Page 44 of A Chance at Forever
As the friends sat around the campfire and roasted hot dogs, Steve slapped Rusty on the back and declared, “Great game again tonight, Coach. Looks like you’ve got another winning season on your hands.”
“It’s too early to tell, but the team has tremendous potential and determination.”
“You know how to motivate them,” Danny added. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Okay, guys,” Jonica interjected. “Can’t you see you’re embarrassing Rusty?”
“No, I can’t,” her husband joked. “It’s too dark.”
“Stick to your day job, honey. You won’t make it as a standup comedian.”
“Ouch. That hurt.”
After they finished the hot dogs, the friends’ good-natured bantering and laughter echoed off the lake as they indulged themselves with s’mores. They settled back on the Adirondack chairs and listened to Danny and Victoria strum their guitars.
“Sing something for us, Tori,” Mia suggested.
Since unlocking the music inside her, Victoria had found joy and comfort in it again. “What would you like to hear?”
“Something fun and lighthearted.”
“All right. Danny, you know this one.” Victoria played the opening chords of “Don’t Worry Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin.
Danny grinned and started to play the upbeat song. “Sure do. Let me give you a four-beat intro.”
Victoria perched on the edge of her Adirondack chair with her legs crossed. Her foot kept time as she sang the mood-lifting lyrics. At the end of the song, everyone chorused the final words. Then Danny and Victoria fell into their old habit of dueling guitars to see who could play the fastest rhythm and outlast the other. Every once in a while during the challenge, Victoria caught Rusty staring at her. His eyes glittered in the firelight with an undefinable emotion and mesmerized her. When she made a mistake and missed a chord, she lost the final battle.
Danny chortled with glee. “Ah, I win, Tori. Do you still have the trophy from our last challenge?”
“I do.” Their “trophy” was a key chain with a guitar charm dangling from it. She’d stuffed it in the pocket of her jeans earlier, anticipating their duel tonight. “Here. Next time I won’t lose.”
Danny brandished the key chain. “Yeah, we’ll see.”
Everyone laughed.
The friends bid each other farewell toward midnight after Victoria sang “All I Have to Do Is Dream” by the Everly Brothers. Mia and Jonica volunteered to help Victoria clean up, but Rusty told them that he would take care of it.
As Victoria put away the leftover marshmallows and graham crackers, Rusty came up behind her and trapped her between his body and the granite counter.
“You sing like an angel.” The huskiness of his voice sent a thrill through her, and she shivered. “I didn’t get the chance to tell you that last weekend.”
Heat emanated from him, and Victoria turned to face him. Rusty towered over her, and she had to lean her head back to meet his hot gaze. He cupped her face. His thumb brushed the contours of her mouth. The sensual movement brought a flush to her cheeks and robbed her of breath. A sweet heat spread through her like warm honey.
A deep, hungry yearning turned Rusty’s eyes to liquid pools of green. He wanted to kiss her. Victoria’s heart slammed into her chest.
Common sense prevailed. “Rusty, please don’t,” she whispered. Abject misery rose from the depth of her soul. She wanted to kiss him, too.
Rusty moaned low in his throat and pressed his forehead against hers. “This…whateverthisis…finding you…has taken me completely by surprise. I wasn’t prepared for it, foryou, wasn’t even expecting it. I suspect the same is true for you since you ran all the way home to get away from your ex.” He lifted his head. “If it’s too much, if you think we should give each other some space, I’ll understand. Before you answer, though, I need to know one thing. Are you in love with Alan?”
Without hesitating, Victoria gripped his forearms. “No, I’m not. I never loved him. I only fooled myself into believing in the possibility that he might love me, when it was nothing more than a joke to him.Iwas a joke to him.”
Relief swept across his face. “I’m glad to hear you’re not in love with him, but I’d like to pulverize him for treating you like that.” His palm caressed her cheek. “Shall I stop coming by for dinner? Troy told me you were teased pretty badly the other day.”
“The kids didn’t mean any harm. It was cute, actually. I like spending time with you, Rusty. I likeyou,” she confessed, then blushed again.
“Good, because I like you, too.” Rusty pressed soft kisses against her forehead, the tip of her nose, and her cheeks before he put distance between them. “Would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow night? Dinner and a movie?”
“I’d love to. What time?”
