Blue Heaven (Blue Lake) (23 page)

Eva felt as if she were being taken care of. She felt safe, and loved. She looked at the photos in the magazines, not bothering to read the articles. It reminded her.

“The magazine photographer and writer will be here Monday.”

Daniel looked up from his laptop. In all the Jane craziness, Eva knew he’d forgotten that, too. She could see the wheels turning. Daniel had looked forward to the magazine people seeing a full house, but Blue Heaven would be empty.

“I’m just finishing up,” he said. “I don’t think it will be a problem. After all, they’re doing the piece on the entire town.”

She nodded and went back to flipping through
American Bungalow
. After an hour or so, Daniel logged off. She put down her magazine when he got up from the desk and came to sit with her on the couch.

Since she was sitting with her feet stretched across the sofa, he picked them up and put them on his lap, absently giving her a delicious foot rub in the process.

“Here’s my idea. Three couples took the Sugarbush week and signed on for next week at Blue Heaven as well. That means nine reservations and six cottages.”

Eva nodded.

“So, we move the three couples who are at Sugarbush this week into the bungalow.”

“Where will I sleep?” Eva didn’t like it, but she had to admit it was a good solution. She’d have never thought of it, because it meant she’d lose privacy and have to sleep on her sofa. Not her idea of a workable solution, but hell, she’d make it work, even if she had to sleep in the gazebo.

“That’s my other idea. You sleep here. With me and Bob. Bring Mama and the kittens if that makes you feel better.”

She nodded. “You certainly have enough bedrooms.”

“I was sort of hoping you’d share my room.”

“What about corrupting a minor?”

“Bob knows we’re in love.”

There was that word. The one that made her heart melt. And it had to be true. He had to love her to go to so much trouble for her. Every action he’d taken today, really almost since the day he’d met her, showed how much he cared.

But things had not really been resolved between them. He was still going to Georgia, and she’d still be here without him. Sure, he’d promised to return, but she didn’t want a long-distance relationship. Of course, she was going to take it, like it or not, because the other option, breaking up, was just not acceptable.

“I do love you,” she said. “If I didn’t know before, today sealed the deal. You’re amazing.”

“You used to say I was bossy.”

“Sometimes it’s nice to know your lover’s got your back.”

“Good, because there’s more.”

Geez. What else? She was still thinking about strangers taking over her bungalow. That was weird. She couldn’t quite get comfortable with the idea. Maybe she’d sleep at Daniel’s but remain in the kitchen and living room of her place every day from breakfast until midnight.

“Remember how we talked about getting Luke’s mom and her friend to help you clean and take care of things around here?”

She nodded.

“Well, they’re starting tomorrow. And next week, one of them will be on the premises at all times, from 6 a.m. until 2 a.m. or whenever the last guest goes to bed.”

“I can deal with that.” Eva was so grateful she wanted to fling herself into Daniel’s arms. But then again, the foot rub felt good, too.

“Your cash flow problems are over, so I offered them the going rate for service help.”

“Let me guess. Cash.”

He laughed. “No, but I added enough to their base pay to cover taxes. Everybody wins.”

“You’ve thought of everything.”

Daniel smiled. “Wanda is going to make coffee and do a continental breakfast for everyone upstairs. There will be fresh cookies for the kids and cocktails for the grownups in the gazebo at six, board games and soft drinks on the porch, and a van to drive anyone who wants transportation into town for a day of shopping, lunch, or dinner and back to Blue Heaven whenever they’re ready to return.”

Eva sat up, her feet and body totally relaxed from Daniel’s ministrations. He’d incorporated every single idea they’d talked about through the weeks. Even the ones that seemed too much to hope for, like a van and extra help.

“You did all that in an hour?”

“Technically, it was two, but who’s counting?”

“So, this van, will it be giving tours of the town that Bryman built?”

“How’d you guess?”

“And I bet Bob’s driving.”

He nodded. “I’ll do the talking, he’ll do the driving. At least next week. I plan to hire someone to give the tour after that.”

“What about your friend that did the videos? Didn’t you say he only works part time?”

