Gabe walked through the airport terminal and tried to smooth the wrinkles from his shirt. It was useless. He was rumpled and wrinkled from the nine hour flight, but that couldn’t be helped. He probably should have stopped by the hotel first to change, but that would only delay their meeting that much longer.
Now that he was finally on California soil, he couldn’t bear to waste another minute before meeting her.
* * *
Kate spotted Gabe parking his rental car in front of Julia’s apartment building long before VINCE announced his arrival at the front door.
“I think that’s him,” she told Julia. “He’s getting out of the car… And he’s coming around the hood… Now he’s putting his keys in his pocket… Oh, he’s coming up the walkway… Yep, this is definitely him…”
“Ssh,” Julia hissed. “Enough.”
Just let him be here already.
The anticipation was already killing her and Kate’s running commentary wasn’t helping. Had a human being ever died from anticipating the arrival of someone before? Julia hoped not because she really wanted to meet him while her heart was still beating.
“Gabe Crawford is approaching,” VINCE announced.
Julia smiled in spite of herself. Of course Gabe would program himself into VINCE’s facial recognition program.
Julia pushed Kate out of the way of the door—hey, this was her apartment after all—and swung it open just as he had finished knocking. “Hi, Gabe.”
“Julia!” He swooped in and hugged her, then picked her up and twirled her around.
He seemed tall. His body felt lean and tall and warm. And his voice. It was different but the same. Clear and friendly in person.
Julia laughed and he set her down again. And here, she thought their first meeting would be awkward!
She stepped back, instantly feeling the loss of his body heat. She would have held on for a lot longer, but Kate was still there. Even if her sister wasn’t standing a few feet away, Julia still didn’t trust her feelings.
Gabe grabbed a hold of her hands and kissed her knuckles. “It’s so good to see you.”
“You too,” she joked.
The three of them laughed at the irony and it helped to break the ice.
“I’m glad we’re finally getting to meet,” Julia told him.
“I’ve been waiting for this for months.”
Julia gestured to where Kate was standing behind her. “Gabe, this is my sister Kate.”
“Kate, it’s nice to meet you. I can see the family resemblance. You’re both gorgeous.”
“Oh, wow,” Kate beamed from the compliment. “And here I was worried you’d turn out to be someone else.”
“Nope,” he replied. “I’m no imposter.”
“Kate,” Julia hissed through clenched teeth. “I’ll take it from here.”
Not so fast. Kate took a moment to thoroughly look Gabe Crawford over, not caring if he realized he was indeed under heavy scrutiny. Her first impression of the computer programmer was as an attractive, studious-looking man in his mid-twenties with a pair of brown eyes that could make a girl swoon.
Upon further inspection, Kate decided he just might be too adorable for words with his disheveled hair and squeaky clean Converse sneakers. Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller came to mind and she thought her younger sister couldn’t do any better at finding a suitable man.
Although he probably spent most of his time behind a desk, he wasn’t soft in the middle or paunchy from lack of exercise. On the contrary. He looked fit and lean and those chocolate brown eyes of his didn’t miss a thing. Even now they were scanning Julia’s small apartment before resting them back on Julia’s face.
Kate had seen that look in a man’s eyes before (well, maybe just once on Logan) and if she didn’t know better she’d think Gabe was in love with her little sister. Yep, he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her. And once he’d managed to get Julia’s hand in his grasp, he hadn’t let go.
Kate smiled to herself. It was like watching two teenagers smitten with the early stages of puppy love. Gabe was obviously already in love and it was a glorious sight to witness. They were going to get along just fine together and Kate knew she was leaving Julia in good, strong, capable hands.
“Well, hon,” Kate finally said to Julia, “I’ve got to get going. I’m meeting Janis for lunch. Gabe, it’s great to finally meet you in person.”
After a quick goodbye, Kate slipped out the door with a smile on her face.
When the front door clicked shut behind Kate, Julia let out a deep breath. “How was your flight?” she asked Gabe.
“Long. I’m glad to finally be here.”
As much as it pained her to admit, she was glad he was, too.
He was here now and it felt right. Why had she been fighting it?
“I came straight from the airport, so I probably don’t smell that great,” he said sounding self-conscious. “I could have stopped by the hotel first, but I couldn’t wait another minute to see you.”
Julia thought he smelled good. She caught the faint whiff of his aftershave and it smelled fresh and clean. Even after traveling he still smelled nice. And his breath smelled like cinnamon. So many nights she’d lain in bed and thought about how he might smell. She wasn’t disappointed.
“That’s okay,” she reassured him. “You smell nice actually.”
“Thanks.” He let out a laugh that sounded like it had nerves and relief all tangled up together.
“Let me introduce you to Shamus. Shamus,” she addressed the dog who was waiting patiently by her feet, “shake Gabe’s hand please.”
Shamus raised his paw and Gabe shook it.
“He’s a beautiful dog,” Gabe remarked. “And very well behaved. Just like I imagined him to be.”
His voice turned away from her for a split second and then he said, “So, this must be Cassidy. Jeez Julia, I feel like I already know everyone.”
