"No one measured up?"
She met his eyes."No one ever did."
The admission hung in the air between them.Barrett understood what she was saying, because he had experienced the same thing.All those years, all the brief relationships that never went anywhere, and now he understood why.He had been comparing every date to the girl he had kissed in a parking lot after a school dance, the one who had gotten away.
"I never forgot you, Cadie."The words came out before he could stop them."I told myself I had moved on, but I really hadn't."
Cadie's eyes glistened in the candlelight."I didn't forget you either.I used to wonder what would have happened if you had stayed, or if I had tried to find you."
"We were young," Barrett said."I made choices I thought were right at the time…joining the Navy, focusing on my career.But I always wondered about you."
"And now here we are."
"Here we are."
The chemistry between them was undeniable, a current that had been building since they first saw each other at Stratton House.Barrett felt it in every glance, every accidental touch, every moment of shared silence.
Lingering over the last of the dessert, Cadie shared memories from high school, then the adventure of moving to New Orleans.The restaurant gradually emptied, but Barrett barely noticed.His attention was entirely on her.
Finally, the waitress brought the check, and Barrett again paid despite Cadie's protest.He escorted her outside into the cool evening air.The drive back to the hotel was short, but the atmosphere between them was charged with anticipation.
Barrett parked in the hotel lot but didn't get out of the car immediately.Cadie sat beside him, close enough that he could smell her perfume, something floral and subtle that made him want to lean closer.
He turned to look at her.The light cast soft shadows across her face, accentuating the curve of her cheek and the fullness of her lips.She was watching him with an expression that made his heart beat faster.
"Cadie," he said, his voice rough.
She didn't answer, just looked at him with those amazing eyes that had haunted his dreams for so long.
Barrett reached out and cupped her face in his hand.Her skin was warm and soft beneath his fingers.She leaned into his touch, her eyes fluttering closed for just a moment.
Then he kissed her.
Her lips were soft and yielding.The kiss started gentle, tentative, as though he were afraid of breaking something fragile.But then Cadie's hand came up to rest on his chest, and Barrett felt the last of his resistance crumble.
He deepened the kiss, and she responded.Years of wondering, of what-ifs and regrets, melted away in the heat of the moment.She was there, in his arms, and that felt so right.
When he finally broke apart, both of them were breathing hard.Barrett rested his forehead against hers, his hand still cradling her face."I've wanted to do that since I saw you at the piano."
Cadie laughed softly, the sound breathless."I've wanted you to do it."
Barrett pulled back enough to look at her.The vulnerability in her eyes matched what he felt in his chest.This was dangerous territory, opening himself up to someone after years of keeping everyone at arm's length.But with Cadie, the risk felt worth taking.
"We should go inside," Cadie said, though she made no move to leave.
Barrett whispered, "We should."Then he kissed her again, softer this time, offering a promise of what might come.
When they finally got out of the car and walked into the hotel, Barrett grasped her hand.His fingers intertwined with hers.
At the door to her room, Cadie looked up at him."Good night, Barrett."
He kissed her once more, a lingering kiss that left him reluctant to part from her.But then she slipped inside her room, so he walked down the hall to his own.His heart felt lighter than it had in years.
Maybe second chances were possible after all.
Chapter 9
Cadie woke to soft morning light filtering through the hotel curtains.For a moment, she lay still, her mind drifting back to the night before at the restaurant with its candlelight and jazz.The conversation had flowed so easily with Barrett—and then the kiss.
