by Lauren Wood
He was slightly startled, but even more, alarmed when I grabbed a cluster of nerves underneath his arm. He dropped like a sack of potatoes on his knees screaming at the top of his lungs.
I owned my own business passed down from my grandmother and had very little time for a social life. There was a martial arts class that I attended regularly next door to my business. This was one of those moments where I felt vindicated by putting him on his knees in a subservient position.
“I’m going to sue you for every penny you’re worth.” I turned my attention to the other customers and they had turned their back giving me plausible deniability.
“It doesn’t look like you’re going to have any witnesses.” His only saving grace would be subpoenaing the video evidence.
That went out the window when the owner came over and stood on my side of the fence.
“I erased the footage and nobody here saw a thing. I regret to inform you that you are banned from this establishment and the ladies dinner is on me.” Randy was present during those meetings with the neighborhood entrepreneurs and I felt that we had a good neighbor relationship.
I had made the mistake of turning over my love life to somebody that had been down the aisle three times unsuccessfully. Helena was known to have her heart on her sleeve and playing cupid had become a necessary pastime to make people as miserable as she was. I should have known better than to keep the home fires burning by letting her see a flicker of hope that I was ready to move on.
Colton was the one name I couldn’t seem to escape.
Chapter two
“I really thought that you guys would hit it off. Are you sure there aren’t any redeeming qualities about him? I never took him for being a sexist pig, but maybe I was blinded by all of the kind comments he made in the office.” She apologized profusely and promised the next time would be different, but I wasn’t about to take a chance of a repeat performance.
“Sometimes we don’t know what’s going on in somebody’s head until we walk a few miles in their shoes. He might have appeared to be a good guy on paper, but his true colors came out when he couldn’t stop talking about his car. Things got heated and I learned more about him than I wanted to and so did the rest of the customers.” It was interesting to be that fly on the wall and I had the habit of people watching.
I was standing behind the counter serving customers with my apron showing signs of wear and tear. The old coffee stains were hard to get out and not even the magic of my dry cleaner was able to make it gleam white again.
The coffee was a special recipe of a blend that came from Brazilian origins. I catered to those discriminating tastes by offering expensive alternatives to brand name corporations.
“I will never understand how a man’s mind works. We all want the same thing in the end, but we go about it in vastly different ways. I’m sure they are tired of hearing us talk about work and makeup. There has to be a better way than to blindly go from one date to another hoping to find Mr. Right.” There was a reason why she was down on herself and her latest relationship had fizzled after she found him with the dog walker in a familiar position that was almost ironic.
“I can appreciate how you want to see me happy, but maybe that’s not your job. I really don’t have the time to dedicate to holding their hand. I need a fresh influx of cash into this business and I’m looking for qualified investors who will see my vision for the future.” I had discreetly made inquiries with friends and family letting the word spread that I was interested in a silent investor.
“You know that I would gladly come in on the ground floor, but my money is tied up in stocks and bonds. I’ve done my part with discretion to whisper into those influential ears. There has been some interest, but people are cautious about getting into a new venture.” It was the same old story, but I had gotten an e-mail that made me believe that the drought was almost over.
“I want to read you something to get your opinion. I’m sure there’s some underlying meaning, but this corporation is telling me everything that I want to hear. I’m afraid that they are paving the way to take over and push me out of my own company.” I retrieved the paper that was in my pocket written verbatim from what I had seen on my screen.
“You know that I will give you my unbiased opinion.” We could have been sisters at the same height of 5 foot three and 120 pounds not to mention we had the very same hairstyle from going to the same salon.
“I’m going to be in town and I’m going to make time to come and see you about investing in your business. Please have a business plan ready for me to go over with a fine tooth comb. I’ve done my research and I find myself in the position of wanting to expand my portfolio. We know each other from the past, but I’m not going to let that cloud my judgment.” That last statement had me playing it over and over again in the back of my mind for the last few hours.
“Do you have any idea of who it might be? I will say that it sounds like this person knows you and trusts you to give them a return on their investment. I wouldn’t get your hopes up, but it sounds promising to me.” I had been down this road before and was disappointed with the results.
It was lucky that I didn’t sign on the dotted line until I did some more investigation. The company wanted to rip the guts out of my business and was trying to hide their intention with fancy words in small print. I trained myself to watch out for charlatans promising the moon and not following through.
“I’ve been reluctant to let anybody else in that I don’t know personally. I’ve been burned once and I’m not going to let that happen again. It would be nice to have you on board and I know that you would give me all the room to breathe that I need to make this a success.” My interest was in opening up a commercial kitchen in the back utilizing the portion of the building that was under renovation by the owners.
I had prospects ready to roll up their sleeves and go to work baking decadent treats that would complement the coffee. I had already branched out by offering free Internet access turning my coffee shop into the hot spot for the millennium youth of tomorrow.
