First a Dream (Dreams Come True #1) (5 page)

“Ummm...more honey brown.” Gabriel stared into space while recalling every detail. “Oh, and she giggled. It felt like the sun on my face or maybe a fire in my belly. I don’t know. It just warmed me in a way I never knew possible.”

“Short?” Dr. Pam held a hand up above her to show the height she meant.

Gabriel stood and put a hand to his chest. “About here.”

“I thought so. Okay. That’ll do it.” She chewed on her lip a moment.

“So…” He pulled his bag onto his shoulder while he waited.

“See you first class.” Then she waved her hand and shooed him out the door.

Fifteen minutes later, as he crossed campus on the way to the studio, Gabriel still felt unhinged. At the same time, he suddenly felt as though everything would work out. As soon as he finished this appointment, his weekend would begin. Tonight, he planned to try a new bar on the lake he’d heard about. He pulled open the door to and walked in.

“Hello, Mr. Charmant,” Kristofer greeted him warmly. “Please step into my office so we can select the picture for your business cards.”

Gabriel Charmant was used to making decisions. Within minutes he had selected what he believed to be his best photograph. It was a snapshot from the shoulders up showing off his business attire, but his smile helped him appear approachable. He knew instinctively his father would approve.

As he moved to exit, he saw a flash from down the hall. Though he was inexplicably drawn to the room, Kristofer steered him away. “Ah, Mr. Charmant,” he began apologetically. “Normally I would have no problem with you taking a peek, but my photographer needs her focus right now, and I think you might prove to be too much of a distraction.”

Smiling, Gabriel turned, shook Kristofer’s hand, and exited the building.
Well done,
he thought;
no wonder this studio is so successful. He turned me away with a compliment.

Chapter Five

Isabella
 

In the past Isabella would ordinarily stay in on a Friday night, but now since it was most frequently the night Jack had the kids stay over; she had managed to convince Jessie to meet at the Naked Turtle. After leaving the studio, she rushed home to get ready. She settled on a black sleeveless mock turtleneck and a pair of tan shorts. After rubbing lotion on her legs, painted her fingers and toes a shimmering wine color, which matched her lip color. She pulled her hair up into a messy twist and clipped it into place. Satisfied with what she saw in the mirror, Isabella misted on her favorite perfume. She wasn’t expecting to meet anyone. It was all about fitting in. The Turtle was a wonderfully rustic restaurant and bar experience on the lake, adjacent to the marina, which made it incredibly popular with the twenty-something and up crowd.

When she pulled into the bar’s gravelly driveway, she saw Jessie waiting for her in her vehicle. As soon as Jessie emerged from her car, they hugged and walked up to the deck. The two were seated on the patio next to some Tiki torches, overlooking the water. Jessie sipped away at a Merlot, while Isabella enjoyed a Midori Sour.

Jessie paused and commented, “Well, Isabella, you are certainly more relaxed than normal. What has you in such a good mood?” She practically had to shout above the disc jockey.

“I don’t know, Jessie.” Isabella bit her cheek, knowing Jessie would never let her get away with that response. “Must be the liquor!”

Her friend smiled, but pushed harder. “No, really,” she insisted. “Something must have happened today to put you in such a great frame of mind. Spill it.”

Isabella grinned then spoke very slowly so as to build interest. “Well, there was
one
thing.”

Setting her glass down on the table roughly, the wine sloshed against the rim. She leaned forward to listen intently her eyes sparkling with excitement. “See!  I knew it!  It was a guy wasn’t it?  Some guy asked you out!  Who is he?”

It felt like high school all over again. She threw her head back as laughter erupted from within her. “Whoa, Jess. It does have to do with a guy, but I don’t know who he is and I’ll probably never see him again.” She began to relay the story of her day, her meeting with Dr. Pam, how she ran into this handsome stranger, and then went into great detail about her hall dance. Isabella struggled to explain her feelings, and describe him, when she realized Jessie seemed more interested in something behind her. She paused and prepared to turn around, but before she could do so, a vaguely familiar thickly French accented voice spoke into her ear.

“Shall we dance, mademoiselle?”

The words were warm, tickling her ear and neck, stirring feelings she almost didn’t recognize deep within her belly. Isabella whipped around in her seat to see the handsome man who had been occupying her thoughts since their first meeting that afternoon. “It’s you,” she said breathlessly. “I never expected to see you again.” She became absorbed in his eyes, which she thought were merely deep blue only to now discover they also had flecks of green.

