He was standing at the corner of the town square, watching her cross the street from the parking deck. She held her stomach carefully as she walked, holding her clothes away from her skin, even as she hugged the coat closer to her body against the autumn chill. Oh yes, he remembered, she'd had surgery this summer, and the scar was still sensitive. He'd heard the news through the grapevine, just when his plans were ready to set in motion. He'd had to wait almost three months, but it was worth it. Soon all the waiting would be over.
There is that guy again, she thought, as she walked toward her office building. Lucy knew she'd seen him somewhere, but just couldn't remember where. Not for the first time this month, she wondered why he was always standing on the corner when she arrived at work.
Casually looking over her shoulder as she reached for her keys, she studied him. He was handsome, in a rugged, middle-aged way. Very tall, about 6'4" and sturdily built, with dark wavy hair, a little sparse at the tonsure, deep amber eyes and lots of muscles, but not the kind from the gym. These muscles were from working hard, outdoors, every day. He appeared respectable, employed and well groomed - not your average stalker, she laughed to herself.
Lucy thought to ask her co-workers if they recognized him, but reluctantly she admitted that she didn't want to share him with anyone, yet. Now that she was back to work after that dreadful emergency surgery, all she wanted was for people to stop discussing her personal life. "Enough drama, already!" she groaned, after the fifth 'checking in' call she'd received last night.
Not one to shy from a challenge, Lucy decided that the best course of action, if she saw him again, was to confront him, make him tell her why he was watching her. It would probably scare him off, but it might help her understand those disturbing sexual dreams that started soon after she'd first noticed him. The dreams were so real, so intensely satisfying, but they also frightened her. She didn't like feeling out of control, especially since the surgery, when nothing had been within her control for months.
The man watched her vanish from his sight into the building, as she did every day. He quickly walked to his office to make the most important call of his life. Thankfully, he had the cooperation of her boss and co-workers to help his plan succeed.
The office today was in its usual state of crisis, and it was several minutes before she realized that she had yet to remove her coat. She hung it on the hook and suddenly the déjà vu hit-she remembered the guy! He was one of the men she had dated in Indiana before meeting her last boyfriend, Joshua.
"What was he doing here? And what was his name? Alec, or Alex, or Allen Something, oh yeah, Alex Cardwell. Well, that mystery solved, but leaving the more important question - why is he here?"
Her thoughts raced as she tried to recall their one date. He'd taken her to the most expensive restaurant in that small Indiana town, but they both agreed the food was awful. They drove around the countryside, found a small ice cream stand and shared a banana split. When he drove her back to the lot where she'd left her car, neither one wanted the evening to end. They talked for hours, but she was reluctant to ask him to her place on the first date. It's not that she was a prude or anything, but she didn't want to screw up such a nicely budding relationship with sex too soon. Her past history of failed relationships proved the consequences of that action. When they finally said good night, he asked her for a second date the next evening - dinner and dancing in Dayton. Her body had tingled at the thought of being held tightly in his arms on the dance floor. The timbre of his voice, the intoxicating smell of his cologne, and the endearing dimple that was his smile's constant companion combined to convince her that a second date was definitely called for.
Back in the present, the phone rang, startling her from the sexual reverie that had begun to build deep in her belly. She ignored the ringing, knowing the receptionist would take a message.
Continuing down memory lane, she flashed back to the last message she'd received from Alex, and frowned. The hopeful spark of new love was extinguished when she read the email from him the next day.
"I must go out of town immediately for some personal business," he wrote stiffly. "I'll write you when I return."
Alex had never written back. His personal business was probably a wife, she had thought bitterly. Three months later she'd met Joshua. She wrote Alex a final, no-nonsense message that she was involved with someone and didn't want to hear from him, and blocked him from her address book. She firmly believed in only one relationship at a time, and only with single, unattached men.
Sandy, her office mate, shook her from her reverie with a phone message flapping in her face. "Guess someone didn't wake up yet this morning," Sandy said teasingly. "This message was waiting for you at the front desk."
Sandy watched curiously as Lucy unfolded and read the note.
Dear Lucy, Do you remember our banana split on that sultry July evening in Richmond? I have just moved to town and you are the only person I know in Illinois. Could we meet for lunch today? Call me, please? Alex
Sandy tried to read the note upside down and gave up. "Well," she cried, "who's it from?"
Lucy laughed at her brazen curiosity and told her briefly about what she remembered of Alex. "Do you think I should go?" she asked.
"Hell, yes you should go," cried Sandy, "It's your first date in a year, right? Call him!"
Lucy gave in, "Okay, okay, I'll go. I'll call him right now." Nervously, she counted the rings, and her hand shook when she heard his voice again. Even after almost five years, the deep, soothing baritone resonated in her memory.
Alex was elated! His heart pounding, he forced himself to speak calmly to the woman he'd searched five long years to find. She sounded nervous, he thought, but was trying to put on a brave show, as he knew she would. She asked if they could go to a downtown restaurant, since she had appointments in the early afternoon. He balked, startled at the request. He needed her to get into his car if his plan was to succeed. He heard Sandy come to his rescue, telling Lucy that both her afternoon appointments had cancelled. Alex laughed silently when he heard Lucy swear under her breath, knowing how much she disliked her routine upset.
"How about I pick you up at 12:30pm and we'll go to Carlucci's." He held his breath until she agreed.
At 12:15pm, Lucy brushed her teeth and combed her hair before putting on her coat again. She couldn't believe her reaction to his voice. Her legs felt wobbly and her panties felt tight. Angry with herself for reacting this way to a man who'd so callously ignored her five years ago, she harnessed that feeling. Anger helped deflect the feelings of rejection. Confident she was in control of her emotions, she prepared for her lunch date.
"Have a great time," Sandy yelled as Lucy marched out the door.
"I won't be gone long," said Lucy. She heard Sandy chuckle, but didn't stop to ask what was so funny. As she walked downstairs to the office mailboxes, Lucy was surprised to see her boss and some other co-workers standing around.
"I thought you'd all be at lunch already," she said.
