An adult stories – There Is No Knight in Shining Armor by Daddysgirlfl,Daddysgirlfl Eydie is forced to go back to her hometown but must face the demons she avoided for years. She was too old to believe in a knight in shining armor, yet there he was, still waiting… Her childhood friend.
Enjoy!
Xo
DG
.
THERE IS NO KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR
.
.
The deep blue sky was adorned with fluffy white cotton candies. At least until the plane started its descent into Tampa Airport. The thick greying clouds looked like deflated whipping cream, the morning after. An overcast Tampa matched my sullen attitude.
It wasn’t as though I resented coming home to retrieve my mother’s ashes and sign some papers. It was that I could think of just about anywhere I’d rather be than the small town I grew up in.
We taxied towards the terminal, and I buttoned my suit jacket and attempted to smooth my skirt. A suit in Florida wasn’t necessary, but my working attire made me most comfortable. Which added to my surly attitude because I wouldn’t be working since, I’d be here. Depending on how long it would take to wrap up the paperwork and sell the house. Mom had done as much as she could, including a directive that I not be there at the end. I was her only child and she thought about me right until the end.
I blinked back tears, loosened my seat belt, crowded into the aisle, and retrieved my bag from the overhead. A man used the tight confines to his advantage to move in closer than necessary. I looked over my shoulder at him and smiled and was rewarded with a confident grin.
I turned my head, and he brought his ear close to my lips. After a steamy breath I said, “Would you kindly get your hard dick off of me.”
His face flushed, and at the expense of the person behind him, he quickly stepped back. It was a good thing that he didn’t trust what my next move might be.
.
I avoided driving through town on my way to the house and took the back roads. If you know Florida, you know that the sparse backroads could take you miles out of your way. There was rarely a direct drive anywhere.
In no hurry, I stopped and put the top down on my red rental Mustang and decided to enjoy the day that had become sunny. In contrast to New York City, which was gloomy, damp, and cold when I left early this morning.
I frowned when Chris Stapleton stopped singing mid-sentence to allow a phone call to come through.
“Chandra!” I imagined her tapping her pencil eraser on her paperwork with her usual impatience.
“Eydie! How was the trip? How’s the weather?” she asked and continued before giving me time to answer. That was Chandra. “Hey, I wanted to ask about the files you left on your desk—”
I answered all her questions and eventually filled her in on the flight and the weather. She was my office assistant and the best one I’d ever had. She was me when I was her age. I knew when she was my age, she’d be even further along in her career. I’d guide her and when she was ready, I’d sacrifice and let her fly.
The call ended and Brett Young was singing you had my heart a long, long time ago… in case you didn’t know. I quickly hit the button to the next satellite station, but not before my heart did a quick flip.
I pulled up in front of the neat white cottage that was flanked each side by a variety of massive old roses. The moss still hung low from the trees, and the scent of jasmine was thick in the air, just as Mom had designed. She had been gone from the house a month, but her presence was palpable. I still expected to hear call from the kitchen. I dropped the keys on the table inside the door and carried my bag up the stairs to my old room.
I knew my room would be as I left it. The softball trophies, ribbons from events I don’t even remember, pictures tucked into the mirror frame, a wrist corsage with perfectly dried blood-red roses. All are still there. Waiting to intensify the memories.
I saw Mom a lot, but just not there. I flew her to New York often. She loved the city and for that I was glad. All holidays and birthdays were celebrated in the city.
But now it was time to come home and deal with all the memories. It was a small town, and everyone knew what everyone else was doing. Mom never shared and I was grateful. When I graduated college, I moved from there to the city for a job. I never looked back.
Gazing around my room laid painfully bare just how different I was. I’m thirty-five and this is a teenager’s room, so of course nothing would be the same in that way. But it was somewhat painful that I could not remember the girl that lived in this room.
I pulled open a dresser drawer and smiled at the neatly folded stacks of clothes. The light scent of detergent, the fresh smell of the outdoors. My mom didn’t miss a thing, I thought fondly, catching my lower lip between my teeth before I could full on cry.
