Authors: Brenda Jernigan
Adrian
clenched his jaw. His heart ached. Why had he let her leave? Would he ever see Danielle Kapur again?
Dani watched Adrian through the rear window of the cab until he was no bigger than a mere speck of dust. He was gone with the wind just like he had never existed. A blur of memory and nothing more.
The driver cleared his throat. "I could always take you back, lady."
Dani turned around in the seat, realizing how foolish she must appear to the driver. She met his eyes in the rearview mirror. "Thanks. But it's better this way."
"If you say so." The man shrugged. "What terminal do you need?"
She answered his question.
When Dani arrived at the airport, she found Adrian had taken care of everything for her. She was met at the counter by an agent who didn't ask for any ID, which of course she didn't have.
She moved away from the counter, walking through the small airport until she came to her gate. She had to go through a security check since she’d lost her ID. Too restless to sit, she found a water fountain and took her airsickness pill, then stood by a wall and waited.
Several people stared at her, obviously curious, but quickly averted their gaze when she looked their way.
Dani wished she could quit crying. She felt like an idiot carrying on over something that should never have happened. How could she have been so stupid as to fall in love with Adrian? Would she never find someone who would truly be hers forever?
Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, the agent announced boarding and Dani left her adventure behind her. She snapped her seatbelt, smiled to the man beside her, and practiced becoming numb inside. The trip home became a blur.
When she arrived in San Antonio, she claimed her baggage and started the trip home, thankful for now that she didn't have a car because her keys would have been lost with everything else.
The short trip home took twenty minutes. Once there, it took several minutes for Dani to locate the hidden door key buried in the plant beside her door. She slipped her key into the deadbolt and listened for the click. She was home.
Flipping on the lights, she dropped her bag by the door and gave the door a shove with her foot. She glanced around. All her familiar things were there. Instead of feeling like she was at home, though, she felt more like a visitor.
How ironic that she had felt more at home at the beach house than here.
But these feelings would pass, she tried to convince herself. She just needed to be patient.
A blinking red light caught her eye, so she crossed to the answering machine and pushed the button. "Where the hell are you?" Susan's voice demanded. "I can't believe you haven’t called me. Is something wrong, Dani?"
Dani half-smiled. She really wasn't sure anymore what was wrong or right, then the next message played. "Why haven't you returned my call?" Steven's irritated voice rang clear. "We really need to talk."
"Yes, we do," Dani mumbled as she moved to the bedroom. "But first, I need a hot shower."
She must have set a Guinness Book of World Records for hot showers, but the water felt wonderful as it helped wash her aches and pains away. It wouldn’t solve her problems, but it helped. It also took away the last scent of Adrian.
When the water turned cold, Dani realized she couldn't remain in the shower forever. Thanks to the hot water and a good cry she did feel a little better when she stepped out.
She buffed her skin dry then wrapped her hair in a towel. She'd dry her hair later when she felt like it. Right now she wanted something to eat. Then she'd call Susan.
Steven could wait.
Dani had eaten half her soup, when the phone rang. She eyed the receiver: Steven or Susan, which one?
"Where have you been?" Susan all but shouted. Dani held the phone away from her ear.
"At the beach," Dani answered with a smile, deciding to tease her friend a bit. "I told you where I was going."
"But the hurricane. And then Steven showed up two days ago and said he hadn't seen you."
"I don't guess he did. He stood me up--again."
"So, I repeat –”, Susan took a deep breath. “--what were you doing? I've been worried sick!"
"I know. I think you'd better come over so I can tell you everything."
"The kids are at school. Let me finish what I'm doing and I'll be there in ten minutes."
"Don't break your neck." Dani smiled. Susan only lived next door. "I'll be here."
Dani reached for her soup again. She really should call work, considering she hadn't bothered to show up, but she didn't want to talk to them now.
Besides, Steven might be at the office, and she wasn't up to seeing him yet.
In less than ten minutes the doorbell rang. Dani slipped the dishes in the sink and dried her hands before answering the door.
Susan hugged her. "Thank goodness you're safe!" She took Dani's hand and pulled her over to the couch. "Come, sit down. I want to hear everything from the beginning. I knew Steven would stand you up, that jerk! I don't see what you see in him.
Okay, I'm ready. Where have you been?"
Dani gave Susan a faint smile. "I'm not really sure I believe what I'm going to tell you.” Dani took a deep breath. “But here goes. My plane was delayed, so by the time I got to the cottage it was very late."
"Had you heard anything at all about the hurricane?"
"No. That came the next day."
"So what did you do when Steven wasn't there?"
"I'm getting to that,” Dani said, placing her hand over Susan’s to calm her. “I just want you to remember that I had taken several air sickness pills, and I had one too many rum and cokes."
"My God, you were drunk!"
"And lost, to say the least." Dani proceeded to tell her friend about the whole weekend, leaving nothing out. Every now and then she was stopped with Susan's "Ooooo" and "Ahhhhs" and "you're kidding," but finally Danielle, feeling very exhausted, finished her story.
"That's the most romantic and bizarre thing I've ever heard!" Susan exclaimed, falling back on the couch exhausted. "No wonder you look like hell. When are you going to see him again?"
"I'm not."
Susan snapped back up. "But how can you let someone that scrumptious walk out of your life?"
