by J. L. Perry
There was a brick sitting in the middle of room, so I bent down and picked it up. I quickly dropped it back onto the floor in shock when I noticed the word “BITCH” written on it.
My hands shook as I picked my phone up off the coffee table. I called the police first, followed by an emergency twenty-four hour glass repair company that I’d found in the yellow pages. My eyes wouldn’t look away from the smashed window because I worried that the person who had thrown the brick might still be out there, watching me. It’s times like this that I wished there was someone I could call to come and wait with me, but there was no one.
I managed to clean up all the broken glass while I was waiting for the police to arrive. By the time they took my statement and checked everything out, it was around 4:00 a.m. Thankfully, the glassman also came and replaced the broken window while the police were here.
The police had explained that it was possibly a case of mistaken identity, but they took a statement from me anyway. They also said it could be kids playing a harmless prank.
Throwing a brick through someone’s window is not my idea of a harmless prank!
The officer also explained that because I had only been living in the house eight months, it could even have something to do with the previous tenants. Well, that made me feel a lot better—not!
I hoped that it wasn’t directly aimed at me, but I was still a bit shaken. Later that day, I planned to call a locksmith and upgrade my locks on the windows and door, just in case.
Once everyone had left, I lay down on my bed, but I couldn’t fall back to sleep. It was still dark outside so I decided to get up and do some housework before I went for my morning run.
By 7:45 a.m., all my housework was done, so I put on my running gear and headed out. I was feeling particularly anxious this morning so I ran twice as far as I usually would. Clearing my mind by running was the best therapy.
Logan
I woke early and showered, then got ready to go to the office. It had been just over three weeks since I moved back to Sydney, and it felt good to be home again. Being in Melbourne kept me away from my family. Even though I often flew home on the weekends to see my parents, sister and niece, it wasn’t enough.
Jill made me coffee and some breakfast, and I decided to go into the office early. Fifteen minutes later, I was in the back of the limousine, going over my emails on my laptop. The traffic was heavy this time of the morning, so we were travelling at a slow pace.
We had stopped at some traffic lights, and I looked up from my laptop and out the side window. We were stopped alongside Hyde Park and I was watching all the people walking past. A lady out for her morning run caught my eye. I watched as she jogged in place, waiting for the traffic signal to turn green so she could cross the road. She was wearing a tiny black Lycra top and little black running shorts. Her body was amazing!
I leaned forward in my seat as she crossed the road and ran towards us. I wanted to see if her face was as nice as her body. It had been weeks since I’d been with a woman. Back in Melbourne, I had gone on a few dates here and there but, since meeting Brooke, I’ve noticed that my tastes have changed from blondes to brunettes. Unfortunately, none of them even came close to making me feel what she had. I was starting to think that maybe she had ruined me.
My heart nearly stopped beating as she jogged in front of the car. Brooke?! I would recognise that beautiful face anywhere.
Before I even knew what I was doing, I was out of the car and calling her name. She stopped and turned, looking straight at me. When a smile crossed her face, my heart started racing. What were the chances, after all this time, that I would just run into her in the street like this?
Chris wound down his window. “What the hell are you doing?!” he barked. I could tell he was annoyed.
“Drive around the corner and park,” I replied, as I brushed him off with my hand.
I quickly crossed the road and earned a few honks from the cars I ran in front of as I made my way over to her. “Brooke?” I said, as I approached her. “I can’t believe it is you.”
“Mr. Cavanagh,” she replied. “How nice to see you again. Are you in Sydney on business?” At first, I was lost for words. She was so much more beautiful than I remembered. That face that had been haunting my dreams didn’t even come close to how breathtaking she was in real life.
I finally managed to speak. “Oh, I move between the Melbourne and Sydney offices all the time. I’ve been back in Sydney for the past three weeks. How have you been? What are you doing in Sydney?”
“I moved back here the day after getting out of the hospital.” She smiled.
“How is everything? Have you been okay?” I had worried about her often since the incident with her husband in my office.
“Oh, I’ve been doing great. I’m really happy with the way my life is going.” I wondered if she had another man in her life, or whether she had gone back to her husband.
“Do you still live with Jake?” I asked. I secretly wished for her to say “no”. I knew it was none of my business, but my mouth had a mind of its own this morning.
“No, Mr. Cavanagh,” she replied and I noticed she frowned as she spoke. “I didn’t tell him I was moving back to Sydney and I changed my mobile number a few weeks after arriving, so he has no way of even contacting me.”
“You look wonderful!” I blurted out. Where the fuck did that just come from? My mouth needed a sensor. Even though she did look wonderful, I hadn’t meant to tell her.
“Thank you, Mr. Cavanagh,” she said with a huge smile on her face. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”
Wow, that smile. She really does have an amazing smile!
“Well, I better let you go. I presume you are on your way to work,” she added.
“Brooke, do you want to have dinner with me sometime?” Damn, why can’t I stop?
“That’s very nice of you to offer, Mr. Cavanagh, but I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Well, I’m not really interested in a relationship at the moment,” she replied. “So thank you for the offer, but no.”