The cutoff jean shorts were snugger than I remembered and showed a bit more ass than I remember. I pulled on a white t-shirt with Cary High School emblazoned across the front.
I laughed louder when I checked myself in the mirror and saw the knit stretched tightly across my much-developed breasts. An expanse of skin showed above the jeans and below the t-shirt hem. I shrugged; happy I could fit into my high school clothes at all.
.
Glad I had the foresight to have groceries delivered, I went into the kitchen to throw lunch together. I went to the front porch to eat.
“Eydie? Is that you, hon?” I started awake. Dozing in the sun in Florida isn’t smart and I jumped up and went to unlock the door.
“Mrs. Slocum!” I was genuinely happy to see the woman that had been our neighbor ever since I could remember. I hugged her around the casserole dish she was holding.
“Oh, I’m so happy to see you, honey. It has been way too long,” she said, handing me the dish. “I’m so sorry about your mother. She was so afraid you’d come here at the end. She was adamant that you not be here, you know.”
“Thank you. Yes, I do know. It was difficult staying away, but I respected her wishes. Please come sit down. How’s Grady?” I asked after my neighbor and best friend all through high school.
“Oh, I can’t stay, I must get back. He’s doing wonderfully! I hope you can see him before you go. He bought a house a couple of blocks over.”
I wasn’t sure if I’d see her son. I hoped to escape town without seeing anyone at all.
“Thank you again! I’ll try to get over to see you soon.”
I peeked under the foil before putting it away. Macaroni and hamburger casserole, dotted with juicy pieces of her garden tomatoes. My favorite. She remembered.
I sniffled.
.
The next morning, I automatically put on a summer suit, pulled my blonde hair up, applied a light coat of makeup, slipped on my high heels, and headed downtown to the lawyer’s office.
“Eydie, it’s great to see you!” he said enthusiastically, then remembering why I was there, toned it down and added, “Under the circumstances. So sorry about your mother. Gladys and I loved her. We often had her to dinner.”
Mr. Rossi was a big burly man of Italian descent. He didn’t look any older than when I left town so many years ago.
I shook his hand. “Thank you and it’s wonderful to see you again. Please say hello to your wife for me.”
He spread the contents of a file across the big mahogany desk.
“Your mom took care of every last detail she possible. That you’re an only child makes it even smoother. The house is in your name and taxes and any payments like that are taken care of. I don’t know if you plan to keep or sell?”
“I believe I’ll be selling it,” I said.
A shadow of sadness quickly crossed his face and he nodded. “I understand. I know some folks were hoping you might move back to town.”
I opened my mouth to ask who that might be but didn’t.
I signed all the necessary paperwork and left. Now it was a matter of cleaning out the house and calling in a realtor.
The Tog Shop was next door. I remembered that back in the day togs were just another name for Florida vacation clothes and loved that they kept the name.
The window mannequins sported resort wear that invited snowbirds and vacationers in. Wide-brimmed sun hats in natural, swimsuits and bikinis in coral with matching beach bags. Sandals that wrapped the ankles and flashed with colorful stones. White shorts with a midriff top, a nod to current fashion. The blue and white stripe and white embroidered anchor, are a wink to old Florida style.
Other than a pair of shorts and a top that I brought with me, I had nothing suitable to wear while I was here. My high school clothes were mostly inappropriate to wear outside the house, and my business attire was just as unsuitable.
The bell on the door trilled when I walked in.
“Hey,” a female voice drawled from somewhere amongst the racks. “Welcome to the Tog Shop. Have a look around and let me know if you’d be needin’ any help.”
“Thank you, I will,” I answered.
I quickly flipped through the clothes on the hanging racks and chose shorts and tops to try on. The store was the same as when I lived here, and likely the same as when Mom was a teenager. I spotted the fitting rooms and wove through all the brightly colored racks of clothing.
The bell tinkled again, and several female voices chattered. I grabbed the clothes I wanted to buy and left the remainder in the room.
I placed them on the old glass counter and dug in my purse for a credit card.
“Will that be all, honey?”
