A Gentleman's Kiss Romance Collection

by Ginny Aiken

  “This brochure says that it’s 450 feet long, which is the world’s longest suspension bridge, and that it’s 230 feet above ground.”

  Alex simply nodded and they both looked down the length of the bridge, which seemed much longer when looking at it from the new perspective. The bridge swayed slightly with the movement and shifting weights. They stood back to watch the people venturing across.

  Some people inched along cautiously, holding onto both sides of the rope railings at the same time as they walked in the exact center of the narrow bridge. A few hung onto the same side with both hands, but most walked relatively normally, using one hand to steady themselves as they walked slowly across. One rambunctious teenager stood in the center of the bridge halfway across and lifted both hands in the air while his friend snapped his picture.

  When a lull in the flow of people crossing finally occurred, Alex’s voice came from directly behind her, so close he was almost speaking in her ear. She didn’t know he had been standing that close. “Well, are we going to do it, or not?”

  Sharmane nodded. She grasped the rope railing tightly and took her first shaky step. The bridge shifted as she put her weight forward, and the unreasonable fear that the bridge would tip sent a surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins. Frantically, she grabbed the other side’s railing as well and began to walk across slowly, guiding herself by hanging onto both sides at the same time, as countless others had done before her. She refused to think of the river below, and she kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, not down, not to the side. She didn’t want to see the rushing water far below them as she crossed. At least on the Lions Gate Bridge, bad as it was, she was in a car.

  Working her way forward slowly, guiding herself across by continuing to grasp both sides as she moved along, she gradually became used to the movement of the bridge as she walked and managed to loosen her grip as she progressed. Her heart pounded, and she still didn’t look down.

  Without letting go, she turned her head to speak over her shoulder at Alex. “This is fun!”

  In a moment of bravery, she looked all the way behind herself to see that Alex was only holding onto one side.

  He raised his chin slightly. “Don’t look now, but someone is coming.”

  Sharmane froze in one place, still gripping both sides as she waited to see what would happen next.

  “You’ve got to keep walking, Sharmane. You can do it.”

  She managed to let go long enough to let the other person past and then continued across once again using the rope railing on either side to guide her.

  Finally, she was once more on solid ground.

  “I fail to see why you wanted to come here if walking across the bridge was going to terrify you.”

  Sharmane laughed as a slight breeze rippled through her hair. She filled her lungs with the fresh, cool mountain air, tilted her head back, and shook it so her hair cascaded behind her as she reveled in her achievement. “It’s the adventure. The accomplishment of overcoming fear. Doing something you’ve never done before. Wasn’t that fun?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “If you say so.”

  “It was kind of like going on a roller coaster. Kind of scary but exhilarating at the same time.”

  “I suppose.”

  “Let’s keep going. I want to go down the trail and find some animals to take pictures of. Did you bring a camera?”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “I can make double prints for you, if you want. Think of it as paying you back for the coffee yesterday.”

  “Thank you, I’d appreciate it.”

  “You know, I was going to do this alone, but this is so much more fun.”

  Alex nodded in response as they walked to the fenced observation area overlooking the canyon. He watched Sharmane shuck off her backpack, withdraw a small camera from one of the outside pouches, and start snapping a few pictures of the scenery. Like her house, the camera was modest and functional, just like the car he’d already heard so much about. He suspected everything she owned would fit into the same category.

  “Okay, I’ve got a few pictures. Let’s go do the trail.”

  The trail consisted of a mulched path wide enough for two people to walk side by side and lasted only a short fifteen to twenty minutes. They didn’t see any wildlife except for birds and squirrels, but they stopped often to read the signs describing some of the plants and points of interest along the way. Very little was said, and being surrounded by trees, not people, had a profound effect on Alex.

  The only noise was their footsteps in the mulch and the gurgling of the river in the distance. There was no need to rush, no need to keep an eye on the time, no need to hustle to his next appointment, and no need to worry that his messages were stacking up.

  Sharmane was walking beside him, and unlike his business associates, his staff, the people at his church, even his friends, she didn’t want anything from him. All she wanted was to walk beside him in the quiet and enjoy the scenery.

  This was exactly what he needed, and for the first time in years, he was at peace. He didn’t care if people wondered why he was walking around smiling for no apparent reason. He owed no one an explanation.

  Too soon, they re-entered the clearing, and along with it, a crowd of people. For once, he didn’t need his watch to tell him what time it was. His stomach told him it was lunchtime.

  Small concession stands dotted the area, as well as a large number of tables, many of them still empty. He reached into his back pocket. “Can I get you something?”

  Her hand on his arm stopped him. “You don’t need to buy lunch. This is my treat; I brought enough for both of us. I thought it would be cheaper for you than buying something. Come on.”

  She led him to one of the tables on the edge of the grouping, plunked her backpack into the center of the table, and began unpacking an assortment of containers, as well as two juice boxes, onto the table.

  Her words finally brought him out of his stupor. “If you’d like to give thanks for this, we can eat.”

