Trapped in Paradise (3 page)

“I don’t know about you, but I could eat several horses. Let’s take our bags with us.” Before she could respond, he picked up the heavier of her two suitcases and his suitcase, then headed for the taxi stand.

Boy can this man wear a pair of jeans.
She followed behind rolling her midsized suitcase. As if he had sensed her checking out his assets, he glanced over his shoulder and flashed a dimpled smile.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

In the taxi, Saundra scooted so far over behind the driver’s seat that one would have thought she was exiting the car on the opposite side. Nerves a skitter, she momentarily contemplated making a run for it. What in the heck was she doing accepting this stranger’s offer for lunch? And her heart—it was beating so fast, so hard, she was sure a trip to the emergency room was in her near future. Then there was her attraction to Jeremy. It was too strong, too powerful.
Inhale, exhale, release…

After ensuring their bags were placed in the trunk to his liking, Jeremy eased into the back seat with her, taking up the center of the seat. His knees touched the backs of the front seats and left leg rested gently against her right. This simple touch shouldn’t be affecting her so. She should be asking him to move further away, not wanting him to remain.

“Where to?” The driver moved his seat forward.

“What are you hungry for?”

Jeremy’s low voice broke into her internal tirade. Mind racing back to reality, she placed things into perspective. They were only two people sharing a taxi and a meal. Nothing more. Nothing less.

“We’re in Florida. How about a Cuban restaurant?” she suggested.

“Excellent choice.” He turned to the cabbie. “Please take us to the best Cuban restaurant around.”

The cabbie nodded his approval, then eased into the busy airport traffic.

A few minutes later, Saundra concentrated on the drizzle of rain outside, the traffic, the people walking about, everything except the man who sat beside her. Why he made her feel as if butterflies had taken domicile in her stomach was beyond her. Her mother’s main complaint of her had always been that she knew no strangers and would strike up a conversation with anyone. Yet that skill seemed to have escaped her when she needed it most.

“So what’s the last book you’ve read?” he asked.

A sigh of relief escaped her. Books. How could she have forgotten that she could talk books anytime, any place. And that he had asked such a question had her thinking he was much more than tall, dark, and all too fine. By the time they arrived at La Rosa Restaurant, the butterflies had been evicted, and she was on her “A” game again. 

The hostess was kind enough to keep their luggage in the manager’s office for them.

Seated at the table, Saundra looked through the menu. “Everything looks delicious.”

“Have you ever had Cuban cuisine before?”

“No, not really.”

“That makes two of us.”

“Let’s be sure to order two different meals so we can mix and match.” Realizing she was eating lunch with a man she’d just met and not a longtime friend, she became mortified. “I’m so sorry. Forget I said that. I have been out before,” she joked. “I’m sorry.”

“I was going to suggest the same thing.”

By the time their orders of cream of split pea, shrimp scampi, veal Milanese, and snapper in garlic sauce arrived at the table, their conversation had moved from books to politics. Another of her favorite subjects. And Jeremy, to her liking, was into policy—not politics. It never ceased to amaze her how many people didn’t fully comprehend the difference.

Another difference came to her mind. Nathan. Confident, intelligent, older men had always been her Achilles heel. Unlike Jeremy, Nathan’s confidence was rooted in arrogance instead of security. Thinking back, Nathan was the one who turned her against politics and onto policy. The way he regurgitated “talking points” made him sound like an infomercial.

And Jeremy was genuinely interested in her opinion, even when they disagreed. She had taken an opposing view to his on reparations, just to see his reaction. He’d said she was wrong, but respected she supported her beliefs with facts and figures and looked forward to picking her mind on other issues. Oh yeah, she could get used to having Jeremy around.

Too stuffed from the delicious lunch, they didn’t have room for desert, but neither wanted their conversation to end.

“What’s wrong?” Jeremy asked.

That voice again. Now she fully understood the saying, “music to my ears.” And she loved how he could sense her moods. At first she found it a little unnerving, but now that she knew him, she liked the connection. This was too good to be true. He was too good to be true. How could this man go from being a stranger to… to someone she could see herself falling for, was falling for. And falling quickly.

Boring. Miranda always accused Saundra of being boring, and to some extent she agreed, but this man was just as “boring” as her, yet Saundra found him fascinating. He got it. He got her and she understood him. Which scared the hell out of her.

“Saundra, what’s wrong?” he repeated softly.

She couldn’t tell him she was falling for him and didn’t know how to handle it. No. She needed more time to think this—whatever it was—through. “I used to be a waitress when I was in college and hated it when customers held the tables up. You know how it is. They work for tips.”

“I guess we should get going, then.”

