It’s nice to meet someone new in our small town. We get lots of tourists and we have our share of retirees. Sometimes I think I’m the only person in my neighborhood with a real set of teeth. This little town is full of antiques, including its population. I haven’t met a new resident in years. Maybe I am too trusting, but I’m excited to be meeting someone new. I’ve learned to trust my instincts more since going blind 5 years ago. I read people pretty well, and from what I can tell there is no way that Sam is a serial killer. In my mind, I picture him to be around my age, 25. I can’t wait to hear his story. Everyone has a story. I’ve always been a dreamer, some would even say a romantic at heart, but I believe in the power of love. I dream of one day finding my prince charming, I always have. Chase, my best friend in this world, thinks I’m crazy. Maybe, this sexy man next to me will be him. I know I can’t see him, but I can tell by the way he talks and moves next to me that he is, in fact, sexy. He just doesn’t appear to know it. I kind of like that.

I feel him hesitate at the curb that I know so well. He lifts me at the elbow to guide me. He’s such a gentleman. No way is he a bad guy. I want to find out why he keeps to himself. Is there something freakishly wrong with his looks? Not that that would matter to me, I love a good heart.

“Good evening, Mrs. Baxter.” I know it’s her by the perfume that she wears.

“Hi, Emma. Sam.” It makes me feel good that she calls him by his name. “What would you like to drink?” she asks.

“I will have a vanilla chai tea with coconut milk, but make it a large since Sam is buying.” I playfully squeeze his arm.

“I’ll have a plain black coffee and make it small since I am buying,” he laughs.

I grab his arm and drag him to my favorite table. “Let’s sit in front of the window.” I know I can’t see, but I can feel people as they walk by. It makes me feel somewhat normal. Sam pulls out my chair for me and Sunny curls around my feet.

“So, how long have you had a Seeing Eye dog?” he asks.

“Sunny? I’ve had her almost since I lost my sight.”

“Did she come with that name or did you name her?” he asks.

“I named her. She is my sunshine, my light, my eyes, so I figured it was appropriate,” she laughs. “She is amazing, she guides me without any kind of leash. Chase got her for me.”

“Chase being the big burly guy that I thought was your husband?” Mrs. Baxter brings our drinks to the table.

I burst out laughing. “Chase would love your description of him. He’s gay and he’s my best friend in the world. We met in college before I lost my sight.”

“Then I assume Tennyson is not his daughter?” he states.

“No, she’s my little sister.” His assumptions are very entertaining, although not surprising.

“Wow, big age difference.”

He could never realize how sad his words make me. My parents had me at a very young age and waited years to have another child – twenty, to be exact. Sometimes, Tennyson thinks she is my daughter, but I’ve tried to keep the memory of our parents alive for her. But I’m not ready to share any of this with him.

“So, what brought you to little ol’ Mount Dora, Sam?” I want to change the subject and make it all about him.

“Let’s just say that I needed a change of scenery,” he mutters, barely audible. I hear him blowing on his coffee.

“So, maybe you really are a criminal,” I tease.

“No, just a guy trying to figure a few things out.”

I can already tell that he is hiding something. Not a bad something, but something. “Have you figured it out yet?” I ask and remove the lid to my chai tea.

He has a deep chuckle. “I’m getting there.”

“Where do you live?” I’m curious about him.

“On the outskirts of town on a small lake just north of here.” He sips his coffee.

“You must be the guy that bought the old Patton property.” I know the area very well.

“Yeah, I think that was the name of the old owner.”

“Wow, was that place even livable? I had heard that it was haunted by his ghost.”

“Is that the moaning I’ve heard in the middle of the night?” he says jokingly.

“I’d be careful if I were you, I heard he was a mean son-of-a-bitch.” I point my finger in the direction of his voice.

“Wow that is pretty strong language for such a beautiful woman.”

I can feel my cheeks get warm and I fidget in my seat. “Are you really living in that scary place?”

“I’ve remodeled it. The outside has been updated and repainted. I’m almost finished with the addition on the inside so that I can have an office.”

“An office? What is it that you do?” I’m curious.

“I work in the tech industry. I specialize in computer programming and designing software.”

“That sounds…boring,” I laugh. To my surprise, he laughs out loud with me.

“I guess in comparison to the fashion world it is.”

“Don’t you get lonely?” I ask and listen to the sound of his clothing rustling as he sits back in his chair.

“I thought you brought me here to tell me about your wedding rings, not to listen to my sad story.”

I lean back and relax in my chair. “So, you have a sad story?”

