The Glass Secret (Chain of Secrets), page 30
Touched by Rain
He led me deeper into the chamber. The room was much larger than what I had originally thought. In a curious illusion, it seemed as if the floor manifested before us with each step we took. We approached a set of closed dark velvet curtains.
As he drew back the curtain, I first noticed a dim halo of light shining down on us. Below the light, displayed on a black pedestal, was the most gorgeous ivory antique bath that was embossed with gold details and silver clawed feet.
The water gently circulated a layer of perfectly shaped white rose petals that appeared to have silver linings.
Rain spoke just above a whisper, “This is a very special spa. It’s one of a kind—like you.”
Wow, you’re good!
I couldn’t wrap my brain around why he was going to such great lengths just to sell me a spa...I mean there was definitely a mutual attraction between us. But he knew I couldn’t afford something of this magnitude, unless, he had a layaway plan.
I was certain there were not any merchants in Paris who offer that. It’s an old American payment-plan, unlike credit cards, and you don’t get to take it home until it’s paid in full.
What was he up to? Was this some new sales technique, “seduce the girl and make a sale?” Of course, I was an eager window-shopper.
“Really, so you think I am special?” I said in facetious tone. I needed to regain my usual sassy confidence back because his mysterious demeanor was melting me in everyway. Unexpectedly, I wanted to break all my rules with him.
“I believe so, more than you know,” he replied with a sureness of a god and went on, “You are the falling star that I have wished upon many nights long ago!”
Wow, he was more than good!
“I’ve never heard that one before. Are you for real?” I challenged him, asking with an edgy tone, “Do you say that to all the girls?” The snarl in my voice rang out, even to me.
My confidence is coming back. At the time I thought so. Boy was I wrong. Actually I behaved as if I was jealous, or more like it, a teenager, which I was far from being one. In my defense, do we ever really grow up when it comes to meeting someone that makes your heart do cartwheels?
Rain tenderly took my hands and held them between his palms. “I am,” he whispered, answering the first part of my question.
Wow, he didn’t react to my accusation like my ex would have, shooting back something rude, and off color, or in the flavor of; “No, what are you accusing me of?” Becoming a defensive asshole!
Rain was not that kind of man. He showed me that a truly confident man would not react to a woman’s insecurities by making a snide comment back to her. His confidence was that of a steel Trojan. Did I say Trojan? My mind wandered for a split second into the gutter.
With my hands in his hands and standing so close, he felt real enough to me. Too real. Although his hands were ice cold, his energy was sizzling and intoxicating. I knew his heart had to be steaming hot! Damn, I wanted him to touch more of me than just my hands. I felt overwhelmingly drawn to him.
“Would you like to know how I ended up with the spa in my possession?”
“Yes, I would love to.” I was so close I could smell his cologne mingling with his natural pheromones. It was delicious, too good to be the scent of a human.
“There’s also a great love story behind it that I am sure you will enjoy.”
“Really, a love story? Sounds intriguing. I’m all ears.”
“Please, excuse me one moment.”
“Sure.” I nodded as I watched him retreat into the misty gray chamber.
When he returned, only seconds later, in his hands were two long-stem glasses filled with champagne. Rain walked so light-footed with pure elegance. It seemed like he almost floated across the floor.
Out of the dark, behind Rain, the white haired gentleman that I had seen earlier appeared. He was pushing an antique serving cart. I mentally laughed at the sight of this seven-foot giant hunching over the tiny, elegant cart. Adding to the humor was the fact he made me look like a dwarf.
Upon the tray were the largest chocolate-covered strawberries, small sandwiches and sorted pastries. The details were exquisite! I especially adored the dainty embroidered linen napkins. What a fine touch. They looked antique too.
Why was he doing this for me? Should I ask? All I could do was stand there in awe.
“Thank you Pierre,” Rain said with such politeness.
The man nodded and then disappeared without a word.
Rain turned to me and said, “I thought you may be hungry.”
