We were eye to eye, as the world disappeared from us.
He turned me into a spin and pulled me back to his hard body as the music ended.
The heart inside of my chest pounded, not from the dance but from the look on Richard‟s face. Our faces were close enough I could smell that faint floral fragrance. His eyes stared deep into mine as we held each other for a moment.
Slowly his eyes traveled down to my lips, then back to my eyes again. My heart beat loudly as I could feel the fire flaming through my veins. He held me tight against his body, but did not move one inch toward me. My thoughts traveled back to the first kiss.
“The first kiss. Why did you…” I stopped.
The expression on his face changed, his face softened. He turned his head slightly to the side and exhaled. He had been holding his breath.
Turning back to me he looked deep in my eyes. “I was afraid it was the only chance I would ever have.” He paused, his attention directed toward Adrianna and Raphael who had just entered the room.
Richard loosened his hold on me as I stepped back. He glanced at his watch, then at Casey. I looked down at my watch and realized it was already three in the morning.
Casey walked over to me and put her arm around my shoulder.
“I better get you back home. It is late and you need to get some rest,” she said lightly.
I glanced back to Richard, then again to Casey. “I guess you‟re right.”
“Come on. I will walk you to the car.” He said as he slipped his arm between Casey and me.
We walked out the front door, to the car where he opened the passenger door for me. I eased into the seat and turned to see him with one arm on the car door, and the other on the hood hovering over me. He frowned slightly as he looked down at the ground then looked at me.
“I really hope you had a good time tonight,” he said softly.
I smiled. “Yes, Richard, I did. Thank you. OH! And I loved your wine,” I said smiling.
He chuckled as a smile crossed his face. “Good,” he said, then his eyes narrowed.
“Until next time.” He reached down, took my hand, and pressed it to his lips. Moving back, he closed the door and gave it a little tap.
Casey started the car and pulled off. I couldn‟t help but look in the mirror as I watched him standing in the driveway watching us drive off. It was such an odd feeling, watching the distance become greater between us. It was a feeling I couldn‟t put my finger on. Curiosity, admiration, respect, none of these words could fully express what I was feeling. Richard was the most charming man I had ever met, and I truly respected him.
I was surprised, as Casey remained quiet while we drove back to the house.
Though at this moment, I was glad she did. I was tired. When we made it back, it was all I could do to walk up the stairs and crawl into my bed. Within seconds, I was out and in a dream world. Sleeping softly as the day‟s memories flooded my dreams.
Devastation is a word that I am very familiar with when it comes to delicate matters of the heart. When a heart is shattered into a billion tiny pieces, it‟s a wonder it can ever be repaired. We search for answers to our brokenness, looking for a way to cope with our devastation. The heart is the toughest organ in the body, and the hardest to burn. It‟s not a wonder that the pain we endure is even so much greater when it comes to deep emotions. This is pretty much what I had been feeling because of my separation with Daniel, totally devastated.
I lay on my back as I realized it was daylight. Slowly, I turned to the alarm clock, it was already twelve thirty. Memories of yesterday and last night came back to me as my mind awoke to reality. At least, I thought, I was out of my fog thanks to Casey. Today was Thursday, the last day, Day Three. Daniel would be home today. Excitement overflowed my soul and heart, which caused me to look forward to the day at hand.
An hour later, and I was ready to meet the challenges of the day. Casey was nowhere to be found. I wasn‟t sure if she was back home or out for a few hours. Last night, I remembered her coming inside the house with me.
The smell of coffee lured me into the kitchen, like a moth to a flame. Casey had made a fresh pot of coffee for me and left me a note:
Hey sleepy head! Coffee’s fresh just for you. I knew you needed the sleep.
I had to go and find lunch. It was that or you really were beginning to look a
little tempting. Shouldn’t be long!
Luv- ya!
C.
