

  it. Darla rushed over to his side and gave him a peck

  on the cheek. “Thanks. I’ll be right down.”

  While Darla was in the guest room getting ready,

  Cody’s mind wandered for a few minutes to a time

  he’d not thought about in a while. A time he didn’t

  care to think about. Hearing about Bryan stirred

  some emotions, and it was hard to close the door

  once the emotions and memories came crashing

  through. He shuddered. He loved serving his country

  and he’d do it all over again, but he wasn’t the same

  young man that went into the military. He’d changed.

  He was different. He wouldn’t take crap off of

  anyone, and he certainly wasn’t going to be

  manipulated by Darla. He chuckled. “Bryan. Your

  sister is a trip,” he mused.

  Darla came bouncing down the hallway all

  dressed and ready to go. Cody caught a hint of

  jasmine and vanilla. Her hair was still wet from her

  shower, and the small ringlets bounced to and fro on

  her back as she pranced through the house. Cody

  pushed back his stool. “Ready to go?” he asked.

  Darla grabbed her macramé purse off the console

  table and the two headed out the front door.

  Cody started up the engine and was about to back

  the truck out of the driveway when he caught a

  glimpse of Darla staring at him. A slow grin quirked

  his mouth. “What are you staring at, girl?”

  A devilish smile appeared on her mouth. “I’m

  just looking at one hunk of a man. You’re too

  handsome not to stare at.”

  “Now quit it, Darla. Remember, I told you I’m

  not comfortable with you flirting with me.”

  “Oh, man. You need to get over that. Besides,

  flirting is innocent. Now if I did something like this,”

  she said, and she leaned over and kissed Cody on the

  lips. “Then, I could see you getting a little nervous.”

  Cody stared at her. He ran his tongue over his

  lips. He took his hat off and tossed it onto the seat

  between them. Darla looked straight ahead out the

  windshield feeling confident she’d gotten her point

  across. Cody hesitated for a minute then he reached

  over and pulled her to him. He stared into her blue

  eyes waiting for some response. Instead, Darla

  reached up and put her arms around his neck and

  pulled him toward her. “You’re playing with the big

  girls, now,” she whispered.

  He lowered his head and their lips met. She let

  out a small sigh and then mashed her mouth to his.

  Cody broke loose first. He pursed his lips and stared

  out into space. He looked back toward Darla, who

  was now sitting very still in her seat with her hands

  clasped in her lap. He put the truck in gear and put

  his foot to the gas pedal. “Some things are just better

  left unsaid,” he pondered.

  The silence was unnerving—especially after their

  kiss. Cody wasn’t sure really what came over him.

  He’d never kissed a hippie before. He laughed out

  loud.

  “What’s so funny?” she asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “Listen. I’m sorry if my flirting with you made

  you uneasy. I was really just messing with you. Are

  we cool?”

  Cody turned his neck and eyed her. He quickly

  turned back around and watched the road.

  “Seriously, Cody. Are we?”

  Cody gripped the steering wheel tightly. “So how

  often do you kiss strange men?”

  “Strange men? I don’t think you’re strange,” she

  said, letting out a little giggle.

  “Strangers—strange men as in strangers,” he

  emphasized.

  “I know what you mean. I’m not stupid,” she

  sputtered, poking out her bottom lip.

  Cody focused on her full bottom lip. He let out a

  sigh. He pulled into the restaurant parking lot and

  drove around the back. “I like to save the parking in

  front for customers,” he said.

  “How considerate of you,” she said a bit curtly.

  Cody furrowed his brow. He remembered what

  she’d said about the permanent crease in his forehead

  and quickly went from frown to relaxed face in a

  millisecond. “Listen, I have some business to

  conduct wit
h my staff before we open up for lunch.

  Find a chair and sit down and be quiet, okay?”

  Darla stiffened her back. “Excuse me? What did

  you say to me just now?”

  “I have work to do. I don’t need you flitting

  about doing your fortune telling or giving out your

  tofu recipes. I need for you to be quiet and let me do

  my job.”

  “Whoa, cowboy! I don’t know who died and

  made you king of the cowboys, but I don’t like the

  tone in your voice.”

  Cody grabbed the steering wheel with both

  hands. “I’m sorry. That did come off wrong. I guess I

  just …”

  Darla reached over and gently stroked his hand.

  “It’s okay. I’ve thrown a lot at you in the past

  twenty-four hours.”

  Cody nodded. “Anyway, let’s go inside. I’ll

  introduce you to the staff.”

  “That would be groovy,” she said.

  Darla opened the truck door and slid out. She

  walked around the truck and Cody and she entered

  the back door to the restaurant. Once inside, Darla

  could see a few people gathered in the kitchen

  talking. They looked up as the two entered.

  “Hey, everyone. This is my friend, Darla. Darla,

  this is Keith, my kitchen manager, over there is

  Marcus, he’s one of the cooks, and this is Marcy, and

  this is Julie, they’re servers here,” Cody said.

  Darla smiled at the group. “Greetings, wonderful

  staff.”

  A couple of snickers came from the group. Cody

  knew what they were thinking. “Come on, Darla let

  me show you to the dining area. I’ll get you

  something to drink.”

  Cody looked over his shoulder and gave a dirty

  look to Keith and Marcus. He made eye contact with

  the girls. They were in a huddle giggling. Cody

  shook his head and led Darla out the swinging doors

  to the main room. “You can sit at the bar or at a

  table, whichever you prefer.”

  “I’ll sit over here so I can look out the window,”

  she said.

  “What can I get you to drink?”

  She opened up her macramé shoulder purse and

  took out her cell phone. “It’s only ten o’clock in the