said.
“I don’t eat meat. I knew that was the right thing
to say because it was your restaurant. Bryan told me
it was a steakhouse, plus I could read the sign,
‘Cody’s Steakhouse,’” she said, smiling.
“So when I directed you to the other restaurant
that was all a ruse too?” Cody asked.
“Yep. As soon as you took off, I googled a vegan
place. Did you know you have a really nice Thai
restaurant here that serves a delicious veggie dish?”
“Red or white,” Cody asked as he made his way
toward the bar in the corner.
“I’ll have a glass of chardonnay, please.”
Armed with a glass of wine, Darla began
preparing dinner. Cody watched as she made her way
around the kitchen and noticed she seemed rather
comfortable. She would open a drawer and look for
something, swing open a cabinet and look for
something else. Cody smiled as he saw this petite,
pretty, and somewhat colorful personality work her
way around his kitchen. He sipped his wine as he
watched.
Cody swung the bar stool around and watched as
she set the table. “Dinner will be ready in five,” she
sang out.
Cody jumped down from the barstool and
stretched. “Can I help with anything?”
“You can be in charge of the beverages,” she
said.
* * *
Cody stabbed the strange food with the tines of
his fork. He looked at it closely as he rotated his fork.
“Just try it,” Darla urged.
Cody put the strange morsel in his mouth and
began to chew. He took a sip of his wine to wash it
down. “Has a strange texture,” he said, pushing the
vegetables around the plate with his fork. He took a
bite of the zucchini and chewed as Darla smiled.
“I think you are brave for trying something new.
I realize tofu is not a normal food for a cowboy such
as yourself.”
Cody chuckled. “That’s a bit judgmental, don’t
you think?” Cody took another bite of the chewy
textured squares.
“I call it as I see it. Are you going to tell me that
you’d have chosen on your own to try tofu if it
hadn’t been for me introducing it to you?”
“Probably not. But I’m glad I did. It reminds me
of the time I took a date to a sushi restaurant.”
Darla put her wine glass down and paid close
attention to Cody.
“This was probably hilarious to watch,” she said.
Cody nodded. “I sort of asked for it when I told
her to pick the place. Anyway, here we are at this
place where you sit on the floor on cushions and eat
with wooden chopsticks. Talk about a fish out of
water.”
Darla laughed. “I know how you felt. I always
feel out of place.” Her eyes twinkled.
“I ended up asking for a fork. But … I’ll have
you know, after that date I practiced with chopsticks
here for the next time.”
“And?” Darla asked.
“There was never another date,” Cody said,
looking down at his plate.
“Well, she doesn’t know what she gave up.”
Cody raised his head and locked his eyes onto
hers. She had the most beautiful blue eyes. Vivid was
a term that came to his mind.
“Thanks for making this new dinner for me. I’m
glad I tried it.”
Cody picked up his wine glass and held it high as
if he were going to say a toast. “I truly enjoyed it.
But you know … unless you can’t eat meat because
of some religious thing, I challenge you to the same
task,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
Darla hadn’t noticed the sweet dimple in his chin
and on just one of his cheeks. She searched his face
from forehead to chin, ear to ear. He was a very
handsome man. They rode in different circles,
though. He was a former Marine turned cowboy, a
meat eater living off of the land. She was a free spirit
still stuck in the 70s where everyone loved one
another—peace, love, and happiness was her vibe.
She even wore the peace necklace to prove it. She
pushed back her chair and started to gather the
dishes. Cody placed his hand on hers as he took his
plate.
“This can wait. Let’s go sit down and get to know
each other. I have some things I want to ask you.”
Darla felt his warm touch, and the look in his
eyes told her she’d better obey his request. It wasn’t
a look of anger; it was a look of longing. She’d not
felt an attraction to a man like this in a long time. Not
since Pierre. She set free her hold of the plate and
pulled her hand out from under his. “Okay. It’s your
dime,” she said.
Chapter Three
Over coffee, the two got better acquainted. Cody
was fascinated by Darla’s carefree style. Darla was
intrigued by Cody’s disciplined style. Talk about an
odd couple.
“I see you have a tattoo,” Darla said.
Cody rolled his sleeve up higher so she could see
his inked beauty.
Darla let out a small gasp. She reached out and
traced the design with her fingers. “I’ve seen this one
before. Bryan has one with the words ‘Semper
Fidelis’ as well.”
Darla lifted her skirt and exposed her ankle.
