At the Sight of Holly

by Jeannette Winters

  Janet wanted to scream, “Kiss me already.” But Vinny released her and led her by the hand to a red and black checkered blanket lying in the snow. There was a picnic basket to one side.

  “You’ve thought of everything haven’t you?” What I don’t understand is why?

  “Janet, you’re talking as though no one has done anything special for you before.”

  She laughed. “The most romantic thing anybody has done for me was write my name on a pizza using pepperoni. So yeah, you could say I’m blown away by all this.” Janet leaned into him and said softly, “Thank you.” Rising onto tippy toes, she kissed him lightly. Then she sat on the blanket and patted the spot beside her. It was cold, but she had a cure for that. His kisses are the perfect spark to light that fire.

  * * *

  She continued looking at him with those gorgeous brown eyes of hers. Vinny couldn’t stand it any longer. He needed to taste her lips. Dropping down onto his knees on the blanket beside her, he pulled her closer. The moment his lips touched hers, it was over. He knew he could get lost in her and given the way she reached out and grabbed his lapels, pulling him down to her, he knew she felt the same.

  Covering her cold hands with his warm ones, he felt hers trembling. Was she that cold, or could it be the spark igniting through her as well?

  He traced her lips with his tongue and urged her to open up to him. Janet didn’t resist and instantly their tongues danced, and their moans filled the cool air. Damn, I’ve never tasted anything so sweet. Vinny had kissed many women before, but this was different. Was it the romantic setting he’d created for them that was adding to the powerful need building in him? I’d want her no matter where we were.

  He reached up and cupped her face. Her cheeks were cold. You’ll be warm enough very soon. His tongue entered her mouth, and her tongue flicked and played with his. It wasn’t long before he felt her taking the lead and doing her own exploring. Although he found that absolutely hot and sexy, it was also dangerous.

  He was on fire, and his pants were getting tighter. Thankfully through the heavy overcoat Janet couldn’t see or feel the predicament he was in. Vinny wanted to romance her, show her what he felt for her. Although a hard dick would also make a point, it wasn’t the one he’d been going for. Slow down. Stop it before you can’t.

  Although it was painful and he wanted to taste every single inch of her, he couldn’t allow that to happen. Vinny promised himself he wouldn’t allow a physical relationship to start, at least not until she knew all about the RP. If he did, then he would feel as though he’d lied to her. Hurting her was the last thing he wanted to do.

  Slowing the kiss till it came to a stop, he pulled away. It was just a kiss, yet both of them were breathing heavily. God help me if we made love. Vinny needed to dismiss those thoughts from his mind. If it happened now, not only would she hate him, he’d hate himself.

  Settling down beside her, he opened the basket and pulled out a thermos. “I thought it was too cold for wine. How about some hot chocolate?”

  Janet chuckled. “Do you really think I’m cold after that kiss?”

  He couldn’t look at her. It was difficult enough fighting the urge to kiss her again. “I also brought some sugar cookies.” She must think I’m nuts. A beautiful woman flirting with me and I’m talking about cookies.

  Janet didn’t mention it at all. Instead she politely asked, “No peanut butter fudge? That’s my favorite.”

  Vinny looked at her and almost apologized, but saw her playful expression. “I’ll remember that next time.”

  “I can’t imagine what you could ever do to top this date,” Janet said, looking around the room. “All we need is for snowflakes to start falling and it’d be perfect.”

  Vinny got up and said, “Hold that thought.” Since he’d made the snow, if he aimed the pipes up higher, almost facing the ceiling, it should blow the snow down. Hopefully not like a blizzard. Turning her into a ball of ice wasn’t the way to impress her.

  Flipping the switch to a low setting, Vinny turned the snow-making machine back on. He crossed his fingers as it sputtered a few times before finally kicking into gear. The white puff quickly turned into tiny flakes falling from directly above Janet. He rushed back to sit by her side.

  “How is that?”

