Buffy Andrews - The Perfect Husband - A nail biting gripping psychological thriller

An hour later, I found myself out of water and out of luck. And out of a piece of gum! ‘I can’t believe you beat me three times. Are you sure you haven’t played in twenty years?’

‘Honest. Cross my heart. But I can leave the basketball with you in case you want to practice for our next competition,’ Eric teased.

‘Who said there’ll be a rematch?’ I smirked.

‘I thought you’d want the opportunity to avenge yourself. I mean, I know how competitive you are. I want to give you the chance to beat me.’

I shook my head and smiled. ‘Would you like to come back to my apartment and have a beer?’

‘A beer sounds great.’

I stuffed the basketball in my closet and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator. ‘Sorry I don’t have a lot to eat. I wasn’t expecting company. But if you’re getting hungry we can order a pizza.’

‘Do they deliver?’

‘Yeah. And it’s pretty decent pie.’

I ordered pizza and Eric and I took our drinks into the living room and sat on the couch.

‘Comfy couch,’ he said.

‘Thanks. I’ve had it forever.’

Eric turned towards me. ‘Did you have it when you were married?’

‘Yes. I got most of the furniture in the divorce. The only thing Scott took was the flat-screen TV.’

‘It doesn’t bother you having a house full of things you shared together?’ he asked.

‘No, not really. It saved me a ton of money. Most of the furniture I picked out anyway. Well, except that TV.’

The doorbell rang. ‘Looks like the pizza’s here,’ I said, jumping up.

Eric placed his drink on the coffee table and stood. ‘That was quick.’

‘Yeah, it’s not far from here.’

Eric followed me to the door and insisted on paying the delivery boy. He handed him a fifty-dollar bill and told him to keep the change.

The boy’s eyes widened. The pizza was fourteen dollars. I was sure the delivery boy had never received a thirty-six-dollar tip on a fourteen-dollar pizza. W ow, he’s generous!

‘You were right,’ Eric said a few minutes later as we settled back on the couch with our slices. ‘This is excellent pizza. But not as excellent as the company.’

‘Thanks. Are you always this sweet?’

‘I try to be.’

I picked up my napkin and wiped my mouth. ‘I had fun today. Thanks for coming.’

‘Me, too. We’ll have to do it again. I mean, after you practice.’ Eric grinned. ‘No, seriously. I had a wonderful time, Shelly. No one has ever made me this happy before.’

‘Ever?’

‘Never,’ he said.

I felt my face heat up. ‘But I’m nobody special.’

Eric stared into my eyes. ‘Yes, you are special, and I’m so glad I found you.’

He leaned in to kiss me and I pulled away. I wanted to kiss him, but I worried that a kiss would lead to something else, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for that. ‘I’m sorry, Eric. I like you. A lot. I just haven’t kissed a guy in a long time. Can we slow things down a bit?’

‘Sorry,’ he said, sitting back. ‘I can’t help it. I feel such an intense connection to you. But I don’t want to scare you away. I promise I’ll never do anything you don’t want me to do. I won’t kiss you, unless you want me to. And if our relationship progresses, you’ll be the one to decide how far it goes and when.’

My heart melted as I listened to Eric. He valued me. He wasn’t going to pressure me for anything I wasn’t prepared to give. I realized I was falling for him. I knew it was too soon to have feelings so deep, and yet I couldn’t help myself. No man had ever said the things he said to me. No man had ever made me feel so beautiful and so wanted.

‘Thanks,’ I told him. ‘That means a lot to me.’

‘I was thinking you should come visit me. I’d love to show you around the city.’

‘That sounds fun.’

‘Any chance I could talk you into coming next Saturday? You can spend the night and go home Sunday. I have a spare bedroom.’

‘I’d love to, but before I give you a definite yes, let me double-check my work schedule. Can I get back to you tomorrow?’

‘Sure.’

I walked Eric to his car and he hugged me. I felt as if I were wrapped in a warm, cozy cocoon and I was sad when he released his embrace. I watched him pull away and walked back to my apartment. As I was cleaning up I found a note addressed to me on the kitchen table.

Shelly,

You are special!

Love, Eric

Chapter 6

I texted Eric. Found the note. TY

He texted back: Is it too soon to tell you I miss you?

Lol

I’m serious, he texted.

Later, Eric.

And then I promptly called Jackie to tell her everything.

‘Omigosh! I think I’m falling in love with him,’ she said.

I looked at the flowers he’d brought. ‘Yeah, I keep pinching myself. Is this real? Is this really happening to me? It’s like those fairy-tale romances you read about, but you never think it’s going to happen to you.’

Jackie cleared her throat. ‘So, when am I going to meet him? What about a double date next weekend?’

‘He asked me to visit him. Said he had a guest bedroom.’

‘If you go, make sure you give me his address. I’ll call to check in with you.’

The week went by in a blink. Eric and I talked for hours every night and my days were filled with thoughtful texts from him.

On Wednesday, I walked into work to find a gorgeous arrangement of sunflowers on my desk. I opened the card. I hope these make you smile, Eric .

I took a photo of the flowers and sent it to Eric along with a message. Thanks for the flowers. They’re beautiful .

Patty, the office busybody who always looked like she was dressed for a funeral, walked over. ‘Gorgeous flowers. A new admirer?’ She winked.

If I told Patty who sent the flowers the entire office would know by the time I closed my file cabinet drawer. I wasn’t ready for that. Patty walked away when she realized I wasn’t going to divulge any details.

I caught myself thinking about Eric throughout the day. I’d hear a song on the radio that reminded me of him and my insides would turn to liquid. When I dressed for work, I’d wonder which outfit Eric would like better – the skirt or slacks and blazer. And despite my busy life, I practiced shooting baskets every day at the gym. I was determined to beat him the next time we played.

Thursday morning I woke up and felt warm. At first I thought I was having a hot flush, but I quickly realized I had a fever. I doubled over in pain from stomach cramps and ran to the bathroom, where I camped out most of the day. I thought I’d escaped the stomach flu that had swept through the office. Apparently I hadn’t.

I was supposed to meet Jackie at Tony’s, but I knew I’d have to cancel. I called to tell her. ‘There’s no way I’m going to make it.’

‘That bad, huh?’ Jackie said.

‘Yep. I’ve been camped out on the bathroom floor most of the day. I don’t remember the last time I felt this sick.’

‘It’s been going around my work, too. Is there anything you need?’

‘No. Stay away. I don’t want you to get this. Guess I’ll have to call Eric and tell him I won’t be coming this weekend.’

‘Oh, that’s right. You were supposed to go down to his place. That stinks.’

‘Sure does. And I was really looking forward to it, but all I want to do is sleep. Even if I felt better by tomorrow morning I wouldn’t go.’

‘Well, go back to bed and if you need anything call me.’

I hung up and called Eric.

He answered before I had a chance to speak. ‘How did you know I was thinking about you?’ Eric teased. ‘I can’t wait to see you this weekend.’