The lovely afternoon turned into a golden evening, but the early summer air was still a little chilly. The band came in from the garden and set up in the corner of the hall. Little by little, shyly at first, people started dancing. The kids joined in too, and it was soon a riot of fun. Dina took her baby home, as he was still so tiny, but Lauren and Lori put their kids in the nursery, so they could relax and dance a little. The music was upbeat at first, with the band playing unexpected covers of pop songs in a swing jazz style. It was really fun and unusual, and everyone was having a great time. After a while, the tempo slowed, and the melodies turned back to swing jazz, as a singer took to the stage. She had a beautiful, velvety voice, which lent the evening an air of old-school romance. Dr Harley arrived late, as he'd been on call all day but when he walked into the room, he took one look at Melissa and pulled her into his arms on the dancefloor. Roman led Kristin onto the dancefloor too. They were both good dancers, and they looked great together, he so tall and lithe, and she such a statuesque, auburn-haired beauty. Lori saw Magnus gazing at Andrea with smoldering eyes from across the room.
“Go and dance with him,” she said.
“No way! I'm not leaving you here by yourself,” Andrea said. “I'll just go and tell him to hang out with us here.” Before Lori could object, she was off.
Lori lost track of them for a moment, abandoning herself to the beauty of the music and the elegance and happiness of the dancers. When she next looked up, Andrea was coming towards her with Magnus’s hand in her left hand, and another guy’s in her right.
“Niall was just saying that he’d love to dance. He used to have ballroom lessons when he was a kid. Can you believe that?” Andrea said. I can’t, Lori thought to herself, looking up at the solidly built guy. Niall grinned at her.
“Lori, might I have the pleasure of this dance?” he said.
He led her onto the dancefloor, and, as soon as he started to move, she saw how wrong she’d been about him. He was a very good dancer – amazingly light on his feet for such a big guy.
“You’re really good! I feel so clumsy compared to you!” she exclaimed. “How long did you have lessons for?”
“Oh, about five years,” he said with a bashful smile. “Logan and I used to go together. You should see him move; he’s way better than me.”
As the tempo changed to a waltz, he began to spin her around the floor.
“Wait! I don’t know what to do!” she said breathlessly.
“Just come with me,” he said. “You’re so light, I could probably lift you right off your feet!” She stared at him in disbelief. Rob used to say she was like a sack of potatoes. When she used to sit on his lap in the early days of their relationship, he used to make out that she was crushing him. Which he’d thought was really funny, but made her spirit shatter into little pieces. The way Niall was holding her did make her feel light, and at one point, both her feet lifted right off the ground.
“Are you sure you haven’t had classes?” Niall said.
“Yes,” she replied, flushed and pleased. Niall was a nice, polite, attractive guy. She found herself wondering what he’d be like as a boyfriend. Probably really nice and considerate. He didn’t have that fire in his eyes that always drew her to guys that were completely wrong for her, but he felt kind of homely. She imagined him chopping wood at the weekends, and hunting deer for food. What would it be like to be with someone normal, who didn’t stir up my emotions by treating me badly? she thought. As the song ended, Niall spun her around one final time. The couple behind her also performed some kind of finale, and she collided with a solid, unyielding body. She jolted away from it, feeling a weird kind of buzz.
“Ow!” she exclaimed, turning around at the same time. She found herself looking into the ice blue eyes of Bruno.
“I’m so sorry,” he said immediately. “I don’t know what I was doing there!”
“No, it was my fault, Lori,” Niall said. “Are you ok?”
“Yes, I’m fine. There just seems to be some static in here or something,” she replied, smoothing imaginary sparks of electricity out of her dress.
“I am sorry, Lori,” Bruno said. “I was trying to do something cool, and look what I did instead.” She laughed at the distraught expression on his face.
“It’s ok, really,” she said, raising her voice as the music started up again. “To show you I’m not upset, let’s dance this song together?” Wow, what am I doing? I never act this confident around guys, she thought to herself at the same time.
