One Day You'll Be Mine(47)

“Good afternoon, ladies.” Three gentlemen stood in front of our table. All of them were absolutely gorgeous. Wearing crisp suits and ties, it was clear they stopped for a lunch break, probably over business negotiations.

“My name is Desmond,” the leader said, extending his hand to me, and then Ro. He reminded me of Adam Levine, if Adam fused his body onto Colin Kaepernick’s body. He introduced the two men behind him as Marcus and Ty.

“We wanted to introduce ourselves to you on the way out. I noticed you were having a good time joking about your husband’s deployment, and as a former military brat, I paid for your meals to show my support. Thank you and your husbands’ for your service to our country.”

Rose’s face lit up. “Thank you sir! And it’s my husband who’s deployed. She’s actually single.” She winked at me. “By the way, I’m Rose, and this is my sister, Natalia.”

I turned beet red with embarrassment. I wished then and there I’d kept my wedding ring on me instead of leaving it at home. I hadn’t worn it in months, so there was no sign of a wedding band to argue against.

Desmond turned to me. “Well, Natalia, I’ll be. Today must be my lucky day. I was telling these men over here that you were stunning, but you had to be taken.” He smirked as he gestured back to his friends, who were obviously enjoying this interaction.

I blushed harder, wanting to shrink from my seat. I felt like I was being punked. Desmond was extremely attractive. Too attractive to be attracted to me. He looked like a celebrity. Didn’t celebrities date models? Shouldn’t he be lusting after a woman who looks like Behati Prinsloo? He had to be in his late twenties and I was almost halfway through my thirties and in the middle of a divorce. There was no way he could be interested in me.

And there was no way my heart should have fluttered when he said those words. Me? Stunning?

“Th-thanks,” I managed to stutter.

“No problem.” He smiled. Extracting his business card from his breast pocket, he extended it to me. “Here’s my card. Give me a call. I’d love to take you out sometime.”

I paused, unsure of how to respond. Rose gently kicked me under the table, and I shot her a dirty look as I gingerly accepted the card from him.

“Pleasure to meet you Rose.” He shook her hand once again. “Pleasure to meet you, Natalia.” Instead of shaking it, he took my hand, gallantly lifted it to his lips and kissed it. His warm lips sent a tingle up my spine, giving me a chill I hadn’t experienced in a long time. A soft moan escaped my lips as our eyes connected.

He released my hand, apparently satisfied with my reaction.

“Gentlemen.” He tilted his head toward the door, nodded at Rose and me once more, and was gone before I could blink.





Chapter 22: Rose



Several hours later, I still felt weird. After dropping Natalia off, I stopped at the store and grabbed Tums and some water. My stomach just wouldn’t settle, and fatigue set in.

By 3 PM, it was clear I wasn’t going to feel much better. I cancelled my evening yoga class, prayed to make it through the day, and jet straight home. We still had leftovers from today’s meal, as well as garlic ranch chicken and veggies from the night before, but all I wanted was a bottle of water and fruit. I just had this urge to get something light in my stomach, and lay down.

After a relaxing bubble bath, I noticed Natalia’s door was still closed. Figured she’d be sleep. Either that or she was hiding in her room after today’s events. Natalia wasn’t used to causing scenes or being in the midst of them, but it was just one of those days.

She was upset with me when I insisted she take Desmond’s card, because she “wasn’t ready to move on,” but I didn’t care. I loved Hollis like a brother, but with the shitty behavior he doled out, but it was time to let go.

I was laying in bed, Skyping Ellis via text on my phone, when there were a small series of knocks on my door.

“Come in.”

Natalia slowly pushed her head in. Holding a mug of hot chocolate, she slowly trudged in my direction. I could smell the rich vapors, and when she came close, I could see the whip cream melt into creamy ripples when she set it on my nightstand. Slowly easing onto Ellis’s side of the bed, she asked how I was feeling.

“Meh,” I replied. “I’m so-so. I think I just did a little too much today with all that steak and wine.”

“That’s not normal though,” she replied. “You usually eat like that anyway.”

“You’re right, but I never let wine go down the wrong tube when I do.”

“True, but even still, you should have tossed your cookies, and been feeling better immediately after.” She eyed me, her eyes asking a question I couldn’t interpret.