Begin Again: Short stories from the heart

by Mary Campisi

  ***

  After work the next day, Natalie picked up her dry cleaning, bought a few groceries, and returned an overdue book to the library. She’d do anything to avoid a chance encounter with Chase Danning. Natalie was still angry with him for his behavior last night. Angry and humiliated, if the truth be known. She’d practically begged him for a compliment, throwing her ego at his feet and when she didn’t get an immediate response, she’d tried another tactic. It was pitiful. She was pitiful. As Natalie turned onto her quiet tree-lined street, she ignored the little jump her heart took when she saw Chase’s SUV parked in front of her house. She really didn’t want to see him. He was arrogant and far too handsome. Still, by the time she got to the front door, her pulse had tripled and her breath grew choppy. It’s all these bags I’m carrying, she assured herself as she pushed open the door. The smell of fresh paint greeted her and dropping the bags on the sofa, she followed the odor to her bedroom.

  Chase was folding the drape sheets and glanced up when she entered. “Hi,” he said quietly.

  “Hi.”

  “About last night…”

  “I’m sorry. I acted like a fool. I guess I did want you to see I do have more of a wardrobe than shorts and tank tops.”

  “But I like that wardrobe.” He grinned. “Trust me, I really do.”

  She smiled back. “The problem was, I got angry when you called me on it. I felt so ridiculously foolish. I have never in my life sought a man’s approval and the fact that I did that with you last night just infuriated me.” Natalie laughed shyly. “Especially when you ignored me.”

  Chase set the drape sheet on the floor and walked toward her. He took her hands in his own large ones and smiled down at her. “Truce?” he asked, looking deeply into her eyes.

  “Truce,” Natalie repeated softly.

  Chase lowered his head and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Her eyes fluttered closed as she responded, welcoming his mouth. He gathered her in his arms, molding her to his body, deepening the kiss. Natalie was lost in the touch and feel of him as she wound her arms around his neck, curling her fingers in his dark brown hair, wanting to get closer… closer…

  The ringing doorbell jolted them apart. They stared at one another, surprised and embarrassed at having shared such an intimate moment.

  Natalie spoke first. “I’ve got to get the doorbell,” she said in a throaty rasp that sounded nothing like her normal, self-assured voice.

  Chase said nothing.

  The doorbell rang again and she hurried to answer it.

  From the bedroom, Chase could hear a male voice, followed by Natalie’s soft laughter. They exchanged a few more words and then he heard the front door close. Natalie reappeared in the bedroom a minute later.

  “That was a friend from work. He asked me to go out for Chinese.”

  Chase merely watched her. “And you want my permission?”

  Natalie’s amber eyes narrowed. “Of course not. But I thought…” The cold look in his eyes stopped her. She wouldn’t humiliate herself any further by telling him she thought the kiss had meant something and she would much rather spend the evening with him.

  “Tell me,” Chase asked smoothly, “would this guy’s name happen to be Derek?”

  “Well, yes. Yes it is. How did you know?”

  Chase smirked. “He called you three times between five and five twenty. Said you should call him back as soon as you got in.”

  “You listened to my messages?”

  He pointed to the answering machine on the nightstand and said, “I can’t believe you still have one of those things.”

  “Not everyone embraces technology.”

  “Obviously.”

  “Don’t change the subject. You listened to my messages.”

  “You’d have to be deaf not to hear that machine. And I did happen to be working in this room.” His look darkened. “So, who is this Derek? Is he some boyfriend?”

  “If it’s any of your business, Derek is a friend. And just exactly when were you going to tell me he called?”

  “In case you’ve forgotten already, we happened to be busy at the time.”

  “I’m going out.” Beast.

  “Fine.”

  “And I hope you’re gone when I get back.”

  “Why?” he lashed out. “Planning to use this room?”

