Page 43 of Miracles and Marriage
“So much for a walk along the beach,” Zoe said gazing at the gray sky. “It’s going to pour.”
“It’ll keep most folks home tonight, So maybe we’ll try a restaurant that’s closer,” Cal said.
Zoe looked at him. She had been doing him a disservice. She didn’t want to explain Cal to her family, but she was entitled to see whomever she wished wherever she wished. Having dinner with someone didn’t necessarily mean more than having dinner together. So what if someone saw them?
Cal had been very accommodating. She owed him better.
“We can try the seafood place on Main Street,” she said. “And who cares what gossip makes it to my folks.”
“Maybe none will.”
Zoe was more concerned about the afternoon. Dinner wasn’t for hours. What would they do in the meantime? Her imagination spiked.
As soon as they reached the cottage, Cal stood on the porch, watching the waves. “Find a couple of blankets and let’s sit outside and watch the storm build.”
Zoe liked the idea. She relished the power of Mother Nature and often sat on the covered porch during summer thunderstorms. No one else in the family cared to brave the elements at this time of year. Had she found a kindred spirit with Cal?
She ran upstairs and brought down two old quilts. They pulled the rattan love seat closer to the screen where they had an unimpeded view of the breakers. Sitting side by side, Zoe felt a spark of surprise when Cal tucked the quilt in around her and sat close, his thigh pressing against hers as he tucked the second quilt around his legs, his arms free.
“You’ll get cold,” she warned, feeling anything but cold herself.
“If I do I’ll bundle up more. Or you can keep me warm,” he said, reaching an arm around her shoulders and pulling her evencloser. “Now, tell me all about Zoe Blackstone and her very large family.”
They spent the afternoon talking about childhood memories and family vacations. Her stories were vastly different being one of several children. Sometimes Cal commented on how fortunate she was to have a large family.
She knew he missed his uncle. How odd to be the last of a family. She couldn’t imagine it.
Time seemed to fly by. The rain came as expected, blowing enough to force them back from the screen. But not enough to drive them inside.
Zoe grew aware she spoke more than he did as the afternoon passed, but did glean facts she’d never known before. His experiences as an only child fascinated her. She loved hearing him talk about the quiet vacations he and his uncle had taken, how they celebrated holidays and birthdays.
She wished she’d met Hal. He must have been a special kind of man to raise his sister’s child and give Cal such a good basis for growing into adulthood.
Dinner was pleasant, without anyone she recognized in the restaurant. She worried too much about rumors flying. She wasn’t doing anything wrong, yet keeping secrets was making her paranoid. Once assured there was no one to relay details to her parents about the man she brought to the cottage, she relaxed and enjoyed the meal.
As they drew closer to finishing, Zoe grew more and more nervous. Cal said they should get the first time over with. She knew he was right—the longer they delayed, the harder it would be.
Not that making love with Cal would be difficult, but she’d never been one to indulge in casual sex, and didn’t feel she knew him as well as she hoped she would before they slept together. She liked him, more and more as they got better acquainted.If she let herself, she’d fantasize about this very sexy boss. But she was trying to keep an even keel—made more difficult by the impending night.
Thinking about sleeping together had Zoe put down her fork. She couldn’t eat another morsel the anticipation was so strong. She wanted to delay the return to the cottage. She wanted to go right now. She couldn’t make up her mind.
“Had enough?” Cal asked.
“Yes,” she said.
She should have stuck to her original plan to find a man to fall in love with, get married and have a baby. Only it wasn’t always possible to find a husband on demand.
When they reached the cottage, Zoe could hardly think straight. She wasn’t in this alone, Was Cal equally nervous? Glancing at him convinced her otherwise. She doubted anything bothered him. He was cool in crisis situations. And this hardly qualified as a crisis.
“Relax,” he said, closing the cottage door behind him. “We’re not going to do anything you don’t want.”
She jumped and turned to face him. He could read minds. Slipping out of her jacket, she let it fall onto a nearby chair, her gaze locked with his.
“I do want.”
“I want more than just compliance for the bargain’s sake,” he said, stepping closer.
Gently he ran a finger along her cheek, tracing the jawline. She looked into his eyes, reassured by the desire she saw. He wanted her as much as she wanted him.
