Free The Only One for Her by Carlie Sexton

are on the cutting edge of creating organs and prosthetics.”
    She has brains, too. This woman was perfect. “Yes, in fact the goal is to save lives by having the surgeon create a scaffold of an organ and then coat it with cells from the patient. We’re hoping the technology will save people before they become too ill. So many people are on waiting lists to receive organs.” It occurred to me she had said her husband had died from cancer. Maybe he had been one such patient who’d died waiting.
    “So, where is your company headquartered?”
    I almost laughed out loud thinking that I wanted to know everything about her, but she was doing all the questioning, and we didn’t know the basics about each other like where we each lived. “My company is in San Diego. I live in San Diego.”
    “Oh, I’ve never been there, but I bet it’s an amazing place to live.”
    “It is, actually. I can’t imagine many places being better. How about you? I can tell by your accent you’re from the South.”
    “I’m from Louisiana. A town called Lafayette.”
    “Have you always lived there?”
    “Yes, born and raised. My parents grew up there too. It’s the only place I’ve ever called home.”
    “So, you mentioned college. What do you do for a living?”
    Lindy’s face dropped a little. “I’m a waitress…at a truck stop,” she said slowly, her brow furrowed.
    Obviously, that wasn’t her dream job and I wasn’t sure what to say, but one thing I knew for certain. I hated the fact she worked in a greasy spoon where she probably had to fend off pushy men every day. “Oh,” I said, trying to sound nonchalant.
    “I didn’t start college right after high school. So, I only had been in college for two years when Dane got sick and I left school to take care of him. I planned on going back, but without his income, I couldn’t afford it. The economic downturn made jobs scarce, so I became a waitress.” She said all of this like she was apologizing to me. This beautiful creature, a woman who I wanted to make mine, had been through way more in her life than I thought was bearable. How was she so put together?
    “It’s an honest living and I’m sure it pays the bills. Nothing wrong with that.”
    “I manage. It’s taken me three years to save up for this trip, but I’m used to the simple things in life. Coming here is a luxury.”
    I had an overwhelming urge to tell her she didn’t have to struggle any longer. I wanted to be with her. I wanted her by my side. I wanted to give her everything. How could I possibly meet someone I felt so connected to within days of devastation? It was surreal, but I felt blessed nonetheless. But I knew saying all of that would make me sound like I was some kind of lunatic or a stalker. I had to hold back. How could I have these feelings anyway? We just met a few hours ago.
     
     
     
     

Chapter 14: Lindy
     
    The waiter brought our bill and anxiety turned my stomach into knots. Would Trace want to see me again? I knew I wanted to spend more time with him. He was a very compassionate man, listening to me talk about my past. I hadn’t had a man actually want to listen to me in a long time. When he took my hand my body tingled. His touch had an effect on me I wasn’t expecting. But, I wasn’t expecting any of this. It seemed like something wonderful could be coming my way. But, who was I kidding? Everything that started out wonderful had a way of ending…tragically. Putting my heart out to be potentially trampled on again scared me to death.
    “Shall we go?” Trace asked me.
    “Yes.”
    “How about a walk on the beach?”
    “Sounds perfect.”
    Trace put his hand on the small of my back as he guided me out of the restaurant, toward the sand. Torches lit the way and within seconds our shoes were off. The soft, cold sand against my feet was welcome. Something about walking on the beach always soothed my heart. The pounding of the waves calmed my spirit.
    “So, how long will you be in