And now…here they were, holding hands as they hustled down the street away from the doughnut place. It was…surreal.
She was the last person he’d expected to see across the speed-dating table, but there had never been any doubt in his mind that it was Dawn. She looked exactly the same. Same dyed, blue-black hair that fell in a slick, shiny curtain to the center of her back, same piercing blue eyes that stood out against her pale skin. She had a few more tattoos than before—what looked like a mermaid on the underside of one arm and an octopus coiling around her bicep on the other—but she even wore the same purple jewel in the ring on her eyebrow.
Looking at her, he would have believed no time had passed at all—let alone eleven years—except for the tired note in her voice and the sense that her personality had…faded with time.
Either faded, or been trampled by marriage to a person who didn’t appreciate her.
Trent knew how it felt to work so hard to make a marriage work only to learn your best efforts and all your love weren’t enough. But in the past three years, he’d recovered his confidence. He knew he had a lot to offer and that someday he’d meet a woman who appreciated him. Even his recent string of bad luck with the opposite sex couldn’t shatter that belief, but Dawn…
He could tell she hadn’t recovered from whatever factors had combined to dim the light in her eyes, and it made him want to track Dave down and punch him in the gut. Hard.
“This look good?’ Dawn asked, pausing in front of a bar with an old-fashioned wooden sign hanging above the door declaring it to be the Pied Piper Pub and Grill.
“Perfect.” He held the door open for her, following her into the soft darkness.
Out on the street, the summer sun was still setting, but inside the pub, the shades were closed and the lamps hanging from the ceiling cast a warm glow above the tables on the right side of the room and the long, wooden bar on the other. It gave the space a cozy, close feeling, and the Irish fiddle music piping over the sound system wasn’t too loud. It would be a good place to catch up, and maybe…
Don’t go there. Take this one step at a time.
Trent took a breath. One step at a time was good advice. Dawn was obviously still getting used to the idea that he wasn’t a nineteen-year-old meathead who’d never been out of Trousdale County anymore, and he didn’t know if Dawn was still the same person he remembered.
“Tell me more about your daughter,” she said, after they’d ordered two beers and a basket of cheese fries to help balance the doughnut sweetness.
“She’s six,” Trent said. “Going on sixteen.”
Dawn smiled. “Did she just finish kindergarten?”
“First grade,” Trent said, moving the used coasters in front of him to the side, clearing a space for their drinks. “She was already reading and writing by the time she started kindergarten, so her teachers went ahead and moved her up to first grade. She’ll be in second next year.”
Dawn’s brows lifted. “Smart girl. Did your ex teach her to read?”
“I did,” Trent said, determined to prove to Dawn that he wasn’t a meathead anymore.
“My ex worked at a bank when Beatrice was born, and we didn’t have a whole lot of money for childcare,” he said. “So Bea would come hang out at the bike shop with me. She had tons of toys in the back room, but she’d still get bored and want me to read to her. A lot of times I was with a client and couldn’t get away, so I started teaching her to read on her own. She was getting by with a little help by three. By the time she was four, she didn’t need me anymore. She’s a really sharp kid.”
“Sounds like it,” Dawn said, lips curving. “And sounds like she’s got a devoted daddy.”
Trent shrugged. “She’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Dawn’s smile crimped at the edges. “I can tell you mean that. My ex…” She shook her head. “You know what? I don’t want to talk about my ex.”
“Me either,” Trent said. “But I will say I always thought you were way too good for Dave.”
Her brows lifted. “Really?”
“Really. Way too smart and pretty and full of energy to be lugging that pot-head around for the rest of your life. I bet he only slowed you down.”
Dawn shot him a strange look, but the bartender took that moment to deliver their beers and basket of fries. By the time he’d asked them if they needed anything else and delivered the napkins and forks Dawn asked for, the look had vanished and Trent didn’t feel comfortable bringing it up. Instead, he tried to guide the conversation back to more neutral topics.