  Alex couldn’t believe it. She’d brought him lunch to save him money. Quickly, he bowed his head and folded his hands in his lap. “Dear Lord, thank You for this wonderful day and this getaway vacation to enjoy the beauty of Your creation. Thank You also for this food before us, Your continued blessings, and this day together. Amen.”

  “Amen.” She slid a container of sandwiches toward him. “Dig in. I hope you like mustard.”

  Ignoring the crowd around them, he listened to Sharmane recapping some of the things they’d seen and done, at the same time enjoying the sound of her cheery voice and watching her animated expressions. But his mind was racing too much to respond.

  All night long he’d tried to figure out what made him want to spend a week with this woman, and he hadn’t come up with any answers. Now, he knew.

  No one saw him as Alex Brunnel, the man. Instead, people only saw him as A. R. Brunnel, founder and owner of Arby Enterprises, Inc. People perceived him as one of the rich and famous set. He was rich, but he certainly wasn’t famous, nor did he particularly like the lifestyle that went with it or the people who did. Because of it, though, people treated him differently than their other friends, and that included members of his church, where people should have known better.

  Outside of his business he tried to lead an ordinary life, but people didn’t share their ordinary daily happenings with him. If they weren’t asking him to fund a project, they were asking if he could give someone they knew a job, or else they tried to impress him. He didn’t want to be someone to be impressed. He wanted to be simply one of the guys.

  Most of the single women he knew constantly flirted with him as a marriage prospect, compounded by their mothers frequently inviting him for a “casual” lunch or dinner, which was never casual when he got there. His own family was no better in their matchmaking attempts. And because of this, many of the other single men treated him with a cold respect to his face, but he could tell they were
jealous. They didn’t know what it was like to be pursued for only the wrong reasons.

  He tried to be generous with his tithes and offerings and did his best to help those who needed it. Over time, though, the never-ending flow of people asking him for money or favors or trying to match him with their single daughters simply wore him down.

  All he wanted was a simple friendship that had nothing to do with anything he owned or had achieved or what he could do for the other person.

  And then he met Sharmane. After this week, she would never see him again, which was apparently fine with her. She had made him lunch, without expecting anything in return. It was such an ordinary thing for most people, but not for him.

  It made him realize he needed more than a vacation from his work, he needed a vacation from his life. After the week was over he would be strengthened and refreshed, and he could go back to the rat race a new man. Until then, being with Sharmane was exactly what he needed. However, the only way to do this would be to not let her know who he really was. He couldn’t take the chance that once she knew, she would become just like everyone else.

  With Sharmane, he intended to be just Alex Brunnel, ordinary guy, and not A. R. Brunnel, walking wallet.

  “Well, I guess that’s about it for the Capilano Canyon. What do you want to do this afternoon?”

  Alex blinked and concentrated on Sharmane’s question. “I don’t know. How about Stanley Park?”

  “Sure, since we’re so close. Let’s go.”

  He helped gather the empty containers, and Sharmane again lifted her backpack to her shoulders. Now that he knew what had been in it, he felt guilty knowing she’d carried that weight all the time, just so they could have a cheap lunch. It made him appreciate her all the more.

  She handed him her camera. “I want you to take a couple of pictures of me just so I can prove I did this. You wait here, and I’m going to stand by the entrance to the bridge. Take my picture so you get lots of scenery around me, and then I’m going to do the same as that kid did earlier. When I get to the middle, I’m going to wave. Then take my picture again. See you on the other side.” That said, she jogged off in the direction of the bridge.

  Alex found it strangely humbling to have someone give him orders. He suspected the time spent this week with Sharmane would provide many opportunities to experience things he wasn’t used to.

  He lifted Sharmane’s camera to his eye to scan the area before she got there.

  “Mr. Brunnel? Is that you?”

  Alex didn’t move, nor did he lower the camera in the hope that the speaker would think he was mistaken. He didn’t look, but by the sound of the voice the next time, the speaker was closer. “Mr. Brunnel? What are you doing here?”

  Alex tightened his grip on the camera then brought it down to his side. Everyone he knew should have been at work, and if not, this crowded tourist attraction should have been a safe hiding place. However, he hadn’t calculated teenagers into the equation. Since it was summer holidays, they weren’t in school.

  One of his nephew’s friends from the youth group approached him, his girlfriend clinging to his arm.

  Quickly, he scanned the area for Sharmane. Fortunately she was still heading toward the bridge, having been distracted by something along the way.

  Alex nodded a greeting. “Kyle, Allyson. Hello.”

  “Where’s Jason? I saw his car. But I didn’t see yours.”

  There was a good reason for that. Yesterday, Sharmane had told him about her eight-year-old compact with some kind of transmission problem. If the expense of one repair was such a financial strain that it canceled her vacation, he didn’t want to intimidate her by picking her up in his new car. Therefore, for the week, he’d traded his brand-new luxury car for his nephew’s fifteen-year-old import.

  Jason was thrilled with the trade, but Jason’s father was not. However, Alex couldn’t think of anyone else he could swap cars with on short notice and not need to explain why. His mechanic had agreed to do a tune-up and quick check, and then had ended up doing an all-nighter fixing every little thing wrong with Jason’s car, which was quite an extensive list. Jason wouldn’t recognize his own car when he got it back.