  Natalie’s hand shot out to slap his face but Chase caught it in mid air. “Don’t,” he warned, bringing her arm down behind her back, forcing her closer to him. They stood inches apart, glaring at each other. In the next instant, Chase hauled her to him and ground his mouth against hers. The kiss was meant to be cold and born of anger and frustration. He hadn’t expected her to respond, hadn’t expected her lips to part and welcome the kiss. When he felt Natalie’s honest response, the kiss gentled a moment and then exploded. They reached for one another, tongues mating, hands stroking.

  Chase broke the kiss and pulled away, his breathing heavy and ragged. “Go,” he ground out. “Your date is waiting.”

  Natalie stared at him, obviously waiting for him to say something, maybe even ask her not to go. When he didn’t, she turned and silently head for the door. And then she was gone.

  ***

  Natalie arrived home from work the next day, cranky and exhausted. She’d barely slept last night and had been in a foul mood all day and she knew why. His name was Chase Danning. She walked into the bedroom, tossed her jacket on the bed and kicked off her shoes. The red light on the answering machine flashed an annoying blink. Derek again, she thought, pressing the play button. Chase’s strong voice filled the line.

  “Hi. It’s Chase. I’d like to apologize for acting like a jerk last night.” Pause. “It’s just that I think there might be something really special between us.” There was a slight hesitation followed by a rush of words, “But every time I try to get near, you run away. Or Derek stops over. I don’t know. I hope I’m not making a fool of myself but I think you feel something too. I’d like to take you out tonight if you’re free. There’s a great seafood restaurant downtown. Call me if you’re interested. You’ve got my number.” Click.

  Natalie hugged herself and danced around the room, barely able to control her excitement. Then she found Chase’s phone number and practicing her most sophisticated voice, dialed it.

  ***

  The waiter approached with two elegantly garnished steamed lobsters. “Your dinner is served.” The next several minutes were taken with arranging the food, refilling wine glasses and addressing other inane pleasantries. Chase wished the guy would hurry up and be done with it. Expensive restaurants were nice but forget trying to get any privacy. Next time, they’d order take-out and eat at home. Next time. First, he had to get through tonight.

  “Chase,” Natalie began hesitantly.

  “Hmm?” He dug out a lobster claw with studied concentration.

  “About Derek…”

  His head shot up. “Let’s not talk about him tonight,” he said in a tight voice.

  “He’s just a friend,” she persisted.

  “Okay.” He popped the succulent meat into his mouth.

  “We work at the ad agency together.” His eyes narrowed but she pressed on, “Derek’s real love is acting and he’s auditioning for the lead role in a play. I guess all of his other friends are tired of listening to him, so he tries out his lines on me.”

  “I’ll bet he does.”

  “There’s no need to be nasty. He’s just a friend.”

  Chase shrugged. “Okay, I believe you. Now, can we enjoy our meal and forget about this guy?”

  She nodded, quietly watching him attack his meal and wondered if he weren’t wishing the claw speared on his tiny fork was Derek.

  The rest of the evening was quiet and relaxing. The subject of Derek wasn’t mentioned again and Chase seemed to be his old, easygoing, charming self. Too charming. Too handsome, Natalie reminded herself as the evening drew to a close. They walked to her front steps, holding hands and talking so
ftly.

  “I should be finished with everything by tomorrow.”

  “Really?” Natalie tried to hide her disappointment.

  He smiled down at her. “I thought you’d be happy. A few weeks ago you were ready to shoot your landlord. Remember?” He cupped her chin with strong fingers.

  “That was before,” she whispered.

  “Yeah.” He smiled as his mouth lowered to meet hers. “That was before.”

  ***

  Chase made one last inspection of the house. The bedroom was freshly painted a dusty rose, the leaky faucets were gone, there was new drywall, carpet sections and no more ants. Natalie would be pleased. He had to admit, the house had grown on him. Of course, it was nothing compared to the spacious place he called home but somehow he didn’t miss the swimming pool, Jacuzzi, big screen televisions, or all of the other modern amenities he’d grown accustomed to. Not even the garage door opener. It was all because of Natalie. Home was where she was and that was where he wanted to be.

