Sweeter Than Wine

by Hestand, Rita

  She nodded, unable to bring herself to speak at that moment.

  Good grief a handsome man was taking her to dinner and she could do nothing but turn to mush. She had better sense than that.

  She sipped the wine and tried not to look at him too directly.

  "So…Ms. Malone…"

  "Please call me Lacey, all my friends do," she smiled.

  "Lacey, then, what's your story?" he asked with mild amusement.

  "My story?" she queried. Looking at him with new interest. It bothered her that he appealed to her. However, he wanted to know more about her and that intrigued her. If he was flirting, she didn't recognize it. His huge sorrowful brown eyes captured her heart and imagination.

  "Yes, I found you on the beach, dressed in a towel, but by your excuses I could tell this wasn't normal for you. Then you took a fishing trip, which wasn't the norm either, I gather, as you get seasick. So what are you out to prove?"

  "I'm that obvious?" she asked sitting back against the chair and sipping the wine. She felt the tingle in her blood as the wine tickled her tummy. Funny and true, she acknowledged.

  "Some boyfriend challenges your integrity?"

  "No boyfriend, but I suppose it could be called a challenge." She quipped, grabbing a napkin and dabbing her lips. She shouldn't burden this man with her troubles. He had plenty of his own, it would seem.

  "Want to talk about it?"

  "Why would you want to listen?" She couldn't stop the smile.

  "Let's just say you intrigue me."

  "Well, perhaps I should stop while I'm ahead."

  "You enjoy being a woman of mystery?"

  "Me—a mystery?" She looked at his face, a pleasant well-tanned face that spoke of hard work, and lots of life. He said he was a forest ranger that would explain his beautiful tan; it contrasted so acutely with the white shirt he wore. "I suppose it might help explain my actions."

  "That's not what I asked. Do you want to talk about it?"

  She held his gaze for a second and it rendered her almost speechless looking into those warm brown eyes that held both mischief and understanding. The man was such a puzzle, one minute he was so caring and probing, the next, abrupt, and rude. Which man was this?

  "I'm a school teacher. Does that tell you anything?" She began, her eyes straying to his long wayward hair, as her imagination embarrassed her. She wondered what it might be like to curl a finger around that hair at his nape. Not a conventional man, but all man, she deemed him. "A teacher, that's nice." He smiled magnetically.

  "Oh please…it's boring. I teach at a private all girls school in Houston. And I guess you above all deserve to know why I'm making such a fool of myself."

  "I wouldn't go that far, but go on." He encouraged.

  "I had my eye on this summer trip with the girls. I thought I was a natural for it, because all the girls wanted me to go with them. So I applied, blindly to the Dean."

  He frowned, "Blindly?"

  She frowned and sighed and put her napkin down a little too heavily, "Yes, well, the Dean of the school let me know in no uncertain terms that I wasn't qualified to take the girls on such an adventure."

  "Not qualified, for a vacation? Since when do you need an education to take a vacation?"

  "Exactly, not qualified. That's exactly my thoughts, too. I had all the teaching credentials anyone could ask for, but I lacked in the department of living according to him at least, as though he would know."

  "I don't follow," he frowned.

  She firmed her lips and looked away, "I haven't done enough living according to the Dean. I've been nowhere, done nothing, and experienced nothing of life. In other words I'm about as boring as one gets. Therefore, I am unqualified to lead the girls into an enjoyable vacation. I don't swim, don't snorkel, don't surf, and don't do anything that young girls do. I'm not even a good dancer. How could they possibly have a good time with me?" she finished with a touch of scorn in her voice. "Those were his words. The vacation was paid for by the school and I was a risk factor so, no vacation. "

  "I see…" he studied her a moment, "And is this true?"

  She frowned again and firmed her lips, "Yes, it is. Probably what set me off with him? He was right. But not without reason."

  He nodded for her to continue.

  "I really don't want to bore you with my troubles."

  "Indulge is a better word. I find other people's troubles make mine looks smaller sometimes."

  "Stop me when I start boring you, okay?"

  He nodded.

  "My mother had been ill for some time, and I was taking care of her. She died this past spring. It took me a while to get over it and go on. I neglected any vacation plans until now."

  "How long was she ill?"

  "Three years."

  "That's a long time. And in those three years, you cooked, cleaned, and took care of your mother." He furnished the details for her.

  "Well, of course, you do what you must do." She shrugged, and then continued. "Forced to face the fact that I know very little about living, I decided to find out. To challenge myself. These days no one has to stay in a rut. So I'm making myself get out and do things I wouldn't normally do." She bowed her head for a minute then slowly raised her glance to his. "I'm trying to live a little. Spice up my life. But I'm afraid I'm a dismal failure at it."

  He was quiet for a long moment, and then he put his wine down and took her hand from across the table. Lacey immediately felt herself grow warm, his callused hand, holding hers. "Lacey, I admire what you are trying to do, and I totally understand your position. However, you are leaving something out, aren't you? This Dean as you call him, is he the reason you want to prove yourself so badly? You're in love with him?"

  "Oh—I'm not sure that's the right term. I've liked him, respected him…"

  "Lacey, come clean."