Daniel nodded. “We make a great team,” he said.

She hugged him and he gave her a long and lingering kiss.

“Thank you,” she said. He truly was her Superman.

“Don’t mention it,” he said, kissing her again.

She felt his kisses down to her toes, made her want to be somewhere horizontal with him, preferably in a place that Bob couldn’t pop into at any moment.

“In the interest of testing out your plan, I think I’d like to see your bed now. You know, to try out the mattress, see if I can sleep in it through the night.”

“We can do that,” Daniel said.

****

Daniel’s bedroom made her sad. The furniture was clearly his parents’, except for the new king-sized bed. She’d been on that bed before. She remembered what they’d said. She put it out of her mind by stripping naked as quickly as possible and diving onto the inviting bed. She watched him undress, just a bit behind her. He laughed as he joined her naked on the bed. Their bodies entwined, she laughed too. They’d been through hell today and made it all the way to heaven.

They kissed and Daniel moved his hands all over her skin, exploring every inch of her, stopping to take her breasts into his mouth. She moaned and let all the pent up energy of the day take her. She moved one leg and in a smooth rhythm she was on top of him. She lifted herself and guided him inside, then moved herself up and down, rubbing herself against him, making them both wild.

They made love like the lake in a storm, churning, crashing, returning when he watched her come and let himself go. They locked eyes. She could feel him spurting into her. Oh. Her eyes widened. He just smiled. They hadn’t used a condom.

Exhaustion finally hit her. She was spent, physically, emotionally, sexually. But Daniel’s bed was an oasis of peace. Her head fell into soft pillows.

“That didn’t happen on purpose,” she said.

“I know.” He turned to her and smoothed her hair. “It’s fine. It doesn’t matter.”

She wanted to talk more, but it also felt good just to close her eyes and drift in his embrace.

Chapter Thirty-One

They lingered in bed long after they should have been up and eating the dinner he cooked. She told him about the first day at the bank, how his glasses reminded her of Clark Kent, and how she’d hoped in some tiny corner of her heart that he was there to rescue Blue Heaven. “And you did,” she said.

“I'm not Superman,” he said. “Just a builder. And, don’t forget, Lois Lane, we did it together.”

Desire showed in the way he moved his leg to hook it over hers, bringing her closer. It showed in the way he inclined his whole body toward her, and kissed her, and made love to her again. Still no condom.

“Something’s different about you,” Eva said, after they both woke up from the nap neither meant to take. It was dark outside. The house was quiet. Not even the sound of the lake in the background.

“Maybe it’s that I finally found you,” Daniel said.

“You’re so sweet.” But what she was thinking was
You will be in Georgia and I will be here for six months alone and that doesn’t seem to bother you at all.

Eva’s mother always said worry about tomorrow, tomorrow and today right now. Right now, she was hungry. They'd been in bed for hours and food had been the furthest thing from their minds. Now it was all she wanted to think about. Nothing beyond the next meal.

****

Eva had resigned herself to a week without Blue Heaven guests when a woman, man, and teenager showed up Monday morning.

“We hear you have cottages to rent,” the woman said, a wide smile on her face.

“I do,” Eva said. She'd flipped on the vacancy sign out by the highway. Maybe they'd seen it driving by. There was something familiar about the woman, who was shaking her head, still smiling, but Eva couldn’t put her finger on it. Then a station wagon pulled in behind the new guests’ car and out piled another family. Two younger children and matching parents. Then a third car arrowed in behind them, and a fourth.

The first woman had just finished signing the registration book and handed Eva her card. The last name was not familiar but the first one rang a big bell.

“Marcie?”

“We wondered when you’d figure it out,” her cousin Marcie said. They all had big smiles pasted on their faces as her cousins introduced their children. She’d played dolls with Marcie’s little sisters, and now here they were with little ones of their own. Marcie’s teenager had already gone upstairs.

“Cool,” he said, coming back down. “But where’s the TV? And I hope you have cable.”

These were not ordinary guests. She opened her pocket doors and showed Marcie’s son through. Who was he, her second cousin? Or first cousin once removed? She always got that mixed up.

