They both watched as Nick pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket and tossed it in the trash can next to Brenda's desk. “You can go to the Bahamas without me tomorrow.”
“I'm not going by myself,” Tori called after Nick as he stormed down the hall to his office. “I guess you've wasted all that money because my ticket is going into the trash, too.”
Brenda blinked at the reverberations of Nick's office door slamming. It was unbelievable that they would throw airline tickets in the garbage when she hadn't had a vacation in over four years.
“What?” Tori asked her.
Great the one time Tori notices me is when I get caught staring.
She shook her head. “Umm, nothing I just...”
“Here.” Tori dug through her purse, retrieved an envelope and tossed it on Brenda's desk. “You can go to the Bahamas.”
“Oh no. I couldn't,” Brenda stammered. But her heart, which was pounding like a jackhammer, screamed yes.
“Why not? Nick won't be going now. Why waste two tickets? Plus, the hotel is already paid for. The reservations are under my and Nick's name. Just tell the person at the desk you're me.”
“Don't you want to go?” Brenda asked, looking at the ticket on her desk. A vacation, she thought, a real vacation!
“Nah, I'm a city girl. Now if that were a ticket to New York or LA, I'd be there in a heartbeat. I've already been to Bermuda. You see one island you've seen them all.”
Somehow Brenda doubted it, but she wasn't about to argue. “Thanks Tori, this is really nice of you.”
“Yeah, whatever.” With a wave of her bejeweled hand, Tori walked—well, not quite—she strutted back to her desk.
This was unbelievable! Brenda felt like she’d just won the grand prize on a game show. What would happen next? Surely the sky must have turned purple, because something really had to be screwy with the universe. Nothing extraordinary ever happened to Brenda Blake.
For the past thirty-two years, she’d stood in the corner and watched life pass her by. The middle child, she’d always received average grades in school, and here she was in a dead end job. Nothing amazing ever happened to her because, truth be told, Brenda never made anything amazing happen. Face it—she was boring.
This had to stop! And the only way to accomplish that was to do it herself. “I'm taking my lunch break,” Brenda declared to everyone in the small office. Although it was almost two hours before noon, no one bothered to look at her. Brenda sighed and mumbled, “I might as well be invisible.” However, she wasn’t going to let that discourage her. Grabbing her purse, she headed out the door.
As she walked downtown, Brenda tried to think of ways she could change her life. Passing a beauty salon, she realized it would be the perfect place to start. She could have a couple of inches cut off her mousy brown, poker straight hair, and give herself a new look to go with her new perspective on life.
She stepped up to the reception desk, relieved to hear they accepted walk-ins. After she’d been shampooed, she was directed to Candace's chair.
“How would you like your hair cut?” the hairdresser asked.
“I want something different,” Brenda said before she lost her nerve. “Take three inches off the back and add some layers.”
Candace smiled. “Something different is my specialty. Leave everything to me and you'll walk out of here a new woman.”
Those, of course, became the famous last words. Too distraught to return to work, Brenda stood in front of her bedroom mirror, mouth agape as she looked at her new do. Her previously shoulder length hair was now cropped to the back of her neck. And 'some layers' had turned into a head full of many, many short ones.
“I look like I just rolled out of bed,” Brenda said to her reflection. Her reflection nodded in agreement.
She called her boss to say she’d suddenly become ill and wouldn't be able to return to work for a couple of days. Her boss didn't seem to care. Fine with her, because now she was free to go to the Bahamas and enjoy herself despite her funky new haircut.
Fearing she’d procrastinate if she didn’t take action, she dug a suitcase and an overnight bag out of the deepest recesses of her closet. Throwing them on her bed, she returned to the closet and searched for something suitable to pack. Nothing! All her clothes were plain and boring. Is everything I own brown? All in different shades, of course, but whether beige, tan, or taupe, it was all the same. Blah!
