Page 38 of A Heart of Little Faith
He’d never picked her up before, and as he pulled onto the FDR he was uncomfortably aware of how much like a date this appeared. “All that’s missing is a bouquet of flowers,” he scoffed. Ordinarily, they arranged to meet each other, but she’d have to take a cab or a subway to the stadium. Or drive herself. He didn’t like any of those ideas, especially since she’d be traveling alone to the Bronx. He’d thought about sending a car for her, but that was ridiculous. Better to drive her himself. It gave him a rare chance to use his van, anyway. He missed driving—the hum of the motor, the rhythmic weave between lanes, the leashed power of the machine. Still, he swore to himself. Traffic was brutal. Why had the city built a stadium in the Bronx anyway?
He tapped his thumb on the steering wheel and shifted in his seat as he rationalized his actions. Friends drove each other places. Just because he was a guy who picked up a girl, didn’t mean it was a date, even if the girl was attractive. Especially wearing her hair pulled into a ponytail and stuck through the back of a pink baseball cap. It swung like a pendulum whenever she moved her head. Had he not been required to focus on the game day traffic all around him, he could have spent hours mesmerized by the hypnotic swing of her chestnut hair. His fingers itched to run through it and to wrap its silkiness around them. Her tight white shirt emphasized the swell of her breasts and her short jeans shorts showed off her creamy legs. He longed to bring her into his lap, flip her legs over his shoulders and explore all of the curves of her body until he’d traced every satiny inch of her. And she smelled delicious. He wanted to nuzzle his nose into her neck and disappear forever.
He sighed as he changed lanes and prepared to take the Willis Avenue Bridge exit. He couldn’t blame anyone but himself for his predicament. He’d vowed not to date after his accident, and he’d kept his vow for three years. But then he’d made the stupid bargain with Lily. The bargain felt more like a date every time they did something together, and it just made him ache for what he couldn’t have.
It should have been simple. And in theory, it was. But in actuality, he was unable to convince himself it wasn’t a date, especially since the more he was in her company, the more he was attracted to her. Like now. He was hyper aware of her—her scent, her sighs, everything. Not to mention people began to call them a couple. He groaned when he remembered the messages Steve sent him after their company dinner, complimenting him on his “date.”
“Is something wrong?” Her words jolted him out of his reverie like a shot out of a cannon and he whipped his head around to her.
“Wrong? Why?” He continued to stare at her until a car horn, and Lily’s gasp, forced him to swerve into his own lane. With a muttered curse, he focused on the road.
“You groaned just now and you’ve been awfully quiet since you picked me up.”
“Sorry, I was just thinking.” He searched in vain for a topic to talk about, and drew a blank.
Lily ran her fingers over the buttery leather seat. “Nice set up.”
“What?” He turned to her again, until she jabbed her well-manicured finger at the road.What does she mean? This isn’t a set up. It’s part of our deal.
“Your van. It’s a nice set up you’ve got here.”
“Oh,” he answered, his voice hoarse. “Yeah, it gets me where I need to go.” The van was specially converted with hand controls. A ramp and lift allowed Gideon to wheel his chair into the van. One of the middle seats had been removed and the driver’s seat swiveled so he could transfer from his chair to the seat. “I don’t get to drive it often. But I like the freedom. How was the movie last night?” He frowned as he asked the question.Great, distract her with thoughts of Tony. That’s an improvement.
“Well, considering Tony picked it…”
“Are you kidding me? You let him pick the movie?”
Lily laughed. “Yeah, well, he really wanted to see it. Besides, he invited me. I couldn’t exactly say yes and change the movie on him.”
“True.” Gideon relaxed a bit. Her description didn’t sound like a date. At least, not an ideal one. “Tony’s a great guy.”
“Yeah, he is. We had fun. But I thought about you.” Her voice was soft, almost breathy.
“You did?” He clenched his fingers on the steering wheel harder than before as he concentrated on the road.
“I saw a preview for a movie I think you’d like, if only I could remember the name. It’ll come to me later, but we should go when it comes out. I think you’d enjoy it.”
“Well, with that kind of description, what’s not to like?” Gideon stiffened. His biting sarcasm stopped him. Even he could hear how its tone could put an end to the easy camaraderie she’d started. He hadn’t meant to be sarcastic. The last thing he wanted was to offend Lily. The disasters seemed to accumulate around him today like autumn leaves in a windstorm.
But the sound of her laughter interrupted his gloomy thoughts. It was low and deep, completely unlike her regular speaking voice. The velvety sound enveloped him and filled the empty places inside the van and inside his heart. His grip loosened, his shoulders relaxed and his cheeks cooled. For once, he hadn’t offended her. Maybe things were improving and maybe she wasn’t attracted to Tony.
Hell, she’d thought of him while she’d been out with Tony. His chest swelled. It couldn’t be serious. And she wanted to go a movie with him, a movie that wasn’t part of their bargain. A movie didn’t have to be a date; it could be a movie with a friend.Who am I kidding? He took a deep breath and concentrated on breathing. In, out, in out. If he wasn’t careful, he’d start to hyperventilate. He swallowed. It was a beautiful sunny day, they were going to a ball game, and the rest would have to take care of itself.
He gave her one of his most sincere, heart-stopping smiles and promised himself to watch his tongue.
****
When they arrived at the stadium, they parked and took the elevator to the main level. As the doors opened, hawking calls of food vendors assaulted Lily’s ears, while the accompanying greasy, buttery scents made her mouth water and her arteries clog. After purchasing popcorn and beer, they found their seats. The last to arrive, Gideon introduced Lily to the eight others there—Joe and his wife, Veronica; Michelle and her boyfriend, Andy; Mark and his wife, Kim; and Bill and his girlfriend, Sue.
“Lil, Joe is my boss, and Michelle, Mark and Bill work with me.” They all waved at her and Joe came over and whispered a comment to him. Gideon shook his head and flushed.
They settled into their seats—Lily sat on the end of the aisle and Gideon sat next to her. Once settled, she leaned over to him. “What was that about?” she asked as she flickered her gaze toward Joe.
Gideon cleared his throat and fidgeted in his chair. “Nothing.”
Lily raised one eyebrow and twirled a strand of hair between her fingers. She was pretty confident the comment was about her. Just then, Michelle, who sat on the other side of her, leaned over.
“Don’t worry about Joe,” she whispered. “He’s been after Gideon to let him arrange a blind date with someone. He’s always pushing the guys and making comments. Don’t take it personally.”