We Leave Together, We Stay Together: Book I

By Glenn Brunet

Being falsely convicted for something he didnt do and spending time in prison were the toughest things G ever had to deal with. To survive his time in that place, he fantasizes about a friend from his past as though he lived his life with her in his mind. After his exoneration, he lives alone on his majestic sailing vessel in the Florida Keys, drawing strength from the spiritual tranquility of nature and its wonders until he returns home to be with his family for Christmas. Thats when he crosses paths with Lee, the woman of all his fantasies. He learns that she has missed him too and is excited G wants to spend time with her. But first, they have to deal with her crazy ex-boyfriend. They forge an incredible bond with new friends who want the same things out of life as they do. These friends risk it all to save G and Lee simply because that is what friends do. Injuries heal, scares fade, but true love can conquer all. Dont let the adventure of this tale distract you from the mature romantic love story. Its a romance with a unique perspective most people would kill for, and they do.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 10, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984523457

Glenn Brunet

Glenn Brunet grew up running bare foot through the woods, coastal swamps and marshes of South Louisiana and loves the outdoors. He's a family man and a retired law enforcement officer who lives for his next little adventure. He enjoys the tranquility of the water,sailing, scuba diving, kayaking, bicycling, motorcycles and camping. He believes God lives at the beach because that is where he feels His presence more than anywhere else.

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Copyright © 2018 by Glenn Brunet.

ISBN:                  Softcover                        978-1-9845-2346-4

                            eBook                             978-1-9845-2345-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 04/27/2018

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1     A Cold & Rainy Night

Chapter 2     It’s a Dinner Date

Chapter 3     A Cabin in the Enchanted Forest

Chapter 4     It Ain’t Nice to Disrespect a Lady

Chapter 5     A Roman Candle in the Bathtub

Chapter 6     Gumbo and a Serving Spoon

Chapter 7     I Love Being a Girl

Chapter 8     Decorating a Christmas Cabin

Chapter 9     Deep Blue and Puffy White Clouds

Chapter 10   The Christmas Party

Chapter 11   Meet Her Family

Chapter 12   A Sacred Beach

Chapter 13   Fireworks at Midnight

Chapter 14   Leaving On a Jet Plane

Chapter 15   Gypsy to Pensacola Before LA

Chapter 16   Night Surfer’s Prayer

Chapter 17   Gypsy to LA

Chapter 18   One More Last Night in LA

Chapter 19   A Special Treat for Mary

Chapter 20   Something About the Great Outdoors

Chapter 21   Unwelcome Visitor in the Night

Chapter 22   Lee’s Homecoming

Chapter 23   Nymph Blue Bird Goddess

Chapter 24   Take Us Out the Pass, Into Deep Water

Chapter 25   We Leave Together, We Stay Together

Chapter 26   Two From the Sea

Chapter 27   A Time to Heal

Chapter 28   Three to Choose From

Chapter 29   Goddess of Lightning

CHAPTER 1

A Cold & Rainy Night

It was about a week before Christmas and the night was one of those nights that all the old story books would describe as not fit for man nor beast. In south Louisiana, this was exceptionally cold temperatures. The strong winds and heavy rains were common but tonight’s freezing temperatures were not. Tonight, all three forces of nature were a reminder of the hole in his soul that was caused by serving time in prison for something he never did. As he slowly walked from his old SUV across the stormy parking lot of his hometown shopping mall he reflected on his past Christmases. Being one of eleven kids growing up down the bayou he loved this time of year. G Michaels was the third from the bottom of his siblings and he was his parents’ seventh son. Somewhere as a younger man he had heard folklore of how the seventh son of the seventh son was supposed to be a Chosen One of the gods or something like that. G’s dad, Ruby was the third of his brothers so G settled for never knowing if it was folklore or truly prophecy. G had no children of his own but he had raised four stepchildren from relationships of his past. Now right at fifty there was not much possibility of fathering seven sons. Especially because he had not been in a relationship since before he was sentenced to ten years in prison four years earlier.

