Exceptional A young woman starts a new life. The Predator by barbara.wilkey

Jasmine Morgan picked at her salad, set her fork down on the dinner table, and then walked into the bedroom. Staring at the reflection in the mirror, she raised her blouse. I can't blame George. Look at these scars. Lowering her blouse, she ran her fingers through her medium-length auburn hair. "Tomorrow I start a new job and a new life in a new town." Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I'll make new friends who won't know I've been mutilated." She searched through her closet and hung a pink dress over the door hinge. This should work. George said I looked nice in it. Damn him! Why couldn't he accept what happened? I didn't ask for it. He allowed the predator to wreck our ten-year marriage. She released a deep breath. I won't allow it to control the rest of my life. Jasmine retraced her steps, picked up the salad and dumped it in the trash. ***** The following morning, Jasmine locked the door and walked toward the car. I can feel my luck changing. I can do this. Out of nowhere, a large white animal galloped toward her. "Help! A bear!" She raced toward the car. The animal leaned into her, forcing her to turn. "Help! Somebody help me!" She fell; using her arms to protect her face. Hearing heavy breathing above her, she peeked from one eye. There stood a huge animal with strings of slime dripping from his mouth. Jasmine heard a male voice, "Sam, stand back." He blew out a deep breath. "Look what you did now. You frightened our new neighbor. Her dress!" Jasmine uncovered her head and opened both eyes. A green eyed, dark haired man was her protector. "You own a bear and named him?" "Let me help you up." He gently took her hands, raising her to her feet. "Sam's a Great Pyrenees Mountain Dog. Unfortunately, he has two bad habits, playing in the mud and herding. I'm sorry about the dress. I'll take it to the cleaners. If it can't be cleaned, I'll replace it." He held out his hand. "I'm Eli Parker. Glad to meet you." She accepted his hand. "Jasmine Morgan. What's that stuff hanging from his mouth?" "Drool, his third bad habit." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Does he have any good habits?" Her eyes widened. "I like your sense of humor." He chuckled. "Right this minute, I'm not sure." Eli glanced at her car. "You were on your way to work, weren't you?" After she nodded, he continued, "First day?" She nodded again. "Damn." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I know most of the people in town. I'll call and explain." I have no choice. "I'm the new loan officer at the Blue Bonnet Bank." "This will be easy to fix. My brother's the vice president. He knows Sam." He reached into his pocket. "Thank you. I'd hate to be fired on my first day." She turned toward the house. "Jasmine, can I apologize by fixing dinner tonight? You get off work at five-thirty, right?" Yes, but ... I guess it'll be all right." She paused. "Does Sam live in the house?" "Yes. He's docile inside. You'll see." A long stream of drool landed on Eli's hand. He glanced at it and then at Jasmine. "Wear old clothes." Still staring at Sam, Jasmine turned toward the house. "He won't follow, will he?" "I'll make sure he doesn't." He rubbed the dog's head. "You really did it this time, buddy." After Jasmine showered and changed, she scanned the yard before opening the screen door. Good, the bear's gone. She got in the car, glanced around and saw Eli and Sam jogging down the street. Eli smiled, waved, and pointed to the leash secured to Sam's collar. "You're safe. Have a nice day." Jasmine backed onto the street. Eli's kind, has a great sense of humor, and he's handsome. What am I thinking? If he discovered how I'm maimed, he'd run the other way. ***** Within thirty minutes of Jasmine's return from work, Eli knocked on her door. When she answered, he smiled. "I was afraid you wouldn't come over, so I'm escorting you to dinner. Ready?" He scratched the back of his neck. "I'm not a great cook, but I can grill a mean steak, throw some potatoes in the oven, and open a bag of salad." "Sounds good. I'll get my key." She grabbed it. I guess he was serious about apologizing. "Jeans, good. I won't worry about Sam's mishaps." He scanned her house and noticed the dress on the back of a kitchen chair. "I'll take this with me." He walked over and took it. "Ready?" Eli offered his arm. Jasmine smiled and accepted it. Walking across the yard, Jasmine saw Sam's huge head peering through the door's window. "How big is he?" "He's forty inches to the shoulder and weighs about a hundred and sixty pounds." "And he's a dog? What does he eat?" "He's all dog." He laughed. "He eats only dog food and a lot of it." Before Eli opened the door, he glared at Sam. "Stand back, boy." Sam retreated and sat. "Good boy." Jasmine smiled, surveying the living room. This is nice. She waited until Eli escorted her to the back patio. "Please have a seat. Would you like something to drink?" "Iced tea would be nice." She sat and noticed sheets of paper with Xs and Os written on them. "What's this?" "I'm the head football coach. These are plays. Do you think they'll work?" He handed her a glass. "I know very little about football." "Have you seen a game?" Eli set two thick steaks on the grill. "My ex played in high school." "Ex? May I ask what happened?" "He preferred bikini-clad blondes to intelligence." She avoided eye contact. "Why aren't you married?" There's no way I'm discussing my mutilated body with him. Eli glanced at Sam lying beside Jasmine's feet. "I like large dogs and football. From August through December, I'm busy seven days a week from six-fifteen in the morning until about ten at night." He turned the steaks. "The boys condition during the summer, but I'm not allowed around until August 9. The junior high coaches supervise them." He grinned. "I condition Sam." Jasmine stood and walked to the door. "Did your teams win the trophies I saw on the mantle?" "The trophies these boys win are in the school's foyer. I won those in High School and College." He placed the steak on a platter. "Let's go inside." Opening the door for him, Jasmine stepped aside. "Smells delicious." "Would you take these to the table and I'll get the potatoes and salad." Eli set a potato on her plate. "You know why I'm single. Why don't you tell me why you're single?" "My reason's complicated. I'm sure you'll meet someone who enjoys football and doesn't mind living with a bear." She reached down and rubbed Sam's head. "He is different inside." "I think he liked you from the beginning. That's why he tried to herd you toward his house." He winked. "He has good taste in women." Eli reached across the table and touched her hand. "I sense you have a secret that's tearing you up inside. It might help if you talk about it. I'm a great listener." "I don't know what you're talking about." She stared at her steak, then toward the door. "I think it's time I leave." She moved the chair away from the table. Eli scooted closer and wiped the tear with his napkin. "Don't leave. It can't be that bad." "It's bad enough. It destroyed my marriage." Sam sat up and nuzzled against Jasmine, as she put her arms around his neck and hugged him. He touched her arm. "Is it something that nobody would never need to know?" Jasmine's eyes met his. "It would need to be dealt with." "Then why don't you deal with it? Jasmine, you have the ball. Why don't you take a chance and run with it?" Her eyes diverted to her chest. He's right. I might as well find out up front if he can deal with it. If he can't there's no need to waste time. Jasmine swallowed. "I'm a breast cancer survivor." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Congratulations!" He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I lost my left breast. Even after reconstructive surgery, my husband couldn't stand looking at my body." "Your ex is a fool for leaving a strong woman like you. My mother lost the battle when I was twenty-four, ten years ago." He took her in his arms and drew her closer. "I can't tell the future. We might only be neighbors or good friends. Maybe we'll date. But I'm positive your battle with cancer will not come between us." Recognized Author Notes This is not my pyre, but I am the proud owner of a Great Pyrenees. I love him to death, but he is big and quite a conversation piece. I survived my first chemo treatment. I am acutally doing extremely well for being a chemo patient. My main struggle is fatigue. I am not used to resting. I am quickly learning that resting is a good thing.

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