Second Chances (46 page)

The words were warm, tickling her ear and neck, stirring feelings she almost didn’t recognize deep within her belly.  Isabella whipped around in her seat to see the handsome man who had been occupying her thoughts since their first meeting that afternoon.  “It’s you,” she said breathlessly.  “I never expected to see you again.”  She became absorbed in his
eyes which were deep blue with flecks of green.

He reached for her hand, which she slowly relinquished.  “I apologize,” he said as he bent his head to kiss her hand.  “I don’t usually run off like that, but I had to get in to see my professor before the end of her office hours.”

“Your professor?”  Isabella found herself intensely curious about this man who seemed out of place on a college campus.

“Yes, Dr. Pam.  I had to get special permission to take her class, since it was closed out.  I really needed it for my degree program.  I normally attend McGill, in Montreal, but I had to take a few classes here that weren’t being offered back home to graduate on time.”  The man quickly relayed all kinds of information as he chattered with them.

“My name is Gabriel, by the way.  Do you mind if I join you?”  The two women exchanged silent looks, arrived at some unspoken agreement, and shook their heads, rather surprised.  Gabriel looked about, spotted a chair at a nearby table, and pulled it over to sit in between them.  “And you are?”  He directed the question at Isabella.

“Oh,” she laughed, feeling silly for not having introduced herself sooner.  “I’m Isabella.”

“Isabella,” Gabriel murmured, trying her name on his tongue before reaching out and brushing her hands which were folded in her lap.  “It is a pleasure to meet you.”  Then he gave her a big, warm smile that felt like home.  He stared at her intensely for a moment, then remembered his manners.  “I’m sorry, madame.  We haven’t been formally introduced.” 

Instantly, Isabella blushed.  She was so unused to the attention, so used to be introduced and not the introducer that she had failed to include her oldest and dearest friend.  She looked at her apologetically, but Jessie simply brushed it off.  Clearly she was so happy for her friend, it never occurred to her to be insulted.

For the next two hours, the three of them were engrossed in conversation as Gabriel regaled them with tales of his life, the business travel he did with his father, and how his father wished to hand over the company to him, but that Gabriel insisted on having the degree to back up the position. He asked Isabella questions about her life, how she came to be a photographer, and how she happened to be in Meyer’s Hall.  Isabella kept looking at Jessie, trying to sense whether or not she felt left out.  Yet, every time she glanced at Jessie, she found her friend sitting back, watching the two of them interact, smiling and nodding approvingly. 

A slow song began during a momentary lull in conversation, causing Gabriel to tilt his head to the side for a moment.  He seemed to be embroiled in an inner conflict.  Head upright once more, the conflict resolved, Gabriel reached out a hand.  “Isabella, may I have this dance?”  He looked insecure, unsure of himself, which surprised Isabella greatly.  She had been watching him throughout the night admiring his confidence.  Now suddenly he seemed less godlike, more human, and therefore, more attainable.

She placed her hand in his and squeezed gently, giving him a soft smile, “Yes, Gabriel, I would love to dance.” 

He gripped her hand and led her out onto the floor.  Isabella looked back at Jessie, who motioned for her to go ahead.  Gabriel stood a solid seven inches taller than Isabella.  Upon reaching the dance floor, he gripped her right hand in his and held it against his chest.  Through his flimsy knit shirt, Isabella felt the rhythmic beating of his heart.  He placed his other hand on her lower back and pulled her closer to him. 

Isabella felt unsure of what to do with her other hand.  She wanted to place it on the back of his neck, but feared moving too fast.  Meeting men at bars simply wasn’t her style.  She decided to settle for his shoulder.  It seemed like a nice safe place.  So what if she could feel his muscles rippling beneath his shirt, causing a distraction?

As they turned slowly on the floor, Isabella caught glimpses of Jessie, looking on approvingly, trying to signal to Isabella what she should do, trying to encourage her to move her hand up to his neck on this turn, then to lay her head on Gabriel’s chest the next.  The entire situation threatened to become more than Isabella could handle, so she exercised her common sense and opted not to take Jessie’s advice.  This time around she intended to be herself with a man.  At last, the dance ended and they made their way back to the table.

