Tia followed Brody out of the restaurant feeling a little like Cinderella, underdressed and out of her element. Though she’d enjoyed dinner immensely, she’d felt people’s eyes on them. The rest of the diners wore button down shirts and dresses while she was in the pants Jordan had brought her. She couldn’t wait to get to the clothing store and pick up some new clothes for occasions like these. Assuming there were more occasions.
When Brody had picked her up from Cara’s, there had been a moment. A moment where she thought he was going to kiss her, where she wanted him to kiss her, but then he hadn’t. She knew it probably had more to do with the loss of his wife, but it had still sent the insecurity fluttering in her stomach. What if he decided she wasn’t interesting enough now that she was out of the hospital? What if what he thought was attraction was more what they called ‘Rescue Romance’ and now that she didn’t need to be saved, the attraction had faded?
“Did you get enough to eat?” Brody asked as they stepped into the cool evening air. The sun hadn’t set completely, but the last orange, pink, and red rays were low on the horizon.
“I did,” Tia said with a laugh. “It’s probably a good thing I’m wearing stretchy pants or I might have popped a button, but I promise I’ll dress nicer next time.”
“I think you look beautiful,” Brody said as he opened the car door.
Their gazes locked again, and Tia felt the pull once more. His eyes peered into her soul, and she opened every door to him, willing him to kiss her. A light breeze traipsed across her arms sending goosebumps erupting on her skin. Her breath stilled as her lips parted and his face lowered to hers. When his lips touched hers, sparks darted through her body and though it was crazy, she felt as if she were experiencing her last ‘first kiss.’ Even more, she felt the last of the locks on her memory fall away. She gasped and pulled away from him.
“What? Was it awful?” he asked. “I know I’m out of practice.”
She placed a finger against his lips to stop his ramblings and smiled. “I remember, Brody. Everything.”
Light radiated from his face as he threw his arms around her. “That’s wonderful.” And then he kissed her again, slow and deliberate. Her body trembled with emotion. “So, do we still head to a store or do we head to your place?” he asked when he pulled back.
Her face fell and the joyful emotions she had just experienced vanished. “I didn’t have a place here. I’d expected the meeting with Rico to go quickly. I thought I could use my good looks to persuade him.” She dropped her eyes to the ground, embarrassed by her choices. “Oh gosh, I was an awful person.”
“Hey,” he said putting a finger under her chin and tilting it up. “You might not have made the best decisions in your past, but we are all guilty of that. You have a Savior who forgives you, and you have the opportunity to make new choices from here on out.”
“Do you think it’s really that easy? Can I just forget my past?” She wanted him to say yes, but that old insecurity that had driven her to do horrible things whispered that he wouldn’t want her now that he knew what she was really like. How could anyone want her?
He brushed her hair behind her ear, his fingertips lighting up the nerves in her face. “No, you may never forget it, but you can apologize for what you need to and learn from the rest. Your past doesn’t have to define your future.”
“Hmm, that is sound advice,” she said breathlessly. Did he realize his words could also apply to him though in a slightly different way? He’d lost someone he loved, but he didn’t have to let that be the end of his story either.
“Yeah, I guess it is.” His eyes stared into hers again before closing as he leaned down. Before his lips touched hers, the sound of an engine revving grabbed Tia’s attention.
She turned her head to see a vehicle heading their direction. It was going fast, too fast, and the night of the accident came flooding back. Her body froze as she saw the headlights in her mirror again, blinding her.
“Tia? You okay?” Brody’s voice seemed far away as she watched the vehicle come toward them, helpless to do anything. “Tia.”
The vehicle roared past them, and Tia blinked. “I’m sorry,” she said. “That car - I heard the engine rev - and the lights reminded me of the accident. I couldn’t move.”
“Hey, it’s okay,” he said running his hands down her arms. “You’re going to be okay. It’s going to take some time to heal completely. How about we hit that department store and then I take you home? I think you could use some rest.”
“Yeah, thanks.” Tia’s head was still spinning, and her heart was still pounding though as she buckled her seatbelt. She’d been so sure that vehicle was out to get them. Would she ever relax again?
Brody sighed as he walked back to his car after dropping Tia off at Cara’s place. She’d been so relaxed at dinner and then the car revving its engine had sent her back into her shell. Even the trip to the department store and an hour of trying on clothing hadn’t brought her back entirely. He wondered if she would always be chasing shadows.
As he unlocked the car, a movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned to see what it was, but only darkness stared back at him. Probably a raccoon or some other night animal out scrounging for garbage. Here he was worried about Tia relaxing and he couldn’t even calm himself down. He thought he’d seen something when he picked her up and now again when he dropped her off. Perhaps he needed a good night’s sleep as well. He certainly had been on edge all week. In fact, he didn’t think he’d had a decent night’s sleep since Tia’s car accident. He would remedy that tonight.
As he turned back around, he got only a glimpse of the man before pain shot through his head, and the world went dark.