Tempest Brewing Tropical Storms Part 1 (8 page)

Well, she thought. I suppose that was
inevitable. After all, I'm still young and healthy, and it has been
quite a while since I allowed myself to have any physical pleasure.
Dan wouldn't want me to deny myself. This is probably good for me
and will help me clear my mind because I really need to think about
that very odd dream I was having before the phone rang.

Devon finished showering and dressed in faded
jeans and a spaghetti strap tank top. It was going to be rather
warm today while she and Janina worked in the shop. That reminded
her that she needed to be sure that the air conditioning was turned
on. Otherwise, they were going to be sweating all over the books.
After putting a on a pot of French Vanilla coffee, she toasted a
bagel and covered it in cream cheese. This was, sometimes, her
favorite part of the day. It had always been so very special for
Dan and her.

Thinking of Dan brought the memory of her dream
back to her. There was something that he had wanted to tell her.
That part of the dream she remembered very clearly. It was
something about her being in danger and he wasn't going to be able
to protect her. Dreams can be very strange events. She did remember
how real it felt, though. She could still see Dan's beautiful blue
green eyes gazing into her big brown ones. I really didn't want to
wake up, she thought. Maybe I should read on it later.

Of course, now it was time to get to work. She
had a new life here in Crystal Cove and she wanted to be sure that
it got off to a great start. Carrying her coffee downstairs, she
entered the box filled shop. Just as she walked into the main part
of the shop, Janina knocked on the window at the door and waved at
her. Hiring her is one the best decisions I've made, Devon thought,
smiling and waving back. She went over and unlocked the door to let
Janina inside.

"Hi there, you're right on time!" exclaimed
Devon. "Would you like some coffee? I made some just before coming
downstairs." "Oh that sounds great! But don't worry; I'll go up and
get a cup myself."

"Ok, but be careful. Everything is still sort of
a disaster area." Janina's long, toned legs quickly jogged up the
stairs that led to Devon's apartment. She was back in no time
holding a large mug of coffee. The two women discussed where they
needed to focus first and got started with the unpacking and
arranging. Time flew by and they didn't stop until it was nearly
2:30 PM. They had started making quite a dent in the work that
needed to be done.

"Ok, let's take a break," Devon announced. "I'm
actually hungry and pretty thirsty. I can't believe you didn't say
anything!"

"Not me," laughed Janina. "I didn't even notice
how much time went by."

"Let's go upstairs and dig around in my fridge
for lunch. Then, we'll work a little longer."

As they got to the stop of the stairs, they
could hear Devon's landline ringing. She opened the door quickly
and ran inside, grabbing the phone in mid-ring. With a breathless
"Hello," Devon listened to the silence on the other end of the
phone. Repeating herself, she listened intently to see if there was
really anyone on the other end of the line.

"Yes, hello, is Dan available?"

"You again. Look, how many times do you need to
call this number to understand that it's a wrong number? There is
no Dan here, as I've told you every other time you have called
here!"

"Oh, so sorry to have troubled you."

Devon slammed the phone back on the table with a
curse. Janina looked at her quizzically. She supposed she should
give Janina an explanation. So she told her about this man that
kept calling and asking for Dan.

"Dan? But isn't that the name of..?" "Yes, it
is." Devon answered curtly.

"Ah, well I can see why you would be so upset.
But, you know, it's probably just a really awful coincidence. Try
not to let it get to you. It's a new number so give it a little
time. You're probably going to have a few other wrong numbers
before it levels off."

"Yes, I know, you're probably right. Come on,
let's raid the fridge. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for
some food and something to drink!"

That night, Devon decided to go out for
dinner and just relax. She asked Janina to go with her to Bon
Appetit, a great little restaurant just down the street from the
book shop. It was quiet and the food was excellent. She felt it was
just the place to unwind after her busy day. Besides, they had
accomplished quite a lot that day.