“Well, we aren’t complete strangers,” she pointed out.
“After talking on the phone for so long it’s so weird to hear your voice and be able to actually touch you.” He was still holding her hand and gave it a warm squeeze.
“I can’t believe you’re actually here. Even when VINCE announced your arrival I couldn’t believe it.”
“So, he remembered me, huh?”
She laughed. “Yeah.” She gestured toward the couch. “Here, have a seat. Or are you tired of sitting?”
“I’m okay.”
They sat down next to each other, still holding hands. Silence settled between them and it made Julia feel uneasy. Even though she sensed a calmness in him, she couldn’t read his eyes.
“I like your nail polish.”
His voice was in her ear, only this time there was no phone to act as a barrier between them.
“Thanks. I picked it out just for you. Would you like something to drink?” Refreshments she could handle. She’d bought enough soda to fill August Lake to the brim.
“No, I’m okay.”
After a while, they’re nerves finally settled and they chatted on the couch. When the sun started to set, Gabe sat up straight and stretched. “I probably should go to the hotel and get settled in, but I can’t seem to get myself to leave.”
“That’s okay. I’m not really ready for you to leave yet anyway. You just got here.”
“I can go over to the hotel and take a shower and then we can go get some dinner. Are there any good restaurants nearby?”
Julia grimaced. She might have the beverages covered, but not the food.
Eating in public presented more challenges than she was willing to endure on their first date. Besides that, she wanted to be at home in a more private setting than out in public. She wasn’t ready to share Gabe with anyone else just yet.
Her regular diet consisted of frozen TV dinners and a lot of take-out. The delivery people from the pizza place and the Chinese restaurant on the corner know her by name and were always friendly. Although she had l
earned how to cook for herself at the Augusta School for the Blind, it wasn’t something she did very often. When you lived alone and didn’t have a delicate palate it was easier that way.
“We can just order in,” she suggested. “There’s a good Chinese place around the corner that delivers.”
Gabe seemed to pick up on the fact that she’d rather stay home. “Okay. That sounds good.”
“You can take a shower here.” The words were out of her mouth before she could take them back.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“I brought my own soap,” he said with a laugh. “It’s been so long since I’ve been on vacation I just brought everything.”
“Well, I’m sure I can rustle up anything you might have forgotten. There are clean towels in the linen closet.”
His hand was warm on her wrist. “Are you sure this is okay? I don’t want to intrude on your space.”
She smiled at his thoughtfulness and patted his hand. “It’s fine. There’s no point in you driving clear across town and back again just to get a shower. Make yourself at home.”
A minute later, the bathroom door closed with a soft click and Julia let out the breath she was holding in. She pressed the hand to her cheek that had been clasped with his only a few minutes ago. It was slightly clammy, but it had felt so good to feel his body heat seep through her skin.
Gabe was here!
She almost couldn’t believe it. And not only was he in Red Valley, but he was in her shower!
For so long they’d been separated by five states and now he was on the other side of her bathroom door.
The attraction was there no matter how much she wanted to deny it. She hadn’t spent the past few months baring her soul to him over the phone for nothing.
* * *
Gabe set his shaving kit on the counter and surveyed the small bathroom. The room was tidy, as was the rest of her apartment and there was plenty of room to set out his razor and deodorant.
At first glance, he noticed the absence of cosmetics and was reminded that one of the things he liked most about Julia was how she didn’t put outward appearance above all else like some women did. She had inner beauty as well as outer beauty and her kindness and sense of humor wasn’t just for his benefit over the phone. She was genuinely everything he’d imagined her to be.
Inside the medicine cabinet he found some flavored lip gloss—cherry, that explained why he’d smelled the sweet scent of cherries when they hugged—deodorant and toothpaste. Feeling ridiculous for snooping, he closed the cabinet.
Quickly, he undressed and ducked under the spray of water in the small shower. Everything was small and cozy in her apartment and he was grateful she’d been generous enough to make room for him.
During the flight, he had made a list of activities he wanted to do while he was in Red Valley. But now that he was here with Julia he didn’t want to leave her little apartment for anything.
He’d spent so much time immersed in computer code that he’d forgotten how important the human element in life was.
* * *
Julia got up from the couch and went down the hall towards the bathroom. She stood by the door and listened to the water running. She pressed her ear against the door and listened.
Dang it! You can’t let yourself get too attached. You’re just setting yourself up for disappointment at the end of the week. Do you want what happened with What’s His Face to happen all over again?
Julia ignored her thoughts and imagined how the water must look as it ran down Gabe’s lean body. He would slather his skin with soap and it would rinse from his body and trickle down the drain, leaving everything wet and slick. It had been a long time since she’d had a man in her shower. She could easily imagine the things that could happen if she was in there with him…
The water shut off and Julia nearly jumped out of her skin. The shower curtain hooks scraped across the curtain rod and she turned and went into the kitchen to make coffee.
* * *
Gabe made his way into the kitchen and stood silently in the doorway watching her. She already seemed jumpy and he didn’t want to startle her. In the end, he was glad he hadn’t announced himself right away because watching Julia do a simple thing like making coffee was absolutely fascinating.