He had two failed marriages and Cheri left him while he was in prison. She was the third woman he had ever shared his home with but the only one of the three he had not married. Cheri and G lived together for about seven years before he was sent to prison. He believed she was the one who would never leave. They decided five divorces between the two of them were enough so they lived as man and wife but never made it legal. Their lives complimented each other’s and they did everything they could together. Their best times were shared on their salty weekends on his boat in Pensacola, Florida. They both loved sailing and the tropical island life style and with four to six hot months a year in the deep south on the gulf coast they shared many salty adventures. They were both in their forties then and they lived more carefree and spontaneous than the younger adults they worked with and mentored to. In their careers, they both were mentors to the youth of their community. Cheri was a field administrator coordinator for the Girl Scouts of America until Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005 displacing many of the girls causing administration cutbacks. G was a deputy sheriff for almost twenty years. His last ten years he requested to be assigned as the School Resource Officer to his old high school that he and Cheri both graduated from. That was now a closed chapter in his disappointing life. She was long gone from his life and his heart. He told himself that he was doing really, well now. He had his cabin in the woods in the sleepy little down the bayou fishing community of Chauvin just south of Houma. He had the civil lawsuit settlement for the wrongful conviction that sent him to the ‘hells of prison’ and he had his pride and joy, Ghostrider.

Ghostrider was his boat and was a Gulfstar make. She was sixty feet in length and sixteen feet in her beam. She was rigged with two mast, ketch sailing vessel with all the modern rigged sailing conveniences and technology. G had spent the last five months sailing Ghostrider along the gulf coast of Florida. He spent most of that time alone in the Florida Keys. Being in prison for years as an innocent police officer takes a toll on a soul, especially on a Gypsy soul like G’s. His passions were not the same as most men of south Louisiana where he grew up. First of all, he was wrongfully convicted for what every part of his being stood against to protect. They blemished his reputation as one of the good guys and he had been betrayed by almost everyone he trusted and worked with for nearly twenty years. So now he spent most of his peaceful sunny filled day sailing blue deep water, kayaking through mangrove forests, scuba diving and snorkeling on brightly colored lively coral reefs. Hanging out with and visiting the also brightly colored Angel, Tang, Parrot and other multitude of tropical reef fish which was one of his favorite things to do. He also spent a lot of time strolling empty secluded beaches and riding his bicycle down paved island roads or one of the off-road trails when he could find one. He visited every old fort and lighthouse he happened upon. There was something about lighthouses that calmed his soul, like he was being watched over by the heavenly powers of his guardian angels. After the way, his big ole family and dozen or so truly close friends carried him through his time in prison, he promised them and himself he would come back for holidays and special times.

Now he strolled through that well-lit but stormy parking lot. With his foul weather three-quarter length winter coat pulled tight to his face, he laughed at the Christmas shoppers running to and from their cars. It was mostly the men who ran out to their cars so they could retrieve their families at the awnings of the exits of the mall. He stood near the entrance still in the wrath of the stormy winter night. He turned and stood to face the direction of the wind and could feel his face burn from the icy wind and rain. This made him laugh out loud to himself. He thought through squinted eyes, Is this the best you can do?

G liked being in the forces of nature, good or bad. Whether riding a wave on his surfboard or standing atop a cliff in a raging violent thunderstorm, it made him feel connected to Mother Earth. A night like this one made G feel very alive! As he stood there he watched the rain-drenched shoppers huddle under umbrellas dashing out of the storm. He thought about all the wonders of nature they missed totally unaware of their existence because their lives were so self-absorbed. He looked up at the sky, directly into the storm and picked out a single raindrop high above. He watched it fall-down from heaven until it landed on his cheek. How few people, he wondered have ever watched something as simple as a single drop of the tears of heaven. Most have seen rain fall past them as they sought shelter from it but to look up and watch it fall was magical. Maybe if you turned and looked really, fast or just beyond the falling drop you might see an angel watering the morality of the world. He believed rain showers washed the earth and maybe even a little evil away.

The sound of a horn snapped him back to reality. He was standing in the traffic lane and a couple of cars were waiting on him to move, so he stepped up onto the curb and waved them a warm and sincere Merry Christmas sentiment. He cheerfully entered the building of the huge and busy mall then stood on some large water absorbent mats for a minute until he stopped dripping. He removed his rain hood, unzipped his coat and walked into the midst of the loud and busy Christmas hustle and bustle. He was not there to shop. He was there to just people watch. His Christmas gift list was finished with all gifts bought or made and wrapped each year by about September. He loved the season of winter and the spirit of Christmas. He enjoyed the homes and stores all decorated with seasonal lights, ribbons and bows. Here in the mall as he passed them, every store had a Christmas tree lit up and they all played Christmas music. To see the excitement it brought to every kid’s face and adults acted nicer and treated each other better this time of year. He just loved the entire experience.

