ROAR (34 page)

After declining dessert, Pamela wiped her mouth and set her napkin on the table beside her plate. “That was the most succulent meal I’ve enjoyed in ages. Thanks for bringing me here.”

“I’ll have to admit, trying the scallops was a wonderful discovery, but nothing compares to your cooking. However, I’m happy to give you a break from the kitchen this week.”

“No way! I rarely cook for myself and never when I’m overseas. But you’re welcome to join me in the kitchen. I enjoy anything we do together.”

The mention of her being overseas put a damper his mood. He didn’t want to think about her being in harm’s way again, whether from militants or some new virus or infection that might not be as easy to cure this time. But he knew she’d probably be going again sometime this summer.

“Any word on your next assignment?”

She shook her head. “The best they can guess is mid-August.”

Less than two months. “I’m going to miss having you around when you’re gone.”

“And I, you, but it’s only for a month.”

Seemed like a lifetime.

“And there’s so much I still want to accomplish there.” Her eyes opened wider. “Any word on when Gunnar expects to fly back with Fakhira?”

“No. I spoke with him yesterday, but he’s knee-deep in something he thinks might take two or three more weeks to sort out.”

“Oh.” Her disappointment was fleeting because she smiled again, lighting up her face. “Well, without Gunnar agreeing to do this, I’m not sure she’d ever have been given this opportunity—not this soon, at least—so I’ll just be patient.”

The server left the check, and Kristoffer placed his card inside the folder.

When they stood after settling up with the restaurant, the sun was low on the horizon. “Why don’t we walk off some of this dinner before we head back to the house?” he suggested.

“I’d love to.”

“There’s a path into the gardens for patrons.” He pulled out her chair and placed his hand at the small of her back to guide her down the steps.

A breeze kicked up and blew a wisp of her hair against her cheek and mouth. He reached up to capture it and tuck it behind her ear before realizing what he was doing, although she didn’t seem bothered by the intimate gesture.

His stomach knotted up.

“What’s that I smell?” They were in the red wine garden. She lifted her pert nose into the air.

He drew a deep breath to test his rusty skills. “I smell basil, rosemary, and tobacco.”

“Tobacco? Seriously? I thought that was only grown in the southeast.”

“The vintner tries to bring together a variety of scents for his wines. Tobacco has an affinity for merlot and cabernet sauvignon.”

She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. “Yes, I can smell all of those scents now. And…sage?”

“Excellent.”

She met his gaze and smiled. “How do you know so much about wines?”

He shrugged. “Picked it up here and there over the years.” Much of his knowledge had come from the many times he’d visited here with his wife. “It’s one of my guilty pleasures—enjoying good wine and learning everything I can about its vintage.” A new one was spending time with Pamela, it seemed.

When the stones in the path became uneven, he took her hand. “Don’t want you falling.” He remembered lifting her into his arms the night he’d made her kneel on grains of rice when her knees had given out on her. Holding her hand satisfied something inside him, but he didn’t want to send her the wrong signal. Keep the focus on the garden’s flowers and plants.

They walked side by side in silence until she leaned closer to some of the plants, trying to determine what scent they emitted, he supposed. The pathways were well-lit by torches, but the planting areas were difficult to see in the waning daylight.

“We need to come back during the day,” she suggested. “This is such a beautiful place.”

“Not a problem, but there are lots of other places I want to take you to as well.”

“I can’t wait.” She turned to him and, before he knew what she planned to do, placed a kiss on his cheek. “Thanks for bringing me here. I’m already having a wonderful time. But would you mind if I moved my plans up to tomorrow rather than Monday?”

He grinned. “Be my guest.” He wondered again what she wanted them to do but found himself anticipating whatever she had in mind more than the places he’d planned to take her.

This week would be one for him to try new things and discover his favorite place through Pamela’s eyes.

*     *     *

Pamela’s resolve to help Kristoffer see Sonoma in a new light was never stronger than when she mounted her rented bike late the next morning. Her mission became clearer after realizing he’d most likely intended to show her all of his and Tori’s special places. She now planned to flood him with new memories this week. Kristoffer wouldn’t think of this valley again without remembering Pamela, too.

