Sex, Lies, and Beauty Aides (18 page)

“We did, he passed away a couple of years ago. Christmas hasn’t been the same since. He always managed to give us something wild, to remind us of our inner child. I think that’s what I want when I have kids.”

She liked his answer. He didn’t say if, but when.

Several carriages lined the edge of the park near old town. Families strolled down the walk as children ran from scene to scene, excitement in their exuberant squeals of delight. Sabrina pointed to a couple of kids driving their folks to distraction. Each new exhibition seemed to enchant them more than the last. A pageantry of spectacular sights and sounds created a memorable stage for the benefit of the audience.

Travis pointed to a couple of boys chasing their sister and their wild antics kept their folks on their toes.

Her sides ached from laughing so hard.

“Yeah, that’s gonna work. Yell at them to stop. Man, parents are so clueless. They should be happy their kids are having fun, making memories, because they grow up too fast,” he said.

“Color me impressed. That was very insightful for someone who doesn’t have kids.”

As she and Travis waited their turn for a ride, the chill in the air made her prance from foot to foot. She wasn’t exactly dressed for the experience.

Their carriage pulled up. A perfectly matched pair of white Arabian horses whinnied and stomped impatiently blowing out breaths of misty air.

“The horses are beautiful. So majestic and festive,” she said, admiring them.

“Do you like horses?”

“I’ve always wanted to learn to ride.”

“We’ll just have to see what we can do about that in the spring.”

“You think you’ll be around that long?” She looked away. He was too good at reading her but she really wanted to hear his response.

“I’m here for at least a year. Why do you act so surprised?” He took her by the chin and forced her to look at him.

“Just curious.” She shrugged.

“Why not ask what’s really on your mind–if I want to be here?

“With me?” she teased, looking down, embarrassed about prying.

“Of course I do. What, I’m supposed to be the first guy you dump or something?”

“I hope not, but aren’t you taking a lot for granted all things considered?”

“No. I believe in the power of positive thinking.”

“I wish I knew if you were telling me the truth and not just saying what you think I want to hear.”

“I do mean it, but it’s fun teasing you to a nice blush.”

“Are you sure you’re not lying to me?”

He looked stricken, his cheeks lost all color. “I’m not lying.”

“Good. I hope not, I hate liars.”

Travis turned away, but not before she saw something cross his face. He paid for their ride and by the time he turned to help her up the step and in the seat whatever it was had disappeared. The driver handed them a heavy throw. Travis sat next to her and tucked the blanket around them.

“Are you warm enough?” he asked.

Sabrina nodded, afraid if she spoke the magical spell would be broken.

One of the dreams on her dating-to-do list was a ride in a carriage exactly like this with a handsome man beside her. She became Cinderella on her way to the ball. Only better. This was real not some fairytale.

He pulled her deep in his arms and snuggled her close. Not an ounce of space lay between them. When he kissed her cheek she leaned against him closed her eyes and let out a breath. “I think I like your sigh.”

“You should. You’re the reason,” she said feeling momentarily blessed with all that was right in her world.

The carriage rolled forward and began its trek through the park.

“Oh how pretty. It looks like a scene out of a Dickens story.” She loved the Victorian costumes.

“Nah, I like that one, it reminds me of the snowball scene in
The Bishops Wife
.” Travis chuckled at the animated characters.

“I love that movie. It’s not Christmas without it.”

“
It’s a Wonderful life
, for me.”

“I like that one as well,” she added.

Travis pointed to the raucous children who chased one another as their parents hollered for them to come back. The children all but ignored them.

“Shades of my past. I remember when we were kids. There was this park not far from our house and my brother and I used to love to drag our folks there each December. They hated it because we’d get excited, unable to stand still. And in our family comportment and decorum is everything.”

“Was that hard on you boys?”

“It wasn’t easy. We just wanted to be kids. Our parents wanted us to be perfect.”

“Does it bother you that they had such high expectations of you?”

“I think it did in our earlier teens. We rebelled, Trent more than I, but when it’s been drilled into you since birth, it eventually becomes second nature.”

“Is that why you don’t cut loose much? I mean you’re nothing like Kat.”

Travis snorted. “Kat was a spoiled brat. She had everything she ever wanted. Loving parents who believed in her. She did whatever she wanted. Until her parents were killed in that accident. I’m not sure she’ll ever get over that. Our moms were sisters, but polar opposites. I loved my aunt and uncle.”

“I know what you mean. Some days Kat is so out of sorts. Like she can’t stand being in her own skin. Most days she manages to plug through, but I catch her staring at their picture in the living room and it’s like she’s transported and doesn’t want to return to the present. I don’t blame her. I know she feels alone, except for her Uncle Jack,” Sabrina said.

The mention of Jack set Travis off on full fledge snickers. “Uncle Jack, have you ever met him?”

“No, I haven’t had the pleasure. Why?”

