by Sherie Keys
She could hear the smile in Justin’s voice as he spoke to her. “I’m so glad that you went and you’re there. You really needed to get away, and you definitely deserve this.”
“I can’t believe you did this for me. I’m just blown away. You are an amazing friend, and I’m so grateful for you. Thank you, Justin.” Delphine felt as if she had been given the whole world.
“You are so welcome. Now, enjoy it and keep me posted on how things are going. Also, I want to see photos and hear stories.” He sounded as happy as she felt.
A knock sounded at the door and she jumped slightly and turned to look over her shoulder through the bedroom into the sitting room. “There’s someone at the door. I’ll call you soon. Love you so much, Justin.”
“I love you too, darling. Now, go have the time of your life,” he spoke gently and blissfully to her.
She grinned. “I’m sure I will.” Ending the call, she walked to the door and opened it, slightly surprised that anyone was there at all. She certainly hadn’t expected to see anyone. It was the bellhop from the lobby, and his hands were full.
“I have a delivery for you, Madame,” he announced smartly. She stepped back and let him in the room.
He walked over to the table at the center of the sitting room and set down a crystal vase filled with two dozen red roses, as well as a box of gourmet chocolates, and a chilled bucket with a bottle of champagne in it. Setting a champagne flute down upon the table, he looked up at Delphine. “Would Madame like me to open the bottle now?”
She nodded in quiet surprise, wondering what was going on, but somehow unwilling to question a man bringing champagne, chocolates, and roses to her suite. If it was a dream, she didn’t want to disturb it or wake up from it.
He popped the bottle open and poured a glassful for her before turning to hand it to her, along with an envelope. With a slight bow to her, he turned and left the room, closing the door softly behind him.
She stared at the arrangement of gifts on the table and with a curious expression on her face, she opened the envelope, wondering if it was a welcoming gift from the hotel. She slid a card out and saw the emblem of the hotel embossed in gold on the front of it. Opening it, she saw that there was a message written to her in exquisite handwriting.
“It was a delight beyond measure to meet you. You brightened my day. I sincerely hope that you enjoy your stay in Lisbon and have a beautiful trip. All my best, Adrian Ferriera”
She realized then that her gift was from the man with the beautiful blue eyes who had visited with her at the check in counter of the lobby. A soft laugh escaped her as she looked from his note to the gifts on the table again.
“Well, that’s the nicest welcome I’ve ever had from anyone, anywhere!” she mused to herself. Delphine set the card on the table and held her glass of golden bubbling champagne aloft. “Cheers to you, Adrian. I’m going to do my best to have the time of my life.”
With two glasses of champagne down and the remainder of the bottle set into the small refrigerator of the mini bar in the sitting room, Delphine felt the weariness of travel take over, and she went to bed, leaving the balcony doors open so that the cool evening breeze swept in and washed over her. She faded swiftly and deeply, and it wasn’t long before her dreams overtook her.
She didn’t open her eyes again until the light of morning filtered in through the doors and windows, giving the bedroom a soft and warm glow. It took a long moment for her to remember where she was, as she sat up and looked around, and when it came back to her, a rush of relief came over her. She had found herself with dark dreams of her ex-boyfriend Mike, and as she woke she remembered struggling with him in them, arguing about having a family and feeling broken and devastated that he had lied to her for so long. The bright morning sun glinting off of the crystal blue water outside was like a break from reality for her, and she was relieved and grateful to be there.
Pushing herself from the bed, she walked outside and breathed in the fresh, clean air. Delphine pushed away lingering thoughts of Mike and the painful emotions she felt with them, and instead she made herself focus on the beauty of the strange city before her. It looked as charming and enchanting as it did the day before, but she found herself feeling a bit more curious about it, and there was something of a spark of interest and curiosity rising in her.
She showered and dressed, taking a little extra care with her hair and makeup, thinking that if she looked really good on the outside, she might feel a little better on the inside. With a final look in the mirror, she approved. Her dark skin was set off with a golden glow by the sunny yellow and white dress that she was wearing. Justin had insisted that she take it, and she was sure that she wouldn’t wear it, but it was just the right thing when she opened the closet that morning. It was snug around the waist and flared out slightly with some fullness where it stopped just above her knee. It had a scoop neck and straps over her shoulders, giving her a very feminine look somewhere between sexy and sweet. Her reflection made her smile, and she knew that Justin had been right; it was just what she needed. Even if it didn’t fix all the problems that would be waiting for her at home, it was a reprieve.
Delphine slipped her purse over her shoulder and headed out of her room to the hotel café to see what they might have for breakfast. When she reached the entrance of the café, she was greeted by the host and he smiled brightly when he learned her name.
