“Thanks Rob.” Emily glanced in his direction, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. She bit her lower lip, stalling; she wasn’t sure how to start the introductions. But just when she had gathered the courage, Rob beat her to it.
“I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Rob.” He stuck out his hand.
Alexander accepted the handshake and responded, “I’m Alexander; it’s nice to meet you.”
“So, are you a friend of Emily’s?” Rob blurted out boldly.
“Yes. She and I met this past Monday when she was taking her violin to be restored.” Alexander then turned back to Emily. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. I didn’t realize you were here with someone.”
“Oh, I’m here with my dad, Rob is a close friend. He’s often the one who keeps me company at these things.”
Emily didn’t have to look at Rob to know that what she said hurt him. But it was the truth. She wasn’t here with Rob and she didn’t want Alexander to leave. He was right, fate had placed him in her path again and she wanted to find out why.
“Well then, I am sure Rob won’t mind if I take over keeping you company for a short time and escort you out on the dance floor.” Alexander and Emily both turned to Rob for approval.
Rob tried to appear confident. “Yeah that’s alright with me; I guess I should have asked her to dance sooner.”
“Yes, you probably should have.” Alexander took Emily’s hand and led her to the dance floor.
Just then the band began a new song, only the pianist kept the beat. The man with the microphone began to sing.
“I can only give you love that lasts forever,
and the peromise to be near each time you call…
And the only heart I own, for you and you alone,
that’s all… that’s all.”
The rest of the band now began to play and the melody was soothing and slow. Emily recognized the lyrics of the song, “That’s All.”
Alexander now had Emily in the middle of the dance floor. He raised her hand so that their arms formed a delicate V-shape. He took her other hand in his and slowly placed it on his shoulder. His arm circled her waist, and in one smooth motion, began to lead her in a circular dance pattern.
Emily’s heart had not stopped pounding since Alexander’s sudden appearance. Now she found that it was slowing, as if to match the pace of the song. She felt relaxed and safe with Alexander this close.
Emily looked up. “You should know that I haven’t danced in a quite a while.”
In fact it was over a year. The last time Emily was on a dance floor was at her cousin’s wedding and against all of her protests she still had to dance the traditional slow dance because she was a part of the wedding party. Emily worried she would trip over her own feet or step on his.
“I wouldn’t have guessed; you move very gracefully.” Alexander smiled; his green eyes seemed to sparkle. “You still seem a bit shocked to see me.”
“I am. I was actually just wondering what it is that brought you here tonight.” Emily had to know what common thread they might have that would allow them to meet like this.
“Well it would seem that I am here to save you again.”
“Save me?” Confusion showed on Emily’s face.
Alexander let out a burst of laughter.
“Who is it that I need to be saved from?”
“That guy over there.” Alexander gave a quick nod in Rob’s direction.
“You mean Rob?”
“Yes, he seems a little too friendly for your own good.”
It was Emily’s turn to laugh. Alexander was definitely quick-witted.
“So besides saving me, why are you really here?”
“That’s what I do. I’m here to protect and guard someone.” Alexander explained
Now that made perfect sense. There were certainly many high-profile people at this event and that would explain why he had the physique of a body builder and no problems pummeling her attacker.
“You’re a body guard,” Emily stated.
“I guess you could call me that.”
“Won’t you be in trouble since you aren’t near whomever it is you’re here to guard?” she asked.
“Oh, they’re as close as I want them for now. Besides I’m supposed to stay out of sight for the most part. My job has a lot to do with secrecy and not being seen.”
“Oh I get it. Your secret is safe with me.” Emily gave a reassuring smile.
“That’s good to know.” Alexander led them in a full spin and then back to the pattern of steps they were circling in before.
“I’m glad I got to see you again Emily.” Alexander’s voice deepened and she could hear his sincerity behind it.
Emily’s stomach came to life; it felt as though it was doing flips.
“I’m happy to see you too.” She knew her color had to be bright red. No matter how dark her skin, the intense heat she felt in her cheeks could not be hidden.
Emily looked down from his gaze, hoping to mask her embarrassment.
“Have you heard anything about your violin?” Alexander inquired.
“No, he hasn’t called yet. But he did say it could take two weeks.”
“Have you made arrangements for someone to go with you to pick it up like you agreed to?” Alexander reminded her.
“No, not yet. I guess that part slipped my mind.” Emily waited for the scolding.
Instead Alexander surprised her. “Maybe I could go with you.”
“I would like that.” Emily had wanted him to offer to go with her the very first time they met, but she knew that was unrealistic. She still didn’t know him that well, but for some reason it didn’t matter to her.
“How about next Saturday? I can meet you outside your building,” Alexander offered.
“I don’t know if it’ll be ready by then.” Emily gave a little shrug with her shoulders.
“Well, if the violin is ready we will go get it. If it’s not we’ll go do something else.”
“Is Alexander asking me out on a date?”
“Okay that sounds like a plan.” Emily still felt like she was blushing.
The song had come to an end. Only then did she realize that they had stopped moving and were now just standing there.
