“Hostile? You think I'm hostile?”
He reached out and took hold of her arm and
pulled her near him. “Let’s go outside and have a
talk.”
Cody pulled her along, not hurting her, but she
definitely got the idea that he wasn’t pleased about
something. “You can let go of my arm. I’m able to
walk by myself,” she pleaded.
He let go of his grasp as he held open the door at
the back of the kitchen that led outside. He stepped
aside and let her go through first.
He briefly looked back at Marcus and gave him
one last dirty look.
Darla folded her arms across her chest. “What
was that about?”
“He was flirting with you. I didn’t like that. I felt
like I was breaking up a little thing,” he said angrily.
“A little thing! Are you kidding? You’re jealous
of Marcus?” she said.
Cody paced the parking lot. He ran his fingers
through his hair. He paced some more, stopping
directly in front of her. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what
got into me. I wasn’t sure what was happening.”
Darla dropped her arms. She reached out and
pulled him toward her. “Cody. I don’t treat people
that way. I may have been treated that way, but I
don’t treat others that way. I know how it feels to
have your feelings trampled on. We were just going
over the menu. He’d just cracked a joke about
vegetarians, and we were laughing at it when you
walked in. It was totally innocent.”
Cody nodded. “I owe Marcus an apology. I made
an ass out of myself.”
Darla softened her face. “It’s okay. He’ll
understand. Let’s go back in, and then I have some
things I want to discuss with you regarding the
décor.”
Cody motioned for Darla to move toward the
door. He quickly grabbed the door and held it open
for her.
Cody walked up to Marcus and held his hand out
to him. “Man, I don’t know what got into me.”
Marcus looked at the gesture and gripped his
hand. “No worries, man. We don’t ever have to talk
about it again.”
Cody released his hand from Marcus’ and gently
patted him on the shoulder. “Thanks, man.”
Darla stood back and watched as the men made
amends. A small tear formed on her bottom lid. She
couldn’t believe that Cody felt this way about her.
She’d never had anyone be quite so devoted to her
and in such a short time. It was kind of strange.
* * *
Cody looked at the drawings and didn’t say a
word until she was through showing him. He paused
a few moments to gather his thoughts.
“Your plans are very detailed. Did you have
formal training in drafting?”
“I went to college to become an interior
designer.”
“You have a lot of talent there. I especially like
that you used colored pencils so I could really
visualize the room.”
Darla smiled. “You like it then?”
“I do. However, not sure it’s right for the
restaurant. I like some of the softer elements, but it is
still a steakhouse first and foremost.”
“Agreed. Where would you like some changes
made?”
“I like the look of the restaurant now. I just
thought maybe adding a little color to the stark
whiteness and soften the industrial feel would be a
starter. I don’t think I’m ready for velvet, beads, and
feathers,” he said.
Darla started to speak. Cody quickly put a finger
to her mouth. “But—I think these ideas are great for
another restaurant. I think you should open your own
place.”
Darla chewed on her bottom lip. “My own
restaurant?” she repeated.
“Yes. I think you have some great design ideas,
and I already know your recipes would be a hit. I
think you should open a vegetarian restaurant. We’ll
here, but, Darla, I really think Dallas is ready for
you.”
Darla’s grin widened. She softened her face and
then she reached out and hugged his neck, giving
him a quick peck on the check. “Thank you!”
Cody reached back and unclasped her hands and
placed them on the table. “For what?”
“For rescuing me. For taking me away from the
sadness I felt and allowing me to once again feel
loved and appreciated. I didn’t think I would ever
feel this light again.” She lowered her head.
Cody lifted her chin and searched every inch of
her face before locking his eyes with hers. “I should
be thanking you. I, too, was in a very dark place.”
She leaned in and kissed him on the mouth. She
stopped for a moment, leaning back slightly to see
his eyes. “Let’s go visit Bryan. I want him to see you
again, and see how you’ve lightened my life.”
Cody lowered his head. When he rose, she was
right there, looking for an answer. “Okay. Let’s do
that. I think it’s time.”
Chapter Seven
Road trips were always exciting. Cody calculated
the trip and made all the necessary reservations for
overnight stays. He figured it would take them four
long days. He was feeling a bit anxious about seeing
Bryan again, but he knew it was the right thing to
do—regardless if Darla hadn’t come into his life.
