Begin to Begin

by Brown,A. S.

  He follows behind me, loaded down with books. “I’m sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just … I just like talking to you, I guess."

  "It's OK. I like talking to you too." He smiles at my response and the slight feeling of discomfort I felt a few second ago dissolves like it never existed. His smile is so genuine and he always seems to be brooding over something, so it’s a rare treasure, and if you are lucky enough to be the recipient of one, it's a gift.

  "Besides, I thought maybe I could convince you to let me pick you up tonight. I'm sorry but it just makes me a bit nervous knowing you will be driving there on your own."

  I nod my head in the direction of the nearby shelf that I'm moving everything to for him to follow me.

  "Really, I do appreciate it Dalton, but I drive places all the time by myself." We set the books down on the floor and I start to organize them. I glance over and find that the frown that I’m so accustomed to seeing has returned. I'm not sure what comes over me. Maybe it's the need to see him smile again but I change my mind in that moment. "But, if it will make you feel better, sure, you can pick me up."

  And that beautiful smile returns and seems to light up the room.

  "Great, you will have to give me your address, though."

  "I will text it to you later, if that works." He nods, still smiling, and walks back over to the shelf we started pulling books off of to grab another stack. I watch him load up his arms quietly. I know everyone worries about me but I don't think this man would hurt me if his life depended on it. If anything, he would protect me with his life.

  How can I get that feeling about a man I met a couple of weeks ago?

  ******

  Dalton left right before Cole showed up for work. Thank goodness. I don't need any more questions. Gwenn has already texted me five times today with question after question. What are you wearing? What are you going to order? What if he tries to kiss you? I assured her that no kissing would be going on unless it's a friendly kiss on the cheek. Friends don't make out.

  Well, at least I don't make out with my friends. Amelia and Joey are a whole other story.

  Once I got home, I texted him and gave him my address. He responded only with, "I will be there at 6:30". That left me a couple hours to get ready. You would have thought that I would be ready by now. Nope … totally not ready.

  Now I stand here in front of my closet with no clue what to wear and only an hour left until Dalton arrives.

  The restaurant we are going to is well known and I’ve driven by before but not actually been there. I know it's very casual and laid back. So, do I go with jeans and a nice top or with a cute sundress? It's times like these that I could use Amelia or Gwenn's input but I don't want to add any more fuel to Gwenn's fire, and I definitely don't want to stoke Amelia's.

  I settle on a black sundress with small white polka dots with a yellow cardigan and yellow flats. I pin my hair back with a pearl flower bobby pin. The curls are a little on the unruly side today and I like to keep them out of my eyes.

  I have just enough time to brush on a little blush and apply some nude lip gloss when the doorbell rings.

  Taking a deep breath, I open the door with no expectations on how this night will go.

  Dalton

  She pulls the door open slowly and takes my breath away. Her dark curls are pinned back with something that shines. She's stunning and classy in her black and white dress with the yellow shoes and a thin sweater.

  "Hi." I can't help but look her over from her toes to her forehead.

  "Hi," she responds shyly.

  I hand her the flowers that I almost forgot I was holding. "These are for you." She looks at me dumbfounded at first but then gives me that sweet smile I can’t seem to get enough of.

  "You didn't have to do that. But thank you. They are beautiful."

  "I hope you like them. I saw the same kind of flower the other day at the store when I was there and thought that these would be a safe bet."

  "You're right. Tiger Lilies are my absolute favorite." I can tell by her beaming smile that she's telling the truth and not just saying that to make me feel good. "Come in for a minute so I can put them in some water." I follow behind her into her house. It's exactly what I would have expected. A small, well-kept ranch-style home. White with dark-blue shutters, perfectly landscaped and a swing on the small front porch.

  "Cute house, it doesn't even look like your typical Florida house."

  "Yeah, it's got that Southern feel that I love. Reminds me of home." When she says home, I'm assuming that she means Georgia, where she told Uncle Mel that she is originally from.

  "Georgia, right?"

  "Yeah, I haven't been back in several years. I really don't have a reason to, though. All my immediate family is gone and my friends and Benji's family are here close by and they are all that I need." At first, I'm not sure who Benji is and then it dawns on me that she must be talking about her fiancé that passed away.

  "So you're still close with his family?" I ask, hoping that maybe she will tell me more about him. I strangely want to know about the man that owns her heart.

  "Just his brother Joey. You met him briefly at the store that night,” she says with tension in her eyes.

  I know exactly what night she’s talking about of course. The night I pulled that scum off of her that was trying to hurt her.

  "Ahhh, yes, I remember him. I don't think I made the best impression." The guy was definitely giving me the once-over that night. He cares about her for sure, but can you blame him?

  "Believe me. He doesn't have any issues with you. If anything, he's thankful that you were there that night. They are just very protective of me and look out for me. It can be suffocating at times, but I know it's only because they love me and worry about me being alone. I don't have any family so it's just my friends and Joey. I never was really close with Benji's family but to be fair, neither was he or Joey," she explains and I guess it helps me understand her bond with her friends here.