As Devon and Janina chatted over two plates of
shrimp pasta, salad, fresh baked bread and some great wine, Devon
felt herself starting to relax for the first time in weeks. They
were chatting about the shop and what they planned to accomplish
the next day. At the end of the meal, they decided they wanted some
of the restaurant's bread pudding for dessert.

Devon stretched back in her chair as she
surveyed the ruins of their meal. Patting her stomach, she
groaned.

"I'm so full I can barely move," she said.

Janina was laughing at her, but she was also
moving pretty slowly.

"Hey, I doubt that you've eaten a decent meal
during this entire move. It's good for you!"

"Yeah, good for me but not my budget when I have
to replace my entire wardrobe with larger clothes!"

"Oh stop! You can stand to gain a pound or
two."

The women were still laughing together when
Devon suddenly looked over to the window of the restaurant. She saw
a man standing there just in the shadows and out of the street
light. It seemed as if he was looking in at them. As she watched,
he moved from the shadows into the light just long enough for her
to see his face.

"Oh my god!" she gasped. Leaping up from her
chair, she took off for the door of the restaurant. By the time she
had yanked the door open, the man was gone. She went outside and
looked up and down the street but there was no sign of the man.
Janina appeared at the door as Devon stood on the street
corner.

"Hey, what's going on?" Janina called.

"Nothing," Devon said. "I just thought I saw
someone I knew."

She went back inside the restaurant to find the
manager eyeing her warily. Oh my god, she thought. He probably
thought she was skipping out on the bill. To put his mind at ease,
she quickly paid for both meals plus a generous tip and they
left.

"Ok, now tell me the truth," Janina demanded.
"What did you really see?" "I did tell you the truth," Devon
replied. "There was a man standing outside the window and he was
watching us. I'm sure of it. Then, he stepped briefly into the
light and I saw his face. Janina, it was Dan!"

Janina watched her for a several minutes before
replying. She wanted to be very careful of the next words she
chose.

"Dev, you've been through more than anyone
should have to. I understand that and I know that you've been
trying your best to move past it. It's no wonder that you see guys
sometimes that remind you of Dan." "This man did not remind me of
Dan! He looked exactly like Dan! I did not imagine it! I saw
him!"

"Ok, ok, sweetie, calm down. But you know that
there's no way you could have seen Dan standing outside of that
window or any other window. You need to accept that you're not
going to see him again. Look, I'm coming home with you and we're
going to spend some time unpacking some boxes. Then, I'm spending
the night with you. It's obvious that you're overly tired and I'm
here to help."

At first, Devon started to argue, but then
realized that not only was she grateful to have the help in getting
her apartment in order so she could start feeling at home, but she
was also more than a little shaken by what she had seen. So she
just nodded and they both walked back to her apartment. It was a
short walk and the night was pleasant, so they were able to enjoy
the rest of the stroll.

After Devon let herself and Janina into the
apartment, they broke out a pitcher of sangria that Devon had made
the day before. It was nice and chilled and ready to be enjoyed,
and enjoy it they did! Within a few hours, they had unpacked nearly
all of the boxes and had the apartment looking almost like someone
lived there. The sangria was also gone and the ladies seemed to be
feeling no pain.

They were sprawled on the sofa and laughing at
some joke one of them had told when Devon decided that she really
needed a shower before she was ready to retire for the night. She
told Janina to make herself at home while she had a quick shower.
As she moved through her bedroom, Devon started stripping off her
clothes and leaving a little trail of them as she made her way into
the master bathroom. Stepping under the warm water spray, she
couldn't help but remember what had occurred in that very shower
not so long ago. It's probably because of all the sangria, and then
the wine before that at the restaurant.

She started to soap up her body with the
lavender and vanilla scented shower gel. Leaning her head back
under the shower spray, she closed her eyes and let her hair get
really wet. Suddenly, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her from
behind and a wet, naked body pressed against hers.

Screaming from fright, she tried to turn around
but was held in place by those strong arms...

* * *

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