Get to Me

by Lara Van Hulzen

  “Why did you apologize for it?”

  Her smile faded. “Did I?” She balled up her napkin and tossed it onto her empty plate. “I didn’t realize. I guess sometimes my...fidgeting as it’s been called, bothers people.”

  “It doesn’t bother me at all.”

  His smile softened and blue eyes as welcoming as the ocean looked at her, making her squirm. In a good way. She cocked her head and asked, “What do you have going on inside your head? I mean, it can’t be a blank all the time, right?”

  Dane laughed. “So you’re assuming since I don’t have a song playing all the time that I have nothing going on in my head?”

  “I didn’t say that. My Dad says he’s always doing numbers. I guess it’s based on how we’re wired.”

  “Hmmm, that makes sense. Although I’ve never really thought about it. I guess I’m always thinking about people’s motives.”

  “Wow. That’s much deeper than The Doobie Brothers.”

  He chuckled, sending a shiver down her spine.

  “And sounds so pessimistic. You seem to me to be a much more optimistic, pleasant kind of fellow.”

  “Pleasant kind of fellow? Now you’re just teasing.” He leaned back in his chair and took a long sip of his sports drink. He stretched his long legs out in front of him, his sand-covered feet crossed at the ankles.

  “Okay, maybe a little. I’m sorry.”

  “Stop apologizing.” He leveled her with a look that stole her breath.

  “Okay. Sorry.” She winced.

  Through laughter he said, “You just can’t do it, can you?”

  She shrugged. “Habit.”

  “A habit we need to change.”

  We? Did he just say we? “We” implied more than one afternoon of surfing. Spending more time with Dane was definitely becoming high on Aimee’s list of things she’d love to do each day.

  “So back to people’s motives. Why is that always on your mind instead of say, classic rock or something intensely awesome?”

  He looked out towards the ocean in thought, not answering right away. Aimee waited, taking in the small lines around his eyes. The bronze tone of his skin such a contrast to his blue eyes.

  “I guess it’s probably from my job. My mom says I know more about my surroundings in a few minutes than most people notice in an entire hour. But then in training to be a cop, I learned how to read people better. You can tell a lot about a person based on their mannerisms and body language. But the eyes are key. I think looking into someone’s eyes is the same as seeing into their soul. If you know what to look for.”

  He finished off his drink and set the empty container on the table.

  “So what do you see in my eyes?”

  The words flowed from her mouth before her brain decided it if was a good idea or not. She wasn’t sure she was ready for Dane to read her soul, and yet curiosity tugged at her heart. What exactly might he see there? His Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed hard, but his eyes latched onto hers and never wavered.

  “I see a tenacious, beautiful woman. A force of nature able to bring any willing soul to his knees.”

  For a moment, Aimee couldn’t breathe. His words hit her so hard she feared she’d wobble backwards and right off her chair. No one had ever complimented her socks off like that.

  The waitress approached their table and asked if she could clear their plates. Aimee blinked a few times, unable to catch up to the current moment, still caught in the previous one where she’d been completely lost in Dane’s words, not to mention his gaze.

  “Yes, thank you.” Dane answered the waitress. “And could I please get an order to go? Just a taco plate would be great. With a side of guacamole.”

  The waitress nodded and headed back towards the kitchen.

  “Wow. You really can eat, can’t you?” Surprised she’d found her voice, Aimee was grateful. It was better than staring and drooling as she feared she’d been doing moments before.

  “No. It’s not for me. I live in a duplex and my neighbor is an elderly lady. Gladys. She’s the sweetest thing. She doesn’t get out much, so I try and bring her meals when I can. She’s a sucker for Mexican food and can put down guacamole like a teenager.” He chuckled. “She’s a funny old bird.”

  Aimee’s heart warmed at his kindness. “She might not appreciate being called an old bird.”

  He shook his head. “Nah. She doesn’t care. We tease. You should meet her some time. You two are cut from the same cloth.”

  “What does that mean?” Aimee tried, without success, to not sound offended. Being compared to a sweet neighbor was fine, but “funny old bird” ruffled her feathers a bit.