Cody’s eyes widened. “What is it?”
“It’s a Mandala wheel. It depicts the universe,
enlightenment, and wisdom.”
“Do you have more than just that one?” Cody
asked knowing full well she did.
Darla nodded. She turned over her wrist and
exposed the one he’d seen earlier.
“This is the Lotus Flower. It symbolizes rebirth,
strength, and enlightenment.
“Those are impressive. Your designer did a great
job as well. Do you have any others?”
Darla’s grin widened and for a split second, Cody
thought for sure she winked at him. “Yes, I do. But
only where welcomed eyes can see it,” she said.
Cody laughed. He got up from the couch and
reached for her cup. “Another cup?”
“No. Thanks. I better be going. But let’s clean up
the kitchen before I go,” she said, getting up with a
sigh.
Cody stopped in his track and whirled around just
in time for Darla to bump into him. Coffee splattered
out of the cup and soon she and Cody both had
droplets on their clothes. “Oh geez. I’m sorry,
Darla,” Cody said.
Cody made a beeline toward the kitchen. Darla
was right behind him.
Cody pulled a sheet off the paper towel roll and
stuck it under the running faucet. He turned around,
and Darla was standing right there.
“I’m sorry for getting coffee on you,” he said.
“Hey. I’m the one who got too close without
warning you.”
Cody met Darla’s eyes. Without hesitation, he
s
tarted to blot the coffee stains on her blouse. She
smiled as she watched him gingerly wipe the stains
away. “Here let me do it,” she said putting her hand
on top of his.
Cody backed up. His boots hit the cabinet.
“Yeah, you’re probably much better at that than me.”
“What I should do is take it off and rinse it in
cold water. Do you mind?” she asked, unbuttoning
her blouse.
Cody’s eyes widened. “Ah. Sure,” he stammered.
“Let me see if I can find you something to put on.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary,” Darla said as she
worked the buttons.
Cody watched on, not knowing really what to do
in this instance. He’d been with women before, but
Darla was different. She wasn’t taking her blouse off
to be intimate, she was taking it off to have it
washed. She finished unbuttoning her shirt and
slipped it off first one shoulder than the other. Cody
watched on as he waited to see flesh. Instead, he saw
she had a camisole on. Cody breathed a loud sigh.
“Did you think I was going to strip down to my
raw flesh?” Darla giggled.
“Well. You are a hippy type. I figured free love
and peace and all that stuff,” Cody said.
“Hippy? You think I’m a hippy?” Darla laughed
loudly and soon her laugh was uncontrollable and
she was grabbing her side. “You’re hilarious. Is that
what you call peace-loving Buddhists? Hippies?
Well, it’s true. I don’t believe in guns, or killing
animals, and I love everyone,” she said holding out
her peace sign symbol that was strung on a black
leather piece around her neck.
The two held their stare. Cody wasn’t sure how
to respond. His eyes darted from her head to her toes
and then without much warning he let her know
something about himself.
“It’s just I was raised in a pretty strict household.
My daddy was a preacher for the Baptist church, and
my momma taught Sunday school. I only know about
the Christian religion. I also am not used to women
with tattoos—although I have to admit, I like them
on you. He watched her intently for any signs that he
shouldn’t continue.
“Then I did six years in the Marines and well you
know, we’re all about God and Country.”
Darla moistened her mouth. “I get it. You and I
are opposite in many ways. But you know what they
say about opposites.” She winked at him.
Cody shifted his weight. “I could never stop
believing in God or my country. I served it, and it
serves me very well, I might add.”
“I’ve been through a lot of stuff, Cody. God
didn’t help me. I helped myself. And I did that by
digging deep within myself and contemplated on the
bigger picture. It’s okay that we see things a little
differently. That’s what makes this such a great
world,” she said expanding her hands wide open.
“Don’t you have friends of different religions,
different backgrounds? Surely you do.”
Cody nodded. “I guess so. But I have to tell you,
God saved me more times than I can count.”
Cody reached out and took Darla’s blouse. “I’ll
toss this in the wash. Let me see if I can find you
something to put on.”
Cody frantically searched his closet. He pulled a
shirt off the hanger and rushed back to the main part
of the house.
Cody tossed a shirt to Darla. “I think this should
fit.”
Darla frowned. “This is a flannel shirt. It’s one
hundred freaking degrees outside!”
