“Well, then let me welcome you to the world of being single,” he said with a laugh.
“You’ve been single a long time?” Emma asked.
“I have. I didn’t even date for about five years after my divorce, actually. Then I met a woman. Thought she was the one…” he mumbled before he trailed off. “This is as straight as I can get it.” He held out the key to her. She was waiting for him to finish his story, but it was apparent that he was done talking about it.
“Oh. Thanks… I really do appreciate the help,” she said. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and she felt a flicker of electricity run through her. His eyes looked inviting for a moment, but then they almost looked sad before he finally looked away. What was that about?
“I hope you enjoy your stay here,” he said holding out his hand to shake hers.
“I am sure I will,” she responded touching his hand. Again, she felt a strong attraction.
As Emma turned to walk back to the cottage, she could hear her three friends screaming in her head to go for it. Could she have the courage to ask him out on a date? Her mother had always taught her that ladies did not ask men out on dates, but wasn’t it the twenty first century?
“Hey, Gaven…” she said as she turned around.
“Yes?”
Emma paused for a moment. “Thanks again…” With that, she walked into the cottage knowing that she just couldn’t be that forward that soon.
Chapter 6
Emma closed the door behind her and leaned against it. She couldn’t believe that she had chickened out on asking Gaven for a date. What would he think of her? Before she could take her bags to the bedroom, her cell phone rang. It was Lorraine.
“Hi, Lorraine!” Emma said in her happiest voice.
“Hi… Did you get into the cottage okay?”
“Well, the key was a bit bent, so it wouldn’t unlock the door. Thankfully, a neighbor of yours helped me out by straightening it for me,” Emma said.
“So you met Gaven, huh?” Lorraine said with a chuckle. “Not bad on the eyes, is he?”
“Not at all. He is very nice too…” Emma said acting like she didn’t care.
“I bet you want to know his story, don’t you?” Lorraine said. She knew Emma very well, but that is how hairdressers typically are, right?
“That would be good…” Emma stammered with a smile. “He told me that he is divorced and has been for a long time. He also said he has a daughter in college.”
“Yes. His daughter is Carrie. I think she majors in Journalism at UGA. Anyway, he has lived there for about ten years. His grandmother used to own the place before she died.”
“He mentioned dating someone that he thought was the one…”
“I’m getting to that part,” Lorraine said laughing at Emma’s impatience. “Anyway, about five years ago Gaven started to date a woman named Colleen Bridgeport. She was an architect from Atlanta. They seemed like a match made in heaven - the architect and the contractor. Well, after dating for a couple of years, he told me he was having some questions about her. He wanted to marry her, but she started acting strangely.”
“Strangely? How?” Emma probed as she plopped down onto the wicker loveseat with seashell printed cushions.
“Apparently, she was spending a lot more time back in Atlanta, and she was getting a lot of text messages. You probably know where this is leading…”
“She was cheating on him?”
“You guessed it. She was cheating with a new architect in her firm. When Gaven found out, he called things off with her but it broke his heart. He seemed to really adore her, and he was blindsided by the infidelity. I haven’t seen him date anyone since then,” she said.
“Wow. He’s such a good looking guy. I assumed he would be on the singles scene around here…”
“What singles scene? It’s a small place, Emma!” she laughed.
“Well, he could go into Savannah and date, right?”
“I guess he could, but he seems content doing his contractor work. He also makes wooden sculptures and sells them online,” Lorraine said.
“He does? That sounds interesting,” she said.
“Say, Emma, why don’t you ask Gaven out on a dinner date?” Lorraine suggested.
“Oh, I think we have a bad phone connection…” Emma giggled as she made static noises into the receiver.
“Very funny. Fine, I will leave your personal life alone. Enjoy the cottage, and don’t forget to send me some updates,” Lorraine said.
“I will. And thanks again for the accommodations,” Emma said as she hung up.
Looking around the small two bedroom cottage, Emma was at a loss for what to do next. She had never been great at relaxing, and that was definitely the plan for such a small island. She figured her best plan was to head down to the small beach and read a book to unwind, so she threw on her swimsuit and packed her tote bag with books and her phone.
Walking down the quiet street toward the beach, Emma was struck at how serene this place was. There were few people on the island, and it certainly wasn’t a tourist spot. It even had a small town square where she could visit the cafes and hook up her laptop at the coffee shop.
Once she reached the beach, she found a secluded spot and sat down in the sand. Feeling the warm sand between her toes brought some much-needed peace. She spread out a towel and laid back, looking up at the white puffy clouds. It reminded her of her childhood when she and her best friend, Amy, would try to name what each cloud looked like.
