Page 3 of A Powerful Attraction
“Honey, please be careful. There are all kinds of crazies out there and you don’t know anything about this man.”
Sherry rolled her eyes, listening to her mother’s voice through the speakerphone as she prepared for her date. Excitement thrummed in her veins in anticipation of the night ahead, despite the conversation.
As usual, both of her parents were on the phone at the same time, being their usual protective selves. She spoke to them several times a week. Her mother tended to dominate the conversations, while her father went along with her shenanigans.
Leaning toward the mirror above the pedestal sink in her small bathroom, Sherry applied an extra layer of mascara to her left eye. “Mom, Dad, relax. I’m meeting him in a public place. What could possibly happen?”
She might have told a little lie to Alex. Stan wasn’t her boyfriend, but she considered him a possibility. She’d met him online, but she’d done her due diligence. She had agreed to meet him at the restaurant instead of having him pick her up at her place, not to mention they’d talked numerous times over the past few months since he sent the first message to her inbox on Match.com. They graduated from the dating service’s inbox, to exchanging emails, to exchanging phone numbers. He was funny, though a bit corny at times, but if he looked anything like his online photos, he was quite handsome.
Her mother sighed heavily. “I just want you to be careful, honey. Your last relationship ended when he broke your heart, but this man could be a serial killer.”
Sherry shook her head and refused to respond to such an outrageous comment. She smoothed her hands over the knee-length black dress she wore. Sleeveless but fitted with an A-line skirt, the outfit made her look sexy without appearing as if she was trying too hard.
“Your mother’s right. You have to be careful.” Her father’s voice filled the room. “Some of those men out there aren’t good men. They’re only looking for one thing, and you’re better than that.”
Sherry almost laughed. Her parents would have a stroke if they knew she was only looking for one thing too. She’d only been with two men in her life, and after talking to Stan for the past few months, she had gotten worked up with the anticipation of adding a third. While none of the conversations had delved too deeply into sex talk, they had played around with sexual innuendo and teasing banter that had re-sparked her libido.
She was definitely ready to do the nasty tonight. Since the breakup with her boyfriend, she’d almost sworn off men before realizing it was ridiculous to give up on them completely. She was only twenty-eight years old. A broken heart didn’t last forever, and she didnotwant to give her ex the satisfaction of destroying her faith in love and romance.
She did realize, however, she hadn’t been ready to start dating right after her relationship ended. So she took a break to concentrate on herself and work and spend time with her girlfriends. The break had paid off. She now felt emotionally ready to dive back into the dating pool, especially after several of her friends had found love in the past year.
“For a man, you have a very low opinion of men.” Sherry checked to make sure there was no lipstick on her teeth.
“It’s because I’m a man that I know,” her father said.
“Duly noted, Dad. You guys, this conversation is going to have to come to an end.” Sherry picked up her phone from atop the commode tank and turned out the light in the bathroom. The carpet in the bedroom muffled the sounds of her shoes as she walked to the bed and picked up her red clutch, which matched her red shoes. “I’m on my way to the restaurant.”
“Call tomorrow and let us know how your date went,” her mother said.
“Okay, Mom. I promise.”
No point in arguing with them. Besides, Sherry knew she was lucky to have such loving parents. She was their only child, after they became pregnant late in life and were not able to get pregnant again. A miracle baby, they’d called her. Born so late that she fielded awkward conversations in high school when friends thought her parents were her grandparents.
She was not only loved, they would do anything for her. They paid for her education, and after she finished school and accepted a job in Atlanta, they took the journey with her, traveling over four hundred miles to help her get settled before returning to Kentucky.
She still remembered the trip to Walmart to buy supplies for her new apartment. And her parents had paid the first two months’ rent and the deposit so she wouldn’t have to worry about those expenses straining her bank account before she received a paycheck.
“Love you, honey,” her mother said.
“Love you, too,” her father interjected.
“Love you, guys. And don’t worry about me, okay? I’ll call you tomorrow.”
The conversation ended, and Sherry sprayed perfume on the insides of her wrists and either side of her neck. If she were lucky tonight, she would not only be embarking on a brand-new relationship, she would get laid, too.
With a wicked laugh to herself, she tucked the clutch under an arm and left.
* * *
La Tavola Italiano,one of the best restaurants in town, was understandably packed on Friday night. Seated at a two-top against the wall, Sherry checked the time on her phone again. Stan was late. Her stomach grumbled, a rebuke for not ordering at least some stuffed mushrooms—one of her favorite items on the menu—or a platter of bruschetta to hold her over.
She sipped water and then set the glass on the white tablecloth. She hadn’t ordered a drink or even an appetizer because she’d wanted to wait until her date arrived. They’d agreed to meet at seven, but it was now seven thirty and there was no sign of him. Was he simply running late, or had he stood her up?
Surely he hadn’t. They reconfirmed the date last night. He’d been excited—just as she had been.
She glanced at the phone on the table again. No text from him, and the one she sent ten minutes ago was still unanswered. Maybe he’d been in an accident, because this silence was unlike him.
Another twenty minutes passed and her stomach growled embarrassingly loudly. So loudly she hunkered down a little in the chair, hoping the people at the closest tables didn’t hear. She should have eaten before coming out, but she’d expected Stan to be on time, and she’d wanted to save her appetite for her favorite restaurant.