“Yes, thanks,” I said, looking up and sliding the card across the glass.
“Well, I’ll be durned! If’n it ain’t Eydie!” she said somewhere in between a shriek and a trill.
I looked at her, blinked, searched my memory, and came up blank. Totally blank.
“I’m sorry, I—” I stumbled.
“Y’all don’t remember me, do you? I’m Grady’s cousin, Gloria!” She hesitated, seeing my confusion. “Little Gloria?”
Just as the light went on, another face appeared in front of me. “Well, there’s Eydie. Whatever brings you back to our little town.”
This one I knew. The voice and the face. Janice. She latched on to Rex immediately after I left for college and had him at the altar within months. It was during that time that he and I planned on meeting at college with him starting two semesters after me. It was about time I quit thinking about my hometown and almost everyone in it.
I smiled warmly at Gloria. “No wonder I didn’t remember you. You were just a little pigtailed kid when I last saw you. Just look at you now, hon,” I said sincerely. She was a buck-toothed little girl that blossomed into a breathtaking beauty.
Her grin was broad and bright. “Thanks, Eydie. Grady–we all missed you a lot.”
“So, what brings you back to our little town,” Janice butted in with her acidic voice.
“My mom died.” I relished the shock on her face, “I thought you’d know seeing as how it’s such a little town.”
She did look embarrassed.
“No, I had no idea. Sorry.” She turned and began to absently go through the summer dress rack.
I paid for my purchases, said goodbye to Gloria, and wondered how much Janice was going to put on Rex’s credit card. Triple digits at least, I hoped.
.
Mom’s heirloom roses and jasmine were her pride and joy. Everyone always told her that the cottage and gardens could be on the cover of Cottage Homes, and it was still true. She must have tended them right up until the end because hardly anything was overgrown.
I worked the shed door open and pulled on a pair of Mom’s well-worn garden gloves and picked up the clippers. I trimmed while I wandered through the yard. Mom had designed her garden to seem much larger than it was with paths that curved throughout.
Each turn had a hidden surprise. A low-water container for wildlife. A wind chime she made from the seashells we picked up at the beach. A cascading fountain with a small chair to stop for a while and enjoy.
In the end, I came out to a small patio with four chairs. That was a surprise because I’d not seen it before. On closer inspection, I saw my Mom’s hand in the concrete slabs because they were inlaid with bits of colorful broken glass, seashells, and other little odd trinkets.
Bathed in the Florida sun, the glass glistened like a kaleidoscope of sparkling sapphires, rubies, and emeralds.
The tears finally flowed. I sobbed that my Mom was no longer here. I sobbed for myself at the time I lost with her. I mourned until my head hurt and my eyes were puffy.
And that was how Grady found me.
“Eydie.”
Grady knelt next to my chair, his hand on my shoulder. Still too upset to be mortified by anyone seeing me like this, I cried even harder when I saw him. He was the beating heart of my childhood, a sunlit meadow of my fondest memories. He was never not there. He never caused me any pain.
He sat in the Adirondack chair next to mine and pulled me into his lap, crooning and rocking me as I wept on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” I blubbered.
“Oh, shut up,” he growled with humor and sympathy. As only Grady could do and despite myself, I giggled with an inelegant gurgle.
It wasn’t as though Grady hadn’t seen me at my worst moments. The day I became a woman was traumatic and he was there for me. Even though my Mom had explained what was going to happen, nothing could prepare a girl for bleeding.
When he saw me on my porch dressed in a lace and satin semi-formal, hair piled up on my head, controlled with half a can of hairspray, waiting for the date for the school dance to never show up. How he ran in, showered, found a suit and pulled up in his Dad’s car at the end of the walkway, got out, and opened the passenger door just as though my date was with him. He even scrounged up a corsage.
He never left my side during the trauma of my Dad’s death.
“You’re always here for me. I don’t deserve a friend like you,” I said, punctuated by hiccups.
“You don’t. Yet here I am, always at the ready,” he said, grinning.
