Free Moonlight and Roses by Jean Joachim

Chapter One

    "A dance in Central Park for single people…how romantic," Linda Davis said, clasping her hands together in front of her bosom.
    "Ma..."
    "You’re not getting any younger and I want to be a grandma."
    "I’m only 27, I'm not over the hill, yet," Caroline responded.
    "Check it out, sweetheart. Go, dance in the moonlight. Find a rich man, m ake me happy."
    Saturday night, Caroline Davis slipped into the new print sundress her mother made for her.
    “I picked this fabric because the cornflower blue in those little flowers matches your eyes exactly.”
    “You’re right. The match is uncanny.”
    “I like white on blondes, too, it sets off your hair, sweetheart, ” Linda put in.
    Caroline had always been proud of her curvy figure, long slim legs and bright smile. Her father said she was a work of art.
    Caroline entered Central Park with a sigh and headed for the Sheep Meadow which was aglow with twinkly lights and live music. A warm breeze brushed her cheek on her way across the uneven lawn where she stumbl ed over a rock and caught her heel twice in the tall grass. She took a glass of wine off a table covered with a white cloth and wandered through the growing crowd, looking, in vain, for a familiar face among the men and women mingling u nder the gaze of the full moon.
    As she faced South, the breath-taking skyline of New York City dark against the light sky turning pink and purple as sunset arrived demanded her attention. No matter how long she lived there, her artist’s eye would see no two identical skyline scenes; tall gray, black and silver buildings in varying heights outlined against the ever-changing sky. Finding a man as interesting as this City would be a challenge.
    She had agreed to return to New York City to live with her mother, leaving behind her college and graduate school friends in Willow Falls, New York. She missed her friends, but her mother, recovering from a bout with cancer, needed her. But now, Linda was pressuring her to find a man and Caroline wanted to make her mom happy.
    If she was honest with herself, Caroline had to admit she was lonely, too. Her college boyfriend left her behind when he went to medical school where he met and married another medical student. She scanned the faces at the dance again, hoping to find someone she knew. A tall dark-haired man with brown eyes, perhaps the right man to alleviate her loneliness approached her and introduced himself as Cary before he asked her to dance. As the fast song became a slow one, he drew her into his arms, holding her close.
    It felt good to be held by him. Caroline closed her eyes and let the warm summer breeze and the woodsy scent of his aftershave wash over her. After the music stopped, the band took a break. Cary plucked two glasses of wine from a waiter’s tray and took Caroline's hand, leading her into a shadowy area of the park. He sat down on the thick grass and gently tugged her down next t o him then handed her the wine.
    Before she knew what he wanted, he was kissing her. At first, the kiss was nice, but then it got too passionate, too urgent. Caroline pulled away.
    "Come back, beautiful thing," he murmured, reaching for her.
    Caroline moved out of his grasp and shook her head. "I hardly know you."
    "What better way to get acquainted?"
    "You're kidding, right?"
    His eyes glittered in the moonlight and Caroline began to feel conscious of his eyes on her body, she sifted her weight from foot to foot.
    "Why do you think guys come to these crummy things?"
    "To meet someone?"
    "To get laid," he said.
    Caroline got up, brushed off her skirt and tucked her purse under her arm. "Smooth…real smooth."
    "Honest, at least."
    "Goodnight."
    “I knew you weren’t going to put out,” he called after her, pulling up a tuft of grass.
    She related her story to her mother as soon as she closed the front door behind her.
    "We'll have to find a better place. Some place where the guys have a little class."
    "Meaning they still want