“Ok,” Bruno said with a relieved smile. As he took her hand, she flinched, ready for another sting of electricity, or whatever that had been. But this time, there was nothing, just the warmth of his large, callused hand. There was something nice about the calluses, about the fact that he used his hands to make his living. The hand on her waist was hesitant, but she felt the warmth coming through her dress very clearly.
Bruno wasn’t as technically skilled as Niall, and he stuck to simpler moves. The music was slow now, and after a while, they kind of swayed together, as they chatted. Lori was acting calm, talking about all the places she’d been visiting in Hope Valley since she’d been back, the places that were still there from her childhood, and the ones that were new. But inside, her veins were fizzing with adrenaline. I feel nervous, she acknowledged. Her fight-or-flight response was activated. As much as she was enjoying talking to this interesting man, she also had an overwhelming urge to run away from him and go outside to the garden and take some deep breaths. What’s wrong with me? She stared at his breast pocket, unable to meet his eyes. And then she imagined what lay beneath his tuxedo and his crisp white shirt. He must have a great body. She sensed it, strong and muscular beneath his clothes. It took all of her willpower not to lift her hand and touch his chest. Where’s his partner? He must have one. Guys this attractive and nice and heroic don’t stay single.
“Lori?” Damn. She’d been so lost in inappropriate thoughts that she’d missed something he said. She looked up at him, and the eyes that burned into hers took her breath away.
“I’m sorry, what was that?” she said. He smiled at her softly, and his teeth were gleaming white and perfectly straight. They made a nice contrast with his light stubble.
“I said, it’s been really nice dancing with you.”
“Oh.” She blushed. “It was really nice dancing with you too.”
“Am I forgiven for being a clumsy bear?” Bear? She’d misheard, clearly. She smiled too.
“There was nothing to forgive,” she replied. She looked around, noticing that people were heading into the garden. “What’s going on?”
“Oh, they’re setting up a firework show out there,” Bruno said, in an uninterested tone.
“Great! Let’s go see it.” He frowned.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes! I love fireworks,” she said.
“Ok.” The expression in his eyes was uncertain, but he didn't say any more than that. Together, they walked out to the garden.
Some of Bruno's friends were setting up the display. They’d changed out of their tuxes and were wearing jeans and T-shirts, and they were working quickly, nailing some small posts into the ground with rockets attached to them. Bruno stood at her side, but a little behind her. She was acutely aware of his presence, as if she could feel the heat coming off his body. At last, the guys crouched down to light the first fireworks, before running back to a safe distance. There was a whoosh! and two little jets of flame shot up to the sky, and blossomed into a multicolored shower of sparks.
“That’s so pretty!” Lori exclaimed.
“It is,” Bruno’s deep voice said from behind her, and she felt his breath on her hair. There was another whoosh! and some more lights filled the air, and it was followed by a little fountain that only rose a couple of meters from the ground. And then a rocket went off with a long tail, higher and higher, screaming up to the heavens. It seemed to disappear into the blackness, and they waited, watching. And then
Lori jumped as a loud boom! and a big orange flash of fire seared the sky. She screamed and shut her eyes tight. A fireball seemed to burst behind her eyelids. The doors are stuck! Oh my god, I’m trapped in the car! She couldn’t catch her breath, and she gasped for air like a stranded fish. Two strong hands came down on her shoulders.
“Lori, it’s ok,” Bruno said. “You’re not trapped in the car. You’re both safe. We’re just in the garden. Nothing can hurt you. I’ve got you. Let’s go inside.” She was too petrified to move. His hands moved onto her hips and he drew her against his body.
“It’s ok, it’s ok,” he whispered over and over. At last, she jolted out of her trance. Her heart was pounding and she felt incredibly hot in her dress. And Bruno was holding her. Because he was trying to get her to go inside.
“I’m sorry,” she said weakly, rubbing her face with her hands. She turned around and walked back indoors on wobbly legs, as Bruno kept a hand around her waist, guiding her to a chair in a corner of the room. She collapsed onto it, and he pulled up another chair and sat next to her.