I sniffed. “I’m serious. You’re the best friend I ever had,” I admitted, just realizing it now. “And I’ve been the worst friend ever.”
“Oh come, don’t be ridiculous. I’ve had way worse,” he said, and I heard the laughter in his voice. I tugged the auburn hair that curled around the edge of his shirt. “Ow! You always did like to beat me up.”
“I did. And you let me.”
“Well yeah, because I was always a gentleman.”
“You were.”
Butterflies suddenly appeared over Mom’s butterfly garden, and we sat in silence watching their delicate and brilliant wings color the sky.
I didn’t think that I really should get off his lap and move to the other chair, and he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to let me go. His arm wrapped around my back, and I felt protected. I didn’t realize how much I missed that. Grady had always made me feel protected. Especially at my most vulnerable.
Like now.
After a while, I dried up and I hoped my eyes weren’t so puffy I sat up.
“Your legs have to be going to sleep,” I grinned.
“Yeah, but you were so comfortable I’d never complain.”
I looked at him for a moment. “No, you wouldn’t, would you.”
He smiled and ran his hand comfortingly over my back.
“I do have to get to the clinic though. I’m sad to say because I’m enjoying my time with you in your Mom’s garden. She would have been beside herself to see us together.”
“She loved anyone that loved her garden for sure.”
He just smiled in response.
.
Chandra called later that afternoon.
“So, are you about ready to get back here?” she asked without any preliminaries.
I laughed. “I’m still working on it. I know the office isn’t falling apart, you’re there.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere. At least a few more days off.” I heard the smile in her voice.
“I have a few more loose ends to tie up here than I realized. I got the Wi-Fi hooked up so you can send anything that needs my attention.”
We were a small department within a large corporation. They paid no attention to us as long as we ran smoothly, which of course we always did.
“So far so good. I hope you can take some time to relax while you’re there. I mean I know it’s an unpleasant visit, so I wasn’t saying—”
“I know what you meant Chandra, and I really appreciate it. You’re a good friend too.”
We talked business a bit and ended the conversation.
.
I’d finally worked up the nerve to go into Mom’s bedroom and was surprised to see the closet empty and boxes neatly stacked in front. Someone had come in and packed all of her clothing, leaving only the things they knew I would want.
The relief I felt nearly knocked me off my feet. I did not need to go through her clothing, and it would only have served to upset me more.
On the bed were boxes of items that I would want to go through. I don’t know who did this, but I owed them a debt of gratitude.
I was weepy on and off but got through the afternoon narrowing down what I wanted to keep. I called the thrift store in the next town over because I knew had many folks of more meager means and they were happy to come pick up. Late afternoon I carried all the boxes out and stacked them on the front porch.
Just as I was going in, an older somewhat beat up car slowed in front of the house and turned into the driveway. I couldn’t tell who it was with the glare on the windshield. The door opened and I waited and wondered who it could be because I’d kept my visit quiet.
Who emerged was the quarterback of Cary High School football. The last person I wanted to see. Ever. Rex. Janice’s Rex to be accurate.
He walked up the sidewalk smiling, and shocked me when I felt nothing. Not dislike or like. Just nothing. It was as though he was a stranger.
“Eydie, you look great sweetheart. I heard you were in town and had to come see you.”
I got out what I thought was a smile and said, “Well, you’ve seen me, Rex.”
I stood half in the doorway to the house, holding the screen door in front of me like a shield.
“I’d hoped you put it all behind us,” he said with alarming sincerity.
“Put it behind us,” I said evening. “The man that was supposed to meet me at college runs away with another girl the second I leave for said college.” I just looked at him for a long second wondering what I ever saw in him. “I have put it all behind me. You. The situation. Everything. Long ago.”
“Awh c’mon Eydie, don’t be like that. It was you I loved. I had to get married. Chandra was pregnant. I had no choice.”
I saw red. Enraged, I said, “You mean you were fucking her before I even left for college? You had no intention of meeting me there. You’re an even bigger dick than I took you for.”
“I planned on going to college. Meeting you there the second semester,” he said, trailing off.
