Текст книги "Until You"

Автор книги: Jeannie Moon

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Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 22 страниц)

She hadn’t come up here very much since Richard had climbed the same stairs, told her he had someone else, and left her. She wrote on her laptop instead, avoiding the memories of this place, but that was going to change. Looking at the bag hanging from her shoulder, Kate decided she was done. Done mourning, done feeling sorry for herself. No more escaping. Reclaiming this room was the smallest of gestures, but it was important nonetheless. Her life had become a series of turning points. Some were big, some were small. This was a small one. Stepping toward her desk, Kate put down the bag and turned on her computer.

She felt like writing.

Chapter 3

‡

Piccolo’s Italian Café had been housed for the last fifteen years in a pretty house in historic Ardmore. The owners, Albie LoScala, and his partner and chef, Vinnie Abruzzo, had never bothered to get a liquor license, so patrons who brought their own wine were given a corkscrew and glasses to go along with the best Italian food anywhere in or out of Philly. Kate loved the restaurant, but hadn’t been there in over a year, since well before Richard left. She’d heard from friends that he and Marie went from time to time; she couldn’t imagine it being a very pleasant experience for them since Albie and Vinnie never liked her ex-husband. Ever.

Cars were scattered around the street, but being it was late, the town was quiet. After finding a parking spot a few doors away, Kate thought it was ironic David picked this restaurant. It was possible, over the years, they were here at the same time, having dinner, and never taking notice of each other.

She checked her makeup and reapplied her lipstick, looking carefully at her reflection in the visor mirror. Breathing out, Kate knew she should find a way to drop her age into the conversation, if only to see his reaction. Then she’d know if this was going to go anywhere, or if the whirlwind would stop.

He’d called her yesterday. Just to talk. He asked how school was going and how she was doing… specifically, David wanted to know if she had any regrets about the night they spent together. Hearing from him caught her a little off guard. God, did she want to tell him the truth—any regret she felt lasted a total of twelve seconds. After that it was lost in a wash of hot, sweaty, very satisfying memories. He made her feel so good, so wanted. Kate could never feel sorry for making love with him. She assured him she had no regrets. Hell, no. Kate had to pinch herself so she remembered it wasn’t going to last. This was a rebound. It was fun.

It was dangerous.

The alarm tweeted and she started toward the restaurant. Her heels clicked on the pavement, and when she looked down, Kate wondered if all the cleavage she was showing was too much. The sweater was tight and plunging, and not something she’d usually wear, but the whole evening was taking her out of her comfort zone.

Pausing on the restaurant’s porch for a second, Kate took a deep breath. Then another. The butterflies in her stomach now felt more like bats; she figured she’d better walk in before she lost her nerve. The door squeaked when she pulled it open and Albie looked up. The butterflies, the bats, everything faded when she saw the smile on her old friend’s face.

“I’m back,” she said quietly.

He came from around the maître’d’s podium and pulled her into a hug that crushed the wind out of her. Then he stepped back, looked at her face, and hugged her again. “I am so happy to see you!” he finally said. “We’ve missed you terribly!”

“I’ve missed you, too.”

“Your louse of an ex has been in with the crazy one. I had to stop Vinnie from spitting into their dinners, although the last time I was tempted to let him.”

Kate chuckled. She was amused, but she was also annoyed for letting Richard drive her away from people who cared about her. She’d known Albie for better than a dozen years. They’d had book launch parties at this restaurant, birthday dinners—every special night out had been spent here. There were also many nights she spent alone. Both men had called after the separation, but Kate, reeling from the hurt and the humiliation, pulled back from all but a few people. She regretted it now. Albie and Vinnie were like family. Family she hadn’t seen in almost a year because of Richard.

“What brings you in? A late dinner? VINNIE! Come out here!” Albie was talking a mile a minute. “He’ll want to see you. You look fantastic, by the way. Love the hair. It’s shorter? I’ll join you so you don’t have to sit alone.”

Kate smiled but she held up her hand to stop the stream of words. “No, it’s fine.” She paused, focusing on each breath. “I’m meeting someone.”

Albie stopped dead in his tracks. “What?” His eyes went wide and hopeful, but then a shadow crossed over them, right before another booming voice joined the conversation.