He calmly and quietly watched it all go by. He found an unoccupied bench in the wide promenade between the busy stores where he could sit and watched the madness. It was then he noticed his bench was just outside the entrance of the Victoria’s Secret store. He instantly became emotionally overwhelmed as though a dam had just broken on the memories he tried to forget. Not memories of anything that had actually, occurred but memories of dreams he had over and over again for years. They were not bad dreams by any means. They were dreams of things he knew would never be. They were dreams that saved his life while he was in prison. G believed there were lots of things in this life that were worse than death. Being an innocent cop serving time in prison was number one of his list. All those nights he cried himself to sleep alone in that cage sincerely praying to Jesus to end his life and take him home to heaven before he would wake. His dreams were so vivid and graphic at times that they were more like spiritual visions. There were several people that came to him in his dreams and they helped to strengthen and inspire him. However, they fell short in their efforts except for the one person who reached down into his pit of self-pity and refused to let him go. The one person who made him want to live and not end his own life was a very special lady. That is why most of those dreams he tried to forget were visits from Lee Islet.

Lee was a younger woman who had captured his heart the very first time he met her. She was about 12 years younger than he and five years prior when he met Lee he was in a very committed relationship with Cheri. Lee was also dating a younger man at the time. Lee and G saw each other on occasion several times while accompanied with their significant others except the one time they had lunch together at a local diner. At that time, Lee had recently ended her relationship with her boyfriend and needed to talk to someone who knew them both and would have her best interest in mind. G was a natural born listener. He was sought out by many for his calming words and soothing nature. Even after the Sheriff’s office he worked for believed the sixteen-year-old emotionally disturbed female student when she lied about having a sexual relationship with G, he continued to have students and former students and some of their parents stop by his home or talk with him when they crossed paths on the street. He still got calls at all hours from them seeking his advice and counsel. They seemed to still value his opinion even after all the media circus and G’s public humiliation. G took silent great pride in everything he had accomplished while working at that high school. He touched countless lives of the students, parents and even the staff in the most positive ways.

So, it was the most natural thing to take Lee to lunch on that bright sunny late summer day. She was scheduled to leave for school half way across the country soon and now because of her recent break up with her boyfriend she was considering not going. She had planned and worked two jobs at a time so she could save her money and eventually attend school in south Florida to become a makeup artist. She wanted to work behind the scenes of the motion picture business. G was a certified scuba dive master and a rescue and safety diver and he had worked part time on a couple of Hollywood movies that were filmed near Houma. He described to Lee how fun it was to work on movies and more importantly, she should not let anyone or anything stand in her way of her chosen career. He pointed out to her how gorgeous the day was as they sat at the window booth of that diner. With the sun so bright and the big sky so blue how could she be sad on a day like this? If God would give her a gorgeous day like this one without her even having to put forth any effort, how many more great things would go her way when she worked toward a goal with a positive attitude? He told her, Just take a deep breath and feel this day of your life. Then tell yourself, WOW it sure is a beautiful day. Now go on and face your life and accomplish what you set out to do.

That was the last time they spoke. They wrote to each other a couple of times while he was in prison and she kept him updated with her life, a little bit. She wrote and told him how she graduated in the top of her class and received and accepted a great job offer only days after her graduation. The offer was, ironically to work on a couple of Sci-Fi movies in their hometown of Houma, Louisiana. The last letter she wrote to him, she told how she had several movies under her belt and her career was really promising. She explained how she would work a movie or two in a couple of months and then she would have several weeks, sometimes a month before her next movie job.

Before Lee left for school she worked full time and usually had at least one part time job on the side. Her favorite part time job was attending the sales floor at Victoria’s Secret in the Houma mall. She loved shopping as most women do and she loved pretty things, so that job suited her well. On occasion G and Cheri had been waited on by Lee while buying things for Cheri. Now after more than four years and all the hardships G had lived through he found himself on that cold and rainy night sitting on a bench outside of Victoria’s Secret in his hometown mall. This store reminded him of Lee and she reminded him of the life-saving dreams he had of her which seemed like another lifetime ago.