“Ready, set, go!” She set off down the road from the bike rental place. Soon the clicking of his spokes told her he was in hot pursuit. After a short sprint, she laughed and surrendered, slowing the pace. “Okay, now let’s take it a little slower.”

“Whatever you say. You’re in charge.” He didn’t even sound winded. Man, she hoped she was able to keep up.

The route she’d mapped out called for about twelve miles round trip riding along fairly flat lanes until they reached the final climb to a place in the hills where they would have a late lunch or early dinner, depending on how long it took them to reach that point. She’d made sure they ate a hearty breakfast to last them and packed some power snacks in her backpack. His backpack carried their water bottles. The GPS on her handlebar had been programmed, and she looked forward to the hours ahead.

The sun soaked into her skin. What a difference it was to experience the valley without motorized vehicles distorting the natural sounds enveloping them—the rustling of the leaves on the grapevines, songs of western birds she couldn’t identify, and their tires on the pavement. She wished they could stop and sample some of the grapes, but they weren’t ripe yet. Besides, the pesticides would probably kill them. They’d sample the wines instead.

Out of the blue, her thoughts meandered to her mother, a strong advocate against pesticides—and champion of any number of other environmental and political causes. She ought to have told her she’d be traveling so close by this week.

Kristoffer rode abreast of her along a deserted road and touched her arm. “Where’d you go?” She turned toward him, puzzled. “I asked if you’d like to take a break for a bit.”

“Sorry. I was thinking about my mom.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Didn’t expect that answer.” They pulled to the side of the road, and he retrieved a sports bottle from his backpack to hand to her before extracting his own.

She grinned. “One thing led to another in my head as we were riding along, and suddenly, I was thinking about her.”

“You do have a tendency to let your mind do that. Perhaps I should have prepared an assignment for you to help you focus on the now.” He grinned. “Instead, I’ll indulge you while we rest. Tell me more about her.”

“She lives in Carmel-by-the-Sea. I guess the lure of free spirits and dog-friendly beaches were too strong.” Pamela forced a laugh, but remembered how devastated she and her dad were when Mom left them to find herself, or whatever it was she was searching for. Thankfully, both of her parents seemed much happier now. “Dad remarried, and Mom is, well, happily free of male oppression, I suppose. Dad did like being in control, which I can see in retrospect. Fortunately for him, his second wife had no problems giving in.”

For the first time, she wondered if they had a Dom/sub relationship, but didn’t really want to think about that. Besides, he’d asked her about her mother.

“Mom had a difficult time adjusting to the role of Air Force officer’s wife when they returned from Japan. She’s much happier now teaching and fostering rescue dogs.”

“Would you like to go down for a visit later this week? It’s a beautiful drive along the Pacific Coast Highway, and we do have the convertible. Shouldn’t let it go to waste.”

While she missed her mom and the thought of driving along the iconic highway with the wind and sea air blowing through her hair and against her face sounded lovely, she wasn’t sure what Mom would think of Kristoffer. He wasn’t far off the mark from the highly disciplined people on the base or at the Air Force Academy’s campus where she’d never fit in. What if she went into a panic thinking Pamela was dating an uptight man who might give her equally uptight little grandchildren?

Whoa, I’m not dating Kristoffer at all
. She didn’t want her to get that wrong impression, either.

“No pressure, if you’d rather not.”

She realized she hadn’t responded to his suggestion. Why was she reverting to old bad habits when she’d been doing so much better while working with Roar?

“I’m not sure we’ll have time.”

“Don’t let that hold you back. I’d hate for you to be so close and not get to visit her. If you want to, that is.”

Had she just sealed her fate? Kristoffer took family ties seriously, at least with Tori and Gunnar. He didn’t say much about visits to his parents.

Suddenly, something occurred to her. Taking him away from all the memories of his wife here in Sonoma might be just the thing to help
him
relax more on this vacation. She could even suggest stops along the way at some of her favorite spots.