  Janet raised her hands and looked up. “This is really snow.”

  “It’s as real as it gets in Tabiq.” A place that only has different levels of hot.

  Janet laid down on the blanket just looking up, as though in awe. He could tell her thoughts were of a place a million miles away. He wasn’t jealous. It was what he’d hoped while building this contraption. Bring a bit of home to her. It was bittersweet to see how well it had worked.

  Quietly, he settled himself beside her and entwined his fingers in hers. Neither spoke as the tiny flakes continued to come down. He’d enjoyed snow as a child. As an adult, it meant getting up early to help his father shovel the shop before customers showed up. But for the first time in what seemed like ages, it meant something entirely different, because he was seeing it through Janet’s eyes.

  The machine sputtered a few times then shut down. Vinny knew exactly what the issue was, but hadn’t figured out a work-around. He could give it a few minutes and go back and restart it, but the effect wouldn’t be the same. Instead, he sat up and dug in the basket for the cups. He poured one for each of them and held Janet’s out to her until she was upright.

  “Thank you.” Janet grinned then continued, “I seem to be saying that to you quite often.”

  “And I don’t feel as though I have said it enough. I’m really glad you came.”

  “Oh, you mean you’re glad you used my friend to get me to come?” Janet teased, and he nodded. “Although I’m enjoying myself more than you know, you didn’t need to go through all that trouble. I would’ve come with you after work.”

  “It’s better during the daytime.” The last thing Vinny had wanted was for Janet to get to the warehouse and be enjoying herself, only for him to have to run off again before dark.

  “Maybe for you, because you are your own boss. I work for others.”

  “I made sure the time was approved.” Vinny respected her work ethic and never would’ve jeopardized her employment.

  Janet took a sip of the hot chocolate then held her cup as though in deep thought.

  “Trust me Janet, you’re not in any trouble at New Hope.”

  She met his gaze and said, “That’s not what I was thinking about.”

  “You seemed so serious that I figured it was work.”

  “Vinny, if I ask you something, will you answer honestly?”

  He had no idea what Janet was about to ask, but one thing he’d never do was lie to her. His mother had drilled into his head at a young age, that one could run from the truth, but never hide from it.

  “I’m not sure I can answer it, but I’ll always be truthful with you.”

  He watched as Janet fiddled with the cup for a few seconds, as though she wasn’t sure how to word it. If Vinny had a clue what it was about, he’d assist. All he could do was wait patiently, or at least pretend to.

  With a heavy sigh, she looked at him and asked, “You do all this for me, but when I…try to initiate anything…more, you…pull away. I’m getting mixed signals from you. Is there something I’m missing? Are you married? Have a girlfriend? Or maybe you’re just not really into me like that?”

  “No. No. And hell yes, I’m into you. Janet, this has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me.” That sounded like a bad line used when you don’t want to see someone any longer. “Before you start questioning that, it really is about me.”

  Putting her cup on the blanket, she got up. “I think it’s time I go.”

  Vinny leaped up and said, “Please don’t leave. There are things you don’t know. I should…I want to tell you. Will you please sit and give me a chance to explain?”

  Janet nodded and sat back down. Vinny was so worried
about how to phrase it. He’d never actually told a woman that he cared for about his RP. He was going to need to start from the beginning.

  Sitting back down he said, “I left Wrentham to start a new life for myself. Back home everyone knew about me and I always felt as though they were treating me different. But when the Hendersons were willing to give me a job, even with my…issue, I couldn’t say no. It was the chance I’d been waiting for. So, here I am in Tabiq, still hiding.”

  “Are you a criminal, wanted by the police?”

  Vinny laughed. “I’ve had one speeding ticket, which I paid. That is the extent of my legal encounters.” He became serious and said, “I don’t tell people about it. Although I had to in order to get the job, the Hendersons promised never to share it. And they kept their word.

  “Are you planning on sharing it with me, or am I on the list of people you want left in the dark?”

