Free Wildflower by Michele Kimbrough

time she saw him, it was fun. And last night, Iris had a particularly wonderful time. With him, she felt like she was living dangerously and taking risks because he was a virtual stranger that she had given her heart and body to. She knew he had nothing to gain by being with her — but she, on the other hand, felt like she had so much to lose. Reminded of Peter’s abandonment, Sara’s betrayal, and her mother’s indifference, she wasn’t ready to have another person reject her. Proceed with caution was her mantra.
    On the other hand, she was ready for something new — prepared to throw caution to the wind. It would have been easy for her to dive in head over heels — actually, maybe she had. And it felt good because for once in her sober life, even though she knew better, she was doing something impractical.
    Throughout the day, she contemplated what she would wear, how she’d wear her hair, what color she’d paint her nails. She was running out of outfits that he hadn’t already seen her wear. He scrutinized her with his eyes every time he saw her, so she was certain he would notice a repeat outfit.
    It’d been a long time since Iris had been excited about a man. Preston seemed a little rough around the edges, but that was exciting to her. She liked his careless abandon.
    It was like her life got out of the way for the moment, so that she could enjoy herself. She didn’t think about her grief over her mother’s death. She wasn’t concerned about finding a job and paying bills. She wasn’t sulking over Peter’s betrayal. She wasn’t worrying about her future. None of it entered her mind. Life just cleared a path for her to enjoy herself for a change.

14

There was an elegance about her, a quiet reserve that he found unsettling.  Preston watched her enter the restaurant in an easy stride. Her dress flowed behind her.  Her hair, perfectly coiffed, bounced with each step she took.  He reveled in her solemn brown eyes and sweet mouth, which was glossed in pink.  How’d he get so lucky?
    He toyed with telling Iris about his past – about Amanda. Iris seemed like the kind of woman who’d understand, who’d be forgiving and accepting of what happened.  He was on the verge of a confession until her eyes met with his.
    That smile.
  Her smile was infectious.  It melted him.  He wanted a future with her and, well, he didn’t want to keep secrets from her.  But then Kathy entered his mind – his former lover, the woman who tossed him aside in London. The cold chill of her leaving him, of never wanting to have anything to do with him again, left a sour taste in his mouth.
    He’d told Kathy about Amanda, which was something he’d said he would never do. But he thought Kathy deserved to know the truth – to know his past.  When Preston told Kathy his secret, Kathy said, “I can’t do this. I can’t love you knowing what I now know.”
    No
, to tell Iris about Amanda would be relationship suicide. It had already killed the bond he had with his family, and then the relationship with Kathy.  Did he want to risk losing Iris, too?
    “Don’t I deserve happiness, too?” he mumbled to himself. He stood and waved Iris over to the table.
    ***
    Brushing her hair away from her face, she saw Preston flagging her down.  He was smart. She liked that he’d taken advantage of the beautiful day by getting an outdoor table.
    Iris smiled at him.  He was the perfect height…not too tall and definitely not too short. He wore a short-sleeved crew neck shirt that flattered his biceps and pectorals. She liked his lean hard body.
    As she made her way to the table, she saw that this was a self-serve restaurant of the Texas Luby’s or Piccadilly’s variety.  What was it with Preston and his restaurant choices?  Maybe this type of place was big in London.  She shrugged it off.  She didn’t really care because she was more interested in seeing Preston than being wined and dined.
    After standing in a long line, they