“Oh my, this is so lovely.” I stared down at the magnificent spread. “But it’s getting late.” I flashed into the space of the dimly lit chamber.
“Do you have somewhere to go? I am sure you haven’t eaten all day—it looks like you did plenty of shopping, so I thought this would give you a boost.”
What kind of boost do you have in mind? I giggled inwardly.
“I don’t have any plans, I just didn’t expect—
He interrupted. “Are you getting nervous again?”
“I’m not nervous...never,” I gushed lying my ass off, realizing I had been inadvertently knotting my fingers together. I didn’t think he had noticed since the sleeves of his jacket hung far beyond the length of my arms.
He lifted a single brow at me. “Never, huh?” he asked pointedly, putting me in the hot seat. “Life is short Brielle, and we don’t have forever to figure it out, but we have more time than you know. I will take my time with you...I will follow your lead this time around.”
He spoke as if he was making some kind of confession. There was an intonation of an apology laced into words. What the hell is he talking about? I felt stumped. I didn’t know how to respond to his riddle. He was over the top eccentric, but the most gorgeous man I had ever seen.
For a moment, I wondered if he had some kind of mental illness? Either way, I knew I didn’t want to leave his side. I wanted to stay with him forever.
I liked how he made me feel, even though, some things came across weirder than weird. Like my receipt falling from inside my wallet, and how he disappeared for a second, returning with items that would’ve taken longer than a few seconds to retrieve. The entire situation was peculiar. Of course, who was I to judge? I had followed a stranger, a god more like it, to a backroom chamber of the beautiful gallery. Not to mention in a different country. And, no one even knew I was here.
What I was doing was everything I learned not to do growing up. My behavior was foolish, perhaps, even dangerous. Yet, I did it anyway. What was I thinking? I was explicitly breaking all my rules with him. The thought of my naivety made me rethink my poor judgment.
“I’m not good with riddles, Rain. However, I appreciate all your thoughtfulness. Thank you.” I paused, gazing into his face, avoiding eye contact.
He stared back at me with a strand of melancholy lingering in his eyes, waiting for my response. “Are you going to stay for a while longer? I know you want to,” he said with self-assurance, placing his finger under my chin, and lifting my eyes to his. His words washed away my good sense. Then, there it was, a look in his eyes, something painful staring back at me. I hadn’t been able to read him all afternoon, but this was unmistakable pain, yet unreachable. I could feel the strong walls that guarded this man’s heart. I blinked, breaking eye contact. I couldn’t disappoint him.
“I-I am not—” I paused and glanced into the grayness of the room, pushing away any concerns that I could be in danger. This man would never hurt me. “Rain, you’re right,” I said, pausing for a second time. Screw it! I could always call Nuilley if he decided to go psycho on me. “Let’s live in the moment.” I relented, raising my champagne glass into the air.
For the first time since meeting him, I had felt like my confidence out shined his...not that it was a competition. “Why don’t we enjoy this lovely food, and you tell me the rest of the story about the spa?”
“Excellent answer.” He smiled coyly and raised his glass to the rim of mine. The light in his smoky gray eyes returned. “To time,” he said, gazing into my eyes with an intensity.
“To time.” I repeated. Why not? There was something profound about the two simple words, followed by the perfect pinging echo when our glasses made contact.
“Why don’t we sit here,” he said, eyeing the steps of the pedestal. “And I will tell you the rest of the story while you nibble on these.” He picked up the small plate of finger foods and motioned me forward.
“Okay...that sounds nice.” Then, I wondered if he mind-controlled my answer earlier? Did he know I needed to feel a sense of control? Damn, he still rattled me. I realized I wasn’t in control of anything that happened that day, or in the last minutes, of course, that was in hindsight. At that moment, I had crossed into uncharted territories that I knew little about, again in hindsight.
-50-
Legend has it...
We sat on the edge of the pedestal that led up into the antique bathing tub, and he told me the history behind it.