  The phone rang, snapping him out of his reverie. He almost answered it, thinking it might be Natalie calling him. At the last minute, Chase decided to let the machine kick in.

  “I’m dying without you,” the male voice groaned. “I want to be with you forever. That other guy doesn’t care about you. He’ll use you and then throw you away. I’ll cherish you forever,” the husky voice promised. “After what happened the other night between us, how can you deny our love? After you lay in my arms, how can you deny the passion? Be honest with yourself—”

  Chase slammed the front door on the rest of the words, walked down the driveway and out of Natalie Allington’s life.

  ***

  The next two days were long and quiet and very lonely. Natalie moped around the house, looking out the window whenever she heard a car, wondering if it would be Chase, and somehow knowing it would not.

  By Saturday, three days had gone by and still she hadn’t heard from him. She’d turned down a theater invitation from Derek and movie tickets from two of her girlfriends. She wanted to be alone—or with Chase.

  Where was he? The house was finished but he’d told her it would be. That wasn’t it, was it? He hadn’t ‘finished the job’ and then just ‘finished with her.’ Had he? Not after the other night with all those unspoken promises. All the words that still needed to be said. He couldn’t leave her now, not after she’d just convinced herself that he was so much more than good looks and smooth words. Oh, why didn’t he call?

  Two days later, Natalie decided either there was some huge catastrophe, like he’d been in a car accident and had amnesia, or he really was a slick, talking, love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy. If that were the case, then she was a major fool and would never forgive herself, but he’d have to look her in the eye and tell her it was over. Then she would haul off and land her best right cross on that too-handsome face.

  Dan-Son was a huge ultra-modern building with glass everywhere. As she rode the elevator to the 18th floor where Chase worked, Natalie began to have misgivings about the wisdom of what she was doing. Before she could change her mind, the door chimed opened and she stepped into the luxurious Dan-Son suite.

  Natalie approached the older woman seated at the receptionist desk and said, “Excuse me, I’d like to see Mr. Danning.”

  The woman eyed her carefully a moment, then smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry but Mr. Danning is in meetings all day.”

  “Oh.” She tried to hide her disappointment, but failed. She’d come to find out the truth and one way or another, she’d have it. “It’s rather important. I don’t mind waiting.” She glanced at her watch. “If you think Mr. Danning’s boss won’t mind, I’ll just have a seat until he’s through.”

  “Mr. Danning’s boss?” The older woman looked confused. “Mr. Danning is the boss.”

  Just then, the huge double doors to the boardroom flew open and Chase Danning emerged, head down, studying the papers in his hand. “Gladys, I need you to run another set of numbers for me. These projections aren’t working.” He glanced up and saw her. “Natalie.”

  She stared at the man in the expensive suit and fancy Italian loafers with the cold eyes. “You own this company?”

  He gestured nonchalantly toward the huge gold sign. “My partner and I do. I’m the Danning in Dan and he’s the Sampson in Son.”

  “Oh, well,” she hesitated a moment, waiting for him to say something. Anything. He continued to stare at her with that cold impersonal look. “I happened to be in the neighborhood and thought I’d look you up,” she lied. “But your secretary said you were tied up all day. So”—she slowly backed away toward the elevator—“I’ll just be on my way.”

  She had to get out of here before the tears started, which would be any second.

  “ Natalie, I’d like to talk to you for a minute. Would you come into my office?”

  She wanted to get as far away from Chase Danning as possible. She’d come here for answers and now that she had them, she wanted to run away and bury them. It was more than obvious that whatever attraction he’d felt for her was over as soon as the remodeling of her house was done. She’d been a side benefit, a silly woman foolish enough to fall in love with him.

  Natalie followed him into an office that was almost as large as her house. What an idiot she’d been to believe he’d be happy with a plain simple person like herself.

  “Why didn’t you tell me the truth about you and Derek?”

  “What truth?” Now she was not only stupid but confused as well.

  “Come on, Natalie,” his voice rose in agitation. “I was there. I heard the machine. You spent the night with him.” His accusation was full of pain.

