Stolen Breaths Page 2

  God, I’m going to miss that man.

  I heard my cell phone ringing, and it rattled me from my memories. Where was it coming from? Oh god, where’s my purse? I looked over towards my bags and on top of one of them I saw it. I hurried towards it, reached inside and pulled out my phone. It was Maggie, my roommate from Colorado.

  “Hey, chick. How you doing?”

  Maggie always had my back. She was someone I could always talk to and I was really missing her right now. We met in college and she had graduated one year before me. When she moved out to Colorado and got settled she begged me to come out as soon as I graduated. At the time, I had no reason not to go, and no reason to stay here.

  “Hey, lady. I’ve been okay and I’ve not been okay.”

  Right now, I feel like I have the entire world sitting on my chest. I could feel the sting of tears as I battled with myself to keep it together.

  “I’ll be there tomorrow. I’ve taken a couple of days off work, so we’ll talk when I get there. Okay? I just wanted to call and make sure you made it there.”

  “Thanks, Mags. I haven’t been here long. I’m about to go back out and meet with the priest and settle up on the arrangements. I’ll see you tomorrow. What time does your plane land?”

  “Around eleven a.m.”

  “Okay, I’ll pick you up. My daddy’s car, the one he hardly ever drove, is parked in the driveway, so I’ll be able to meet you.” It was a white Honda Civic. He used to drive it everywhere, but he had recently bought a new car and that was the car that he had his accident in. It had been torn completely in half. According to the police report, the car that hit him was going over a hundred miles per hour. Both drivers were killed instantly.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow then. Take care, Lil.”

  “Thank you, Mags, for coming. It means a lot to me.”

  “Of course. Love you, chick.”

  “Love you too.”

  It was around 4:30 in the afternoon and I needed to meet with Father Dearing. It was going to be a Catholic funeral. I got ready, found my daddy’s keys and headed out. I was a bit early, so I waited for Father Dearing in the Sanctuary. Before stepping into the pew I knelt on one knee and made the sign of the cross. I pulled down the kneeler and immediately began praying. The church was beautiful. It was an older church with stained glass windows, each one depicting different images. The ceiling was painted like the sky and there were statues and candles toward the front and along the sides. It provided a peaceful ambiance that allowed an internal calm to sweep over me… kind of like a hug.

  Father Dearing eventually came out and we made the arrangements. He prayed with me and over me. He had known me since I was a baby and he had known my father since before I was even born. He actually married my parents. It was comforting to talk with him. He always knew the right things to say and I was grateful to him in that moment. His words carried me through the rest of the evening and I was able to get some sleep, surprisingly enough.

  Morning came and I picked Maggie up from the airport and brought her back to the house. I called Ms. Sophie like I said I would and gave her the information for the service.

  On the day of the funeral, I had Maggie with me. There were a bunch of other people who came that I also knew. Ms. Sophie was there, and she also stayed by my side. My daddy had a lot of friends and it warmed my heart to see them all come to pay their respects. There was a lot of crying and a lot of hugging. After the funeral people began coming to the house. There was food and somber conversation, but then people started to leave and eventually it was only me, Maggie, and Ms. Sophie left in the house. The two of them put away the food that was left and cleaned up for me. I appreciated their friendship and couldn’t have gotten through it all without them.

  I think Ms. Sophie was right. Maybe it was fate that we met on the plane that day.

  Later, in the still of the night, the quiet of the dark, after everyone had left and I was alone again with only my thoughts, I wept. I wept for my daddy. I wept for the mother I don’t remember, and I wept for me. I wept for the loneliness, and I wept for the sorrow. I wiped my tears and dug in a bag that had my music CDs that Maggie was thoughtful enough to bring with her and I found my Civil Wars disc. I popped it in the player, turned the music down low, curled up on the couch and allowed myself to cry. I cried myself to sleep.

  Three

  Surprise Encounter

  Two Months Later

  Two months had passed since the funeral and I’d been slowly stepping into my new life. I missed my daddy always, but every day was slightly easier than the day before. I’d decided to keep my childhood home. It was paid for after all, and although there were some repairs that need to be made here and there, I figured I’d get to them when I got to them. Money wasn’t an issue right away because of my daddy’s life insurance policy, and the fact that I had managed to save some money when I was living in Colorado. I still wanted to work, however, so I got a job at one of the local restaurants as a waitress. I talked to Ms. Sophie often and I kept in touch with Maggie. Other than that, I pretty much stayed home, read a lot of books, and watched a lot of movies.

  That day, though, I had decided I would finally take Ms. Sophie up on her offer. She’d invited me to the country club for an 11:30 lunch. What did one wear to a country club anyway? I scanned my closet for something decent and landed on a cream colored sundress that hit slightly above the knee and paired it with a strappy sandal. I left my hair down and reached for the makeup. A touch of mascara, blush, and lip gloss would do. I sprayed my perfume in the air and walked through it, knowing a light misting was all that was ever really needed. I grabbed my keys and out the door I went.

  When I pulled into the country club, I gave my keys to the parking attendant and walked inside to find Ms. Sophie. I took maybe ten steps inside the front entrance when I heard my name being called somewhere behind me.

