Cherishing Mrs. Right Read online

  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.

  Darla stiffened her back. She felt a bit light headed.

  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.