by Lynn Galli
26 Natalie
Goblin gave two warning barks before the knocking began. My head pounded and felt like a bowling ball as I lifted it off the pillow. I glanced at the clock. An hour, that’s all I’d slept and somehow I felt worse than when I’d cut out of work early with the flu. Owen had pushed me to go home. After barely making it up to my bed before crashing, I was very glad for the push.
A light knocking sounded again and my fuzzy head focused for a second. My legs swung on their own over the side of the bed. When I sat up, I felt even more nauseous than when I’d left the site. It probably had to do with the fact that I hadn’t had anything to eat or drink all day. Dehydration wouldn’t help my flu symptoms.
Goblin appeared at my bedside, a faint whine before her head turned back toward the door. Hoisting myself slowly, I managed to step downstairs without releasing everything in my stomach. I almost never got sick, and I was a lousy patient when I did.
Through the glass in the front door, I saw Vivian’s lovely face. She gave a concerned smile as I made my way toward her.
“You look like you need to be lying down.”
“I was,” I told her and gestured her inside.
“Get back to it, then.”
It was a soft order but definitely an order. I smiled because it was so like her to drag me out of bed just to order me right back to it. “What are you doing here?”
“Owen told me you were sick.”
“And you came by to tell me to go to bed?”
She flicked her eyes over me, lingering longer on my hair this time. It was probably plastered to the side of my head from the nap. “I came by to take care of you.”
I took a step back, astonished. My hand came up to wave off her gesture. I didn’t need anyone to take care of me.
Hers came up to grab mine and squeeze. “Like you have a choice. Get upstairs before you pass out. I’ll get a cold rag and some water.”
“You don’t have to do that, Vivian. I was going to sleep this off. I’ll be fine by tomorrow.” I hoped, but I definitely didn’t need to put her out by looking after me.
“I’ll be here to make sure of it.” Her hands pressed on my back to get us moving to the stairs.
I had no choice but to allow her to shove me up the stairs and soon found myself being settled into bed. I didn’t miss the irony that I was being put to bed by a woman I’d fantasized about being in bed with.
She smiled down at me as she pulled the covers up. “I’ll be right back.” She disappeared from my sight line, leaving Goblin and me in bewildered silence.
It didn’t take long before she was back, sitting on the side of my bed and pressing a cold compress to my head. I think I groaned in relief because her smile brightened.
“You should have called me when you went home. I would have been happy to come over and help.” She looked at me with question in her eyes. “When was the last time someone took care of you?”
I looked away, not remembering. I’d never gotten close enough to the women I’d dated to have them care for me. I learned never to need it anyway.
“I swear if you tell me it was when you were sixteen, I might drive to Denver and track down your parents tonight.”
Her temper was such a turn on. That she’d aim it at people who’d hurt me, I would have attacked her if my stomach would have let me. As it was now, I could barely smile before nodding off to sleep again.
Voices woke me the next time. I felt better, but not up to a party, which is what sounded like was going on downstairs. I hefted myself up and went slowly down the stairs.
“There she is,” Tamiko declared when she saw me. “How are you feeling, dear?”
Owen stood beside her while Lena and Glory were in the kitchen with Vivian. They all turned toward me as I landed on the first floor.
“We brought miso soup for today and some food for when you feel better.”
“Thank you, that’s very nice.” I couldn’t fathom why they’d come out here just for the flu. I knew Owen thought well of me, but he was treating me like a family member right now.
“We’re not staying,” Glory said, glancing back at what looked like a menacing Vivian.
“Looks like you’re in good hands anyway,” Lena murmured loud enough for everyone to hear, shooting a bright smile at Vivian.
Vivian showed them out a little while later. She turned back with a serious face. “You should be in bed. You’ll never get over the flu if you keep getting up.”
“I’ll try some of the soup and head back to bed. Thank you for staying and entertaining them. I should be guest free the rest of the night.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”
My brow furrowed. “It’s getting late.”