“I believe my time is up.” Alexander slowly let his arms fall away. “I must get back to being invisible. Thank you for dancing with me. It was the highlight of my night.”
“Do you have to leave so soon?” Emily sounded a little more anxious than she would have liked. But it was hard to hide her emotions when she was around him.
“Yes, sorry about that. But I will see you again, you can count on it.”
She nodded. “Next Saturday, then. Should we say ten a.m.?”
“I will be looking forward to it.” Alexander gave her hand a light squeeze and then walked away.
Emily watched as he weaved his way through the crowds of people and then he vanished from her sight. Just like that, there one minute, and gone the next.
Chapter 4
* * *
Familiar Things
The ring of her cell phone sent Emily dashing out of the bathroom, her hair dripping wet, her bulky robe causing her to trip and stumble. She clumsily fumbled with the phone to hit the right button in time.
“Hello?” Emily answered the phone slightly out of breath.
“Good morning. Is this Emily Wallace?”
“Yes, this is Emily.”
“This is Mr. Hunt from the music store.”
“Oh, hello Mr. Hunt, how are you?”
“I’m fine thank you. I got your message this morning about your violin. I am sorry but it won’t be ready today. The soonest I will have it done will be Tuesday. I hope that’s okay.”
“Yes, that’s fine.” Emily responded. “I know when we first spoke you had estimated at least two weeks, but I was running some errands today and just thought I would check to see if it was ready.” That wasn’t completely the truth but Emily didn’t feel like
she needed to explain the details to Mr. Hunt. “It’s no big deal there’s no rush at all.”
“I should have it done Tuesday, if you want to plan on picking it up then.”
“That would be wonderful. Thank you so much, I’ll see you Tuesday.”
“Goodbye.” And the phone went silent.
Emily was not disappointed. This meant that she and Alexander would do something else as he had suggested. It also ensured he would accompany her again when she did go get the violin.
“What is it about him that has me so captivated?”
The emotions Emily experienced when she thought of Alexander felt so foreign. The excitement grew in the pit of her stomach; as though a permanent grin would spread across her face if she didn’t suppress some of the feelings that had taken root. She didn’t understand why she felt these things aside from the fact that she had never experienced them before. Alexander was still somewhat of a stranger, yet she could not deny the feeling like she did know him, like he was an old acquaintance or even friend.
“I wouldn’t feel that way if he were some weirdo or criminal.” Emily reasoned as she went back to drying her hair.
It was Saturday morning and she was going to meet Alexander in one hour. After her hair and makeup were done she made a beeline for her closet. Emily had done a little shopping this past week in anticipation for today. When she had come home from the charity concert and went to put her dress away she quickly determined that she didn’t have any casual clothes that were cute enough to wear around Alexander. After all, most of her clothes appeared to be more like tattered sacks that were poorly fitted and hung awkwardly.
Shopping had helped to make the week pass by more quickly and Emily found that she had actually enjoyed it. It was somewhat difficult at first, because it reminded her of times spent with her mother. But, it was yet another step in healing and moving forward.
Emily’s father was pleasantly surprised to see her come home with shopping bags in her hands. She knew he was thinking that it was all because of the date she had had with Rob. Emily didn’t feel like she needed to set the record straight, not yet.
After dressing she glanced at the clock. There were only ten minutes left. Just enough time to get down to the street with a minute or two to spare. Carefully hiding that she was in a rush, Emily gave her father a quick kiss and left. She had told him that her plan was to spend the day with Candice. Again, she was lying and she hated it, but she wasn’t ready to tell her dad about Alexander, she couldn’t. Her father had seemed more than happy to let her go and did not ask any further questions.
Emily could feel her heart begin to pound as she rode the elevator down to the lobby. Once outside it only took a quick glance before she spotted him. Alexander was leaning against the building about fifteen feet away.
He had a fitted crème v-neck sweater on with a dark washed pair of jeans and a gray wool coat that stopped at the middle of his thigh. He looked just as solid and strong as the stone building he was leaning against. She was glad she had decided to go shopping this week. She would have looked quite drab walking next to Alexander wearing some of her older clothes. His dark wavy hair seemed to be perfectly in place, yet still sported a slightly disheveled look. As always, Emily’s eyes centered on his; she wondered if she would ever get used to that bright green color.
Alexander took a few big strides and was beside her within seconds.
“Hello Emily.”
“Hi.” She was grinning from ear to ear and tried to remind herself not to seem overly excited. “I hope you weren’t waiting long.”
“No, you are right on time. But you would have been worth any amount of waiting.”
Emily instantly felt her cheeks go red and hot against the cold crisp air.
“Well, ummm,” Emily was struggling with her words as she tried to get her blush under control. “My violin isn’t ready yet, so I’m not sure what you want to do.”
“That’s excellent. I figured it wouldn’t be ready,” Alexander said with enthusiasm.
“Did you have something planned already?” Emily wondered if he had ever intended to pick up the violin at all today. It seemed as though he was hoping for a date with her.