  Silently, Iwatch as she finishes primping the flowers in a glass vase and she places them in the middle of the kitchen table. "There. They are perfect," she says as she steps back and looks at them and then turns to me with a smile.

  I think I might lose my soul in that smile that she so rarely gives … and I think that I'm OK with that.

  Marin

  He brought me flowers … wow.

  He brought me my favorite flowers and I'm freaking out a little bit inside. This is feeling more and more like a date. And I'm oddly OK with that at the moment. I may change my mind in a little bit but I’m going to go with the flow for now.

  He opens the door to the Bronco and helps me inside. I love the smell of this truck. Old and musty with a hint of grease and a hint of Dalton. I can't imagine him driving anything else. It’s just him.

  After I'm settled in, he makes his way around to his side and hops in effortlessly and puts the key in. It starts with a roar. It sounds like such an angry vehicle but I love it.

  As we make our way through the neighborhood and out to the main highway, he glances over at me and smiles softly. No words need to be spoken so we continue our trip in comfortable silence. It feels right—easy.

  But eventually once of us needs to cut the silence so I choose to do it.

  "So, have you eaten at Bubba's Place before?" I ask, even though I’m pretty sure he has.

  He answers without turning to look at me, keeping his eyes on the road. "Yeah, it's great. It's really laid back and has a pretty cool atmosphere."

  "I haven't eaten there. I know where it is and have heard good things about it." He finally glances my way for the briefest second and in the darkness, I can still make out the gleam of his smile.

  "I think you will like it."

  The rest of the drive doesn't take long and we spend the time talking about the garage a bit and how he is coming along with learning how to run the office. He doesn't seem to have run into any major snags as of yet. And I’m
a bit proud that I was able to actually help him.

  When we pull into the parking lot, the atmosphere is captivating. There are white lights strung around the expansive deck that wraps around the entire building. There are also lights in the small hedges on the corners of the building. It gives the whole place a very relaxing feel and we aren't even inside yet.

  Once we park, I realize that I haven't been able to take my eyes off of the place and Dalton is standing at my door waiting for me, staring at me with a goofy grin.

  “Pretty cool, huh,” he says and shuts my door after I hop out.

  "I'm sorry. I've never seen this place at night. It's breathtaking." He gently places his hand on the small of my back and starts to lead me toward the wood walkway that leads to the front door.

  "Wait till you eat the food," he says with a wink.

  He freaking winked and the butterflies took flight in my stomach again. What the hell is happening to me?

  Once inside, I look around and immediately fall in love with this place. It's laid back but romantic in a strange country way. Just like the outdoor décor, the inside has lights strung throughout. There are small vases on the center of wooden picnic tables with daisies in them.

  An older gentleman wearing blue jeans and a flannel shirt with rolled-up sleeves approaches us.

  "Well, good evening, folks," he greets us. "Will it just be the two of you this evening?" Dalton steps closer to me.

  "Yes, sir," he answers.

  We are led through the large dining area to a back corner that has a great view outside. After we are seated, he introduces himself as Ben and we give him our drink orders.

  Once he walks away to get our drinks, Dalton seems a bit nervous so I reach across the table and give his hand a comforting squeeze. For nothing more than to show that I'm right here with him and he has nothing to be nervous about.

  "So, tell me what’s good,” I tell him as I pick up my menu.

  "I have had the shrimp and grits when I was here before and it was amazing. I brought my aunt and uncle back when this place first opened. They deserved a night out and I thought this place was just their style. I was right, they loved it. And I guess I did too." He shrugs shyly.

  "OK, so what should I get?"

  "Well, actually, I had planned on getting the seafood mess pot. I figured we could share it. But it's kinda messy so if you don't really want to do that I understand." I see the uncertainty in his eyes. He wants to make me happy—it’s cute.

  Laughing I close my menu up and place it on the side of the table. "That sounds perfect."

  Ben returns with our drinks and Dalton orders the seafood mess pot.

  "Dalton, I would love to hear about your aunt. I didn't get a chance to meet her when I was out at the garage last week."

  He laughs lightly. "She's a piece of work my aunt Dot. But she makes my uncle Mel happy and keeps him in line. She has also taken good care of me." He pauses to take a drink. "She actually has an antique shop not far from your bookstore. You should stop in sometime. She would love it. Especially since Uncle Mel has been running his mouth and she knows about you."

  "Wait … does she own Antique Memories?" If so, then I know exactly where it is.

  "Yep. That's the one."

  "I will definitely stop in sometime. I know exactly where it is and have actually been meaning to go check it out."

  He continues to tell me about his family. His aunt never really wanted to get involved with the garage business even though his Uncle Mel tried to get her to take over the office duties. She told him that she had her thing and he had his. He liked old cars and she liked old furniture.

  The more he tells me about his Aunt Dot the more I can't wait to meet her.

  It doesn't take long for our food to arrive and if it tastes as good as it smells it's going to be delicious. The server dumps the giant pot into the center of the table and there is a multitude of things to eat. I have had low country boil before but this is a low country boil on steroids. There is shrimp, onions, lemon, two different types of sausage, potatoes, crab legs, and crawfish.

  "Wow." It's a bit overwhelming; I don't even know where to start.