They’d been buddies for a long time, and although
Cody tried to put the war out of his mind, Bryan
lived it every day.
After Darla had listened to the tenth country
song, she asked Cody if he minded if she changed the
station.
“I just assumed everyone loved country music,”
he said, as he rotated the stations that came in.
Most of the stations were just a lot of static
because they were in between towns and the
reception was not strong.
“Do you have a CD player in this truck?” she
asked.
Cody pointed to the slot. Darla unbuckled her
seat belt and stretched to the backseat to dig inside
one of her bags. “Here it is. This is what I was
looking for,” she said with a wide grin. She held up a
plastic CD case and popped it open, taking the shiny
metal and glass looking disc out and popping it into
the slot. Soon Cody and Darla were listening to Janis
Joplin, Carole King, and James Taylor.
After driving for ten hours, the couple made their
first overnight stay. When Cody made all the hotel
reservations he made sure, it was for two double
beds. He didn’t want her to feel like they had to sleep
together just because they were traveling together.
When he pushed open the door and saw one bed in
the center of the room, he slammed his keys down on
the dresser.
“I told them two beds, darn it!”
Darla rushed u
p beside him and rubbed his arm.
“It’s okay. I’ll go to the office and see if we can
change rooms.”
Cody nodded. “I’ll wait here.”
When Darla came back, Cody could tell she
wasn’t successful.
“All the rooms are booked. We can make this
work, Cody.”
Cody stormed out of the room and went to his
truck. Darla waited a moment and then followed him
out to the truck.
“We’re grown adults. I can stay on one side of
the bed and you on the other. I promise not to touch
you,” she whispered.
Cody nodded. He reached into the backseat and
grabbed the suitcases. He didn’t say a word. He
didn’t want to tell her, but it wasn’t her that he was
worried about. He wasn’t sure he could make such a
promise.
He lay next to her, listening to her breathe softly.
He was staring at the ceiling although the room was
dark and there was nothing he could actually see. He
toss, or turn. He made sure his arms were close to his
sides, and he felt like he couldn’t move a muscle,
fearful of waking her up, or worse, take her into his
arms and forget all about the promise. He wasn’t sure
when he fell asleep, but he finally did. When he
woke up, he had a kink in his neck and his lower
back was hurting from staying in one position all
night.
“How’d you sleep?” she asked.
He wasn’t sure if he should tell her the truth. He
didn’t want her to feel bad.
“Okay. I’m used to my bed, though,” he said.
“Do you want to shower first or shall I?” she
asked as she dug in her suitcase.
Cody paused before speaking. She was going to
be showering in the room right next to where he was.
It was different than when she was staying at his
house. It was a big house. This was a small room and
the thought of her wet and naked just a few feet from
him stirred some deep emotions.
“I don’t care. You can go first. Women usually
take longer in getting ready,” he said.
She rose up from the suitcase and gave him a
dirty look. They both broke out laughing.
He closed his eyes and rested his head on the
pillow while he listened to the sounds of the water
running. When he heard the shower turn off, he sat
up and leafed through a magazine. Darla came out of
the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her and
one on her head.
She giggled. “Your turn,” she said, as she made
her way around the bed. “I’ll get dressed out here
while you’re in there,” she assured him.
Cody jumped off the bed and grabbed his stuff. It
would be the fastest shower he ever took.
He cautiously opened the bathroom door. He
didn’t want to be surprised by a Darla in her
underwear scenario. Or maybe he did. Darla was
completely dressed, sitting in a chair leafing through
the same magazine he had been looking at. He
wondered if she’d been listening to him shower like
he’d been listening to her.
“Okay. Let’s get packed up, get some breakfast,
and hit the road,” he said.
Darla closed the magazine. “Sounds good to me.”
* * *
“I feel bad that you couldn’t find much to eat on
the menu,” Cody said, as they began their long drive.
“It’s okay. I’m used it,” she said. “In California, I
was able to find a lot of meat substitution items on
restaurant menus. And of course, there was always
some kind of fruit.”
“Figures. California …” he started and then
stopped himself. “I mean, yeah, California. They
would have lots of fruit with all the orchards out
there,” he finished, trying to get his foot out of his
mouth.