“Oh, my God! Where have you been?” Vinnie rushed forward and pulled Kate into a hug. “Crap, you look amazing. I wish the shithead was here so he could see how amazing you look. Too bad you don’t have a date.”

Albie folded his arms and stared at Kate, waiting for her to come clean. Vinnie picked up on the vibe right away and raised an eyebrow. Perfect. They were going to want details.

The giggle escaped before Kate actually said anything. “I… ah… I do have a date.”

“Okay,” Albie said. “Spill. Because the only person in the dining room, who’s alone, is one of my other regulars, and he’s meeting someone.”

“Who?” Vinnie asked.

“Fellas, are you trying to hijack my date?”

All three turned toward the voice, and when she laid eyes on David, Kate’s heart flipped around in her chest. He stood, hip shot into the doorframe, hands stuffed in his pockets, looking so gorgeous she tingled from head to toe. Then, he met her eyes and smiled, and she melted from the inside out. Yup. She was done.

Albie leaned in, whispering in her ear. “You’re blushing.”

“I know. It’s sad.” Kate actually loved the nerves. She loved the flutter she felt when David was close.

“It’s about time.”

He settled his hand between her shoulder blades and gave her a nudge—a push towards the change David represented. Kate didn’t have any delusions about David, at least she didn’t think she did, but he was a step forward… a risk.

David reached out a hand; it was large, rough, and warm, and as his fingers curled around hers, he leaned in to plant a gentle kiss on her cheek. It was just a brush, the faintest of contact, and her knees nearly buckled as his clean scent surrounded her. Had this ever happened with Richard? Even when they were first together, when Kate believed she was so in love with him—did he ever make her feel this much? Was she ever this aware of him? She didn’t think so.

Vaguely conscious they’d passed into the dining room, Kate felt suspended in the moment. Everything stopped, and all that was left was awareness—awareness of her own heart beating, of the blood racing in her head, of the heat churning from the center on out.

The room was practically empty, understandable since it was after nine on a weeknight. There were two other couples and a table of men who looked like they’d had a business dinner. An aria from La Traviata played in the background. It was beautiful and romantic. The table was tucked into a corner near the fireplace, and once she settled into the large wing chair, and David was safely on the other side, Kate allowed herself to breathe.

Albie brought over a basket of fresh bread and leaned toward David. “Your taste has improved.”

“I’m trying to take your advice,” David responded.

Albie gave him advice?

“So, an appetizer to start? We have a fabulous special—squash blossoms stuffed with an herbed mixture of goat cheese and ricotta, and then fried.”

“Mmmm, that sounds good.” Kate was eager to try, but David didn’t look convinced. “Doesn’t it?” she asked.

“It’s a stuffed flower.”

“A fried, stuffed flower,” Albie said. “That should appeal to your inner Neanderthal.”

“Hey!” David feigned offense and Kate hid her smile behind the menu. The banter between him and Albie was such fun. She composed herself, finally, to come to his defense.

“I don’t think he’s a Neanderthal,” she whispered to Albie.

Albie rolled his eyes. “Oh, honey, of course he is. It’s not a bad thing, but he totally is.”

With a wink and a smile, Albie left to put in the order.

“I guess I’m trying the stuffed flower.”

“I guess you are, but you didn’t put up much of a fight.”

“Not worth it, and it is fried.”

She giggled again, loving how things were so easy between them—how was this possible? “I can’t believe you invited me here.”

“It’s a strange coincidence, but it’s a good thing to have in common.”

Nodding, Kate focused on her twisting fingers, then looked into David’s warm eyes. His smile was sweet, gentle, but she knew, after watching him in his previous night’s game, he was anything but gentle. Kate wondered if she could handle being with someone so physical.

“Red or white?”

“What?”

“Wine? Would you like red or white?”

Thank God. She could use some wine. Actually she could use lots of wine. “Hmm. What are you having?”

“The red. It’s a good Chianti. Want to try it?”

The cork was out in one smooth motion and Kate marveled at how easily he moved. Everything about David was fluid and relaxed, while she was being revisited by those bats.

“I was so glad you had time to see me.”

That shocked her. Did he think she wouldn’t meet him? Seriously? “I was surprised to get the text so soon.”

