Chapter 7

Frannie stood and took in her surroundings. She was touched that he had gone to so much trouble for her, but she also had to wonder what he expected from her. Jon watched as Frannie moved around the room. He was pleased to see that she didn’t seem affected by her surroundings, just comfortable and curious. She turned to find Jon watching her. “Jon, you didn’t answer my question.” He met her gaze, “question?” Frannie nodded her head, “yeah, why did you bring me here?”

He moved closer to her and took her hand, never taking his eyes from her face, “I didn’t want to risk taking you somewhere that held bad memories for you. I thought bringing you here would be a way for us to start off on the right foot. If you would rather go out somewhere, we can do that instead.” Frannie relaxed a little. He had only been thinking of her when he planned this. She smiled at Jon and squeezed his hand, “thank you, this was very sweet of you.” Jon smiled at her, kissed her hand and led her over to the table. As Frannie sat down she had a thought, “don’t tell me you cooked dinner too?” He lit the candles on the table and laughed as he walked toward the kitchen. “Not unless you wanted scrambled eggs for dinner.” Frannie chuckled and looked out the window while she waited for him to come back.

As Jon stepped into the kitchen he breathed a sigh of relief. He had been afraid she wasn’t going to want to stay. He moved around the kitchen, putting their plates which had been kept warm for him by his cook, along with a bottle of wine onto a tray to carry back into the other room. He stopped long enough to put some music on before returning to the dining room.

He came back into the dining room and stopped. Frannie was looking out the window, the candlelight softly illuminating her features. He cleared his throat and set their plates down. Frannie turned her head just as he set the plates down. “The view” she gestured toward the window “is fabulous.” Jon held her gaze, “it sure is.” Frannie felt herself blush and she glanced down at her plate. “What are we having?” Jon sat down across from her and poured the wine, “chicken marsala, oven roasted potatoes and asparagus spears.” Frannie picked up her fork, “it looks wonderful. Who cooked, or did you order out?” “You’re not going to let the whole cooking thing go are you?” Frannie smiled and shook her head “nope”. Jon smiled as he picked up his fork, “Lani, my cook/housekeeper cooked. She made dessert too.”

They enjoyed their meal and their conversation flowed from one topic to another, discussing their hobbies, interests, families, generally getting to know all the little details of each other. Without realizing it, Frannie had let down her guard. Jon watched as she talked about Sophie, she was totally at ease and relaxed. The little lines around her eyes and the creases on her forehead eased and softened. Her smile was easier and there was no wariness in her eyes. She really was a beautiful woman. He brought his attention back to what she was saying and poured more wine. When she stopped talking he looked across the table at her, “are you having a good time Frannie?” She nodded her head, “I am Jon. Thank you so much. I think I need to stand up and move around a bit though, if I sit here any longer I am going to become one with the chair.” He laughed and they moved away from the table. He took their dishes into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee and came back to find Frannie standing in the doorway, looking over at the table where they had just been sitting. “What are you doing?” She was trying to memorize the scene, from the moment she walked into the room and saw the table by the window she knew she was going to have to paint it. “Would you mind if I painted this?” He walked over to stand next to her, trying to see what she saw. He took in the view and turned to her, “I don’t mind, so long as I get first crack at the finished product. Now, let’s go in the other room.”

She followed him into the living room and immediately felt like she was invading his personal space. Looking around this was obviously where he spent a lot of time with his kids, there were family photos on the mantle and walls. He seemed nonplussed that she was there, and went to light a fire. He turned back to find her smirking at him. “What?” “You certainly know how to set a scene Jon.” He raised an eyebrow in question “scene?” She smiled at him this time, “scene Jon. You’ve got the fire, soft lights, quiet music, quite the seductive scene.” He shrugged his shoulders as he came to stand in front of her, “can’t blame a guy for trying now can ya?” He ran his hand lightly up and down her arm and she could feel the goose bumps rise on her flesh. He took her hand and tugged her to him, wrapping his arms around her, “dance with me” he whispered in her ear. Frannie slid her arms up around his shoulders and they moved slightly to the music. The words of Celine Dion couldn’t have been more perfect.

Where it was dark now there's light

Where there was pain now there's joy

Where there was weakness, I found my strength

All in the eyes of a boy

As the song ended they stayed locked in each other’s arms. Jon slid one hand up Frannie’s side to her chin, tilting her face up to his. Her eyes were wet. “What’s wrong baby?” She pulled in a breath, “nothing really. Just that song hit a little close to home.” He watched her eyes as he leaned in to kiss her. He didn’t want to scare her, but he wanted more than the chaste one he gave her the other day. The kiss was firm yet gentle. He watched as her eyes closed and he felt her tremble slightly but didn’t pull away. Letting instinct take over, he closed his eyes and let his lips roam across hers, waiting for her to respond. His tongue snaked out and traced her lips. Frannie parted her lips slightly and let her own tongue sneak out and touch his. That slight tentative touch sent a jolt right through her. His lips were whispery soft and she tilted her head just a bit and let herself fall into the kiss. He tasted her fully for the first time and hoped to God it wouldn’t be the last. Jon let his hand skim up her jaw and into her hair before sliding it slowly back down to her waist. He pulled her closer and, feeling his hardness against her, Frannie pulled back.

“Frannie?” He opened his eyes and looked at her. “I’m sorry Jon, I just… I can’t do this.” The wall had come back up and he could see that the fear was creeping back into her eyes. He slipped his hands from her waist and took her hand, leading her to the couch. “You don’t have to be afraid of me Frannie. I could never hurt you.” She sighed and shook her head. “I know you wouldn’t hurt me Jon, and it’s not you I am afraid of.” He didn’t understand, “if you’re not afraid of me, then what’s wrong?” She sighed, “could I get a cup of coffee before we take this any further?” Without a word Jon went to the kitchen and came back with coffee for both of them and two slices of the cheesecake that his cook had made.

Cradling the cup in her hands Frannie stood and moved near the fire. Jon watched as she struggled to find the words to tell him what was bothering her. “I don’t know if I will ever be able to be with a man again Jon. I thought I might be able to get past it with you, hoped I could even. While my body reacted as I knew it would, my head is another matter entirely.” Jon came up behind her and slid his arms around her as she stood facing the fire. She set her cup down on the mantle and rested her hands on his forearms. “I know you’re not ready yet Frannie. I would never force you to do something you didn’t want either. I am enjoying being with you and the rest we will deal with.” He turned her so she was facing him. “We’ll take this as slow as you need to baby.” He led her back to the couch where they fed each other bites of cheesecake and they finished their coffee.