“Let’s see. Where should I begin?” He paused to smile at me. “It was forged by a blacksmith, Marc Chanel, in the early nineteen-hundreds. And, his lady friend and artist, Adrianne Reilly did the fine details. Of course, I added the spa features—”
I interrupted before he could finish. “Oh dear, I could never afford something this special if that’s what you’re thinking? Not right now anyway. I’m sure it’s priceless.”
He placed his hand over mine and smiled. “You are right...there is not a price that anyone could put on this,” he said with a meaningful edge. I almost felt like he was referring to me instead of the spa.
“I could only imagine what that would be. It’s so exquisite.” I slightly arched my brows, scanning the spa. “When I was a teenager my father forced me to go on a trip to this boring little town in Florida, it was actually then that I ended up falling in love with anything old. I mean antiques. Although I did meet my first crush there, it just so happened that he was too old for me. Anyway, that’s another story.” I felt my cheeks heat as I glanced up at Rain.
Pull it together Brie!
As an author I tended to speak out how I wrote. Allowing the words to flow freely through me, jotting down all the relevant information at once, unfortunately in real-life dialogue you can’t edit yourself once it’s out there.
“First love,” Rain pointedly said and paused. “Those are worthy stories to share.” He smiled sincerely. I figured he was only being polite.
“Mine was short lived.” I laughed.
“Yes, mine was too.” His smile faded. Time for a subject change. I didn’t want him to think about who ever it was that had caused his smile to wither. First rule in meeting someone new don’t talk about ex’s. I kicked myself for bringing up the subject, but how was I to know his first love was seemingly something more profound than mine.
“Hmm. So, do you like going on treasure hunts for antiques?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact I do.”
“I love do that when I’m not busy writing, of course.” His eyes followed mine as I spoke. “I’ve only collected a few pieces. I would never part with any of them. They’re so special to me. For some reason, I gravitate to the ones that have sweet stories behind them. But, they’re small and inexpensive, nothing quite like this.” I gleamed into his eyes, reaching for one of the pastries resting on the silver plate.
Feeling famished from all the shopping that day, I needed a little sugar-pick-me-up. Rain had one of those hypnotizing voices that could act as a drug, inducing sleep. Trust me when I say he was the type of man that a woman would fight off the urge to sleep if it meant staring into his gorgeous face. There would be no sleeping when he would be around, as in sleeping—going night-night, unless you had fallen asleep in his strong arms.
His smile began in his eyes and landed on the corners of his lips, tilting upward, ever so subtly. “Yes...I understand...you seem like the type of woman that would collect jewelry boxes.”
I bit my bottom lip. “Hmm, how did you know?”
“Oh, just a guess.”
I peered at him suspiciously. “Have we ever met before, at the antique mall maybe?” I smiled nervously. I certainly would have remembered him, perhaps he saw me there, considering he is in the business. God, the thought of that made me cringe...when I go antiquing I usually wear a long vintage dress from the 30’s, combat boots and a floppy hat. Yikes!
“No. I don’t believe we’ve ever met at the antique market. I would’ve remembered you from there.”
“Hmm, okay...well, tell me more about this beautiful spa...I can’t wait to hear about the love story, too. I hope it’s a happy one.”
A dark shadow crossed over his face. “Perhaps, I should tell you another time.”
“Oh dear...it doesn’t have a happy ending, does it?” I asked, playing with the odd shaped crispy treat. I was waiting for the perfect moment to devour it.
“Brielle, all love stories are happy. Sometimes they have sad endings, but they all begin with love, so that is what makes them worth telling.”
“I like the way your mind works...so please tell me more... tell me the story. I don’t care if it’s sad.” And I didn’t, I could listen to him talk about nothing all night.
“Thank you Brielle, and yes, of course, if you are sure you want to hear it?”
“I do. Unhappy ending and all.” I frowned slightly, furrowing my brows. I took a small bite of the tube-shaped flaky pastry. It burst with the flavor of vanilla bean and orange peel, overfilling my mouth with a huge dollop of expected whipped cream.
