Chapter 3

I woke up the next morning in heaven. I was wrapped in Dan's arms again. I lay there thinking I wanted this forever. I could see myself for the first time growing old with someone. My mind drifted back again to the mess my life was in back in Texas. I knew it was still there waiting for me to work it out. First, there were my kids. One was in the state's custody thanks to my first husband. The other lived with her father's sister. That family hated me. That was the least of my worries. I still had my second husband on my case. He wanted back in my life and didn't let up.

I worried that I would bring Dan in on the mess of my life, but to the other part of me he was the lighthouse on a stormy night. He brought calm to a restless mind. He had been there for me over the past few months since we met online. When I was depressed to the point of suicide, he had been there and saved my life with his calm words. I had grown to love the man holding me, in spite of the fact I tried to keep from falling in love again. I had told myself no more men. It was just too much heartache. Yet here I was falling in love again and planning a future with the man.

"Hey, Red, are you hungry?" Dan interrupted my thoughts. I could sense that he hoped for a "yes".

"MMMM that sounds good, especially with bacon," I replied as my stomach awoke.

We climbed out of bed and freshened up. After we dressed, we headed downstairs for breakfast. The hotel had an excellent breakfast bar. Pastries, bacon, scrambled eggs, fruit, and so much more were laid out waiting for us to grab them.

"So, did you have any plans for today? I thought of swimming in the indoor pool and trying the Jacuzzi," Dan suggested, eager to try them out.

"Sounds like a plan. What did you want to do the rest of today?" I agreed, since the spa in particular had its appeal.

"Why don't we wing it?" Dan winked at me, indicating that he did have plans, just not ones he would say out loud.

I ignored his risque suggestion and piled plenty of bacon on my plate, along with scrambled eggs, hash browns, and fruit. Dan grabbed something like an omelet, though it technically had a different name. He also took some bacon, taters, and fruit. I had strawberries while he chose kiwis.

We sat down and ate our breakfast with some orange juice. We both dug in shamelessly, being famished from the previous night's activities. Dan played footsie with me, causing me to blush a little. I wasn't used to such public flirting.

Right at that moment, my ex called me, much to my irritation. I didn't answer it, which caused the phone to go to voice mail. Unfortunately, he didn't quit calling for much of the morning. I finally lost my appetite and decided that swimming was a very good idea. I would leave the phone behind in the room and not hear it ringing.

"Why does he still call you so much?" Dan inquired, finding it rather odd. We were divorced, after all.

"Because he's an asshole that won't give up or take no for an answer. The divorce is final, but he still calls me his wife. He said that God didn't recognize the divorce and that we are still married in His eyes. Well, that's his opinion. God didn't send me that memo. I won't say his name anymore. I just call him 'asshole'. Let's change the subject and go dip in the hot tub," I ranted before cooling down.

"Works for me," Dan did a rather bad "Hunter" impression. I rolled my eyes, but I still loved him, even at his silliest.

We hurried back to the room and changed for swimming and (even more important) dipping in the Jacuzzi. I hoped that this would distract me from the issues back home. I would take care of that business when I went back. This weekend was a retreat away from that for me, though it constantly intruded on my thoughts like an unwelcome guest.

The Jacuzzi certainly relaxed my body, if nothing else. Dan didn't seem to have any such worries, but he was concerned for my state of mind. He knew and cared about my problems, even if they were only visible on my face. He started playing in the hot tub to create a diversion for me. He then took me over to the pool so that he could splash and dunk me. It worked, as we both engaged in light horseplay for a few hours.

"Feel better, baby doll?" Dan asked me as we dried off and went back to the room.

"Of course, I feel better! How could I not with you teasing me like that? You're a pleasant distraction from the worries on my mind," I grinned.

"Is that all I am, a distraction?" he needled me, twisting my words on purpose.

"Of course not! You just like to play word games, Mr. Comic! Don't quit your day job! You have one, right?" I teased back, well aware of his occupation.

"You know better. Truce?" Dan decided on a tactical retreat, since I gave as good as I got.

"Truce, for now. I have plenty of time to pick on you later," I joked as we entered the room and changed back into our regular clothes.

"There's a gift shop in the lobby. Care to pick up some souvenirs?" Dan mentioned.