As he sat watching and listened, the Christmas music played and the decorations in every storefront twinkled and the family of shoppers shopped. He tried not the think about Lee or all those dreams he had of her. After all, she was twelve years younger than him and she was way out of his league. Lee was the kind of woman that wars were fought over. She was the sweetest soul who didn’t know she was drop-dead gorgeous, with her dark shoulder-length slightly wavy hair, her big beautiful beaming hazel eyes that lit up a crowded room like a lighthouse on a stormy night. She had a perfect five-foot, six-inch hour glass figure. Her breasts were high and firm almost too large for her body but at the same time made her physical presence radiate a healthy natural beauty. She had an angelic bright smile which was, a reflection of the fire in her soul. The soft beautiful complexion of her face would cause any man’s heart to skip a beat and G found her to be intoxicating.

There were the times when he felt he was rotting away in a dungeon of the hells of prison, and he could not remember why he was supposed to take his next breath. When he was at his lowest point after Cheri ended their relationship, he had his first dreams of Lee. He dreamed he was tired of fighting for his will to live. He gave up and slowly closed his eyes and his limp body slipped below the surface of the water. In his dream, he was unconscious but still aware of what was happening. As he slowly sank deeper a hand reached down from the surface and grabbed him and would not let him go. The hand pulled him up to the surface and out of the water. Then in the dream he regained consciousness but had not opened his eyes. He could feel himself on his back with his hands crossed on his abdomen. The hand that reached down into the water and grabbed hold of him was now gently and lovingly holding his hands. He opened his eyes to see it was Lee that held his hands. She most definitely was his angel.

Lee began to come to his dreams whenever he was praying for death. In his dreams, she would spend time with him doing casual fun things like riding bicycles, camping or just sitting in the backyard under a tree having coffee. Sometimes they were working on a movie at the same time and they would spend their breaks and free time together. Eventually the dreams became romantic and it was Lee who initiated the romantic contact. For years she danced in his dreams wearing only her matching Victoria’s Secret bra and panties and they made love so many times in his dreams. However, in many dreams they still shared simple heartfelt times together, just talking about nothing while she sat on the edge of his bunk holding his hands and stroking his face while he slept. The feeling was so vivid he would expect to open his eyes and see her sitting next to him with her smile so warm and consoling and maybe even with large wings on her back like you would expect to see on an angel.

Each time he would wake after his Lee dreams he somehow felt like he wasn’t alone in the world. Somehow, she gave him the strength and courage to live one more day. G truly believed in his heart that if Lee would not have come to him in those dreams he would have eventually taken his own life in that lonely dark dungeon one of those nights. She saved him from himself. He reasoned that Lee was his unicorn because his dreams of her would never become reality. He believed the reason she stopped writing to him was in one of his letters he mentioned that she would visit him in his dreams and they had become romantic. She never responded nor did she ever write to him again. He figured he scared her off or she was not interested in him that way. She was his unicorn. She was mythical magical and elusive. Can what he remembered about her really exist? Did the love and passion he dreamed they shared every really exist? Could he really capture it?

G felt he was still an appealing attractive man for his age. He was healthy and strong and he had been training to compete in a triathlon in Pensacola in six months. He still had most of his hair and all his teeth. He was also independently wealthy but he didn’t share that information with many people. He figured that made him very appealing company to women his age, around fifty. Even possibly to women in their late thirties or early forties as well. But he believed Lee would always be his unicorn. He thought back on how he called her one time after he had been released from prison after his trial verdicts had been reversed and his case dismissed by the State Supreme Court. Lee never responded to the voicemail he left on her phone so he assumed that she did not want any contact from him. He respected her more than anything or anyone so he never called back.

As G sat watching the people moving about doing their Christmas shopping he could see the sales attendants in Victoria’s Secret. The ladies all wore black slacks, white long-sleeve button up shirts and red and white fuzzy Santa hats. He thought to himself how that would really be something if Lee was helping-out at Victoria’s Secret this Christmas season between movie jobs. Oh, how he would love to see her but he could never approach her. Not after the public humiliation that the sexual accusations caused him, he seldom spoke to anyone in public. As he watched he noticed a cute blond sales attendant looking out at him while he sat on the bench so he silently nodded and smiled. She half smiled back but turned away and went to another sales attendant and told her something. That co-worker turned and looked out at G.

