Love in Another Town (6 page)

Jake lay on top of Maggie, his head between her breasts. Her hands rested lightly on his shoulders. After a while she began to stroke his back and then his hair.

His voice was muffled when he said, ‘I don't ever want to move. I want to stay right here forever.'

Maggie said nothing. She bent over him and kissed the top of his head, thinking of his words earlier, before their passionate lovemaking. He had told her he loved her, startling her with this declaration. But she believed him. Jake always meant what he said and he was very sincere. She felt the same way about him, but for days now she had been suppressing her feelings, convinced he had no interest in her. How wrong she had been. But nothing could ever come of this, there was too big a difference in their ages.

Before she could stop herself, Maggie said, ‘I'm a lot older than you, Jake.'

‘I like older women,' he laughed. ‘They're more interesting.' He chuckled again. ‘Anyway, you don't look it.'

‘But I am. I'm almost forty-four.'

‘Numbers don't mean anything. And I told you, you don't look much older than thirty-two, thirty-three. But who cares?'

‘I do. How old are you?'

‘How old do you think I am?' he asked in a teasing voice. 

‘Thirty, thirty-one.' 

‘Wrong. Guess again.' 

‘I can't. Please tell me.' 

‘I'll be sixteen in June.' 

‘Be serious, Jake!'

He laughed. ‘Okay, okay. I'm twenty-eight until June the twelfth. Then I'll be twenty-nine.'

‘That makes me fifteen years – '

‘Who's counting!' he exclaimed peremptorily, cutting her off. He lifted himself up, lay next to her, taking her in his arms.

Jake started kissing her, quietly at first and then more passionately, and soon he was moving on top of her. He was fully aroused and he entered her quickly, without preamble, possessing her more forcibly than before.

‘Oh God, how I want you,' he groaned against her hair. ‘I've never wanted a woman the way I want you, Maggie. I want all of you, every bit of you. Come to me, please come to me.'

‘Oh Jake,' she cried, ‘I want you too, you must know that.'

He pushed his hands under her buttocks, brought her even closer to him. They moved together with rhythmic grace, rising and falling as one. They soared, crested on the heat of their passion for each other.

Finally they lay still, their breathing rapid and harsh.

When Jake regained his breath he said against her neck, ‘And you think age matters … this is what counts. This … this … chemistry between us, Maggie. It doesn't often happen, at least not like this, with such intensity. It's very rare …'

When she was silent, he said, ‘You do know that, don't you?'

‘Yes.'

‘What we have together is something very powerful, and believe me, age has nothing to do with it.'

They ate supper together in the kitchen. It was a simple meal which Maggie had prepared quickly: scrambled eggs, English muffins and coffee.

‘More like breakfast, I'm afraid,' Maggie said, smiling across the table at him. ‘I haven't had a chance to do much shopping this week.'

‘I don't mind. I was starving.' Jake smiled back at her and added, ‘Can I have it again for breakfast, please? You are going to let me spend the night, aren't you?'

‘If you want to,' she replied, and felt suddenly shy with him.

‘I want.' He reached out and took hold of her hand and squeezed it. Then he lifted it to his lips and kissed her fingers. ‘You have beautiful hands, Maggie, such long, supple fingers. And
you're
beautiful.' He shook his head. ‘Oh God, you do have a terrible effect on me … I could take you back to bed right now and do it all over again.'

As he finished speaking he began to kiss the tips of her fingers, her knuckles and the spaces in between. Then he turned her hand over and kissed the palm. After a second he lifted his eyes and looked at her. ‘Don't ever doubt this, Maggie. It's real and it's the best.'

She stared back. His face was serious, his light green eyes intense, and there was so much yearning for her in them she was touched. She felt herself choking up for a reason she couldn't fathom. ‘Oh Jake,' was all she could say, and for a split second she thought she was going to weep.

As if sensing this, and wishing to avert it, Jake rose and said, ‘How about some more coffee?'

She shook her head. ‘No, thanks.'

He went and filled his own cup, returned to the table, and sat down opposite her once more.