"Why not? I could use some postcards from Arizona for my daughter and some friends. Besides, I have a little money burning a hole in my pocket. I don't feel like staying in the room. It's too early in the day and I'm getting hungry. It's almost time for lunch," I liked that idea, since I honestly wanted some stuff from Phoenix to show off to my best friend.

We poked around in the gift shop and I saw some postcards that really drew my attention. Dan's shades were lost, so we found him another pair. I say "we", because he was hopelessly ignorant about the right type of sunglasses. He also had a knack for losing or breaking them. It was just pure bad luck on his part, where shades were concerned. Since I had my own little flaws, I simply found it amusing.

"Too bad I can' find a rabbit's foot here for you, since you could use the luck. Hopefully, you'll keep these a little longer than the last pair. How much did you spend on those fancy shades you lost?" I asked him, remembering that he told me about the expensive sunglasses he used to have.

"Don't remind me. It's embarrassing. Jeff Foxworthy was right about shades. Cheapies always outlast the pricey ones. I'll have to bear that in mind when I'm shopping for the next pair. Since these are not from a drugstore, they might stick around for another month, if I'm lucky. The sad thing is that this is summer in the desert. I need to shield my eyes from the sun. This is not a luxury out here," Dan said in his self-deprecating manner.

"You're to shades what Liz Taylor is to husbands. You don't keep them long," I ribbed Dan.

"Truce-breaker!" Dan mockingly griped.

We paid for the souvenirs and sunglasses, and then realized that we really needed some grub. Dan's stomach now rumbled louder than mine.

"How about Lonestar Saloon? It's not a native Texas restaurant, but it's an homage to your home state and it has great food. This being lunch, we could get something cheaper, such as steak soup. It goes well with their bread and butter. I also want to show off my girlfriend to people out here," Dan suggested.

"Steak soup has a nice ring to it. Do they use real butter, 'cause I grew up with that instead of margarine," I pretended not to hear the part about "showing me off", though it was flattering.

"I never worried about it, but we can ask for real butter. I hear it's better for you than margarine, anyway. No trans fats and being more natural. The doc tells me to lower my triglycerides, though I'm not givin' up my French fries for nobody. Cut back, yes. Give 'em up, hell no! Yeah, I'm still a hillbilly from West Virginia," he grinned as he proudly admitted his background.

"Yankee, you mean," I picked on him again.

"I thought those were in New York and New England," he stuck out his tongue as we walked to the restaurant.

"I still say that you're a Yankee. You say 'soda' instead of 'coke'. That's Yankee talk," I continued teasing him half-seriously, though I was right.

"Coke is a brand name," Dan retorted as he opened the door for me.

I replied with a raspberry,"It's also a Southern term for soda or pop, Yankee."

"I give up on that issue. I'm not like Uncle Abe. I'd rather kiss a Southern gal than fight with her over petty things," Dan yielded on that point, since it was just teasing anyway.

"Not petty to me, but I'll go for another truce," I smiled sweetly as I got in the last word before the hostess guided us to our seat.

Dan introduced me to the waiter as his girlfriend and then ordered the steak soup for us. Apparently, he was a regular and the waiter knew him well enough to make a difference.

"Can you get real butter for our bread? She likes that better," he requested, winking at me.

"Sure. I don't blame you. What to drink?" Jared, the waiter, smiled as he took the order.

"Dr. Pepper for her, ice tea for me," Dan told him, giving me a sense of deja vu.

"See, you're a damnyankee. A Southern man would ask for sweet tea," I broke the truce again when the waiter left us.

"So I'm not from Texas. Sue me," Dan replied defiantly, his eyes showing his amusement despite his words.

"I would, but I wouldn't get much money from ya," I shot back, knowing that he wasn't really mad at me.

We clearly enjoyed this back and forth battle of wits. It was nice to be with a guy who didn't take such things seriously or act hurt about them, like my last ex. Dan got my sense of humor, unlike that man. He wasn't so thin-skinned.

By then, the bread and butter arrived. Jared brought both the real stuff and margarine to be on the safe side. This helped us take the edge off our hunger while we waited for the soup. There were two or three different kinds of bread on the plate, which was a nice variety.