  "I wouldn't say in love, we've never gotten that far, I am infatuated with him, yes, but it's useless, he's never seen me as a woman. A real woman. I'm not sure he's seen any woman as a real woman. I want to prove to him and myself that I am. He hurt my ego more than anything."

  "When I look across the table, I see a woman, a very pretty, sweet woman. You have a natural charm that oozes from you."

  Obviously flustered by his compliment, she blushed." Perhaps, but you're so preoccupied with your troubles, I'm not sure you see things clearly..."

  "Make no mistake, your state of dress this morning re-enforced that fact. I see all too well. I see you as a very vulnerable and sweet young woman."

  "And I see you as a troubled man, who refuses to let the world in." She grabbed her mouth, sure she had insulted the man and already sorry for it.

  "Now how would you know that?" he chuckled softly.

  "You are well traveled, or seem to be. You are knowledgeable."

  "And you are very observant."

  "Sorry, it comes with the job. Teaching fifteen-year-old girls comes with a responsibility. Well, you knew about deep-sea fishing, you ride a motorcycle. In my book that makes you well traveled."

  "Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?"

  "Me? No…"

  "Then we'll fix that." He smiled.

  The waitress came and he turned lose of her hand. She felt the warmth leave her. She missed it.

  She liked his holding her hand, and that scared her a little. She didn't know this man. She was on vacation and she knew how men could be charming one minute and change the next. She wanted to enjoy her vacation. Why couldn't she simply relax and enjoy the new sensations swamping her? After all, this didn't happen everyday, not to her at least.

  Ordering steaks the waitress soon disappeared.

  Trying to find even ground she asked, "So—why were you making that gosh-awful sound on the cliff?"

  He leaned back in his chair now, his shoulders relaxing, his unexpected laughter shocked her. "Gosh awful sound? Such a beautiful Texas accent."

  "I always wanted to talk like one of those radio announcers, with no accent, but I
've been doomed from the beginning... Well, anyway I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend, I had no right to just burst out with that, but it was—unusual."

  "That gosh-awful sound you heard this morning was a release of sorts for me. I mean, it was the fist time I've ever done anything like it and it felt so good. You see, my father died a couple of years ago, and just before he died, he murmured a secret that tore me inside out. I'm not his child."

  "Oh." Lacey's heart leapt out to him. The man had suffered a grief too, and obviously was still suffering. A lost soul. She saw that in his eyes. "I'm so sorry. It must be tragically hard for you to keep going."

  "It has been. But it's been two years, and it's time I snapped out of it and became a human being again."

  "I'm so sorry for interrupting you…" she began.

  "Don't be, it made me laugh, it made me see that despite everything, life goes on." He smiled gently at her. "And now hearing your story, well, I can relate. And it explains a lot about you, too."

  She shrugged, "I don't know about me. I mean, I'd been living in this fog for so long, that I never realized that I'd been missing life all this time. Until now. Not that I regret a moment of it. I'm at peace about my mother, I know I did everything I could for her, but I neglected myself during that time, and now I have to sort of make up for it."

  He nodded, "Yeah, me too. We're sort of two peas in a pod, aren't we?"

  She smiled and their eyes connected for a moment. She saw the raw pain still hiding there, and she saw a kind and gentle man too.

  Woe, slow down Lacey, you're getting yourself way too involved.

  The dinner was perfect and after another glass of wine, and light conversation they both seemed to wonder what might come next. Lacey needed to leave now, and not make a nuisance of herself. He'd been so kind, endured her insignificant revelation about herself, but she needed to leave so he could continue enjoying his time here.

  "Well, it has been an enjoyable dinner, and I can't thank you enough. I guess I'll turn in and try to figure out where I'm going next."

  He studied her for a moment without saying anything, then cleared his throat, "Lacey, don't get the wrong idea. We barely know each other, but we do have a little in common. And I've a proposition for you."

  She waited with baited breath, "Go on."

  "I think you're going at this challenge the wrong way. You're jumping in with both feet, and trying to do things you as a person would never do, right?'

  She nodded, "I guess so. I don't know any other way to accomplish what I want."

  "I think we can help each other."

  "In what way?"

  "I haven't thought this through, but I think I can show you how to let loose and enjoy life a little, and the distraction might help me too. And, I need to meet my real family; it would make it easier if there was someone with me."

  The man was being very nice, but she didn't know him, she kept telling herself.

  Still there was honesty in his face that spoke more than his words. Was it wrong to instantly trust someone?

  "What exactly are you suggesting?"

  "I'm not sure myself, at this moment. However, it seems you've going too fast, and in the wrong directions. A person can live a little and without doing things that go against their nature. Let me think on it overnight, and see what I come up with." He glanced up at her and got to his feet. "I don't want to worry about you now that I've gotten to know a little about you."

  Her face relaxed and she smiled shyly, "I really don't want to interrupt your vacation any more than I already have. Are you really a worry-wart?"

  His eyes connected with hers now, "Unfortunately, yes I am. Nevertheless, maybe by helping you, I can help myself. And believe me, going with me, will help."

