Free Waking Up Gray by R. E. Bradshaw Page A

Germans actually were to America’s eastern coastline.
    Respects paid, and continuing on their walk, the lightheartedness returned along with the twinkle in Gray’s eyes.
    “Fanny tells me you have a daughter,” Gray said.
    “Yes, Mazie. She turns twenty-two January first,” Lizbeth said. “She graduated from UNC last May and got married in June. They live just outside of Durham, near Fearrington. She starts law school in January at Duke and soon will join her father at his firm.” Lizbeth heard her own tone change when she mentioned James. It was still hard not to hate him.
    “Sounds like a smart girl,” Gray said.
    Lizbeth brightened. “She is. She’s brilliant. So much smarter than me.”
    Gray looked down at Lizbeth. “Don’t sell yourself short. She had to get it from somewhere. Doesn’t sound like it came from your husband.”
    Lizbeth laughed. “What makes you say that?”
    “Whatever he did to piss you off must have been incredibly stupid,” Gray said, grinning
    Lizbeth smiled back. “How do you know?”
    Gray didn’t hesitate in her smoothness. She was seductive without even trying. She lowered her voice. “You’re here alone, aren’t you? I don’t see a ring. I’m assuming there was a divorce. He had to be stupid to let you go.”
    Lizbeth flushed warm all over. She was glad for the fading twilight. They were approaching the Sound. Lizbeth could just see it around the bend in the road. The blue sky faded from lavender to pink, as they neared the water. Where was Gray taking her? Moreover, what was in the cooler?
    Lizbeth had not said anything since Gray’s last comment. Gray’s presence overwhelmed her, and the seductive tone in Gray’s voice had hit its mark. Lizbeth was blushing like a little girl. When Gray put her hand in the middle of Lizbeth’s back, to get her to move to the other side of the road, Lizbeth heard her breath catch in her throat. She hoped Gray had not heard her. She felt utter disappointment when Gray removed her hand after they successfully made the crossing.
    Gray stepped in front of Lizbeth and pulled a low hanging cedar limb out of the way. She stood there looking at Lizbeth, as if Lizbeth was supposed to walk into the woods behind the tree. Lizbeth stopped and raised her eyebrows in question.
    “Gray O’Neal, you are not taking me into the woods to tie me up are you?”
    Gray let out a laugh. “No. Come on. I want to show you something.”
    As Lizbeth passed under Gray’s arm, which was holding the branch aside, she said, “I hope there’s no rope in that cooler.”
    Lizbeth heard Gray’s mischievous laughter behind her. “Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
    Lizbeth kept her head down, walking ahead of Gray, trying to avoid the low hanging, twisted limbs of the live oak in which they maneuvered. In a few minutes, they emerged from the woods onto a small sandy beach. It was isolated, with no houses or other people in sight. A large piece of driftwood waited like a park bench for someone to sit and watch the sunset. It appeared that’s what Gray had planned.
    It was an incredibly romantic scene. The Pamlico Sound spread out in front of them, as far as the eye could see. The water was calm and sparkled with the reflection of reds and pinks mingled in the sky above. The little ripples of waves lapped rhythmically at the edge of the water. The sun, now a giant red ball, was just beginning to dip below the horizon, casting a long glowing image across the surface of the water. A few ducks swam just off shore. Pelicans and sea gulls flew overhead, looking for a place to nest for the night.
    Lizbeth followed Gray over to the driftwood bench. They sat down and just stared out over the water for a few hushed minutes.
    Lizbeth broke the silence. “This is magical.”
    Gray didn’t take her gaze from the water, but responded, “Yes, it is.”
    A few more minutes passed before Gray opened the cooler, producing a bottle of white wine, two wine glasses, and