It was standing room only with people waiting out on the curb for tables to open up. I was constantly shoveling cash into the business and making a decent profit at the end of the day. I felt it was time to take things to the next level, but I couldn’t do it alone.
“I find myself curious to know who this mysterious benefactor is. I know this might sound cheesy, but maybe he’s your knight in shining armor coming to the rescue on his white steed.” I almost burst out laughing at the absurdity of finding my prince charming by word of mouth.
“Only you would find the silver lining with thoughts of love blooming. I’m taking a break from men altogether to concentrate my efforts on my business. It was wrong of me to take a moment to find that one man that will complete me. I’m not sure he exists and I’m tired of doing this dance.” I wanted to feel those emotions of complete surrender in many different ways.
There was really only one man who made my heart go pitter-patter every time that he was in my gravity. Colton could’ve been the real deal, but his aspirations made him leave the comfort of his hometown for something of the unknown. He had asked me to go with him and I was tempted, but my grandmother’s failing health made it necessary to stick around.
“Pining for the man that got away is only going to leave you with heartache. Colton made his choice and you made yours.” She had been there for my fall from grace and those many nights of eating ice cream right from the carton.
Colton was a special kind of man with strong morals and a delicate heart. He was the perfect combination of strength and kindness rarely seen. I felt blessed to be in his loving embrace and I missed those nights we spent talking for hours. His kiss melted me on the spot and I was that close to doing what came naturally.
His voice was like velvet and one word had me feeling like my clothes were a little too tight. We almost succumbed in a moment of weakness when we realized that our paths were going in different d
irections. We came to our senses, but only because Helena had interrupted us.
“I can’t help but think about what might have happened had I gone with him. I treasured our time together and I know he didn’t think of any other woman when he was with me. He was an open book and never once did he make me feel that I was second best or somebody that he was settling for over the real girl on his radar.” It was unanimous and those little voices in my head were screaming at me to give him a call.
“Don’t even think about it. It’s been a long time and you finally came out of the darkness and into the light. I don’t want you to fall into the habit of thinking of him as the perfect man. Everybody has a flaw and just because you didn’t find it the first time around doesn’t mean that it wasn’t there.” She was being the voice of reason and making me reconsider reaching out to an old friend to touch base after all this time.
We had stayed in touch with daily e-mail blasts, but then that correspondence dwindled to birthday and Christmas greetings. It was a mutual breakup and we promised that we would be there when the time was right to rekindle the spark we had allowed to fizzle. I still thought of him fondly, but he never did mention the possibility of love in his future.
Once a month, I would get a painful reminder of the past, but it was nice to stay in touch even though it was more for show than the actual promise that we were going to be together forever.
“I almost made a huge mistake and I’m glad that you were here to talk me down before I did anything foolish. I don’t know why he has this hold on me, but every time I look up from the counter, I expect to see him walking toward me with those dimples.” I tried to turn it off, but there were times I thought I saw him in passing and ended up acting like an idiot by chasing him down to find out that it was a figment of my imagination.
“I will always be here and you can call me when you feel like you’re going to fall off the wagon and call him. You never know and maybe this new investor will take your mind off of him. Everybody has that special someone in their past that keeps them wondering what would have happened had things gone differently. I have my own Colton and we both know that he’s married with children playing house with another woman in England.” I could hear the disappointment in her voice and she was never quite the same when she realized love was within her reach and she let it go.
“I can’t stop thinking about him. He’s in my dreams when I close my eyes and in the reflection of my mirror when I wake up in the morning. It doesn’t happen as often, but I still feel his presence and the smell of his cologne is overpowering.” I bent over to get fresh filters from the cabinet under the register when this very familiar scent hit me like a ton of bricks.
Helena was tapping me on the shoulder and I looked at her to see that she was staring at something in the doorway. She had her mouth open and her finger was shaking. I thought for a moment that she had seen a ghost.
I followed her gaze and had to take a second look to understand how the past truly was never in the rearview mirror.
Colton had a beige trench coat draped over his arm and was wearing an expensive suit that probably cost more than the monthly rent of the space that I was using for my business.
Chapter three
“I probably should have told you that I was coming, but I was getting this guilty little thrill about dropping in on you unexpectedly. I told you that I wasn’t going to allow my past with you to cloud my judgment and I meant it at the time. It’s really good to see you after all this time. It’s not the same when I talk to you by e-mail as it is when I can see you in person face to face.” His chiseled good looks and broad shoulders made my legs feel like jelly, but I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of turning into a gibbering idiot.
“I have to say this is highly unexpected, but a welcome surprise.” My heart was hammering in my chest and the blood red shirt he was wearing was focusing my attention on his well-defined pectorals.
