Van
As Julia and I settled in a back booth at a nearby restaurant, I found myself mesmerized by her smile. It did something to me, something I couldn’t control—something I didn’t want to control.
There were fires to tend, money to be made, and power to be claimed and yet, staring at the woman across from me—it was as if I were staring up at the sun. I basked in her warmth and was calmed by the tranquility of the sea of blue in her eyes.
Julia was freeing me from a prison of my own creation.
Brick by brick, she was knocking down the walls and bringing light to darkness.
She had no idea what she was doing or had done, the monster she’d awakened, or the sins that I’d committed. And yet she gave me the greatest gift, her willingness to wait. I could open up and unload the magnitude of my doings, but I feared that too much information too fast would scare her away.
I wouldn’t let that happen.
I found her—finders keepers.
Julia was mine.
For once, my motivation wasn’t completely self-serving.
While being with her fulfilled me, what I wanted above anything was to make her happy. I had other goals as well. I needed more.
More of her happiness.
More of her empowerment.
More of a world she desired.
Julia McGrath would find success in her own right. I’d facilitate it when I could, but above all, it would happen.
Julia looked around and after shrugging off her coat, she leaned across the table and spoke softly. “You continue to surprise me, Mr. Sherman.”
“And how is that?”
“This is a burger place and a bar.”
“Are you telling me that you don’t eat burgers?”
She glanced down at the menu. “I mean, it’s a common restaurant. With the Terrace suite at the Waldorf, I imagined dining on the famous French cuisine at Margeaux Brasserie.”
“If that’s your wish, we’ll have dinner there.”
She shook her head, soft blond curls framing her face as her cheeks rose and her perfect pink lips curled into a smile. “It’s not. While I was raised with the advantages that money can buy, I don’t need them.” Her smile grew. “I have fabulous memories of a one-room cabin with no electricity, in the snow.”
They say that opposites attract.
I reached across the table for her hands. “We’ll go back to that one-room cabin and make more memories.” I lifted her hand and lowered my lips to her knuckles. “Maybe it’s because I wasn’t raised with the finer things. I’ve worked for them, and I’m not satisfied. I want more.”
“More and better,” she replied. “Yet like here, you’re comfortable with everyday pleasures.”
“Oh, you see, that’s where your lines have blurred. I’m looking at my everyday pleasure, and she is most definitely one of the finest things I’ve found.”
A soft pink hue filled her cheeks as the waitress appeared at our table. “Welcome to Doc B’s. I’m your waitress. What would you like to drink to start off your meal?”
Letting go of Julia’s hands, I nodded across the table. “Ladies first.”
“Water is fine for me.”
When the waitress turned to me, I answered, “Coffee, black, and a glass of water.”