No wonder nobody noticed her at work. She blended perfectly with the drab wallpaper. She grabbed the few colorful short sets she owned and tossed them in the suitcase. Hopefully, the resort where she’d be staying would have some boutiques. She’d buy a new wardrobe on the island and for once in her life not care if she ended up maxing out her credit cards.
Brenda wasted no time after arriving at the resort. She checked in as Tori Atkins without any problem, put her bags in the corner of the room, and made a bee-line for the shops. Every garment in the store was bright and colorful. Funny, it seemed like the color brown didn't even exist on the island.
“Kon I help you, missy?” a beautiful saleswoman asked.
Charmed by the woman’s thick Bahamian lilt, Brenda smiled. “Yes, please. In fact, I need a completely new wardrobe.” It may have been a mistake, because she saw the same sparkle in the saleswoman's eyes as she’d seen in Candace's before the woman chopped away at her hair.
The salesclerk picked out hip hugging skirts the same shade as the azure sky. She found matching form-fitting tops in colors as vivid and dazzling as flowers indigenous to the island and brought them to Brenda with a flourish. Two sundresses in the store window caught Brenda’s eye—one the same hue as the Caribbean, the other a yellow as bright as the sun. She had both in the fitting room. And to top it off, Brenda’s face flushed when the clerk brought her a hot pink bikini consisting of so little material it would be illegal in some countries.
Maybe this is exactly what I need. Even though it would take years to pay off her credit card bill, for once Brenda wanted to live in the moment. Wanted to experience what everyone else she knew seemed to take for granted. After all, there was a beach and sunshine out there—and it was not only waiting for her, it was calling: “Come, enjoy.”
“If it’s all right, I’d like to wear the bikini out to the beach right now. Could you send the rest of the packages to my room?” At the clerk’s nod Brenda grabbed a towel and sunscreen and headed straight for the door.
Outside, with the tropical sun warming her skin, Brenda found a lounge chair, poured on the sunscreen, and sat back to enjoy the peace and relaxation. She also checked out the male tourists as they walked past in their Speedos. After all, this was paradise and she intended to enjoy all the scenery.
She decided today would be her day of rest and she spent most of it poolside with an occasional dip in the warm water. She indulged in one of her favorite activities—people watching.
The sun’s heat stirred her mind. Shy since childhood, she’d experienced life vicariously instead of living it herself. Sure, she had her own dreams, but never had the nerve to try and make them a reality. What if she failed? What if she asked for a promotion and her boss laughed in her face? What if she quit working for someone else and followed her desire of opening a children’s dance school, but nobody signed up for classes? The thought of failure always kept her in check, and Brenda realized she was letting life pass her by. She didn’t want to do that anymore.
After the sun had set and the moon shone brightly in the sky, Brenda went to the beach for an evening stroll. She was surprised to find the beach so crowded this late at night.
“Excuse me,” she said to a woman who stood gazing up at the sky. “Is something wrong? What's going on?”
The woman smiled. “It's a Blue Moon. Make a wish.”
Brenda almost laughed. She didn’t believe in things like that. But what if...
Maybe Tori giving her the ticket was a sign, maybe it was a chance for her to make a new destiny. She wasn’t quite
sure she believed, but for once in her life she was willing to step out on faith. With that thought, she closed her eyes tightly: I wish something happens on this vacation that will change my life forever.
Suddenly, a cool breeze sent a tingle down her spine and she opened her eyes. The stars twinkled brighter in the sky, the full moon was now surrounded by a blue haze, and a shimmer of exhilaration swept through her. Was it her imagination? She didn’t think so.
The island was full of dance clubs and casinos—parties, nightlife and excitement. It was time to start living. Brenda returned to her hotel to change into one of her new outfits. If her life was going to change forever, she'd have to go and make it happen. Behind her hotel room door there was nothing but loneliness. Brenda was tired of being lonely. Fiddling with the key card, she opened the door and stepped inside the room. She stopped cold when she saw a half naked man.
***
Nick tightened his grip around the towel covering the lower half of his body. “Shut the door!” he yelled.