“I’m not asking you to marry me, Brooke. It’s just dinner,” I stated. “I think, after the way we met and everything we went through that night, it would be nice to just have dinner and talk as friends.”
“Okay, Mr. Cavanagh, since you put it that way,” she replied with a sigh. “How about coming over to my place one night and I will cook for you? It will be my way of thanking you for all the kind things you did for me.”
“That would be great,” I replied, trying not to sound too eager. “Here,” I added, as I grabbed a business card out of my suit jacket. “Call or text me later with the address and the details.” She took my business card and when our fingers brushed, I got the same feeling running through my body that I had the last time I touched her in Melbourne. I couldn’t believe she was still having that effect on me.
“Have a nice day, Mr. Cavanagh,” she said with a smile. “I will call you later with the details.” Then she turned and jogged away.
Just like that, she was gone again. At least, this time, I was going to get to see her again. You wouldn’t have been able to wipe the smile off my face if you tried.
Brooke
What the hell just happened? I thought as I turned and started running again. When he asked me out to dinner, there was a small part of me that wanted to turn and run from him as fast as I could. The other part of me wanted to jump up and down and do a cartwheel like a silly school girl. I had forgotten how hot he was, and those green eyes of his were dreamy.
It really should be a sin to be that gorgeous!
What was I getting myself into? He was a lawyer, and they were definitely a no go zone. I could always throw his business card away and avoid running in this area, but that would be rude. After all, he did save my life. Even though I would never admit it to myself, I was happy to see him again.
What was one dinner going to hurt? I wo
uld feed him, then send him on his way and never see him again. Well, that was my plan, anyway.
Once I was back home, I showered and changed into my dancing gear before having some breakfast. Once I was done, I washed my cup and plate, then headed to the bus stop. As I waited for my bus to arrive, I called the locksmith to come over this afternoon and upgrade the locks on the windows and doors.
All that extra money I had been saving was starting to disappear fast. First the window I had to replace last night, and now what was it going to cost to upgrade my locks. Later, I would call the real estate company I was renting through to see if any of the money could be reimbursed.
Today I have three dance classes to teach, followed by two piano lessons this afternoon. Then there was my evening shift at the restaurant. At least the money was still coming in, I guess.
Later that afternoon, I changed into the uniform I wore to the restaurant…black pants and a white blouse. I had forty-five minutes before I had to leave for my shift so I picked up Mr. Cavanagh’s business card and decided to call him.
As I dialled his number, I noticed my hands were shaking. This is ridiculous, I thought. Why am I so nervous? I hung up and decided to text him instead.
Hi, Mr Cavanagh. It’s Brooke. I have to work tonight, but I am free tomorrow night if you would like to come over for dinner. Say about 7:00 p.m.? If this doesn’t suit, let me know.
There. Done. That wasn’t so hard. Then why did I have a feeling I was going to regret it? A few minutes later, my phone started ringing, startling me. I picked it up and answered it without looking at the caller ID. Before I had a chance to say hello, I heard a male’s voice on the other end.
“Hi, Brooke. It’s Logan,” he said. “I was starting to worry that I wouldn’t hear from you.”
“Oh, hey!” was my only response, as I felt my cheeks flush and the butterflies settle into my stomach. I could be such a dork sometimes, but I was honestly lost for words. I don’t know why he made me so nervous, but he did!
The line was quiet for a few seconds, before I heard Logan’s voice again. “Are you still there?” he asked.
I cleared my throat. “Yes. I’m sorry.”
“Brooke, I’d love to come to dinner tomorrow night.”
“Okay, great. I will see you then,” I replied, and was about to say goodbye when he cut me off.
“Brooke, wait!” he said. “Before you hang up, I need to get your address. You forgot to include it in your text.” I heard him chuckle on the other end of the line.
I felt my cheeks heat even more, if that was possible. I can’t believe I forgot to include my address! I felt like such an idiot!
I quickly gave him my address and apologised for leaving it out of my text. “That’s okay,” he said. “It gave me an excuse to call you, so there’s no need to apologise.”
I smiled when he said that, as I cleared my throat. “I will see you tomorrow, Mr. Cavanagh.”
“Looking forward to it, beautiful,” he replied in a sexy voice.
Oh, swoon!
I let out a little giggle, but immediately wanted to punch myself in the face because I sounded like a stupid teenager. I quickly said goodbye and hung up before I embarrassed myself any further. A few seconds later, my phone buzzed with a text.
Hi, Brooke. You hung up before I got a chance to ask you if could bring anything tomorrow night. ;)
Did he just give me a winky face? I was tempted to text back that he just needed to bring his hot little self, but I didn’t want to give him the wrong idea.
No need to bring anything, Mr. Cavanagh. See you tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. :)
He replied quickly.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to seeing you again. ;)
Again with the winky face. This time, I blushed. Why did this man send my heart into a flutter? I can’t ever remember Jake making me feel like this. I didn’t bother replying back to his last text. For one, I wasn’t sure what to say to that and two, I really needed to leave for work.
