Part 596
For the next hour, Becca walked the narrow foot paths through the woods on the back acreage of the Taylor property. The dense canopy of the old trees kept her relatively dry, but by the time Becca reached the clearing by cabin, it had begun to rain in earnest.
“Great,” she mumbled. “Maybe I’ll get pneumonia, then they’ll HAVE to send me home.” Sneezing, she sprinted the last few yards to the front steps, pulling her sweater tightly around herself. It was unseasonably cold, and the dampness in the air just seemed to dovetail with her mood of late. She considered going back down to the main house, but the rain was beginning to fall even harder now. Resolving to head back as soon as there was a break in the rain, she settled onto the double-wide porch swing and began to rock slowly back and forth. There was a fog beginning to swirl around the ground at the edge of the trees, and it leant an eerie silence to the scenery.
Becca leaned her head back, watching the rain drip off the roof, and smiling as the birds flew into the trees for shelter. It was so beautiful here. So beautiful, but it wasn’t … home.
Home. Bright sunshine, salty sea breezes, sand between your toes, skimpy swimsuits, Nick …
Crap. Becca’s eyes filled and she was thrust back into her depression again. It wasn’t fair, and she was tired of pretending everything was fine. She was tired and she wanted to go home. The breeze picked up, blowing rain across the porch where Becca was huddled, and she sneezed again. Maybe she should call the main house, surely someone would come pick her up? Reaching into her pocket she realized that her cell phone was back at the main house, on the dresser in her bedroom. Turned off.
“Why not?” she laughed ruefully. “It’s poetic justice. I act like a spoiled brat, so God strands me up here in this godforsaken place.” Getting off the swing, she paced the length of the porch, stamping her feet to get them warm. After she’d paced back and forth in front of the main door about a dozen times, she finally stopped. “If there IS a God, then Sarah and Howie left the door unlocked this morning. I’m freezing, and I need to use the bathroom. And I’m talking to myself. Dear God, I have hypothermia.”
Becca pulled her hands out of her pockets and twisted the doorknob. “Oh my god, it worked,” she sighed. “I’ll just call the main house and …” she picked up the phone, but there was no dial tone. “Shit.” She looked around guiltily. “Wait, Garrett isn’t here, so I can say words like that. Well then … shit.” She stomped her foot for good measure and sneezed again. Reaching for the tissue box on the end table, she finally stopped long enough to drink in her surroundings. “Holy god, this is incredible,” she breathed. The décor was everything Sarah had described and dreamed about, right down to the last detail. And the fireplace –
“Wait a minute, they left a fire burning? That’s not like Sarah …” Cautiously Becca walked closer, drawn forward by the flickering flames and the warmth. Out of pure instinct, she raised her hands to the fire, flexing her fingers and letting the healing warmth seep into her body.
“I thought you were going to stay outside all night,” the softly deep voice said as she started with surprise. Nick smiled down at her as she whirled about, and he knew he was the last person Becca had expected to find in the cabin.
“Nick?”
“Here, this will help you warm up.” He handed her a glass of white wine, and she was so taken aback that she didn’t even question the alcohol content as she drank it down.
“Nick, I don’t understand.” Becca’s heart was pounding as she took him in from head to toe. Dressed in tighter than normal faded jeans, he had on an ivory colored cable knit sweater. To top it off, his hair looked like he’d just … well, he looked well-loved. She sighed, swallowing back the lump in her throat as he smiled again, reaching for her empty glass.
“Want more?” he asked softly. When she nodded her head, he padded softly to the antique sideboard. He was barefoot, so he hardly made a sound as he walked. Becca realized this was how he’d seemingly come from out of nowhere.
“Thank you,” she whispered, taking the glass from his fingers. “Nick-”
“Shh,” he whispered, brushing the backs of his fingers over her cheek. “Just relax, Bec.”
Relax. Right. If she had any more wine, she’d be asleep. “Nick, take this,” she said, thrusting the glass back into his hand. “I can’t drink this, Garrett-”
“GT is well taken care of and all settled for the night, Bec.”
“But-”
Nick laughed and kissed her on the tip of her nose. “Go upstairs. Second door on the left is … well, just go on up. I still have some things to do down here.”
“Nick-” Becca’s face was the picture of confusion, and when Nick smiled indulgently, it threw her off even more.
Nick pulled her close for a gentle hug. “Trust me?” he whispered.
Becca nodded her head, unsure of her ability to speak coherently.
“Ok, then. Go on upstairs. Take your time, and when you’re ready, come on back down here.”
“Ready?” she squeaked. “Ready for what?”
“Baby, just go. I’ll be waiting for you.” Nick chuckled, rested his hands on her shoulders and physically turned her toward the stairs. Giving her a gentle push, he bit his lip to keep from laughing and watched her warily climb the staircase. He waited until he heard the distinct sounds of a door closing before turning back to his tasks. Opening the cabinet to take out dishes, he quickly pulled out his cell phone and dialed Sarah’s dad’s house.
“Is she there?” Sarah grabbed the phone by the second ring.
“Hello to you, too,” Nick laughed.
“I have caller ID blondie, cut to the chase.”
“Yes,” he laughed, “she’s here. And confused as hell.”
Sarah grinned, jiggling Garrett on her free arm as he fussed. “Good. It will make your job a lot easier.”
“Job?” he laughed. “Making love to my wife is not a ‘job’, okay?”
“I hear you, Nick. Look, just enjoy the time together and we’ll see you sometime tomorrow.”
“You sure GT is gonna be okay?” he asked, cradling the phone against his neck while struggling to take their dinner out of the oven.
“Garrett is just fine. Stop worrying or Becca’s gonna sense it and all your plans will go to hell. It’s a ‘mom’ thing, Nick. YOU need to convince her that one night away is not gonna do him any permanent damage. Now hang up the phone and go … go do what you’ve both wanted to do for weeks.”
“Okay, okay,” Nick laughed, surrendering. “Sarah?”
“WHAT Nick?” she sighed, rolling her eyes.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. See you tomorrow.” And with a soft, indulgent smile she hung up, looking down into Garrett’s bright blue eyes. “Argh!” she groaned. “You are SO like your father. Do NOT look at me that way.”