“I guess so.”

After Jeremy called a taxi and retrieved their luggage, they watched the drizzling rain and waited for their rides.

“This isn’t it for us, Saundra.” He took her hand into his. And though she should pull away, she couldn’t.

“I’ll call you when I get settled in at the hotel,” she said. “Maybe we can go out tonight.”

“It’s a date. Let’s exchange cell numbers now.”

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

No way would Saundra tell Miranda about the afternoon she’d spent with Jeremy. Knowing her crazy sister, she would cook up one of her cockamamie plans, and they would all be in trouble. Jeremy was too nice of a man to subject to Miranda.

Going over lunch in her mind, she smiled. Books, books, and more books. The man loved to read and talk books as much as she did. He had even read a few of the books she’d written. But since she was a ghost writer, she didn’t tell him who the real author was. He also had his head on straight about politics. It never ceased to amaze her how cavalier Americans were about the power behind their vote. That was one lunch she wished would never end.

And such a gentleman. At the end of their afternoon, instead of sharing a taxi, he placed her in a taxi and paid her fair, then said he would wait for a second taxi. She had insisted he was going overboard, but he wanted her to feel secure. Jeremy a stalker? Humph, if anything, she wanted to stalk him! After such a hiatus from men, it just didn’t seem fair for God to put a man like Jeremy just out of her reach. Out of her reach because he was too good to be true. Just like Nathan had been.

As Miranda had said, she was older and wiser now, and she didn’t intend to fall into the same trap.
All that glitters isn’t gold.
So instead of calling him, as she had promised, she slipped into a sweat suit, grabbed the second romance novel Miranda had given her, and headed for the hotel lobby to sit in one of their big cushy armchairs to relax. Romance books turned out to be enjoyable fast reads.

Three chapters in, she found herself comparing the novel’s hero to Nathan and Jeremy. Early in her relationship with Nathan, she would say he gave the novel hero a run for his money, but after they married, he fell short. Way short. And now there was Jeremy.

The fictional hero was quite nice, but the real thing was so much better. Jeremy’s smile, his laugh, his easy way of speaking kept her mind whirling. What if she were wrong about contacting him? Could she be passing up on what she wanted out of fear of repeating history? Should she call and let whatever happens happen? Was she ready to step out there and give love a chance?

Eyes closed, she held the romance novel close to her heart and made a hard admission. Though she didn’t want to be like the heroines in the novels, she could see herself falling for Jeremy… had all ready fallen for him.
No. Love at first sight doesn’t exist in real life.
She had thought she had fallen “in love” with Nathan, but looking back, that had been infatuation. Always attracted to older men, when he had returned her attentions, she’d fallen head over heels. Next thing she knew, she was married and he was moving her away from her family and everything she knew.

Thoughts of what Nathan had put her through resurfaced with the pain and tried to drown her. She couldn’t go back. Wouldn’t go back. She would never allow anyone to trap her again. Never.

“Saundra?”

Stuck in the past, she gripped the novel tighter.

“It’s all right, baby.”

Jeremy’s soft voice brought her back to the present. She opened her eyes and saw him stooped before her.

“Jeremy? I mean, Jeremy, what are you doing here?”

The concern in his eyes was the only answer she received. He sat on the heavy oak coffee table behind him and continued to watch her.

Uneasy under his gaze, she fidgeted in her seat. “You’re making me nervous. Say something.”

Elbows rested on his knees, he leaned forward and continued watching her, worry written all over his face.

“I don’t usually trip out in hotel lobbies,” she teased. “Umm, what are you doing here anyway?”

 “I guess we have the same hotel.”

“Amazing.” She strummed her fingernails on the book.

“I know we just met, but… but something happened between us today. I believe that
something
has scared the hell out of you.”

“No, it hasn’t.”

“Then, why didn’t you call?”

Caught, all she could do was smile. “Okay, so you’re right.”

“I don’t know who hurt you, but I’m not him.” He stood and pulled her up from the chair.  “Let’s go.”

 “Where are we going?”

“I’m walking you to your room.”

Without argument, she gave him her room number and allowed him to be her escort. He was right, he wasn’t Nathan, but the lessons she had learned from her experience with Nathan overshadowed everything in her life. Alone or lonely. How many times had she told Miranda she was alone, not lonely, as if wanting companionship, wanting to love and be loved, was something to be ashamed of?

He pointed at the suite next to hers. “You’ll never guess who’s staying there.”

“Who, a movie star?”

He chuckled. “Not quite. Me. You see, fate keeps putting us together.”

Eyes and mouth wide open, she couldn’t believe her ears. “No way. That is not your room.”