“There were footsteps that stopped when I stopped. When I got faster, they got faster. Obviously, I can’t be certain, but I had this feeling. It’s hard to explain unless…”
“Unless you’re blind. I get it. That sixth”—he cleared his throat—“well, in your case, fifth sense, kicking in.”
Tori flashed a grin. She liked the fact he was teasing her, even if it made her feel clumsy.
“I don’t see anyone at this moment lurking around. If someone was following you, I think you outran them.”
“That’s a relief.” She bit her lip. “So how bad does it look?”
“Oh, just a scrape. It didn’t bleed much at all.” He cleared his throat. “You’re all clean now. I think you’ll survive. Seriously, though, are you going to be ok? Can I at least walk you somewhere?”
Tori was embarrassed enough for one day and capable of making it home. “I live down the street. I’ll be fine, but thank you for saving my ass from getting plowed by a car.”
“I wish you’d let me help you home, if for nothing else to at least be certain someone wasn’t following you. Pretty blind girl. Big, scary city. Could be a lot of crazies out there,” his voice inflected.
She didn’t know this guy from Adam. That had never stopped her in the past from enjoying the company of a stranger, but things were different. Then again, his kindness and humor was perking her interest.
“How do I know you aren’t a crazy man wanting to follow me home and have your way with me?”
“Considering I just saved your life, I’d hope that would earn me some credit.” He heaved a big sigh. “I suppose you’ll have to take my word for it.”
A walk home won’t hurt. She didn’t see any harm in that, as long as she didn’t tell him her apartment number.
He had such laughter in his voice; Tori immediately found it as a turn on. Was he as cute as he sounded? She needed to know a little more about the guy she’d have on her arm. Tori pretended to lose her balance and allowed herself to fall into him.
“Woah.” He grabbed her and held on for a second. “Seems like you aren’t as good as you thought, huh?”
Lean build, strong, large. Not as muscular as Scott, but fit. Scott was the stick she used to measure all men to, and they always came up short in comparison.
She brushed her hand across his torso. Collared shirt, suit jacket and tie—a professional, so it seemed. And he smelled good, too—masculine, clean, and crisp. All this told her he cared about his appearance.
“I guess I’m still a little shook up,” she lied. “Ok, I’ll take you up on that walk home.” She advised him on the name of her complex and its location.
“Well, that’s not too far from me. I was headed in the same direction.”
“I’m Tori, by the way.” She extended her hand and waited for his in return.
“Tori, my name is Connor. It’s nice to meet you.” He returned the shake. “So how do I do this? You want my arm or something, or do you prefer to walk on your own?”
“I’ll take your elbow, if you don’t mind. That way, I can follow your lead.” She took his forearm, leaving her cane to the right.
“That works for me.”
They waited for the traffic signal to turn. “So, Tori, what do you do at the Smithsonian?” he asked.
“I…” she stammered. “How…”
“Your badge,” he tugged on it. “It’s hanging from your neck.”
“Ah. Yeah.” She placed her hand on it. “I do consulting as to how to make the exhibits more accessible for visitors with visual impairments. Right now, I’m curating an exhibition by artists who are visually impaired.”
“Well, that’s fascinating.”
“How about you? I’m sure you don’t spend your days rescuing blind women from being hit by cars.”
He chuckled and paused for a moment. “I’m an urban planner and landscape architect. I do a lot of civic spaces and government plazas. No artsy stuff.”
“There’s art in that,” Tori replied. “Any of your work I’d know of?”
“No, I haven’t been in the city long. Recently moved here from Indianapolis. I promise you, your job is much more interesting than mine is. If you don’t mind me asking, how do you work not being able to see?”
“It’s a lot of internet searching at first.” She began rattling off all the technology she used for her job.
“Interesting.” He paused for a moment as if he was debating on asking more. “I take it you haven’t always been blind?”
“No, I have not.” She didn’t like to elaborate. Sometimes, if she did, people put the pieces together about her and Donaghue.
That seemed to satisfy his curiosity. They chatted a little more about her job, which Tori was always willing to talk about. She took a lot of pride in her work.
“Well, I’d love to pick your brain on some ideas for my next project and how I could make it more accessible. Sounds like you know your stuff.”
They reached her complex. “Well, Connor it’s been nice to meet you,” Tori said. “Maybe we’ll run into each other again—hopefully, not so literally.” She reached into her purse, pulled out a business card, and handed it to him. “Here is my number. Call me if you ever want a consult.”
He was quiet as she assumed he examined the card. She’d just had those made with braille embossed on the back. “Braille. Nice touch.”
“You never know who you’re going to meet.” She raised her chin and flashed a wide, flirty smile. “Have a great evening, Connor.” She turned and went into her building, hoping he was watching her walk away.
As Tori went into the building, the concierge let her know she’d received a package. He handed her the box. It was lightweight and not too bulky. Her brow dipped. She wasn’t expecting anything.
“Does it say who it’s from?”
“Says it’s from Scott Harris.”
Of course. As if anyone else sent her packages.
Arriving home, she did her normal routine: lock the door, purse, sunglasses, and keys on the entry table, cane folded next to it.