“How would you like an appetizer?”  The question was directed at both women, but Jessie interrupted.

“Oh, sorry, nothing for me, thanks.  I have to get up early in the morning.”  Jessie paused, looked at Isabella, then Gabriel.  “Oh, Isabella, I hate to leave you...”  She glanced at Gabriel who instantly picked up her cue.

“Don’t worry, madam.  I will see to it that Isabella gets home safely.”  He smiled broadly at Jessie, but realized that he may have offended Isabella by being too presumptuous.  “If that’s okay with you, Isabella?”  He leaned toward her, eyebrows knit, looking as though he actually believed she might decline his offer.

Isabella bit on her lip for a moment, pondering her options.  “Umm, okay.  That will be fine.”  She looked Gabriel directly in the eyes and saw he now had become visibly more relaxed.  Then turning toward her jubilant friend, Isabella promised, “I’ll call you tomorrow, Jessie.”

As Jessie meandered out to her car, she wore this Cheshire cat smile that clearly showed she believed that she had done Isabella a great favor.  Knowing Jessie, she would be on the phone before breakfast, trying to get all of the juicy details from the previous night’s adventures. 
Yup
, Isabella thought to herself,
just like high school
.

“So,” Gabriel began, “about that appetizer?”  He motioned for a waiter and asked for menus. 

Isabella and Gabriel sat and talked for hours, sharing appetizers, and several more dances, still keeping a safe distance.  By the end of the night she had discovered that Gabriel lived in Montreal and would only be here for the summer, something she had previously suspected.  He usually went home on the weekends, but was asked to meet some business associates for drinks at the Turtle.  They were only able to stay for an hour, and as they were leaving, he saw her, and thought he’d take his chance speaking to her.  Their conversation flowed light and easy.  He showed signs of great intelligence, wit, and demonstrated far too much charm for her to trust him immediately.  At last Isabella reluctantly pulled herself away, explaining her exhaustion after a long day.

“May I call you?”  The question seemed reasonable enough.  He had acted like the perfect gentleman, even walking her to her car.

She leaned back against the car door, stared up at him in disbelief.  “Um...no.” 
I can’t believe I’m saying this
, Isabella thought to herself. 
I must be crazy.  No, just careful.  He could be the next Bundy...or Jack
.  She wasn’t going to make that mistake again.  Never would she fall for someone because of his charm or because he happened to be a great conversationalist.  She noticed the disappointment in his eyes and felt compelled to explain.

“You see,” she said uncertainly, “I’m working on a divorce right now.  I married a man who was incredibly charming, just like you.  I’m still healing from the wounds he left.”  Isabella paused for a moment.  She stood with her head tilted to the side, studying him.  He appeared genuinely disappointed.  Gabriel probably wasn’t interested in anything serious, just some fun.  Fun could be good.  “How about I get to know you better first?  You could earn my phone number.”   Her jaw snapped shut at that.  What made her think he might find her worth the effort?

He pondered the offer for a moment.  “In Montreal, girls are shoving their phone numbers in my pockets,” he mused.  “Here, I run into a woman, a beautiful, intelligent woman who makes me work for hers.”  Isabella didn’t know whether to feel honored, or foolish.  He reached out to her, gently taking both of her hands into his.  “It has been a pleasure to meet you, Isabella.  I think you will be very worth it.  When can we meet again?”

Pasting a smile on his face, Gabriel watched while Isabella drove away.   How had this happened?  He always attained what he desired.  And right now he clearly desired Isabella.  What was it about her?  She didn’t have money.  She wasn’t model beautiful like the rest of the women he knew.  Okay, her hair was a very enchanting brown with golden highlights, and her mouth was small and full, utterly kissable, and he could probably have gotten lost in her dark brown eyes framed with full curled lashes without a moment’s hesitation if he allowed.  He sighed.  She didn’t have the perfect body, although she was…voluptuous.  That was the right word.  She carried a chest that seemed almost too large for her frame, a waist that was almost tiny enough for him to encircle it with his hands.  Her hips spoke to him in their alluring sway.  He shook his head to clear the memory.  And her ass just did not belong on a white woman, so round and utterly appealing. 