“So, what do you do?” he asked. “Did you end up being a social worker like you planned?”
Dawn shook her head. “No. I got pregnant junior year and decided to transition to an Art degree. I had always loved art and I could do most of my courses online and turn the projects in at the end of the semester. It let me be home with Marshall while I finished undergrad and got my masters. Now I teach art at Arwen College.”
“I had no idea you started your family so young,” Trent said. “So Marshall is…”
“Nine,” Dawn said. “And Emmie is seven. I bet she and Beatrice would get along great. Emmie just finished first grade, too, and loves to read and play pretend and write comic books about princess dragons.”
“Not princesses and dragons, but princess dragons,” Trent clarified, smiling when Dawn nodded. “Sounds like that would be right up Bea’s alley. She won’t touch a princess dress with a ten-foot pole, but loves dragons.”
They talked about kids a little longer before talk turned to Trent’s bike shop and the various bike races he helped organize around Atlanta. They ordered another round and played a game of pool and Trent found himself laughing more than he had in months at the faces Dawn made as she took aim.
“Stop it!” she finally said, laughter in her voice. “You’re deliberately trying to sabotage me.”
“I am not,” he said, still laughing. “You just look cute with your nose wrinkled and your lip curled. Kind of like an angry badger.”
Dawn rolled her eyes before blowing her bangs out of her face with a huff. “Angry badger. Great. That was exactly the look I was going for.”
“Then you nailed it, baby,” Trent said, grinning. “Now hurry up and take that shot so I can finish beating you.”
Dawn’s eyes narrowed. “You always were a cocky bastard.”
“Was not,” he said, leaning his hip against the pool table, close enough to Dawn that he could smell the incense and cinnamon smell clinging to her long, black lace sundress. “I was shy in college.”
Dawn snorted. “And I was the queen of France.”
“Learning new things about you every minute,” he teased. “This is the best date ever.”
Dawn’s breath rushed out and a frown tugged at the skin between her eyes. After a moment, she straightened, abandoning her effort to take aim on the five ball. “So this is a date?”
“It feels like a date, doesn’t it?” Trent asked, hoping she’d say yes and, more importantly, agree to do it again sometime soon.
Dawn’s bare shoulder lifted. “I don’t know. I haven’t been on a date in so long I think I’ve forgotten what they feel like. I’m not nearly as nervous as I usually am on a date.”
Trent took a step closer and closed his hand around her pool cue above hers. “Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it? It’s no fun being nervous.”
“No, it isn’t,” Dawn said, but she didn’t sound convinced, and her gaze remained on the pool table. “I just…I don’t know…this is kind of weird, right? We used to hate each other.”
“I have a confession to make,” Trent said, waiting until she glanced up at him before he continued. “I kind of had a crush on you back in school.”
Dawn’s eyes went wide. “You’re kidding me.”
Trent shook his head. “I only kept arguing with you sophomore year to get your attention.” He shrugged. “I would have asked you out if you hadn’t already had a boyfr
iend. That’s how I knew Dave’s name. I did some checking around the end of freshman year. I was hoping you two weren’t serious, but…”
He let his words trail off, watching Dawn’s expression for a sign of how she felt about his confession. For a long moment, she didn’t say a word, but then her forehead smoothed and her lips curved.
“You know…I didn’t completely hate you, either.”
He winced. “Well, a lack of complete hatred is a place to start.”
She ducked her head and laughed. “No, I only meant that there was something about you.” She glanced up at him through her lashes, those long, smoky lashes that had always made her look a little too exotic to have been born in Tennessee. “Something interesting. Aside from the muscles and sexy jaw and all that.”
“So you think I’m sexy?” Trent shifted the pool cue to one side, clearing the space between them.
“I said your jaw was sexy,” Dawn said, a hitch in her voice.