There was a small silence between them. It was broken by Jake, who said in a low voice, ‘You were very upset earlier, Maggie.'

‘Yes, I was,' she agreed. Giving him a candid look, she continued, ‘I think I should explain something.'

‘If you like, but it's up to you. I don't want to pry.'

‘A few weeks ago Samantha made a reference to my divorce. So I know you know I was married once. You do, don't you?'

‘Yes, I'd gathered that.'

‘What you don't know is that I have two children. Twins. A boy and a girl. They'll be twenty-one in a couple of weeks. They live in Chicago. They're attending Northwestern. Anyway, I had hoped we could all be together for their birthday, but their father is taking them away for a long weekend in California. Without me. When you arrived earlier this evening I was talking to my daughter Hannah, who was explaining this to me. Naturally, I was very upset to be excluded.'

‘I don't blame you. That's kind of a lousy thing to do, isn't it?' He raised a brow quizzically, then rushed to add, ‘In my opinion it is.'

‘I agree.' Maggie shook her head. ‘But it's par for the course.'

‘What do you mean?'

She sighed. ‘You've never been married, never had children, Jake, so it would be hard for you to understand all the ramifications. In any case, I prefer not to talk about it anymore. I just wanted you to know I was upset about something personal and not business.'

He nodded and changed the subject.

 

T
HE JANGLING TELEPHONE
brought Maggie out of the shower swiftly. Grabbing a large bath towel, she wrapped it around herself and raced through into her bedroom.

Reaching for the phone, she said, ‘Hello?'

‘It's me.'

‘Hello, Jake!' she exclaimed, as always delighted to hear his voice. ‘We're still on for ten o'clock, aren't we?'

‘You bet,' he answered quickly. ‘The only thing is, I'd like to meet you a bit earlier. Is that possible?'

‘Of course, Jake, but is there something wrong?'

There was the merest hesitation before he said in a rather tentative voice, ‘No, not really, Maggie. I just want to talk to you about something, that's all.'

‘What? You sound odd. Tell me now, Jake, tell me on the phone.'

‘I prefer to talk to you in person, Maggie, face to face. Really I do.'

There was something in his voice that alarmed her, but knowing him the way she did she knew he would not succumb to pressure from her. She said, ‘All right then. What time do you want to meet?'

‘Nine-thirty. If that's okay with you?'

‘It's fine. Do you want to come here?'

‘No. I'll meet you at the site,' he answered swiftly.

‘All right.'

‘See you then.'

‘'Bye, Jake.'

Maggie stood with her hand resting on the phone, a puzzled look on her face. His voice had been peculiar and so had his words and his delivery. He had been almost, but not quite, abrupt with her. This was unlike him. Also, she had detected a nervousness in him, and she could not help thinking he was about to break off with her. What else could it be?

She sat down heavily on the bed, shivering suddenly, even though it was a lovely May morning, warm and sunny outside. Her heart sank. Yes, that was it. He was going to end their relationship. Sighing, she lay back on the pillows and closed her eyes, thinking of Jake Cantrell. It was exactly a week ago today that they had first made love here in this bed.

Crazy, exciting, passionate love. He had been insatiable, unable to get enough of her, bringing her back to bed after they had eaten her potluck supper of scrambled eggs. And she had felt the same way; desire had overwhelmed her.

It seemed to Maggie that they hadn't stopped making love since then, although this was not strictly true. They had managed to do an enormous amount of work together at the farmhouse, or the site, as he called it.

But, now that she looked back, he had been odd for the last couple of days, withdrawn and shy with her. It suddenly struck her that his demeanour had been the same as it had on the first night they had met with Samantha to discuss
The Crucible.

Opening her eyes, Maggie resolutely pushed herself up and left the bed. She went back to the bathroom, finished her toilet, and then returned to the bedroom to dress for the working day ahead.

Since it was warm and sunny, she chose a pair of lightweight navy blue gabardine trousers with a matching jacket and took out a white cotton T-shirt. Once she was dressed, she hurried downstairs to her office and put her papers in her briefcase.