“Which is why you should be in bed. Our goal is to get you well enough to work tomorrow. You think that site runs itself?”
I laughed. “I’ll try.”
“I’ll make sure.” She opened the container that Tamiko had brought and handed me a spoon. “Take as much as you can. Every bit of liquid will help.”
“If you take off now, you might not catch what I’ve got.”
“Stop trying to get rid of me.”
“You’re staying?” My head was fuzzy, but not that fuzzy. Did she really just say that she was staying with me all night?
She shook her head and let out a soft laugh. “You did more than take care of me, Nat. You saved my life. I’m staying to make sure you’re feeling better. Everyone needs someone to care for them when they feel sick. I’m your someone.”
I could feel myself blinking at her words. That sounded nice. Having someone to count on again. Brad had been there for me when I needed him most, but this, a person not related to me, a person who would do this because of friendship, because she must care for me. “I like the sound of that.”
Her eyes darted back to mine. “Me, too.”
27 Natalie
When I saw her, I smiled. I’d been doing that pretty much nonstop for a month now. I’d also been hiding the smiles from my crew and from her. Now, I didn’t bother to hide the smiles. I liked her. So much. It didn’t matter that she was a stunner. It didn’t matter that she had a banging body. What mattered was her kindness, her intelligence, her consideration, her smile, and the dazzling fire it lit in me every time I saw it.
“Hey,” she greeted in a soft voice. A private voice. She didn’t use that voice with anyone else on my crew.
My smile widened. “Hey.”
“Got a lot done in here.”
“Do you want—”
“Did you get—”
We’d both spoken at the same time. Then we both smiled at the same time and gestured to finish. It would have been awkward with anyone else. With Vivian it was funny. I gestured again to get her to speak.
“Did you get the tile delivery for the master bathroom?”
“Not yet. The guys said UPS showed up last night and left a notice on the trailer that he’d try again today.”
“And where were the guys?” she said with a bright smile on her face.
“It was Friday night. Where do you think the guys were?”
“I thought the whole purpose of providing them a place to stay was so they’d keep an eye on the house.”
“Try being the mean lady who keeps them from having fun on Friday nights.”
“Nat,” she gave an exasperated sigh.
“Viv,” I mimicked her tone. “I usually work late Fridays so they can go grab some beers and have some fun.”
“You’re saving them thousands in rent.”
“They’re saving us thousands in potential vandalism. They should get their Friday nights.”
She put up her hands and smiled. God, I liked that smile. I wanted to kiss that smile.
“You were going to say?” she asked.
My eyes darted away as I took a deep breath. “You know that dinner we missed having?”
Her eyes flashed for a moment. “Ye
s.”
“Did you want to have it tonight? I know it’s short notice, but we’re going to be done a little early today. Dinner out would be fun. With you.”
She smiled and it brightened the whole room. “I’d like that.”
“Great. Seven? I’ll come by your place.”
She smiled broader. “Afraid I’ll stand you up again?”
“You didn’t, not really.” I listened to her laugh at my discomfort. “You weren’t going to, right?”
“Don’t think so,” she teased.
“Tonight, then.” I turned and left her standing in the middle of the kitchen before she could change her mind.
Hours later, I’d tried on everything in my closet again and decided I needed to do some shopping. My choices hadn’t changed since the night I’d dressed for the date that might not be a date but hopefully was going to be a date. I was wearing the same slacks and boots, but I had on a cap sleeve green silk blouse with a plunging neck that did wonders for my minimal bust line. My hair was a little longer, so the paste didn’t make it as spikey. I actually liked it better. Charcoal eye makeup highlighted my brown eyes, and the tan I’d been acquiring helped bring out the dusky pink of my lips without any added color. I looked as good as I was going to look, so I headed out to pick up my date who wasn’t a date unless she wanted to become a date.