She took a swig of water before committing one way or another, but her mind was made up. “I think a drive down the coast would be perfect.” Hopefully, he and Tori hadn’t done that many times before, too.

“Consider it done. We could leave here Monday or Tuesday to meander along the coast then come back to close up the house and catch our flight home.”

Everything had shifted in a matter of minutes. She hoped she wouldn’t regret the decision to visit her mom, but looked forward to excursions to show him some of her favorite places, perhaps going as far as Big Sur.

They mounted their bicycles again and rode along the windy road in silence while she drew deep breaths of the ultra-fresh air. Not as crisp as Colorado mountain air, but not unpleasant either. Simply different.

Their GPS alerted them to the approaching highway sooner than expected, and she signaled for the turn. At this point, the road became steep on the approach to the restaurant, and she put the bike into a lower gear. Near the crest, she was never so happy to see the restaurant’s roadside sign come into her field of vision.

Dismounting, she stretched her legs. Man, her butt was sore. She gasped for breath and retrieved the unfinished water bottle from the holder on her frame to squeeze the now-warm liquid down her parched throat. The thought of getting back on the bike for the return trip held zero appeal, so she looked forward to a leisurely meal. As long as they made it back to the house by dark, they’d be fine.

“It’s beautiful up here,” Kristoffer said as he surveyed their surroundings.

“The restaurant’s online menu boasted a number of fresh entrees. I thought it would be perfect to break up our ride.”

“Must be new to the valley. Wasn’t here last time I visited.”

That’s why I chose it.

She looked forward to this meal and his company without any chance of him getting stuck in the past. Inside, the hostess seated them at a table overlooking the vineyards. They were between major mealtimes and had the place to themselves. She was certain it would be a zoo here over the weekend.

Kristoffer emptied his water glass and refilled it from the carafe before surveying the hillside. “No wonder this place came so highly recommended. The view alone is spectacular.”

She ordered a duck confit dish prepared in a red wine reduction and accompanied her meal with the same wine while he selected pan-roasted sea bass and a glass of Chablis. After a toast to good friends and relaxing getaways, both sipped and proclaimed their vintage to be the best.

Kristoffer set down his glass. “I’ll order a case of the two to be shipped back to my place for us to enjoy again sometime.”

“Sounds great—and there’s less chance of them being broken that way than in my spare suitcase.”

She looked forward to their reliving what she hoped would be idyllic memories of this adventure for many years to come.

Their salads arrived, and they ate until she broke the silence. “I can’t believe how hungry I am. Riding bikes is quite a workout.”

“And yet it doesn’t feel like work when we have such beautiful scenery along the way. We ought to do this back home. Lots of Rails-to-Trails routes and other great places to ride in the back country without scaling any Fourteeners.”

“I’d like that a lot.” Any time spent with Kristoffer would be something to look forward to, but going home again wasn’t what she wanted to talk about now. This respite from real life would help heal both of them. She just hoped he wouldn’t be called back for an emergency. He needed this break from Tori. With her parents visiting and having temporary guardianship and responsibility, Pamela hoped they would handle any minor crisis that might arise.

Kristoffer set down his fork after finishing his salad—all except the onions, she noted. “Now, to continue our earlier discussion, tell me more about your mom. When’s the last time you saw her?”

She wished they’d find another topic of discussion. “About a year ago.”

“That’s a long time.”

“Oh, we talk on the phone a couple times a month and have certainly gone longer than a year between visits before.” Money had been too tight for her to travel much for pleasure, and during medical school, she’d gone five years without seeing her mom. “But Mom wants nothing to do with Colorado, even though I live hours away from Colorado Springs, so the only time we see each other is when I travel to California. Last year, I booked a layover in San Francisco for a few days on one of my trips to Afghanistan, even though that wasn’t the most direct route, just to see her.”

“All the more reason for us to make a reunion happen this week.” He pulled out his cell phone, as if he intended for her to call Mom at this very moment. “No signal. But you can call her when we get back to the house.”