The Broken Road

by Melissa Huie

  Chapter 6

  I WOKE EARLY THE NEXT MORNING feeling anxious. I had never asked a total stranger out before. I debated calling and canceling but then realized that I never got his number. What am I doing? I shook my head at my own anxiety. I took a shower and dried my hair, all the while trying to downplay the morning.

  “It’s just freaking coffee,” I muttered as I scanned my closet. I finally decided on jeans, a fitted navy turtleneck, and a white quilted down vest. Casual but not under dressed. I let Penny outside to do her thing while I warmed up the car. Snow had fallen the previous night and it was gorgeous. Luckily, it was only an inch and wouldn’t hamper my drive.

  I pulled into the parking lot two minutes before nine. I saw his Porsche sitting in the lot, backed in at an angle. My palms started to sweat and I felt like puking. “Stupid first date jitters. It’s just coffee!” I muttered. I stepped out of my car and immediately slipped on a piece of ice. As I oh-so-gracefully fell into the splits, an arm reached out to steady me before I did any real damage.

  “Oh, crap. Thanks!” I said, looking up into Alex’s beautiful gray eyes. Good job, Megan. Way to make a complete fool of yourself. My cheeks flamed with embarrassment.

  “No problem. I’m used to women falling over me,” he joked. Ah, a sense of humor. I chuckled. Still, completely embarrassed, I couldn’t think of a witty comeback and just felt like a dope. Alex held the door open for me and gestured inside the warm coffee shop.

  “Did you just get here?” I asked, hoping that he hadn’t already had a drink. That would have been awkward.

  He shrugged off his leather coat revealing a gray and white striped long sleeve polo shirt. The white matched his teeth perfectly. “I pulled up a second before you did. I was waiting in the car talking to a lady about her aging bichon.”

  Aging bichon? That sounded suspiciously like my mother. But there was no way she would call him. I shook that thought out of my head and got in line.

  “What would you like?” I asked when I got to the front. He gave his order and handed over his cash before I could pay. “My treat,” he said with a smile. I smiled back; his smile was contagious. We took our drinks over to the circle of oversized chairs. The shop was crowded with adults trying to keep warm and children drinking hot chocolate.

  “So, tell me about yourself,” he said easily as he settled back into the armchair.

  “Not really much to tell. I’ve lived in this area for most of my life. I graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s in business administration. I work for my Uncle Bob at his law firm. I have a brother and a dog, which you know. That’s basically it,” I replied with a smile. This feels slightly like a job interview.

  Alex laughed a sexy, Southern, baritone laugh. “And that’s all there is to you?”

  “Well, you have to ask the right questions. What about you? I know you love animals, but what else do you like to do in your spare time? What’s life in North Carolina like?” I countered back.

  “You’re right. That was a very generic question. Let’s see. I do love animals. I’m also a huge movie buff. I love all things sports. I’m basically your average guy,” he said, smiling his beautiful smile.

  “Ah, I see. What about life back home? What’s that like?” I replied, grinning. My imagination must have been working overtime because he seemed slightly uncomfortable at the question. Still, he was too cute for words.

  “Home. Well. I grew up in Granite Falls, North Carolina. I went to school at Duke and moved to Raleigh about two years ago. I started helping my grandfather up here back in January,” he said as he finished off his coffee.

  “Were you always interested in being a vet?” I asked, returning to what seemed to be a safer topic.

  “Oh yeah, ever since I was a little kid on my grandmother’s farm. Sometimes I get more satisfaction out of helping animals than I do humans. Animals never talk back,” he joked, seeming more at ease. I wondered what was really going on in his mind. Maybe he had just gotten out of a bad relationship or something. I found him easy to talk with. We had a similar sense of humor, liked some of the same movies, and liked to travel. I was surprised when I looked at my watch and saw that it was nearly lunchtime.

  “Oh. It’s almost noon. Do you want to grab some lunch?” I asked as my stomach growled. Alex opened his mouth to agree with me, but then his cell phone rang. He quickly checked it and gave me a small smile.

  “I wish I could, but I can’t. I have to take this. Can you give me a minute?” he said, standing up and walking a few feet away. I nodded and leaned back into the chair. Alex was really sweet. He seemed genuine in his nature but had that air of mystery about him. I wanted to get to know him better.

