by Krista Lakes
“I’ll have the Young American with roasted red peppers added,” I told the clerk when it was our turn to order.
“The Classic for me,” Henry said politely. “And an order of loaded tots to share.”
The clerk nodded and took Henry’s card before I had a chance to even get my wallet out.
“You don’t have to pay,” I told him as the clerk returned his card. He smiled at me as he pocketed it.
“I said I was buying you lunch,” he replied, his eyes bright. “I did knock you over, remember?”
I thought about the grass stains on my slacks yesterday. They’d come out easily enough, but I wasn’t going to complain about him buying me lunch. “Alright, then.”
We walked along the counter, following the progress of our sandwiches. His hand went to the small of my back as we shuffled along. All my attention went to the way his fingertips hovered on the silk of my shirt. It was all I could think about. I wanted him to touch me more.
I glanced over at him from the corner of my eye. He was busy watching his sandwich being made. He frowned slightly, watching as they put it on the grill. His brows came together as he studied how they made a grilled cheese sandwich.
It was adorable.
Don’t get attached, I warned myself. He’s just here on business. He's going to have to leave eventually.
But I didn’t really care. I didn’t want to miss my chance with him simply because I had been too afraid to give something a chance. I liked him. He said he was going to be here a month, maybe more. Even though the idea of losing yet another person in my life terrified me, I wasn’t about to shut myself away in my office.
The only way to find my way in the world was to take chances. Henry was a risk I was willing to take.
“Do you want to eat outside?” Henry asked as we waited. “It’s warm today, but we can eat inside if it’s too cold.”
“Outside is wonderful. It’s been so warm. It feels like a shame not to enjoy the nice weather.”
He nodded and picked up the tray with our sandwiches and deftly carried it out to the patio. We sat under an umbrella, but still in the sunshine. The slight breeze was just cool enough I was glad I wore long sleeves. Summer was on its way, but not here yet.
He balanced the tray on one hand and carefully settled the plates on the table.
“You must have done this before,” I teased him as he settled into his chair. He frowned slightly and I pointed to the plates. “The plates. Were you a waiter?”
He chuckled. “No, just lots of watching others. And natural grace, of course.”
I giggled as he winked at me. “Natural grace, huh? Just like how you ran into me was graceful?”
“If you were paying attention, you would have noticed that it was a perfect tackle. My coach would have been proud,” he replied, picking up his sandwich.
I picked up mine and took a bite. Delicious cheese with the sweet hints of pepper filled my mouth. It was perfect as usual. I looked over, curious to see what Henry thought of his first bite.
He took a delicate bite, one that looked almost proper. I half expected him to get up and grab a fork. He chewed carefully, evaluating the flavors.
“I think my childhood self missed out on something,” he told me. “This is delicious. I would have eaten this every day.”
I grinned and took another bite of my sandwich, glad that I had picked a restaurant he liked. There was nothing worse than suggesting a restaurant and having your date hate it.
“So, what sport do you play?” I asked, taking another bite of food. He looked up surprised. “You said your coach would be proud.”
“Oh, right.” He swallowed. “I play rugby.”
“Rugby?” I quickly racked my brain trying to remember which ball was used for that game. I could honestly say that I’d heard of it, but that I’d never seen it played. Or even met anyone who actually played it.
“You can look me up,” he said, smiling as he ate his meal. “I play for the Paradisa Royals.”
That must be what the R on his hat stood for.
“Is that a professional team?” I asked, pulling out my phone. If he told me to look him up, I wasn’t about to wait until later.
“Semi-professional,” he admitted, taking a large bite of his sandwich. “This is delicious, by the way. I don’t know if I mentioned that.”
I giggled as I googled his name. Henry Prescott.
Several team images popped up of the Paradisa Royals. Henry’s grinning face stood out from among the team. Most of the images had him covered in mud.
“Looks rough,” I replied, scanning through his results. It seemed like Henry Prescott was a good player. He was obviously not the best player on the team, but a well-loved one.
Everything seemed pretty normal about Henry Prescott. Most of the information on him was about his rugby career. He appeared to be one of the secondary players, but important to the team. There was more, but it all seemed to focus on his rugby skills. I was going to have to do a little sleuthing on him later.
“Have you ever been to a game?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Nope. I can’t say that I have.”
“Maybe I’ll take you to one,” he said, reaching over and popping a tater tot into his mouth with a grin.
“Maybe you will.” I grinned back. I could definitely go for another date with him. I liked the way he smiled at me and the way it made my whole body react. He was like sunshine for my soul.
“Then I’ll need to give you my phone number,” he said. He grinned and held out his hand. “I’ll put it in your phone.”
I pulled up the contacts screen and handed it to him. He quickly added his name and number, making sure to keep my phone screen where I could see what he was doing. He hit save, and handed it back to me.
I took my phone back and pulled up the text message screen. I wrote my own name and texted it to him.
“And now you have mine,” I told him, putting my phone back in my purse. He grinned and reached for another tater tot.