  “Dark. A funny choice of words and very appropriate.”

  Janet’s frustration was evident. “You’re talking in riddles Vinny. Although I love games, this is not one of them.”

  “Have you ever heard of RP, retinitis pigmentosa?” Vinny asked. Janet shook her head. “It’s a rare, inherited eye disease.”

  “What does it do?” Janet asked, listening intently.

  “It causes severe vision impairment. For myself, I have tunnel vision and at night or anytime I’m in low light, dusk or darker, I have a very difficult time seeing. It’s something that started in my early childhood and very slowly has become…worse.” And will do so till the day I die.

  Janet just stared at him, then said, “That’s why you left me so quickly.”

  “It is.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I didn’t know how. And besides, it really wasn’t dinner conversation.” Or a topic I ever wanted to bring up.

  “But I thought you…you made me feel…”

  “Like it was your fault?” Vinny asked. Janet again nodded. “Damn it. That’s not what I wanted at all.”

  “What did you want Vinny?”

  “To protect you so you didn’t get hurt.” You or me. The truth was, he was falling for her hard. Vinny wasn’t afraid of much, but the thought of her rejecting him over this, was a real possibility. But this was better, the truth had been disclosed. Although he wished he could’ve done this another time, it wouldn’t have been fair to her. And if they continued on this path, it could’ve left her crushed and heartbroken.

  “Is there anything that can be done?” Janet asked.

  “No.”

  “I don’t understand Vinny. Why would you come here, to this place? It’s not like they have top-of-the-line medical facilities. Although Logan is a world-renowned neurosurgeon.”

  “Logan?” Vinny felt a twinge of jealously at the look in her eyes when she said it.

  “Yes. Logan Henderson. He’s a part owner of New Hope. Didn’t you meet him when you worked there?” Janet asked. Vinny didn’t socialize much with anyone. He worked, got paid, and left.

  “No. I met with Alex for my interview and I think his brother Dean had come by once to the site where I was working. But if you don’t mind, I’d rather not talk about New Hope or the Hendersons. I would like to talk about…us.” Not that I’m saying there is an us, but one could hope.

  “I’m sorry. Sometimes I get thinking about something and my mind runs in a million directions. But you’re right. This is about you and me.”

  “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you earlier about the RP.”

  “If you had, I’d never have let you leave that night it was about to rain. I’m glad to see you made it home in one piece.”

  Something like that. “Now you know why I cut the dates off so early.”

  “I do. And maybe we can try having them on my days off, so we can see each other during the daytime?”

  Vinny smiled. “I’d like that. But I’m not blind. I can see, just very poorly. If we are ever out and it gets cloudy—”

  “Then you’ll just ask me to drive. See, it’s so simple,” Janet said, smiling from ear to ear.

  When you say it, I almost believe it.

  “Is there anything you want to know?” Vinny asked. She grinned. “Okay what is it?” He hoped it wasn’t more questions about RP.

  “Do you think we can build a snowman before this snow melts?”

  Vinny laughed. “There’s only one way to find out.” He got up and gave her a hand to lift her off the blanket. “You make the head, I’ll make the body.”

  “Better get rolling, because I’m not going to accept any cheesy-looking snowman.”

  “Yes ma’am.” As he began building a large, round base, he kept a close eye on Janet. Her smile was brighter than the sun, and he felt as though the weight of the world had just been lifted off his shoulders. Although they hadn’t discussed if there was an us, for the first time in a long time, he felt as though he could be himself with someone. The hiding was over.

  Chapter 6

  Janet couldn’t sleep a wink last night. She’d spent the entire time doing all the research she could on RP. What was she thinking? That there was some miracle cure Vinny and his family had overlooked, and she’d be the one to find it? Just because I want something to be, doesn’t make it so.

  “Janet, did you hear me?” Drake asked.

  “Yes. You were saying…um…sorry. I guess I’m a bit distracted.”