“In here.” She pointed out the television in her living room.

“You need to get a Wii for upstairs,” he said, clicking the remote and settling in on her couch.

Marcie had followed him into Eva’s quarters.

“My God, what you’ve done with this place!”

“I know. Well, it wasn’t me. It was a whole bunch of people.”

“But you made it happen.”

Eva still couldn’t get over the fact that her cousins were all here. “I sent those pamphlets to your last known address, but wasn’t sure they’d find you.”

“Oh, they did. We saw the video, went to your website, tried to call, but by the time we all got a date together, you were booked. Then your friend Daniel called us and told us that you had unexpected openings, but it had to be now. So we all just said ‘we’re doin’ it.’”

Eva was overwhelmed. It felt good to have people in the house again, but these weren’t just people. These folks were her family. Eva took Marcie and the girls through the house, while their husbands checked out the exteriors. She was just about to take them upstairs when Georgie, her only male cousin, went right behind the registration counter and took the cottage keys and handed them around while the guys started unpacking cars. She smiled. That’s the way they’d always done it in the past. The fathers handed out the keys. It was a tradition Georgie clearly felt entitled to carry on. Eva didn’t mind.

Walking up the stairs, she rejoiced. Just like that, four of her six cottages were rented. All due to Daniel. He was amazing, as her cousins agreed when they saw his work.

“So this Daniel is your builder, your problem-solver, and your boyfriend?”

“Yep.”

“Cool.”

“When are we gonna meet him?”

“He’ll be over later with a couple of guys doing a magazine story on the town.”

Which reminded Eva. She needed to make a trip to the grocery store. They’d have a big barbecue dinner. Daniel had already planned to grill steaks for the magazine people. She'd just buy more steaks. And potatoes. And corn.

Before she could tell Marcie she’d be right back, Daniel pulled up with someone sitting next to him. Really? Could it be? Daniel swung open his door and rushed to open the passenger side. Eva’s mom appeared, her hand on Daniel’s arm. Eva ran to her mom. As they hugged, Eva smiled at Daniel through the tears of happiness in her eyes.

Her mother, once Eva stopped hugging long enough to see her, looked younger than when she'd lived in Michigan. Her hair was pure white, and she was tiny, but she was strong and her cheeks had roses in them.

“Would you look at his place?” Her mother wasn't even looking at the house, but out at the lake, where they'd laid Dad to rest.

Eva hugged Daniel. “Thank you,” she said.

“Mom, it's so good to see you.” She switched the hug back to her mom.

“Your boyfriend here wouldn't take no for an answer. He bought me a first class ticket, so how could I say no? I've never flown first class in my life!”

Then Marcie and the rest of the family piled out of their cottages and a general reunion ensued. It was just like the old days, everyone talking at once, laughter ringing out, stories tumbling one after the other. Everyone was older now; this was the next generation. She wished her dad was here to see it.

After Eva settled her mother in the room that would have been Lily’s, she told Marcie, who was unloading a huge shopping bag of snack foods onto the top of the fridge, that she'd be back in an hour.

Daniel had returned to the airport to pick up the magazine people, and Eva had promised to have the food ready for dinner at six. Marcie's husband and Georgie were carrying an enormous cooler down to the beach. Kids of various ages followed. Eva would never remember all their names.

“Do you need towels?” she asked Marcie.

“Nope. Brought our own.”

“It’s so good to see you.”

“You too. Maybe you can come down to the beach?”

“I wish! Maybe tomorrow. Right now, I’m going to pop over to the store and then I’m going to make potato salad. I want to have a big family dinner, like in the old days.”

“I hope the potato salad tastes just like your mom’s.”

“If I'm lucky, she'll be rested from her nap and make it herself.”

“Remember how our mothers never came to the beach? They’d be in the kitchen cooking all day and sitting out watching the water from the front yard in the evening.”

“I still do a fair amount of that.” Eva adored her new porch, she couldn’t wait until Marcie discovered it. “But I walk down the beach every day.”

“I remember how much you loved it.”