  “I just mean she’s authentic. She is who she is and she doesn’t apologize for it. Well, you apologize constantly, but we agreed to work on that.” He winked at her. “Gladys has a few years on you in that department. I’m sure she had some ‘I’m sorrys’ to get out of her system too.”

  The waitress came back with Dane’s order and he paid the bill. “Hey, why don’t you come with me to take this to her? I know she’d love to meet you. She doesn’t get a lot of visitors. I’m sure she’d enjoy the company.”

  Aimee’s thoughts stuttered. Why did she feel like Dane was asking her home to meet his grandmother?

  “Come on. It will give me brownie points with Gladys, something I’m always in need of.”

  The dimples appeared again and that was it. She was gone. Hook, line, and sinker. If Dane wanted her to meet his lovely neighbor, far be it from her to deny the woman a visit. Right?

  “Sure. Sounds good.”

  They collected their things and headed to their cars, agreeing she would follow Dane to his place.

  Aimee tossed her beach bag into the passenger seat and placed her surfboard in the backseat, its tip sticking out the back of her convertible. She backed out and fell behind Dane’s truck into traffic.

  Yeah, she was just joining him in a friendly gesture towards another person. No harm in that, right? In no way did she say yes to have more time with hunky cop, surfer cowboy. Nope, none at all.

  ***

  Dane maneuvered his truck through Ocean Beach on automatic pilot. What the heck was he thinking? Before his mind had time to register what his mouth was saying he’d invited Aimee to meet Gladys—and not only that, but she’d also see his place. He winced, hoping his apartment was in somewhat decent shape to be seen. And not just seen by anyone. No. He had to invite over the first one woman in a long time who’d captured his attention and held it.

  He’d almost choked when she’d asked him what he saw in her eyes. He’d tried to summarize as best he could without embarrassing himself. He couldn’t say that in her eyes he saw the lush green meadows of his ranch home or pools of emerald one could swim in for days. He couldn’t say he wanted to live in her eyes forever. Because that wouldn’t scare her away or anything.

  Sheesh. What an idiot.

  He banged the steering wheel and ran a hand through his hair. Where was his brain? Well, he had some idea where his brain was—lost in those eyes of hers, not to mention her sassy little walk as he watched her head to her car, her flip-flops slapping on the concrete and her surfboard tucked under her toned arm. Her hair was tied up in one of those jumbled ponytails and a tattoo of the sun peeked out from under her bikini top at the base of her neck. It was a simple design with the orb of the sun surrounded by waves of small rays. It was perfect. It was her. Simple in that what you see is what you get, but surrounded by waves of spark and fire. He’d spotted it and almost dropped his surfboard. The thought of placing a soft kiss midsun practically stunned him.

  Okay, Scott, get your head in the game.

  The last thing he needed was to get into a relationship. He’d sworn off those. And he didn’t do casual when it came to women. That wasn’t his style. Women were to be treated with respect. Never taken for granted. His father taught him that in how he treated his mother. And his mother taught him, in her self-confidence and in how she
honored his father in their relationship. Close to having that himself at one point, Dane had believed in marriage. In trusting others. But not anymore. He could blame it on the job all he wanted. On seeing what people did to one another every day. But he knew it wasn’t the reason. His heart had been burned before and he would do everything in his power to not have it happen ever again.

  He’d introduce Aimee to Gladys. There was nothing wrong with a friendly visit that would make the elderly woman happy. But then he’d go back to watching Aimee from afar. Protect her as a cop, and nothing else.

  As Dane pulled into his driveway, he pushed down any feelings he might have for Aimee. The deeper tucked away they were, the better. He waited for relief to hit, but as he eyed her little green car pulling in behind him, all he felt was a burning in his gut.

  Chapter 7

  Aimee hopped out of her car. Dane’s place wasn’t unlike hers. A white duplex with blue trim, it sat cozy and quiet on a side street in Ocean Beach. Although the place she shared with Torie wasn’t a duplex, it had the same Southern California feel as Dane’s.