The girl is a nutty vampire, I thought, setting the note down and laughing to myself. I love her no matter how nutty she is. Laughing again, I almost forgot her new needs. The thought of her being a vampire seemed unimportant anymore. I realized as I was with the group of them last night, I barely noticed they were vampires. Well, with the exception of the Bloody Mary thing.
With my coffee cup securely in my hand, I headed to the office. It was time to see what needed to be taken care of in the real world. I sorted through all the mail Casey had piled on my desk. There appeared to be a list of things I needed to do now. Transfer funds, pay bills, check wire transfers and review financial statements. Not to mention balance the checking accounts. Maybe this was the reason my father had a personal assistant. Maybe I should consider the option for the future.
Deep into reconciling the bank statements, the doorbell rang. I cursed under my breath and saved the information. Walking through the living room, I noticed a man dressed in a delivery uniform. Opening the door to him, he smiled and looked at his clipboard.
“Julie Knight?”
“Yes?” I said looking past him to a small brown delivery van.
“I have a delivery for you, if you would please sign here.”
I took the clipboard and signed my name at the bottom of the page. Curiously, I watched him walk around the van and return with a large crystal vase full of white roses.
“Here you go, ma‟am. They were special ordered; it took us a little while to collect them, sorry if they are late. Enjoy them and have a great day.”
The smell of the flowers was incredibly fragrant. I had never smelled a white rose that smelled so sweet. Walking into the living room, I searched for a card. I set the vase on the center of the coffee table. There had to be at least two dozen roses in this vase.
Finally, I found the card and opened it.
I was walking through a rose garden and thought of you. There was a
white rose, so breathtakingly beautiful, so pure, yet so fragrant. Its name is
called Peace. I hope it brings you as much peace as you have brought to my
life. I look forward to seeing your beautiful smile again.
Richard
A smile immediately crossed my face, followed by those warm feelings I had last night. They were the loveliest flowers I had ever seen. Charlotte‟s rose garden was beautiful, and she had the Peace rose in her collection. These were very different, probably because they were a gift, and what a beautiful gift it was. I exhaled as my fingers touched the soft petals. They were so velvety soft; I couldn‟t resist the temptation from leaning over and smelling them again. Closing my eyes, I allowed the fragrance to fill me.
The door to the patio door opened breaking me from my moment of bliss. I turned to see Casey walk through with her shirt torn and ragged. A frown crossed my face as I watched her close the door behind her.
“Hey!” she said as if nothing was wrong. “Ooh, who sent those?”
“Richard. Casey, what happened to you?”
“Oh. I might need a new shirt,” she said casually looking at the flowers, again. “My, um, lunch decided to attack back.”
I stared at her in disbelief as if it was no big deal to her. The memory of the story Richard had told me about Casey‟s little hunting problem flashed through my mind.
“What on earth were you having, that attacked you like that? A grizzly bear? Where was Nathaniel?”
“He was with me. It really wasn„t all that bad,” she replied, taking the card out of my hand to read it.
I grabbed the card out of her hand and pointed to the stairs. “You know where they are.”
She smiled as she headed up the stairs. “Richard, huh?”
“Okay, please don‟t start.” I begged as I heard the all too familiar “hee-hee-hee.”
I took the card with me as I went back into the office to finish the bank statement. A few moments later, Casey strolled in and sat down in front of the desk.
“Have you called to thank him yet?” she asked leaning back in the chair crossing her legs.
“I don‟t have his number, and there isn‟t one on the card,” I said as I continued looking at the computer. “Besides, I don‟t want to encourage him. Daniel is going to be home today.”
“Hey babe, is Richard around?”
My mouth flew open as I saw her holding her cell phone next to her ear. It was already too late to protest.
“Hey Richard, hold on, someone wants to talk to you.” She said and handed me the phone.
“I am going to kill you.” I mouthed to her. She made a motion with her hands and silently mouthed back “
Bring it on
.”
“Richard.” My voice was a little shaky.
“Hello, Julie.” His voice was soft and smooth.