“The summer my brother and I turned fourteen, Kat’s folks and ours went on a month long tour of Europe searching for our roots. It was all the rage back then. They left us with our Grandparents. Grandpa fell and broke his leg. He was in a great deal of pain and us kids were just too much for them, so Jack offered to keep us until the folks returned. God we had a ball. We swam, went to Coney Island and all over the eastern seaboard. We ended up in his beach house next to JFK and Jackie’s.”

“As in—”

“The very same.”

She couldn’t imagine rubbing elbows with them, the life of the privileged.

“Wow.”

“No biggie. Anyways, Jack taught us to play cards. Man the stories that man has. I’d loved to have been there when he broke the bank at Monte Carlo.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah, Black Jack Carmichael is a wild character.”

“So, how are you all related?”

“Jack is Kat’s dad’s kid brother, but we’ve always called him Uncle Jack. Back to my story. We had to return to boarding school before they returned from their trip. Except they had to cut their trip short because Trent got caught gambling and wiped out one of the kids monthly allowance and when he called home for more money, he blamed it on Trent, said he stole the money. When it came out that the schmuck lost it playing poker, they both got suspended for a week.”

“Poor Trent.”

“Poor Trent my ass. He got to go home for a week while I was stuck in classes.”

“Still, it was as much the other kids fault.”

“Who are you kidding? By the time we left Jack and went back to school, Trent was adept at counting cards, almost as good as Jack. After that, the only card games he got into were games of strip poker with girls who counted on losing.

“I bet.” She so didn’t want to hear that about Trent. Travis had a smile on his face one minute and a frown the as if he were torn between good memories and bad.

She enjoyed herself so much she’d forgotten her plan to seduce Travis.

Even though she knew the ultimate outcome she wanted, she had no foggy idea how to get there. She didn’t want to jump his bones as Kat crassly suggested. And she suspected Travis was all for the end result, except that he too seemed as hesitant on how to get there.

It was times like this when she wished she were more like Kat. Brave, courageous, self-confident.

It wasn’t in her. The concept of planning such a thing made put her in the same class as the other women who had tried to take advantage of him in the past. She didn’t want to be categorized like that.

The scenery flew by. After hearing his colorful stories, she was happy to just be in his arms.

If only Travis kissed her again maybe he’d take the next step all on his own. She was willing to let him lead. No problem there.

She snuggled closer. Travis pulled her deeper into his grasp. Funny, sitting here in his arms she was perfectly content, exactly where she wanted to be.

Travis kissed her temple. She leaned in to the kiss. It felt so—right.

She pulled away and studied his profile, loved his chiseled features.

He turned to look down into her eyes. He grinned, a new light came into his eyes. His lips met hers. He captured her lips in a slow, thoughtful kiss that tasted of coffee and chocolate.

She slipped her arm inside his coat. The warmth of his body enveloped her as she leaned in closer, feeling his heartbeat against her hand.

He broke the kiss and pressed his lips to the top of her head.

“I’ve wanted to do that all day,” he murmured.

His breath tickled the hair near her ear and he nipped at her neck. His mellow baritone revealed truth in his words. The soft growl that slipped from his mouth filled her heart.

“Me too, I was afraid you wouldn’t want to try.” And yet terrified he’d kiss her and she’d lose all control, but she didn’t want him to know all her fears.

“Not want you—are you nuts?”

“Probably.”

He opened his mouth to speak then shut it and looked away.

Had her words scared him as much as they did her?

He remained in thoughtful silence for the rest of the trip, which made her worry that she’d said something wrong.

When the ride ended, Travis treated them to some hot chocolate. They strolled through the park hand-in-hand to get a closer look at the scenery.

Travis drove them back to the office.

They stood beside her car and necked a bit. When she shivered, he held her tighter. She like the way his mind worked. They hadn’t exchanged a word. “Thank you for a lovely evening. The best third date I’ve ever had.”

“Me too, and that’s saying a lot. Much as I hate to break it up I still have some work in need of my attention.”

“I understand. Thank you, again.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He took her keys, opened her car, and helped her in. He kissed her again then he handed back her keys.

She started the car only to discover how disappointed she was their date was over.

He closed the door, waved, and the interior dials of the car illuminated and cast a shadow as he disappeared in his own car.

Her stomach fluttered. The steam from of her mouth came out in a puff causing her to shiver. Thank goodness for the headrest. Her fingers clutch the steering wheel. It was the best night of her life. A perfect evening, even with the few hiccups during dinner when he’d tried to explain the guys in her past. At least he’d put that part of her past at rest. If his explanation was the case, so be it.

Life was finally smiling down on her.

Not that she believed for a minute this was leading to her happily ever after, but darn close.

She wouldn’t allow herself to linger on what she’d do when Travis’ job was over. She was better off not thinking about it. For now, she’d have to be satisfied if things continued to progress in the right direction.

Dreamily, she relived the evening as she undressed, put on her nightgown, and padded to the bathroom to wash the makeup from her face. Then she dried her face and inspected her scar in the mirror. It suddenly didn’t seem so big and life-altering.