Perfect for You (Short Story) (Fire and Icing) (5 page)

Bea nodded, clearly deciding that was acceptable. “Okay, Daddy. Bye.”

She opened the door and slipped inside yelling that she was home. Trent waited until he heard Holly call out—asking Bea how breakfast was—and heard Bea cry out “Great!” before he closed the door and started back down the walk.

He felt like things had gone well, too, but he was anxious to see what Dawn thought. By the time he got home, he knew he wouldn’t be able to wait until this afternoon. He pulled Dawn’s number up from his frequently called list—a fact that gave him a goofy amount of pleasure—and dialed.

“She’s adorable!”

Dawn’s first words made him smile.

“I had so much fun,” she continued. “I think she did too, right?”

“Yeah, I thought it went well,” Trent said. “A little bit of a bumpy start, but… Sorry she was quiet at first.”

“She was fine. Meeting new people can make anyone shy,” Dawn said. “But she is so smart and well-spoken. I think you might have a genius on your hands.”

“She’s a mess, that’s for sure.” Trent chuckled. “She was pretty proud of herself for taking me down a notch there at the end.”

Dawn laughed. “Oh, I loved it! I suspected there had to be something wrong with you, and now I know—toxic farts.”

“Don’t ever feed me chili, and we’ll never have to cross that bridge.”

“Done,” Dawn said, still giggling. “Thank you so much for bringing her. I feel so much better about things. And I want you to meet Marshall and Emmie when they get home from their visitation.”

“I’d love that,” Trent said.

“They’ll probably need some time to transition first,” Dawn said. “But we’ll work something out not long after they get back. We’ll have to, because I’m not sure I can stand being away from you for more than five or six days in a row.”

“Three is too many,” Trent agreed. “I talked Bea into having you over for supper one of the nights she’s at my place. She was totally on board. She’s excited to see you again so she can ask your opinion on ninjas.”

“Scary,” Dawn said, making him grin. “I mean, if we’re talking real life ninjas, not the cartoon kind. Real life ninjas are terrifying.”

“She’ll be glad to hear it,” he said before adding in a softer voice. “See you soon.”

“I can’t wait,” Dawn said. “I was going to pack my sketch pad and sketch a few sharks while we’re hanging out, if that’s okay.”

“Whatever you want to do,” Trent said. “As long as I get to sleep next to you when you’re done.”

Dawn made a sound that made him think she was smiling. “Hurry up and get over here, you sweet thing, so I can kiss you.”

“As soon as I can get my bag together, baby.” Trent hung up, grinning like a fool, but that wasn’t such a strange thing lately. Ever since “Speed Dating with Doughnuts,” he’d been having the best summer in recent memory.

If he and Dawn ended up lasting as long as he hoped they would, he was going to have to write the organizer of the event a very heartfelt thank you letter.

Chapter Five

The semi-private tour of the aquarium—only fifteen couples were allowed to participate in “Overnight at the Aquarium” events at a time—was amazing.

The group was taken behind the scenes at the dolphin tank and the manatee enclosure and allowed to wander all over the main exhibits without the noise or crowds of a usual visit. It was so peaceful and eerie in the best way. Dawn felt like she was walking along the bottom of a deep, dark ocean, seeing the world from an entirely different point of view.

For the first time ever, she was able to pet a stingray without getting splashed by half a dozen poorly supervised kids, linger at the octopus tank as long as she wanted, and take her time at the smaller, less flashy exhibits Marshall and Emmie preferred to rush through.

Once the tour was over and the couples free to stake out their sleeping spots before the wine and s’mores reception at the Balcony Restaurant, Dawn and Trent sat in front of the jellyfish tank for a solid half hour. After only a few minutes, she felt her blood pressure drop and all the tension seep from her shoulders as she meditated on the gently shifting colored lights in the tank and watched the alien creatures puff up and down in the water.

“Are you bummed that we didn’t get the spot by the shark tank?” Trent asked, sounding as relaxed as she felt.

By the time they’d reached the shark tank, another couple had already spread out their sleeping bags, so Dawn and Trent had been forced to look elsewhere. They’d managed to land the jellyfish room, snagging it only moments before another couple stuck their heads through the wide archway.

