It was great that Jane might be able to get an air conditioner for her mother, but at the same time, Marie felt bad about it. She was her mother’s daughter, she should be able to provide for her. It hurt her pride, just a little, that she couldn’t just go out and buy a new AC unit.
“May I join you?” A deep male voice, accented with that Yankee sound, drew Marie’s gaze upward.
It was him!
Her jaw dropped a little and she looked around as if to make sure he was talking to her. “I, uh, yes, if you’d like.”
“I would like to. My name is Matteo, by the way. Matteo Mazza.” He put down his coffee and beignets and sat down across from her at the little white table with white chairs. He held his hand out and she felt her face turn red.
“Marie Hebert.” She took his hand and felt the touch as a buzz of electricity. His hand was so warm, big, and comforting. Like he’d taken on her problems and he’d fight the world for her. His eyes were different though, they devoured her, from head to toe, with a hunger that she couldn’t ignore.
She stared into those eyes, unable to look away. She forgot how to breathe, to let his hand go, and they sat at the table, frozen in that moment as their hands touched. Then, he blinked and let her hand go.
“Sorry, forgot myself for a moment there. I see you’ve mastered the problem of dressing in this incredible heat.” His head nudged in the direction of her body.
She’d worn a pair of denim shorts, a lacy, cotton, white blouse, and her ever-present flip flops. She looked at him and frowned. In contrast, he had on a pair of dark denim jeans that looked like they were made from a thick material, the kind she thought of as winter jeans, rather than the thinner material of summer jeans. Along with that he had on a white Oxford shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and on his feet were a pair of leather loafers. Way too many clothes.
Then she blushed again because she’d suddenly imagined him naked. “It’s alright, you’ll learn to adapt. Down here, even senators wear shorts sometimes.”
“I bet they do. I wanted to come down here for a change of scenery and knew it was hot but damn. This is incredible.”
“It is. Wait until the mosquitoes start. Even with the mosquito abatement programs, we still get them.”
“It’s amazing down here, I love everything about it, but you’ve just mentioned the two things I hate. Mosquitos and heat.”
“Well, we have plenty of both of those down here.” Marie looked at him with amused glee. It felt easy talking to him like it was something they’d done many times before. She also noticed the way his lips moved when he bit into a beignet or took a sip of his coffee. She noted the strength in his hands, but the delicacy with which he picked up his coffee cup. Sensual was the word that sprang to mind. He was a sensual man. Even the smell of his cologne was… sensual.
Something warm, languid, and giddy tensed in her lower abdomen as she watched him eat. She’d never been so totally aware of a man before. There were plenty of men in town that could draw her eyes, but she’d never been interested in them. Not like she was this man.
“Is it better in the winter?” he asked once he’d finished eating. He wiped his fingers on a napkin and she was almost jealous of the thing when he wiped his mouth with it.
She pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth to stop herself from saying something stupid like… “take me away forever, you sex-god”. When the urge had passed, she spoke. “Oh, a little bit. It has actually snowed a time or two. None of it really stuck to the ground, but it has been known to snow.”
“Really? I bet the kids around here loved that. It’s so common where I’m from, we only see it as a nuisance. Well, we adults do. I have a feeling the kids don’t. It gets them out of school, right?” His smile fascinated her. It brightened his face and lit up his eyes in a way that tugged at her heart.
“I wouldn’t know, really.” She realized what she’d said, what she’d all but admitted, and cleared her throat. “I’m usually at home taking care of my mother so I don’t see many people most of the time.”
“Oh?” His brows knit together, and he leaned in towards her. “What do you mean? Is your mother ill?”
“Yes, she’s in the last stage of Parkinson’s disease. I’m her main caretaker. There’s a nurse that comes in for an hour a day so I can run errands. Every now and then I get to do this.” She paused to point at the coffee and book. “It’s not often, but every now and then, I have the time to sit here for a little while.”
“It sounds rough. An hour a day to yourself? That’s almost… prison.” His face revealed his thoughts. Horror at being so trapped, then compassion and understanding. “She’s your mother, though. You’re a good daughter.”
“I try to be.” Marie looked away, she didn’t want to see pity on his face.
“I guess that means I can’t ask you out for dinner one night, then?” The lilt of hope in his voice made her heart flutter.
“Um. No,” she staggered out her response, because she really wanted to accept, but knew she couldn’t. She could ask him to dinner at her house, but no. She didn’t want him to see the state of the place. It was clean and tidy, but it was obvious they were poor. She didn’t want him to see that. “I do have another idea, though. If you’d like to see me again.”
“Oh?” His left eyebrow quirked and a grin stretched out his features. “Do tell?”
“I might be able to make it here tomorrow, for a little while.” She halted, unsure for a moment. Did she dare? But then, she looked up to see his eyes alive with happiness. “For a little while.”
“I’ll take what I can get,” he offered with an amused look. “And you’ll know you’ll be safe, it’s a public place.”
“Oh, it’s not that at all,” she rushed to assure him. “I just don’t have a lot of free time. Especially now. My mother has another illness and it’s exacerbated the problems she already had.”
Marie didn’t want to say that she’d been depressed when he showed up but knew her voice revealed her unhappiness. That compassionate look came back, and he nodded his head.
“I understand, Marie. It’s tough having a parent so ill. I won’t nag you about anything. I’ll just be happy with whatever time you can give me.”
“Thank you.” She glanced at her watch, always aware of the time when she was away from home. “Unfortunately, I have to go. I didn’t realize how long I’ve been here trying to read this book.”
He glanced down at the book, noted the title, and looked impressed. “Thrillers, I like that.”
“Good,” she said with a laugh of appreciation. “I’m kind of stuck on this author. They’re old books, but I like them. They’re full of ghosts and wickedness. And I can read the whole collection now, they’ve been around for a long time.”
“Yes, I liked them too, when I read them.” He nodded as if to agree with himself.
She was surprised he read. For some reason, it had never occurred to her that men really would sit down and read a book. Of course, she hadn’t been around a lot of men in her life, outside of school and the business she had to take care of. It just didn’t seem like something a man would do to her. The fact that he did read impressed her even more than the car or the display of wealth in his personal attire. The ring he wore on his right middle finger was probably worth more than her yearly income alone. That didn’t count the necklace or the watch he had on.