CHAPTER 2

It’s a Dinner Date

G couldn’t believe his eyes. It really was Lee. She looked even more beautiful than he remembered from his dreams. She smiled at him then turned back to her customer. He hoped she had not recognized him out of fear that she might think he was there watching her. The last thing he wanted to do was make her feel uncomfortable because he was there. He got up calmly and began to walk away. Lee was still with her customer when the co-worker told her G was leaving. Lee thought how she was very delighted that he was out on the bench and she was going to go out to say hello. She really couldn’t believe it was G after all this time. When she was told he was leaving she felt almost a passive panic. She felt in her heart she had to see him. She had to explain some things to him. She still felt she was his friend but he must have been disappointed with her the way she stopped communications with him. Lee quickly asked Kim, the co-worker if she could finish up with her customer for her. Before she got a response from Kim, Lee was out the door and caught up to G. She called his name but he obviously couldn’t hear her over the noise of everything going on in the mall. Then she reached and put her hand on his shoulder from behind and said his name as though she was not sure if it was her friend she had lunch with several years earlier. Lee asked loud and clearly, it sure is a beautiful day? G stopped walking but didn’t turn around.

His heart skipped a beat from excitement and as he turned he said, It is now. They stood facing each other for an awkward moment until G said, I like the Santa hat; it’s a nice touch.

Thanks Lee said. They like us to wear them while we’re working.

So, are you working there again? Is it full time?

No, she answered. I’m just Christmas help. I’m still doing makeup on movies. I don’t have another movie for a couple more weeks. I just enjoy working here this time of year because I get to see lots of old friends. I’m out of town six to eight months a year working on jobs and I don’t see anyone too often. Besides, I get an employee discount.

They both laughed and then hugged a warm greeting expressing how good it was to see each other. G asked her if he was keeping her from work. Shouldn’t you be in the store while you are wearing your cute little Santa hat?

She smiled. That probably would be best. Maybe we can pretend that you are a customer and I can show you lotions or maybe something nice and sexy for your lady.

They walked into the store as he told her there was no lady in his life and how there had not been anyone in his life since Cheri ended things between them. She said with a sympathetic tone, I heard about that. Y’all were a really, good couple. In fact, I envied you guys. When I would see y’all together, y’all were always holding hands and looking so in love. I wanted that kind of happiness. However, it never seemed to work out that way for me.

Maybe you were never with the right man. You have to be with someone that wants the same things you do, he said. They talked a while longer while she showed him fragrant lotions.

This is my favorite, she said, as she put a dab on the back of her hand. It’s vanilla. She held it up to his nose and asked, What do you think? I know it is kind of strong until it’s rubbed in.

He smelled the skin on her hand then he took her hand and started rubbing in the dab of lotion as he slowly massaged that part of her hand. He told her vanilla was actually his favorite scent also. He thought how she really seemed to be enjoying his touch. He reminded himself how she stopped all communications with him after his letter about the romantic dream. He told her, This smell really nice. I see why it’s your favorite. Then I’ll take a large bottle. He reached over and took a bottle from the shelf.

A little confused she asked, "Are you serious? Are you really gunna buy this?

Yes, I’m really gunna buy this, if it’s your favorite scent, he told her.

She did enjoy the quick hand massage and she was flattered that he was buying her favorite scented lotion. But she did wonder, who was he buying it for? Before she could finish her thought, he asked her as though he was the sale attendant and she the customer, Now ma’am, what else can I get for you?

