Chapter 2

"YOU'RE REALLYgoing back to the pizza place for lunch?" Chris asked as Darby set his phone on the dresser in his room. He checked the labels in his shirts before choosing one he didn't mind getting food on. He hoped he didn't look like some freak in mismatched clothes. He thought about using the app to ask for help, but with his luck, he'd get Reynaldo again, and he didn't want him to know the tizzy Darby had gotten himself into.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I?" Darby added. "He was nice."

"But what if this guy is a serial killer?" Chris asked. "Someone should be there with you."

Darby huffed. "Like a chaperone? What am I, a damsel in distress? Are you afraid he's going to run away with my virtue? Because let me tell you, if he wants it, then he is more than welcome to it. No one else seems interested. Come on. Do you take someone with you when you date?" He waited and didn't get an answer. "What was that?"

"Lauren goes with me," Chris said softly.

Darby snickered. "Well, if your sister wants to come all this way to have lunch in a public place where all the people know me, then she's more than welcome." He finished dressing and slipped into his shoes. "If you want, I can give you my mother's number so you two can figure out what you think is best for me." Chris was supposed to be on his side.

"Okay, fine. You're right. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"If anyone tries, Rex will take care of them." At his name, the dog came into the room and sat next to him.

"I didn't necessarily mean that way. Just be careful. You haven't had much experience in that department, and I don't want you to get involved with someone who won't treat you right. Though there was that guy in school…."

"You had to bring up Jimmy, didn't you." Darby had been a fool, and Jimmy was straight, but the heartache was still real. "Now, I need to finish getting dressed and walk over to the restaurant." It was four blocks, but he knew the way well. "I'll be fine, and you need to go have some fun of your own."

"I am. Lauren is picking me up in half an hour." There was definitely a hint of excitement in his voice. "We're meeting Carl, and he's taking me out to Lake Tobias for the day. It's a double date with her and her husband." He groaned. "God, does that really sound pathetic?"

Darby's reaction was instant. "No. It sounds like you're going to have fun." He was tempted to be snarky about dating with his sister, but he kept it to himself. Chris was getting out, dating someone, being a part of the world, and that was the goal for both of them as far as he was concerned. "Remember, the object is to get outside of your own little world, and you're much better at that than I am."

For a lot of blind people, and Darby fell firmly into this category, it was easy to stick to the things they knew. Over time, their worlds tended to grow smaller because exploring new places required effort or someone to help show the way. Part of what Overbrook had provided were the skills needed in order to test boundaries and help push past them. And Darby was determined to keep pushing those boundaries or else his world was going to get smaller and smaller. His parents would be more than happy with that. Not that they didn't love him, but they wanted him to be safe and secure. That was their goal. Darby wanted to be able to live his life to the fullest.

"Thanks for that," Chris said in a rare moment of letting his insecurity show. "You have a great lunch, but promise you'll message me when you get there and once the date is over so I know you're okay, and I'll let you know all about Carl and his magic hands."

Darby snickered and said goodbye before ending the call. He left the room, with Rex following him to the kitchen, where he secured his harness. "Are you ready to go to lunch?" he asked before patting him on the head. Then they left the house, and Rex guided him to the main street of town and then across the side streets toward the enticing scents of dough, sauce, and oregano.

"Hey," Phillip called happily over the sounds of multiple voices. "It's really busy today. Give me a minute and I'll get you a table."

Darby stood still, Rex pressed against his leg, staying steady. Times like this tried his patience.

"You came," Reynaldo said from next to him. "I'm so glad." He was so near and speaking softly enough that Darby leaned slightly closer, brushing against him, sending a spark through Darby. He smiled and inhaled. Even over the scent of food and a ton of people, Reynaldo was close enough for Darby to smell his slightly woodsy, masculine scent—one that sent his mind racing.

"Me too." He could stand right here next to Reynaldo all day. "Phillip said that he was clearing off a table."

"And here he is," Reynaldo said.

"There's one in the next room near the front windows," Phillip told them.

"Take my arm and I'll guide you," Reynaldo offered. Darby slipped his hand into Reynaldo's arm, and he started forward.