“That’s the worst flashback I’ve had,” she muttered. He nodded, eyes soft with understanding. “You knew this would happen, didn’t you?” He paused before answering, collecting his thoughts.
“I thought it was a possibility. But at the same time, I didn’t want to warn you not to see the show, in case it actually hadn’t been an issue. Avoiding all situations where you could be exposed to fire could lead you to develop a phobia, which is harder to treat than flashbacks following trauma.” She stared at him, face tense with worry.
“So how should I deal with these flashbacks?”
“I’m not a psychologist, but I think it’s helpful to talk about the accident, to understand what the root of the issue is. But it’s best to get some professional help to make sure you have the right support.” Lori wiped a tear from her eye.
“I feel guilty about it,” she said in a whisper. “When I think about Nancy in the backseat, so innocent, and trusting me to take care of her, and how I almost got her killed, I can’t stand it.” She clapped her hand over her mouth to stop herself from breaking out into sobs. Bruno took her other hand in his huge, callused one, and immediately she felt calmer.
“Lori, listen to me,” he said calmly. “There was nothing you could have done to avoid the accident. I could see exactly what had happened when I arrived, and the police investigation confirmed it: the car in front of you braked suddenly as a tree was struck by lightning and fell directly in front of it. You turned the corner, and there it was. It was a blind bend, so you couldn’t have seen what was coming. You’d obviously been very sensible and slowed right down on the bend, so the impact was actually pretty low. What made it so much worse was the other car shunting you from behind. The police found that the driver of that car wasn’t at fault, but for a while, it could’ve gone either way, as he was driving quite a bit faster than you.”
“Really?” Lori said. Bruno nodded.
“Absolutely.”
“But I keep thinking that I should have stopped at a motel somewhere when the rain started and not risked driving in that weather.”
“Come on, that wouldn’t have been a sensible solution. You’d been having a terrible time; you needed to get to your sister’s place. Driving conditions weren’t dangerous. The tree falling was just a freak accident. You have to stop blaming yourself. I can see that you’re a great mom, and you take really good care of Nancy.”
Bruno’s eyes were so kind, and he made her feel safe, in a way that no man had made her feel before. Men had always been something to be wary of – people who could make cruel comments to her at any time, and shatter her fragile confidence. She couldn’t imagine Bruno saying something mean and nasty to a woman.
“Hey, I was thinking of leaving in a moment. Would you like me to drive you home?” he said. She hesitated, not wanting to take up yet more of this kind man’s time. “It’ll add a whole ten minutes to my journey, if that’s why you’re hesitating,” he said with a boyish smile. She laughed.
“Ok, yes, that would be great, thank you. I’ll just go get Nancy. Where’s Tad?”
“Oh, he got bored here, so I let him go to a sleepover with his best friend.”
On the way to the nursery, Lori grabbed Lauren.
“I have to run, because Bruno is giving me a ride home, but would you explain to the others and say that I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye?” Lauren looked at her perceptively, noting that she was pale and fragile.
“Sure thing, girl,” she said. “Did you have a good time?”
“I did. Just, the fireworks were a little too much for me.”
“I think I understand. Have a good night, and we’ll hang out tomorrow, ok?” They hugged, and Lori went to the nursery to collect a peacefully sleeping Nancy.
Lori liked riding in Bruno’s truck. It was big and made her feel safe being so high off the road. During the journey, she talked about her old career, when she’d owned a boutique arts and design store. She didn’t want Bruno to think she was always weak and incapable of being independent. Her business had been very successful. She’d had a lovely store in Hope Valley, and a strong online presence, and she’d shipped her products all across the US. She specialized in quirky, one-off pieces by independent designers.
“Why did you stop?” Bruno asked.
