Chapter Eleven

Stephanie sipped her tea and glanced out the wide French doors that led to her deck.  It was still raining.  It had been raining all week and there was no end in sight.  She sighed. She had actually been looking forward to today.  Her week had been busy with work and she had gone to dinner with Darcy the other night.  She was starting to feel like she was finally get back into the swing of things.  She wasn’t just floating through her days waiting for them to be over so she could crawl back into her bed and try to lose herself in sleep. She was actually finding things to do and having a good time doing them.

And now, today, the day she had been most looking forward to all week, was a washout.  He wouldn’t come over in the rain.  Standing, she put her mug in the dishwasher and caught the mess of her office as she straightened.  “Might as well put that room in order finally” she told herself as she crossed to the room.  Flipping on the light she docked her iPod and hit play.  Her favorite Jersey Boys sang to her as she reached for the first of too many boxes.

The wave hit her as the first flap unfolded.  All the things he had used to make their home office his were in this first box.  His Rocky action figures, his superman figures, his model cars.   She sucked in a tremulous breath.  She was going to do this without crying damn it.  Pulling each item out, she set them on the desk.  She hadn’t been able to part with the action figures.  

Rocky had been his favorite movie.  Hell, she used to kid Mark about his “Rocky Radar” all the time.  He could find any one of those movies on any given day on whatever channel it might be playing on.  It was a little eerie truth be told.  Picking each one up in turn, she set them on the antique curio in the corner.  Her Jon and Richie figures already had their shelf. Now Rocky Balboa and Clubber Lange had theirs.  Superman would be packed away for now.  The model firebird however, that would have to go somewhere.  She looked around the room before making her choice.  She set the black firebird in one of the cubby holes of the desk.

Sitting back in her chair she glanced down at the desk.  Her blackberry was showing she had a text message.  “Hmmm.  Must not have heard it over the music.”  Picking up the phone she smiled slightly.  It was from Richie.

[12:01 PM]  Hey darlin’ R U home?

She glanced at her watch, he had just sent it.

[12:04 PM]  Yes.  Why?

Standing on her front porch Richie sighed in relief.  He hadn’t been sure she’d be home when he got here.  Her car wasn’t in the driveway and her garage door had no windows for him to look in to see if it was there.  He hadn’t gotten an answer when he knocked on the door either.

[12:05]  Can you let me in?  I’m at UR front door.

Stephanie jumped up and hurried to the door.  “Oh my God, you’re getting all wet, come in, come in.”  She closed the door behind him and he toed off his shoes.  “Did you knock or ring the bell?  I didn’t hear anything.”

He nodded.  “I did both.”

She frowned.  “I must have had the music too loud.”  She studied him for a moment.  “I didn’t think I’d see you today.”

He unzipped his jacket.  “Why’s that?  I told you I’d come by.”

She took his coat and hung it in the closet.  “I know, but it’s raining and I’m not washing my car today.”

He followed her down the hall and into the kitchen.  She had dressed for staying indoors today. Her black pants looked like she might wear them for working out and her hoodie looked awful cozy, like he could just pull her in and cuddle her close.  He reached for her hand, grasping just the tips of her fingers before she could go any further.  “I still wanted to see you.”

Her gaze traveled from their tangled fingers up his arm to his face.  His golden brown eyes were darker at the edges and trained on her.  “Oh.”  She still couldn’t believe that this man wanted to have some sort of relationship with her.  Her eyes slid back to their fingers.  She opened her mouth to say something and just then a crash of thunder shook the house and the lights flickered.  She jumped and Richie wrapped his arms around her.

“It’s all right” he soothed and held her close, tucking her head under his chin.  She fit so well right there.  Turning his head he rested his cheek against her hair and as he breathed her scent tickled his senses.  She smelled different again today.  Berries and Vanilla.  That was just one more reason he wanted to come back.  Heather had worn the same perfume the entire time they had been together.  Denise had too.  So did Nikki.  This woman was a mystery.  He never knew what she would smell like and that made him want to come back again and again.  It was a little unnerving just how much he had wanted to see her again.

