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“Because you are anything but boring.”
Chapter 3
Court
TERRIFIED
She’s absolutely terrified.
I don’t know what happened. One minute, I saw the woman who has held all of my attention since I wandered into her lavender fields, and the next thing I know, she’s leaving the bar. Sure, I know where she lives, but I want to get her number, get her to agree to dinner with me tomorrow night. Get her to just talk to me some more so I can hear that beautifully soft voice again. But when I grabbed her arm—not in violence, never that—she shrunk back. A man who’s lived the life I have has seen more than enough violence and I would never perpetuate it on an innocent.
It was like she expected me to hit her, and a pit opened up in my gut. That same gut that’s never wrong.
Zelda forced herself to stand proud and respond to me. I wanted to cheer for the show of bravery, something she obviously works hard to achieve, but I showed as little reaction as she did. One thing is clear, this woman needs to be handled with care. I don’t know what she’s been through, or what put those long shadows in her eyes. All I know is that I’m not going to add to them.
Twenty—even ten—years ago, I would have run for the hills had a woman with as much obvious baggage, let alone children, caught my eye, but I’m older and much wiser now. I have the knowledge that a good woman is hard to come by and that knowledge only comes with age and a life lived. I also know that a woman whose grown children are devoted to her and has entire fishing village in Alaska at her back, complete with her adopted dad who wouldn’t waste his time on anyone unworthy, makes Zelda not only a good woman, but the kind that you only meet once in a lifetime.
I’m going to tread lightly, but I’m going to get to know her and I’m going to take her to dinner. She wants to say yes, I can see it in her eyes, but she’s also terrified.
“Have dinner with me,” I repeat.
“I don’t know…”
“Say yes,” I whisper.
“Yes,” she says so quietly I almost don’t hear her.
“I’ll pick you up at six.”
“I have to go,” she blurts before racing out the door and I watch her go with a smile on my face.
When her taillights have finally faded from view, I turn and make my way back to the table Wyatt still sits at.
“What was that all about?” he asks.
“I just asked her to dinner.”
“Listen,” he says. I open my mouth to stop him but he holds up a hand so he can say his peace. “I know what you said to Hank and everyone else, so I’ll just say it quickly. Zelda Harris is a good woman. Treat her right, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah, I think you will,” he says, more to himself than to me, before tipping his beer to me in a silent toast and then taking a sip.
I follow suit with a smile on my face because tomorrow night, I have a date with a once in a lifetime woman and I’m not going to squander the opportunity.
Chapter 4
Zelda
PRECIOUS
“Mom, are you listening to me?”
“What?” I ask my daughter as she sits at the bar while I mix my secret pancake batter. The secret being that it’s the one on the back of the Bisquick box.
“I was saying what a high-handed know-it-all Wyatt is. I can’t stand him,” she huffs. And while Merritt certainly looks put out, I can’t help but wonder if maybe Pops was right and there’s more than just the oil and water mixture to the two that can be seen at surface level. Maybe there’s an attraction that fuels their feud.
“Maybe you should try seeing things from his perspective,” I suggest as I toss a chunk of butter into the hot skillet to melt.