After the obvious moment of shock wore off, the woman did as she was told.
“Who are you and what are you doing in my room?” he demanded.
The woman who was wearing a bikini that displayed long slender legs, and full, firm breasts shook her head and stared at him.
“Nick?”
He stepped closer to study her, and took great pleasure in doing so. When he’d called the airline the night before to arrange a later flight after his plans had abruptly changed, he hadn’t expected to be greeted by such a beautiful vision.
“I...I thought you weren't coming...you told Tori...”
Her words brought him back to the moment. Refocusing his gaze on her face, it finally dawned on him he’d seen her before. Her hair was much shorter—sexy, with a just rolled out of bed look—and she was wearing something he wouldn’t have expected the woman he knew from the office to wear. “Brenda?”
“Um...yeah, uh... Tori said I could have her ticket. She said I could go since you wouldn't be...but you're here.” She backed away. “I’m sorry. I’ll just pack up my things and...”
“No!” After getting dumped by the office slut, Nick had made some serious decisions. No more dating brainless, witless Barbie dolls. He was ready to settle down and find a woman who actually knew that five plus five equaled ten without using any fingers. And if she’d been hiding a fantastic body under a beige pantsuit, then all the better. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. Let me get dressed and we'll figure something out.”
Nick went back into the bathroom, where he’d just finished a hot shower, and threw on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. He opened the door and found, to his dismay, Brenda had also covered up with an azure sundress that enhanced her blue eyes. Big, bright, beautiful eyes he could now see thanks to her sexy, shorter haircut.
“I'll check into getting an earlier flight home...” she said.
He detected despair, no, not despair...disappointment in her voice.
“Would you please sit down a minute?” She was wringing her hands like a guilty child and it was making him nervous. She pulled a chair from behind the small table and slowly sat. “You don't have to leave, we can share the room.”
Brenda’s eyes settled on the one bed. “But...but...”
The knock at the door interrupted the awkward moment. “That's room service. You hungry? I ordered plenty of food.”
***
Am I hungry? She was starved, and for more than just food. She’d been invited to share a hotel room in paradise with a six-foot-two, blonde-haired, blue-eyed god. Could life get any better than this? Then it hit her—the wish had come true! If she could open up, break out of her shell, and show Nick the person she really was, she could do anything. Her life was about to change forever. And if they ended up in that big bed over there having wild sex, all the better.
“I'm a little hungry,” she answered demurely.
Moments later, Nick placed the dishes on the table and sat next to her. He removed the covers and her mouth watered from the delicious aromas.
“There’s enough food to feed an impoverished country,” she laughed.
Nick stared at the pasta, chicken, vegetables, shrimp, and two large pieces of chocolate cake. “I told you I ordered plenty of food. I skipped lunch and they didn't serve any food on the plane. Help yourself.”
She took a plate and added a small piece of chicken and some vegetables to it. Although she hadn’t had much to eat at the poolside snack bar and should have been starving, running into Nick had diminished her appetite.
“Come on, you have to eat more than that,” he said with a plate loaded to the brim in front of him. He reached over, grabbed the serving spoons, and added a hefty amount of pasta and shrimp to her plate.
What the hell. She was on vacation, she might as well live it up. “Thanks, Nick,” she said after taking several bites. It tasted just as wonderful as it smelled. The angel hair pasta was covered with large shrimp and smothered in a buttery garlic sauce. “I've never had shrimp before. This is delicious.”
“It's not bad. My mom's shrimp scampi is better though. She didn't make it that often. It gets kind of expensive when you're trying to feed five kids.”
Brenda got a kick out of seeing Nick's face light up when he spoke of his mother. Any man who respected his mother had to be a good man in her book. “I'm one of five kids, too.”
“I'm the middle one, two older sisters, two younger brothers. We didn't always have much, but we had a lot of fun. Got in a lot of trouble, too,” he added with a grin. “So what was your house like?”