Cody ignored her comment and walked back into
the living room. Darla followed him holding the shirt
in her hands.
She sat down across from him and looked him
hard up and down. “You don’t think I’m coming on
to you, do you?” she blurted.
Cody stiffened his back. “No. Why would I think
that?”
“I’ve never had a man ask me to get dressed
before,” she said batting her long lashes. She crossed
her legs and started to pump her foot up and down.
“You’re my best friend’s kid sister. I don’t think
he’d want you to be half dressed sitting in my
house,” Cody said.
“You’re so old-fashioned, Cody!”
“What’s wrong with that? We could use a little
old-fashioned value in this world,” he spouted.
Darla got up from her seat and made her way to
where Cody was sitting. She plopped down next to
him. He felt nervous about her sitting so close to
him. She reached out and placed both hands on his
face, and as she spoke, she softened her face, and
suddenly Cody relaxed.
She swept her tongue across her lips. Her eyes
twinkled making the blue shine like colored glass.
Her long blonde locks were like spun gold, and her
fingers felt soft on his face. Cody’s stomach was
doing flip-flops and making strange noises. He was
nervous but excited at the same time. He reached up
and took her hands and placed them down in front of
her. His eyes were smoldering, and his jaw tightened.
Something about him was different.
“Listen. I don’t know what is happening here,
but I think you should leave before something
happens we can’t take back,” he said.
Darla arched her back and lifted her shoulders.
Her gaze still locked hard onto his.
“Maybe that’s what I want,” she whispered.
Cody quickly stood up. “You need to go. Right
now.”
“What about my shirt?”
“You can wear that one to the hotel. I’ll make
sure you get your darn blouse.”
Darla stood up and smoothed out her long
flowing broomstick skirt. She tightened her lips and
then turned from him. She wasn’t going to give him
the last word. But she’d wait. She’d wait until the
right moment. She gathered her other things and
headed toward the front door. She had one hand on
the knob and was about to turn it when she stopped
and whirled around. “I’ll have you know, most men
would have kissed me during that moment, not kick
me out. But I understand. You have morals. Well, I
do too, but we’re not fifteen, eighteen, or even
twenty-one. I’m thirty-five years old. I’m not getting
any younger and neither are you. So, Mr. Cody, the
next time a pretty girl sits next to you and bats her
lashes, you might want to give her a little kiss.”
Cody furrowed his brows. “First of all, I’m not
some kid, you got that right. But like I said, we just
met, and you’re the sister of my friend. I don’t even
really know you.”
Darla said something under her breath and then
opened the front door. “Have a great night. I’ll be
expecting my blouse by tomorrow.”
&nbs
p; Cody frowned. “No worries,” he yelled out.
“By the way,” she said as she quickly turned
around. “Can you recommend a parking lot for me to
sleep in?”
Cody sighed. He dropped his shoulders. “Not
another parking lot. I can’t let you sleep in your car
again.”
Darla shrugged her shoulders. “It’s the best I can
do, right now. I’m low on funds. I was hoping to
stick around for a while. Get a job. Check things out
here and see if I liked it or not.”
“What kind of skills do you have?” Cody asked.
“Don’t laugh. Promise you won’t laugh,” Darla
said.
“Now you got me wanting to know. Spill it,” he
said.
“I read Tarot cards.”
“You tell fortunes? See. I knew it. Hippie.”
Darla pursed her lips and put one hand on her
hip. “I don’t mind you calling me a hippie, but I do
mind that you are disregarding the reading of cards
as helpful.”
Cody shot her a strange look.
“Do you know anything about cards?”
Cody shook his head.
Darla whisked by Cody. He watched her as she
rushed toward the kitchen. She called over her
shoulder to him. “Follow me. You’re about to get a
lesson in Tarot cards.”
Cody shut the front door and walked toward the
kitchen. Darla had pulled out a stool for him. She
patted the seat. “Sit.”
Cody obeyed.
“So. Tarot cards go back to mid-fifteenth century
in various parts of Europe. There are seventy-eight
cards,” she said, pulling out the deck from her bag.
“There are twenty-two Major Arcana and 56
Minor Arcana, compromising of 4 suits: cups,
pentacles, swords, and wands. Each of the suits
represents something.” She spread the cards out on
the countertop.
“This is the suit of cups. It represents water. This
is pentacles and it represents earth,” she said pointing
to the cards.
“What does swords represent?” Cody asked,
beginning to feel a bit interested.