“Giraffe,” she whispered to herself as a cloud passed over. A smile crossed her face as she thought about how Amy would always argue with her no matter what she named. “A turtle riding a dog,” she whispered again. Suddenly, the little hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as if someone was watching her.
“You know, if you keep talking to yourself, people might think you’re crazy,” Gaven said from behind her. She jumped up, embarrassed and a little irritated at the intrusion.
“I thought I was alone,” she said.
“Sorry. I usually come down here during the day and read. You’re kind of in my spot,” he said nodded at her place in the sand.
“Your spot, huh? I didn’t see your name on it,” she said with a smirk.
“I’ll tell you what… Since you are new around here, I will be happy to share my spot with you,” he said with a grin.
“This is a big beach. I am happy to move,” Emma said standing up.
“No, this is the best spot. I will be really quiet so that you can continue talking to the sky… or God… or those clouds… or whoever you were talking to when I walked up,” he said.
“You’re a funny guy, Mr. Sinclair,” Emma said. She could feel heat rising up from her neck into her cheeks. No man had ever made her feel so unsure of herself or on edge. She sat back down, determined to stake her claim on that beach for the next few weeks.
“So who were you talking to?” he asked after a few minutes. She looked up from her book, which she had only been pretending to read.
“I thought you said you were going to be quiet?”
“I have to know if you are insane… because I love insane women,” he said with a smirk that made her want to bite his lip.
“I was doing something I used to do as a kid. My friend and I would try to figure out what animals or shapes the clouds were forming,” she said.
“Ah, that makes sense. And how old are you now?”
“I’m forty one, but young at heart…”
“Well, you don’t look forty one,” he muttered.
“Older?” she asked.
“No. You look a lot younger,” he said looking down at his book.
“Thank you. Wish my ex thought so…” she muttered back.
“What does that mean?”
“Oh, nothing…” she said wishing that she had kept her mouth shut. “How old are you?”
“I am forty five, and I also don’t like it when people change the subject,” he said wryly.<
br />
“Well, I don’t really care what you like, Mr. Sinclair. I am not here to make you like me,” she said sharply. It was at that moment that she realized she might be taking out some of her hostility for Henry on this virtual stranger.
“Whoa… I didn’t mean to offend you, Emma,” he said softly. She felt horrible for snapping at him.
“I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. Look, to be honest, I came here to get away from a pretty stressful time in my life…”
“Well, whatever he did to you, please let me apologize on behalf of all of the good men out there,” he said.
“Where are they exactly?” she asked with a laugh.
“One is sitting right beside you, actually. And I could ask you the same thing… Where are the decent, good women?” He looked away from her out at the water. She could tell he was still burned by what Colleen had done to him.
“I don’t know. I just know that I am one of the nice ones,” she said quietly.
“He cheated on you, didn’t he?” Gaven asked looking back at her. His copper brown eyes cut a hole through her heart. She had never been so attracted to a man so quickly.
“He did. He’s over fifty, and he cheated with a twenty two year old.” She couldn’t believe she just told him that.
“What a jerk. Twenty two? She’s young enough to be his daughter… or even my daughter. That is just gross.”
“Yep. I thought so too. Her name is Tiffani with an I.” Emma laughed and laid her forehead on her knees.
“Sounds like a winner…” Gaven said shaking his head. “You mentioned that you have a son. Does your ex spend a lot of time with him?”
“None right now. He’s lost interest.”
Gaven shook his head again and looked at the ocean in front of him.
“Deadbeat… I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t pass judgment on your ex, but he sounds like a loser.”
“If you met him, you wouldn’t think so. He is a world renowned doctor that every woman wanted to date when I met him. He has plenty of money and resources, but he basically abandoned us.”
“Your son must be confused and devastated. Every boy needs a strong father figure. I didn’t have one, and it was tough learning to be a man without a Dad,” he said looking down at the sand.
“I think it is starting to affect him. His Dad used to call and come by on weekends to pick him up. That lasted about three months. He hasn’t seem him in a long time.”
“Boy, this is the most depressing day at the beach I have ever had…” Gaven said laughing. She bumped her shoulder into his and started to laugh too.
“Can I buy you dinner?” she asked without giving herself time to think about it.
“No. Sorry…” he said. Her stomach was in knots as she realized that she had just been rejected.
“Oh. I understand…” she said even though she didn’t.
“I will buy you dinner…” he said.
“What?”
“I am a Southern gentleman, Emma. My momma taught me that men always pay for the date,” he said smiling at her.