“No, no sad story to tell. Tell me why an unmarried woman wears wedding rings. Especially in a town where everyone knows you and they obviously know you are not married?”

“They were my parents’ wedding rings.” I wish he would drop the subject. Even after all these years it is still too painful to talk about.

“Where are your parents?” he asks.

I let out a big sigh. “They’ve been gone almost five years now.”

“By gone, I assume you mean dead?”

If only I could see his face. I hate sympathy. It’s all I’ve gotten for so long from the people that live here. I know they mean well, but it makes the pain linger. “Yes.”

“How did they die?” he asks, sympathy oozing from his voice.

“That is not something I want to discuss with a total stranger.” Kind of mean, I know. But for once, I want someone to get to know me before they know my situation.

“Okay, fair enough. Tell me how you got into fashion?” His change of direction is very welcome.

“From the time I was a little girl, I would design clothes on paper. Both of my parents were teachers and we never had a lot of money. I would get hand-me-downs from my cousins, who were boys. I would dream of wearing a princess gown. I made my own clothing from scraps of material that were donated to our church. I was accepted into a prestigious college in New York right out of high school. I got a few scholarships, but it took every extra dime my parents had saved to send me there. They believed in me and were willing to sacrifice everything to make sure I could be there and get the education that I needed.” I’m sure he can hear the sadness in my voice, if not see it on my face. I still haven’t learned to control my facial expressions. I have learned to fully rely on my senses, but controlling my expressions is a whole different aspect.

The sound of his wooden chair legs scraping the floor rings out as he scoots closer to the café-style table. “How did you lose your sight?”

“An accident.” That is all I want to give him right now. “Tell me more about you, Sam. Do you plan on staying here long?”

“Long enough,” he states flatly.

“That’s not a very definitive answer.” My voice goes up an octave as it’s my turn to scoot my chair closer.

“I don’t know how long I will be here. I’m here for some higher purpose, but I don’t know what that it is yet. Until I do, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Hmmm…very mysterious,” I respond. “Everyone around here is so boring. I like a little mystery in a man.”

“Yeah, that’s me, a man of mystery,” he laughs.

Raindrops start pattering on the roof and a sense of panic washes over me. The sound of the legs of my chair scooting back is almost deafening. “I really need to get home.” Worry rings fiercely in my voice.

“Okay,” his chair scrapes across the floor. “I hope it wasn’t something that I said.” His arm touches my shoulder.

“No, it’s not you, I just really need to get home before it starts storming. I’d really love to do this another night if that’s okay with you?” I feel Sunny at my knees. She knows how much I hate storms. Sam opens the door and my feet move quickly across the concrete sidewalk.

“I can drive you home,” Sam says.

“No, it’s okay, I have a place above my store that I can stay the night.” I keep walking.

“Don’t you need to get home to Tennyson?” he asks.

I guess I really should with Nana being in the hospital. Chase is with her, but she will be scared with Nana, away from home. “Okay, if you don’t mind.” I stop my forward progression.

“My truck is parked to the left of you,” he says and tugs at my elbow.

We walk a few feet and I hear the door open. I reach my hand out to feel my way. It is a huge step up but I make my way inside.

“Get in the back seat, Sunny.” I hear the back door open and Sunny jumps inside. Sam opens his door and the diesel engine roars to life.

“Where do you live?”

“232 Oak Drive. It’s just on the outside of town, near the skating rink.”

“I know where the rink is, I’ll plug the address into my phone.” The truck comes to life and pulls out into the street.

“Thanks for taking me home.”

“No problem. Do you think I could take you out to dinner sometime now that I know that you aren’t married?” he laughs.

“I would love that.”

It’s only a ten-minute drive to her house but during the short drive the rain has started pouring down. I’m terrified to get out of the truck, but I don’t want him to know it. His door opens, followed by the back door as he lets Sunny out. Next is my door, followed by the sound of an umbrella opening. I hold my breath and slide out of the truck, then snuggle into this stranger’s arm for protection and let him lead me to the doorstep.

The front door lets out a groan of protest as it opens and Chase grumbles from the other side, “I was worried about you out in the storm. Who the hell are you?”

“Be nice, Chase. This is Sam, he gave me a ride home.”

“Emma, you’re home.” Tennyson’s little arms wrap around my legs. “Hey, you’re the man with the goat,” she says as she releases me.

“Yes, I am. You must be Tennyson,” he says.

“How do you know my name?” I can almost hear the scowl on her face and can picture her arms crossed over her chest as clear as day.

“Honey, this is Sam. I told him all about you.”

“You did?” she asks.

“Well, at least the fact that you are my little sister.”

