Blaine

by Katie Dowe

  “I am,” she'd told him, very pleased at his reaction. “I feel every one of those years, believe me.”

  “You look so much younger,” he'd murmured as he stared at her. “I hate to ask you if I look my age.”

  “You don’t,” she'd told him with a smile.

  “Thank you for saying that even if you don’t mean it,” He'd told her solemnly.

  “I do mean it,” She'd assured him.

  He'd taken her hand in his work-roughened one and told her that it was very nice to meet her. She was definitely not reading anything into it. They would probably never call or see each other again but it had certainly been a very nice evening. She got up and took the dress off. Her mood changed as she remembered the conversation she'd had with Devon earlier in the evening. She was going to have to confront her friend about what he'd told her and she wasn't looking forward to it. She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror and examined her face. She wasn't looking forward to the wrinkles which had stayed away but would surely be making their way soon enough. Her mind switched to the problems at hand. She'd suspected that Deloris had started drinking but she'd pushed it away, not wanting to believe it. Closing her eyes wearily she went to get ready for bed.

  Chapter 3

  Skylar was with a customer when she saw him coming in. He looked very different from the man in the business suit she'd seen at the party on Saturday. Now he was wearing faded jeans and a thick blue sweater with a black jacket opened all the way down. He also had on work-roughened boots and had black gloves in his hands as he looked around. “Claudette, would you please show Janet the new selections that came in recently?” she asked one of the women who worked for her. “I'll be right back, Janet.” She patted the woman’s hand and walked over to him. “You came.”

  “I said I would.” His dark green eyes wandered over her face. “This is some place,” he said softly, looking around. There were no mannequins with the clothes on display like the other stores. Just swathes of fabrics all over different surfaces. “There are no displays of the clothing you carry. How does this work?”

  She laughed and taking one of his hands in hers she led him over to one of the sofas and told him to have a seat. She poured a glass of champagne and handed it to him. “Catalogues and you tell me what you want, at least give me an idea and I source it for you. I have displays around the back though. When I dreamed up the concept for this store I had in mind what I wanted the place to look like. We offer one thing. It might be very expensive but at least you know that there won't be anyone wearing that special dress you want to wear to a special function and that makes you feel great. That’s what we offer.”

  “That’s genius,” he said as he looked at her. “I don’t know a lot about champagne but this is also pretty good. I'll probably be coming back for more.”

  She inclined her head. “No problem.”

  He finished the champagne. “I'll let you get back to work.” He got to his feet and so did she. He put the glass onto the table and turned to walk away and then stopped. “I want to take you out to dinner.”

  She stared at him curiously. “I like eating dinner,” she told him with a soft smile that showed the whiteness of her teeth against her bronze colored lips. “When?”

  He lifted his left arm and tapped his watch. “Show me Friday’s calendar,” he said. It came up and he studied it. “I have meetings and I have to be at the site for the rest of the afternoon. How about Friday at eight?”

  “That sounds fine. Where?”

  He furrowed his brow for a minute and then smiled. “Dress casual. I know this fantastic place that I think you'll like. How do you feel about seafood?’

  “I like seafood.”

  “Good,” he looked down at her for a moment. “Okay, Skylar Buchanan. See you then.”

  Skylar watched him leave, admiring the way the faded jeans hugged his butt and his easy long sloping stride. Shaking her head she went back to her customers.

  *****

  Blaine got into his Jeep and closed the door, sitting there for a moment before pressing the start button and pulling away. Pritchard Street was a pretty picturesque place with quaint stores that had been around for hundreds of years. The place was quiet and had a feel about it that gave one the feeling that it was from another time. She had chosen well, he thought with a smile. He tapped his hand on the wheel as he waited at the light. He liked her. He'd discovered that when he sat with her at the bar. He'd noticed her as he tuned out the man who'd been sitting next to him and boring the hell out of him with talk of tax deductions and loan interests. He'd been tempted to get up in the middle of the dinner and just leave but he'd noticed her and noticed with amusement that she was as bored as he was. He'd watched her going over to the bar and had decided to join her. He pressed the gas as the lights changed and put on his left indicator. He'd told himself that he wasn't interested in another relationship right now but he really liked her and had just now confirmed it. She was mature enough to understand that he was never going to ask her to marry him. He frowned as he realized that he hadn't asked her if she was involved with anyone. But surely she wouldn't have agreed to come out with him if she was, would she? He pulled into the lot of the work site and sat there for a little while before he opened the door and got out. He zipped the jacket up and showed his hands inside the pockets of his coat as he stared up at the building. Work had started just last week and he could hear the buzz of activities going on. He didn't have a formal office but had someone who dealt with the paperwork for him. He wasn't one to stay indoors and preferred to be on site with the men and help out. He no longer did the heavy lifting but he contributed. He liked to think that he had an input. With his long loping strides he went into the building.

