“There, freedom at last,” he said. “Now then, may I ask your name?”
Phoebe held her breath for just a second then said, “Anna. Name’s Anna.”
He smiled and squeezed the hand he was still holding. “Ben.”
“Well then, Ben, what do you propose we do now?”
He started to laugh, then laughed harder until he doubled over from it. Phoebe wasn’t sure what she’d said, but whatever it was, he couldn’t stop. “I’m sorry. Just…it’s been that type of day.”
“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours,” she muttered, the smile falling from her face. He stopped laughing and watched her, eyes shining with curiosity, reflecting the streetlights. “Sorry, bit of a mood-killer today.”
“From the look on your face, I’d say you’re allowed.”
Phoebe smiled. She glanced down at her shoes and felt tears start to prick the corner of her eyes. This was ridiculous. Worst date-night ever. This was the only damn good pair of heels she had, too, so of course she broke them. Pathetic. Everything about her right now was pathetic. He asked her for her other shoe, without the broken heel, and she stared at him, confused.
“Trust me. Let me see it, otherwise walking the rest of the night is going to suck.”
She took off her other shoe and after giving him permission, watched him snap it off. She slipped both shoes back on and laughed. “Girl can always use another pair of flats.”
“Hey, I know a great ice cream place just down the street,” he said and offered her his arm. “Walk down there with me?”
Without really meaning to, she laid her hand in the crook of his arm. The leather was warm despite the slight chill clinging to the air. A front had moved through. Lightning still struck overhead, but no rain fell. At least not yet.
“Why not? Ice cream can solve quite a few problems.”
“My thoughts exactly,” he said, and together they strolled out of the alley and made their way down the sidewalk.
He was tall. She hadn’t realized how tall until she was right up next to him. He was a good head over her, more without her heels. From the feel of his arm, he was muscular, too, and that earring shining under the lights made her think of a modern-day pirate. All he was missing was a pistol and cutlass.
“Well, I’m glad to see something has put a smile on your face,” he said.
“And I’m sorry to say it’s at your expense.”
“Really?”
“Do you always wear that earring? Part of the bad boy look or something?”
He grinned, reaching his free hand up to tug on his earlobe. “No, not unless you consider grandfathers getting ear piercings as also bad boy behavior.”
“Your grandfather? Jeez, you from a family of bikers?”
“Ha! No, nothing like that.”
She wanted to ask him more questions, but a shadow flickered in his eyes and she made herself back off. “Ok, I’ll make you a deal. We don’t ask any questions about who we are or what we do for a living.”
He tilted his head to the side and frowned. “Then how am I supposed to get to know you?”
Phoebe wasn’t even sure herself. This was all new to her. The adrenaline from their escape was starting to wear off, and her usual nervousness was returning quickly. Any second now, she was going to do something stupid and have to bolt in the other direction. She opened her mouth to tell him she had to leave, but that wasn’t what came out.
“You’ll just have to ask me out on a proper date.”
What the hell? Am I channeling Charlotte tonight, or what?
They’d stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk, forcing others to shove their way angrily around them just as the few first drops of rain started to fall, wetting her hair. She turned her face up to the heavens and let the cold drops cover her skin…and wake her up to what she was doing. Quickly, she pulled her hand free of his arm and started to back down the street, walking carefully in the makeshift flats.
He looked stunned and started to reach after her. “Wait! Anna!”
“No, just…I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that.”
“Where are you going?”
“Home,” she yelled over her shoulder. “Just need to get home!”
She heard him calling after her, but she tucked her chin down into her chest and hurried faster. Another street over, she ripped her shoes off angrily and ran barefoot. The rain poured down around her, filling the gutters in minutes and spilling over. It was the second time this week that she walked through her front door, soaking wet from head to toe and shivering with cold. What had she been thinking? She couldn’t handle dating anyone right now, let alone finding someone to marry! It was too much. She curled up in a ball on the floor, just inside her front door, and tried not to imagine those tattooed arms catching her.