Lena's River (3 page)

Levi whistled for Pascal and smiled again. “No, is it
that obvious?” He took a sip from his drink. “I just finished grad school back
east and I’m supposed to be job-hunting. My family vacationed near here a few
times, when I was a kid. I loved those summers and I’ve always wanted to come
back, so I decided to drive out and look around – tour the area with adult
eyes, so to speak.”

Lena ambled down the loop toward her camp. “Where’d you
go to grad school?” She liked the way he smiled.

“MIT.” Levi looked at her sideways. He kicked at a
branch in the path.

Lena whistled. “Wow, I almost am afraid to ask in what
field for fear of showing my ignorance.”

Levi laughed. “Applied Biometrics . I’ve been living in
academia so long that I need to get out and do something different for awhile
before I start working at an actual job.”

“That’s fascinating. I’ve never met anyone with a
degree from MIT before. Well, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a job. I
mean, with those credentials.”

“Ha, well one can’t be too sure. I wake up at night and
wonder if I might have specialized too much.”

Lena shook her head. “I know nothing about that field.
I taught high school math for five years. I know the schools are scrambling for
math teachers.” Before Levi could respond, Lena said: “Here we are – my little home
away from home.”

As they walked up to her camper Lena felt self
conscious again. She hoped the inside wasn’t too messy. She’d taken off in a
hurry this morning; anxious to get to the river and cast her line in the
stream.

Levi surveyed the outside. “Great old crank windows. Do
you have problems with them leaking?” He ran his fingers over the aluminum
casing.

“No not at all.” Lena replied. She opened the door and
hopped in, grabbing a pile of clothes on the bench and tossing them into the
storage cupboard.

He stood outside and peeked in through the open door.
“Wow, very nice. You did a great job. And you kept the original appliances?
Sweet.”

“Yeah, they are. I even have a little oven.”

“Oh wow, well if I smell fresh croissants in the
morning then I’ll know where to go!”

Lena laughed: “Not likely, chocolate chip cookies in
the evening, maybe. You can come in if you want.”

Levi paused: “Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude or
anything.”

“You’re so polite! No, come on in, it’s fine. Unless,
I’m too scary.” Lena laughed and then wished she’d not said that.
You’re
really batting a thousand with this one, girl. Any moment now he’s going to
bolt.

Levi stepped up into the camper and Lena sat down on
the edge of her bed. He examined the layout with admiration, commenting here
and there on details that caught his eye. Then he sat on the edge of the long cushioned
bench near the dinette. Lena wondered if he felt awkward and that he might
excuse himself. She waited for the countdown until he left. But he didn’t.

“This is great. It’s cozy but it doesn’t feel cramped.
Do you have a little bathroom too?”

“Nah, I don’t. But it’s really not a problem. I keep
thinking I could install a wet bath in one of these big closets.” Lena got up
and opened one of the larger cupboard doors. Her leg brushed his knee but he
didn’t react. “I’d be giving up storage but there’s a lot of stow space
anyway.”

“Yeah, it wouldn’t take much. Just remove these shelves
and their supports. Yeah, get it all cleaned up and line it with fiberglass.” Levi
stood up beside her and reached into the closet. He was so close she could
smell him and she liked the fact that he was that near to her. She felt the
back of her neck growing warm. It had been so long since she stood that close
to a man. She felt a tension grow in her that was not unpleasant. And he
smelled good.

 She also liked how enthusiastic he seemed. And the way
his neck was smooth and taut with firm muscle all the way down…
Stop it
Lena. You are getting all hot and bothered about something that ain’t going to
happen. Get a freakin’ grip on reality.

“If I took measurements I could mock up a floor plan on
my laptop for you. The threshold might have to come out here a bit.” He stepped
back and pointed with his toe at where her foot rested.

