Wishing On A Starr (6 page)
Read Wishing On A Starr Online
Authors: Adrianne Byrd
“Dinner? Movie? Do you know?” Gia asked with furrowed brows.
“Huh? Oh, uh-yeah.” He glanced away with his face burning from embarrassment. “How does Aureole sound to you?”
“Sounds wonderful. I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard great things about the restaurant.”
“Then prepare to be in for a treat.” He slid his key into the ignition and Nat King Coles’ unmistakable voice filtered through the speakers singing “The Christmas Song.”
“The holidays come faster every year,” Gia marveled.
Unable to ignore the sad tone in her voice, Daniel glanced at her. “You don’t like the holidays?”
Sighing, she glanced out the side of her window and seemed reluctant to answer the question.
“Well, not everyone does,” he continued as he pulled out into traffic. “I know a part of me is saddened by the gross commercialization of the season.” He glanced over at her in time to see he’d captured her attention again. “But I have to admit that it’s my favorite time of the year.”
Again she drew a breath, and held onto her smile. “I know what you want me to say, but to be honest-this time of year is usually hard for me. However, this year I’m determined to turn over a new leaf...if I can.”
Daniel wanted to inquire further when the voice of reason intervened and told him not push or pry. It was obvious she was holding back and because they were still strangers, he needed to respect her privacy. Yet, his curiosity was still piqued.
“Well. What is it that you do, Mr. Davis?”
“I’m a pediatrician.”
“Oh.” Her voice lowered. “It’s Dr. Davis then?”
“Yes, but you can call me Daniel.” He chuckled, but when he looked at her, there was no amusement in her expression. That’s odd. Most of the time when he told women he was a doctor, they seemed quite pleased. “Is something wrong?”
“No, no.” She tried to cover with a smile, yet it was painfully obvious that something was indeed wrong. In her apartment everything seemed to have been going well. Now it all seemed to have spun on its ear.
Gia returned her attention to the scenery outside of her window.
Ten minutes into the drive, all Daniel could picture in his head was a plane nose-diving from the air. He hadn’t crashed and burned this badly since junior high school.
“So are you a native New Yorker?” she asked.
“No.” He grabbed hold of the lifeline and held on tight. “Actually, I was born in Tennessee.”
“A fellow southerner?” Her voice rose in surprise.
Daniel nodded while cautiously shifting lanes. “Just for a brief time. My family moved when I was two. My father was in the army and we pretty much just bounced from state to state. I even lived in Germany for a couple of years.”
When he glanced at her again he was pleased to see a smile had finally returned to her face. “What about you? Where are you from?”
“Georgia.”
“Atlanta?”
“Nah,” she chuckled softly. “I’m from a tiny place called Talboton-a place where it’s easy to get lost and where very few people escape.”
“So I take it you’re one of the lucky ones?” he joked.
“Luck had very little to do with it.” She drew a deep breath. “New York is perfect for me. It’s a melting pot of cultures and the pace is as fast and strong as a human heartbeat. I love it.”
Daniel caught the way her eyes sparkled as she talked and glanced around. The air between them was charged with her electricity and passion. It was suddenly clear why a small southern town couldn’t hold the fiery beauty for long.
Minutes later, they arrived at their destination. The knots in Daniel’s stomach remained tight as he stepped out of the car and handed his keys over to the valet. Before entering the building, he offered Gia his arm.
Her winning smile melted another inch of his heart. This time he noted it held a certain familiarity and he was taken aback by it.
Both handed their coats over at coat check. At the hostess stand, they were greeted with smiles before being shown to their reserved table.
“This place is beautiful,” Gia cooed as she glanced around. “Have you been here before?”
“A few times.” He held out her chair.
When she lowered into her seat, he gently slid her closer to the table and whispered in her ear. “The food here is exquisite.”
She sucked in her breath. “Then I can’t wait.”
Before Daniel moved away, he caught the soft floral scent of her hair and the tangy sweet fragrance of her perfume.
“Good evening.” Their waitress appeared and immediately rattled off the specials of the day.
Daniel didn’t hear a word the woman said. He simply couldn’t pull his gaze away from the beauty sitting across from him.
“I’ll give you a few minutes to decide,” the waitress ended, and then drifted away.
“You’re going to have to stop that,” Gia said slyly, grinning at him.
“Stop what?”
“Staring at me like that.”
A rush of embarrassment scorched his face as he finally succeeded in glancing away. “Sorry.”
“No need to apologize,” she said warmly. “It’s actually kind of sweet...but it’s also making me nervous,” she confessed.
He was surprised by the information, especially since she seemed so calm, cool, and collected. “In that case, I’ll try not to stare.”
“Thanks.”
“But no promises,” he added with a smile.
Gia blushed and made another sad attempt to squash the mad fluttering in her stomach. Her long bouts of silence weren’t caused by indifference or melancholy. She honestly couldn’t seem to control her emotions. His lingering gazes had the same effect as a lover’s caress and his voice...
She permitted herself a soft sigh. She could easily cuddle up and listen to him talk all night. Her reaction to him was confusing, wonderful, and scary-all at the same time.
When the waitress returned, both confessed that they had yet to take a peek inside the menu and requested a few more minutes to make their decision. Even that turned out to be a game of stolen glances.
The man had no right to look so good, she mused, nor did he have the right to be so perfect. She couldn’t remember a man opening car doors, or holding out chairs for her. Not to mention that he also adored his daughter, loved the holidays, and was a physician. And even though she didn’t care for doctors, she could easily see herself caring for this one.
