Love With A Stranger (23 page)

As Jason joined her, she was thinking how this home reflected happiness, success, and even wealth. She felt both calm and
elated, as if her troubles didn’t exist, as if she had known Jason for a long time, as if she belonged there, belonged with him.

“Around the side of the house is a spiral staircase to the sun deck on the roof,” Jason explained. “I don’t go up there often, but it has an awesome view, especially at sunrise and sunset. I’ll show it to you later if you like and you aren’t afraid of heights.”

“I’d love to see it. You’ve created a marvelous place for yourself, large and elegant, yet, cozy and inviting. You have neighbors in three directions, but in this location, it seems secluded from people.”

“Thanks, I enjoy it. Now, I’ll go change into casual clothes and shoes so we can walk on the beach and get some exercise before we settle down to play chess. Make yourself at home.”

When Jason returned, he was clad in colorful Nautica sportswear and Hush Puppies loafers without socks. He halted in the den doorway and watched Cass for a few minutes as she gazed at the ocean from a wicker chair near the back of the lanai. She had a peaceful, dreamy look on her face. She seemed tranquil, as if her recent anxiety had vanished, one he still suspected hadn’t resulted from natural causes. There was no denying he was in love with her and wanted to marry her. She was perfect for him, perfect for this home, perfect for his life, perfect for his family. When he realized his loins were becoming enflamed with desire, he forced those thoughts to stop and called out, “Would you like one of my specialty drinks to take with you on our stroll? I promise you it’s delicious.”

Cass looked at him. “I’m game, but make mine mild, okay?”

“I’m your doctor and your good friend, so I wouldn’t do or give you anything that’s detrimental to your health. Trust me, woman.”

Cass laughed at his amusing expression and tone. “I do; I will. Need any help?”

“Nope, just relax where you are until I return.”
Maybe I can douse my blazing libido while I’m busy in here. If ever an ice cold shower was needed by any man, it’s me and right now!

After Jason joined her and handed her an insulated cup with a handle and sippy top, she took a swallow, then smiled. “Delicious as promised. What’s in it?” she asked as she stood to leave with him.

Jason grinned. “Can’t tell you; it’s an old safely guarded family recipe. All I will say is, assorted tropical fruit juices and several liquors.”

Trying to get me inebriated and vulnerable to your many charms?

They crossed his backyard, exited the gate where she slipped off her shoes, and stepped onto soft sand with grass-dotted dunes. They headed northeastward at a leisurely pace. The tide was going out and would be at its lowest in two hours, so they had plenty of strolling room between the water’s edge and private property of local or seasonal residents. Though it was a lovely Sunday afternoon, they were the only walkers in that area. The beach was dazzling white where dry, a pearl gray where wet. The sky was intensely blue, with occasional snowcolored billowy clouds. The ocean was a darker shade of blue with white-crested waves and frothy fringes. With spring in full force, the island’s trees and plants were lush and green.

As if they knew what Jason was carrying in his hand, countless seagulls began to circle them overhead and land all around them, sending forth raucous cries in pleading. The couple halted for him to open the bag of bread crumbs and feed the birds. Pieces he tossed upward were grasped in mid-air, some devouring the bite immediately and others landing to work on a larger chunk in leisure as more gathered about it to beg for scraps.

As she sipped her drink and waited, Cass witnessed the nearfrenzied
activity and Jason’s enjoyment of it. She liked how his cotton knit shirt boldly hinted at the broad and rippling torso beneath it. He had long, muscular legs with curly dark hair on them, despite the fact the hair on his head was as tawny as a lion’s. His stomach was flat; his buttocks, taut; and his hips, slender: the build, she concluded, of an athlete or one who took splendid care of his physique.

“That’s all, my greedy feathered friends,” he said as he shook the bag to dump the tiny crumbs before stuffing it into his pocket to toss away later. He glanced at Cass, grinned, and suggested they leave. “Just keeping walk-ing and ignore them and they’ll leave soon to go in search of their next feeder,” he advised.

