Drops of Blue (2 page)

Chapter Four

They went to the park after dinner: the one with the walking path around its lake.

The cool evening air chilled Emily, and Henry offered her his jacket.

“A true gentleman, I see,” she remarked, snuggling into the warmth of his coat.

“I do what I can,” he told her, reaching out and grabbing her hand.

They walked quietly around the pond, watching gentle ripples of the water. She leaned in close to him, feeling ripples in her own heart. It had been so long since she’d been out on her own. It had been so long since she’d just been
Emily
and not
Dillon’s mom
or
waitress
or
grieving daughter.

“I love this,” she murmured, resting her head on his shoulder. Without hesitation, Henry lifted her chin with his finger, bringing her soft lips to meet his.

A tingle of excitement shot down her spine as she soaked up every second of the kiss.

“You’re amazing, Emily,” he told her, kissing her again and again.

“Okay, slow down there, Cowboy,” she said with a sheepish grin. “You’re going to get me all excited.”

“So what?” He kissed her again. “Maybe I want you to be all excited for me.”

Emily gazed at him with longing and kissed him again. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her. She’d known it from the first time he walked into the diner. Now she had him all to herself, but she didn’t know if she had the nerve.

“I am excited,” she whispered. “But it’s just-“

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” he interjected, gently parting her lips with his tongue. If nothing else, Henry knew his way around a woman’s lips. Emily guessed he knew his way around the rest of a woman, too. His hands rested on her lower back, bringing her closer into him.

She kissed him back deeply, enjoying every second of his tongue wrapping around hers.

And then, just as suddenly as he had started kissing her, Henry stopped.

"Shall we finish our walk?" He smiled. Emily thought she saw a twinkle in his mischievous eye. She nodded and smiled, taking his hand. She bit her lip, trying to avoid thinking about the growing moisture in her panties.

He had gotten her excited.

And then he had cut her off.

Emily wiggled slightly as they walked, trying to adjust her panties discreetly. Why-oh-why hadn’t she worn the thong? Why-oh-why had he gotten her so wet so quickly?

She didn’t mind one bit, but she couldn’t help but wonder what might come next.

She loved walking around the lake in the evening. There was something so incredibly simple, yet romantic, about enjoying just a few moments alone in the wonderment of nature. She tried not to ruin the moment with her lustful urges.

"It must be hard," Henry commented as they made their way across a narrow bridge.

"What must be hard?"

"Being a single mom. Handling everything on your own. Being everything to Dillon."

"It is," she commented quietly. Emily wasn't the type to open up too quickly. After all, she'd been hurt before. She'd lost before. She'd fallen madly in love and then been pushed wildly out of it.

Sometimes it was best to be careful.

But Henry was so calm, so kind, so sweet.

He didn't push her.

He just listened.

"I didn't plan to be a single mom," Emily said finally. "It just sort of happened. And then, once I'd finally gotten used to the idea and sort of gotten a handle on things, my mom passed away. She was the one who was really helping me to deal with everything. She was the one who always pushed me to keep going."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Henry said simply. She had heard it many times before. It was really the only thing people knew to say.

What did it mean, really? "I'm sorry for your loss"? It was just something people said. No one really understood what the words were supposed to imply. It was like "Nice to meet you" or "I'm doing well today."

Just words.

But Henry seemed to actually mean them.

"I am too. And I’m sorry for yours,” she told him, remembering his wife. “You must miss her.”

“Every day,” he told her. “But meeting you has helped me to realize that life is still moving forward. It’s not fair to anyone to live in the past.”

“You’re right, but that doesn’t mean it’s not hard.”

“Of course it’s hard. It’s absolutely hard. If living without someone was easy, we wouldn’t feel so broken when we lost someone.” Henry gripped her hand as they walked, squeezing it comfortingly. Somehow, being with someone who understood made her think that maybe things would be okay. Maybe someday. Maybe she’d find a sense of “normal,” whatever that might be.

"Emily," Henry stopped walking and turned to her. He stroked her cheek softly with the back of his hand. Without hesitation, she nuzzled it softly, enjoying the sweet sensation.

He leaned down and kissed her again.

"Let's get you home, Sweetie."

Chapter Five

"Tell me everything."

Allie was biting her lip with anticipation. She wasn’t even the one dating, but she was sitting on the edge of her seat. Emily smiled and blushed slightly. Allie was a good friend, but was she close enough to share the intimate details of her date with?

It had, after all, been Emily’s first date in months.

And she really didn’t want to jinx it, not when the relationship was going so well.