  *****

  “I actually have a date,” Skylar announced as she put the phone on speaker. She'd called both of her friends as soon as she came home that night. She'd been wondering how to talk to Deloris about her drinking and hadn't come up with any approach yet. Her mother had called her while she was in the middle of dealing with a customer and she'd told her she would call her back. She was dreading the call back.

  “You met someone?” This was from Angela. “Where?”

  “On Saturday, when I went that dreadfully boring dinner.”

  “Who is he?”

  “His name is Blaine Mallory and he's quite an attractive man. I don’t know his story yet. That’s not true. I looked him up and I found out that he's never been married, which makes me really wary. He's fifty-three and has never been married.”

  “You're fifty-one and you've never been married,” Deloris pointed out.

  “That’s true,” she said slowly. “You're right. Maybe he was hurt when he was younger and decided not to take the plunge. Anyway, we're going to some seafood place on Friday.”

  “Don’t overthink things Sky,” Deloris told her dryly.

  “I won’t.”

  “You will, because that's who you are,” Angela said with a laugh.

  “You're right.” Skylar took the phone into the kitchen with her as she went to make some tea. “So how are you guys?”

  “Devon wants to talk,” Deloris told her.

  “That’s great honey.”

  “I don’t know if I want to talk to him. We fight every time we meet.”

  “So just talk and don’t fight. Try to be civil with each other,” Skylar told her.

  “The children are coming home for Thanksgiving and we want to present a united front.”

  “You can do it, honey. How about you Angela?”

  “I met someone.”

  “Angela!” both women cried out at the same time.

  “What?” she said defensively. “I'm unhappy at home and he's this lawyer that works at my firm. He's divorced and we've been talking.”

  “Honey, that's a very bad idea.” Skylar turned the kettle off and poured the water over the pouch. “You're still married and going through a pretty rough time. Do you honestly think you
should bring a third party into it?”

  “I agree with Sky on that. You need to deal with what’s happening at home,” Deloris said.

  There was a pause as they waited for Angela to respond. “I guess you're right,” she said with a sigh. “I have to go, I have briefs to prepare.”

  “And I have a report to write. Have fun on Friday honey, and tell us all about it.”

  Skylar hung up and sipped her tea thoughtfully. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost eight-thirty. Taking a deep breath she dialed her mother’s number.

  “Darling, I was beginning to think you weren't going to call me back!” she complained.

  “I worked late, Mother. What’s up?”

  “I'm inviting you for dinner on Friday. You didn't make it for your stepfather’s birthday and I'm giving you the chance to make it up to him by having dinner with us on Friday, just us three.”

  Skylar closed her eyes briefly. “I can’t. I'm sorry.”

  “I knew you were going to say that!” Delia cried. “I know I'm not Mama or Grace but I am still your mother and—”

  “I can't come because I have a date on Friday,” Skylar told her reluctantly.

  “Darling, why didn’t you say so? That’s wonderful! Is it someone I know?”

  “No, Mother,” Skylar had no intention of telling her who it was. “Just someone I met at a party.”

  “Have you decided what you're wearing yet? I know it's Friday but you should pick out your outfit now. How about I come over tomorrow night and help you do that?”

  I would rather have all my nails pulled out! Skylar thought grimly. “Mother, it’s fine. It's going to be a casual dinner so I actually know what I'm going to wear,” she said instead.

  “Are you sure, darling? It's no problem for me to come over and I could spend the night.”

  “Mother, it’s okay,” she said hastily. “I'll video call you when I get dressed on Friday.”

  “Okay darling, that’s good. I love it that we're more like sisters than mother and daughter,” she said with a laugh.

  “I have to go.” Skylar felt the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach at the remark and knew that if she didn't end the conversation now she would say something she was going to regret, or that was going to make her mother very angry and upset and she wasn't going to care!

  “All right, darling.”

  Skylar hung up the phone and took several deep breaths to get herself under control. The first time her mother had said those words to her was when she'd come back for her high school graduation and they'd had that terrible argument.

  She'd stood next to Skylar as she looked in the mirror and passed a slender hand over her chic and stylish dress. “We look more like sisters don’t we?” she'd asked smugly as she stared at herself. Skylar had moved away and gone onto her bed, pulling the pillows up under her chin. She hadn't seen her in years and now this woman—this stranger—had come back into her life as if she'd left that morning and not years. She hadn't hugged her and told her that she loved her and that she was sorry. She hadn't given her an explanation as to why she hadn't been there for her formative years.

  “Would you please leave?” Skylar had told her coldly. “Like right now. Just leave.”

  She'd cried in her grandmother’s arms that night with the woman holding her gently in her arms.

  *****

  He got to his feet and waved her over. He'd arrived a few minutes earlier and had spent the time talking to his friend Chip as he waited for her. He'd been given a corner table that overlooked a boardwalk which was empty of people because of the cold November weather.