“It’s me.” He beamed as he reached for her hand. “Please. A dance.”

Isabella turned for Jessie’s reaction. “Go on. I was just leaving.” She reached into her purse for her keys.

Leaning low, Isabella whispered, “We just got here!”

Patting her on the back, Jessie shook her head. “I know when I’m not needed. Have fun. Text me when you’re through. Take care of you.” She winked and walked away.

Her hand shook slightly in his hand. They both looked at it. “I’m sorry. I’m nervous. I don’t do this.” She cleared her throat. “And I don’t even know your name.”

With a chuckle, he introduced himself. “I’m Gabriel. And you are?”

Her free hand shot to her chest. “Ah. I’m Isabella. Nice to meet you.”

Gabriel brushed his lips against her knuckles the same as he had done before. This time her entire body shivered and her eyes widened in surprise. She had never had such a physical reaction to anyone ever before.

“Believe me. The pleasure is all mine.” He turned slightly and tugged her toward the dance floor. “Come on.”

Isabella bit her lip and hesitated. “Actually, I’m a lousy dancer.”

“The hall?” His brows rose.

She shrugged. “A fluke?”

“Let’s see if it happens again.” He tugged harder. “I’ll take care of you, Isabella. I’ll never make a fool of you.”

Pausing only for a moment, she saw something in his eyes which made her believe him. “Okay. One dance.”

Together, they walked out onto the floor to dance. It was a slow song, or slow enough. He wrapped his arms around her. Though she had an urge to lay her head against his chest, her need to stare into his eyes, study him and memorize every bit of their time together won out.

“I have a confession,” he murmured in her ear.

Isabella stiffened slightly. “Oh?”

With a slight smile, he nodded. “I couldn’t stop thinking of you. This, finding you again, feels like destiny.”

Her head tilted. “Destiny.” Obviously, the fear was evident in her eyes.

“Meeting was destiny. What we do with it is still up to us. Breathe, Isabella.” Gabriel tilted her head and leaned down to kiss her temple. “Shall we have a drink?”

It was all she could do to nod and let him lead her back to the table. This man warmed her in so many unexpected ways.

***

Gabriel

Once they had ordered drinks, Gabriel leaned back calmly and gazed at Isabella. He felt comfortably with her, even if they were complete strangers. He watched her watching him over the rim of her glass. “What are you thinking?” He moved his chair closer to hers and waited for a response.

“For starters…” She cleared her throat. “What brings you here?  Why did we even cross paths?”

“Simple. I had to meet with my professor.” Gabriel took her hand in his and began examining her delicate hands.

“Your professor?”

“Yes, Dr. Pam. I had to get special permission to take her class, since it was closed out. I really needed it for my degree program.” Though he despised talking about himself, he discovered he wanted to share everything with her. “I normally attend McGill, in Montreal, but I had to take a few classes here that weren’t being offered back home to graduate on time.” Meeting her eyes, he decided it was time to learn more about this woman who had piqued his interest. “What about you?  Why were you there?”

Isabella giggled. It made him smile even wider. “Dr. Pam. She’s working with me on my master’s project in photography.” She shrugged. “Just when I thought we’d have nothing in common. There’s that.” Her eyes sparkled and he wanted to get lost in them.

“I’m sure we have many things in common. We have all the time in the world to find out.” Smiling at her, he asked, “Have I seen any of your work?”

“Maybe. Apparently my photos were used in the catalog.” She shrugged it off, but her cheeks turned pink.

Slowly he leaned forward. “Wait. Those pictures are yours?  You’re Isabella Parker?” He shook his head in disbelief. “We’ve already spoken on the phone. I helped you schedule the gallery show with Jean Paul.”

Staring at him, her mouth formed a surprised ‘o’. “I don’t know what to say.”

“There is a Yiddish word. It’s bigger than destiny or fate. The word is
beshert.”
He brought her hand up to his lips once more. “It means...meant to be.” He stared at her hand, and ran his thumb over the base of her ring finger. It was too much. What were the chances?  There was no other explanation. His mother taught him the word long ago. She had used it in a different context.

“Why can’t you and father be together?” He had asked her many times. Finally, she made him understand the only way she knew how.

“We weren’t beshert.” She frowned. “We were all heat and passion, a flame which burned out too soon. Beshert, meant to be, that’s something different altogether.” Her eyes had gazed off into the distance as she spoke. “There’s nothing more powerful than finding the one who’s meant to be. It will change you. Over time, when you question the unbelievable pull between you, you’ll see how life conspired to bring you together. There was no way to avoid it. Beshert. Meant to be.”