Her hands felt for objects she already knew were there. She moved around the kitchen, familiar with the space, picking up objects by memory. Gabe figured her memory was probably more proficient than some of his old computers.
Shamus, her loyal companion, was by her side at all times. For such a big dog he was surprisingly agile and didn’t bump into her. They maneuvered in a kind of graceful dance around the kitchen.
“Get out from underfoot, Shamus,” she muttered.
Shamus ducked his head and went to sit in front of the stove. He didn’t pay any mind to Gabe. The dog’s sole purpose was to serve Julia and he carried out his job flawlessly. Shamus sat on his haunches and watched her every move. When she opened the drawer next to the dishwasher, his ears pricked up and his paw shot up, ready to be shaken.
“Where are you?” she asked.
He trotted over to her, pawing the air like a Lipizzaner stallion. She shook it and gave him the treat.
Gingerly, he took it from her, walked back to the stove, crunched, and swallowed it down.
“You’re welcome,” she said and a rumbling sound came from Shamus in return.
“Your dog is amazing,” Gabe said in a low voice from the doorway.
Julia froze at the sound of his voice and then continued to pull two mugs from the cabinet. “Yes, he likes to think so. How do you like your coffee?”
“Black,” he answered and moved toward her.
She laughed and he could sense her nervousness. “Kate says I put enough sugar and milk in mine that it can’t be considered coffee.”
Where were these jittery nerves coming from? she asked herself. This was just Gabe. The same guy she’d shared intimate details with on the phone for the past year.
But that was then.
Now, he was standing so close to her that she could hear his breathing.
He took the spoon from her hand and it clanked on the counter. He held her hand in his and kissed right between her knuckles.
Shyly, she bowed her head. “You’re probably looking at me in disgust right now and I can’t even see it.”
“I’m not—don’t be ridiculous.”
His breath came out in a huff and she knew he was telling the truth.
“You want to know how I’m looking at you? I’m looking at those freckles on your chest wanting to kiss them.”
“Wha…wow.” How was she supposed to respond to that?
“We’ve been talking for a year, Julia. What, did you think I was finally going to see you in person and suddenly not like you anymore?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. What can I say, I give good phone.”
“C’mere.” He pulled her to him and she rested her cheek against his chest.
He was so solid and warm and now the smell of soap clung to his damp skin. He had changed into new clothes and the lightweight sweater he wore was soft under her fingertips.
It was easy to let him hold her and to melt against the hardness of his chest. She’d been dreaming about this for months.
If only she could let herself believe they could be more than friends.
His fingers raked through her hair.
“Your hair is so soft.” It wasn’t sticky or crunchy from hair products and he loved the short style she wore it in.
Gabe didn’t want to stop hugging her and he certainly didn’t want to let go of her hand. She was beautiful. He knew she would be, but he didn’t anticipate the inner light that radiated from her. Julia Kapowski was something special and he thanked his lucky stars for the chance to spend time with her.
A week wasn’t going to be nearly long enough.
Boldly, she reached up and sifted his hair through her f
ingers. “Yours is longer than I thought it would be. It’s soft, too.”
They would be sharing a kiss eventually, Julia was sure of it. But he’d just arrived, and for the first time in her life, she needed to take baby steps. Or at least small strides instead of a full out sprint to the finish line.
The coffeemaker sputtered, signaling the coffee was ready. She stepped out of his embrace and poured two mugs of the steaming liquid.
Whether it was out of stubbornness or just the need to prove her independence, Julia had the habit of jumping headfirst into things. She was more than ready to do that with Gabe, but she knew the water wasn’t deep enough and self-preservation kicked in full force, warning her of the dangers.
Sitting at the little kitchen table with the big dog settled at their feet, Gabe didn’t think he’d ever been happier. His hand reached out to hers and he laced their fingers together. Together they sat hand in hand, drinking their coffee and finally speaking without a mountain range between them.
* * *
After a tasty dinner of fried wantons and mushroom chicken, Julia and Gabe sat on the couch watching Jeopardy! She especially liked quiz shows because it was easy to play along. When the answer was given, she mumbled the correct question and snuggled deeper against Gabe.
Julia thought for sure that she’d continue to be nervous around him. But it turned out she wasn’t, not in the slightest. If anything, Gabe’s arrival was like an old friend returning for a visit and settling into an easy routine with her and her pets. But he didn’t just feel like an old friend.
There were other emotions attached to him when they were together. Other, more romantic emotions. She was comfortable with him being here in her home and yet she still experienced a flutter of excitement when their hands brushed or when he held her hand while they were watching TV.
Whatever it was, she didn’t want it to go away. The feelings spread a wave of warmth through her.
And after spending nearly a lifetime in the cold, she welcomed the intriguing sensation.
* * *
The next morning Julia woke up on the couch. The smell of Chinese food lingered in the air and her mouth was dry from consuming so much sodium the night before.
Blind Ice (Razors Ice Book 5) Page 12