“Uh, you have—” He said smiling, revealing his beautiful set of white teeth. Damn, his smile reminded me of Dwayne Johnson, known best as The Rock. His eyes smiled too, narrowing a fraction, delightfully appraising my face.
“Oh my goodness. What is this? It’s so delicious,” I said excitingly. I had a weakness for anything sweet.
Rain half-laughed. “Hold very still.” He reached for a napkin. “You have a bit of the cream on your face.” Tenderly, he dabbed my upper lip and the tip of my nose.
“Oh jeez,” I blushed. “Nothing like making a first impression.”
“It’s okay. They’re very messy.”
“What’s this called?” I asked, taking a cautious bite in fear of the cream spurting out all over my face, again. “It’s really delicious,” I mumbled as I chewed, then licked my lips and fingers. It was beyond messy.
“It’s a recipe I made up as a kid. I named them ding-dongs.” A laugh bubbled out of the back of my throat, almost causing me to gag. “Be careful. I don’t want you to choke on my ding-dongs,” he said in a serious tone.
I burst out laughing. I couldn’t hold it back and Rain’s expression was unreadable. “Are you okay?” His equanimity was way too controlled.
“Yes...yes. Fine,” I said between gasps of laughter, doing my best to regain my composure. “Please. It’s the name... ding-ding-dongs,” I shrieked softly and caught my breath. “It just sounds silly to me, I guess. I’m sorry.” I held back my laughter so hard that I had tears coming from my eyes.
“You are a very funny woman, Brielle.”
“They’re really good Rain, honestly. You amaze me. I don’t know too many men who can bake. At least something that tastes so good,” I said, smiling the biggest grin that made my cheeks hurt. I felt so elated inside. I couldn’t remember the last time I had laughed over the silliest thing, even if no one was laughing with me. Rain had something about him that made me feel as if I were flying as high as a kite.
“I am glad that you are enjoying my ding-dong so much. It seems to be making you very happy.”
“Oh Rain. Stop, stop,” I said, gasping for air, laughing again. My stomach muscles quivered as I spoke.
He didn’t get what he was doing to me, or maybe he did. It didn’t matter; it felt healing to laugh out loud in his presence.
Rain joined into the laughter with me, although I wasn’t sure if he truly understood why I was laughing. He had to have! Then again, perhaps it was the cultural difference between us. When I worked up the nerve, I painfully, in not so many words, explained why I was laughing, he finally broke down and laughed too. I was then suspicious he knew exactly what he was doing all along. Of course he had. He was too educated to not get it. Besides, after all he was a man. A mysterious, demure and calculating man.
Our laughter and conversation eventually had come full circle back to the story about the spa.
Rain spoke unhurried and precise. “Okay. Here it goes. But, before I begin, I want to tell you that their love has touched and changed the lives of many in a positive way...and will continue to do so.”
My smile broadened, “I like it so far...” I rested my hand beneath my chin, gazing at Rain’s face.
“So, as it’s told...legend has it that the young man commissioned the spa to be made for his bride-to-be. He wanted to give her something very special, a piece that would be one of a kind. Like she was to him.”
“Aww...it’s certainly special—and what a nice wedding present. Who would of thought of such a gift? A vintage tub is every girl’s dream.”
“Yes, but of course, it wasn’t considered vintage at the time.” Rain pointed out.
“Oh right, that’s true,” I said, feeling a bit embarrassed. “This must be almost one-hundred years old, now, or getting close to that anyway. I am sure she loved it even back then.”
“Yes...if only,” he said. A dark shadow crossed over Rain’s eyes. It was a look of despair, almost haunted. He seemed to really be affected by the story.
“Don’t tell me that something tragic happened to him.”
“Yes, you could say that,” Rain’s lips tightened as he spoke. “The groom never had the chance to give it to his young bride.”
“Oh, no. Why?” I asked then waited for the obvious news.
“There was an accident.”
“She died. Didn’t she?” I asked, swallowing hard, goose bumps coursed over my skin. I wasn’t sure how I had known the bride was the one who had died, and not the groom.