They faced each other now. Lena looked up and saw his
huge brown eyes watching her. She just wanted to rest her gaze on those for
awhile but she knew a response to his offer was needed.
No, I’m going to
drift right into those big brown eyes…

“Oh, um well – that sounds like a lot of bother. I
mean, you’re on vacation and everything. It’s really nice of you but not
necessary!” Lena faltered and he didn’t seem to notice her cheeks turning
colors again.

“No, it’s no trouble. I like doing things like this. Do
you have a tape measure handy?”

“No, I don’t think so but I bet Sala has one in their
rig. They’ll be back here pretty soon. I’ll ask them.

“Oh that’s okay. I have one in my truck. I’ll be right
back.”

And before Lena could respond he was gone out the door and
down the loop. Pascal barked at Lena, wagged his tail, and chased after him.

Lena leaned against the door frame and sighed as she
watched him walk back to his campsite. A crow gave a raspy caw in the tree
above her picnic table and flew off. She heard women’s voices on the trail; the
others were headed back from the river.

“Hey Lena, what’s up? Who’re you gawking at? Who’s the
hunk?” Gina gave her a playful smile and pointed down the road.

“No one. He’s just some guy in the next loop – we were
chatting about my camper.”

“Uh, huh. Some guy. Okay girl. I won’t pry.” Lena
rolled her eyes and Gina laughed. “I’m going to get me some lunch. All this fun
is hard work!”

“Mercy, I need me another beer. It’s getting hot!” Sala
said in a loud voice.

“Sweetie, you do not need another beer.” Mary called
after her.

The sun was indeed hot by now and Lena decided to strip
down to her tank top underneath the sweatshirt she wore. She folded the
sweatshirt and put it away in the clothes closet as she listened with amusement
to her friends’ banter outside the door. She reached in a drawer and pulled out
a bottle of sunscreen. No sense in getting sunburn on the river later. After
cranking open the roof vent she stepped outside again and waited for Levi to come
back. If he did come back it would be a minor miracle.

In a few minutes he returned with a bright green tape
measure and pad of paper with a pencil.

He stopped short when he saw her. “Hey.”

Lena at once felt awkward. She waited a moment for a
clue from him but he seemed frozen in place. Maybe she should have changed the
tank top into something less revealing. It was rather skimpy and all of a
sudden she felt very bare.

Great Lena. Now he can see your tiny boobs
and wow, it’s not worth the pursuit for that! And who wants a man whose only
interest is perky boobs? Drop it and go put your sweatshirt back on.

“Hey, um that’s a very green tape measure.”

“What? Oh yeah, it’s the standard hardware store
issue.”

“Is everything okay?” Lena wasn’t sure what to think
because he kept staring at her.

“Yeah, of course – ah, I was thinking that maybe we
could go out for a burger tonight? I mean there’s a little café down the road.
And I noticed a band was playing at the bar.”

“You mean the Beaver Café? Oh, well that’s a problem
because they don’t have anything on their menu that doesn’t have meat in it.
Except for the French fries of course but ….”

“Oh, you’re a vegetarian. I didn’t even think. Sorry.”

“No, that’s okay. Thanks for the thought.” There was
silence again. “But we could still have dinner. I mean, I’m a pretty good cook.”
She put it out there. But he was no doubt freaking about the vegetarian thing
AND the tiny boobs.
Totally not worth the trouble, Lena; the obvious lack of
proportions will scare them away faster than anything. And then there’s the
unsavory absence of protein.

“You’re a vegetarian and you fish?”

Lena thought he looked way past confused. “Oh yeah,
that. Catch and release. Sometimes I might hand over a catch to one of those
ladies.” Lena pointed across to where her friends sat eating lunch across the
loop. “But mostly I just let ‘em go.”

“Huh. Man, if I could catch them, I’d eat them.”

Lena shrugged. She was still recovering from the fact
that he’d asked her out. But, then she went and ruined it over meat. It always
seemed to be about meat – one way or another. The kind she wanted you couldn’t
sit down and order at the local burger joint.