“Actually I do have somewhere I wanted to take you.” Alexander’s eyes were shining bright. She could see the excitement behind them.
“Well I’m up for anything.” Emily was being truthful. She really was willing to do whatever, as long as Alexander was with her.
“Do you mind walking? The place I had in mind is only a mile from here.”
“Nope, not at all. Actually I prefer it.” Emily’s apartment was located next to Central Park.
When it was warmer in the spring and summer she always enjoyed walks through Central Park and the surrounding area. Luckily, an unseasonable heat wave brought it up to forty-five degrees already and the high was supposed to be in the fifties. Quite unusual for February.
“That’s good news. Since the cold weather seems to be taking a temporary break we should take advantage of it.” Alexander gestured with his hand in the direction they were to go.
“I agree. It’s perfect timing to venture out on foot.” Emily fell in line next to Alexander as they began walking. “So where are we going?”
Alexander flashed a big grin. “It’s a surprise. I think surprises are always more fun.”
“That’s okay with me.” She was satisfied to wait and see; she liked surprises.
“So, when will your violin be ready? Do you know yet?”
“Actually I talked with Mr. Hunt this morning, and he said Tuesday.”
“May I still accompany you to pick it up?” Alexander asked.
“I was hoping you would.” Emily shoved her hands into her pockets, seeking warmth for her chilled fingertips. However, it was also a nervous habit, like hiding her hands would mask her fake and shaky confidence.
“I’m very excited to see what the old gentleman has done with it… That really is a special violin.”
“Yeah, I wish I knew a little more about it, but I guess there is no way to tell. It’s not like old violins have VIN numbers or anything.”
“Yes I guess they don’t, do they?” Alexander chuckled.
“Will you be able to go Tuesday? Does that conflict with your work schedule?”
A smile began to slowly creep across Alexander’s mouth, like he knew something amusing but didn’t want to tell. “You would be surprised how flexible my job is. I’m really only needed for big events, other than that I just hang around and wait for things to happen.”
“Are you a bodyguard for just one person then?” Emily was truly curious about what he did. At the concert he said that he could be referred to as a bodyguard, but had not said that was it exactly. She knew there was more to it.
“Yes, for right now I guard one person. But there have been times I have guarded whole families.”
“How long have you been doing this?”
“Oh, it seems like eons.”
“Really, you don’t look like you could be a day over twenty-five.” Emily looked down at the ground suddenly embarrassed. It wasn’t her business how old he was.
“Well, yes it is. I need to know. There is no way I can be hanging out with a thirty-year-old. Daddy would never approve.”
“It just feels like I’ve been doing it forever. I guess you could say it’s what I was born to do. It’s in my blood.” Alexander leaned in and hunted to meet Emily’s downward gaze. “And you’re right. I seem to be perpetually stuck below the age of twenty-five, so no worries there.” He smiled reassuringly, like he knew what lay behind Emily’s question.
Relief washed over her even though Alexander still hadn’t given a specific answer about his age. She was beginning to notice that he seemed to answer questions differently, never being completely direct, but at the same time totally honest.
“Do you enjoy what you do?” Emily was now looking up with regained confidence.
“I do. I can’t ima
gine doing anything else really. The only down side is that it gets a bit lonely at times.”
“Why is that?” Emily had caught the hint of hurt in the last part of his sentence.
“Well, as I said the other night, for the most part I am supposed to stay in the shadows, not be seen. I also am not required to have much contact with those I guard. So at times I feel very isolated.” Alexander looked away for a moment as if to make sure he had his emotions in check.
“I guess that would make someone feel lonely, wouldn’t it.” Emily knew the feeling of loneliness. Her isolation was self-inflicted, but still they shared that common thread.
“What about you. Do you like living here in New York?” Alexander changed the subject.
“I do. It’s the only place I’ve ever lived, so I like it for the most part. There are times that being in the city can be a little overwhelming. My family has a place up north by Cooperstown that I like to escape to every now and then. It’s quiet and I feel like I can think. I’ve spent a lot of summers there and I really enjoy it.”
“It’s always nice to have a retreat.” Alexander commented.
“Yeah, I’m lucky I have one.” Emily had always felt blessed that her family had two homes. She tried not to take it for granted.
“Will you stay in New York the rest of your life?”
“Umm I’m not sure. I’ll have a chance to go to some colleges out of state after I graduate this May. But I am not sure I want to go very far.” Emily let her sentence trail off. She realized she just disclosed her age and that she was still in high school. For all she knew Alexander assumed she was older. She waited for his shock or disapproval at the announcement of her age. But it didn’t come; he didn’t flinch or skip a beat.
“Why don’t you want to go far?”
“My mother passed away two years ago, so it’s just me and my dad. I’m not sure I’m ready to be apart from him. I hate the idea of him being lonely.”
Alexander stopped in his steps and turned toward Emily.
“Losing a loved one, especially a parent has to be one of the most difficult trials in this life. I’m sorry you had to experience that.” Alexander’s eyes showed absolute empathy, his remark full of kindness.
Son of Eden, a Paranormal Romance Page 6