“Can I play with your goat sometime?” She’s wrapped around my legs again.

“Sure you can. I’ll bring Sadie to the shop one afternoon.”

“Sadie? Why is her name Sadie?”

“I’m sorry, Sam. Five-year-olds are full of questions. If you don’t mind, I’d like to call it a night. But please bring Sadie by the shop.” I walk just inside the doorway, followed by Chase and Tennyson. Sunny is already inside, probably sound asleep.

“I will in the next couple of days. Thanks for having coffee with me, and I hope your Nana gets to come home soon.”

I hurriedly shut the door, blocking out the awful sound of the rain.

“What the hell was that about?” I hear the anger in Chase’s voice.

“Hubba hubba, Emma,” Tennyson says.

“No hubba hubba, go to your room,” Chase barks at her and she marches off.

“Why are you mad at her?” I question him.

“I’m not, I’m angry at you for having a stranger bring you home. What were you thinking? He could have something to do with your parents. You know better than to make friends with complete strangers.”

“You are being paranoid. He has nothing to do with the death of my parents. I would know the man immediately that killed them.” I march past him.

“Regardless, we don’t know him and you need to be more careful.”

I spin around in his direction. “Maybe I’m tired of being careful and paranoid. It was nice to make a new friend for once,” I yell back at him.

His arms go to my shoulders. “You know I’m looking out for you like I always do, right?”

“I know you are trying to protect me, but I’m tired of living in fear. Just for once, I would love to feel normal. I would love to go on a real date and someday fall in love.” I wrap my arms around my waist.

“I’m sorry,” Chase breathes out. “I know you long for normal. Why won’t you reconsider having the surgery on your eyes? The specialist told you there is a 90% chance you will have your vision back.”

I walk away from him as he’s talking. “You know the reasons why.”

“Look, I’ve told you, if the grant doesn’t come through, we will figure out a way to raise the money.” His hand is back on my shoulder, turning me toward him.

“You know that is not the only reason,” I whisper. “If I get my sight back and testify against the man who killed my parents, he will come after everyone that I love. I’m just thankful he doesn’t know Tennyson exists.” I keep my voice at a low whisper.

“You don’t know that. He threatened you one time and you’ve never heard from him again. I doubt he is going to pay any attention to you ever again. He just wanted to scare you.” His hand caresses my cheek.

“Well, he did a good job of it. And I can’t risk Tennyson for me to be able to see again. I’d rather be blind.” I turn away from him. “It’s been a long day, I’m going to bed.”

“I’ll take Tennyson to school tomorrow morning and then head over to the hospital to check on Nana so you can open the shop,” he yells to me down the hallway.

I know Chase is just looking out for me, but he can be overbearing at times. He has sacrificed so much for me that I could never really be angry with him. I change into my pajamas and plop down on my bed.

My mind goes to the day I was discharged from the hospital after losing my parents and my eyesight. Chase was there to take me back to Florida, and had made all the arrangements for the flight. He never let go of my hand the entire trip from New York to Florida. He had just graduated and was looking forward to a business internship in London. I was going with him. I had been offered an apprenticeship under one of London’s leading fashion designers. All my hard work and my parents’ sacrifices had paid off. I graduated first in my class and my parents left Tennyson, who was then only a few weeks old, with Nana to help me celebrate in New York. If I had known that night would change all our lives, I would have insisted on my parents not seeing me off.

Chase gave up his job to help me. He helped me set up the shop and taught me how to use the computer to make my designs. Everything is voice-activated. He knows my designs so well that he’s able to tweak any small detail that I miss. He runs the business end and handles the online orders. He’s even stepped in with helping to raise Tennyson. There were so many nights that I let myself drown in grief to the point where I was useless to her. He never once complained, and always picked up my slack.

I hear a soft knock on my bedroom door. “Are you decent?” Chase asks.

“Come in,” I sit up in the middle of the bed.

“Are you still angry with me?” he asks as he sits down beside me.

“I love you, Chase. You know I can never be angry with you.” I lay my head on his shoulder.

“I love you, too. I wanted to make sure that we’re okay before I go to bed. Tennyson is already sound asleep.”

“We’re good, but I’d really like to see Sam again.”

“He is hot,” he says and laughs.

I raise my head off his shoulder. “Is he?” I ask. “Tell me what he looks like.”

He takes my hand in his. “He’s smoldering with his choppy brown hair, piercing steely-grey eyes, and tight body. Did I mention he has a nice ass too?” he says dreamily.

“Could you describe him in a less gay way?” I playfully swat his leg.

He hugs me to him and places a kiss on top of my head. “You will just have to see him for yourself.”