Darla frowned. “Now, Cody. Don’t be so
judgmental. I mean, after all, did you ever think for
just a fleeting moment that you’d be attracted to a
hippie from Idaho?”
Cody shot her a look. “Hippie!” he laughed.
“Yeah, never even for a fleeting moment,” he said.
He reached over and patted her leg. “I have to tell
you … I like how different you are. How innocent,
and to a certain degree, naïve.”
She put out her bottom lip and pouted. “Naïve?
You think I’m naïve?”
“In a cute sort of a way. But you know, Darla,
sometimes being naïve about something is like
having your head stuck in the sand. Sometimes you
have to be more assertive and research things and
become better educated on matters so that you can
make a more informed decision or choice about
something.”
“Like what?” she asked.
“War for instance. You can be against killing, but
you should know what an important function the
military has in protecting your rights. Rights of all
Americans and how it fits in with freedom.”
She nodded. “Agreed. I guess I always felt that if
I knew too much, it would make me more cynical.
And I don’t ever want to be that.”
“Just the opposite, really. Knowing more about a
subject will help you make better choices, and even
if we agree to disagree about any subject matter, at
least you’ll know more about it so I won’t feel like
you’re just some flaky person who is against
everything that says establishment, without really
knowing why. I respect that you march to a different
drummer. Really I do.”
Darla widened her grin. “Thanks for saying that,
Cody. I appreciate that you don’t want to change me,
just make me a better person.”
“Hey. You’re perfect in my eyes. I just want you
to be aware of more than just your circle.”
She nodded. “I agree. And with you opening your
mind to eating tofu and drinking green tea, I think
we’ll make a great couple.”
“A couple? Is that how you see us?”
Darla shrugged her shoulders. “I think so. I don’t
if we’re too different to make it work, but I’d like to
try.”
They were on the freeway so he couldn’t just pull
the car over. But he had an overwhelming desire to
kiss her. She did that to him. He turned to look at her,
but she was looking out the window on her side. He
quickly looked her over and then turned his attention
to the road. He secretly hoped the next hotel would
make the same mistake and give them a room with
one bed. This time, he wasn’t sure he could keep the
promise.
* * *
“Sushi!”
“Yes. It’s really good. You’ll like it,” she said,
tugging on his arm to go into the restaurant.
Cody dragged his cowboy boots on the
pavement. “I don’t eat raw fish!”
“They’ll have something you can eat, trust me,”
she said softly.
They were seated at a table for two in the back
corner. Cody looked around at the décor. Dark beams
and ceiling, Asian-themed wall décor and beads
hanging in the doorway to the bathrooms.
“Interesting,” he said as he fingered the
chopsticks. “I hope they give forks out too. I still
don’t know how to use these very well.”
Darla laughed. “I’ll teach you.” She scanned the
menu. “Let me do the ordering, okay?”
Cody furrowed his brows. “I think I’ll starve
tonight.”
Darla peered over the top of the menu and
flashed a look at him. It was as if she was throwing
daggers with her stare. “Don’t be silly!”
Darla smiled as she watched Cody attempt to
pick up the sushi with the chopsticks.
“Here. Hold it like this,” she said showing him.
He watched her for the umpteenth time. He tried
once more. He was so happy when he was able to put
the piece directly in his mouth without dropping it.
“Which one is this?” he asked as he pointed to
some piece from the roll he’d just tried.
“That’s a California roll. Crab, avocado, and this
is sesame seed on the outside. Most people try that
one first. It’ll get you hooked and then you’ll want to
try other ones.”
“I don’t know about that, but I agree, this is
pretty good,” he said, dipping the piece in some soy
sauce concoction she’d made.
Cody put down his chopsticks and watched Darla
as she artfully secured her piece and popped it into
her mouth. He watched her as she chewed. She had
the most voluptuous mouth. He studied her for a few
moments while she enjoyed her food.
“What? Why do you keep staring at me?”
“I’m just enjoying the view. Has anyone ever told
you how pretty you are?”
Darla could feel the heat travel straight to her
face. She imagined her cheeks looked like little balls
of fire.
She put down her chopsticks and moistened her
lips with her tongue. “Well, to tell ya the truth, not