“Not at all,” Dawn said. “This is even better. They’re so beautiful.”

“They are,” Trent agreed. “And less likely to give me nightmares.”

Dawn narrowed her eyes as she turned to him, admiring the way the dim light accentuated the planes of his face. “You really thought the sharks would give you nightmares?”

“I did,” he said, leaning his head closer to hers. “But maybe I’ve seen
Finding Nemo
too many times.”

Dawn grinned against his lips as they kissed, making their teeth bump together through their skin before her smile faded and the kiss grew hotter, deeper. Trent’s arm went around her waist to rest on her hip, scooting her off her sleeping bag and onto his own with one flex of his bicep.

“Remember,” Dawn warned as she turned, twining her arms around his neck. “They said every room is monitored by surveillance cameras.”

“I know.” His hand drifted up and down her back, even that gentle touch enough to make her body ache. “I’ll stop before things get too scandalous.”

“What if I don’t want you to stop?” Dawn asked, already humming with the need to get closer to him, to finally shed the last of her inhibitions—and her clothes.

Trent pulled away, a look in his eyes that left no doubt he was every bit as ready. “Then we should leave and head back to your place right now. Because I’m not going to risk you ending up in some security guard’s homemade porno.”

Dawn made a face. “Ew. Yeah, I don’t want that either. And I don’t want to leave, I…” She sighed. “I guess I’ll just have to try to control my raging hormones.”

Trent smiled. “Only until we get back to your place first thing tomorrow. Then I want you to feel free to rage all over me, as long as I’m ready to pick Bea up at church at eleven.” His grin faded, replaced by a more intense look. “Seriously, I can’t wait to make love to you.”

Dawn felt her face flush—as much from wondering if he really meant the “love” part of that phrase as from the naughty images flashing on her mental screen. But before she could figure out what to say in response, the deep voice of their aquarium host came over the PA.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said. “I now invite you to join us for wine, s’mores, and other refreshments on the balcony, followed by a complimentary showing of
Monster of the Deep
in our theater.”

“I could go for s’mores,” Trent said. “How about you?”

“I could go for wine.” Dawn stood, reaching a hand down to help Trent up, loving that he let her, that he wasn’t the kind of guy who always had to prove how tough he was. She shook her head, finding it hard to believe the boy she’d thought such a one-dimensional jock had grown into the man standing in front of her.

“What?” he asked, running a hand through his hair.

“Nothing.” Dawn smiled. “I’m just glad you proved me wrong. You’ve shown me that people
can
change, and that…gives me a lot of hope.”

Trent cocked his head, studying her. “And I’m glad you haven’t changed a bit.”

Dawn’s smile slipped as her eyes fell to the ground where their sleeping bags were snuggled close together. “But I have. A lot, really.”

“Not in the ways that count,” Trent said, his fingers threading through her hair with a gentleness that made her tingle all over. “You’re still kind and smart and passionate about the things you believe in. And your sass is coming back, I see glimpses of it every time I’m with you.”

Dawn looked up, surprised. “You can see that, huh?”

“I don’t miss much where you’re concerned.” Trent leaned in to kiss her forehead, making her heart feel like it was turning to melted butter. “And beautiful, of course. I forgot beautiful.”

Dawn sighed, her chest so tight it was hard to pull a breath back in. How long was she going to be able to hold on before she told Trent that she was falling crazy, head over heels, the-train-has-left-the-station in love with him? She knew she was, but she’d only ever said those words to one man, and she and Dave had been in high school the first time they whispered their confessions into each other’s ears—furtive and shy, during an awkward, semi-clothed interaction in the back of Dave’s Chevy Impala.

But she and Trent weren’t kids, and there was a chance she was misjudging how soon to spill the love beans. What if Trent wasn’t there yet? What if it was way too soon? What if all his sweet talk was simply a part of his dating style and not a real sign that they were heading toward a future together?

And even if he was ready to drop the Big L, what if things changed between them once the kids got home? What if Trent didn’t get along with Marshall or Emmie? He was amazing with his own daughter, but a lot of men were great with their biological children while treating their stepchildren like crap.