She answered the door before I had time to grind my mind into dust with anxiety. She was a vision in a violet patterned summer dress that showed off a superb amount of sun freckled skin and looked more comfortable than anything I’d ever seen her in. Just when I thought she couldn’t get any more stunning.
“Oh,” she said as her eyes swept over me and her mouth parted. “You look sensational.”
My eyes dropped automatically to check my attire before bouncing up to look at the beauty before me. By comparison, well, there was no comparison, but my heart jumped to a racing clip at her compliment. “I didn’t think work jeans and a company t-shirt would work tonight.”
Her hand darted out and touched my hair. “Nice, very nice. Gel?”
I let a nervous laugh slip, not wanting to let her know how much I liked her approval. “Paste.”
“Makes it looks great.”
“Thanks. Shall we?” I gestured back to my truck. I’d hoped to be closer in height to her with my boots, but she was wearing three inch sling backs herself. As much as I’d wanted to be eyelevel with her, those sling backs did amazing things for her toned calves.
I opened the passenger door for her and held her hand while she stepped onto the rail and slid onto the seat. Just that little bit of contact made me heady. I’d need to take a few breaths before pulling out onto the road.
We drove to the same restaurant. Not my choice, but she’d made the suggestion, and I didn’t want to disappoint. I just hoped the same staff wasn’t on, or at the very least, didn’t remember the chick who sat at a table alone for an hour pathetically waiting for her date.
“This is one of my favorite places,” Vivian said as we pulled into the parking lot. She looked over at me as I turned off the engine. “But you probably already knew that because I’m sure I mentioned it on the first day we met and you somehow remembered it.”
Like it was hard to remember something she said. “I’m sure it’s great.” I hopped out and hurried around to her side.
She placed her hand in mine to step down from the rail on my truck. “What? You said you were here that night.”
“I was.”
“Didn’t you eat?”
I looked away as we started walking. Heat bloomed on my cheeks. It was still embarrassing to think of that night when I sat there like a lump waiting for a woman who was in a car accident and would never have made it to the restaurant. “It wouldn’t have been polite.”
She stopped our progress and turned to face me. “You waited in a restaurant and didn’t order anything because it would have been impolite to eat when your dining companion rudely never showed up?”
“You didn’t—”
Her fingers landed on my mouth before I could again state that her accident wasn’t her fault. When she silenced me, her fingers slid down to tilt my chin up. My heart hammered against my chest as she leaned down and kissed my cheek.
“You are too sweet for this century.”
Her kiss tingled on my cheek even as I laughed. “This century?”
“Probably for the last century, too.” She smiled and tipped her head toward the restaurant to get us moving again.
As my luck would have it, the same hostess and waiter were on tonight. With Vivian beside me, we were given one of the good tables near the window. I could swear I got a wink from Isaac, but I was too busy staring at the woman sitting across from me.
“You look lovely tonight,” I finally remembered to say.
Her eyes looked up from the menu and crinkled. “I might just have to change your name to Sweet.”
“Too much?” I joked.
She gave me a thoughtful stare. “It would be if I thought you weren’t being genuine, but I’m not sure you know how to be fake.”
“I did work for Cal for many years.”
“You probably had a lot of practice, but it didn’t seem to stick to you.” She graced me with another of her beautiful smiles and returned her attention to the menu.
An hour later, we’d finished dinner and were lingering over coffee to prolong our time together. At least that’s what I was doing. Vivian didn’t seem to mind that I was drinking my coffee slowly. We’d talked about so many things, easily and without needing to support it with talk of work. I’d never had a more enjoyable dinner. Her beguiling nature made it very easy.
My long day had finally caught up to me. It was time to call it a night. I managed to get to the bill first, which she allowed when she made me promise she could get the next dinner. I hadn’t thought it was possible to feel more elated, but knowing we’d do this again managed to make that happen for me.
Isaac definitely winked at me on the way out. Guess he approved of my date, who felt a little more like a date now.
