THE ART OF FALLING GRACEFULLY by SARAH BETH LEE (novel24 TXT) 📖

the backseat and buckled Kelsey in beside her. She rummaged around in her bulky straw bag and pulled out two pair of sunglasses. She put one pair on Kelsey and then slid the other pair on preventing Trent from seeing her eyes.

“Are you sure about this Sydney?”

“Absolutely now come on Sir time is wasting let’s go.”

Trent shook his head as he grabbed Kelsey’s backpack out his truck and tossed it in the vacant seat beside him. He laughed at the sight of Sydney and Kelsey sitting in the back with their sunglasses on and singing some kid’s song at the top of their lungs. He slid in the seat and turned the key in the ignition and sighed at the purr of the engine. One thing was for sure Sydney had excellent taste in cars.

“Okay everyone buckled in and ready for takeoff?”

Sydney checked Kelsey’s car seat and then fastened her own, “Ok captain ready for takeoff.”

Trent slowly backed out of the parking space and pulled on to the road. He was a little nervous driving her new car, “Syd are you sure this is okay, what if I have a wreck? You would probably hate me and never speak to me again.”

“First of all my insurance covers anyone driving as long as I am in the car. Secondly that is just the silliest thing I have ever heard. You will not have a wreck and if you did I would still have to talk to you.”

Trent watched her in the rearview mirror but the dam sunglasses made it impossible to see her eyes. He could hear the teasing in her voice, “Really and why is that?”

“I always talk to the regulars at the Café so you see problem solved.”

Trent laughed at her ridiculous reasoning and shook his head, “Okay then we have a date with some ducks!!”

Kelsey cheered and raised her hands in the air as he pulled on to the main highway. She looked at Sydney and tried to talk so that she could hear her soft voice over the wind whipping around them.

“Ms. Sydney will you slid down the slide with me?”

“Sure I will sweetie.”

Kelsey clapped her hands excitedly, “Great daddy won’t he says he’s too big.”

“Maybe he’s just scared. We’ll work on him.”

Trent could see the smile on her face and knew she was teasing him unmercifully. He felt his heart skip a beat she was beautiful and he knew he was falling for her. The question now was what was he going to do about it? He would not let her slip away from him again. He knew he would have to take a risk but he had to find a way into her heart because his was lost to her the day he walked into the café six months ago. He listened as his two favorite girls sang off key and he wondered exactly how someone falling in love manages to fall gracefully.


CHAPTER TWO
ONE FINE DAY

Sydney sat quietly watching Trent out of the corner of her eye. She wondered what in the world he was thinking about. He had this intense look on his face, as if he were in deep thought about something. She began to chew on her fingernails afraid that he had changed his mind about letting her tag along. She just knew that he must be embarrassed to be seen with her, afraid that people might get the wrong idea. Sydney wished she could read his mind and see what had marred his handsome face with such a troubled expression. She replayed every moment they had shared since she walked up behind him at the cafe; she couldn’t think of anything she might have said or done to cause him to worry.

Sydney was lost in her own thoughts and only half listening as Kelsey chattered nonstop beside her. She asked dozens of questions but never waited for an answer. Sydney was glad that Kelsey was here otherwise she and Trent would be in complete silence. She couldn’t imagine what she would do without her constant chatter. Then again without Kelsey she wouldn’t be here at all. Sydney was sure that without Kelsey he would never have noticed her. She was well aware of the fact that the chances of Trent Isaac asking her were slim to none.

Suddenly Sydney could feel tiny pin pricks behind her closed eyes as tears threatened to fall. She was thankful for the sunglasses shielding her eyes from Trent’s watchful glances. Whatever had she been thinking? How could she have been so stupid and what was she doing here? She had almost let herself believe that maybe he wanted to spend the day with her; she knew she was naïve but not that naïve.

Trent glanced at Sydney in the rearview mirror and wondered what was going on behind those glasses. He could see her gnawing on her fingernails like a dog with a bone. He was ninety-nine percent sure that she was upset about something.

Sydney had been so deep in her own thoughts she hadn’t even noticed the car had stopped moving. They were at the park and Trent was helping Kelsey out of her seatbelt.

“Come on slow poke.”

Kelsey was trying to pull her out of the car. She unbuckled her seatbelt and swallowed back her unshed tears.