  “Am I late?” she shrugged out of her coat and he helped her with it, placing it on the arm of the chair.

  “You're right on time,” he assured her. He looked up as Chip came over. “Skylar, I'd like you to meet my friend Chip, the owner of this fine eating establishment,” he said with a smile.

  Skylar held out a hand to the bulky red-haired man and smiled. “Nice to meet you Skylar,” he said with a broad smile. “Blaine asked me to prepare the special because he wanted to surprise you.”

  “Okay,” her dark brown eyes went to the man seated opposite her. “I look forward to it.”

  “I'll send over some conch soup in the meantime,” he said as he went away.

  “This is nice,” Skylar observed as she looked around. There were people milling around casually and chatting with an atmosphere of friendliness that was very relaxing.

  “I had a feeling you would like it,” he said with a smile. “So how was your day at the store?”

  “Busy,” she turned her attention back to him. “Fridays usually are. How about you?”

  “I work onsite most of the time except when I have to meet with investors or have lunch with people who are interested in putting in a bid for the building I'm working on. I have a secretary who works from her own home but I don’t see the need to set up a formal office as I'm not the office type.”

  “You like to be hands on,” Skylar murmured.

  “I do,” he said with an easy smile. He was about to say something else when their soup came and the conversation ceased as they dipped into it.

  “What do you think?” he asked after a few minutes.

  “It's delicious!” she said enthusiastically.

  “I think so too,” he said with a pleased smile. He waited until they'd finished the soup before he continued the conversation. “I should have asked you to bring an ID with your date of birth on it.”

  She gave him an impish grin. “I actually have one.” She reached into her purse and took out her driver’s license and handed it to him. He stared at the picture for a moment before looking at the information.

  “You are really fifty-one,” he said as he handed it back to her.

  “I really am,” she said as she put it back.

  His eyes wandered over her exquisitely unlined face. When she'd taken off her jacket he'd noticed how the sapphire blue sweater hugged her curves and how the color looked great against her skin. “Is there anything you want to ask me?”

  “Actually, there is. Why are you single?”

  She saw the hard look that came and went on his handsome face and wondered if she'd asked the wrong question.

  “I don’t believe in marriage,” he said lightly.

  “Neither do I,” she surprised him by saying.

  His green eyes flew to hers. “Do you mind me asking why?”

  “I will if you tell me yours,” she said with a laugh. Just then their meal came. A huge platter piled high with every type of seafood imaginable.

  Skylar stared at the platter in amazement. “How on earth are we going to eat all of this?”

  “You'll be surprised,” Blaine said with a grin as he started to heap his plate. “Dig in. I want to know what you think.”

  Skylar did and bit into the shellfish slowly. He waited until she'd tasted several of the different seafood before he asked her. “What do you think?”

  “I think I've died and gone to seafood heaven!” she exclaimed.

  “I told you.”

  “Okay, we're going to have to cease all conversation while I enjoy this delightful meal.”

  “I totally agree.”

  *****

  They ate in companionable silence as they enjoyed the meal. They'd practically finished the platter without realizing it and were sipping the wine that had been brought over before he picked up the conversation again. “I had a pretty awful childhood,” his tone was emotionless as he made the statement. His green eyes met hers briefly for a moment and then looked away. She had a feeling that it was something he didn't talk about at all. “I grew up in a pretty explosive home. My parents fought every single day and the sad thing about it was that they continued to stay together instead of doing the right thing and going their separate ways. I would go to my room while the fights raged and try to listen to music to drown out the sounds. I left as soon as I was eighteen and signed up for the army.
I didn't come back until I was twenty-two and I never went back there to live. I would rather have slept in a shelter or on the streets.”

  “That’s rough,” she murmured.

  “How about you?”

  “My mother had me when she was eighteen and still in school. The boy who got her pregnant was shipped off to Europe by his parents so I never got to know my dad. My mother left me with my grandmother and aunt because as she claimed she was still a child and didn't know how to take care of a baby.” Skylar drank some wine to get rid of the dryness of her parched throat before continuing. “She came back when I was in high school, married and claiming that she was ready to be a mom. I told her to get the hell out of my life.”

  “How did she take it?” he asked her gently.

  “Not well, but she left and I never heard from her again until I was leaving college. Somehow I've found a way to deal with her. I don’t see her if I can help it. I do my daughterly duty and call her every now and then. She's now married to husband number three and still insists that I call them stepdad,” she said with a laugh.

  “Are we comparing of which of us has the saddest story?” he asked her lightly.

  “Were we?” she asked, lifting tapered brows. “We would find it hard to come up with the answer as to which of us is the winner.”

  “How about a tie?” he asked her.

  “I think that will do.” She toyed with the stem of her glass. “My two best friends have terrible marriages and I'm caught in the middle.”

  He leaned forward suddenly. “I'm just going to come right out and say it. Skylar Buchanan, I like you a lot and I would like to see more of you. How about it?”