  “Lily?”

  Wait, I recognize that voice, and I’ve only heard it once. I couldn’t really describe it and it wouldn’t make any sense if I tried, but my name rolling off his lips made me feel like a freshman all over again crushing on a senior. Gawd, how was it that I’d managed to get through my adult life up to this point without feeling this way about a guy? Can I go back to that? Please? ‘Uncomfortable’ didn’t even begin to describe how I felt around that man, but then again, I was uncomfortable around most men.

  I took a breath, turned around, and standing right behind me, and I mean right behind me, was Cooper Hudson. He was wearing khakis and a button down white shirt that looked like it was tailor made just for him. I was pretty sure my jaw dropped open and there may have been some drool, but I was hoping like hell that I remained somewhat dignified and my worst fears were just trying to tease me.

  “Hi. Cooper, isn’t it?” He didn’t need to know that his presence rattled me, and I was hoping it wasn’t painfully obvious.

  “You would be correct.” He grinned and I saw that little dimple, and it made my knees weak. Amazingly, I managed to keep my feet planted on the ground. As long as I didn’t forget to breathe, I should be okay.

  “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  His expression was genuine and I saw a grin escape the corner of his mouth like he was glad to actually see me.

  “I’m meeting your grandmother for lunch today. I guess she didn’t mention it to you.”

  “No, she didn’t. That’s why I’m here as well. She asked me to have lunch with her.” He raised one eyebrow and looked around the room. “I guess that means you and I are also having lunch together.”

  I suddenly felt like I’d swallowed a rock, because there was a knot in the pit of my stomach. I forced a smile. “Yes, I suppose we are.”

  “Shall we?” He bent his elbow to allow me to slip my hand around the inside of his arm and he led me across the room to the entry of the dining room. Across the way I could see Ms. Sophie sitting in the back corner. As we walked toward her she looked up, her bright blue eyes dancin
g. I also noticed that every other lady in the room was watching us as we passed by. All eyes were on Cooper and I suddenly felt invisible.

  “There y’all are. I was beginning to think I was going to have to eat lunch alone.” The tone in her voice was sweet, but I could also sense a bit of sneakiness in there somewhere.

  “Yes, Grams, we’re here,” he said, giving her a look that said well-played. “I didn’t realize that Lily would be joining us for lunch, but it’s a pleasant surprise.” He took my hand and helped me take my seat at the table next to Mrs. Sophie. Before taking his seat across from me he gave me one of his devilish grins and my stomach did another flip. If I had known Ms. Sophie had invited Cooper to our lunch date then I might have declined her invitation. He made me so nervous, and he made my head feel all swoony. Those feelings would not mix well with food. That much I knew.

  “I took the liberty of having the waiter bring us all a mimosa. I hope that’s alright.” She looked at me first and then Cooper, anticipating a response.

  “Actually, I could use a drink right about now.” I picked my glass up and took what was more of a gulp than a sip. They both looked at me with amusement.

  Cooper picked up his drink, smiled into his glass, and softly said, “Indeed,” before taking a sip.

  Ms. Sophie’s purse started vibrating across the table. She looked down at it and let out a sigh. “Darn stinkin’ technology. I have to take this call. Will you excuse me?”

  Cooper stood up and pulled out his grandmother’s chair. “Certainly, take your time. Would you like for me to order for you?”

  “No, I’ll be right back. I’ll only be gone a minute,” she said as she scurried off.

  She may be a grandmother to a twenty-something year old grandson but that woman could move across a room in no time flat. That got me to thinking…I didn’t know how old Cooper was. He looked to be late twenties, although he could be early thirties. He had laugh lines around his mouth, which made me take notice of that one dimple again. He looked mature and young at the same time. Would it be rude to ask him how old he was?

  “Do I have something on my face?”

  “Huh?”

  “You’re staring at me, so I figure I either have something on my face or…”

  I could feel the heat rising and my cheeks turning about twelve shades of red. “I… um, sorry,” I said nervously. “I didn’t realize I was staring. I was… uh… thinking about something and …” CRAP! If I could have crawled under the table just then I would have.

  “And what?”

  “Nothing. I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. I didn’t mean to.”

  He leaned forward, folding his arms on the table. “I don’t mind a beautiful woman staring at me as long as she doesn’t mind me staring back.” His lips curled into a grin that was so incredibly sexy that I felt disoriented for the briefest moment. The thing about it, though, was that I didn’t think he was trying to be sexy. He just was. He held my gaze for a second before dropping his eyes to my mouth and then looked me in the eyes again, but he kept the sexy grin in place. His eyes flittered back down to my lips and he held his gaze there for an untold amount of time. Watching him watch me was unnerving, and yet I couldn’t make myself look away. My heart was pounding in my chest and my stomach felt like it was taking summersault lessons. His eyes scanned down to my neck and back up to my mouth, and I had the sudden urge to lick my lips. I heard a groan release from somewhere in the back of his throat.

  Have. Mercy.

  “How old are you?” I blurted without even a thought. Oh my God, I have completely lost all control. Kill me.