A light breeze played in their hair and with Cass’s wraparound skirt, frequently giving Jason a pleasant view to slightly above her knees. He saw how the sunshine caused her dark-brown locks to give off a golden glow and lustrous sheen; the same was true for her flawless complexion which reflected good health. Whenever they paused for her to pick up a certain seashell, he noticed how her toes wriggled in the sand as if in sheer delight of their freedom and that almost sensuous contact. He observed how the skirt accentuated her rounded hips and small waist and how the tee top revealed a nicely sized, taut bosom; no doubt the retention of such sleek figure was due in part, he deduced, to never having had children.

Children, Jason mused, did he want another one or two? Did she? Would that be wise to attempt at their ages, forty-two and thirty-five? What would his twins think about his starting.a new family and would their opinions matter to him? What would his grandsons think about having an aunt or uncle younger than they were? There was no doubt in his mind that his parents would be elated if he remarried and be pleased to have more grandchildren. It only took moments for him to assure himself that his son and daughter would adore Cass and
welcome her into their close-knit family and into their father’s life. If only he could—

“Yoo hoo?” Cass said as she waved a hand before his face. “That’s mighty deep thought, Doc. Are you worried about something?”

He looked at her and smiled. “Just thinking about the kids and my grandsons; they love the beach and days like this one. I’ll be going up to see them in early May. Since Stacey’s in Augusta where you lived and worked, if you’d like to come along, that would be a nice outing for you.”

“I might go, if you don’t mind. I’d like to see Kristy again soon. For the past few weeks, we’ve been leaving messages for each other. She was my best friend for years, but we drifted apart after I married and moved away. We sort of had a problem that came between us: she didn’t like Tom and tried to talk me out of marrying him, and he didn’t like her because he sensed her ill-feelings and she’s my ex-sister-in-law.”

He wondered if she now wished she had taken her friend’s advice, if what she knew or suspected about her deceased husband was true. He was inclined to believe terrible things about Thomas Grantham since his son was such an awful person. “It’s bad when you get caught in the middle of a conflict between people you love. That’s happened to me. Sometimes it turns out we were right and sometimes, they were. All we can do is learn from any mistakes, let them make us stronger and wiser and try not to repeat them.”

“You’re an understanding and compassionate man, Doc.”

“Thanks, and those same traits apply to you. Perhaps we get along so well because we’re so much alike in many ways.”

“That seems to be an accurate assessment of our rapport.” When Cass saw several couples walk-ing in their direction, people who might know Jason and stop them to talk, she suggested, “Why don’t we turn around and head back? We need to conserve enough energy for our chess game.”

Jason was agreeable, “You’re right; I’ll need plenty of stamina and wits if I’m going to meet your challenge.”

Cass laughed and quipped, “You challenged me, remember?”

“Ah, but you accepted it without hesitation and with confidence. I have a feeling I’ve met my match.”
I know I have, Cassandra Grantham.

I surely hope you have, Jason, because I feel so drawn to you.

As they strolled toward his home, they chatted about other things and finished their drinks. Each assumed the other didn’t want to talk about past spouses, as neither had followed up on earlier mentions or hints of them. When their cups were empty, Jason carried them.

Cass paused here and there to pick up pretty augers, whelks, slippers, cockles, and one perfect angel wing. She held her shells in one hand and used the other to collect treasures which she planned to place in a small decorative jar as souvenirs of this wonderful day with him.

Just before they reached his gate, Cass shrieked “Ouch!” and hopped about on her left foot. “Sandspur,” she explained as she winced, putting down only her toes to keep from driving the spines deeper into her heel.

Jason knelt, dropped the cups, and said, “Hold on to my shoulder and lift your foot.” As she obeyed and he clasped her ankle, he warned, “It’s going to smart when I pull it out.” He grasped the spur and removed it, noting her flinch and the prickles on his fingers. “I’m sure a spine is still in there, so I’ll take a look at it after we get inside and I’ll tend it for you.”

“Thanks. That’s what I get for going barefooted, but I couldn’t resist.”

Jason closed and locked the gate behind them, collected Cass’s shoes, and had her hold on to his arm as she hobbled to the lanai. “Sit here while I fetch my medical bag and a
magnifier. Trust me, woman, I’ve done this plenty of times for Stacey and Traci and my grandsons.”