The entire drive back to her place, I debated the goodnight. Should I or shouldn’t I? We wouldn’t see each other until Monday at the earliest, probably closer to the end of the week if her schedule continued the way it had been. So if I did, then it wouldn’t be awkward until Monday maybe longer. If I didn’t, then I could start the pining right away. Thus far I’d been admiring only, maybe a dash of longing, but after tonight it would definitely be pining if her affections weren’t the same as mine.
“This was a lot of fun, Nat. Thanks for suggesting it.” Vivian reached into the back seat for her sweater.
“I’ll walk you.”
Her head swung around to look at me. I couldn’t read her expression, but I wouldn’t wait until I could see something in it that looked like she didn’t want me to walk her. I jumped out of the truck before she could say it.
I helped her down again. This time, I didn’t let go of her hand. “I had a wonderful time tonight.” It was unoriginal but how I felt.
She smiled and squeezed my hand. That alone sent a zing of pleasure through me. I had to try this. It would be worth the awkwardness if I overstepped.
Her door loomed before us. My heartbeat went into overdrive. I tried to catch my breath and my thoughts. I suddenly remembered that I was three inches shorter and moving in for a kiss wouldn’t be easy if she wasn’t up for it. Still. I had to try.
She turned. I stepped forward and lifted up, praying she wouldn’t be offended. With a lean that felt like it spanned a football field, I touched my lips to hers. Light and feathery but I felt fire swirl in my stomach at the contact. I didn’t pressure her, giving her a chance to back away in the time we could call it a quick, friendly buss. When she didn’t, maybe out of shock, my lips drew on hers to make sure we both knew I meant it. A short goodnight kiss that would never have qualified as a first kiss if it weren’t so magnificent. I’d had mostly awkward, or boring
, but some pleasing first kisses before, all lasted much longer than this one. In fact, this one was so brief I could hardly get an impression. Yet I did. Breathtaking, everything I’d always wanted in a first kiss other than it ending.
Her eyes were still closed when I stepped back. They opened without a flutter, which I’m pretty sure mine were still doing. Her hand didn’t flash out and slap me, but she didn’t give me a damn-that-was-good smile either.
“Goodnight, Vivian.” I started backing away before she could comment or reason away my attempt to change our relationship.
She smiled then, but I wasn’t sure how to interpret it. “Night, Natalie. See you soon.”
Soon wouldn’t be soon enough, especially if she let me kiss her again.
28 Vivian
Should have invited her in. The thought still ran through my mind even after all the distracting fun of brunch with my brother and the kids. If I’d invited Natalie in last night, I had no doubt I would have ruined my chance at romance by letting my hormones take us straight to bed.
That kiss, hardly long enough to be a real kiss, but my, it had reached everywhere. At last, a first kiss made me crave more. I’d wanted to lean back in for another and never let up. Usually I wanted to have the first kiss over with. It was rarely good, often just a clash of lips and teeth, sometimes a massive overreach of open mouths and tongues. But last night, the perfect amount of lip pressure coupled with a distinctive pounding in my heart made it the most memorable kiss I’d ever received. It was just too short in duration, but the surprise factor made up for the brevity.
My phone buzzed a second time in less than a minute, indicating that whoever had just called had left a message. I’d wait until we buckled the boys into their car seats to check. It was probably Molly or Dwight, my afternoon plans. We were still deciding between motorcycle riding with the boys or mountain biking up to Snowmass on our own. After the energy expended on brunch, I was going to vote for mountain biking. Cassie was out with Mei, Glory, Lena, and Brooke for the day, so Zach had the boys. I liked that they gave each other breaks like this. Zach got to take a day to himself every month, too. I counted it as one of the best reasons they got along so well and respected each other so much. It was a must have on my list. Every relationship I’d been part of succumbed to stifling togetherness. Wanting to spend a day with Molly, Dwight, or even J&B ended up in a huge whiny debate. Natalie wouldn’t be like that.