  Dane’s truck door slammed and he ambled towards her, the large brown bag with Gladys’s dinner in one hand, his keys in the other.

  “Home sweet home.” He looked at his place then back at her.

  “I like it. It suits you.” She smiled up at him, craning her neck to compensate for their height difference.

  “How do you know that? You haven’t even been inside yet. And I wouldn’t say you know me that well yet, either.”

  Aimee flinched. He turned on his heel and walked to his front door, leaving her to decide whether or not to follow. What happened on the drive over to change his demeanor? She racked her brain to think of anything she’d said as they ate or on the way to their cars but she couldn’t think of anything. He’d invited her here, hadn’t he?

  He unlocked his front door and invited her in with a sweep of his hand. “Please, come in.”

  Although hesitant, she crossed the threshold. With her hands dug into her shorts pockets, she moved gingerly to the side to let Dane go by her. He had to turn his body to fit through the small entryway, brushing his chest against her shoulder and sending a shock of awareness through her system. He smelled of sun, sand, and coconut sunscreen. She fought the urge to close her eyes and breathe in deep. He plopped his keys on a tiny table inside the door, the ting of metal echoing through the tiled area, exaggerating the now strange silence that hovered between them.

  Dane kept moving into the house but Aimee stood still, unsure of whether he really wanted her there or not. In her mind their afternoon had gone well, but maybe she scared him off with her talk of songs in her head and asking him to read her eyes. Perfect.

  Just as she was thinking of a good excuse to turn around and leave, Dane popped his head back around the corner.

  “Are you coming in or are you gonna stand in the doorway all night?”

  Well, okay then. “Uh, sorry. I’m coming in. Yeah. Yes. Sure. I’m on my way.”

  On my way? He was four steps away, not 100 yards. Aimee shook her head and berated herself.

  Brilliant. Fantastic response. Next time, stuttering teenager shouldn’t be on the list of options of who gets to respond.

  “You okay?” Dane asked as she came around the corner and joined him in the kitchen.

  “Yeah. Sure. Totally okay.”

  This was not getting any better. Whatever had rattled Dane now made Aimee unsure of herself, and nothing made her say stupid things more. She wanted to ask him what was wrong but thought better of it. Maybe he was just tired. Lord knows, she got cranky when she needed sleep.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with this? I mean, I know you probably have a crazy work schedule and then we surfed all day. I imagine you’d like to just give Gladys her food and then crash. I can go now and meet her some other time.” She wagged her thumb in the direction of the front door and took a step back.

  “No, no. I’m sorry. I know Gladys will be thrilled to meet you.”

  Gladys might be thrilled to meet her, but Dane sure didn’t seem too keen on her presence anymore. The thought of a bath and a steamy romance novel crossed her mind, not to mention the desire to have a good cry over thinking there was potential between her and Dane. Clearly, that was not the case.

  Better to get this over with and move on. She looked around the kitchen. “This is nice. Your place isn’t really all that different from mine.”

  “Really?” He leaned his backside against the counter and crossed his arms. Holy cow, he had amazing arms.

  Aimee blinked and looked away. Keeping her emotions in check right now was where she needed to focus. She looked around, taking in the small kitchen table, the one coffee mug in the sink, and the two Stetsons hanging side by side on a coat rack inside the door. The living room sat beyond the kitchen, a large lounge chair, loveseat, and coffee table all that graced the room. And of course, a TV the size of Texas. He was a man, after all.

  “Why do you sound so surprised?” She looked back at him again.

  Something shifted in his eyes and he looked at the ground. “No reason.”

  A photograph on top of the TV stand caught Aimee’s eye. She moved into the room to get a better look. Dane stood with an older couple, one on either side of him, clearly his parents. His dad had the same wavy hair as Dane, dark, but streaked with silver, and his eyes were brown. His mother wore a loose silver ponytail and was obviously the one Dane got his piercing blue eyes from. A handsome couple with jovial expressions and welcoming eyes. An enormous beast of a man stood to his father’s left. He was at least two inches taller than Dane, twice as thick, and wore a cowboy hat and an intense look.