Darby came to a stop. "Let me go first and you guide me to the table. If you take the lead, it feels like I'm being pulled," he explained gently, and Reynaldo made the correction.

"We're entering the other room now. In about two feet, there's an opening between tables to your left that will lead us right to our table," Reynaldo said. "Umm, excuse me. That is our table." Reynaldo's tone changed to stern educator in an instant. "You need to find a different one." They came to a stop. "Some kids decided they couldn't wait and tried to steal our table. It's empty again and about five feet in front of you." The gentle tone was back, and between Reynaldo and Rex, Darby made it to the table and was able to sit down.

"Is there enough room for him?" Darby asked as Rex settled against his feet. "I don't want anyone to trip over him."

"He's good," Reynaldo said with a slight lilt in his voice. "Do you know what you want to eat? I can go on up to order."

Darby was about to propose a pizza when he caught a familiar scent and sighed.

"Sweetheart," his mother said as she drew up to the table. Not that she had to say anything—her perfume was strong enough to overpower the smell of everything around her. "I heard you were here for lunch—"

"And you had to come down here to what?" Darby had purposely not told his mother about him having lunch with Reynaldo for just this reason. "I'm perfectly capable of getting myself around town and doing things on my own. I'm having lunch with a friend," he added pointedly. "Are you meeting someone here?" The last thing he wanted was to have lunch with his mother. Darby had been excited about this all week.

"I came here to make sure you were okay." She sounded put out, with more than a hint of guilt.

Darby wished the floor would swallow him whole. "You didn't need to. I'm fine. I come here every now and then. I know my way around. Rex and I do very well together."

She sighed. "You know I worry."

"But you don't have to." Darby wanted her to leave, but he didn't want to cause a real scene. "It's Saturday. Don't you and Dad have pickleball today?"

"Well, yes…." He knew the doubt in her tone, and Darby was almost ashamed of himself—almost. He needed to be independent. There was no doubt his mother loved him and worried about him, but she also needed to let him go, which she seemed to have a tough time doing.

"Then you should go and play with your friends. Have a good time. Enjoy the summer afternoon. I'm fine." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. Reynaldo, this is my mother, Susan Wright. I forgot my manners, I guess. He and I are having lunch."

She nodded in acknowledgement, but that was all. "I see. Well, I suppose I should join your father if you're sure you don't need me," she said.

"I'm fine. Thank you." He smiled in her direction. "I'll call you tonight." The clicks of her shoes on the floor indicated that she was leaving.

"It would have been okay if she stayed," Reynaldo said.

Darby shook his head. "No. She wasn't interested in lunch as much as she was in watching over me. She loves me. But there's a fine line between mothering and smothering, and she doesn't seem to understand that. I'm willing to bet that my friend Chris called to talk to her and let slip that I was going out today, and rather than just calling me, she had to come over here to check on me."

"Can I bring you anything?" Phillip asked. Usually everyone had to order at the counter, but Phillip was a friend.

"Pizza?" Reynaldo asked.

"Yeah. I want your special with everything, except the cheese, of course." It was Darby's favorite. "And a water."

"Make that a large for the two of us, and I'll have a Diet Coke," Reynaldo added, and then Phillip left. "Such service."

"It's busy, and he knows it would be hard for me to navigate through all the tables. Rex would do it—he's done it before—but Phillip understands." He lightly patted Rex's head, the soft fur soothing his jangled nerves. "So did you have a good week?"

"I did. The kids are off on summer vacation, and I spent the time finishing up all my reports and paperwork. I have to be at the school next week, and then after that, I have a few months off before everything starts all over again with a new group of kids. And you?"

"It was good." Phillip brought their drinks, and Darby thanked him. "What do you like to do for fun?"

"I fish sometimes. The LeTort in Carlisle is one of the best trout streams in the state, possibly the country. So I spend some time there in the summer. It's quiet, and I get a chance to just sit and think. What about you?" Darby could feel him get closer. "What do you do in your spare time?"