She grinned from her immediate thought because she would really enjoy it if he expanded that hand massage maybe extend it to her aching feet. She thought how she had not been in a romantic relationship in more than six months and how the touch of his warm hands rubbing that dab of lotion had touched something inside of her. It reminded her of his last letter she received about his dreams of her and that also touched something inside of her. She was curious about it to say the least. She remembered how she had written a letter to him expressing how she was flattered and thought it was a good thing that thoughts of her could help ease his pain and loneliness. Her crazy jealous ex-boyfriend had forbidden her to write to a man in prison. In an attempt, to be a submissive and devoted girlfriend she never wrote to G again but when that relationship ended badly about a year later she almost wrote him several times. She was a little embarrassed that she let a man control her action and even some of her thoughts but mostly because she believed G was disappointed and probably upset with her that she stopped communicating with him completely. It was comforting how he was standing with her now and he appeared to be enjoying her company. As she listened to him speak she remembered his calm nature and soothing words that always made her relaxed and comfortable around him. She told him he didn’t have to buy her anything. He replied to her coyness, I know I don’t have to. But isn’t this what friends do for each other this time of year? He stepped in about two feet from her and was looking, into her eyes as he smiled.

She was without words for a moment as she gazed into his inviting blue eyes because she felt something deep in her gut stiffen. She asked herself, is he really flirting with me or was he just being the genuinely nice guy she always knew him to be? There was a natural sex appeal she always sensed in him and she told herself she was now mistaking that for playful flirting. God only knew if there was an older man she was attracted to, it was G Michaels.

He could sense he made her uncomfortable at that moment so he stepped back to give her more space. He was surprised and very grateful she was speaking to him at all. He just knew he had ruined their friendship by telling her about his dreams of her years ago. He humbly apologized saying, I’m sorry for thinking you would allow me or want me to buy you a gift.

Don’t apologize, she expressed with kindness. I love gifts from handsome men. Especially since it will be the only one I’ll get this Christmas except for the one from my dad. She displayed a playful smile and took another massage lotion from the display shelf. This is our best massage lotion, she said.

He took the tube from her and put it in his other hand with her favorite scented moisturizing lotion. He fanned his empty hand out in front of them motioning for her to move about the store. He asked, What else can I get for you? I know you must already have a few things picked out for yourself.

She hesitated for a moment then her face lit up with an excited girlish smile. She took him by his arm and walked him to a display bin in the front of the store. She rummaged through an assortment of pretty bra and panty sets. Before holding up her selection she asked, Are you sure you want to buy this for me?

Lee, he told her, you have no idea how sure I am. It’s this or we can go pick out a car for you tomorrow.

She laughed saying, Well then, I guess you won’t find these too expensive, then she held up her selection to the front of her body. It was a tiny bright blue silky panty and bra set.

G hoped she could not tell how flustered he suddenly felt. He zoned out for a moment to a dream in which she wore similar garments. He spoke hoping he did not stutter, It’s not what a gift cost, it’s the thought, right?’ He suddenly felt like he had been drinking way too many margaritas. Even though he never drank alcohol he felt intoxicated. He took the pretty garments from her and asked, Do y’all gift wrap here?"

As they walked toward the sales register she told him, No, but we have gift boxes and bags.

He told her, Never mind on the gift boxes. I’ll wrap them myself.

She thought, Wow! A man who wraps his own gifts. Most men in her past seemed to have difficulty just buying gifts, let alone wrapping them as well. As she rang up the sale she asked, Since you’ll be wrapping these things yourself, I guess that means I’ll hear from you again before Christmas?

Only if you want to, he said. Or I can just drop them by your mom’s house if she has not moved. That way you won’t have to worry about me calling you, he said as he watched her response.

She finished the sales transaction then put the items in a Victoria’s Secret signature shopping bag and wrote her phone number on the receipt. Call me anytime. I get off in a couple of hours, she told him as they walked to the entrance of the store. You won’t get my voicemail this time. G, I want to explain about not calling you back. I feel really bad about that.

You don’t owe me any explanation, he told her. You don’t have to explain anything to me. And just so you know, I was not released on any kind of early release program or parole. My case was overturned by the state supreme court.

She smiled and said, I’m so happy to hear that. That must have made things so much better for you? She could see how when he spoke about his past there was sadness in his eyes and extreme pain. His facial expression was as cold as the icy wind outside. She put her hand on his forearm and looked in his blue eyes that were pale gray now. She said softly, Hey for what it’s worth, not a lot of people believed those accusations and charges. I know I sure didn’t. She wanted to embrace him, to console him, to take all that pain he must have endured away. But she was a little surprised that he still wanted to see her after the way she stopped writing and never returned his call so she just said, You know G, if ever you need or just want to talk, call me. I’m a pretty good listener. You have my number now and I get done here at ten o’clock. If you want to get together tonight, maybe we could meet at a late-night diner?