  She stared for a long time, "All right, then I'll meet you here in the morning for breakfast and we can talk about it, okay?"

  "Fair enough, let me pay the tab and I'll walk you to your room," he said and went to pay the tab.

  "All right," she said a little too huskily and walked behind him.

  After paying the tab, he walked her to her room which was on the other side of the hall from his.

  She took out her key from her purse and noted how her fingers shook. She wasn't sure she was doing the right thing. How could she run around with a man so attractive? She hadn't had a boy friend in some time and she was sure this man was way out of her league.

  He took the key, unlocked her door, and then stared down at her.

  Afraid her emotions were showing she started to turn away, but he turned her to face him.

  His head bent, and she felt herself tremble and lifting herself for the kiss.

  Tentatively his lips touched hers, as though there was an unasked question in his kiss. About to back away, she felt herself pulled into the vortex of his kiss. Her mind blanked, and his kiss took hold of her. Soft, warm, and inviting, it wasn't a kiss of a man saying goodnight. It explored the softness of her bottom lip, nipped until she opened for him like a flower.

  His arms went around her ever so gently, as the kiss deepened. She hadn't meant to respond, but seemed to have no control over the matter. She'd never been kissed so thoroughly in her life. She had to breathe, she had to breathe, she kept reminding herself, but the kiss swallowed that and all other thoughts. She felt her lips melting into his, becoming one, and escaping into a paradise she'd never known.

  When he turned her lose, she didn't open her eyes at first. She couldn't, he'd left her there in that strange and wonderful paradise. However, willing herself to break loose of his hypnotic trance, she finally opened her eyes to see him staring into her face with as much shock as she was feeling.

  Realizing she must have overstepped herself, she backed away, "thank you for dinner…" Her voice sounded breathless.

  He nodded.

  As she was about to close the door, he slowly smiled, "See you at breakfast…" he barely uttered and turned to walk away.

  She closed the door and leaned against it. What had she done?

  Granted it was only a kiss, wasn't it?

  So why did she feel as though everything in her life had suddenly changed? She'd changed. Since when did she let total strangers kiss her? Especially like that. And it wasn't just any ole kiss either. He'd floored her. She smiled and took off her shoes. What a pleasant surprise to an otherwise dull vacation.

  Nonsense, she shook herself some time later and prepared herself for bed.

  However, the kiss had stunned her silly and she wasn't at all sure what to do about it now.

  Chapter Four

  What in the world was she thinking? Lacey paced her small room the next morning, hooking up with a stranger during her vacation. Despite the fact that he'd been a complete gentleman at the table and not once rude, she didn't know this man. To contemplate going anywhere with him seemed dangerous, and way too exciting for her boring life.

  It wasn't in her nature to hook up with strange men. Yet there was nothing strange about the kiss. It curled her toes. She'd never responded to a kiss like that.

  Then it occurred to her that maybe he thought she was easy or something. Had she given him the wrong impression? Perhaps she should set him straight from the get go.

  Yet she had to admit, they did have something in common, they had both lost something dear to them in life, and they were both trying to pick up a new life. Both struggled for that new life. Perhaps he was right, they might be able to help each other, at least they understood each other a little better now.

  Nevertheless, there was a problem. She found Sam McKay very attractive, in a wild sort of way, and nothing like the men she knew. He made her respond in that same way, wild. Of course the men she knew were teachers, who dressed and acted accordingly. But Sam was so different. His hair was wild and longer than most men his age. His body was solid and well built. It was his face, so full of expressions that intrigued her, and his soulful eyes. And the thought of what those eyes did to her, unnerved her. She might be getting
way in over her head.

  Wasn't this what this vacation of hers was supposed to be about, taking chances, doing things she'd never done?

  Still, she was a grown woman, able to handle herself. Even with an attractive man. Yes, she could handle this, and it might be exciting. She was out for excitement, wasn't she?

  * * *

  The next morning Sam waited for her again at a table. He was surprised when she came down the stairs in Capri's and t-shirt. She could pass for a typical tourist, but her beauty seemed to grow on him. Every time he saw her she became more intriguing.

  "Good morning," she smiled and instantly sat opposite him.

  "Good morning, sleep well?" he asked giving her a quick once over.

  "Yes, I did, must be the ocean front or something." She said as she told the waitress she'd like some black coffee.

  "And you?" she asked.

  "Surprisingly well, thanks. And I've given some thought to our expedition, never been on a motorcycle, right?"

  "No, never."

  "Then that's how we'll travel. We'll see the coast, have a picnic, and travel a ways down toward the big reds." He smiled.

  "Big reds?"

  "The magnificent Redwoods of California. You'll love it." He smiled.

  "Oh yes, I was planning on seeing them." She quipped. "I've done some research on them as well. Did you know that some of those trees are taller than a skyscraper?"

  "Yes, there's one they claim is as tall as four skyscraper put together. Of course I wouldn't want to climb it to verify that. However, you'll see them up close this way. I think we should take our time, see everything we can and enjoy it. When the Dean of your school said you hadn't been around enough, surely he understood why you hadn't been vacationing. I mean, spending that time with your mother was important. And I don't think you should feel bad about yourself for it."