His knee bumped mine under the table, though he seemed not to notice it. The heat from his leg sizzled across my brain and I nearly lost the ability to speak. He certainly had an effect on me.
I was used to flirting. I was used to going out on dates, yet somehow, Henry had me feeling like a high school girl out with the quarterback of the team.
I reached over and took a tater tot as well, more to distract myself than hunger. It was crunchy and salty in my mouth. “Are you in DC for a game?”
He shook his head. “No. I’m out this season.”
“I’m sorry,” I told him. “Did you have an injury?”
He shrugged and shook his head. “Work and duty come first,” he told me.
“What kind of work do you do?” I asked.
“It’s a family business.” He waved his hand through the air. “It’s not very interesting to be honest. Lots of travel. Politics. International trade.”
“International trade can be interesting,” I responded, trying not to think of the reams of paper waiting for me back at the office. “Sometimes.”
“If you say so.” He picked up another tater tot and chewed it carefully. “And what about you? What do you do at the Trade Representative Office?”
“Nothing important.” The words tasted bitter coming out.
“Do you want to do something important?” he asked, his blue eyes going to mine. When he looked at me like that, the world held still.
“I do,” I said softly. “I always have. I want to make the world a better place.”
Henry nodded and then frowned slightly. “You said your last name is Ritter? Like the Ritter Child Safety Law that’s posted in the back of all the taxi cabs?”
I smiled at my father’s legacy and nodded. “Yup. That was my dad. The success of it turned him into a senator.”
Henry looked impressed. “So you’re a senator’s daughter?”
“I was,” I told him. I looked down and fiddled with a cru
mb on my plate. Somehow I’d devoured the entire sandwich. “He died a while ago. A heart attack.”
“I’m so sorry.” Henry reached across the table and took my hand. It warmed me straight to the core.
“Thanks.” I tried to shrug away the empty ache that always filled me talking about my dad’s death. “Anyway, he’s probably the reason I want to become a senator myself.”
“So, you have political aspirations,” Henry said, releasing my hand.
“I guess. But, it’s more that I want to follow in his footsteps. I want to live up to the Ritter name and continue on his good work. He wanted to make the world a better place, and so do I.”
Henry appraised me for a moment, leaning back in his chair. The sunlight dappled on his across his face. He must have shaved that morning because he didn’t have stubble yet, but my fingers itched to touch him and find out. It took some willpower not to stare.
“What about you? What do you want to do with your life?” I asked, wanting to take the attention off of me and learn more about him.
“Me? I’m following the family business,” he replied. “Just like you.”
I smiled. “Is your dad a senator too?”
He chuckled. “Not quite.” His eyes went distant. “He died last year. We’re all still adjusting. My older brother has most of the responsibilities, but I’m doing my best to help.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, echoing his words to me. I reached out and took his hand this time.
“Something we have in common,” he said softly. He looked down at my hand, rubbing his thumb over my fingers.
“You said you have an older brother,” I said, wanting to change the subject. Death wasn’t a great first date topic. “Any other siblings?”
“A younger brother, too,” he said, a smile replacing the sadness in his eyes. “Liam is the oldest, I’m the middle, and Freddy is the youngest.”
I tried to imagine two more men that looked like Henry. If they were as attractive as he was, they could all go into Hollywood and make millions. The idea of three blue-eyed handsome men was rather breathtaking.
“What about you?” he asked. “Any siblings?”
I thought about Anastasia. She could barely remember my name half the time. “I have a stepsister, but we aren’t close. I don’t really have any other family. My mom died when I was little and my dad remarried when I was sixteen. After Dad died, we didn’t really have much in common anymore so I rarely see them.”
And I was talking about death again. And my terrible stepmother. Good job me. Time to change the subject.
“Have you been in DC long?” I asked, choosing something that hopefully had nothing to do with dead parents.
“I just got here last week,” Henry replied. “It’s a beautiful city.”
I smiled. “Have you seen the sights yet?”
He shook his head. “Not really. I saw the Washington Monument the other day, though.”
He grinned at me and I chuckled. “I’m not sure you actually saw it. You were kind of busy running into me.”
“Then I’ve already seen the best part of the city,” he informed me with a knowing smile.
My cheeks heated and glanced down at my hands. The compliment warmed my chest. How was it that a simple compliment like that could make me so damn happy?
“You want to get out of here?” I asked. “I still have some time. I can give you a quick tour.”
“Sure,” he said, a thrill filling my chest. I wasn’t sure if it was at his words or his touch that had my heart doing a happy tap dance.
He grinned and squeezed my hand as he stood up. We carefully deposited our empty plates at the designated spot and stepped out to see the sights.
Chapter 6
I led the way to the famous monuments, walking along the streets of Washington DC, hand in hand. I tried not to focus on how his very touch heated my entire being. I kept sneaking glances over at him as we walked, unsure if this was really happening.
