“That’s a lot of effort on your part,” I observed. When he didn’t answer right away, I shot him a sideways glance. That look didn’t prod him to say anything, but I guess I didn’t really ask a question that he should feel obligated to answer. This was a kind thing for him to do, but I expected Nate to make jokes about it and brush it off when I thanked him. The fact that he didn’t, made me wonder what Nate was thinking.
For a second, I could see just a sliver of Nate’s irises as he returned my glance, and his lips twitched like he wanted to say something… but a second later, I decided I must have been imagining things because he didn’t move or speak at all. Nate just sat looking out over the Atlantic Ocean.
We talked about a lot of things, sitting on that bench in the fading light. We reminisced about all the stupid things we did as teenagers that we would never do now, shared memories about our moms, talked about our favorite teachers, and I reminded him that some of our old haunts were still there - or at least they were before I left Somerset. It was a good chat, and we focused on the good things - the ones that had brought us together.
Eventually, the light faded entirely and the sounds from inside the house and the backyard began to diminish. When we went inside, we found we had talked the party away, and guests were beginning to leave. Many of them had been looking for Nate and waiting for him to reappear so they could offer their congratulations before heading home.
I left him to it with a little twinge of regret that we would be parting soon and went to find Claudia and Zeke. I could see the Bentley was still parked in the side yard, so they hadn’t left me here, at least.
I finally found Claudia sitting on an ornate chair in the corner of the house, staring into an empty glass. “Tammy?” she said in disbelief when she saw me, then relaxed and giggled. “Oh my gosh, there’s two of you.”
I shook my head. “You’re wasted,” I accused her, but without any real annoyance. It was a party. Why shouldn’t she drink and have fun? I hoped Zeke was sober, so he could drive us home. I only had three drinks over the course of the evening, and those weren’t very strong, so I could drive if I needed to, although the idea made me uncomfortable. The Bentley was a vintage automobile that had been in Zeke’s family for eons and, therefore, priceless in so many ways.
I went to find Zeke - no such luck. He was less intoxicated than Claudia - at least he had the wherewithal to apologize - but he wouldn’t be driving tonight either.
“Is everything okay?” Nate asked, approaching me from behind.
“Yeah, just trying to figure out who’s driving home. Zeke, Claudia, and I came in the same car, and they are… well… a little drunk.” Claudia made my point by stubbing her toe on a table leg and giggling hysterically about it.
“I see that. I’m sure Riker wouldn’t mind if they spent the night, and I could give you a ride home,” Nate suggested. “You’re place is not out of the way at all.”
I opened my mouth to ask how Nate knew where I lived, then shut it again. Of course, he would know I lived in Claudia’s mom’s guest house, and besides, this was a golden opportunity. If I said I hadn’t been fantasizing about kissing Nate all night, I would be lying profusely. “Sounds great!” I agreed immediately. “You hear that? Nate is giving me a ride home,” I called to Claudia.
“Yep… yep!” She gave me a double thumbs up, to which I responded with a patient sigh.
“Can I help clean up?” I asked, eager to escape Claudia’s suggestive eyebrow wiggling and broad grin before Nate caught on and teased me into the next century.
“Sure. Why don’t you deal with the paper plates and cups, and I’ll help Riker deal with the leftover food?”
The old saying, ‘many hands make light work’ proved to be true, and we were done cleaning up in no time. Riker confirmed that it was fine for Zeke and Claudia to crash in one of their guest rooms, so Nate and I headed out to his car.His very nice car. Why hadn’t I noticed it before?Cars weren’t something I ever found necessary to add to my repertoire of knowledge, though, apart from the occasional wedding limo and Zeke’s Bentley. But I did realize Nate’s car was a Mercedes from the lettering in the center of the steering wheel and was not surprised he was driving a sporty car.
“Oh, wow,” Nate said when the headlights fell over the brand new landscaping. “Zeke mentioned that he had some things done for Claudia’s mom. I guess he wasn’t kidding, huh?”
“Yeah,” I agreed, my heart suddenly thumping a nervous beat in my chest. “He and Claudia have done a lot of maintenance work on Eileen, Claudia’s mom’s, home and the guest house.”
“I see that.”
“Do you want to come in and talk a look at the rest?” I asked far too innocently.
Nate caught on immediately to my mood as I ran my fingers through my hair and took great pains to make sure all my clothes were straight as I got out of the car. “Sure. That would be great. To see the place, you know.” His voice was laden with suggestion, and I felt him behind me all the way to the front door.
“The living room isn’t that different,” I told him as we stepped inside. “The kitchen has had a lot done to it, though.”
“Let me check it out.” Nate walked around the corner into the kitchen as I dropped my purse on the couch. I didn’t follow him. The beginnings of an idea had just taken hold, and I was determined to act upon them. “What’s different?” he asked. “I’m not really sure.”
“Really?” I called, pulling my tie-dyed blouse over my head and folding it with excruciating care. “The backsplash is new, I think. And the tile on the floors.” Air cupped my thighs with a cool touch as the designer pants followed the blouse. I folded them just as neatly, listening almost without breathing to the sounds of Nate’s footsteps as he explored the kitchen.
“Oh yeah, they are, aren’t they? It’s been so long since I’ve been here that I can’t really tell what’s old and what’s new. Everything looks great. I’m impressed.” What a dutiful guy Nate was. I invited him in to “see the house”, and he seemed determined to do just that. I knew what he wanted… or rather, who. Fortunately for him, that woman wanted him just as badly.
“Doesn’t it?” I placed my folded clothes on the back of the couch, but I left my heels on. White high heels, thin white panties and a bra to match… yes ma’am.
Nate’s footsteps approached, lingering in the kitchen as he took his time admiring the changes. “Are Zeke and Claudia-” His voice died when he saw me, unexpectedly modeling my underwear and spray tan for him. For once, I had made the big, bad, cocky football star of the Lexington Colonels totally speechless.
“What?” I asked, my voice low, sweet and far from innocent. “Go on.” With a strut that would have made the model in Claudia proud, I advanced toward my flustered target.
Nate obviously had no clue what he had intended to say, and my confidence only grew. “What about our friends?” My voice hardly reached a whisper. Suddenly I noticed how very, very close my movements had brought me to Nate’s handsome, rugged jawline. A couple of inches closer with my hands or my lips, and we would be touching… touching intimately for the first time in years.
It felt like reaching across a precipice of long-held emotions, but I did it. I reached out a hand and touched Nate’s face, letting his stubble catch the backs of my fingers. Even though we hadn’t really done anything yet, it felt incredible to be this close to Nate, and I found myself holding my breath, waiting for his reaction.
