Driving home Dani couldn't get Ryan off of her mind. She felt like she was waiting for a phone call from someone to tell her that she'd been punked.
"Oh my God," she thought, "he's gorgeous!"
At six feet six inches tall, Ryan Sinclair was a sight to behold. His body was well muscled, but not body builder freaky. His green eyes were deep and clear like the finest Colombian emeralds, and when he smiled, they lit up his entire face. Dani was sure that damn smile was going to be nothing but trouble.
He was a big, handsome, masculine, sexy man. He was hot. Not all handsome men were hot, Dani knew that from personal experience, but this guy might as well have had a capital H tattoo on his fine ass. Yeah, she got a good look at that when he turned to go to checkout.
Dani sighed and shook her head. She just wasn't the type to make a date with a total stranger and a white guy at that. At the time, however, his race was the last thing on her mind. Hell, she didn't even think it crossed her mind the entire time she was talking to him. It's not that she had any prejudice about dating outside of her race; it's just that she'd never thought of it and no one had ever asked, until now. Crystal was right about one thing, she as in a rut. Maybe Ryan would provide the shake up her life needed.
*
When Dani got home she placed the panel on the dining table and plopped down on the sofa.
Home was a condo she'd purchased a year ago. Buying a home was a dream come true, one she worked hard to attain, along with financial independence. Her social life took a hit during that time, but having her own place was more than worth it.
She'd worked at a series of jobs in the daytime and went to school at night. Using the skills learned from those courses, she secured her current position as a paralegal at a prestigious law firm. Now, she was at a great place financially where she could relax a bit and have more fun in her life.
Dani was still feeling good about meeting Ryan, but she wanted to get some clarity on the situation. Although her sister, who was four years older, was opinionated, she had a way of giving Dani what she needed to make her own decisions. Taking her cell phone from her handbag, she got into a comfortable position on the sofa and called Crystal.
"Holla at your girl, baby Sister," Crystal answered.
Getting to the point Dani let drop, "I've met a man, Crystal."
"What?!" Crystal screeched. "What man, where did you meet him, what's his name?!"
"Whoa, Sis," Dani laughed. "His name is Ryan Sinclair and I met him at Lowes today."
"Lowes?" Crystal asked as if she'd never heard of the place before.
"You got picked up by some guy in Lowes, the home improvement place?! Oh, hell no! My baby sister is not going to be blindsided by some smooth talking Mr. Fix it."
Once Crystal paused in her tirade she said, "You know Isaac's brother still wants to meet you. You'd make a great couple."
"Really, Crystal, you know I'm not interested in Isaac's brother. I should get points for meeting a guy who hasn't been vetted by friends or family. I'm twenty four years old and I have to find out for myself what type of man is right for me. Besides, we're just going on a date."
"Ok," Crystal said reigning in her mother hen persona.
"You know I'm never going to stop being your big sister or stop wanting the best for you."
"I know Crystal, but as you said, I'm in a rut. This is the first impulsive thing I've done in a long time and it felt good. Ryan seems like a decent guy and like I said, it's only a date. It's not like he's Prince Charming riding in on his steed to take me to some far away magical land. Although, heaven help me, the man is fine".
"Fine, huh? Sounds like Prince Charming."
Dani could imagine the grin on Crystal's face. They talked a little longer with Dani giving up as little information as possible. She wanted to see how things went with Ryan before she got cross examined further by her sister.
Despite being asked what Ryan looked like, Dani gave Crystal the basics; tall, handsome with beautiful eyes. She left out the fact that he was Caucasian intentionally. Crystal was a firm believer of dating within your own race. It wasn't lost on Dani that some of their own ancestors were not 'in their race', but Crystal seemed to be in denial.
As for Ryan, Dani was going to play it by ear.
*
After dropping off the paint at his sister's house and promising to return the next day to do the job, Ryan headed home. There were chores to do before he got ready for his date. He hadn't been this excited about a woman in a long, long time.
Ryan lived alone in a huge five bedroom Spanish Style Villa. His home, designed to his specifications with help from his father, was open concept with the living area, dining and kitchen making up a large space. The crowning jewel as far as Ryan was concerned was the outdoor area with it's enormous kitchen and grill area with a back drop of a well manicured lawn, pool and gazebo.
Ryan built the house with money that he'd inherited from his Grandmother, Sarah McMillan. He also did well with his own money. He invested most of his salary from eight years in the Military in his sports bar, The Big Bang. In addition, there were other business interests, but the bar he loved.
The Big Bang was a huge stand alone bar on five acres of woodland property. It had the standard bar set up as well as ten big screen televisions for watching sporting events. The thing that really set it apart from other sport bars, besides the size of the place, was the high end furnishings and décor. The clientele were from every walk of life and everyone got the same A-plus service.
Both of Ryan's grandparents, on his father's side, came from old money, but his grandfather expanded the family business and made it a worldwide concern. He didn't have the chance to know them, but his mother made sure that he knew about them. From an early age she talked to him about his Grandma Sarah and Grandpa Henry, as well as his birth father, who donated time and money to various social causes.
His father, Michael Ryan McMillan, was an only child who died in a car wreck when Ryan was 4 months old. His Father's death was, of course, devastating to both his mother and grandmother. His Grandpa McMillan was no longer with them having died when Michael was a teenager.
His mother, Helen, especially found it hard to deal with her grief while raising a young child, even though she had the support of Sarah and her own family. But, as time passed, her grief lessened and she finally achieved some measure of peace.
Ryan was the love of her life, a constant loving reminder of the husband whom Ryan favored, except for the color of his eyes, which he inherited from her. Helen lived for her child and for a while, she thought that was all that she needed and wanted.
Fortunately for all of them, she met Daniel Sinclair at an art gallery in Miami. Although Helen was not thinking about dating, Daniel convinced her with his smile and easy manner to go out with him. Still, it was not all easy going. Daniel had a hard time convincing her that she was the love of his life. It was even more difficult for her to take a chance with him, with marriage again.
For her, Michael had been the love of his life. Daniel understood that and assured her that the love that they had would be enough. Michael would always be a part of her, he recognized that truth and wasn't jealous of the bond she had with her deceased husband.