“Madame Bishop, it is my pleasure to let you know that you have been invited to join a friend for breakfast, if you would like to.” The host turned then and indicated a table set off in a nook beside an open window. Delphine’s heart skipped a beat when she saw that Adrian was sitting at the table.
“My friend?” she asked quietly as a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
“Yes, if you would like. Alternatively, I can seat you in another part of the café if you would prefer.” He waited for her, and she felt bubbles of boldness rising in her. There was something just a little adventurous about having breakfast with a strange man in a hotel café in a foreign city. It was outside of her comfort zone, but then she thought that perhaps it was outside in the just the right way, and it would be nice to sit and talk with someone over breakfast, rather than eating alone.
“I’ll join my friend.” She gave the host a smile, and he nodded and led her to Adrian’s table. Adrian, upon seeing her walk toward him, stood up and waited for her to be seated before he took his seat again.
“Good morning! You look beautiful today,” he said as he gazed at her with a smile. “Did you sleep well?”
Butterflies danced all through her as she took a breath and gave him a smile in return. “I did sleep well, thank you. I had a couple of glasses of champagne that really helped.” She laughed softly. “Thank you for sending up the roses, chocolate, and champagne. That was a really nice gesture.”
He shrugged slightly. “I wanted to make sure that you got a proper welcome for your time here in such a beautiful city. I’m glad that you enjoyed them.”
Questions ran through Delphine’s mind like a river. She’d never met a man like Adrian, and she wondered where she should begin. “Do you live here in Lisbon?”
He shook his head a little. “Not right in the city. I live just outside of the city a short distance, but I love being here.”
“If you don’t live far away, may I ask what it is that you’re doing at this hotel?” She felt like he was a puzzle that she was slowly piecing together.
“I’m here on business. My business partner was staying in this hotel, and it was better to meet him here to work on our projects and be in the city. I found you enchanting when I met you, and I decided to stay a bit longer to see if we might get to know each other a little better,” Adrian answered simply as the server came to the table and asked for their breakfast order.
She was grateful for the interruption as she tried to sort through what he had said to her, feeling as if she was on some kind of rollercoaster, and her heart and stomach wer
e left somewhere far behind her. By the time the server left, she had regained her breath and refocused her thoughts. “That’s a bold thing to say to a woman you’ve just met,” she said, speaking pleasantly to him.
Adrian gave her another bemused shrug. “I’m pretty good at sizing people up. I think it was worth the risk in taking the chance to get to know you. I think you’re worth getting to know.”
Delphine laughed softly and reached for her cup of coffee, feeling her cheeks warm as she found herself getting lost in his clear blue eyes. “Thank you,” she replied quietly.
“Do you have any plans while you’re here? Any kind of a schedule or itinerary?” He sipped from his own cup of coffee as he eyed her curiously.
Shaking her head, she felt the butterflies erupt again. “No, I don’t have a plan at all. This whole trip was something of a surprise. It was spur of the moment.”
“You have no plan?” Adrian raised a brow interestedly. “I wonder if you might consider doing me the honor of allowing me to escort you around this beautiful city today. I know it quite well and I’d be so pleased to show you all the best sides of it. There are places off of the beaten path which most tourists miss, and they are so worth seeing. What do you say? Care to spend the day with me taking it all in?”
Delphine could not stop the smile that spread over her face. “Well, that’s very kind of you! Thank you! Are you sure you don’t mind? You didn’t already have any plans today?”
Adrian shook his head. “There is nothing that I would rather do than spend today with you site seeing throughout Lisbon. It’s a lovely city, and you would be a wonderful companion to explore it with. Please say yes.”
She couldn’t help herself. She grinned and laughed again. “Yes, then. I’d be glad to see it all with you. You’re spoiling me, though.”
He waved his hand dismissively. “Not at all, but I’ll do my best to during our time together today. It’s all settled then. We’ll enjoy a good breakfast and then we’ll be off to go through the city. Thank you. I’m so looking forward to it.” He looked as if he meant every word of it.
“Thank you! I’m excited about it too.” She felt as if the sun had risen inside of her, rather than outside of the window, and it felt wonderful. It was entirely unexpected, and while she felt as if she was being slightly reckless and wild, she knew in her heart that it was what she wanted to do, or even more than that, what she needed to do.
When they had eaten a delicious breakfast, they left the hotel together and stepped out into the brilliant morning sunshine. The buildings around them were painted in light pastel colors of lemon, peach, mint, baby blue, and coral pink, and it seemed as if every roof was topped with terra cotta shingles, glowing warmly in the morning light.
Growing all along the buildings and the narrow lanes between them were beautiful bougainvillea bushes in many bright colors of fuchsia, orange, white, and green. There were baskets of flowers and tall trees, filled with leaves.