I grabbed my handbag and keys off the hall table and locked the front door as I left. Now all I had to do was decide what I was going to cook for him. It had to be something special. After all, he did save my life! I thought about it as I walked down the street.
Once I decided what I was going to make, I wrote down a quick shopping list before my shift.
****
It was early when I woke the next morning and I decided to skip my run. I wanted to get to the store early so I could get all the things I needed for my dinner with Logan tonight. Since it was a “Thank you for saving my life meal,” I decided to go all out.
For starters: caramelised onion and feta tarts with a rocket and sundried tomato salad. The main course: sirloin steak stuffed with wild mushrooms on a bed of garlic mash, steamed veggies on the side, and a red wine jus. Dessert: chocolate mini-molten lava cakes with fresh raspberries and vanilla bean ice-cream, my favourite.
When I arrived back from the store, I did all my food prep and then cleaned the house. It didn’t need cleaning, but I needed to keep busy.
After my shower, I took great care to blow dry my hair to perfection. I put on some light makeup, with a simple clear gloss on my lips, before going to my wardrobe to find something to wear. Five outfit changes later, I decided to wear my tight skinny jeans; a white lace fitted top, which showed a little cleavage; and my white ankle boot sandals. For someone I swore I didn’t want to see again, I did notice the amount of effort I put into my appearance.
As I went into the kitchen and put on an apron so I didn’t get my clothes dirty, the nerves got so bad that I actually felt like I was going to be sick.
Logan
All day, I found it hard to concentrate. I can’t remember ever being this nervous before a date so I decided to leave work early. On the way home, I got Chris to stop off at a florist. I chose two dozen long-stem red roses, and asked the salesperson to gift wrap them in a white box with a red ribbon. I’d chosen the red roses because it reminded me of the red dress she was wearing the first night I met her.
When I got home, I took a shower and shaved, then got dressed. I decided to dress casual in a pair of jeans and a white linen button-down shirt.
I paced the floor while I waited to leave. I was looking forward to seeing her again but, at the same time, I was a little apprehensive. This woman made me feel things I had never felt before and, frankly, it scared the shit out of me.
At 6:40 p.m., I grabbed a bottle of French champagne that I had chilling in the fridge, left the penthouse, and climbed into the limo.
Chris pulled up outside her house and the nerves started to kick in. I took a deep breath as I got out of the car. I heard Chris chuckle as I walked towards her house.
Bastard! I thought, glancing back at him.
Brooke
I was making sure that everything looked good when I heard a knock on the door. There were butterflies in my stomach as I walked down the hallway to answer it. I quickly stopped in the hallway to remove my apron before running my fingers through my hair.
When I opened the front door and saw Logan standing there with a nervous smile on his face, he took my breath away. I’d only seen him twice before and, both times, he’d been dressed up. Boy, he looked hot dressed casually in jeans and a shirt.
“Hello, Brooke. You look divine,” he said with a smile, passing me a box.
Opening it, I saw it was long-stem red roses. Smiling, I said, “They’re beautiful. Thank you. Won’t you come in?” He followed me down the hall, into the dining room. I offered him a seat at the dining room table.
“Would you like a glass of champagne?” he asked as he held up the bottle he was holding.
“That would be nice,” I replied with a shy smile. “I’ll just get some glasses.”
When I got into the kitchen, I took a few deep breaths as I tried to pull myself together. This man made my insides flutter and my heart beat out of my chest. As I walked back into the dining room, h
e gave me one of his gorgeous smiles as he popped the cork on the bottle. He poured us both a glass and I sat down and took a big gulp, trying to calm my nerves.
“Your place is lovely, Brooke,” he said. “How long have you been living here?”
“I moved in here a few days after I arrived back in Sydney,” I replied.
“You said you were working last night. Where?”
I told him about my job at the restaurant, and the dance classes and piano lessons I taught. He really seemed interested in everything I had to say and I found myself relaxing. After we talked for about a half-hour, I asked him if he was ready to eat.
After a few more glasses of champagne and the first two courses finished, I was totally relaxed and comfortable around Logan. He was so easy to talk to, and was as charming as he was good looking.
“Well, Brooke, dinner was wonderful. Where did you learn to cook so well?”
“My mother worked in a lot of restaurants when I was younger and taught me all the basics, but most of my skills came from Ms. Jones, the old lady who looked after me while my mother was at work.” I smiled shyly. “Well, are you ready for dessert?”
“You made dessert, as well? You will have to stop spoiling me, Brooke; otherwise, you might find it hard to get rid of me,” he said with a smirk. We both laughed as I walked into the kitchen to plate it up.
After we’d eaten our dessert, Logan said, “I can’t believe you made that. You know that a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right? I think I will have to marry you.”
He made that comment just as I was taking a sip of my champagne and, unfortunately, I choked and spat it all over him.
“Oh, shit! I am so sorry! That was an accident. Oh, god! I can’t believe I spat it in your face. I am so sorry,” I babbled. I was so embarrassed. “Let me get something to clean you up,” I added.
Logan burst out laughing. “Don’t worry about it, Brooke.” I’m sure there was horror written all over my face. “Just tell me where your bathroom is and I will go and wash my face.”