Only You

Chapter 9 Kryptonite

Blake gazed into the eyes of the woman that made his world stop. Her remorse comforted him. "I needed to hear that you regret allowing what happened with Clarissa to stand between us." He stepped aside and pointed her to a chair.

"So, did you all get the measuring finished today?"

"We did. We decided on the colors and picked out the pattern for the bridesmaids. Courtney was happy that we finally got at least one thing completed."

"So, what are the colors?"

"The men will wear beige suits with turquoise accents and the ladies will wear turquoise dresses."

Rena laughed. "How did she convince you to wear a beige suit? You hate beige."

"It's only for a day."

"She's very pretty and I've heard some good things about her. I'm glad she got her dad to expedite the loan for the coffee shop so that you could help Mom."

Blake had a surprised look on his face. "I guess I should've given you more credit for keeping up with things down here. She's a good woman and really stepped up when I needed her, too. She got a fabulous deal on the coffee shop. We pushed through negotiations and got all the loan paperwork done quickly."

Rena couldn't believe that she was having this conversation. The awareness of their engagement made her feel raw and deeply troubled. She loved him. Now she realized that she never should have taken that love for granted.

"So, how long do you all plan to live here after the wedding? Or do you plan to move back to Florida?"

"Courtney doesn't live here. She says all the antebellum charm is a bit much for her. I spend most of my time at her condo. She lives a few miles away from Ian. Her family is from Denver, so she's used to the big city vibe. I'm not sure if we're moving back to Florida. The nostalgia makes me want to stay. There's a lot that I miss about living here. When Courtney gets enough of all this charm, she has a home in Atlanta. That gives her the big city fix."

"I can't imagine anyone not falling in love with Savannah. So, what are you going to do with this place if you decide to leave?"

"I don't know. I only moved to Miami to get away from my memories, and now that I'm back I feel that I can't leave again. I wasn't expecting to miss this town so much. If I decide to stay I'll figure out what to do with my properties in Florida."

Rena looked at the strained expression on Blake's face and felt awful. All these years she'd felt so right about her decisions. As the dominos were tumbling she began to question all of her ways.

"I'm so sorry, Blake."

"No, Rena, I've come to terms with everything and it is what it is. Enough with all this talk. Are you hungry?"

"Matter of fact, I am. Why don't we pick up Courtney and go get something to eat?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. She won't be able to have dinner with us tonight, or Wednesday. She had two big commercial accounts come through in Atlanta and got called up there today. She left this afternoon and won't be back for a few weeks. But she told me to go ahead and work with you on the wedding."

"Don't you think now is a terrible time for her to go? I mean, you've only got eight weeks until the wedding!"

"I told her the wedding is in capable hands and she's leaving it up to you."

Rena's nerves were tingling. Now she wished she hadn't volunteered to do the wedding. She realized how short-sighted her thoughts had been. It was only a smoke screen so that she would not have to think about Blake or her mother. If she and Courtney hung out that would give her less time to think about Blake. Event planning was like therapy to her. In a crucial time like this, what bride would walk away from her wedding planning?

"But I thought Courtney and I would..."

"Well, you're stuck with me."

Rena's heart sank.

"Let's go eat." He opened the French doors and the aroma of lemons brought warm memories to her. Mrs. Glass's home always smelled like lemons. Now she was in a familiar place. Everything looked just like it had when she was growing up. It felt good.

"How did you manage to keep your mother's scent? I always loved the refreshing smell of lemons."

"So, you noticed too. When I first moved in, the scent was everywhere, but after I'd been here a few months it began to fade and I missed it. Mom told me her secret. She always bought a specific kind of lemon potpourri and she placed open bags of it in all the air vents in the house. She told me where to order it. I change out the bags often and that does it."

"You don't know how good it feels to finally be on familiar ground."

"You know what, I've changed my mind. You need to be reminded of home, so instead of going out, let's just do something familiar. Mom taught you how to make her spaghetti sauce, right?"

Blake's mom made the best spaghetti in the world. Clarissa and Blake's mom had spent plenty of time at each other's homes preparing the sauce, and eventually the recipe made its way into the menu at The Chicken and Waffle Inn. It was the only recipe on the menu that hadn't been created by Rena's grandmother.

Before she could speak a word, he whisked her into the kitchen. Blake watched that weary look on Rena's face fade away as she busied herself with chopping and dicing. His eyes were fixed on her every movement. Though he'd chopped and diced a million times, watching her do it made his heart pound, made his blood soar into his heart. He never thought Rena would be back in Savannah. Now, she was standing in his kitchen, only inches away from his arms that wanted her.

"Working in that fine hotel has spoiled you. Have you been out of the kitchen so long that you forgot how to chop?" He stepped behind her, placing his hand on Rena's hand which held the knife and the other hand on Rena's hand that held the red bell pepper. He heard her breath hitch as he reminded her of the proper cutting technique. "Like this." He moved her hand in precise motions, rendering the bell pepper into shreds. His heart was thudding against his chest and he could see the vein in her temple throbbing.

"Blake."

"What?" His voice was a low mutter in her ear. There was more heat between them than the pot boiling the spaghetti. Her simple floral perfume was undoing him. She was close enough to drive him mad. He could hear her labored breathing.

"I miss this."

He wanted to spin her around and show her how much he desperately missed this, too, but he knew he could not. His body was ablaze. She was breathing deeply now.

He stepped back before he made a move he'd regret. He knew that what was happening between them must be handled slowly and with much care.

"You're not the only one who's missed this. I'm so glad you're here. I'll be right back."

He walked to the closest restroom, buried his face in a towel and screamed. Then he placed the towel back on the rack, turned on the faucet and dowsed his face with water. After he toweled himself dry, he leaned against the wall until he felt his body begin to calm down. He was never himself around Rena. As he leaned against the wall, his mind reminded him that she was his Kryptonite.  

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***Author Note***

To: My Beloved Readers

From: Jaspira

How do you know when true love comes?  I asked my aunt that question one day and she simply said - when you know, you know.  That's the best advice anybody ever gave me.  When my prince showed up I was just like Avery - let's do this.  It doesn't take long to know.  You heart just feels it.  Somewhere in your soul you've known them all your life.  It's like you're one breath.