“He’s…fantastic,” Emily said finally.

“I know! I can tell. You’re practically glowing, Em.” Allie grabbed for her coffee mug and took a sip, enjoying the pick-me-up the hot beverage provided. “You have to tell me all about it. Did he kiss you? Who am I joking?
Of course
he kissed you. Was it good? Was it awkward? Did you get all wet and tingly?”

“Allie!” Emily threw a pillow at her friend.

“Come on! I babysat! I deserve to hear some dirty stories.”

“It was good,” Emily smiled softly, staring into her own cup of coffee. It was true, too. Henry had been a perfect gentleman. When he walked her to the door to say goodnight, she found herself wishing that the night would never end.

For too many days, Emily had spent her time reliving the last time she saw her mother.

To be fair, the casket had been beautiful: her mother’s dress pristine. But somehow, the only thing she remembered about the moment she whispered
goodbye
was how lifelike her mother looked.

She didn’t look dead.

Emily had wondered, momentarily, if her mom would jump up and yell “Surprise.” That would be quite the joke, and mother had always been a prankster.

But she hadn’t jumped up.

It hadn’t been a joke.

Emily had stood by the side of her mother’s coffin and she had cried until she could cry no more. Her teardrops had fallen against her mother’s soft skin and splashed, smearing the makeup only just a little.

And even though she had grieved tremendously, Emily had never felt a true sense of closure in the matter.

But now she had someone to take her mind off of things. Now she had someone to help her with the hard moments. Now she had someone she could turn to, crawl toward, belong with.

“He makes me feel really special. He makes me feel real. I haven’t felt that way in a long time.”

“I get what you mean. After my brother died, I felt like there was nothing left keeping me going. When Mark came along, though, everything changed.” Allie glanced toward a picture of her husband on their wedding day. His dark grey suit perfectly contrasted his dazzling green eyes.

It had been almost ten years, Emily knew, but Allie was still just as happy as she had been on her wedding day. Mark had brought her out of a deep sadness and a place of mourning and shown her what life could really be like.

Maybe she would have something like that with Henry.

Maybe it was too soon to be thinking that way.

“You’re right. It’s nice to have something to take my mind off things. It’s more than that, though.” Emily paused for a moment, trying to find the right words to describe the way that she felt. “It’s like I’m not just a mom anymore. I’m not just a grieving daughter. I’m a woman. I’m feminine. I’m precious. And I can spend all the time in the world just getting lost in his eyes.”

Chapter 6

Work couldn’t go any slower.

Emily stared at the clock, hardly daring to take her eyes off it until it read 1:30.

Henry, ever the punctual one, waltzed into the diner at his usual time. He walked up to the counter with his usual swagger and made his way to his usual barstool.

But then he did something quite unusual.

He leaned across the counter and kissed Emily square on the mouth.

“I missed you this morning,” he told her.

“I-I missed you, too,” she stuttered, surprised at his display of affection.

She loved it. She loved every touch they shared. It was hard to focus knowing that they would share more touches, then more. Emily found herself constantly thinking of Henry and all the things he would say or do. She found herself thinking about his stories, about his laugh, about the way he carried himself across the room.

She couldn’t stop thinking about the way he sipped his coffee.

She couldn’t stop thinking about him until he was with her.

“Go out with me again tonight,” he told her with a smile. “I can’t stop thinking about you. I want to see you again.”

“I’d love to, but I’ll have Dillon. Allie has other plans tonight, so I don’t have a sitter.”

“That’s okay. Why don’t I come over?” He must have sensed Emily’s hesitation, because Henry quickly added, “After Dillon is bed. I don’t intend to cause any trouble or awkwardness for you.”

Emily appreciated his gesture. Though Dillion was eight, he was still just a little boy to her. Emily wasn’t sure how to introduce the idea of her dating to him, so she just didn’t. She knew that one day, at some point, she would have to tell him that she’d met someone.

But that didn’t have to be tonight, did it?

Couldn’t tonight be just for her and Henry?

“Okay,” she said after a moment. “Tonight after 9:30. Don’t be early.”

“I won’t, Beautiful.”

“Do you want a sandwich today?” Emily asked, noticing that Henry was standing up.

“No, I have to run a few errands before I head back to work. I just needed to see you today.”

He leaned over and kissed her again, this time taking a few minutes to explore her mouth passionately. Emily knew that if her boss was here, she’d be in for it.

Fortunately, the only other person in the diner was an old man named Hank who sat at the end of the bar and drank coffee all day.

And he certainly didn’t seem to mind the show.