Page 10 of Champagne Nights

I was happy that she agreed to let me take her out. She said one time, and that was fine with me. One time with her was all I needed. If it were that easy to convince her to go out with me, getting her into my bed would be just as easy. She was different from the other women I fucked, and different was what I wanted. I was getting bored.

“Great. How about I take you to dinner tonight?”

“How about lunch?” she smirked.

“Or lunch.” I laughed. “What are you reading?”

“Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.”

“I see it’s in braille.” I leaned closer to have a better look.

“Yes. It’s the only way I can read.” She smiled.

God, she was so beautiful, and I just wanted to reach out and touch her. I wanted to feel the softness of her long blonde hair through my fingers.

“How would you like to take a walk through the garden?” I blurted out with no control. What the fuck just happened?

A small smile crossed her lips. “That would be nice.”

“Then let’s go.” I stood up and held out my hand to her like an idiot. She couldn’t see it, and I pulled back. This was going to take some getting used to.

Putting her book in her bag, she grabbed her cane and stood up.

“How about you use my arm instead of that cane?”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.” She smiled.

She folded her cane, placed it in her bag, and lightly placed her hand above my elbow.

“You need to walk half a step ahead of me so I can follow your direction. And you’ll also need to tell me when we approach a curb or stairs. I’m trusting you, Mr. Klein.”

“You’re safe with me, Miss Callahan,” I smirked.

“Why don’t you ask me what you’re dying to know?” she spoke as we began walking.

“How do you know what I’m thinking?”

“It’s always the first question people ask when they meet me.” She stared straight ahead.

“Have you always been blind?”

“No. It happened when I was eight years old after a horrible car crash I was in with my parents. They were killed, and I lost my eyesight,” she replied in a soft-spoken voice.

I felt a twinge of something in my heart. Pain perhaps? Pain for her because she lost her parents, or pain because she lost her sight. I was concerned because I didn’t feel things like that.

“I’m sorry.”

“Thank you. That was a long time ago.”

“Who raised you?” I asked as we walked along the flower-lined path.

“My Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Lee. She was my mother’s sister. They moved me here right after I got out of the hospital.”

“You’re not from New York?” I asked.

“No. I was born in California.”

Suddenly, my phone started to ring. Pulling it from my pocket, I noticed it was Jarod calling.

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