He was always in fine shape, but these past few years had turned him into a Greek statue of mythical proportions. The man’s arms were as big as tree trunks, but it was the fire in his eyes that I remembered the most.
“I came here straight from the Airport quite anxious to see what my money is going to buy me. I know that your main interest is getting a silent investor, but I don’t usually do business like that. I like to get down and dirty and roll up my sleeves with those that I’m doing business with.” I tried not to stare, but my recollection of him washing his car on the weekend had me wishing there was time to repeat and rinse.
“I would hate to waste your time. We might be friends, but I would never ask you to risk your hard earned money on something that won’t amount to anything. The business plan that you asked for is at home. I wasn’t expecting you to show up at my place of business. I could show you the space I have in mind for expanding my operation.” We all but ignored Helena and she made her exit but not before she gave me a sideways glance with her thumb moving back and forth in her mouth.
I shifted nervously on the balls of my feet and her teasing gesture had only brought to the surface those feelings that I had pushed down.
“I’m sorry that I made you flustered and maybe I should come back when you can compose yourself. I would like to see this space and I’m very good at seeing the bigger picture.” I wanted to tell him to leave before I threw caution to the wind and ripped open his shirt in an effort to see him in a vulnerable state.
“It’s only a temporary issue and you briefly caught me off guard. You’ve changed and I would say your aversion to going to the gym isn’t an issue anymore. You swore that you would never become a slave to your body. What could possibly change to make you change your mind? I’m guessing it had something do with a girl that you had your eyes on.” I didn’t mean to hit a sore spot, but the faraway look made me see that his heart had been broken recently.
“I thought I found the woman that I was going to spend the rest of my life with. Transforming this into the man of her dreams wasn’t her idea. She was perfectly happy the way that I was, but I felt like I was dating out of my league. She thought that I was overcompensating and found comfort in the arms of her ex-boyfriend.” I didn’t know why he was confessing to me, but maybe he felt comfortable enough to get it off his chest.
“You’ve never been good at goodbyes. Wearing your heart on your sleeve was one of your gifts and a curse at the same time. I don’t want to dig up old regrets, but have you ever thought about me more than in passing?” I turned the sign in the door to indicate that we were closed for the evening.
I locked up and pulled the metal gate down to secure my investment from the prying eyes of those looking to score for their next fix.
The neighborhood was ripe with criminal activity after the sun went down. I had learned the hard way by getting held up at midnight to close my doors at 9:00 PM. Things were getting better with a constant patrol of police cars stopping in to make this place the spot to be for those boys and girls in blue.
“I try not to think about you. It hurts too much. I find it better for my sanity that I keep those feelings under lock and key.” My motorcycle was in the back room and he picked up the pink and black helmet and looked at it with a bemused smile on his face.
“I know what you’re going to say about the statistics, but I’ve always wanted to live a little dangerously. I bought it a day after you left.” He had owned one, but his was jet black and putting my arms around his waist with the engine vibrating underneath me was what I was trying to capture in a bottle by buying one of my own.
“I’m not surprised and the danger is minimal when you know what you’re doing. Do you find it the same as when we were driving down the highway with your hands around me and your head on my shoulder?” It was a stupid thing to ask and he was baiting me into admitting how I wanted to give him a taste of the mother’s milk.
The owner of the building had given me a key knowing full well that tempting me was a good way to make me ready and willing
to sign a long-term lease. I turned on the lights to a wide open space with a vast amount of potential that I could work with.
“I’m not going to dignify that with a response when you already know the answer better than anybody. This verbal sparring match is going to get us nowhere. Let’s talk about business and refrain from making it personal.” His cologne was hard to ignore and it was stripping away any good sense I had left.
“I can see your vision and the prospects you have lined up are a proven source of confidence. I’m going to go on the record to say that you have a potential gold mine on your hands. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I see big things in your future under the umbrella of my corporation.” The small enterprise he had started was his baby that he had cultivated from the infancy stage to where it was a full-blown juggernaut in the financial circles.
“I don’t know what to say. Does this mean that you are willing to put your money where your mouth is?” I was flying high and feeling my pulse racing from the possibility of making my dreams come true.
“I don’t see there being a problem, but I will have to do my due diligence. I’ve had a brief look at your business proposal and I’m impressed. I thought you were crazy to stick around for your grandmother. It felt like a dead end with no way out. You proved me and a lot of people wrong by adapting to technology and change.” It was a blank canvas and I could envision everything by closing my eyes.
I could see the people working on my behalf and the smell of fresh pastries would attract the most discriminating customer. It was euphoric and then got even better when he put his hands on my shoulders.
“I really don’t think that we should.” His hot breath tickling the back of my neck made my heart leap out of my chest.