  “Jason’s not here. He had to work today, and he’s got my car.”

  Kyle’s blank expression told him that Kyle didn’t understand what was going on, but fortunately he didn’t ask for details. “Oh. Well. See you ‘round, I guess.”

  They took their leave, giving Alex the chance to once again watch Sharmane.

  He snapped a few pictures just as she arrived at the entrance to the bridge and then positioned himself to get a good shot of her once she made it to the center. She waved bravely, and once he had a few more pictures, he pocketed the camera and joined her on the other side. Sharmane wanted to bypass the gift shop, but Alex insisted that he had to have one tacky souvenir of every place they went. He bought a small souvenir for Sharmane and she tried to protest, but he gave it to her anyway.

  Alex didn’t say much as he drove back across the Lions Gate Bridge and into Stanley Park.

  “I know!” Sharmane chirped. “How about if we go around the Seawall? I’ve been to the Aquarium recently, but I’ve never actually been on the Seawall.”

  “Uh, me neither.”

  “It’s five and a half miles around. Maybe we can rent in-line skates.”

  Alex knotted his brows. He’d never been on in-line skates in his life and doubted he could go five blocks without falling, never mind five miles. “I’d think I’d rather walk.”

  Chapter 3

  Sharmane slipped her camera into her pocket. Alex hadn’t said no, but he hadn’t exactly been enthusiastic. Walking around the Seawall might not exactly be a “touristy” thing to do, but it was something she’d never done.

  They started their walk at Brockton Point. First she took a picture of Alex standing at the railing overlooking the inlet, and then he took her picture as she ran to the water’s edge to pick up a seashell. Then they began their journey around the perimeter of Stanley Park.

  If she had been alone she wouldn’t have gone on the Seawall because parts of it tended to be secluded. Being with a man who towered over her by nearly a foot made her feel safe. However, walking with Alex was as quiet as if she had been alone.

  She wished she knew what was going on in his mind. At times he slowed his pace, looked out toward the water, inhaled deeply, and smiled as he exhaled. After awhile she couldn’t stand the silence and found herself starting to babble. Alex didn’t seem to mind. He agreed or disagreed with her comments and, to her surprise, encouraged her to keep yakking.

  The tide was at midpoint when they arrived at the statue of the lady in the wetsuit. Sharmane snapped a picture of it. “Lots of people think she’s a mermaid, but she’s not, you know.”

  “I once read a little history blurb on her, but I can’t remember the story.”

  “Me neither. I’ll have to look it up when I get home.”

  As they continued on, Alex joined her in some small talk and a few jokes, as well as tossing suggestions for the rest of the week back and forth without coming to a firm decision.

  The next point of interest was the dreaded Lions Gate Bridge. Despite Sharmane’s apprehension of driving over it, being underneath the massive structure fascinated her. The thumps and clanks of the traffic on the metal surface increased in volume as they approached. Once directly beneath it they stopped to better see the magnitude of the construction from that viewpoint.

  “I never expected it to be this noisy underneath. Aren’t you going to take a picture of it?”

  Sharmane pretended to shudder. “No way. I hate that bridge.”

  Alex laughed. It was a wonderful sound, deep and rich, and it warmed her heart. Sharmane found herself taking a picture of the stupid bridge not because she wanted to remember the bridge, but because the picture would remind her of Alex’s laugh.

  “There. I hope you’re happy,” she grumbled.

  To he
r surprise, he stepped in front of her, grasping her hands over the top of the small camera. A smile lit his face, and he spoke so softly she barely heard him. “You know, I am happy. This is exactly what I needed. I want to thank you for including me in your plans.”

  She stared up at his face, mesmerized. She didn’t know why, but Sharmane knew he wasn’t joking. She had no idea why goofing off around town would mean so much to him, but she had to take his words at face value.

  Small crinkles still highlighted the corners of his eyes. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s keep going.”

  To her surprise, he didn’t completely drop her hands. He let go the hand holding her camera but kept her other hand still clasped within his. He smiled and began to walk as if it were natural for them to be holding hands.

  Even though it shouldn’t have, it felt right. He was easy to talk to. Before she realized what she was saying, she’d told him all about her job as office gofer and accounts payable clerk. They shared their favorite Bible verses, as well as discussed their respective churches. Sharmane found herself almost envying him his years growing up in an atmosphere where his family all attended the same church and worshiped together, since her family were not Christians.

  As they passed Prospect Point and began their journey on the ocean side of the park, the air became cooler. By the time they reached Siwash Rock, the constant breeze off the ocean became downright cold, making her regret her choice of shorts instead of cotton pants.

  When she could no longer suppress the chill, she shivered. Alex stopped dead in his tracks, checked the goose bumps running up her bare arms and legs, and frowned. He began to rub her arms with his large and very warm hands, the friction warming her marginally.

  “Why didn’t you say you were cold? Let’s change sides. Maybe I can block the wind.”

  She expected him to simply move to her other side, but he took his time to pick the camera out of her fingers and slip it into his pocket before he stepped to shelter her from the cold. Without hesitation, he grasped her other hand and continued walking at a slightly faster pace.