  “Sorry about that,” he said as he came back toward me. “I should really get going. I promised a friend that I would help him out today with his horse. Can I call you sometime though?”

  Well, okay then, I thought as I wrote down my number. This certainly feels like a brush off.

  I handed him the piece of paper and smiled brightly. “Thanks for the coffee. It was really nice getting to know you.”

  Alex smiled and, surprisingly, kissed me on my cheek. “Same here. But we’re far from done getting through these questions. We’ll talk soon.”

  “Sure,” I said and walked out the door. My inner romantic was geeking out, squealing and crowing about a sexy man who had just kissed me. I got into my car and sighed. On the way home I overanalyzed everything I said and did. Alex appeared interested and engaged, but I knew enough to take it slow. On a happier note, I hadn’t thought of Shane once.

  * * *

  Once I got home, I ate a quick snack and made some beef stew in the slow cooker for dinner. The contractor came out to fix the mudroom doorframe and added a new lock on the door. Penny and I played outside in the snow for a while then came back in a couple hours later, frozen to the bone. The house was filled with the aromas of bay leaves. My mouth watered. I put a loaf of Italian bread in the oven and headed upstairs to take a shower.

  I threw on some sweats then started a fire. A ping from my phone indicated I had an email. Uncle Bob had cancelled work for the next day due to the snow. Good thing. I knew the roads would be like glass in the morning. The snow had started to fall again, crystallizing the trees, making the backyard shimmer.

  The heat from the kitchen and fire fogged up my windows. As the bread cooled on the counter, I dished some soup into Penny’s bowl. I had just made my bowl when my cell phone rang. Curious at the unfamiliar number, I answered it.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Megan. It’s Alex. I want to apologize for leaving you like I did this morning.” His accent made my toes tingle.

  “Hi, Alex. No worries. I totally understand,” I replied, as I tried hard not to let him hear the big cheese of a smile that was on my face.

  “I appreciate that. I’m wondering if you’d like to meet for dinner tonight. I’m in Annapolis right now, so I can meet you anywhere.” Butterflies replaced the growling in my stomach. I wanted to squeal, but kept it cool.

  “Actually, Alex, I just made some beef stew. Would you like to join me? I have plenty,” I offered, surprising myself. The suggestion just came tumbling out.

  “Sure, if you don’t mind. I haven’t had a good home cooked meal in a long time. And I love beef stew.”

  I gave him the directions to my house. Barring any traffic issues, he was about twenty minutes away. I stared at the phone for a minute in a daze. Then it hit me: I was a mess!

  I tore upstairs and threw on a pair of slimming jeans and a low cut pink shirt. Thinking way out of line, I quickly disrobed and changed into a sexier pair of pink boy shorts and a matching bra then put the outfit back on. I wasn’t planning anything in particular, but one should always be prepared.

  I went back downstairs, threw the bread back in the oven to keep it warm, straightened up the kitchen, and closed the laundry room door. Act natural, I thought as the doorbell rang. I walked through
the living room to the front door.

  “Hi,” I said brightly, opening the door wide. Thick snowflakes fell heavily around him. Alex dusted off his boots and shook off his hat. He walked in as he blew into his hands to warm them.

  “Hi there,” he said, planting a kiss on my cheek. “It’s really coming down out there.” I took his coat and led him inside.

  “It looks nasty out,” I replied as I hung his jacket in the closet. “I hope you’re hungry. I made enough for an army.” I led him to my kitchen.

  “You have a beautiful home,” Alex said. His gray eyes surveyed the oak floors and wine colored walls. He handed me a bottle of wine. “Oh here. I picked this up. This should go well with the stew.”

  “Thanks.” I looked at the label. It was a brand I had heard of but never tried. I was not a wine connoisseur by any means, but I had my favorites and a budget. This was over my budget. I went over to the cabinets and pulled out some wine glasses.

  “If you don’t mind opening this up, I’ll get everything else on the table,” I said as I handed him the corkscrew and glasses. I pulled out the bread and started cutting off thick slices. I set down two cranberry-colored bowls filled with piping hot stew. Alex poured the wine and seconds later, we were digging in.