Levi seemed amused. “This is the most dynamic conversation
I’ve had this week. But then, you’re the only person I’ve talked to this week,
so yeah. I’d love to. The Jack Kerouac travelogue is not all that interesting.”

Lena was now the confused one. She tilted her head to
the side with a question on her face.

“I’ve never read any Kerouac.” she said.

Levi gestured with his hand. “I meant dinner. I’d like
to have dinner with you. But, I’ll help cook if you want. I’m not too shabby in
that department.”

Lena’s knees about buckled. The crashing plane of love
had pulled up out of its nose-dive and was still in the air.

Chapter Three

Lena had a green two-burner propane camp stove set up
on Levi’s picnic table and stood sautéing onions and garlic in olive oil. Making
dinner at his site was better than cooking at her camper in that they were
removed from the prying eyes of her friends. Levi had stacked wood near the
fire pit for later when it got dark. Lena had even brought chocolate and marshmallows.

“This is rather an odd kind of date for you. Thanks for
making dinner.” Levi knelt down to clean the grate in the fire pit. He said it
like a question so Lena was quick to answer.

“I enjoy cooking and besides there’s nothing I love
better than being outdoors. So the way I figure it’s a win-win.”

Levi came over to the stove and sniffed what was in the
pan. “That smells amazing.” He lingered over her shoulder for several moments.
Lena felt a tingle on her neck. There was not much chance the evening would
lead to anything but she would go with it.

Yep, just throw yourself at whatever piece of
man meat comes along, Lena.

Be still, you negative old bitty. Besides,
I get the feeling he’s not just any guy that’s easy on the eyes.
And
so on went the evening. Lena fought the impulse to jump on him while her
prudent voice kept up a constant banter. The wine Levi opened after dinner
helped relax her.

“So do you ladies fish this river a lot?” Levi leaned
back in the camp chair near Lena while she hunkered over the fire on her stool
which Levi had carried over from her campsite.

“We’ve been here quite a bit over the years. It’s
better if you have a drift boat but none of us own one.” Lena shrugged.

“I asked because you seem very familiar with it.”
Pascal nudged his hand for a pet. Levi gave the little dog a rub down.

“Yeah, this is one of my favorite places. The ocean is
only about an hour away. Have you been there yet?”

“No, it’s one of my next stops. I’ve never seen the
northern coast. My family always wanted to drive south. Which beach is the
best?”

“They’re all the best, in my opinion. You can’t go
wrong. But I’d be happy to give you directions to my favorite spot.”

“That’d be great.” He leaned forward and touched her
knee with two fingers. His jaw and forehead caught the firelight, accentuating
the smooth outline of his face. Lena felt a rush of heat in her chest and neck.
Oh boy. He is a handsome one. Hormones ignited; imminent contact required.

She looked down at his fingers tracing an evocative
pattern on her knee cap. Who knew that could be so alluring. She took a deep
breath and flashed a nervous smile back his way.

“Lena, I know we’ve only just met but it’s been a long
time since I’ve… been involved with anyone. And I’ve the feeling it’s the same
for you. Is there a chance you might want to hang out with me tonight?”

Lena, startled by his question, reacted with a sudden
twitch on her camp stool, losing her balance. Levi grabbed her before she
tipped over and drew her up away from the fire. She found herself caught up in
his arms but didn’t step away. He held her closer; his arms were strong, yet
gentle, and that was too much for her meager willpower. She grabbed his head
and her lips were on his in a second.

His lips were smooth and welcoming, his breath clean,
but he seemed to hold back waiting for her to take the lead. She played with
her tongue near his teeth and that’s all he needed before he pulled her to him,
her hips pressed against him in a tight embrace. She could feel a pressure rise
in her center; he tightened his embrace as he pressed his tongue forward,
exploring her with a deep kiss.

They kissed like this near the fire for some time. His
hands held her on the small of her back in perfect balance. He gently pulled
her up to him further; her mound pressed against the hardness growing inside
his jeans.