There was also a good chance Trent would resent the fact that soon she’d never be able to make plans without hiring a babysitter well in advance. Aside from four weeks at the beginning of the summer, two at the end, and two weeks during Christmas vacation, Dawn was a full time single mom. Trent might decide he was sick of hearing “I can’t” a month into that adventure and all the lovey-dovey talk would have been a huge waste of time.

You’re pulling a Maddie. Listen to yourself. All you’re doing is making excuses to stay afraid. I thought you’d had enough therapy after you and Dave split to know better.

“I think I need a drink,” Dawn said.

“Then let’s get you one,” Trent said, reaching for her hand.

Dawn threaded her fingers through his and let him lead the way out of the jellyfish room, determined to put her doubts and stress behind her and enjoy the evening.

They spent the next hour snacking on s’mores and sipping red wine from glasses large enough to serve as their own mini fishbowls. They chatted with a few of the other guests at the s’mores station, but chose a private table near the balcony, overlooking the largest tank in the aquarium, to enjoy their treats.

Trent was all the company she needed, and she could tell he felt the same. His eyes rarely left her face, even when the stars of the giant tank, a mama beluga whale and her newborn baby, swam by, followed closely by the other belugas.

When the time came for the movie, they snuggled together in the back row, Dawn’s legs draped over Trent’s lap and his big hands warm on her thigh. Dawn hid her face against his chest when the killer whale ate a baby seal, and Trent did the same—twisting to bury his face in her neck when a shark attack got especially bloody, making Dawn giggle so loud the couple in front of them turned around to shoot her a dirty look.

Afterwards, she and Trent hit the restrooms to wash up and change into their pajamas, preparing for lights out in half an hour. Dawn changed into a black tank top and soft gray drawstring pants with tiny black skulls on them, her pulse picking up speed with every passing minute.

She and Trent were about to spend their first night together. There wouldn’t be sex involved, obviously, but they would get to lie down together tonight and wake up together tomorrow morning. It was a heady thought, and something she’d been looking forward to as much as getting a chance to see the aquarium exhibits without the crowds.

She hadn’t had an overnight with a man since her divorce. She’d dated on and off, but with Marshall and Emmie at her house five nights a week and every other weekend, she hadn’t had a lot of opportunity to have overnight guests, not if she didn’t want to have a boyfriend in the house at the same time as the kids. Until now, she’d never even considered it—she didn’t want to introduce a man to her son and daughter unless it was serious—but now…

Maybe she should tell Trent how she was feeling and get it over with. Then she’d know whether or not she needed to tell Dave that she was planning to introduce Marshall and Emmie to her boyfriend when her ex dropped the kids off this coming Wednesday.

“I love you,” Dawn whispered to her reflection, screwing up her face at how stilted the words sounded.

“Trent, I love you,” she tried again in a deeper tone, making herself snort with laughter. “You sound like a transvestite.”

“I got some love for you, baby,” she said in an Elvis voice, pointing her toothbrush at her reflection and wiggling her eyebrows. “Get over here and give me some sugar.”

By the time she finished washing her face and brushing her teeth, she had succeeded in cracking herself up practicing ways to spill her emotional guts, but was no closer to figuring out how to say those three little words without sounding like she’d recently escaped from a mental institution than she was when she started.

She’d decided to give up and let the confession emerge organically when she wove her way out the L-shaped hallway leading into the bathroom to find Trent standing outside—a big grin on his face and his cell phone in hand.

One look in his eyes left little doubt he’d heard her making a fool of herself, but she dared to hope until he said—

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” He hit play and a moment later, Dawn’s Elvis voice emerged from the speaker, followed closely by her Dracula voice, her best Valley Girl imitation, and an overblown version of her Southern accent like something straight out of
Gone with the Wind.
She heard herself confess her love for Trent over and over again, growing progressively mortified until she finally begged him to turn it off.

“What’s wrong?” Trent said, hitting the stop button.

Dawn’s hand flew to her face. “What do you mean what’s wrong? I’m so embarrassed. I can’t believe you heard all that.”

“Don’t be embarrassed!” Trent said, taking a step closer that Dawn countered with a step back.