Gabriel sighed.  And now she had lured him into some game.  No, that wasn’t right.  She was too honest, too honorable for that.  He was the one playing the game.  He was unbeaten in the realm of women.  He was a conqueror and
he would not be defeated by her.  This was proving to have all the makings of a phenomenal summer.  He smiled as he drove to his new apartment.

A door slammed and the sound of excited voices entered the converted barn Isabella called home.  Heavy feet stomp up the stairs.  Isabella glanced at the clock.  Ouch, 8:30.  Jack crossed the room and stood next to her side of the bed, scowling as he waited for her to open her eyes.

“I have to be at the store by 9.  You knew this, right?”  He sounded irritable.  The kids must have balked at going to bed and awakened him early.  Isabella smirked as she imagined how his night must have played out.  “Why aren’t you up?”

Isabella sat up sleepily.  “I’m up, okay?  You don’t have to stay.  The kids will be perfectly safe with me.”  She stretched and dragged herself out of bed.

“You didn’t answer my question.  Are you sick?”  He almost sounded concerned.

“No.  I went out last night with Jessie.”  She walked into the bathroom to start the shower.  Jack followed to the doorway.

“Since when does Jessie keep you out late?”  He drummed his fingers against the door casing to illustrate his annoyance.  Isabella could see his reflection in the mirror.  He continued to scowl.

“It wasn’t just Jessie.  We were talking with a guy I ran into yesterday.”  She smirked at the memory and saw his eyes narrow angrily.  “Listen Jack, you lost all ability to control my actions when you starting messing around on me.  We are in the middle of a divorce.”  She turned around now to face him.  “I don’t know if you are dating right now.  I don’t want to know.  Maybe you got it all out of your system while we were together.”  She caught him opening his mouth as if to speak, but finished what she intended to say without giving him an opportunity to interject.  “Regardless, if I want to start dating, then I will.  And there is
nothing
for you to say about it.”  She crossed her arms over her chest and looked him directly in the eyes.  He closed his mouth.  There would be no discussion.    Let the lawyers handle it.  Jack stalked from the room, stomped down the stairs, and without saying goodbye to the kids, slammed the door behind him.

The shower was invigorating, just what Isabella needed in order to begin her day.  She was just getting dressed when the phone rang.  It was nine o’clock.  Apparently Jack wasn’t finished yet.  “What?”  Her voice was sharp, a combination of anger and irritation.

“Listen, don’t get snappy with me.  I’ve been up since six this morning and I held off calling you until just now.”  Jessie’s voice on the other end instantly released all the tension that had been building in Isabella.

“Oh, it’s you,” Isabella laughed.  “Actually, I
am
rather surprised you lasted this long.  When did you develop restraint?  Sorry for snapping, by the way.  I thought you were Jack.  We had a bit of a tiff this morning.”  She walked down the stairs with the cordless to make some hot tea and kiss the kids.  They had immediately planted themselves in front of the television to watch Saturday morning cartoons upon their arrival home. 

“Ohhh,” Jessie’s voice burst with excitement.  “Is it because he caught you in bed with Gabriel this morning?” 

“No,” Isabella chuckled, “but that would have been interesting.  He was angry enough that I talked to a man last night.  Forget about Jack.”  She paused and smiled to herself.  “So why did you call?”  She bit back her laughter, knowing full well that Jessie would demand details.  Isabella wasn’t going to make it easy on her.

“That’s right, Isabella.  Pretend you don’t know why I called.”  The game had begun.  Jessie’s goal would be to extricate every little detail and try to decipher any hidden meanings while Isabella tried to get away with giving out as little information as possible.  After all, there really wasn’t much to tell at the moment.

“So, we’re meeting again.  On Thursday this time.”  She hesitated a moment, waiting for Jessie to point out that Thursday had always been girl’s night.  “I know that’s usually our time,” she began apologetically, “but he goes home on the weekends.  I guess I’ll have to hire a sitter, huh?”  Isabella had but a second to wait before getting the expected reaction.