“Oh…” she replied with a smile.
“You thought I was saying no to going out with you?” he asked.
“Well, yes…”
“No. I would love to have dinner with you. Seems like we have a lot in common,” he said.
Chapter 7
Emma rifled through her luggage trying to find the perfect thing to wear to dinner. After all, this would be her first date in many years. What do women in their forties wear on dates? Where was he taking her? She wasn’t even sure how to dress for the occasion.
She finally decided on a blue sundress and some strappy sandals. She pulled her blond hair back in a ponytail and dabbed her face with some powder. As she reapplied her lipstick, she heard a knock at the door. Her stomach churned like a thousand butterflies were taking flight.
“Hi, Gaven,” she said smiling as she opened the front door.
“Wow. You look stunning. These are for you. I thought you could use some fresh flowers for your table,” he said. He had a handful of tulips from his front yard and wore a pair of jeans, a red shirt and a pair of cowboy boots.
“Thank you. These are beautiful. You like to garden?”
“Yes. Just one of my many hobbies…”
“Well, we will have to talk about your hobbies at dinner,” she said with a grin. With that, they walked down to his car - a restored red 1968 Mustang.
As they drove with the windows down, the heat of the Georgia sun lessened while the evening sea breeze took over. She loved the feeling of the wind whipping through her ponytail as he took the corners of the island streets quickly. There were few people around, even though it was Saturday night. It felt like they had the island all to themselves.
“Do you like Italian food?” he asked.
“I love it.”
“Great. I know the perfect place then,” he said smiling.
She liked the feeling of a man taking control and not having to worry about anything. Even when she was married to Henry, she never had that experience. She always had to worry that she was acting right as the wife of the famous doctor. There was no room for error… and no room for just being Emma.
A few minutes later, Gaven pulled up to a beautiful restaurant situated by the ocean. It had a large deck overlooking the beach and looked like it had been dropped right out of the middle of Italy. The big sign out front said “Fiorenzo’s”.
“This looks like a beautiful place,” Emma said as Gaven opened her door. Something as simple as a man opening the door for her was unusual. It was nice.
“They have fantastic food,” he said as he put his hand on the small of her back and led her up the front steps. She felt a chill run up her spine at his touch. Why had she never noticed what it felt like for a man to touch her there?
They walked inside and were given a table on the deck overlooking the ocean. The waves were crashing to shore as they enjoyed wine and cheese and bread sticks. When dinner came, the conversation continued.
Emma told him all about Samuel and how challenging single motherhood was. He talked about his experience of only getting to be a weekend father with his daughter. They talked about their hopes and dreams for the future. He told her he played guitar, carved wooden sculptures and loved a good football game. She told him that she loved to dance and how her grandmother had taught her to knit as a small child.
Before they realized it, the restaurant was closing and they had stayed the whole night. Emma didn’t want their time together to end. She was already feeling so close to this man… this virtual stranger a few hours ago.
They walked to the car, and Gaven opened the door. Emma stopped before she sat down and looked at him.
“Thank you so much for dinner. I needed this…” she waved her hand around. Gaven stared at her for a moment before speaking.
“You are so welcome. I needed this too,” he said softly as he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.
Emma was taken aback. She ducked her head into the car as he closed the door. What did he expect from her? She hoped that she hadn’t come off as “easy”. What was expected of a forty one year old single mom these days? Did a kiss on the cheek mean something? Was he expecting sex from her?
The ride back to the cottage was quiet. Emma felt uncomfortable. She didn’t know whether to say something about the kiss on the cheek or not.
“Can I ask you a question?” Gaven asked as they approached the driveway to her cottage.
“Sure,” Emma said.
“Did I make you uncomfortable with the kiss on the cheek?” A silence hung in the area for a moment.
“Kind of…” she admitted.
“It was nothing, Emma. I know you are probably gun shy right now. I didn’t mean anything by it. It was just a spur of the moment thanks for a great evening. I haven’t been out with anyone in a long time. The island doesn’t exactly have a happening social scene…” he explained. “I hope this doesn’t mea
n that you will avoid me while you’re here.”
“Of course not. I understand. I am a little sensitive. I haven’t been on a date in over a decade, you know?”
“It’s been a few years for me too. Why don’t we just hang out, have fun and forget whatever rules we have in our heads? We are adults, right? I mean we can just enjoy each other’s company, can’t we?” he asked looking over at her as he pulled in front of the cottage.
The Reunion: Emma's Vacation (The Starting Over Series) Page 3
