Page 5 of Angels & Whiskey
Two years later …
Valentine’s Day.
The most romantic day of the year.
Like most girls, I’d fantasized about receiving candy and roses on this day and being treated to a nice dinner with the one I loved for as long as I could remember. For the twenty-six years of my life, that had never happened—until today.
Rich and I had been dating for six months and he was the most romantic guy I’d ever been with. He took care of me. He made sure my car had enough gas to make it to work, he’d slip a note in my lunch bag when I wasn’t looking that always made me smile when I found it, and he always told me he loved me.
He was perfect.
I smiled as I read Rich’s morning text telling me that he loved me and couldn’t wait to see me for dinner. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it through the day. It was like Christmas and the anticipation was killing me. This was my first official Valentine’s date and it wasn’t with a bottle of Pinot and a box of chocolates I bought myself. I was on cloud nine, to say the least. I’d even woken up before my alarm, wanting to hurry and get the day started.
I changed out of my pajamas and into black slacks and a red blouse to celebrate Valentine’s Day for work. After all, red was the color of love. After making sure my makeup was just right and my long, chocolate-brown hair was straightened with a flat iron, I hung my little black dress on the shower rod. I didn’t want there to be any wrinkles in it for tonight.
Rich and I met one afternoon in August. He’d walked into the bank I worked at to open a new checking account, and the moment I saw him walk in the door in his army uniform, I was love struck. What woman didn’t love a man in a uniform? Especially a military uniform.
Sigh.
I couldn’t tell he was nine years older than me at the time. He didn’t look it. He was gorgeous. The way he smiled a sly smirk as he stepped up to my desk when our eyes met, the way his piercing blue eyes checking me out, and the way his voice made me turn to butter … It made me forget how to speak.
“I need to open a new account … Autumn.” He smiled, his gaze lowering to my nametag—or my boobs. I wasn’t one-hundred percent sure which, but I didn’t care.
I stammered as I tried to find my voice, and his smile widened. “Y-Yes … Please, um, sit. I can help you with that—”
“Richard. Richard Jones.” He stuck out his hand. Mine instantly became sweaty at the thought of touching him.
I reached out, taking his hand in mine, silently praying to God that he wouldn’t notice my clammy palm. His hand was rough like a man’s should be, and I swallowed hard before speaking. “Nice to meet you. Have you had an account with us before?” I felt my smile widen a little too much as infatuation overtook my emotions. The way he was still smiling at me in return clearly told me that he could see the lust radiating from my body.
I wanted to run my hands through his finger-length light brown hair while staring into his piercing blue eyes. He had just enough stubble on his face to frame his features that showcased his strong jaw.
Down, girl!
“No.” He smiled again, and my fixed stare took in his perfect teeth as he sat in the chair in front of my desk. “I haven’t been in town for seventeen years.”
“Right.” I gestured to his uniform. “Thank you for your service.”
“Anything to protect beautiful women like you.”
I sucked in a breath. Holy shit. Men flirted with me sometimes, but not usually men I wanted to see naked. I cleared my throat. “Thank you. Let’s … uh … get started.”
I opened the checking account for Rich and before he left, he took my business card, telling me he’d be in touch. The rest of the week I thought about him—sometimes with the help of my battery operated friend. But the longer I waited for his call, the more I thought he was just flirting with me to be nice. I was starting to give up hope until the following Friday when he called me on my direct line and asked me to dinner. We’d been together ever since.
His parents had been killed in a hit and run accident while he was deployed during his first tour, so he spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family. My parents took him in like a son and instantly fell in love with him, especially my dad.
“We should go shooting sometime.” Dad beamed then took a sip of his beer as we waited for the turkey.
“Do you go to the range often?” Rich asked.
“A few times. I’m not a marksmen like you, but I’d love to see what you could show me, Major.”
“Sir,” Rich smiled his perfect smile, “please just call me Richard or Rich like my close friends.”
Dad smiled in return as if he’d won the lottery. “Rich, you can call me Dan.”
Dad never liked any of my boyfriends. No one was ever good enough for his baby girl, but an American hero was perfect and I couldn’t agree more. Of course my mother agreed.
“He’s so handsome,” Mom praised while staring at Rich.