Daniel wasn’t the kind of man a woman just dated casually. She knew without a doubt, he was the kind you kept-a “death ‘til you part” kind. The million-dollar question was whether she was ready for a relationship-truly ready.
A part of her screamed,
yes
. Then there was that part that ebbed at her soul and recycled a question in her mind: What if you get hurt again?
The waitress’ third appearance jarred her out of her reverie and she arbitrarily selected an appetizer and an entree.
“Hmm. Those are very good choices,” the waitress said, accepting the menu. “And what about you, sir?”
“I’ll have what the lady is having,” he replied with a smirk and handed over his menu.
When they were left alone, the couple’s gazes met once again. How in the world was she going to eat if she didn’t tame those damn butterflies?
“You’re going to have to forgive me,” Daniel said after the silence. “I’m a little out of practice.”
“Don’t worry,” she assured him. “You’re doing fine.”
His widening smile stirred her butterflies and she finally gave up in trying to control them. Their conversation remained light and on safe topics until they were halfway through their main course.
“Does dating ever stop feeling like you’re cheating on your dead spouse?” Daniel asked out of the blue.
Gia’s heart squeezed as she stared into his intense gaze. “It hasn’t for me.”
Daniel nodded, but then settled back in his chair. “Do you mind telling me about him?”
She clenched her jaw against the threat of tears. It had been so long since she’d talked about her husband. When Jermaine first passed away, everyone had been so busy telling her how she needed to move on, or how to bury the past, that she was reduced to just speaking his name in the confinements of her dark and lonely bedroom.
“What would you like to know about him?” she asked cautiously before taking a sip of her wine.
“I guess first, what was his name?”
Smiling, she lowered her glass. “Jermaine.”
“Jermaine,” Daniel repeated with a healthy dose of respect. “How did you two meet? And more importantly, what did he do to make you fall in love with him?”
The tears continued to inch their way toward the rim of her eyes, yet, it felt incredibly wonderful to breathe life back into a man whose footprints walked beside hers for a brief time in her life.
“I don’t remember how I met Jermaine,” she stated honestly. “He was just always there and I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love him. Like I said, Talboton is a small place. Everyone knows everyone. Children you played with on your first birthday are the same ones you graduate with from high school. It was the same for Jermaine and I-except I’d dropped out of high school when I got pregnant and married Jermaine.”
She caught the question in his expression before he had a chance to voice it. “I know I told you that I didn’t have any children...but the truth is more complicated than that.”
Daniel stretched his hand out to cover hers. “Look you don’t have to discuss this if you don’t want to,” he assured her.
“I know,” she whispered and gently flipped his hand over and caressed his palm.
Daniel sucked in a breath and pulled his hand away.
Surprised, Gia also pulled back and settled her hands into her lap. “Is something wrong?” she asked.
His eyes glossed, but no tears fell as he shook his head. “No.” He stretched his hand across the table again and waited. “I have a feeling that everything is just how it’s supposed to be.”
Gia stared at his long fingers and then into his dark eyes. Without another thought, she placed her hand back into his. He’s a keeper, a voice floated inside of her head.
But am I ready?
Their date floated like a dream and Gia never did get around to telling Daniel the truth about her daughter. Instead, the couple conversed about the trials and heartaches of being the spouse left behind. When dinner came to an end, Gia praised how much she enjoyed the evening.
“It’s not over yet,” he said, starting the car.
Gia glanced at her watch and noted it was nearing eleven. “I don’t know. It’s getting kind of late.” The longer she was with him, the more in danger she was to losing her heart. “I really-”
“Come on. Trust me. You’re going to love this next stop.” Daniel winked, and then surprised Gia by taking her to Brooklyn to the Up and Over Jazz Café.
“You’re a fan?” she inquired, gazing over at him.
“Fan is too mild a word,” he confided as he led her to a small circular table near the front. “Wait until you get a load The Eddie Allen Quartet,” he whispered, pulling out her chair.
Gia didn’t have the heart to tell him that she didn’t know the first thing about jazz. Her music heroes were a weird mesh of Michael Jackson and Run DMC; however, when an older gentleman lifted his saxophone and played a soul-stirring melody, she was hooked. Throughout the song, she couldn’t pull her gaze way from the musician. And though there were no words, she was certain that it was a song about loneliness and heartbreak.
When the haunting melody ended, she wiped her tears and applauded.
“I hope that means you like it?” Daniel asked.
“That was beautiful,” she said, mopping her eyes again.
“Yeah. T.K. Blue can play a mean sax.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the lovely Up and Over Jazz Café,” T.K. greeted the audience. “We hope you’ll enjoy your evening with us tonight. If this is your first time, please make yourself right at home.” He smiled and then squinted down into the front row. “Well, well. Look who we have here with us tonight.”
Gia followed the man’s gaze and was stunned that it landed on her date.
“Dr. Daniel Davis,” their host laughed. “Mighty long time since we’ve seen you here.”
Daniel gave him a tentative nod and a broad smile.
“Maybe if we ask nicely, we can get the good doctor to join us on a few numbers.”
“No, no,” Daniel chuckled.
However, the crowd applauded and tried their best to coax him up on the stage.
“You should play,” Gia also encouraged. Dr. Davis was full of surprises.
He shook his head. “It’s been
too
long.”
“C’mon, man. Get your butt up here,” T.K. commanded.
“I would love to hear you play,” Gia said sweetly.
Daniel hesitated and stared into her eyes. “In that case, I’ll do it…for you.” He winked at her and stood from his chair.
She watched him as he made his way to the stage while the applause grew louder. The musicians huddled for a moment and then finally Daniel took his place behind the piano.