  “Isa told me about your date yesterday. I’m not sure you’ve returned.”

  Ha. Ha. Very funny. “I am very capable of doing my job.”

  “You look exhausted.”

  Janet couldn’t argue. She felt worse than she looked. She had three cups of coffee just to make it out of the house. Now her eyes burned and she was counting the hours until she could go home and crawl back to bed.

  “I didn’t sleep much last night.”

  Drake raised his hands. “I prefer not to hear any details.”

  “Don’t you have something better to do than…bother me?” Janet asked.

  “He told you, didn’t he?” Drake asked.

  “About what?” Janet hadn’t even told Isa, so there was no way Drake would know.

  “His issue.”

  Was it possible Drake knew? “I’m not sure what you’re speaking about.”

  “The reason why he doesn’t go out at night.”

  Her heart raced. Vinny didn’t want anyone to know, and here was Drake, practically admitting that he knew. He could be just guessing, or prying. Drake’s damn good at pulling information from people. I can’t be one of them.

  “Drake, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to work.” Janet said as she slipped past Drake. When she was finally out of his view, she stopped and leaned against a wall trying to pull herself together.

  Drake was spot on; her mind wasn’t on work at the moment. How could it be? Vinny had told her a lot yesterday, but she wanted to understand RP more. Not just for Vinny, but for herself as well. The internet had so much information, almost too much to know what was factual and what was theory. She didn’t have a medical background. How could one decipher it all? It had been like trying to read a foreign language.

  The problem was, she needed someone to talk to, someone who could answer her questions, but wasn’t sure whom she could trust. Here she had Isa. Maybe she can direct me to the right person.

  When she was composed again, she headed back down the hall, yet she was still deep in thought and as she rounded the corner, she slammed directly into Alex Henderson.

  “Excuse me. Are you okay?” Janet asked. It was kind of funny, because it had felt more like walking into a wall, as opposed to a person.

  “Me? I’m fine. How about you?” Alex asked.

  “Yes. I’m fine.”

  Alex looked her over and said, “You seem to be in a rush. Don’t tell me the resort’s on fire.”

  Janet shook her head, still frazzled. “No. Everything is fine.”

  “It was a joke.
I’m Alex Henderson and this is my brother Logan. You’re Janet Holly, correct?”

  She was surprised he remembered her. They had only met once and that was briefly. Hopefully I had left a better first impression than this. “Yes I am. Is there anything I can do for you gentlemen?”

  “No. I have a meeting with Drake and thought I’d show Logan the upgrades we made to the place,” Alex said, before looking back to Logan. “Do you mind if this young lady shows you around instead of me?”

  “I don’t mind if she doesn’t,” Logan said.

  Janet didn’t really want to be in charge of showing anyone, especially one of the owners, the resort. She was comfortable she knew the place well enough, but Logan most likely wanted more information than she’d be able to provide. But he might have answers to things I need to know.

  She couldn’t have planned this better if she’d tried. Smiling, Janet replied, “I’d be happy to. And we can even take it at a slower pace, so you can see things as well.”

  Logan laughed. “That might be best. Where do you want to start?”

  With you telling me all you know about RP. “Since it’s the hottest part of the day, why don’t we start inside, at the newly renovated gym?”

  “Lead the way,” Logan said.

  Being with Logan was like taking a large dose of caffeine. As they made their way through the resort, they chatted about many things, and RP had been top of the list. Although Janet didn’t understand everything, Logan had agreed to keep everything they discussed to himself. He’d also promised her he’d reach out to a team of doctors who were doing some research, not yet released to the world. It wasn’t a cure, or anything she could bring to Vinny, but it was education, which empowered her on how to proceed.

  As they stood by the front entrance, Logan pulled out one of his business cards and handed it to her. “My personal cell number is on the back. I’ll be in contact with you, but if you or your friend need me before then, just reach out.”