“You shouldn’t have been.”

He poured the wine and raised his glass, tapping it gently against hers. Glancing around the dining room, Kate allowed herself to get used to the surroundings again. “I love this restaurant.”

“Me too. Do you come here a lot?”

“I used to. Before the divorce. I’ve missed it.”

He nodded. “Did you grow up around here?”

“Me? No. I’m a Long Island girl. I grew up in a small town called Holly Point.”

“There are small towns on Long Island?”

She grinned, thinking the only impressions David had of her home was a slab of concrete on Hempstead Turnpike where the Islanders played, or maybe the Hamptons. “Yes. They’re not small in comparison to other places, but they dot the coast, have all the small town gossip you’d expect. Some families have lived in those towns for generations.”

“I guess I bought into the stereotype.”

“Most people do. Aren’t you going to ask about the lack of accent and big hair?”

He laughed and shook his head. “No, as long as you don’t tease me when I say things like ‘aboot’.”

“Deal.”

“What brought you to Philly?”

“My husband’s work.” She stopped and bit her lip. “Sorry. Ex-husband.” Taking a breath as she adjusted to the term, Kate continued. “I’ll move home someday, but not until Laura’s out of school.”

“Laura’s your daughter?”

Kate nodded and hoped he didn’t want to know about her. She wasn’t quite ready to share, so when he didn’t press her for more, she was relieved. The explanations could wait until later.

“How did your talk go? You said it was a book group?”

Kate took a sip of her wine and nodded. “Yup. It was fun.”

“I can’t imagine writing a whole book, let alone six. It kind of blows my mind.”

Kate let the words roll around in her brain a little. She savored them, let them sink in. He was… well… he was impressed. And interested. Another little miracle.

“What do you talk about with groups?”

“Ah, usually it’s question and answer. Sometimes I get a lot of craft questions, you know, how I write, how I get my ideas… things like that. And people always want to talk about what’s coming next. I try not to give too much away.”

David smiled. “Tease.”

“I know. But if I said too much, what would be the point of reading the next book?”

“Lots. Your story, the little things that happen to the characters. The way you describe action and the setting. There’s no way you could give all that away.”

“I guess not.” She ran her fingers up and down the stem of the wine glass and while the compliments made her a little uncomfortable, she loved that he appreciated her work. Loved it. “How did the rest of the road trip go? I saw you won last night.”

“Not bad. Some of the new guys need to learn the system, but it’ll be fine. Do you follow hockey at all?”

“No, not really.” She had a feeling she’d be following a lot more if anything came of this.

“Not into sports?”

Kate hesitated. She had the perfect response to that question, but decided some things shouldn’t be shared just yet. “I wouldn’t say that. I used to be a big hockey fan. I don’t have a lot of time to keep up.”

“We should go skating sometime.”

She could feel the grin pull across her face. “I haven’t been on skates in years.”

“You know how?”

Her eyes met his and she fell right into their dark depths. “I do.”

“Damn,” he said, leaning in. “I wanted to teach you.”

A cover of a popular love song, sung in Italian, was in the background, and Kate shifted the music from the restaurant to her imagination. She could feel the fluidity of their movements on the ice, his powerful stride, her graceful one—the contrast mirrored everything about them. And in response there was a squeeze in her core and every part of her from the waist down tingled. Great. Way to stay in control.

Albie delivered the appetizer, doing his best not to interrupt, but Kate knew he was reporting back to Vinnie. She didn’t wait and dug right into the food. If she ate, maybe she’d stop having dirty daydreams about David. As she chewed, Kate looked up to see the two men watching her and grinning stupidly.

“She’s very flushed,” Albie said to David.

“She is.” David said. “Is it too warm near the fireplace? I’ll change seats with you?” Still sporting a crooked smile, Kate wasn’t sure what to make of David’s teasing. Was he able to see how easily he’d gotten to her? Was he that tuned in already?

He and Albie were still chuckling quietly at her expense. “You know,” she said, while looking back and forth between them, “I think I hate you both, just a little.”

That did it. The two men burst out laughing and Albie headed back to the kitchen, while David took her hand and gently kissed her knuckles. “You don’t hate me—even a little. I think you like me just as much as I like you.” Another kiss, but this time he’d turned her hand over and touched his lips to her palm. “Don’t you?”

