Page 28 of Wicked Player
Chapter Ten
She laughs. "Of course I will. I can't wait. Would you like a cup of tea?”
“Yes… you know what I like.”
She busies herself making us tea while I sit on the sofa, eagerly awaiting the rest of her story, if for no other reason than to distract myself from the beautiful Colton Rossi. I don’t need to think of a man who likes to play games because I'm not one for drama.
She hands me my tea. “Lemon ginger, with two sugars and a drop of milk, just like you like it.”
She sets her cup of tea carefully on the table next to her armchair. She lowers herself slowly, but is quite limber for a person her age. She seems in decent shape. I sadly wonder how many years she has left, and then am quick to banish the thought is soon as it appears. Why must I be so morbid?
When she’s finally settled, she starts. “So where was I again?”
“You were telling me about Caleb, and how you just got married and I don't think your parents approved.”
She smiles. “Of course they didn’t approve. We eloped to Niagara Falls.”
“You did not!”
A huge grin stretches across her face. “We did!”
“Well, good for you,” I say. “So what happens next?”
Her face falls. “Well, not much as it turns out. We were trying for a baby but the baby just didn't come.”
“Oh…”
“But we loved each other, or at least, I loved him,” she goes on. “We were happy with each other for the most part, although I have to say that he blamed me for the infertility, and that caused a lot of tension in our marriage.”
“That's too bad,” I say, knowing that she has three grown kids today. The infertility must've not lasted for a long time.
“But here's where the story gets interesting,” she says.
I perk up, sitting to attention. “Do tell.”
“That's when Everett entered my life,” she tells me.
“Who’s Everett?” I ask, curious.
She smiles again. “Another bad boy, a dark stranger type. Bad boys were my heroin, and I was an addict.”
I laugh out loud.
“I was still working at the general store, and that's where I met him, this complete stranger, or so I thought at first.”
“Interesting…”Go on, my eyes silently urge.
“Here I thought our meeting was completely random, fate if you will, but it turns out he had an agenda. He sought me out. He was looking for me. He was looking to make trouble.”
I sit up straighter. “How so?”
“Well,” she says. “I'll tell you all about that later, but for now, I'll tell you how it was when I first met him. I was completely naïve, not knowing what I was getting into. He was very handsome. There's no other way to describe him. Those blue eyes, dark hair, chiseled jaw, just like a movie star. You know the type?”
“Oh, yes I do.” Colton comes to mind again. My gaze darts around the living room, and I scan the photos on the walls, piano and bookcase, photos of her and her late husband and their kids. I realize I’ve never known his name because she always refers to him as her Prince Charming. I'm very confused. But he did have those blue eyes…
She stares at the photos on the bookcase too. “I know what you're thinking,” she says. “They were both handsome, and they both had blue eyes as it happens. But which one won my heart?”
Yes, I wonder.“So tell me more.” I can’t wait to hear the rest of the story.