A few minutes later, just before nine, she left the house, knowing it would take her a good half hour to drive to the farm near Bull's Bridge Corner in South Kent.

Jake's pick-up truck was already parked outside the old red barn when she arrived. Bringing her Jeep to a standstill, Maggie alighted, picked up her briefcase and slammed the door.

As she went into the farmhouse, heading for the kitchen, she braced herself, not knowing what he was going to say to her, not knowing what to expect.

He stood up when he saw her and smiled faintly, almost apologetically, but he made no move in her direction, as he would normally have done.

Maggie thought he looked drawn, on edge, and his light green eyes, usually so full of vitality and life, were dull and anxious.

‘Hi,' Maggie said from the doorway.

He nodded. ‘Thanks for coming early. I wanted a chance to talk to you before the other guys arrived. Come and sit here at the table, Maggie. I brought a Thermos of iced tea. Would you like some?'

She shrugged, then walked into the room briskly. ‘Why not?' Sitting down at the table she waited for him to pour the tea, thanked him and said, ‘Why didn't you want to talk to me on the phone, Jake? What's this all about?' Maggie heard the strain and anxiety in her voice and she was annoyed with herself.

Jake cleared his throat several times, and explained, ‘I've been feeling terrible this past week, Maggie, really awful. Ever since we made love last Wednesday.' He cleared his throat again. ‘I … I … look, I just haven't been fair to you.'

Staring hard at him, she asked, ‘What do you mean, Jake?'

He shook his head, and looked embarrassed when he said in a sudden rush of words, ‘I haven't been exactly honest with you. It's not that I've lied to you, because I haven't, but there's something I should have told you. And I guess I've had a very guilty conscience. I just couldn't stand it any longer. That's why I wanted to see you this morning.
Explain.'

‘What is it, Jake?' Maggie asked, sounding slightly perplexed. ‘What are you trying to say to me?'

‘Last Wednesday night you made a remark about me not understanding why you were upset because I'd never been married, never had children. But I have
been married, Maggie, and I should have told you so then. I didn't though, and I lied by omission. It's been troubling me.'

Maggie sat back in the chair, her large blue eyes riveted on him. ‘Are you a married man cheating on his wife? Is that what you're trying to tell me?'

Colour suffused his face and he exclaimed vehemently, ‘No! I'm not! I've been separated for over a year. I'm in the middle of a divorce. I live alone and I rarely ever see Amy. And I hope to be single again soon. But look, I should have told you before. I'm sorry,' he finished quietly.

She heard the misery in his voice, saw the contrite expression on his handsome face, and reached out and took hold of his hand. ‘It's all right, Jake, really it is.'

‘You're not mad at me?'

Maggie shook her head and smiled at him. ‘Of course not. Anyway, I don't get mad that easily. It has to be something really important to get me going … like my children's defection, for example.'

Jake said, ‘You didn't explain that to me … I'm not sure I understand what's going on.'

Taking a deep breath, Maggie said, ‘We've never had a proper talk, you and I, Jake. We were friends involved in a drama group, and then we started to work together professionally, when suddenly, unexpectedly, we became lovers. We don't know very much about each other. Let me tell you about me. Okay?'

‘Yes, I want to know all about you, Maggie.'

She chuckled. ‘I'm not so sure I'm going to tell you
everything.
I think I should remain a little mysterious, don't you?'

He laughed with her and nodded.

‘Two years ago my husband left me for a younger woman. Mike Sorrell's a very successful lawyer in Chicago, and he dumped me for a twenty-seven-year-old lawyer he'd met and was working with on a case. I ought to have known something like that was going to happen, things hadn't been right between us for a very long time. But what threw me, truly hurt me, was my children's defection. I've never really been able to understand why they took Mike's side when he was the guilty party.' Maggie gave Jake a long, thoughtful look, and added softly, ‘Except that he's the one with all the money, of course.'

‘Little shits,' Jake said, and then flushing slightly, he murmured, ‘Sorry, I shouldn't be making remarks like that.'