  His eyes reengaged mine and he paused before answering. I saw a smirk move across his face like he knew he’d gotten to me and he answered. “Thirty-one. Why, is that important?”

  “No, just curious. Ms. Sophie and I discuss a lot of things, but I’ve never asked her questions about you.” I never knew how to bring Cooper up in our conversations without it looking obvious that I was attracted to him.

  “Oh and why is that?”

  “Why is what?”

  “Why is it that you’ve never asked my grandmother about me?”

  “I don’t know. I guess your name never came up.” Looking down at my mimosa I decided I should take another drink.

  “Ah, well your name has come up. Quite a bit, actually.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “At first I would ask her how you were doing. I knew you were going through a tough time after losing your father. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” He looked down thoughtfully for a brief moment. “And I admit that I’ve asked about you recently, in an innocent, non-stalker kind of way of course.” He might have actually blushed, but if he did he recovered quickly, because he was flashing that grin of his right after the words left his mouth.

  “Thank you for being concerned. I hope she told you I was fine.”

  “She did. She thinks a lot of you and if you haven’t noticed, she makes it her mission to—”

  “My mission to what?” Ms. Sophie said playfully as she sat back down at the table.

  “Your mission to watch over the people you care about, of course,” Cooper said, looking at his grandmother respectfully. He placed his hand over hers and smiled.

  “Hold that smile, hon, because I can’t stay for lunch.” She looked back over towards me and very apologetically said that she had some business to take care of and it couldn’t wait. “We’ll reschedule lunch again. I promise. Why don’t the two of you go ahead and eat? I mean, you’re here. My treat.” She first gave me a kiss on the cheek and then Cooper, and she scurried off again. She didn’t even wait for a response.

  “Um, I don’t know,” I said, looking at Cooper across the table.

  “I don’t see any reason why we can’t sit here and have lunch. We’re hungry…and they serve food. Seems like the obvious answer is to say yes, Lily.”

  “Okay, yes.”

  “Yes, what?”

  “Huh?”

  “Say it.”

  “Say what?”

  “Say you would like to have lunch with me.”

  “I thought I just did.”

  “I want you to say you would like to have lunch with me.”

  Fine. “Yes, I would like to have lunch with you.”

  “Thank you. Was that so hard?”

  “Yes, actually it was,” I said, although I couldn’t resist smiling at him.

  Freak.

  Four

  Fortunately, Unfortunately

  Lunch went surprising well. I was able to loosen up a bit more and I wasn’t as uncomfortable around Cooper, although, that may have something to do with the second mimosa I ordered. When we got up to leave he asked me for my number, saying that this way he wouldn’t have to go through his grandmother the next time he wanted to see how I was doing. Then of course he flashed his mischievous smile at me. It was kind of hard to say no to that. I typed my number into his cell phone and he waited with me for the attendant to bring my car around.

  I felt good about my afternoon with Cooper. I couldn’t help wondering, though, if Ms. Sophie had set the whole thing up. I was going to have to ask her about that the next time we talked. She’d never had to leave in such a rush before.

  I hadn’t been home long when I got a text message on my phone.

  Making sure you made it home safely. ~ Cooper

  Yes, I’m home all safe and sound. ~ Lily

  Good. By the way, thank you for staying ~ Cooper

  Thank you for wanting me to stay. ~Lily

  Oh I definitely wanted you. To stay of course. ~ Cooper

  Of course. I can also picture that grin of yours through the phone. ~ Lily

  What grin? ~ Cooper

  You know what grin. ~ Lily

  No, I don’t. Tell me. ~ Cooper

  Just then I heard a knock at the door. Still smiling, I put my phone down a minute to answer it.

  “So, what grin?”

  “Cooper?” A s
mile escaped me and even though I had just left him, I was happy to see him standing at my front door.

  “What grin? You have me curious.”

  “That one right there. The one you’re wearing…and…”

  He stepped inside the door and moved toward me. “And, what?”

  “And it drives me crazy.” Feeling embarrassed, I looked away. And although I have already noticed how tall he is, I am just now noticing how small I feel next to him.

  “Really? My grin drives you crazy? I’ll have to keep that in mind.” He lingered over me for a few more seconds, minutes, hours, days— I don’t know really— and finally he moved past me. “Is it okay that I stopped by? I mean, I didn’t have anywhere I needed to be today and I thought maybe we could get to know each other better. Is it okay?”

  “Um, yeah, I mean, yes. That would be…” I glanced around the room to avoid eye contact. “That would be fine, I mean good.” Sighing and looking down at my feet I breathed out. “I would like that.”

  Whatever progress I had made during lunch was gone. It must have just been the alcohol. My stomach was back to summersaults.

  “Listen, would you mind if I change clothes? I’m more comfortable in jeans, and I was about to change when you knocked on the door.”

  “No problem. Take your time.”

  “Okay, I will only be a minute. Make yourself comfortable.”

  As soon as I stepped inside my bedroom and closed the door I tried breathing exercises. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. My heart rate slowed to a normal rhythm and could feel myself relax a bit. I chose an old, faded, worn pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt. Feeling more like myself, maybe I could walk into my own living room and not feel like I was going to have a heart attack.