Page 7 of The High Price Of Loneliness

Edward paused before answering her question, then shared, “When I meet people—whether it is business or personal—I do make it a point to observe and try to discover what is most important to someone. What drives them.”

Seeing the opportunity to bring the conversation back to their night together, she couldn’t resist asking, “Oh, and which of those four primal drives do you think motivate me?” Angelica smiled, anxious to see if Mr. Gray was as smart as he sounded.

There was a short pause over the phone. She imagined she could hear Edward breathing as she waited to hear how he saw her. “Well, I would like you to ask me again after we have spent more time together, but my first impression of you tells me your number one highest value is love and connection.” Then he added the all-important headline, “You are a romantic.”

Angelica’s eyes opened a bit wider hearing him accurately describe her heart. “What makes you say that?”

Gray paused before continuing, “Because of your eyes. When you returned to the restaurant late tonight to find me still there, waiting for the princess to return after hours had gone by, your eyes lit up like it was a test to see if I would wait that long for you. And when you saw me still there waiting just for one more chance to see you, it filled you up inside.”

Angelica asked in amazement, “How could you tell that? Are you a mind reader?”

Gray said in the deepest register of his voice, “No, I could just feel your energy from across the room. Then, when we kissed, I could feel both your softness and your passion. So, I knew, with certainty, that you are a romantic. Angelica, your number one value—I am guessing—is love.”

She felt her heart racing as she lay there in bed. She would never be able to fall asleep now that adrenaline was coursing through her. Edward had seen her from across the room on a date with another when he intervened. But now, she discovered, here was a man who really saw her. A dozen thoughts were now competing for her attention as she paused before asking, “So, what does that mean? And what about you?”

Edward’s deep voice guided her slowly. “All this in time,” he shared. “But I will tell you now that keeping you and your heart safe will be my biggest responsibility. I don’t ever want to hurt you or let you down. I have no sad stories in my life, Angelica, and I don’t want to create any with you.”

Angelica nodded into this last revelation as she agreed, “I’ve had enough of those already.” She paused, thinking about some of the pain in her past relationships. Somehow, they all seemed to follow the same pattern, eventually.

But that thought was happily interrupted by his voice again. “If you decide to take this chance with me, if you do this and are truly mine and no one else’s, then, and only then, can I protect us both. It is that dangerous place in the middle where we have one foot on the boat and one foot on the dock where we are most apt to fall and get hurt. Let’s talk more about this in person when I see you on a real date, which was the promise I made to you when we kissed goodnight.”

Angelica smiled, “Oh, so you remembered!”

“Yes, a first promise made, and it is now being kept. When may I see you again, Kitten?” Edward asked with a flair of his charm. Her face beamed with a broad smile hearing his question.

“First of all, I love the nickname ‘Kitten,’” she cooed. “And, as far as a date night, were you thinking Friday or Saturday?” she asked, not wanting to appear too anxious.

She loved his reply which came barreling back across the phone without delay. “There is no way I want to wait that long. I was thinking of tomorrow. Are you available for lunch or dinner?”

Angelica’s heart was pumping with excitement again.He can’t wait to see me!she thought to herself. “Dinner tomorrow night would be great,” she said, trying to sound cool and calm and collected.

She heard only the confident voice of a man who knows what he wants in his reply. “I will pick you up at 7 p.m. Wear heels. I am taking you somewhere very nice,” Gray said. Smiling into the phone, her mind was racing again, already starting to think of what to wear for him, as she heard him say, “Good night, Angelica. I hope you have amazing dreams.”

As Angelica answered, “Goodnight,” a moment of silence went by before a click ended their call. Now that she was alone and it was safe, she was overcome with energy—kicking both of her legs under the sheet up and down, giggling the entire time for a while. Magic!

The next day took forever to pass. She looked at the clock more than every hour, waiting for seven o’clock and her date with Edward. Why didn’t she accept the lunch invite? When finally, it was 4 p.m., she started getting ready early. There was no way she would be a minute late for this date.What a difference just one day can make, she thought. But it wasn’t just a different day. It was the feeling of being the center of his powerful attention. A man who could have anything or probably almost anyone he wanted—chose her.

It was a mix of nervous energy and excitement as she started getting ready. She picked out several of her favorite outfits and shoes. Especially the shoes, of course, as Mr. Gray requested that she wear heels, since he was taking her somewhere nice. He didn’t say where—perhaps that was part of his mystery and charm. But he was a man who knew what he wanted and was clear about it. And he was making plans for them! No one else had ever spoken to her the way he did, so confident and clear, but with a calm and powerful voice. She could listen to him for hours.

Tonight was going to be big, and she was curious if Gray would take her back to his home and let her see his Red Playroom. Her mind raced, thinking of what that might be like. What did he have in store for her? She finally picked a black cocktail dress that was elegant but did show off her curves. He had already seen her in red the night before, so definitely the black dress and stiletto heels with red bottoms. Just a touch of red as a reminder of the night before. Perfect!

Could she stop pacing and watching the clock? At six-thirty, she was looking out the window waiting anxiously for Gray’s car when her phone rang, and it was him! “Good evening, Ms. Hart.”

Her energy was bubbling over, and she responded smiling through the phone, “I’m so glad you called, and I’m so excited to see you. Are you on your way?”

She waited anxiously to hear him confirm, hoping he wasn’t canceling or rescheduling at the last minute. That had happened to her more than once before, and it would simply kill her if that happened with him, of all people.

She smiled with huge relief when she heard, “Of course, I’m just leaving now, but I wanted to suggest you bring a light sweater in case it gets cool this evening.”

“But it’s Florida. It’s rarely sweater weather here.”

Edward gave her a bit of a sneak preview of his plans. “Yes. I agree. But I’m taking you to the theater after dinner, and sometimes it gets a bit cool there.”

Understanding his plans better now, she asked, “Oh, we’re going to the movies?”

The answer she received made her eyes widen. “No,” Gray countered, “Not exactly. I’m taking you to the Performing Arts Center. I’m a season member with box seats for all their shows. I thought you might enjoy it. Bring a wrap, Kitten, and I’ll see you soon.”

The Performing Arts Center. She had heard about it often but had not been since her high school class trip years ago. How exciting and sophisticated, being whisked out to dinner and an elegant evening! She quickly checked her dress again. Was she dressed up enough for something this fancy?Oh, shoot, there’s no time to change again—he is on his way. Her heart was racing as she touched up her makeup one last time and grabbed her smallest purse and a light black sweater wrap that was very soft. Her only cashmere had been a gift from her grandmother years ago. She still missed her grandmother and had only worn her sweater once before, to keep it safe, but always loved how soft it felt.

---