"Oh… I listen to books, and I like music a lot. My iPhone is pretty full of everything I have. Lately I've taken to writing some of my own music. I have a keyboard at the house connected to my computer so I can record what I come up with. Some of it sucks." He couldn't help smiling to himself. "But every now and then there's something pretty amazing that I happen on. Sort of like monkeys at a keyboard." He couldn't help laughing at himself.

"I'm sure it isn't like that," Reynaldo said. "Though I'm pretty tone deaf, so I could never sing or try to do anything musical." The mirth in his voice was amazing.

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. My mother plays the harp in a number of local orchestras and sometimes with the Harrisburg Symphony. She's very good, and as a kid I used to love listening to her play. It was like I was listening to the angels or something. She tried to teach me, and when that failed, she encouraged me to play in the school band. Anything musical. My teacher ended up telling her that I should look into science, mathematics… basically anything other than that. Oh, I can play the piano and stuff, but I sound like a robot. I don't use it for emotional expression the way my mother does."

"Okay, then. No playing music or singing. What about dancing?"

Reynaldo groaned. "If you meet my mother, you'll know that she never gives up. If I couldn't make music, then I was going to dance to it. I had five years of ballet and tap… so yeah, I can dance. Mom said it was deep in our Latin blood."

"Then there is that. I like dancing, but I never get to do it much. If there are people around, I'm always afraid to let go, and I can't take Rex with me, so…." He was always very much alone and floundering in a sea of activity.

"Then we need to go sometime. Bronco's has dancing, and we could go during the week when it isn't as crowded. I've been a few times. It's in Harrisburg. I could pick you up. We could even go to dinner beforehand. The club doesn't really start to get busy until about ten, so we could arrive before then."

Darby found himself nodding. "I'd need to leave Rex at home, but that's okay." His mother would have man-eating kittens if she found out what he was thinking about doing, but he didn't have any intention of telling her. "Yeah… I think I'd like that."

"Good. How about Tuesday? I could get you at five and we could go from there."

Darby couldn't help grinning as their pizza arrived. He let Reynaldo dish it up and then carefully took a bite, hoping he didn't spill a bunch of toppings down his front. "This is always so good."

"Yeah, it is. They really know how to bake the crust all the way through."

Darby took a few more bites and set down his slice, then used the napkin to wipe his mouth. He rested his hand on the table. Reynaldo placed his over it. "Did anyone ever tell you how handsome you are?" The roughness in Reynaldo's voice brought heat to Darby's cheeks and he whispered a thank-you, trying not to blush even more. Okay, so maybe having that kind of effect on him helped Darby believe him… at least a little. He liked the feel of Reynaldo's hand on his and held still, wanting the moment to last. But he cautioned himself not to get ahead of himself.

DARBY SPENTthe rest of the weekend finishing up work projects so he could spend extra time on Tuesday getting ready to go out. Reynaldo had said he would be there at five, and Darby found himself pressing the button on his watch every five minutes to check the time. He knew he wasn't going to get anything done, so he was really glad he'd worked ahead. Darby found clothes he hoped would be appropriate, then fed and watered Rex before letting him outside. Once he was settled, Darby finished dressing and sat in the chair near the front door, waiting for Reynaldo to arrive.

When the doorbell rang, he picked up his white cane and answered the door. "I'm ready."

"Where are you going? I made a spaghetti casserole and thought I'd bring some over for you." His mother brushed past him into the house. "Your father is at his lodge tonight, so I thought—"

"Mom, I have a date," he told her gently. "With Reynaldo, the guy you met at JoJo's on Saturday. He's going to be picking me up at any time now." He scratched the back of his neck, wondering how she was going to take the news.

"Oh," she said softly. "Then…." She opened the refrigerator and then closed the door once again. "You know, you could have told me." Like he was supposed to know that she'd just come over without calling. She strode toward him. "I'll be going, but call me if anything happens and you need me." Her voice was strained, and Darby knew she was trying to cover up her anxiety.

"I'm going to be fine. We're going to dinner and then out for a while. I'll have my phone with me." When she was close enough, he hugged her before opening the front door once more. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." He closed the door behind her, relieved that she was gone before Reynaldo arrived. He wouldn't have put it past her to stall so she could grill Reynaldo on his intentions.