I stepped in, closed the screen door, and hooked it. Just then a shiny blue pickup truck pulled into the drive, parked alongside Rex’s rusted car, and Grady got out.
“But you fucked Janice and knocked her up instead.” I shook my head. Just looking at him turned my stomach. “Go away, Rex. Just go away. I do not want to see you anymore.”
Grady walked up the sidewalk, brushing by Rex.
“You heard her, Rex. Leave her alone.”
Grady’s tone bore no backtalk and Rex jumped in his car and peeled out the drive and down the road.
“Thanks, you have a knack for showing up at just the right time. C’mon in,” I said, unhooking the creaky wooden screen door and pushing it open.
He saw the boxes on the porch and said, “You had a tough day.”
“Not as bad as it could be. Someone had already boxed her clothing up. I’m forever grateful to whoever did that.”
“Mom came over and did that. She knew how rough it would be on you. Going through her clothes and all.”
“Oh my god, I have to go over and thank your Mom. She was always so good to me.”
“She’d love you to visit, I know.”
“Hey, I was just getting ready to put some dinner together. Just veggies and chicken for stir fry.”
“Sounds great, thanks, I’d love to,” he said following me into the kitchen. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
We worked in a familiar and comforting silence while he chopped vegetables and I readied the chicken. I pulled a couple of longnecks out of the refrigerator and handed him one.
“You got it covered,” he laughed.
“But of course,” I said, inclining my head. “We have a few while the chicken marinates. How about a porch sit?”
We both laughed at the quip my Mom used to make. She was always ready for a porch sit.
The boxes were gone, picked up by the thrift. We settled into the old sturdy wicker furniture that we had ever since I could remember. It was freshly painted and had new cushions, and ready for a bit of sittin’.
“So, Doctor, how goes it with you?”
“Well, my business took right off when I graduated. But the fact I’m the only veterinarian around might have had something to do with that.” He laughed. “I have two vet techs that are my right arms, and we can handle a pretty good load.”
“I can so see you as a vet. You were always so gentle,” I smiled fondly at the memories. “Do you ever get bored? In this town, I mean. Ever want to go to a big city somewhere?”
He thought for a moment. “Not really no. With Mom here I wouldn’t go anywhere anyhow, but even if I could… I’m not sure I would. I’m happy here.”
I nodded, understanding. “I planned on coming back after–”
“After you and Rex graduated,” he finished.
I nodded. “But it worked out okay. I got a job with a Fortune 500 company in a very small department. They pay no attention to us because we always knock it out of the park.” I laughed. “It’s a good, challenging, but quiet job. I have an assistant that’s perfect and running the show for me now. Although I can always work remotely, which I probably will have to if I stay any longer,” I chuckled.
“Sounds like you have a good life, Eydie. Anyone special in your life?”
“Not really, I date a few but mostly busy with work.”
He nodded. “Same here.”
We sat in silence for a while, lost in our thoughts.
“Say, that chicken should be ready. Are you ready to learn how to stir fry?”
“Ready!”
Grady helped me clean up afterwards and left to go check on some animals at his clinic.
I showered and snuggled into bed. Even though it was a tough day, but that Grady was here changed everything. He was my best friend in childhood, and it seems as though we hadn’t lost those years in between.
.
The next morning, I went into town and went by the clinic. I slowed to read the sign, Grady Slocum, DVM. I felt a swell of pride and oddly enough happiness.
Before I could dwell on that, I stopped at the county to check on Mom’s house where they told me that she had paid the taxes to cover the following year. Nothing was owed.
“Oh Mom, you thought of everything. I know you want me to stay, but my life and job are in New York City now. I know you’re reminding me about Grady now and I will admit I didn’t realize how big a hole I had in my life until he filled it in.”
I drove on for a while.
“Mom, you know how easy it would be for me to fall in love with him, but I got hurt in this town before, and not sure I want to set myself up for it again. What if I fall in love with him, and he doesn’t return it? Then I return to New York with a broken heart not only from you not being here but from losing him.”
But he has to be mine to even lose, I thought.