“I just wanted to thank you for the beautiful roses.”
“You are most certainly welcome. I am very pleased you are enjoying them.”
“Yes, I am. I love roses. Peace happens to be my favorite. How did you know?” I glared at Casey who looked away with a grin on her lips.
Richard laughed lightly. “Well, I would never divulge my source. The main point is that they have brought a smile to your face.”
A smile broadened across my face as I answered. “Yes, they did.”
“Excellent…I can actually hear your smile. Well, enjoy them and keep smiling. I will talk with you later.”
“All right,” I said as I heard the phone click. I closed the cell phone and handed it back to Casey.
“You are a dirty dog,” I sneered at her. “Whose side on you on, anyway?”
“Oh, get over yourself, Julie!” She laughed. “I‟m on your side, remember?”
For a moment, I considered her statement and my eyes narrowed as I looked at her.
“Are you playing match maker again?” I asked firmly.
“Nope.”
“Casey?”
“I swear it!” Her eyes widened as her voice rose to a tone that stung my ears. “I just know that you were in a gloomy situation. Everyone noticed it. Well, it seemed that Richard brightened it up a bit for you,” she said, bobbing her foot up and down.
The rest of the evening, I worked on taking care of business matters. I managed to convince Casey I would be safe long enough for her to go and spend some time with Nathaniel. She hesitated, but agreed that she missed him and promised she would return later on in the night to check on me. I couldn‟t help from feeling alone after she left, but I knew it was the best for her and me. Casey had a mate now, and she needed to be spending her time with him and not protecting me. Besides, my danger must not be that serious, as I had not heard from Daniel in three days. There was still pain in my heart over our separation and I worried about him. What if something had happened to him? What if something happened to all of them? Who would call me and let me know?
Would someone even know to send me word? What were they all doing anyway? Why was it so secret?
Fear grew inside of me at all of the “what ifs“. The only thing I could do at this point was wait. I didn‟t want to over speculate.
It was already dark outside when I decided to leave the house and go into town.
Hunger had settled in, and I was in the mood for something different. I had decided Italian was a good choice, so I stopped at Antonio‟s Italian Restaurant. A table for one was not as bad I had thought. The restaurant was dimly lit, and they managed to seat me in a nice quiet area. I nestled in my chair and read over the menu quietly.
The choices were almost too many to decide, but since their lasagna had always been a favorite, I ordered it instead of the spaghetti. A few minutes later, my waitress brought out my salad and drink. I was hungry, so I couldn‟t understand why I was picking over my food. It was odd to be here by myself. My father and I would always come here at least twice a month before I left for college. Maybe this was what was bothering me.
The food was as excellent as I remembered. The waitress arrived and brought me a take home box as I slipped my credit card out of my wallet. She returned shortly with the bill for me to sign. In a hurry, I signed the receipt with a tip, and left it on the table as I exited the restaurant.
The anxiety crept back into my heart. I tried very hard to remind myself that Daniel was on his way back home. He told me it would be only three days. Well, today was the last day. He was due to come home this evening. So my excitement began to build. I couldn‟t wait to see that handsome man of mine.
Maybe I could make it home before he did. However, I was a little concerned because there was still no call from Daniel. I wondered if something was wrong. I shuddered at the thought, and climbed into my car. It might be a good idea to make it back home before he did. At least then he wouldn‟t have to know I was out having dinner by myself.
The interstate was in sight and I could make it home in time. Pressing the accelerator to the floor, I raced down the newly paved road. The cars were few on the highway, which was good for me as I continued my race home.
Suddenly without warning, my car jerked forward. I glanced down at the controls, then in the rear view mirror. It was a white truck, and it had just rammed into the back of my car. My foot hit the accelerator hard, the car in front of me slowed down, as the truck behind me rammed me again. This time he meant business as I weaved and tried not to hit the car in front of me. I slammed on the brakes and my car skidded sideways to a stop.