Phoenix Rising (Phoenix of the Heart) Read online

make you happy.”

  My nurturing side saw an insecure man who was desperate to be loved. It made Jim’s actions more understandable, and I relaxed a little. “You know, I can cancel going over to The Lighthouse. It’s no big deal.”

  “Oh no, don’t. I’ll be busy all day. Have fun with Angie, and we’ll meet up after I get off work.”

  I lay in my bed that night pleasantly stunned. In the two years since moving to Colorado, I had only gotten to know a handful of people. Now, with the gift of a lowly computer, I had the ability to correspond with other adults night and day. It didn’t seem real.

  I hugged my pillow and smiled to myself. My dry spell was officially over.

  First Impressions

  Angie arrived at my house Saturday afternoon, and she looked freaking gorgeous. She was wearing tight blue jeans, red heels, and a white silk shirt. Her platinum blonde hair was perfectly teased and layered with not a single hair out of place. For a split second, I wished I hadn’t invited her.

  “You’re looking a little too fine, Ang,” I joked.

  “Nonsense, you’re totally bodacious, girl.”

  I wore a simple outfit of a knee-length ruffled black skirt and a plain but form-fitting black top. I knew that black showed off my red hair like no other color could, and the combination went perfectly with my favorite pair of black leather boots. My long hair had a natural wave that made styling a breeze. I secretly hoped to impress the man who thought I sounded beautiful.

  I jumped into my old gray Honda, trusting Angie to be my copilot. I was impatient to meet The Keeper, but the closer we got to his apartment, the more nervous I became. I turned onto a side street, parked the car and looked at my friend.

  “I’m sorry, Ang. I don’t know why, but I feel as if I’m going to puke. I can’t do this.”

  Angie gave me a sympathetic smile. “It’s just nerves. You can do it. We’re almost there, girl. It’d be a shame to get this close and not even meet him. Quit stalling.”

  I stalled a little longer.

  “I just hope this guy doesn’t turn out to be a weirdo. I’d almost prefer not to know rather than have the man I’ve imagined in my mind destroyed the minute I meet him face to face.”

  “I know you, Beth. Your curiosity is not going to let you do that. Besides, girlfriend, I’m here with you, so turn the car back on and let’s go. It’ll be fun. And if it’s not, at least we can laugh about it later.”

  We found The Keeper’s apartment complex without any difficulty. Finding the right apartment, however, was not as easy. We had to drive through the complex twice before I located it. There were eight identical brown buildings, but I eventually found his, despite a large tree hiding the apartment number. I looked up the long flight of stairs that led to his apartment.

  “I guess this is it,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

  “Yep, your mystery man is about to be revealed.”

  I felt queasy as I forced myself up the stairs. Once there, I stared at the door, dumbly afraid to announce my arrival. Angie got impatient and knocked for me. The door opened to a man about my height with green eyes, dishwater blond hair, and a round boyish face. I was shocked, to say the least.

  “You must be Phoenix! Come in. I was wondering what you looked like.”

  I followed him into the apartment with Angie following close behind. The apartment was dark, and what little light there was came from the sunlight that filtered through the sliding glass door at the other end of the room. My eyes took a few minutes to adjust, but in that time I was peppered with questions.

  “I see you brought a friend. What’s her name? Did you have trouble finding the place? It can be a little confusing the first time you come here. Did you bring anything to eat because I haven’t eaten all day?”

  His deluge rendered me speechless. Angie introduced herself and answered his questions, explaining that we had only a little trouble finding the apartment, and no, we hadn’t brought anything to eat.

  He shrugged his shoulders and called out, “Hey Scott, she’s here!”

  A tall man wearing a simple white T-shirt and black basketball shorts came from the back of the apartment. His dark brown hair was feathered in the front and long in back, and I noticed a thin mustache just above his mischievous grin. As he approached, I looked into the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen. Their dark gray color instantly drew me in. “It’s good to meet you, Phoenix. I’ve been looking forward to this ever since you agreed to come.”

  Still gazing into his magnetic eyes, I answered, “Me, too.” His smile broadened, and I felt a blush creep across my face.

  He looked over at Angie and asked, “So who did you bring with you?”

  He just asked me a question, right? I was lulled by his rich, masculine voice and had to force myself to reflect on his words.

  “Umm… This is my friend, Angie. Angie, this is The Keeper.”