He felt her tremble against him as the thunder continued to rumble outside.  He ran his hands lightly up and down her back.  It had been a long time since he’d had to ‘save’ someone from a storm.  Ava had gotten over her fear of thunder storms a long time ago.  She barely needed him for anything these days, except his wallet and his car so he could drive her here, there and everywhere.  It was nice to be needed. 

Turning her head she rested her cheek against his chest.  It was warm and solid under her cheek and she could hear the steady beat of his heart.  And damn, he smelled good, like the woods and the musky warm scent of a man.  For the first time in a long time she felt safe and unafraid.  For the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel so all alone.  Inhaling deeply she took a slight step back and angled her head so she could see his face.  “Sorry about that.  Forty-two years old and still the thunder gets to me.”

Without thinking he leaned down, his mouth just a whisper from hers.  “No problem Sweetheart. Glad I was here.”  

She jerked her head back, turning so he grazed her cheek with his lips.  They were so soft, just like she knew they would be, but she wasn’t quite ready for that yet. 

He straightened, keeping a hold of her fingers.  She wasn’t ready yet, he could understand, he was disappointed, but he understood.  He turned his head toward the music pouring from her office.

There’s a time and a place and a reason...

Could the lyric have been any more perfect?  “What is that, Def Leppard?”

She took a step toward her office.  “Yeah, I was finally cleaning up in there” she shrugged her shoulders and found a smile, “and I have penchant for eighties bands.”

He chuckled as he followed her.  “Really?  Who’s your favorite?”  He was fishing, but he didn’t care.  A little stroke to the ego never hurt.

Turning the volume down to a more reasonable decibel she turned to look at him.  “There were so many, how am I supposed to choose just one?”

He glanced around the room, “I’m sure you could if you thought hard enough.”  His eyes landed on the curio in the corner.  There were the decent enough replicas of him and Jon on the top shelf.  He picked up the miniature him.  “I bet I can guess.”  He set himself back down and moved to the next shelf.  “Where did you get these Rocky figures?  They’re great.”  A woman who liked Rocky, could he get any luckier?

“They were Mark’s.  He loved those movies.”

Richie nearly winced.  He hadn’t meant to bring up the memories, but how could he have known?  “How about you, do you like those movies?”

A smile curved her lips, “yeah, I do.  I would never let on to Mark though.  It was a running thing between us.”

Richie nodded his understanding.  He and Heather had had little things like that too.  He missed that.  Wanting to change the subject, he circled back to the question that had brought them into the room.  “So, are you going to tell me which 80s band is your favorite?”

Thunder crashed again before she could answer and the lights went out.  Reaching over she flipped the light switch up and down.  Nothing.  “Well shit, that’s not good.” 

Taking her hand, Richie led her from the room out to the kitchen where they could see each other in the dim, rainy light of day.  “Where’s your breaker box?”

She pointed to the garage, “out there.  But you don’t have to do that.  I can handle it.”

Before she could stop him he was across the room and opening the door.  “Got a flashlight sweetheart?”

She rummaged in a drawer and crossed the room to him.  “Here.”

He flicked the switch.  Nothing happened.  His lip twitched and he tried to fight back the laugh.  “Got batteries?”

She shook her head and laughed.  “How about a candle?  I got a bunch of those.  I even have matches.” 

They were still laughing as she stood next to him holding the candle and he flipped the breakers.  Nothing was working.  “Well sweetheart, I hate to say it, but it looks like you’re out til the storm is over.”

Heading back into the kitchen she blew out the candle.  “Great, just great.”

The thunder kept rumbling outside and he could see her trembling as she put the candle back in the holder.  He didn’t want to leave her alone, but he wasn’t sure how receptive she’d be to his idea either.  “Why don’t we go to my house?  I’m sure I still have power and we can watch movies this afternoon or something.” 

She watched his face.  The ‘or something’ had her hesitating.  No, this was Richie, he was being sincere.  He wouldn’t force her to do anything she didn’t want or wasn’t ready to do.  She could trust him.  “Okay.  Can I bring my crock pot though?  It’s got my dinner in it.”

He looked over to the counter, reached across to unplug it and picked it up.  “What’s for dinner?”