The Dance

Chapter 163 Past Mistakes

Red changed outfits at least a half dozen times trying to decide what to wear on her first date with Bear. It was just a casual dinner. No biggie. She could do this. She finally settled on a black fitted t-shirt, jeans and a pair of heeled boots. She switched her  customary leather cuff bracelets for batches of sterling bangles on both wrists, hoping to distract from the scars that graced them. She let her auburn hair hang loose instead of her traditional braids completely changing the way she looked even to herself.

Bear knocked on her door promptly at seven with a small batch of flowers in hand. His back was to the door when she opened it. When he saw her, really saw her for the first time not as the bakery girl but as just a girl, she was more than he expected. Her hard edges were softened by the hair that hung loosely around her face and instead of being covered in chocolate and flour, she had a glow to her that radiated her natural beauty. He was momentaily speechless except for his equally radiant smile.

"Bear, are you coming in?" Red pulled him into her cottage.

"I almost didn't recognize you." He couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Brown." Bear handed her the flowers. "Let me put those in water."

Bear perused her living room taking in her eclectic style. "Awesome place you have here."

"Thanks. It 's small but it works for me. It's convenient to the shop."

Red watched Bear move around her living room stopping to take in her photographs of family and friends. He had an easiness about him making himself comfortable wherever he was. Red was easily distracted by his lighthearted nature and she could tell he was working very hard to keep his excitability under control. Usually, he talked nonstop but tonight he seemed to be more in control of himself than she was accustomed to seeing from him and that made him even more attractive to her.

He turned to see her staring at him and smiling. "Hungry?" She asked.

"Very." The tone of his answer made  her blush. She hastily grabbed her bag and headed to the door. She reached for the doorknob and he reached for her hand. She turned to look at him and his lips brushed hers. He was kissing her and she found herself kissing him back. Bear brushed her hair behind her ear and whispered, "Well, now that that's out of the way, maybe we can both relax and enjoy dinner." He opened the door and escorted her to his favorite restaurant for pizza.

Once settled in a booth, they ordered a pizza. His half was covered in pepperoni and hers was cheese only.

"I never asked you is Red your given name?"

"Actually, it's my middle name. My given name is Rose Red White. I know, it's bad but my sister's name is even worse. My dad had a weird sense of humor and named her Snow White. Kind of made our time in high school difficult."

Bear fell out laughing. "My sister's name is Snow. Snow Bird Brown."

"That's funny. I've never met any one else whose name was Snow."

"My parents named my other sister Merry Christmas Kathryn Raindrop Brown. We call her Rainy."

"And what about you? Is your real name Bear?"

"No. It's Soloman Freedom Brown. Bear is just a nickname."

"I can see your parents had a sense of humor also."

"Well, at least if you marry me one day your name would be Rose Red White Brown. You would continue to have a colorful name."

They both laughed at the silliness of their names. Their pizza arrived piping hot and the conversation continued to flow readily until they had waxed it off with a pitcher of Coca-Cola.

"You're a lucky guy. Since I'm a baker, I suggest we eat dessert at my shop."

"That sounds delicious already." Bear paid the bill and they walked slowly back to Baked Alaska. Red slipped her hand into Bear's hand, something she hadn't done in a very long time.

As Red unlocked the door to her shop, she offered Bear his choice of anything in the bakery. He pondered the thought for a minute and simply replied "You."

"Really Bear, I meant something edible." As soon as the words left her mouth, she burst out laughing and now he was the one who felt a tinge of red hit his cheeks. Red made a dessert selection for them and brought two plates to the table along with two glasses of milk.

As they indulged in what she called a hummingbird cake, he reached across the table for her hand bringing it to his lips to kiss. His fingers brushed across her bangles and he felt her scar. "What's that from?" She quickly pulled her hand away from his and tried to change the subject. "Did you burn yourself on an oven? You know when my brother Bam was little, he pulled a pot of hot water off the stove and burned his wrist. He covers his scar with a leather bracelet also."

This was a make or break moment for Red. She could tell Bear the truth and watch him politely leave never to call her again or she could start their relationship off with a lie. She took a deep breath. "They aren't burns." She slowly removed the bangles from her wrists and revealed the matching scars. "They were self-inflicted."

"Self-inflicted?" He asked looking perplexed. He reached for both her arms examining her wrists more closely.

Red choked out the words as difficult as it was. She had learned to own her actions years ago when she was in therapy. "I tried to kill myself about five years ago."

Bear sat silently holding her wrists in his hands rubbing them with his thumbs and asked, "Why?"