She took the small box to her desk and grabbed her letter opener to cut the tape.
Scott Harris, what did you send this time?
She reached inside. It was a plastic bottle. Also inside was a letter in an envelope, embossed in braille. Read me.
Scott put a lot of thought into this, which was typical. She really needed to step up her gift giving. She unscrewed the lid to the bottle and sniffed it. Coconut. Rubbing it between her forefinger and her thumb, she confirmed it was lotion. There was also a smaller box inside the larger mailing package.
Tori pulled out the folded letter. He could have sent an email, but he took time to make it personal. Her heart warmed as the smell of his cologne hit her nostrils. She lifted it up and took a larger whiff of it and let that familiar scent wash over her.
She laid the note flat on her desk, and let her fingers rub over the raised dots. She still wasn’t fast reading braille, and she cursed herself for not practicing more. It was painstakingly slow. She had to backtrack several times, but she eventually got it.
Tori,
Inside, you will find three items. One is a first-class, round-trip airline ticket to Miami departing two weeks from today at 5:26PM. I’ll be waiting for you at the airport to take you to our destination. The second is a bottle of suntan oil, because you will want to work on your tan over the next few weeks to wear the third item.
Like Amsterdam, you can’t say no to this. The trip is all paid for. Consider this my repayment. Pack lightly; you won't need much clothing for what I have in store.
See you soon,
Scott
Tori pulled out the smaller box. The fabric was slick spandex, though not much of it. It was obviously a skimpy bikini. She felt the tag attached to it, and caught some more raised dots there, as well. Running her fingers over the braille dots on the tag, it read, P.S. It's red.
The following week, Tori tried to keep her min
d focused on work, but all she could think about was Miami. Amsterdam was the only time they went away together, and that was for debauchery. This seemed intimate.
This is something couples do.
No, this was his way of pulling her out of her funk, as she did him after his injury. Nothing more, nothing less.
At least Connor kept her distracted from the Scott train of thoughts. He texted her off and on over the weekend, flirting with her a bit.
He finally asked her out to drinks on Thursday night. Part of her wanted to say no—she was going away with Scott in a week—but the other part of her was angry. Why should she place her life on hold waiting for Scott?
Or you could just be an adult and tell Scott how you feel. If he reciprocated, it left them at an impassible fork in the road, and neither path was appealing.
One, he stayed in the field. He’d be gone all the time with her at home, lonely, missing him while he’s risking his life. Basically, the same rut they’d been stuck in the past ten years, upping the ante with commitment. Two, he leaves the field and gives up his career for her. Scott was so far out of her league, it was laughable. Sure, she was a hella fun chick when hiding behind the walls of her sexuality. What happens when those came crumbling down, the dust settles, and he actually sees who she is?
She mulled all this over as she rode the elevator downstairs to meet Connor.
A long, slow whistle sang through the air as she rounded the corner.
“Damn. You look incredible.” Connor’s steps approached her.
“Thank you.” She flashed a smile in his direction. She’d be lying if she didn’t still enjoy hearing that. Tonight, she opted for a pair of black, tight jeans with brown suede ankle boots and a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled casually. At least that’s what her color identifier app told her she was wearing. She made sure to leave enough buttons open to show a good amount of cleavage. She strategically reached for her sunglasses hanging between her double D’s to draw his attention toward her best assets.
His breath hitched in his throat. Worked like a charm.
“No.” He pulled her hands down. “Leave them off. You don’t need them. I like seeing your eyes.”
She shrugged, trying not to show the points he just scored in her expression. “If you insist.” She tossed them into her purse. “I’ll warn you, though, I’m not great with eye contact.” She flashed a wide, toothy grin.
Connor chuckled at her lame joke. “I’ll try not to take it personally then. Shall we?”
“Where are we headed?” She asked as he placed her hand on his bicep. The lack of fabric between their skin led her to believe he was in a casual T-shirt.
It was eating her up not knowing what he looked like. She Googled him but only came up with information about him in Indianapolis. Online bios didn’t include descriptive images if the individual was hot or not. She texted his info to Keith and asked for the lowdown but hadn’t heard back from him.
“I figured we’d go to Rustico, if that’s ok.”
“Sure.” She liked that place—unpretentious, good beer, and it showed he wasn’t trying to over impress.
When they arrived, Tori settled in and promptly ordered a mixed drink and a shot. The beer may be good there, but beer wasn’t going to cut it tonight.
“Starting out with shots?” He chuckled.
“Eh, shitty day.” She dismissed it with a wave of her hand.
“So, what is up with this shitty day?”
Images of Scott flashed like a movie reel in her head.
“Just boring work stuff.” Lies, all lies.
“Ok, so I guess I shouldn’t say my team was super impressed with all your ideas for the courtyard at my new building,” he bragged. Tori’d given him some input on how to make his complex more accessible. She sensed he was stretching the truth to flatter her.
“I forgot to ask. Where’s the building going to be?” Tori rested her chin on her hand.
He shifted a bit in his chair and let out a breath. “I’m not sure yet. We have several different lots we’re considering.”