Kate’s hand went from David’s lips, to the side of his face, resting on the warm skin of his cheek. No answer was necessary, but once she steadied her shaky breath the words came out easily. “Oh, yeah.”

*

David wondered what he was going to have to do to make this thing between him and Kate work. He’d have to keep himself away from the women who made themselves readily available. Her husband had cheated on her and there was no way he would put himself in the same category as that asshole. So, even while they were feeling this out between them, he had to make sure it was known he was no longer available.

He held her hand as they walked down the street. She was amazing—funny, smart, and not impressed with him at all. She liked him, there was no doubt about that, but for the first time in a long time, David felt like a woman really wanted to know him. Kate asked him about college and his family, and the hockey talk was more about how it affected his life. She knew what it was like to be in a fishbowl and didn’t care for the superficiality that came with celebrity. David came to the realization that he didn’t like it either. This quiet dinner with her was better than any ostentatious restaurant in the city.

Her car was classy. Understated. A silver Volvo that identified her as a suburban mom. The alarm chirped and the interior lights went on, backlighting her as she leaned against the door.

“I had fun,” she said right before she bit down on her lower lip, setting off his libido like a rocket.

“Me too,” David said, stepping closer and eliminating the space between them.

He brushed a strand of hair away from her face, and bent toward her, getting a whiff of her sweet breath. He had to get close, kiss her. She was everything. At first, his lips just teased hers. His one hand continued to caress her face and the other slipped under her light coat and around her waist. The sweater she wore was soft under his hand, and her body felt warm and supple pressed into his. His lips tormented and tasted until she let out one of those little sighs that brought him to his knees. Then he just dove in, letting her take over his brain. Fighting against what she did to him was useless.

She was perfect for him. Her small frame fit against his like they were made for each other. Their scents mingled together and their mouths meshed in a hot dance. He couldn’t get enough of her—of the feel of her. He wanted to make her sigh again, for his name to be carried on that sigh.

“Oh, David,” she said.

There it was. He didn’t want this to end. He wanted her. It seemed whenever he touched her, he wanted her. Then just as quickly as it began, the moment ended.

“Kate? Kate Nicholls, is that you?”

Kate’s eyes squeezed shut. “Damn.”

She peered around the wall of his body and her eyes fixed on a pair of women who were walking right toward them.

She looked up. “Neighbors.”

He nodded, stepping out of her space, but still staying close. “Do you want me to leave?”

She shook her head and trained her eyes on the women who had finished their trek across the street. “Carla, Noreen… good to see you.”

“You too!” Carla leaned in and pecked Kate on the cheek. Noreen was too busy checking him out to acknowledge Kate.

“What brings you out?” Carla asked. Now she was checking him out.

“Dinner.” Touching his bicep, Kate said, “This is David.”

He received polite acknowledgement from both women, but what they were really doing was filing away information. He could see clearly that Kate being on a date was going to be gossiped about within the hour. Knowing what that was like, David felt bad that someone had seen them, but he was happy Kate hadn’t told him to go. The three women exchanged small talk that he was tuning out, until one of them said something really odd.

“Have you started thinking about college visits yet?”

David didn’t know who said it, but he did feel Kate’s muscles bunch under his hand. “Nothing specific, yet.”

“Don’t wait too long,” Carla said. “The whole process creeps up on you. I think the junior counselors are having a parents’ meeting next week.”

“I saw that,” Kate said.

David was doing math in his head. College Counselors? Campus visits? What the hell had he stepped into? He was relieved when the women finally left, because now he could get some answers.

When he looked down, Kate was chewing on her thumbnail, which seemed to be what she did when she was nervous about something. “Sorry about that,” she said.

“It’s fine.” David turned and leaned his shoulder into the car. “You have to take your daughter on college visits?”

Kate looked up. Her eyes wide. “Yes, later in the year.”

“How old is she?”

Kate looked off in the distance and straightened before answering. “She just turned seventeen.”

Whoa. Changing position, David moved and turned his back into the car. He took Kate’s hand and held tight, but he didn’t say anything. There were so many possibilities—how did he get the facts? Finally, he heard her draw in a breath.

