Authors: Suzanne Jenkins
“Well, you should have stayed there,” Peter said.
“No, I didn’t want to. And I’m sure if I get my father’s lawyer involved, that number will increase. Just save us the trouble and pay me something I can live on.”
“I’ve got an idea,” Sandra said. “Why don’t
you
tell us what you want instead of making us guess?” He named a price, and both Peter and Sandra chuckled and shook their heads.
“No way,” Peter said.
“We can do half that, though,” Sandra said, eager to put an end to the bickering.
Peter gasped, but Brent jumped at it.
“Deal. When can I start?”
Sandra looked at Peter and shrugged.
“Peter, I think you’ll be a better mentor than me, so whatever you want him to do, go for it.” She stood up and excused herself. The less she had to do with Brent in a business sense, the better.
Chapter 18
Ed fell asleep before dinner. Megan was starting to fuss because she was hungry and Lisa wanted them to be together, even if the baby didn’t really eat with her parents. Lisa went to their bedroom to get him if was up. He was snoring lightly, a lock of hair over his forehead increasing the look of vulnerability he had. Not wanting to wake him, she realized then she’d never be able to leave him, either. She would fill her life with enough activity so that being married to someone who she couldn’t engage would not be a horrible problem. Sad, and frustrating, but she would honor her vows, in sickness and in health till death do them part. Untying his shoes, he didn’t stir when she pulled them off and brought the sheet and light cover up over him. He had a little sweat on his upper lip, and his skin was clammy. “Poor Ed,” she said softly.
She went down the stairs and fed Megan. She thought about inviting her mother over, but the effort it would take to talk about Ed and listen to her constant advice-giving would be exhausting. Megan would be in bed soon, and she’d eat alone. It wouldn’t be the first time. After tucking Megan in and checking on Ed again, Lisa was going to fix a plate when Ed’s phone rang. She went to the counter where he’d left his papers from school and saw that it was Dan.
“He’s sound asleep,” she said, explaining why she was answering the phone.
“How’d he seem to you?” Dan asked, concerned.
“He was quiet, disengaged. The usual. He doesn’t look good to me, either.”
“Okay, well, tell him I called. I don’t have any news yet, but maybe tomorrow,” Dan replied. “I’m going to open my can of soup and enjoy it during the game.”
Lisa laughed. “Come here to eat,” she said, spur of the moment. “You can watch the game with me.” It was something they’d done during baseball season when they lived at the beach, so it wasn’t so out of character.
Dan thought about it for just a second.
Would Pam mind?
He didn’t think so. “Okay, I’ll head right over. What can I bring?”
“A bottle of vino?” she asked, and he agreed.
Twenty minutes later, Dan was at the door in his jeans and T-shirt with a brown paper bag. “Did Ed wake up yet?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I’ll get him if you think you need to talk to him. But history says if he wakes up now, he’ll be up all night.”
“Okay, let the man sleep,” Dan said. He followed her into the kitchen.
“Have a seat, it’s all prepared. Just needs dishing up,” she said.
He watched her put food on the plates while he uncorked the wine and poured it into their glasses. “When did you start cooking?” he asked, confused. “You never made a meal at the beach.”
She gasped. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, smart ass,” she said. “I cooked every day. My
mother
taught me.”
“Well, my apologies,” he said. “If she taught you, this will be delicious.”
Lisa brought plates of food to the table, and they ate in companionable silence.
“The game starts at eight,” Lisa warned. They got up and cleared together, and Dan went back to the den in the rear of the house to turn the TV on while Lisa cleaned up. She was happy and enjoying the evening, thoughts of Ed far removed until she decided to make him a plate of food in case he woke up later. She ran back up the stairs, and he was laying on his back now, out cold, snoring.
Dan was standing in the kitchen, waiting for her when she came down.
“He’s out, poor guy. He’s gone for the night.”
Dan made the
after you
gesture with his hand, ushering her into the den. The den was really a small bedroom on the main floor. They had a couch, a recliner and the TV, along with a toy box and a baby bouncy chair. It was a comfortable, nondescript room. Dan brought their wine glasses, refilled, and they sat down next to each other in front of the glasses placed on the coffee table. Lisa reached forward to take sip.
