Sweeter Than W(h)ine by Nancy Goldberg Levine Page A

couple of long strides, and knelt down next to Dina’s chair. Schmoopie came up to him and meowed, and then the feline yawned and walked off. Rafe didn’t think there’d be any dire consequences from mixing pain meds with bourbon balls, but he settled down on Dina’s sofa and stayed to make sure. He turned on the small CD player but kept the sound low. She had a Jay & the Cincinnatians CD all ready to play. In spite of himself, Rafe listened and was surprised at how much he enjoyed listening to the group’s music.
                  Dina stirred and murmured something Rafe didn’t understand. She looked so sweet sleeping in the chair. He didn’t want to be attracted to her, but he couldn’t ignore her nearness. He caught the scent of lavender and flowers in the air—probably from perfume she wore or soap or shower gel. Maybe her shampoo? He saw her open her eyes and crossed the room again, kneeling next to the chair when he got to her.
                  “What are you doing here, Doc? What happened to Holden? I was eating pizza, and then I started on the dessert…is that Jay’s CD?”
                  “Yeah,” Rafe admitted.  “I thought you’d want to hear something familiar when you woke up.”
                  “Yeah. Right,” Dina said. “Admit it, Doc. You like Jay and the band.”
                  “Okay, I like them,” Rafe confessed. “They’ve all got great voices and I’ve got that song, ‘Notorious,’ stuck in my head.” He started to sing, but he knew he didn’t have a good voice. In fact, his singing was terrible.
                  “Don’t quit your day job,” Dina purred softly.
                  “I don’t intend to. And to answer your question, I sent Holden home. He makes a terrible nurse. He shouldn’t have let you mix alcohol and pain medicine.”
                  “I didn’t…” Rafe watched her hazel eyes as she remembered what had happened. “Oh, yeah. Mom Moskowitz’s lethal bourbon ball cupcakes. Nan should have a warning label on those things. I’m sorry I brought you all the way back over here for nothing.”
                  “It wasn’t for nothing,” Rafe said. That was true. He hadn’t felt inconvienced in any way; he’d welcomed the chance to listen to her CD, and to see her again.
                  Dina leaned forward in her chair, and then grabbed the cane that was right next to her. She got up, slowly. When she did, Rafe put his arms around her and held her there. He didn’t kiss her. He just enjoyed holding her and inhaling her floral/lavender scent. Her eyes got larger as he brought his lips to hers, claiming them in a sweet, tender kiss. He could have stayed there forever, just reveling in her and kissing her.
                  “Rafe,” Dina said softly. “I’m so tired.”
                  He kissed her again. “I’ll help you to your room.”
                  She didn’t argue with him. He followed her lead, trying to guide her to her bedroom. Once he got there, Rafe took in the surroundings. For the most part, Dina’s bedroom was neat, with a comforter, blankets and flowered sheets and pillowcases on the bed. A framed photo of a handsome-looking gentleman, probably her late husband, rested on the nightstand beside a couple of books and her cell phone. Once she got into bed, wincing a little from the pain in her knee that hadn’t gone away yet, Rafe covered her with the top sheet and blanket. He looked around again, noticing clothes strewn on the floor and on the bed. So she was definitely not a neat freak, he thought.
              He couldn’t be too hard on her for that. She’d been through a lot, and it probably hurt for her to do even the most mundane tasks like laundry. Physical and occupational therapy could help her here at the condo, but eventually she’d have to do it