“Remember in California when you said something about my birthday being a ‘crisis birthday’?”

“Yeah.”

“It was a crisis,” she whispered. “I turned forty.”

Time passed. It felt like minutes, but it was only seconds. “You’re forty.” He didn’t say it as a question. He didn’t move and didn’t utter another word. Her hand was still in his, but again, he could feel she’d tensed up.

“You’re in shock. I should have known.” Kate wiggled her fingers, trying to get out of his grip, but David didn’t release her. Shock or not, he didn’t want to let go.

“I’m just trying to get my head around this. You aren’t what I think a forty-year-old woman is going to be like.”

“I don’t know if I should be insulted by that.”

“Don’t be. It came out wrong.”

“I understand if you have a problem with it. I mean, you’re twenty-nine and I’m… well… I’m not.”

“No, you’re not.” David kept holding on, he couldn’t let her go, but he shifted position again and looked out across the town square. “Do you have a problem with it?

“The age difference?” She shrugged and there was a little flicker in her eyes. It was entirely possible she’d be the one who put a stop to the relationship. Forget the age thing, his reputation alone might send her running. “I should have said something to you sooner,” she said.

“Why didn’t you?”

“Honestly?” Looking up, her eyes looked sad, and David felt a tightness around his heart that he’d never felt before. “I never thought I’d see you again,” she said. “Considering who you are, I was shocked you asked me to dinner.”

Did she really think he wasn’t interested? Leaning in, David absorbed the sweet smell of her hair before dropping a kiss on her forehead. He liked her, probably too much for his own good, but he couldn’t help but think the years between them might be too much.

“I should let you go, I guess.” She was running. Her voice was small and he could tell she was upset. There had to be something he could say to reassure her, but his mind blanked.

“I’ll talk to you,” he said. Then, not being able to stop himself, David kissed her once more. And then again. “Night.”

“Bye.”

Kate got in her car without looking at him and he turned and went toward his. Forty? Was he supposed to be attracted to a forty-year-old woman? Usually the girls he saw hovered around twenty-three, maybe twenty-five. They were beautiful and entertaining. But they were girls. Self-centered, unremarkable, unimpressive girls.

For the first time in his dating life, David had gotten involved with a woman. And the woman was way out of his league.

*

The ride home wasn’t bad. Maybe fifteen minutes, and it gave Kate time to adjust to the fact that while marriage to Richard Nicholls could probably be termed a nightmare, being single and forty was going to suck in its own way.

There were so many things wrong with a relationship with David. Unfortunately, the fact that Kate liked him, really liked him, was getting in the way of reason. He was funny and he was so smart. That was something she never expected. He was educated and well read. He knew about politics and world affairs. He was big, athletic, gorgeous, and brilliant. What a way to blow the stereotype.

But he was too young for her… or rather, she was too old for him, and the look on his face when she told him how old she was really hurt. He did a good job hiding his discomfort, and when he said he’d talk to her, she almost called him a liar. She wouldn’t hear from him. In all honesty, she didn’t know if she wanted to. He’d never stay interested.

The bitter pill she had to swallow was that it wouldn’t just be David. She’d pretty much figured this would be her life.

Young, old—it didn’t really matter. Richard, the dirty bastard, hadn’t just cheated on her. He’d condemned Kate to the life of many women her age whose husbands had found other women. She wasn’t the type to try to find dates online, and in truth, she led a pretty solitary life. She had a few friends, and even though her family didn’t live nearby, she was close to them.

But even knowing that, she’d never felt more alone. She would face the loneliness, the pitying looks, the rejection, and Richard would have his new wife until he got tired of her and found someone else. Kate, on the other hand, would have experiences like the one tonight. Nice man, lovely evening, but nothing would come of it. Everyone kept saying forty was the new thirty. She had a feeling those people weren’t divorced and alone.

Kate swallowed hard. Bitterness wasn’t becoming, and it wasn’t something she was comfortable with, so she tamped it down as she pulled in her driveway.

After she threw the car into park, Kate stared at her house. It was beautiful, but she wondered if she should sell it and make a fresh start somewhere else.

Maybe when Laura went away to college she’d think about it.

Maybe by then she’d find the nerve.