“I hope Megan stays asleep,” she said, closing her eyes and leaning against the back of the couch. “I never realize how tired I am until I stop at the end of the day.”
Dan looked at her, her eyelids closed, lashes on her cheeks. Her neck was long, and he couldn’t help himself; leaning over, he kissed the hollow at the base of her neck. She opened her eyes and looked down at the top of his head. It was an innocent gesture which could turn to lust if she allowed it. But she didn’t have any desire for Dan. He was still her mother’s boyfriend. In seconds, she decided that she’d let him continue on if he wanted, but she wouldn’t give him any encouragement. When he was finished and sat back up again, looking into her eyes. The place where his lips had been alternately burned and froze; the trail of it moved through her body, settling in between her legs. Maybe she’d rethink that earlier resolve.
“Wow,” she said.
He just looked confused.
What the hell are you doing, Snake?
he thought.
Lisa grasped the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head. Her breasts were full from nursing; she reached around and unhooked her bra and they bounced forward. She wanted a man to make a fuss over her breasts.
The sequence happened so quickly, she didn’t really care at all what he was doing, that he was just going to take what he could. Lisa figured that out about him, and it surprised her because she thought she knew Dan. He never seemed like an opportunist. They kissed passionately. She unzipped her jeans and pulled them off along with her underpants, and Dan got between her knees and undid his pants. He pushed up against her, and it didn’t take long for her or for him. He held on to her for a long while. Lisa wondered at first if he was counting the seconds.
When has enough time passed before he can let go?
But then she thought maybe he was reluctant to let her go, only doing so in case Ed should wake up and catch them.
He reached over to the table and took the paper napkins out from under the wine glasses, giving one to her, and taking one for himself. They got the bulk of their mess cleaned up, and then he helped her put her clothes back on.
They still hadn’t said anything to each other, but during the game, he held on to her with his arm around her shoulders. During the commercial breaks, he got up and would offer to get her wine refills or snacks, and was very solicitous. He went to the bathroom and came back to sit next to her. It had taken forty minutes to formulate what he wanted to say to her.
Muting the TV, he took both her hands into his and looked into her eyes. Her heart was pounding so hard, she hoped he would say it was a horrible mistake, he’d never let it happen again, could she forgive him. But he said just the opposite; he was in love with her. He thought he loved her when he first met her and watched her during the pregnancy and her struggles with Ed while they lived at the beach. He didn’t know how he was going to live without her now, and hoped she felt the same way. They had so many obstacles, he didn’t even know if it was possible for them to be together. Lisa grasped his hand in return.
“I love you, too. But I’m married. And my poor mother! We can’t hurt Pam.”
Dan looked at a spot on the wall above her head.
Pam!
He’d forgotten all about her. He’d just had his feelings crushed by her in the farmhouse kitchen that morning, and he was already having sex with her daughter.
“No, we can’t hurt Pam,” he echoed. But he knew that this was just the beginning of a life with Lisa. “I never wanted children until I met you.”
“That’s insane,” she said, refusing to believe it.
“Well, it’s true. When I saw you pregnant with Megan, you were so sexy and so lush, I wanted to jump you.”
“Stop! Dan, that’s gross. I was referring to you as my stepfather then, for God’s sake.”
He snorted, laughing. “I’ll save the rest of my confessions for another time.”
She stood up, and he watched her as she walked away from the couch. “Look, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want something to happen for us. But my life is complicated enough right now.”
Dan sat back and looked at her. “You’re right. I won’t make any demands. I want to get help for your husband, too. My intentions are divided, but they were before tonight.”
“Can we be together and not be together?” she asked, whispering. She went to him and sat on his lap, while he pulled her hair back and kissed her.
“Yes. That is what we are going to do. I am here, in your life, saving your crazy husband from himself.”
“Oh God, poor Ed. I want him to be safe.”
“Safe is key. Let’s just take it slow. We’ll be together whenever it’s possible, and if we are ever able, we’ll really be together.”
“Dan, that is the worst double-talk I have ever heard,” Lisa said, laughing.
“Well, it’s for your sake. I’m free, remember? Your mother dumped me for good on Monday.”