She was going to ask more, but the drinks arrived. Connor ordered a burger, and Tori opted for the fish and chips, acceptable to eat with your hands and not too messy. They enjoyed small talk while they ate and ordered a second round of drinks.
“So, tell me how a beautiful woman like you has managed to stay single?”
“Well, the long, white cane isn’t exactly a pick-up magnet.” She raised a brow teasingly.
“Oh, come on now. I saw past that right away.”
“Well, it does weed out the assholes.” A smile tugged at her lips as she crinkled her nose.
“So yes!” He merrily slapped the table. “Good to know I’m not an asshole.” He laughed loudly.
Tori covered her mouth and giggled. Connor was funny and nice. She appreciated a good sense of humor, and she felt a twinge of a spark with him. It had been a long time since she felt that, and her heart did a little flip-flop. It was immediately followed by a wave of guilt as the image of Scott popped in her head. Her smile faded instantly.
He isn’t your boyfriend; you have no reason to feel guilt.
“You ok?” Connor asked
“Yeah.” Tori waved her hand. “I’m ok,” she lied.
As long as you’re on his hook, you’ll never be happy. Maybe it was time to let Scott go, but the thought of that made her chest tighten to where she could hardly breathe.
Tori snapped out of it. “Nah. Honestly, I just haven’t had time to settle down. Work was my life until I lost my vision, and I’m just now starting to get back to normal.” She swallowed a lump in her throat. “Well, a new kind of normal.”
“What about before, no special guy?” Connor asked curiously.
Scott’s face flashed in her mind. God dammit, there he is again. The vague memories of all the other meaningless relationships followed. “Nothing too serious.” She could feel the effect of the second drink, a double, kicking in. “Just a few guys here and there, and then my final conquest that got me where I am today, the congressman.”
There was a silence for a moment as that hung in the air. Connor seemed speechless she brought it up, but she took from the way he shifted in his chair he knew what she meant. “I… Well…” he stammered.
“It’s fine,” she said flatly. “You’d find out eventually anyway. Googling my name would’ve brought up a slew of articles on the crash.” She let him off the hook. “I had a hunch you’d put it together when you started searching my work.”
“I didn’t mean to pry,” he said quietly. She could usually pick up on bullshit, but Connor was hard to read.
“I know. You were a gentleman not to mention it.” She sucked in a breath. “It was quite the scandalous story, though. Married congressmen killed in an accident, blinding the female passenger.” She took a large swig of her drink.
“Was he drunk like they speculated?”
“I felt fine. He seemed fine.” She took a sip. “Very bad judgment on my part, I suppose.” She rested her chin on her hand and twirled her straw with the other, pondering it all.
He reached out and stroked her hand. She accepted the gesture; it felt like comfort more than pity. “Were you and him close?”
Tori let out a huff. “Oh, God no. We only met that night. It wasn’t at all like the tabloids were making it out to be.” The media speculated Tori was the one he left his wife for and branded her with a scarlet letter for breaking up the marriage.
“From what I understand, he was a charmer with the ladies.”
She roared in laughter. “I was the one that charmed him, I believe. I had my sights set on him the minute he walked into the museum.”
“Really?” Connor sounded intrigued.
“Yeah. I thought it would be fun to see if I could reel him in since I’m not highbrow DC royalty.” She didn’t like to talk about the accident normally, but the truth juice she was drinking kept the words flowing, releasing her filte
r. She began telling him all about that night, all the way up until she climbed in his car.
“So, that’s how I ended up with Nathaniel Donaghue.” She left out all the sexual details that flooded her mind. “You can fill in the rest.”
“Do you recall much from the accident?” He gulped his beer.
“Bits and pieces, but not much. I suppose I should consider myself lucky. I nearly died.” She chugged the last of her drink. Thinking about this was making her want to drink even more. “I still get some nasty headaches, but other than the blindness, I’ve recovered.”
Oh, and you probably can’t have children.
He rubbed her hand. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to drudge all this up or pry too much.”
“It’s ok. People are naturally curious.” She waved her hand.
“Excuse me, Tori. I need to use the restroom.” She nodded as the bar stool slid across the wood floor, then he was gone.
Light footsteps approached her. “Anything I can get you?” the waitress asked.
“Yes, another double vodka cranberry please.” Tori knew it was a bad idea to drink more, but she didn’t care.
“You got it, sweetie,” she said and started to move away.
“Oh, and I have a question,” Tori said a bit too loud. She was considering breaking her number one rule and taking Connor back to her apartment, but she had to make sure he was her type first. Blind or not, she refused to sleep with an unattractive man. “The guy I’m with… Is he pretty hot, average, or someone I should steer clear from?”
The waitress chuckled at her vain question. “Well, honey, as pretty as you are, he is a good match.” She leaned in close enough where Tori could smell her fruity perfume. She had a thick west Virginia accent. She whispered to Tori, “Athletic build, not overly muscular, lean, strong, square jaw, and sparkling green eyes framed by trendy, black, square glasses, makes him look smart. He has a pearly smile, dark blond hair with classic good looks. She patted Tori on the arm. “It seems he’s pretty smitten with you.”
Chasing Fire: (Fire and Fury Book One) Page 22