He asked her if she will be hungry or just want coffee? She put her hand on her stomach, saying with a goofy smile, I’m starved. I was hoping you didn’t hear my stomach growl.

How does big juicy thick steaks sound with baked potato and maybe a Caesar salad? he asked.

Her eyebrows raised with the thought of such a meal. I would love that! But where will we go after 10:00 pm on such a stormy night to get such a fabulous meal like that? she asked.

I know a place, he told her. I got in from Florida last night. When I got to my place down the bayou the first thing I did was take two steaks out of the freezer. This morning I put them to marinate in the fridge. Before she could say anything, he said, I’ll call you when I leave the mall so you’ll have my number in your phone. Then when you leave and start heading down to my place you can call me. I’ll have your hot meal on the table when you walk through the door. It should take you thirty minutes on a night like this.

She graciously accepted his invitation saying, I sure didn’t expect this when I came into work at 8:30 this morning. I figured I would go home tonight and soak my tired hungry self in a tub of hot water.

With a slight rise in his voice he asked, Do you mean you have been here all day, thirteen or fourteen hours, one shift?

Yes, they were shorthanded so I’m working tonight to fill in for another lady. I’m not usually here at-this-time of night.

He smiled at her with his boyish grin. You just get yourself down to Chauvin and let me take care of your growling stomach and your tired feet. I’ll let you unwrap one of your gifts tonight. I’ll use it to massage your feet. He boldly laughed as he told her, You’re really lucky we crossed paths tonight. If my massage techniques don’t do the trick the hot tub on the back porch should.

Her brow raised again, Steak dinner, a massage, and a hot tub! Wow! she said.

He quickly added, And all that in front of the blazing fireplace on a cold and stormy night.

She squeezed his forearm with one hand and put the other over her heart. She said with a content smile, You might not be able to get rid of me, you know. If you show me that kind of treatment I won’t want to leave.

His heart was doing flips at the words coming out of her beautiful mouth. But he knew she was only kidding. Why would a woman like Lee want to spend a lot of time with a man like him? After all, she was so far out of his league but he had always felt an uncommon bond to her. He had done little things to help her when she was struggling financially before she attended school. He did some minor repairs and maintenance on her old car and he tried to lift her spirits when she was down. Those things gave him great pleasure. He knew he loved this woman as his dear friend but it was more than that. What kind of mystical magical power did this woman have? The way she came to him in all those dreams? He only had those dreams when he doubted if he would survive that time in that cage. He took her hand in his and gently rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand taking notice of how smooth and warm her skin was. He leaned to her and tenderly and slowly kissed her cheek then he whispered as he pulled back, So it’s a dinner date?

She was without words momentarily for the second time in about ten minutes and she felt her stomach flip when his lips touched her cheeks. She thought about how she had been kissed before where she felt her stomach flip but never by a kiss on her cheek. She wanted to answer his question but no sound came out at first. She managed to get out a cool, calm and collective, Yeah, sure. That sounds great. Call my phone when you leave here so I’ll get your number. Then I’ll call you when I head down the bayou. I’ve never been there so I’ll need directions.

No problem, he said. Get to the east side of town then I’ll talk you right to my door and a warm fire. Realizing he still held her hand and was still rubbing the back of it he became a little shy and slightly embarrassed. Not wanting to overstep any boundaries or make her feel uncomfortable he awkwardly released her hand. Then I’ll call you soon, he told her. He turned and walked into the promenade of the mall and disappeared into the crowds of Christmas madness.

Lee walked back into the store with a huge smile on her face and was confronted by Kim as though she was waiting for G to leave. Kim teased Lee saying, Boy, does he really like you! If I didn’t know better I’d say you liked, that he likes you.

Lee laughed at Kim as to blow off what she said. He’s ten years younger than my parents.

Kim, matter of factly said, Girl, there ain’t no blood between y’all. He’s not your dad. I remember every girl at school had the hots for Mr. Michaels. He was so damn professional he wouldn’t even flirt with them. I used to hear rumors how the moms, teachers and even bus drivers wanted to ‘do him’. But he just tuned them all down. Now he never refused anyone if they needed help. I know he helped a lot of my friends. One of my friends called him about 1:00 am one weekend. She was at a party and wanted to leave but her ride was not ready to go and they had been drinking. She felt really, uncomfortable being there. Mr. Michaels got out of bed and drove across town in his personal car and picked her up at the end of the block. He never asked her any questions or gave her a hard time about her drinking underage and he even thanked her for calling him to go and get her. He dropped her off at the end of her driveway at her home. He saw her just about every day at school after that but he never brought it up. He would just smile and say hello when they passed each other.