“You’re too young for her,” Lisa said.
“That’s a load of crap.”
“It is not,” Lisa said defensively.
“Well, it’s a nonissue now. I should never have gotten so involved with her. If I’d waited just a few weeks, you’d have come to New York with pathetic Ryan, and we’d have met.”
“My mother was already involved with you.”
“No, not that weekend. You coming home and then Brent showing up five hours later put a hold on it,” Dan replied. “We didn’t sleep together until the following week.”
“Oh my God! Too much information,” Lisa said, laughing. She looked up at the ceiling. “I hear footsteps.” She got off his lap. “I’ll go see if Ed’s up.” She left the den and went up the stairs.
Ed was stumbling around the bedroom.
“Are you okay?” she asked gently, going right to him.
“I have a terrible headache,” he said, moaning.
“This is the second one this week,” Lisa replied. “Dan’s here. Why not come down and have a little dinner. You might have low blood sugar.” She took his hand and led him down the stairs.
Dan heard them coming and was waiting at the landing. “What’s going on, buddy? You look a little pale.” He reached out for Ed’s other hand, and they led him to the kitchen table.
“He needs to eat,” Lisa said, getting busy with leftovers and the microwave.
Dan sat with Ed, who seemed so disengaged, he didn’t ask about his arrest case or question why Dan was there in the first place. Lisa cut up his chicken and buttered a dinner roll for him. Ed ate a little bit, hungry after all.
“I don’t want any more,” he said, pushing his dish away. “I better go back to bed.”
Lisa got a bottle of headache remedy out and gave him two pills and a glass of water. Dan helped get him back up the stairs, and together they undressed him and got him back into bed.
“He better see the doctor tomorrow. He’s had bad headaches like this for weeks now.”
Dan nodded his head.
“I’ve got breakfast at the farmhouse in the morning. Do you think you can take him for me if I can get him in right away?”
“Yes, I can do that,” he said.
Lisa tucked Ed in, and they left the bedroom, closing the door.
“Where do you sleep?” Dan asked, looking around the upstairs hallway.
Lisa pointed to a door at the end of the hall, next to Megan’s room.
“The maid’s room,” she answered. “Fitting.” But she laughed.
“I’m going to spend the night,” Dan said, and Lisa nodded her head. She got sheets out of the linen closet and took them down to the den. They made up the couch together, and eventually, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.
Chapter 19
Cooking breakfast for Ben Lawson and Deborah was a treat for Natalie after a fabulous holiday weekend. They ended up staying at the cabin together, relaxing, reading the paper and enjoying each other’s company. On Tuesday, Deborah found a job at the local café as a prep cook; she’d peel potatoes and mix salad greens, take money from customers and deliver food to them if the servers were taking a break. It was a good job for someone with a short attention span, she said. “I’ll never get bored, that’s for sure.” Zach was coming the next weekend, and then he’d be at camp in New Hampshire for the rest of the summer.
By Wednesday, Ted was tired of sleeping on the couch in his office even though it was the most relaxed he’d been in months. He dialed Natalie’s number.
“Hey, mother of my child, what’s new?” Ted asked.
“I was wondering if you were going to call me,” she replied, whispering. “I’ve had a man in my bed.”
“Well, congratulations! That’s great news, Nats. He’s a lucky man.”
“I feel like the lucky one,” she said. “You were the last one.” They both laughed heartily.
“I’m calling to ask if I can hole up in your apartment,” Ted said. “I moved into my office when we got home on Saturday, and the couch is getting uncomfortable.”
“Oh, Ted, I’m so sorry,” Natalie said sincerely. “How’s Ashton taking it?”
“I’m not sure,” he said. “We haven’t talked.”
Natalie was surprised, but kept her mouth shut. Ashton was in bad shape if he wasn’t hounding someone to death. The thought even came to her that he might be dead in his First Avenue apartment. That Ted wasn’t concerned was worrisome to her. Maybe after they hung up, she’d call Ashton.
“Of course you can stay in my apartment. I’ll call the super to let you in tomorrow. There’s a key on the key ring in the hall closet. It’s all clean, and the sheets are changed; you just need to buy food.” They chatted a while longer with promises to stay in touch.