“Isabella, don’t worry about us having to change our weekly ritual,” she began happily.  “If you want to have time to get to know Gabriel, far be it from me to stand in your way.  Friday nights can be our new night.”  She paused before finishing her thought.  “Hey, why don’t I watch the kids?  I’ll bring Steven.  It’ll be great, and free!”   Jessie giggled, thinking herself so clever. 

“You only want to come watch the kids so that you can be here when I get home and pry all the details out of me immediately, rather than having to wait until after work Friday afternoon.”  Isabella attempted to sound somewhat accusing, but they both knew that Jessie would be there at six Thursday evening.

On Thursday, a knock sounded briefly and the door opened before Isabella could jog down two flights of stairs to answer it.  Rebecca and Kyle had completed a gourmet meal of Kid Cuisines and Capri Sun pouches and were playing in their rooms on the second floor.  The kids, having heard the door, came screeching out of their rooms and collided with Isabella on the second floor landing.  Everyone laughed as they raced down the stairs to greet Jessie and Steven. 

Knowing that her attire would be judged as she meandered down the last few steps, Isabella posed like a model, even turning around for her critical audience in the entry way. 

“Is that what you’re wearing?”  Jessie clamped a hand over her chin and shook her head disapprovingly.  

Isabella, suddenly self-conscious, studied her face in the wrought iron mirror near the door.  “What could be wrong with this outfit?  I’m not done my make-up yet, if that’s what you mean, but...”  Her voice trailed off.  Suddenly she became very nervous, not used to having to impress anyone, and feeling seriously out of practice.  “Maybe I’m not ready for this...”  She dropper her shoulders in defeat and let out a sigh.

Walking over to her, Jessie explained, “No, you look fine.”  She patted Isabella’s shoulder comfortingly.  “I shouldn’t have been teasing you like that.  I should have known you were too anxious already.”  She reached into a bag she brought with her and pulled out a sleeveless button down shirt that Isabella had once admired.  “I was going to surprise you with this.  Here,” she said, shoving the shirt at Isabella, “you can wear this if you want.”

Smiling nervously, then impishly, Isabella grabbed the red button down sleeveless shirt and headed back up the stairs to redo her wardrobe.  Once at a safe distance, she hollered over her shoulder, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll stretch out the chest or burst a button?”  Then, giggling, she raced up the stairs, Jessie in pursuit.

Probably because of her soaring anxiety level, Isabella arrived before Gabriel.  She agonized a few moments over whether to wait outside at her car or in The Turtle, and finally determined that waiting in the car made her look insecure.  Better he should find her sitting at a table,
appearing
to be relaxed and confident. 
Of course
, Isabella thought to herself while getting comfortable on the patio,
he may not show at all
. 

Before she could dwell on these negative thoughts, Gabriel crossed the parking lot to stand beside her chair.  “Hello, again, Isabella,” he murmured into her ear, while leaning in to plant a warm, soft kiss on her cheek.  He took the seat across from her.  “Sorry I was late, but I had an errand to run,” he apologized, with an air of mystery.

Detecting the errand may have had something to do with her, Isabella wondered, “An errand, huh?  What kind of errand?”  She found herself slowly relaxing in his presence.

“Just this,” he said, passing her a single yellow rose bud, surrounded with ferns and baby’s breath.  Isabella smiled wistfully.  “The yellow stands for friendship.  We can start as friends, can’t we?  If this turns into something more, then...”  His voice trailed off as he gazed into her eyes, trying to decipher her reaction.

Isabella wore a dreamy look now.  For a moment, she was trying to remember the last time she received flowers that didn’t have any strings attached.  Always they were a guilt gift from Jack, just like the Vermont Teddy Bear, or her amazing four poster bed, or even those fancy dinners.  This simple yellow rose could be a first.  She stared at him, utterly taken aback from having received a gift so pure.  She inhaled sharply then pulling herself together, took the rose he offered her and breathed in its fragrance, which proved to be positively therapeutic.