  He chuckled. “You can call me Scott. It’s nice to meet you, Angie.”

  “Thanks. Same here,” Angie said with enthusiasm. I could tell she was impressed.

  Scott turned back to me with those killer eyes, and I stammered, “I’m…Beth. Nice to meet you.” Nuts, we already said that. My face grew hotter. Great, how many shades of red was that?

  “Likewise,” Scott said with a handsome smirk. He introduced the guy who answered the door. “Mike lives a few doors down. He’s also one of the regular users on the board.” I shook Mike’s hand, grateful he wasn’t who I’d first thought.

  “Guess my alias,” Mike insisted.

  I had no idea who Mike was on the BBS. I stared at him intently, trying to pick out something from his looks that might hint to who he was. When it was obvious I wasn’t getting anywhere, Scott mentioned, “Mike has a real love for hot tubs.”

  “Ah!” I remembered the obnoxious post to Tranquility. “Then you must be Runner.” Mike grinned from ear to ear.

  It definitely is interesting putting the face to the name.

  “I’m sorry to do this to you guys,” Scott informed us, “but my computer has been acting up, and I need to work on it for a bit. I’m not normally a recluse, but I don’t have a choice since I’m traveling tomorrow.”

  I smiled in sympathy, although I was disappointed. “You gotta do what you gotta do.”

  “Thanks for understanding, Beth.”

  I smiled, loving how he said my name all low and seductive-like.

  He then turned to Mike. “Hey, do me a favor and show these ladies where the decorations are.”

  My eyes followed Scott as he headed back to his computer in the other room, letting out a deep sigh. Angie heard it and gave a friendly nudge in my side. I nudged her back, grinning sheepishly.

  “Let’s get started!” Mike announced, clapping his hands loudly. He immediately put himself in charge and handed me rolls of green and red crepe paper to hang.

  “Thanks.” I looked over at Angie sadly.

  In typical Angie fashion, she had a little fun with me. “Wise choice, Mike. Beth is excellent with the crepe paper. I’ll go get the decorations out of your car, girl. Be right back.” She winked at me as she scooted out the door.

  Mike was obviously pleased by her comment because he had a shit-eating grin on his face. He pointed to a corner on the other side of the room. “You start over there, and I’ll work on the Christmas lights.”

  I looked up to where he pointed, but I was way too short to reach it. I glanced around the small living room. It had an oversized brown sectional with the large wooden coffee table in the middle. To the right, I saw the dining area consisted of two barstools set next to a counter. I noticed the sliding glass door was open, and there was a single plastic chair on the deck, so I grabbed it and started hanging the streamers. By then, Angie had returned with my box of snowflakes and tinsel.

  While we worked, Mike told us about himself. “I met The Keeper when he first moved to these apartments.”

  I figured since Scott wasn’t around to talk,
I might as well pump Mike for more information. “How long have the two of you been friends?”

  “About a year. He was the one who got me interested in BBSing. Scott let me use his computer until I got one of my own. He’s pretty cool.”

  I smiled to myself, pleased to hear that Scott was a considerate guy.

  I was curious if Mike knew the other users on The Lighthouse. “Have you any people from the BBS?”

  “Yeah, a few.” His eyes glazed over with lust when he added, “But my favorite is Tranquility. She’s been over here a couple of times.”

  “She has? What’s she like?” Angie asked, knowing that I must be curious.

  “Tranquility is a hot brunette. She’s smokin’ hot!” he said, raising his eyebrows up and down rapidly. I was instantly reminded of Bugs Bunny and turned away so he wouldn’t see me snicker.

  “Are you dating her?” Angie probed.

  Mike turned a nice shade of lobster red. “Oh no, not me.”

  His blush was endearing. I patted him on the back and asked, “Why not, Mike?”

  He stuttered, “It’s just that…she’s…you know. I…I…just couldn’t ask her.”

  Angie and I smiled at each other and said in unison, “Sure you could!”

  He grinned foolishly. Mike did not seem like the same guy I’d gotten to know on the board. Runner was obnoxious and seemed to have an ego that just wouldn’t quit. In person? He reminded me of some of the nerdy guys I used to hang with in college. I gave Mike a friendly elbow in the ribs. “Why don’t you ask her at the party?”

  “Heh, heh. Well, she kinda has a