Kelsey was staring at her with apprehension on her face, “You are coming aren’t you?”

“Of course, I was lost in a dream for a minute.”

“You were dreaming with your eyes open?”

“Yeah I guess I was daydreaming.”

Kelsey wrinkled her little nose, “What’s a daydream?”

Sydney knew she would have to choose her words very carefully, “It’s when you let your mind think about something other than what you are doing. Like thinking of what you want to be when you grow up or imagining running away with the circus. A day dream is whatever you want it to be.”

Kelsey smiled as if she got it, “What were you dreaming about Ms. Sydney?”

Sydney looked at the inquisitive little girl. She could feel her face turning five shades of red, what exactly was she supposed to say now? She couldn’t very well tell her she was obsessing about why her father might not like her or want to be seen with her. Nor could she say ‘I was thinking about your daddy having hot, mad, passionate sex with me. No she couldn’t say that.

“Trust me it wasn’t important.” Sydney had to find a way to change the subject to a safer topic that wouldn’t get her all tangled up and tongue tied. She could feel Trent’s electric pull and she raised her eyes to see him staring at them intently. She looked back down at Kelsey, “So Kelsey what do you want to do first?”

“Feed the ducks.”

Sydney, Trent and Kelsey ran to the bridge that extended over the lake with a gazebo in the center. It was beautiful and it had a calming effect on Sydney. Kelsey seemed to be having fun as she laughed and skipped along the bridge.

Sydney reached in her bag and pulled out a bag of bread crumbs. She had grabbed them from the Café. She opened the bag and took out a handful, “Here are some bread crumbs Kelsey.”

She took a fistful and began dropping them in the murky water. She loved to see the ducks race to see who would get to the bread first. She stood on the ledge with her tiny hands on the railing she cheered for the smallest duck and would throw her head back and laugh as they fought over the crumbs floating on the water. The ducks gobbled up the bread faster than she could drop it in Trent and Sydney laughed at her sweet upturned face and soon they were dropping crumbs in the water too.

Sydney watched Kelsey as she ran and laughed so carefree and full of life. She hoped she never lost that feeling and that no matter what this life brought her she would always remember who she was and the feel of the sun on her face and the wind in her air.

The afternoon passed far too quickly. Kelsey talked constantly so there were no prolonged moments of silence. Sydney and Kelsey had slid down the slide, they couldn’t persuade Trent to join them. They swung in the swings while Trent pushed them toward the sky; they walked along the trails and made a sand castle in the sandbox. Sydney was exhausted and by the look on Trent’s face he was tired too. They sat down on a bench to rest and in mid-sentence Kelsey was sound asleep. Trent carried her to the car.

“Sorry about that she missed her afternoon nap.”

Sydney rubbed her head, “Poor thing she’s worn out.”

“Well thank you so much for today it really made Kelsey’s day.” Trent wished he had the courage to say and mine too but he didn’t want to move to fast and scare her off.

“No problem you guys made my day.”

Trent shook his head in doubt, “Come on Syd you could’ve done a lot of more interesting things today besides babysit us.”

She smiled shyly, “Well babysitting is my life’s goal.” Trent could hear the smile in her voice and the way the pink lightly covered her cheeks, “Seriously I haven’t had this much fun …Well along time so thanks for including me.”

Trent smiled back at her embarrassed face, “Anytime, you have an open invitation.”

“Okay thanks.”

Trent and Sydney talked endlessly the entire drive back to Sydney’s apartment. When he parked and put the car in park he wished the night didn’t have to end. He glanced at his watch it was only six o’clock. He wondered if Sydney had plans for dinner.

He looked at her sitting beside him and wondered if he should ask her out? He felt as if he had finally found that one person that he was meant to be with forever. He wished he could tell her exactly what he was feeling and how much he hated to watch her walk inside and close the door. He was afraid that it was too soon for that and he didn’t want to scare her away. He had no idea how long she and what was the loser ex-husband’s name, Rick had been divorced. He knew she might not be ready for a new relationship. He heard her clear her throat in the silence of the car.

“Trent would you like to come in?”

He wondered if she could read minds or if he was just that easy to read. He smiled at her and nodded his head, “That would be great if you don’t have anything going on.”

She opened the door and grabbed her bag and Kelsey’s backpack,