‘It's okay, Jake, I understand, and I've often thought the same thing. Anyway, I wanted them to celebrate their twenty-first birthday with me, and I had written to Hannah, some weeks ago actually. When I didn't hear from her, I phoned her. You came in on the tail end of my conversation. The upshot is that she and her twin brother Peter are going to spend their birthday with their father. He's taking them to some beautiful inn in Sonoma for the weekend.'

‘And you're not invited.'

‘No.'

‘I'm sorry, Maggie, really sorry they're hurting you in this way. I wish I could make it up to you.'

‘Thanks, Jake,' she said, squeezing his hand. ‘But I'm better now, I'm over it. Well, more or less.' Maggie sighed and said in a low voice, ‘In a way, I think I'd written them off … they haven't shown much
interest in me ever since all this happened.' Forcing a laugh, she added, ‘I guess I wasn't a very good mother.'

‘Knowing what I know about you, I bet you were a hell of a mother!' Jake exclaimed. ‘And kids in this kind of situation can be very … treacherous. I think that's the best word. I know my sister Patty is going through something similar. She got married a couple of years ago. Her husband was a divorced man, and his children have been behaving very badly lately. Not only towards him but Patty as well. And she had nothing to do with their parents' divorce. Bill had been single for four years when she met him. Things were apparently relatively okay between him and his kids until he married Patty. Then they turned nasty and adopted a very hostile stance.' Jake shook his head. ‘God knows why.'

‘You said you were separated, Jake. Do you have children?'

‘No, I don't. Sadly. Well, perhaps I shouldn't say that now that we're getting divorced. I wanted children, though. Amy didn't.'

‘I see,' Maggie murmured, looking at him through thoughtful eyes, then she said, ‘You must have been married very young.'

‘Nineteen. We were both nineteen. We'd been friends since we were twelve, sort of childhood sweethearts in high school.'

‘I married young, too, just after I left Bennington College, when I was twenty-two. I had the twins a year later.'

‘And you were living in Chicago all those years?' 

‘Yes, that's Mike's home town. I come from New
York, I grew up in Manhattan. Where are you from, Jake? Kent?'

‘No, Hartford. I was born there. After Amy and I were married we lived there for a while, then we moved to New Milford. Once we separated last year I lived in a studio apartment on Bank Street. Until I found the house on Route 341, that is.'

‘Where does Amy live now?'

‘She's still in New Milford.' Jake took a long swallow of his iced tea and went on, ‘Do you know Samantha from New York? From when you were growing up, I mean?'

‘No, we met at Bennington. And we became instant friends. Best friends.' Maggie smiled as she thought of Samantha with affection. ‘I don't know what I would have done without her. Especially in the last couple of years. I don't think I would have managed to survive without her.'

‘Oh yes you would,' Jake remarked in a knowing voice. ‘You're a born survivor. That's one of the things I admire about you, Maggie. Your strength of character, your resilience. You're a very special woman. I've never met anyone like you.'

‘Thank you. I've never met anyone quite like you, Jake.'

He stared at her.

She stared back.

Jake said softly, ‘You do care about me then?'

‘Oh yes, I do,' she answered.

‘Is everything all right between us?'

She nodded, smiled.

He also smiled, relief flooding his eyes. ‘I couldn't stand it if you were angry with me.'

Suddenly Maggie laughed, feeling relieved herself. ‘I feel the same way.' 

‘Can I see you tonight?' 

‘I'd love it.'

‘Would you like to come to my house? I could make pasta and a salad. I'd like to go over the final lighting designs for
The Crucible
with you.'

‘That's a good idea! I'd like to show you my drawings for the sets and finalize everything with you. There's not much time left, especially since Samantha and I are going away.'

‘Oh. When is that?' he asked swiftly, sounding surprised.

‘In about six weeks. In July.'

‘Where are you going?'

‘To Scotland. And then we're stopping off in London for a few days, on our way home. The trip's been planned for a long time. It's partly business.'

‘I'll miss you,' Jake said. But he didn't really know how much until she had gone.