It wasn’t easy for her to talk about herself, but with Nick's blue eyes focused so sincerely on hers, she relaxed. “Pretty boring,” she confessed. “I'm the middle child, too. We were all very good little girls. Mom is a highschool principal, my dad's a cop.“ She smiled at the mock look of horror on his face. “Yeah, it explains a lot about me, huh?”
“Well, you are pretty quiet at work. Don't get me wrong, I'm not insulting you. Believe it or not, I'm not really crazy about women who come on too strong. I'm not much of a party animal, and I don't usually hang out at bars either. I love the outdoors, camping, fishing, that kind of thing.”
“I've never been camping. My dad didn't think it was something girls would like to do. I think he always secretly wished he’d had at least one boy.”
“I'll take you camping with me sometime. You'll love it.”
“That would be nice.” She smiled but thought he’d probably forget about his offer after they returned home. “What about Tori?”
“That was a mistake, it was over long before yesterday. I just had a bunch of frequent flyer miles piled up and had to use them before I lost them, so I asked her to go with me a month ago.”
The way he looked at her with a sweet, dimpled smile made her heart skip a beat. “And now I'm glad she's not with me.”
They chatted comfortably while they finished eating. They discovered other things they had in common. They agreed Columbo was the best detective show of all time, and they’d both learned how to play pinochle from their grandparents. Somehow he got her to talk about her dream of opening up a dance school one day. He'd been more supportive in this one evening than her parents had been her entire life.
While Nick placed the dishes outside the door for room service to pick up, Brenda paced the room. Okay, now what? Should she sit and act natural? Should she stand outside on the deck and wait for him to make a move? Yeah, like that was going to happen. Or maybe she should get naked and lie on the bed and see if he got the hint.
She was still pacing back and forth when he returned. He closed the door and she thought he looked as nervous as she felt. He took a step closer and his look turned into something more like shock.
“Oh my God, Brenda! Are you allergic to shrimp?”
Brenda ran for the mirror over the dresser. “Oh my God!” she cried in horror at her reflection. Her face was covered with a rash. “Oh my God!”
> Nick followed her and put his arm around her waist. “Oh, sweetheart, it's not that bad.” Sweetheart? Where had that come from? An hour or so with a beautiful woman who had a knowledge of things other than where to find brand name shoes for less and he's calling her sweetheart!
“It's not that bad!” She turned to him. “You can play connect the dots on my face.”
Nick laughed, glad she had a sense of humor when other women would have melted into a puddle of tears. “I'll call down to the front desk and see if they can send something up for you.”
“How about a paper bag I can put over my face?” Brenda rubbed at her cheeks in an effort to remove the little red spots.
He smiled as he walked to the phone. “Actually I was thinking about some Benadryl. Do they itch?”
Suddenly, Brenda began furiously scratching at her arms and then her face. “Dammit, why’d you have to ask that?”
She was absolutely adorable. Why hadn't he noticed her before? Because he was too busy lusting after a blonde bimbo who acted like he was the most exciting man in the world. Well for three months at least. If he’d looked two desks over, he’d have found that a quiet brunette was the woman for him. Maybe if he’d taken a moment to talk to Brenda, he would’ve noticed a sweet girl who had a great sense of humor. He’d been such a fool.
***
Well, so much for wishes, and my life changing forever, Brenda thought to herself an hour later as she sat at the edge of the bed. But then again, maybe her life had changed forever. She’d probably have to quit her job—maybe even move to a different city, all due to her embarrassment.
And everything had been going so well, too. She’d been able to overcome some of her shyness and have an intelligent conversation with Nick. He was easy to talk to—he listened, he asked questions, and he actually looked her in the eye when he spoke. Like he’d really been paying attention.
Now everything had gone down the dumps. Hives! It seemed so fitting once she thought about it. Just when everything was running smoothly, something had to go amuck. Feeling guilty for ruining his vacation, Brenda said, “Nick, it's only eleven o'clock, why don't you go out for awhile? I'll be fine.”
Blue Moon Enchantment (Once In A Blue Moon Series) Page 9