“Sorry, my mistake.” He leaned closer, until he could feel her breath warm on his face and her cinnamon and smoke smell filled his head and the knowledge that he was about to kiss Dawn Fuller made his pulse race. “I find all of you sexy.”
“Yeah?” Her lips parted.
“Completely.” He closed the distance between them, brushing his lips across hers, tentatively at first, but with increasing confidence as Dawn leaned into him and her free hand came to rest on his chest, her fingernails digging lightly into his skin through his shirt.
After only a moment, the kiss deepened and Trent’s tongue swept into her mouth, tasting her for the first time. She tasted like hops and French fries, but with a hint of sweet smokiness he knew immediately was Dawn’s taste. It reminded him of the first breath of early morning air before a big race—fresh, sharp, exciting, and filled with possibilities—and kissing her was every bit as addictive as he’d imagined it would be.
Once he started, he didn’t want to stop. It wasn’t long before his arm was around her waist, pulling her closer. He fought the urge to moan as her slim body pressed against him and the kiss grew even more intense, entering Inappropriate for Public Viewing territory with a swiftness that made his head spin.
“Maybe we should stop?” he said, mumbling the words against her lips.
“Probably.” Dawn pulled a few inches away. “Though I have to admit I haven’t enjoyed a kiss that much in ages.”
“Me either,” he said, keeping his arm around her. “Does that mean we get to do this again?”
“Kiss?” Her eyes widened. “Dear God, I hope so.”
Trent smiled. “Can I take you out Wednesday night? I have Beatrice starting first thing tomorrow through Wednesday morning, but I’m free after that.”
Dawn hesitated only a moment before nodding. “Wednesday sounds good.”
“We could try this Ethiopian restaurant down the street from my place if you’re game,” he said. “I’ve been getting out and trying new things. Breaking out of my sports bar routine.”
“I’ve never tried Ethiopian,” Dawn said, “but I’m game. It sounds great.”
It sounded better than great. It sounded like a long forgotten fantasy being brought back to life. But so far, the real Dawn was more intriguing than any fantasy.
He was suddenly grateful for the past six months of bad luck with the opposite sex. If he hadn’t struck out with those other women, he might not have been free to take a chance on the girl who got away.
Chapter Three
“Tell me Trent and I should slow down.” Dawn stood at her apartment window, staring down at the street where Trent would be arriving any minute, waiting for her best friend, Maddie, to talk some sense into her.
But she should have known better. Now that Maddie’s own whirlwind romance had become an engagement, she was all about rushing in.
“No, you shouldn’t slow down!” Maddie squealed with excitement, loud enough that Dawn had to pull her cell away from her ear until Maddie stopped squealing and started talking again. “This is amazing news! I’m so happy for you. What a perfect way to spend your break between semesters. And I bet he’s kept you from missing the kids, too, hasn’t he?”
“I’ve still missed the kids,” Dawn said. “But Trent is pretty good at keeping my mind off my troubles when he’s around.”
Boy, was he good at keeping her mind off her troubles.
They hadn’t made it to the bedroom yet, but Trent had already proven he knew exactly what to do with his hands. After their epic make out session on his couch last night—during which he had managed to bring her over the edge without removing a single item of her clothing—she was beginning to realize how much she’d missed by marrying her high school sweetheart.
Dave hadn’t been bad in bed, but even after years of marriage he hadn’t handled her body with the easy confidence that Trent did. Trent was clearly more experienced than she was, but it didn’t make her feel anxious or embarrassed. It made her feel safe to let go and let someone else take the lead, to follow him into abandoned places she’d never visited before.
When she was with Trent—high on his kisses and the electric feel of his hands moving over her body—she forgot that she was a single mom who struggled from paycheck to paycheck, or a woman whose romantic dreams hadn’t come true. She forgot that she was lonely, because when she was with Trent the loneliness that had trailed after her like a shadow since her divorce faded into the background.
She was finally starting to imagine what it might be like not to fly solo anymore, a dream that was almost as terrifying as it was exciting.