Gabriel soon realized he wanted her closer. The only way he saw it happening was with more dancing. A slow song began to play. Without uttering a word, he tugged her hand and gestured toward the floor. This time, he was pleased to note she didn’t even hesitate. Still, he was troubled. Why had he said those things?  All the time in the world. Meant to be. He closed his eyes as she leaned her head on his chest. Twelve weeks. He was only here for twelve weeks. He’d never dated anyone more than two weeks. Surely, this would be more than enough time to discover they were all heat and passion. He swallowed hard.

As the clock neared midnight, Gabriel realized he really didn’t want their time together to end. He chalked it up to the glorious getting to know you phase. “I caught you looking.” He teased as she looked up guiltily from her phone.

“I hate to say it, but it’s getting late and my mornings start early.” She frowned as she explained. 

“I understand. It has been a long week. Let me pay and I’ll walk you out.” He motioned for the waitress who arrived seconds later with the check.

“You don’t have to do that.” She started to reach for her purse.

Gabriel’s brow furrowed. “I’m not sure what you’re accustomed to, but I never let women pay. It’s about respect.” Then he pulled out his platinum card.

“I’m going powder my nose, if you don’t mind.” Isabella smiled shyly.

“Your nose is perfect.” Gabriel winked. Seeing how her cheeks turned pink, he stood, pulled out her seat, and murmured in her ear. “I’ll be right here.”

Slowly, she stood and walked to the bathroom. As she moved, he memorized the sway of her hips, the way her tan thighs flexed with each step, and how her hair bounced around her face. To him, she seemed perfect. A few minutes later, she returned with a slight smile on her face. “Ready?” She stood beside his chair and held out a hand.

Reaching out, he took it and laced his fingers in hers. Together, they walked across the deck, down the stairs, and across the gravel parking lot to her vehicle. It was an older minivan. She must have caught him frowning at it.

“It’s paid for.” She laughed.

“Sorry. I didn’t expect a minivan. You seemed more like something sleek and sporty.” He reached up and ran a hand through her hair.

“Eh. We barely know each other, but it was nice meeting you. Thank you for a lovely night.” Isabella smiled.

“May I call you?” The question seemed reasonable enough.

She leaned back against the minivan. For a moment she bit her cheek, then suddenly responded. “Um...no.” She must have noticed the disappointment in his eyes and felt compelled to explain. “You see,” she said uncertainly, “I’m working on a divorce right now. I married a man who was incredibly charming, just like you. I’m still healing from the wounds he left.” Isabella paused for a moment. She stood with her head tilted to the side, studying him. “How about I get to know you better first?  You could earn my phone number.” Then she closed her eyes as if she couldn’t believe what she’d said.

He pondered the offer for a moment. “In Montreal, girls are shoving their phone numbers in my pockets,” he mused. “Here, I run into a woman, a beautiful, intelligent woman who makes me work for hers.” He reached out to her, gently taking both of her hands into his. “It has been a pleasure to meet you, Isabella. I think you will be very worth it. When can we meet again?”

Pasting a smile on his face, Gabriel watched while Isabella drove away. How had this happened?  He always attained what he desired. Right now, he clearly desired Isabella. What was it about her?  She didn’t have money. She wasn’t model beautiful like the rest of the women he knew. Okay, her hair was a very enchanting brown with golden highlights, and her mouth was small and full, utterly kissable, and he could probably have gotten lost in her dark brown eyes framed with full curled lashes without a moment’s hesitation if he allowed. He sighed. She didn’t have the perfect body, although she was…voluptuous. That was the right word. She carried a chest that seemed almost too large for her frame, a waist he could probably encircle with his hands. Her hips spoke to him in their alluring sway. He shook his head to clear the memory. And her ass just did not belong on a white woman, so round and utterly appealing.

Gabriel sighed. Now she had lured him into some game. No, that wasn’t right. She was too honest, too honorable for that. He was the one playing the game. He was unbeaten in the realm of women. He was a conqueror. This was proving to have all the makings of a phenomenal summer. He smiled as he drove to his new apartment.

***

Isabella

A door slammed and the sound of excited voices entered the converted barn Isabella called home. Heavy feet stomped up the stairs. Isabella glanced at the clock. Ouch, 8:30.

“I have to be at the store by 9. You knew this, right?” Jack sounded irritable. The kids must have balked at going to bed and awakened him early. Isabella smirked as she imagined how his night must’ve played out. “Why aren’t you up?”