  “This is fantastic,” Alex said and took a sip of his wine. The wine was delicious and a great complement to the stew.

  “Thanks. It’s my mother’s recipe,” I replied.

  “Well, it’s your mom’s recipe but you made it. It’s great,” he teased gently, the gray in his eyes shining like silver.

  I blushed slightly and smiled. He was flirting with me. He was cute. I was slightly buzzed. Things couldn’t be better.

  “I’m glad you decided to join me. With all this snow, my car would have never made it home,” I joked as I refilled our glasses. Our bowls were practically empty. “Would you like some more?”

  Alex stood up and stretched. “Yeah, I’ll have some more. I’ll get it.” He refilled both our bowls and brought the rest of the bread over to the table. “You guys don’t get much snow up here do you?”

  I shook my head. “We get snow about once or twice a month. Just enough to royally mess up the roads and cause headaches, but nothing substantial. What about you? I am curious if your Porsche handles well in a mess like we have out there.”

  Alex laughed. “Yeah, I’m surprised she made it here. Roads were horrible, just like you said.”

  We talked easily about his grandfather’s declining health and about how he was moving into an assisted living facility in Edgewater. He told me stories of his grandfather’s antics back when he was younger, and I could tell that he was quite fond of his predecessor. I told him about my relationship with Tommy and about Shane moving in. I left out the part about being in love with him. It didn’t make much sense to bring that into the conversation when I was technically trying to get over him.

  We finished the stew and he helped me with the dishes, then we moved into the family room with our wine. After realizing that we shared a common favorite movie, I put Super Bad into the DVD player. We watched the movie, sitting close to each other, but not quite touching. This was a new feeling, the feeling of discovery and getting to know someone. Once the movie ended, Alex stood up and stretched. An electric shot went through me as I sneaked a peek at his muscular abs. The temptation to touch them was almost too great.

  “I really don’t think you should be driving in this,” I commented as I stood at the window. The snow had stopped, but a good four inches of fresh powder was on the ground. Especially in his small car, the roads would be treacherous.

  Alex came up behind me. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck as he looked over my shoulder.

  “Yeah, it’s not looking pretty. I think I’ll be okay.” I turned around and ended up being right under his chin. “But I’ll stay, if that makes you feel better,” he whispered softly. My heart started racing. I raised my head to his the same time he lowered his chin. His lips touched mine, hesitantly, and then added a slight bit of pressure. I relaxed and gave in. He wrapped his arms around me as the kiss intensified, the fire burning hotter as I felt his tongue caress mine. I could feel myself going down a road that I wasn’t necessarily sure I should go down. The two sides of me were dueling. The starved, ready-for-anything side cheered me on. The sensible side warned me of going too fast, too soon. He slowly broke off the kiss that I was almost sure I didn’t want to end.

  “Wow,” I said, with a staggered breath. Alex tightened his grip around my waist and I didn’t object when his hands lightly grazed over my butt.

  “Yeah. Wow,” he said. His eyes resembled liquid mercury, all shiny and silky. He reached down for another kiss, which I eagerly anticipated when—

  RRRRRRRING.

  Damnit all to hell. Someone had some serious bad timing. I jumped back in surprise, gave Alex an apologetic smile, and reached for my phone. Of course it’s Shane calling.

  “What’s up?” I answered, not bothering with pleasantries.

  “Well hello to you too, Ms. Sunshine. I’m well, thanks for asking,” he quipped back. Sigh. He was such a pain in the butt.

  “Hi Shane, how are you?” I muttered, as I took the glasses into the kitchen. I didn’t need Alex to hear me banter with Shane.

  “Just checking in with my roomie, seeing how things are,” Shane said with a laugh.

  My irritation lessened. He was such a caring guy underneath that annoyingly sexy exterior. He just had horrible timing.

  “Thanks, Shane. Things are going okay. It’s snowing down here. We’ve got at least four inches. You better be careful coming home. Roads are going to be a mess tomorrow,” I replied as I watched Alex play with Penny. I started laughing at him. He was on all fours with Penny, trying to take away her woobie. Fat chance of that pal, I thought.