"He's not the marrying kind. He told me that up front,” Dani said, trying to shrug. “He said he'd tried it and didn't like marriage. Besides, I have no address or any way to get in touch with him. It's almost as though he never existed."
"That's such a shame. I'd like to have met tall, dark, and handsome. He sounds like a good Prince Charming to me."
"Well, it's over now. I need to talk to Steven."
"What are you going to say to Peter Pan?"
"I wish you'd quit calling him that." Dani shook her head at Susan. "He does have some good qualities."
"None that I've seen,” Susan said with a snort. “Do be careful, Dani. Make sure that he has changed and he has your best interest at heart. After all, you deserve the best." Susan got to her feet and started for the door. "What are you going to say to him?"
"I'm not sure. I'll just wait and see what happens."
Adrian knew it was time to go home. He'd done everything he could do here. He had spoken with the insurance adjusters and lined up several contractors to give him estimates, but he wanted to look at the house one more time. And he knew the reason why.
Moving through the house, he checked to see if there was anything he needed to take back to New York. As his gaze roamed around the living room, he pictured Dani sitting across from him playing Monopoly, her golden hair falling over her shoulders as she shook the dice in her hand.
This last day had seemed so empty without her and he really couldn't remember another time he'd missed another woman so much. And those were women he'd known for a long time, not several days.
He sighed then walked across the living room and through one of the workable doors and onto the back deck that had luckily survived the storm. He wanted to see the ocean one more time.
Mother Nature had shown them all her fury, but he loved her just the same. As Adrian stared at the surf one last time, something gold caught his eye on the beach just below the house.
He jogged down the stairs to a huge clump of pampas grass by the steps. Carefully reaching into the massive plant so he wouldn't cut himself on the razor-sharp blades, he grasped the gold object and jerked it out.
"A purse." He shook off the sand, unzipped the bag and plucked out a wallet. He went back to the stairs and sat down and opened the billfold. A Texas driver's license was the first thing that met his eyes, then a picture of a smiling blonde. His heart twisted.
"Damn. Even her driver's license is a good picture." He looked at the address: 123 River Road, San Antonio. Well, he could at least mail her purse to her and save her a lot of trouble canceling credit cards. Surprisingly enough, the contents of her purse were damp, though still in good shape.
Flipping through her pictures, he saw a picture of two little girls with a woman and a picture of her parents. The last picture was of Dani standing with a man, his arm casually draped across her shoulder.
"Steven," Adrian said. He examined the photo for a long time. He didn't like the way the man looked. The jerk wasn't Dani's type. If Steven loved her, he would have pulled her close to him instead of standing looking as if he couldn't wait for the picture to be over with.
The longer Adrian stared at the picture the madder he grew. He needed to have a few words with that son of a bitch and there was only one way to do it.
C
hapter Eight
Dani tossed back her pink comforter and slipped out of bed. Wasting little time, she moved to the kitchen to get her first cup of caffeine. It would take several cups to get her moving this morning.
As she sighed, her thoughts wandered back to the time Adrian had fixed breakfast for her. She could get used to the sight of him cooking for her every morning. Had that only been a few days ago?
Last night had been one long tumbling session as sleep had eluded her. This morning, her bed looked like she'd fought World War III, and her body most certainly felt like it. After everything she'd been through, Dani had expected to sleep like the dead. Since that hadn't been the case, she hoped tonight would be a different story.
It was time to face the real world and forget about the fantasy of the last four days.
Normally, she'd be chomping at the bit to get back to her job after having been away. However, working for Steven's father meant she'd have to face her problems that much sooner.
And to say she was confused would be putting it mildly. Up until a few days ago, marrying Steven had been the only thing she'd ever wanted. Now she wasn't so sure. What possible excuse could he have had for standing her up? Would she ever be able to count on him?
She didn’t think so.
Dani opened the closet and scanned her wardrobe. The radio had forecast the high to be seventy-five degrees today, so she'd stay away from her fall clothes and stick to a cooler dress. She picked out a sunrise-orange, sundress hoping that the brighter color would make her feel cheerful. She finished brushing her hair and added a touch of spray. Finally, when she could find no more excuses to delay, she left for work.
This morning she decided to walk to work, so she took The River Walk, one level below the busy streets of San Antonio, twisting and turning though the colorful tourist area. It always reminded her of another world, with its cobblestone walkways and lush green foliage.
She looked ahead and smiled as she spotted one of the sightseeing barges meandering up the river under the graceful cottonwood trees. The tour boats were just getting started, and her favorite guide, Lopez, raised his hand in a wave when he saw her.
"How's the fair and beautiful Danielle this morning?" Lopez called as he glided his boat along the river.
"Not bad."
"Then why the sad face? Come take a ride with me, Senorita." He grinned. "And we'll forget about today. We'll forget about tomorrow, too."
"Don't tempt me, Lopez." Dani laughed. "Somebody has to pay the bills." Now she remembered why she had a routine--to pay the bills. "Gotta get back to the real world. Have a good day."
"You break my heart again," Lopez called after her, placing hi
s hand over his chest as though he’d been wounded.
Dani laughed. The flirting wordplay had been enough to brighten her spirits. She hurried down along the shopping area and past the brick convention center to where her office was located.
In front of the glass door marked Coffee Advertising, she took a deep breath before tugging the door open.
It was time to see Steven
.
Kim, the receptionist, looked up and smiled. "We were beginning to worry about you."