  "I hope you like it all. You do, don't you?" he asks nervously and I grin while I started picking out what I want to eat first.

  "Of course I like it. I love it all and it smells incredible!" Dalton breathes out a small sigh of relief and digs into the food.

  We both stuff our faces silently only making sounds when the goodness overtakes our senses. After about five minutes, we come up for air.

  "Oh, my god, Dalton. This is so freaking good. I don't think I've ever had food this good in my life." I pop another shrimp into my mouth and say around a mouthful of food, "We are most definitely going to be coming back here."

  As soon as I say it, I feel his gaze on me. "Yeah? So, you think we could do this again?"

  Not only do I shock him, but I shock myself when I answer, "Yes. Of course." The smile I receive makes that answer worth everything.

  Worth the risk I’m taking with my heart and worth the hurt I’m willing to endure.

  Chapter Twelve

  Dalton

  I'm going to take it as a good sign that Marin wants to come here again. More specifically, that she wants to come here with me.

  Especially since I can tell she's still hurting and that a piece of her soul is missing. And maybe it's selfish but I want to be the one to heal her, to make her love again. But I need to go slow with her and handle her with care. Also, I need to get Sonny and J.R. out of my life before she becomes too much more than a friend.

  I watch her from under my lashes when she thinks I'm not watching, but little does she know I haven't taken my eyes off her all night except when I was driving; even then it was a struggle.

  As I sit admiring the way that she eats—yes, creepy, I know—my damn phone rings. I could have sworn that I turned it off.

  "Damn, I'm sorry."

  "It's OK. You're a business owner now. I totally understand." Nodding, I fish my phone out of my pocket right as it stops ringing.

  "Oh, well. If it was important they will call back." As soon as the words leave my mouth, her phone rings. We both laugh as she grabs it out of her purse.

  "I'm sorry I have to take this. It's the detective on Benji's case."

  Detective? Isn't Benji her deceased fiancé? Why would there be a detective involved? I try not to listen in on her conversation but it's hard not to considering she's sitting right across from me.

  "Hello."

  "Yes, Detective."

  She pauses to listen to what he has to say.

  "OK. He is actually with me right now. Yes. OK. We will be there shortly."

  She ends the call and looks over at me, and I'm sure she can tell I'm perplexed by the conversation she just had with a detective.

  "That was Detective Merritt. He is actually a homicide detective but he's become, well, I guess a friend since Benji died. He said they have a suspect in custody from the attack. We need to go to the police station. I guess he tried calling you as well. That is probably the call you missed."

  Her demeanor does a complete one eighty. From light and relaxed to frazzled and stressed. She shoves her phone back into her purse and jumps up out of her seat.

  "OK. Let's pay the bill, and on the way there you can fill me in. On everything." I get the attention of our server and let him know that we need to be going. We forgo taking the food with us since it would have to sit in the car and seafood in a closed-up vehicle is definitely not a good idea.

  Marin starts digging around in her purse and pulls out her wallet.

  "Nope. Put it away. This is my treat. I asked you, remember?" She looks at me like I have two heads. "What? Don’t look at me like that,” I joke. “I haven't had the pleasure of treating a beautiful woman to dinner in a long time."

  She smiles and puts her wallet back. "OK. Thank you. But, next one is on me."

  "Sure," I answer, even though I most l
ikely won’t let her pay the next time, either.

  Ben brings the bill to our table and I give the server enough cash to cover our meal and the tip. Marin is already standing at the door and ready to go.

  "Marin. Calm down, sweetheart. It will be OK," I try to soothe her.

  She breathes out a small sigh and runs her hands through her chocolate curls. "I know. I apologize. I'm used to them always saying 'nothing new' regarding Benji’s case that I really never expected them to call and have a suspect in mine."

  I’m completely confused.

  Once back in the Bronco and on our way to the police station, I bite the bullet and ask the question that I have wanted to ask since I found out that her fiancé died.

  "What happened to Benji, Marin?" She looks over at me, shrouded in despair.

  "He was murdered." I expected something bad. Especially if there was a detective involved, but I didn't expect murder. I expected maybe a car accident or a workplace accident. Not murder.

  She continues talking before I have a chance to ask anything else. I wouldn't even know what to ask, anyway. "He was shot the night of our rehearsal dinner. Walking out of the hotel to his vehicle with his groomsmen, we were to get married the next day."

  I look down at her hands and catch her playing with the diamond ring on her finger. Why have I never noticed it before? "It was a stray bullet. The police think it came from across the street but they never could find out who it was. They said it could have been a gang-related shooting that didn't hit the intended target. But it hit Benji. In the neck. He ended up being the target whether it was intended or not. I'll never forget that night for as long as I live. The look in his eyes as his life slipped from his body." She wipes away the tear that drops slowly down her cheek.

  Swallowing the lump in my throat I ask, "how long ago?"

  "It was over a year ago now. Last January." She looks at me sadly. "I know. It's plenty of time to move on. But how can I move on when there has been no justice. Not even any good leads. It's like a bullet just shot through all my hopes and dreams from nowhere and they all died on the pavement that night."