Sweeter Than Wine Read Online Free PDF Page A

time, and I
was taking care of her. She died this past spring. It took me a
while to get over it and go on. I neglected any vacation plans
until now."
    "How long was she ill?"
    "Three years."
    "That's a long time. And in those three
years, you cooked, cleaned, and took care of your mother." He
furnished the details for her.
    "Well, of course, you do what you must do."
She shrugged, and then continued. "Forced to face the fact that I
know very little about living, I decided to find out. To challenge
myself. These days no one has to stay in a rut. So I'm making
myself get out and do things I wouldn't normally do." She bowed her
head for a minute then slowly raised her glance to his. "I'm trying
to live a little. Spice up my life. But I'm afraid I'm a dismal
failure at it."
    He was quiet for a long moment, and then he
put his wine down and took her hand from across the table. Lacey
immediately felt herself grow warm, his callused hand, holding
hers. "Lacey, I admire what you are trying to do, and I totally
understand your position. However, you are leaving something out,
aren't you? This Dean as you call him, is he the reason you want to
prove yourself so badly? You're in love with him?"
    "Oh—I'm not sure that's the right term. I've
liked him, respected him…"
    "Lacey, come clean."
    "I wouldn't say in love, we've never gotten
that far, I am infatuated with him, yes, but it's useless, he's
never seen me as a woman. A real woman. I'm not sure he's seen any
woman as a real woman. I want to prove to him and myself that I am.
He hurt my ego more than anything."
    "When I look across the table, I see a woman,
a very pretty, sweet woman. You have a natural charm that oozes
from you."
    Obviously flustered by his compliment, she
blushed." Perhaps, but you're so preoccupied with your troubles,
I'm not sure you see things clearly..."
    "Make no mistake, your state of dress this
morning re-enforced that fact. I see all too well. I see you as a
very vulnerable and sweet young woman."
    "And I see you as a troubled man, who refuses
to let the world in." She grabbed her mouth, sure she had insulted
the man and already sorry for it.
    "Now how would you know that?" he chuckled
softly.
    "You are well traveled, or seem to be. You
are knowledgeable."
    "And you are very observant."
    "Sorry, it comes with the job. Teaching
fifteen-year-old girls comes with a responsibility. Well, you knew
about deep-sea fishing, you ride a motorcycle. In my book that
makes you well traveled."
    "Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?"
    "Me? No…"
    "Then we'll fix that." He smiled.
    The waitress came and he turned lose of her
hand. She felt the warmth leave her. She missed it.
    She liked his holding her hand, and that
scared her a little. She didn't know this man. She was on vacation
and she knew how men could be charming one minute and change the
next. She wanted to enjoy her vacation. Why couldn't she simply
relax and enjoy the new sensations swamping her? After all, this
didn't happen everyday, not to her at least.
    Ordering steaks the waitress soon
disappeared.
    Trying to find even ground she asked, "So—why
were you making that gosh-awful sound on the cliff?"
    He leaned back in his chair now, his
shoulders relaxing, his unexpected laughter shocked her. "Gosh
awful sound? Such a beautiful Texas accent."
    "I always wanted to talk like one of those
radio announcers, with no accent, but I've been doomed from the
beginning... Well, anyway I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend, I had
no right to just burst out with that, but it was—unusual."
    "That gosh-awful sound you heard this morning
was a release of sorts for me. I mean, it was the fist time I've
ever done anything like it and it felt so good. You see, my father
died a couple of years ago, and just before he died, he murmured a
secret that tore me inside out. I'm not his child."
    "Oh." Lacey's heart leapt out to him. The man
had suffered a grief too, and obviously was still suffering. A
lost soul. She saw that in his