He half expected her to return on some pretext, but there was no knock until Reynaldo arrived. Darby knew the minute he opened the door who it was. His woodsy scent filled Darby's nose. "I'm ready."

"Great. Your chariot awaits." He stepped back, and Darby closed and locked the door and placed his keys into his pocket. Reynaldo guided him to the car, and he slipped into the passenger seat.

"Is it new?" It had hints of that smell.

"About a year or so," Reynaldo answered before closing his door. "The old car I had decided to give up the ghost, and when I looked for a new car, I wanted an electric car. It was a little more expensive, but I like that it doesn't use gasoline and I can plug it in at home." They headed forward, the vehicle silent, which Darby found a little unnerving.

"I guess I'm so used to the sound that a car makes…."

Reynaldo lightly patted his arm. "I can understand that. The sounds you're familiar with are comforting."

"Yeah. I mean, I can't see where we're going, but listening to the engine gives me an indication of the kind of driving we're doing. Like right now, I know we're heading toward the freeway, and I'll feel you speed up, but there won't be the gear shifts or the rev of the engine that tells me that everything is going the way it should." Most people wouldn't think anything of it, but those sorts of indicators were what told him what was happening.

"Right now, we're heading toward Carlisle Pike, and from there we'll catch the freeway. It will take a few minutes. But then we'll get up to speed and head into Harrisburg. From there we'll take Second Street for a while before finding a place to park near the clubs." Darby appreciated that Reynaldo explained things. The last date he'd been on, about six months ago, Kevin had made Darby feel like his questions weren't important and had sloughed them off, preferring him to be quiet and wait, which Darby found unnerving. Needless to say, there hadn't been a second date.

Darby let Reynaldo drive and didn't want to disturb him too much. "Do you go to the clubs a lot?" he asked once they were on the freeway.

"A few times. It isn't somewhere I go all the time. The last time was with some friends after Pride last year. They were celebrating, and a bunch of us went over. It was a hopping time, I can tell you that." Darby held on as Reynaldo took the exit, the curve pressing him toward the door. Fortunately the rest of the ride went quickly, and Reynaldo parked. "We're only a block away." Reynaldo opened the door, helped him out, and guided Darby along the sidewalk.

They entered a small, relatively quiet restaurant and were seated right away. "I hope you like French café type food." Reynaldo quietly read him the menu, and they settled in for a lovely dinner with amazing conversation. A lot of the time, it was work to hold up a conversation, but with Reynaldo it was so easy. They talked about their childhoods, and Darby explained about the first time his parents took him camping. That had been an adventure and a half, involving an attacking goose and a skunk that decided to stick around for a while. Together they laughed and ate their dinner, with none of Darby's usual self-consciousness. When they were done, Reynaldo paid the check, and they left the restaurant. "The club is another block or so."

He could tell the club was getting closer by the thumping music that he not only heard but felt pulsing through him. "What should I do?" There were plenty of voices.

"Just hold my arm," Reynaldo told him. He spoke softly to a few people, and before Darby knew it, they had passed the door and were inside.

He felt the music from his head to his feet, every inch of him vibrating with a beat that had him moving. Reynaldo guided him forward. "We're on the dance floor," he said, that deep voice mingling with the music. Darby held Reynaldo, letting his hips and legs move along with the rhythm of the music, bringing Reynaldo along with him.

He loved that Reynaldo let him take the lead and didn't try to control the dance. Darby undulated, pressing against Reynaldo and just letting everything go. It was a freeing experience, and damned if he didn't just want to completely let go. "Am I okay?"

"Honey, you're stunning," Reynaldo groaned in his ear. "The way you move and how you look, I swear every eye in the place is on you."

Darby stopped immediately. "They're all watching me? Am I flailing like some dying turkey?" He had learned a long time ago that having everyone watch him was a bad thing. It meant he was doing something weird and making a spectacle of himself. At least that was what his family used to tell him.

"No. They're watching because you're gorgeous," Reynaldo told him. "And they're probably wondering why you're here with someone like me." Darby wondered what the hell he was talking about.