Kim looked Lee in her eyes and asked, So did he ask you out?

Lee was still a little lightheaded from his kiss on her cheek and caught off guard from Kim’s question so she stuttered her answer, No…Yes, well…I mean it’s just to talk. He’s grilling steaks for us when I get off work.

Tonight! Kim exclaimed, You have a date with Mr. Michaels tonight? He’s fast.

It’s not a date! Lee explained. It’s just conversation over steaks and maybe he’ll massage my feet with the lotion he just bought.

Kim laughed at Lee’s attempt to sound like she was not excited about her recent invitation. She told Lee, Yeah, it’s nothing more than late night intellectual stimulating quality time with hot massage lotion. So, I guess that tiny hot blue bra and panty combo you picked out and held up in front of yourself, that he bought in your size is just in case your foot massage takes a little longer than you first expected. So, you’ll have clean underwear after your shower in the morning.

Lee just smiled and didn’t dare mention the fireplace or the hot tub. Lee asked Kim, How did you know I knew him? I never mentioned that to anyone here that he and I were friends. But when you saw him out on that bench you came tell me he was there.

Kim said, I didn’t know you knew him. He was the cop at my high school when I attended there. Everybody felt better knowing he was there if we needed him. And he was my community league girl softball coach for three years while I was in high school. Then after all that stuff I heard they did to him, how they believed that crazy lying little bitch and then they put him in prison. There is no way he did what she said. I cried the night they found him guilty at his trial. That night a lot of people lost all respect for the legal system. In fact, the only reason we had any in the first place was because of that man in his uniform teaching us by his actions and examples. But they did him really, dirty. I heard they gave him a lot of crazy time to serve in prison. A bunch of us even wrote letters to the courts about how they made a huge mistake. Lee, he’s a really good man!

Kim started to get choke up a little by talking about how horrible it was that they didn’t believe him. I didn’t know you knew him Lee. I was just excited to see him out there on the bench. I was surprised and delighted because he was not in prison anymore. It’s only been a few years now so he must be out on parole or something.

Lee told Kim about the Supreme Court dismissing the conviction. She paused and added, Yeah Kim, I guess it’s a date!

Lee reached to dry the moisture that had formed in Kim’s eyes as they both laughed about how Lee finally admitted it was a date. Kim got serious and said without looking at Lee, He deserves a good woman like you, you know. Then Kim walked across the store to go help a customer.

As soon as G walked out of eye sight of the store he sat on another bench. He looked at the receipt with Lee’s phone number on it. He punched the number onto the keypad of his cell phone. The display read Lee I. It was the same as the number he called two years before. Coincidentally her number was programmed number seven on his speed dial. He grinned as he wondered if her being number seven on his speed dial was a coincidence or a sign. He thought how less than thirty-six hours ago he dropped his anchor of his sixty-foot ketch in Bayou Chico in Pensacola. He had just sailed six days from the Keys of south Florida all by himself. He knew he would probably run across people he had not seen in a while there in his hometown. But he never expected his good fortune of what just happened on this seventh day of his journey. He thought how he really touched her skin. This time it was not a dream. The scent of her favorite vanilla lotion was still on his hand and he raised it to his nose and inhaled slow and deep.

Lee had been anxiously watching the clock and waiting for the time for the store to close. She caught herself smiling for no apparent reason ever since her encounter with G three hours earlier. As she rushed to her car out in the cold and windy parking lot she noticed the exhaustion she felt most of the day was gone. She had spent most of the previous night and several nights before that on the phone with Richard, her ex-boyfriend trying to explain to him why she no longer wanted him. Why she no longer wanted him to call her or see him or stop where he thought she might be. In fact, if he just fell off the face of the earth would probably be the only thing he could do for her to make her happy. Richard was a spoiled momma’s boy with lots of family money. At first all Richard’s expensive gifts and his private