“Well, I had to close the Hope Valley store when I moved to Turnersville – my ex-husband’s hometown. I was planning to keep going with the online store, but Rob didn’t want me working. He wanted me to stay at home and clean and cook, and that was all. I didn’t give in to him easily, but he made things impossible, like cutting off the internet connection, and banning me from keeping stock in the house. In the end the website was looking so pathetic, with hardly any items in stock, so I decided to kill it.”
“That’s appalling,” Bruno said, his voice taut with repressed anger. “When you love someone, you should encourage them to be all they can, and support them in every possible way. That’s the first duty that mates have to each other.” Lori smiled, liking the way he referred to couples as ‘mates’. It sounded nice, and intimate, somehow.
“I’m not sure that Rob ever really loved me,” she said. “I think he actually just saw me as his property. You know, you grow up and get a wife, and you install her in your house, and you get her to take care of you and bear your children.” She broke off, worried that she'd offended Bruno. “I mean, I know that most men aren’t like that.”
“Just the occasional asshole who thinks he’s living in a ’40s time warp. Don’t worry, I know what you meant,” he said, flashing her a glance. His eyes glittered in the darkness and she knew that he was more amused than offended. “So where’s your old store in Hope Valley?”
“It’s down on Eastman.”
“Oh, yeah, I think I know it,” he said.
“I actually haven’t been to see it since I’ve been back. I’ve heard that it’s now a vintage clothes and furnishings store, but not a very nice one, so I’ve been kind of putting off going there.”
“Yeah, I get the impression it's owned by some out-of-towners who haven’t made any effort to integrate themselves into the valley.” Bruno frowned. “Actually, there’ve been some rumors that they’ve been running a money laundering operation or something there, and I think people are pretty keen to get them out.” Lori's heart gave a little jump while she absorbed the news.
“Would you be interested in getting your old place back if it was available?”
“Maybe,” she said slowly. “I mean starting up the online store again had crossed my mind, but I haven't really thought about having a physical store.”
“Did your store use to be busy?” he asked.
“Yes, there were always people coming in, at any time of the day, checking what was new in stock, buying things for their house, or as gifts for friends and family. It really was a happy place.” She smiled at the recollection.
“I can imagine. I
'm sure it reflected your personality,” he said. She looked at him sideways. That sounded like a compliment, but what did he mean? So far, he'd only seen her at her worst.
“I don't know about that,” she said with a laugh. “But I was really proud of it.”
“Well, let's hope you bring it to life again,” he said with warmth. “Actually, I’ll ask around, see if anyone knows who the owners are, aside from the rumors,” he said.
“I’d appreciate that,” she said.
They’d arrived at Andrea and Magnus's place.
“Thank you so much for the ride, and for everything,” she said as she started to climb out of the car.
“Wait, let me help you. It’s a big drop,” he said, as he opened his own door, climbed out and ran around to her side. He stretched out his arms and she carefully lifted Nancy up and handed her to him. The baby stirred and grizzled a little. Bruno held her against his body and stretched his free hand out to Lori. She took it, transferring a little of her weight onto him as she negotiated sliding out of the seat in her long dress. As she stepped down, her face came very close to his. She smelled the sweetness of his breath, saw his lips up close, well-shaped and slightly parted. She landed on the earth, with one foot and then the other, and he didn’t move his face away, his lips remaining inches from hers. His eyes bored into hers, the color still visible, even in the dark, and she had a fleeting sense of a connection between their souls. She felt that if she hadn’t been holding Nancy, he would have kissed her. No, I’m sure I’m mistaken. He stepped back abruptly.
“I’ll walk you to the door,” he said, and strode off, along the pathway before she could think about protesting. She followed him and opened the door of the cabin with her key.
“Would you like me to carry her upstairs for you?” he offered.
“Oh, no thanks – you’ve done enough,” she said, taking her back. “Thank you so much for everything.”
“It was my pleasure,” he replied. He waited until she’d walked inside and closed the door before he drove away.
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love (Lori) BBW Bear Shifter Romance (Hope Valley BBW Dating App Romance Book 5) Page 5