Still, it was too soon to be thinking a month down the road, let alone any longer, and she wanted to make sure she and Trent didn’t leave behind any collateral damage. Surely, once Maddie remembered there were kids involved, she’d be an advocate for caution.
“But you can’t know something’s going to work after not quite three weeks,” Dawn said. “I shouldn’t let him introduce me to his daughter. It’s too soon.”
“He wants to introduce you to his daughter?” Maddie squealed again. “That’s so sweet! And you’re so good with kids! She’ll love you!”
Dawn laughed. “If you squeal again, I’m hanging up on you. I think you almost shattered my eardrum.”
“Okay, okay,” Maddie said in a more controlled voice. “Jamison just gave me the stink eye, too. I’ll try to hold it together, but I’m so happy for you. If Trent wants to introduce you to his daughter that means he’s thinking long-term. As long as you’re thinking the same thing, I say go for it.”
Dawn bit her lip. “I don’t know. What if Beatrice doesn’t like me?”
“Why wouldn’t she like you?” Maddie asked. “You’re great.”
“There are tons of reasons, the main one being I’m dating her dad and she and Trent have a very close relationship. She could get jealous and decide I’m the enemy. Then things with Trent will be ruined, and I really don’t want them to be ruined. I haven’t had this much fun in years.”
She sighed as she leaned against the wall near the window, images of her dates with Trent dancing through her head. “He’s nothing like Dave. He loves getting out of the house and is always up for trying something new. We had Ethiopian food, went to a Chinese opera last weekend, and made reservations for “Overnights at the Aquarium” for tomorrow night. We’re going to take our sleeping bags and camp out by the shark tank.”
Maddie sighed. “That’s so romantic.”
Dawn laughed. “It is not. It’s awesome, and a little creepy.”
“And romantic,” Maddie insisted.
“And romantic,” Dawn grudgingly agreed, fighting the smile that pulled at her lips.
But when Trent’s black Ford pickup pulled up in front of her house a second later, there was no controlling her grin. It burst across her face like zest from an orange peel spraying into the air, filling her heart with zing.
“He’s here,” Dawn said, already reaching for her keys. “I’ve got to go.”
/> “Call me in a few days,” Maddie said. “I want to hear all about camping out with sharks.”
Dawn promised to call her and zipped her cell into the pocket in the back of her biking pants before bounding down the stairs from her second story apartment. Before Trent, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d bounded anywhere, but in the past nineteen days, bounding had become a part of her daily routine.
“Hey, sexy,” Trent said from the bed of the truck where he was busy unlocking bikes from the rack, his eyes lighting up when he saw her emerge from the doorway and skip across the grass. “I like you in bike pants.”
“Thanks.” Dawn propped a hand on her spandex clad hip, not feeling at all self- conscious about the fact that she had the muscle tone of a woman who spent most of her time in front of an easel or camped out on her couch grading papers.
Dave had always complained that she was on the scrawny side and urged her to make more time for the gym, but Trent obviously thought she was God’s gift to women. She’d never felt more beautiful than when he pulled away from a kiss with that pained-awed-blissed out look in his eyes, as if he couldn’t quite believe she was real and in his arms.
She wasn’t sure she deserved that look, but she wasn’t about to try to change Trent’s mind, not when her confidence in her own desirability was finally making a comeback.
“So how far are we going to go?” Dawn asked, helping him unload a sweet-looking black bike with a skull seat cover.
“Five or six miles.” Trent handed her a helmet before setting his own bike down against the truck and vaulting out of the truck bed with an athleticism that made Dawn’s pulse beat faster.
She’d never been one to geek out about big muscles or a ripped body, but when that ripped body was inhabited by a man who loved his daughter fiercely, could carry on an intelligent conversation, and read at least a book a week, she was as helpless against the stud factor as any other woman.
Perfect for You (Short Story) (Fire and Icing) Page 2