“Where are we going?” he asked as we skirted around a group of tourists. He smiled as he said it, his steps confident and matching mine. I got the feeling he didn’t care where we were actually going, as long as it was with me.
I definitely felt the same way.
“I thought I’d show you the Reflecting Pool,” I replied. It wasn’t far from the restaurant, and it was always beautiful. We just had to walk south in almost in a straight line and we’d hit a lot of the famous tourist sights along the way.
“That sounds wonderful,” he replied, squeezing my hand. I liked that he hadn’t let go of it, even though it was making my heart beat in funny patterns. I never wanted him to let go.
We walked along, making comfortable small talk. I played tour guide, telling him all about the local attractions and what made some of the monuments special. I told him about the museums and the best times to come see them. He listened and nodded as we walked, keeping the conversation flowing. It was comfortable and easy. I felt like we’d known each other for years.
“Here is the White House. The president lives and works here, and it is a favorite to destroy in sci-fi films,” I announced, motioning to the white building to our left. It stood out proud against the pale blue sky. “If you get a chance, the tour is pretty cool. It’s definitely worth the wait.”
“I’ve actually already done the tour,” he admitted. “It’s a lovely place. There’s a lot of history of this country there.”
I stopped dead in my tracks and frowned at him.
“Wait, I thought you said you’ve only seen the Washington Monument?” I asked, confused as to how he could have already had a tour at the White House.
“I’ve been to DC before,” he explained. He shrugged and smiled, as if it were his fault and not mine that I didn’t know this wasn’t his first time here. I felt like an idiot.
“Oh, god. I didn’t ask if you’ve been here before. I asked what you’d seen this trip and...” I grimaced and dropped his hand, turning away from him. “You probably don’t want to see all this stuff again. I’m sorry.”
He turned and caught me, his hands going to my shoulders. They held me in front of him with a strong warmth. “Yes, I do. You obviously love your city. I want to see it through your eyes.”
“Really?” I looked up at him, still feeling stupid for assuming this was his first time here. He said it was a business trip, not that it was his first time to the city. I should have asked. “You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”
He smiled, lighting up his face. “You are proud of your city,” he said. “I’m having far more fun with you as a tour guide than I ever had with the stuffy official staff I usually have to go with. I want to see this place through your eyes. Please. Take me to your favorite place to show first timers.”
I chewed on my lower lip for a moment. “Okay. But next time, tell me so I don’t tell you things you already know. I don’t want to be boring.”
“You are anything but boring,” he assured me, taking my hand again.
We walked hand in hand down the sidewalk, carefully avoiding the stopped gaggles of tourists. Henry kept his hat pulled low even though the sun wasn’t in our faces. I wished I had thought to bring some sunglasses or a hat too.
Trees leafed out in shades of green and yellow, showing their spring colors that would soon turn to a vibrant forest of green. The green popped against the blue of the sky and the white of the marble monuments. We followed the outline of the Washington Monument, using its tall white peak as a guide point.
We came to the World War Two Memorial and I turned into it. Despite the sadness of what it represented, I loved the elegant beauty of this memorial. Water flowed through the fountain in the center, the sound musically combining with the voices of tourists as they snapped pictures. I led Henry through the square and to the edge of the Reflecting Pool.
Behind us, the Washington Monument stood tall against the sky, almost as if it was watching over us yet again. In front of us, the long expanse
of water reflected the sun and sky all the way to the columned building where Lincoln sat.
“This is probably my favorite tourist spot,” I told Henry. “It’s just so beautiful here. In the evening, the stars reflect in the water. It’s peaceful.”
“I can see why you like it,” he said, looking around. “There’s a sense of history here. It actually reminds me a little of home.”
“Paradisa is like this?” I asked.
“We have lots of water and trees just like this,” he explained. “But, it’s more the feeling that something important is represented here. A beauty of the nation.”
He shrugged and tugged on the brim of his hat with a smile.
“I like that. If this is what it looks like, I think I would like Paradisa.”
He grinned at me, his blue eyes bright under his hat. At that moment, I knew I wanted to go to Paradisa with him. I wanted to go everywhere with him.
He reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. The gentle, yet almost intimate motion made my breath catch. His fingers grazed my cheek, sending shivers of hope for more of his touch all the way down to my toes.
A group of teenage girls giggled, catching my attention. The four girls wore uniform plaid skirts and were obviously looking at Henry. I felt a small surge of jealousy as they batted their eyelashes at him. They leaned over and whispered to one another, pointing in his direction.
“Maybe we can head over to those trees,” Henry suggested, turning away from the girls. The green-eyed monster in my belly grumbled, but quieted as we walked away from the girls and their flirtatious smiles. I knew Henry was attractive, but I wasn’t expecting quite the level of attention they were giving him.
We walked over to the trees lining the Reflecting Pool. The sun dappled through the leaves as Henry settled his back against one. I sat timidly beside him, tucking my legs underneath me. I didn’t need grass stains on my pants again. I wished I had the guts to snuggle into his shoulder, but the good girl in me couldn’t seem to find the courage.