As she watched him disappear into the house, her mind quipped,
He wants me to trust him, but do I dare when so much is at stake? Do I stand a chance of having a happy future with you? Will you break my heart?
She cautioned herself to travel a slow and easy road where he was concerned, but could she when he tempted her at every turn and stop along the way?

Jason brought out his medical bag, magnifier, and items from his medicine chest. He left again to fetch a large plastic bowl of water, liquid soap, and a cloth. When he returned and set them aside, he propped her right leg on an ottoman with her foot extended over its edge. He sat on the floor to wash and dry her foot. Afterward, he examined the injured area with the magnifying glass. “Yep, there’s the little troublemaker. You’re lucky, woman, the tip is protruding slightly so I can get a grip on it. Relax, Cass, I’m going to numb it a little with Xylocaine ointment so it won’t hurt.”

With a cotton ball, he dabbed the reddening spot with anesthetic balm. “Now, we’ll wait a few minutes to let that work before I start poking on it. How about a Coke or some water?”

“Water would be good. Thanks.”

“I’ll be back in a flash.”

Cass glanced at her leg and foot, glad she had shaved and lotioned one and polished the toenails of the other after removing dead skin from her heels and soles with a pumice stone last night. Her skirt had parted slightly, but not enough to be suggestive, so she didn’t lean forward to conceal her knees. It was sheer rapture to have him touching her, being so close to her, being so attentive and almost pampering her, which was something she was unaccustomed to with Tom. Thomas Ethan Grantham needed to be catered to. But Jason, he was so different from that, so kind and considerate and thoughtful. Unless he was putting on a good front to dupe her, which she doubted.

After Jason fetched her water and a Coke for himself, he sat on the floor and checked her foot again. “Can you feel that?”

“Yes and no. I feel you touching my toe, but it doesn’t hurt.”

“Good, I’ll get started.” He took out a small pair of forceps, grasped the spine, and removed it. He checked its tip to make certain it hadn’t broken off under the skin, and it hadn’t. He applied an antiseptic solution, smiled at her, and said, “Finished. Shouldn’t give you any problem later. Of course, it may be a tiny bit sore and sensitive for a day or two; that’s normal. To be so small, those spines can hurt like the devil.”

Cass nodded agreement, then held up the angel wings from the beach and said, “I would give these to you, Doc, if I could figure out a way to pin them on your back. You certainly deserve them. Thanks.”

“You can show your appreciation by not being to hard on me in our chess game,” he joked with a grin, absently stroking her bare foot as he did so.

Cass laughed and teased, “Are you asking me to lose on purpose?”

“Moi?”
he asked, tapping his chest and chuckling. “Would I do something wicked like that?”

Cass sent him a playfully skeptical look and teased, “You might be a little deceitful or mischievous under certain circumstances, such as when you don’t want to have a bruised ego, but never intentionally dishonest.”

Having stood while she was speaking, he made a half-bow and said, “I appreciate your confidence and faith in me. You rest a minute after your trying ordeal while I put these things away and set up the chess table and board. Which color do you want: black or white?”

“Black, because a white knight should always wear his code of honor.”

Jason grinned and asked, “Do you have any idea how much fun you are? It’s a pleasure to spend time with you.”

Cass hoped her cheeks weren’t a rosy color, but they felt mighty warm.
My, oh, my, Jason Burkman, are you too good to be for real?
“Thanks for the compliment, and I enjoy your company, too.”

“Great. I’ll return for you soon.”
I need a little distance and time to get myself under control.

Twenty-five minutes into their game, each had made many moves and countermoves, sacrificing or losing by accident certain pieces, and taking a few from the opponent. The folding chess, table with squares painted atop it was small, so there wasn’t much distance between them as they leaned forward to watch each other’s plays and to plan strategies. Beneath it, their knees often touched, his bared by his shorts and hers by parted panels of her skirt. Their gazes often locked for a minute or two. They sipped on another tropical drink, but only half the size of the first one; its fruity fragrance caused them to think of an island paradise. The smell of the ocean and blooming flowers entered through the opened doors to the screened lanai which captured them from outside and passed them along. Soft music from a CD floated in the air from the surround system. Dusk was approaching, so recessed bulbs were on dim wattage to provide sufficient light. The atmosphere in the room was titillating and romantic.