  Natalie stared. And then she began to laugh.

  “I’m glad you think this is funny,” he snapped, glaring at her.

  “You thought”—she laughed again—“Derek was serious?” The murderous look on Chase’s face said he did. “I told you he was an actor. He was auditioning for me. That’s all. Didn’t you listen to the whole message where he tells me it’s his latest script?”

  “No.”

  Natalie’s mood changed suddenly as she remembered the reason for her visit. “I thought you weren’t calling me because you didn’t want to see me anymore.” She shrugged. “You know, done with the job and the woman all at the same time.”

  Chase moved toward her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “That couldn’t be farther from the truth.” His blue gaze covered her. “I thought I’d been played for a fool. I love you, Natalie and I’ve missed you. Your laughter, your smile… your sassy mouth.”

  She smiled and moved her lips lightly over his. “I love you, even if you’re too handsome and too charming for your own good.” Their lips melted together. “Oh, and too rich. Don’t forget too rich.”

  Chase laughed low in his throat. “You make me sound like an affliction.” He drew away slightly, his voice suddenly serious. “I’m just me, Natalie. If the money were all gone tomorrow, I’d still be rich as long as I had you by my side. “

  “That’s sounds like a proposal.” She threw her arms around his neck, urging him closer as she brought her mouth to his.

  “And that sounds like an acceptance,” he murmured, lowering his head to meet her kiss.

  “Yes,” she sighed. “It certainly does.”

  Chapter 5

  Oh Christmas Tree…

  “And Nicole says he’s ridden on elephants in Africa and surfed in Bali.”

  “Mmm ...that’s nice,” Maggie said, removing the tissue paper from another Christmas ornament. Our First Christmas, 1983, stared back at her in the shape of a twinkling star.

  “And he’s skied the Alps.”

  “Really?” Maggie re-wrapped the ornament and stuck it in the bottom of the box. Jeff had been like that star, all glittery on the outside and hollow on the inside. Too bad she hadn’t found out sooner. No, then she wouldn’t have Danielle.

  “Mom! Did you hear anything I said?” Da
nielle slid down the soft cushions of her chair to land seated, cross-legged on the floor next to her mother.

  “I am listening, honey,” Maggie said, lining up her collection of snowmen. Paper mache beside ceramics, ceramics beside wood. “You were telling me about one of your friend’s fathers who likes to ski.”

  “No, Mom. See, I knew you weren’t listening,” Danielle said, rolling her eyes like a typical twelve year old.

  “Okay.” Maggie put down a miniature version of Frosty and said, “I’m listening now.”

  “Well, I was trying to tell you about Nicole’s dad, Mr. Webster.”

  “Is his first name Daniel?” Maggie joked, trying to divert the direction of the conversation. She had a funny feeling she knew where it was headed.

  “Mom. Stop.”

  “Okay. No more jokes. Tell me about Mr. Webster.” There had been a ‘Mr. Webster’ every year since the third grade when Danielle realized her father wasn’t coming back home. Maggie cringed at the thought of her matchmaker daughter in action. When Danielle set her mind to it, no place was safe. Not school, church, or the grocery store. Every square inch of their small town served as a meeting place for a potential ‘Mr. Right.’

  “Well,” Danielle said, flinging her blondish-brown hair from her shoulders, “his name is Matthew Webster and he’s a photographer.” Danielle grinned. “He’s really cute. Just your type.”

  Maggie stared at her daughter. “My type? What do you mean he’s my type?” What on earth did her preteen daughter know about her preference in men?

  “He’s tall, dark brown hair, blue eyes. You’d think he was really good looking. But he’s also super nice. Coaches the boy’s basketball team and he doesn’t even have a boy. And he’s offering a beginner’s photography class for anyone in our grade who wants to go, which I do by the way. If they don’t have a camera or can’t afford the film, he said he’ll take care of it. Mr. Webster doesn’t want anyone to not be able to participate because of money.” Another grin. “See, stuff like that. I know you like that kind of thing.”