Lisbon looked like a postcard that she was walking through and she could barely believe it was real. The people greeted her with friendly waves and conversation, and she loved the shops and cafés that they passed as they began their day.
Adrian took her first to the waterfront where he showed her the Ponte 25 de Abril suspension bridge. They sipped cappuccinos and gazed at it from the riverbank, and Delphine loved it. “That almost looks like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco! It’s wonderful!”
“It does look like the Golden Gate. I suppose I didn’t realize that before, but I can certainly see it now.” Adrian tilted his head somewhat in a thoughtful way and gave Delphine a smile. “I didn’t expect this, but you’re showing me things in my city that I hadn’t seen before, and I thought I knew it all so well.”
They walked away from the river and headed up the hill. As they went along sipping their coffees, they talked with each other and got to know one another. She found that she was growing curiouser about him the more time that she spent with him.
“What do you do for business?” she asked, wondering to herself what he could possibly do as a career.
He looked away from her and slid his hands into his pockets as he walked beside her. “Oh, I do a few things. Mostly I build new businesses. It’s not very interesting, really. What about you? What is it that you do?”
Delphine drew in a breath. “Well, actually I’ve just recently shifted what I do. My best friend and I are getting into the beekeeping industry and hoping to promote it in urban areas.”
“That sounds like a very good idea! I’m sure that you’ll do well with it and that the proliferation of bees within an urban area will be a tremendous help to your neighborhood. What an unusual and interesting endeavor. I wish you the best of luck with it.” He gave her a big smile and a nod of encouragement.
“Thank you! I hope we do well with it.” Looking around, she became inquisitive. “Where are we going now?”
“We are headed to the National Azulejo Museum. It houses five centuries of decorative ceramic tiles. The artistry of them is incredible. It’s definitely a part of the history of this area that should be seen and experienced. I truly think that you’ll love seeing it.” He held his arm out to her and she only hesitated a moment before reaching her hand out and tucking it into the crook of his elbow, walking closer to him.
Together, they explored the museum, and she was amazed at the treasure trove of history and art that they discovered there. “I probably wouldn’t have stopped here if I had been on my own. Thank you so very much for showing it to me.”
“It’s absolutely my pleasure.” Adrian patted her hand on his arm and gave her a warm smile. “Let’s head up the hill and take a look at some of the best neighborhoods hidden off of the beaten path.”
She loved his charming nature and positive outlook. He knew quite a few of the shop owners and was happy to talk with them all, introducing her to them and creating new friendships for her with many of them. She truly felt as if she was experiencing Lisbon in a way that she never would have if she had just wandered through it all on her own.
After spending a good portion of the day exploring the city, he took her to an elegant and romantic restaurant that overlooked the river. They were given a private table off to one corner of the restaurant that opened up onto a balcony with a view of the water. A band played from a different part of the restaurant and the notes wafted to them on the cool evening air.
“I’ve had the most incredible day. Thank you so very much. I know I would never have seen Lisbon this way if you hadn’t shown it to me through your eyes.” She grinned at him and reached her hand out to his to give it a squeeze.
He smiled and took her hand. “The night is not over yet. Would you care to dance?” he asked hopefully.
“Yes!” she replied, feeling her heart beginning to dance in her chest as he led her out onto the balcony and took her into his arms. Her breath grew short and she tried to stem the rush of blood through her as they moved together to the rhythms that came from inside the restaurant.
“This is incredible,” she murmured, gazing up into his deep blue eyes. “I feel as if I’m dreaming.”
“This is no dream,” he said softly. “You’re enjoying this?”
“I am. I love music, and dancing with you like this is… it’s just amazing.” It seemed to her as if the entire world had slipped away from them and they were alone in their own warm, electric universe.
“If you love music, then I must take you to a very special place,” he told her, his eyes moving over her face.
“Really? Where?” she asked as a smile stole over her face.
“I have to take you to Tasca do Chico in Bairro Alto.”
“Okay. What kind of music do they play there?” She let him take her back into the restaurant and gather their things to leave.
He explained it to her as they got into a taxi and were driven away to Bairro Alto. “The Portuguese have a traditional music style called Fado. Lisbon is the very heart o
f this music and the best Fado in the country, or even in the world. Here in Lisbon, there are many places to hear it, but the best place is Tasca do Chico. You see, Fado is a special kind of music; it’s played from the heart, from the soul, and it draws on melancholy emotion. It is meant to bring forth longing and tears, to share the experience of life through the heart, and it is meant to be heartbreaking. I truly hope that you enjoy it. I think that you will.”
“I can’t wait to hear it,” Delphine told him, and she meant it. The whole day had been an experience in a culture new to her that she felt she couldn’t get enough of, and she found that she only wanted more of it.