  “What’s going on over there?” Shane asked.

  “Alex is over and he’s wrestling with Penny,” I said vaguely.

  “Who’s Alex?”

  “Dr. Collins’s grandson. The vet,” I replied. I purposely answered in the most nonchalant way I could.

  “Uh, okay. Well, anyway. Did they deliver my new bed?” Shane dismissed my news and changed the subject. Apparently, the jealousy that I was hoping for was not there.

  I sighed. “Yes, they delivered your bed yesterday. It’s all ready for you.”

  “Good. I’m not sure how long we’ll be up here. Allison’s family’s up here so we may take a side trip on the way home.” Really? Is he trying to make jealous? I brushed aside the ridiculous notion. He has no idea how I feel, and it’s going to stay that way.

  “That’s fine. Just be safe,” I replied, blushing furiously. I couldn’t help feeling a pang of jealousy.

  “I will. Hey, Megs?” he said softly.

  “Yeah?”

  “Just be careful. Okay?” Shane’s voice was suddenly thick with worry.

  “Yeah, Shane. I will. You too. Tell Allison I said hi,” I replied. Might as well heed Jen’s advice and try to include her.

  I disconnected and stood for a moment. I knew that my affection or feelings for Shane wouldn’t dissolve instantaneously. I guess I hadn’t factored in how hard it would actually be. I pocketed my phone just as Alex came into the kitchen.

  “Everything okay?” he asked as he put his arm around my waist. “You look, I don’t know, annoyed.”

  I had to chuckle at his perceptiveness. “Yeah, I am slightly. Just a friend causing trouble again, that’s all. Nothing big.”

  “Good.” Alex leaned in for another kiss. I raised my lips to his and then gently pressed my hand to his chest.

  “Alex, I’m relatively new at this whole dating thing. And, honestly, I want to go slow. Okay?” I said as I looked into his eyes. No point in playing games; I was through with all that nonsense.

  Alex looked surprised. “I completely agree.” He kissed my lips softly again. “Just tell me where I can sleep tonight. It’s getting late and I’ve had
a long day.” I smiled and led him into the laundry room where I kept the spare pillows and blankets.

  I offered up Shane’s sweats, but he actually came prepared.

  “I always keep an overnight bag in my car in case I have to spend the night in a barn waiting for a mare to foal,” he replied before he braved the short distance to his car. A gentleman, a boy scout, a great kisser—wow, I can get used to this. I made up the couch with fresh linens and a heavy comforter. Alex changed in the bathroom and came out in a pair of jersey shorts and a long sleeve gray T-shirt. The man had beautiful legs and I had to shake my head to clear the clouds.

  “Thanks for a wonderful dinner,” Alex said, giving me a good night hug. He brushed his lips against mine.

  “Good night, Alex. Sleep tight,” I said softly.

  His cologne stayed with me as I went upstairs with Penny trailing behind me. I debated if I should lock my door but figured if I couldn’t be safe with a vet in my house, who could I be safe with. I changed into what had now come to be my standard bedtime uniform of boxers and a T-shirt and climbed into bed. As I drifted off to sleep, I heard the muffled ring of a cell phone.

  Chapter 7

  JIMMY BUFFETT’S “MARGARITAVILLE” jolted me awake, sending my heart into a panic. I almost jumped out of bed when I remembered that I had the day off. Groaning, I turned my alarm clock off and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I knew I needed to get out of bed, but I hesitated. I wasn’t sure how to act after last night. I mean, I liked Alex. I liked being around him and I definitely liked kissing him, but this feeling of waking up with someone I didn’t know very well downstairs was almost akin to doing the walk of shame in the aftermath of a drunken one-night stand. I dragged myself out of bed anyway. I pulled on my discarded sweats from last night and followed Penny down the stairs where she headed straight to the kitchen. I sniffed the air and breathed in the delicious aroma of coffee brewing and something else. Nutmeg? I wandered into the kitchen and my mouth dropped open in utter disbelief. What used to be a clean and orderly kitchen was a disaster zone. Spices covered the counters, the sink was filled with dirty dishes, and a busy Alex was clanging away on the pans. Is that egg on my tile?