  “That’s my brother, Keith.”

  Dane’s voice behind Aimee made her jump. In peering intently at the photograph, she hadn’t heard his approach.

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

  One hand to her heart, she laughed. “It’s okay.” She looked back at the photo. “He’s huge.”

  Dane smirked. “Yeah. He hears that a lot. He’s a Marine. Pretty quiet. Keeps to himself. He helps my parents with the ranch. He’s a good man.”

  Something in his tone made Aimee search his eyes, but Dane looked down, a hooded expression all he’d offer her.

  “We should probably take Gladys her food. I don’t want it to get cold.”

  “Oh. Yeah. Right. Of course.” For a moment she thought the Dane she’d spent the day with had returned, but apparently not. They were back to moving on and getting the visit over with.

  ***

  Dane gripped the bag with Gladys’s food in one hand and shoved the other in his pocket. Furious with himself, he couldn’t decide if he wanted to grab Aimee’s hand and apologize for being a complete jerk or punch a wall. Grabbing her hand was the obvious pleasant choice, but doing so would cause pain lasting a lifetime. Punching a wall would only hurt for a short while.

  Damn it. He didn’t want to hurt her at all, but either way he was screwed. Getting involved with her would only bring them both heartache. He sensed she had feelings for him too, so making sure things ended before they started was the better way to go. Hurtful, yes. But better in the long run.

  “Well, hello, Dane!” Gladys’s voice shook him from his thoughts.

  “Hey, Glad.” He leaned in and kissed her soft, wrinkled cheek. “We brought you some dinner. Fish tacos. Your favorite. With plenty of guacamole.”

  “Oh my goodness! You spoil me, and I love it!” Her grin spread wide, lighting her face from within. She looked past him and noticed Aimee, hiding behind his shoulder. “And I see you brought a friend.”

  Gladys’s eyes danced, and Dane knew what she was thinking. He gave her a quick shake of the head and stepped into her house. Gladys had wanted Dane to find the “right girl” since the day they met. He’d explained some of his past to her, but she never bought into it being the reason he kept women at bay. She told him flat out it was because he was chicken.
Man, he loved this sweet woman. Part of him knew she was right, but he’d be damned if he’d ever admit it.

  Aimee stepped into the house behind Dane.

  “Gladys, this is my friend, Aimee. Aimee, this is Gladys.”

  “It’s so nice to meet you.” Aimee stuck out her hand to shake Gladys’s but the older woman pulled her in for a hug before she could protest.

  Dane laughed and shook his head. Gladys could yank you into her tractor beam before you ever knew what hit you.

  “Oh!” Surprised, Aimee stood there at first, but then returned the embrace.

  “Please, please, come in. You know how much I love to have visitors, Dane. I’m so glad you came over.”

  Gladys’s house was the same as Dane’s. He moved into the kitchen and retrieved a plate from the cupboard. He took the tacos out of the bag and arranged them on the plate while Gladys got a glass and some water. A familiar dance for the two of them, and a comfort for Dane on many occasions.

  “What can I get you to drink, dear?” Gladys asked Aimee.

  “Oh, nothing. I’m fine.”

  Gladys gestured for Aimee to take a seat at her kitchen table. Gladys joined her and Dane set the plate before her, handing her a napkin. He took a seat as well.

  “I imagine you two ate before you came over.” She patted Dane’s hand. “Well, it’s lovely you thought of me. I appreciate it.” She placed her napkin in her lap and grabbed a taco. “Now, tell me how you two became…friends.”

  Biting into her taco, she left Dane to deal with how she put an emphasis on the word “friends” with zero subtlety whatsoever. It took everything in Dane to fight the desire to roll his eyes like a teenager whose mother embarrassed him in front of a date.

  He opened his mouth to answer, but Aimee beat him to it. “Dane’s best friend, Ben, married my sister, Tess. We were in the wedding together. That’s how we know each other.”