When I got home, I picked a bouquet from the garden and went over to tap on Mrs. Slocum’s door.
“Why honey it’s wonderful to see you. C’mon in! I’m just bakin’ some cookies for Grady, but I don’t think he’d mind sharin’ some with you,” she smiled conspiratorially.
“Mmm, it smells wonderful in here. Chocolate chip?” She nodded. “My favorite too. I’ll just put these in a vase for you.”
She filled the percolator with coffee and soon the kitchen smelled of fresh coffee and chocolate, and it almost made me teary.
“Have you had a chance to visit with Grady?” she asked, sitting down after pouring two mugs of coffee and placing a big plate of warm cookies on the table.
“I have yes. He was over for dinner last night actually. Well, he happened to be there, so it worked perfectly. I taught him to stir fry.”
She laughed heartily and slapped her hand on the table. “I bet that was a sight!”
“He did very well, other than the burnt bits.” And we both laughed.
“I was pickin’ up my mail and noticed Rex over there,” she frowned.
I looked down at my mug and twirled it on the worn Formica table.
“Yeah, that was quite a surprise. One that I hope doesn’t happen again.”
She nodded. “I’m sure.
“You know he never made much of himself. Not goin’ off to college with you was a big mistake. He ended up strapped with those kids and one dead-end job after another. They barely make ends meet, but you see Janice down there at the Tog Shop buying up everythin’ in sight.”
“That’s too bad really,” I said, actually feeling some sympathy. “But you’re right, he should have gone after some education, even if it wasn’t college. Plenty of technical schools to learn just about whatever your interest.”
I nibbled on a cookie and sipped my coffee while Mrs. Slocum caught me up on the town gossip. So many people passed on, so many young people leaving. The town was growing smaller. I was sad to hear that.
I helped her clean up her baking dishes and headed back over to the house. I looked around, knowing I should be going through things and boxing them up, but I just wasn’t ready. I pulled a book out and went out to Mom’s glittering patio.
I must have dozed because I jerked awake to a soft rose petal stroking my cheek.
“Oh! It’s you,” I said, inelegantly.
“Yeah, back like a bad penny,” Grady said.
I laughed. “That isn’t exactly the way I meant it. Not at all in fact.” I looked at him. “Really glad you’re here.”
He was leaning over the chair, his head shading my face from the sun. I looked at him in anticipation. I did want him to kiss me, and he knew it. He brushed his lips on mine before pressing in.
I touched his cheek with my fingertips hoping it was enough to hold him. He tilted his head, and we increased the depth of the kiss. We were still tentative. Learning each other. Not rushing.
He backed off an inch. “Mmm, well that was a surprise. A very nice one.”
“Yesss, it was,” I said, slowly sliding my fingers over his daily stubble.
He turned and lowered himself into the chair next to me.
“We need an umbrella out here,” he commented.
“Yes, that’s exactly what we need. The sun is getting brutal.”
I smiled to myself thinking we sounded like an old married couple.
“Oh, I brought you something.” He handed me a big white bakery box.
“Uh oh, this is going to be something really good, I just know it!” I peeked in to see a big red strawberry pie piled high with whipped cream. “Oh myyyyyyy,” I moaned.
“Well, you made dinner for me last night and I was impolite enough to not bring dessert.”
“Ahhh, so now we have dessert but no dinner,” I tried to hide my smile.
“Yeah, seems so.”
“So maybe we can rustle something up in the kitchen.”
“Thought you’d never ask!” He looked in the refrigerator. “Hey, there’s more vegetables and chicken, and since I did such a stellar job stir-frying last night, how about a repeat? Unless two of the same in a row is bad.”
“Are you joking?! I can stir fry every night if I could.”
“This time, I want to do it all. See if I’ve improved.”
I chopped this time and he cooked, and it was perfect.
We found a movie and he stayed late to watch. I walked him to his truck.
“I had fun, Eydie. Just like old times.”
“Well maybe not just like, but pretty darn close.”
“No?” he asked quizzically.
I cupped my hand around the back of his neck, went on tiptoe, and kissed him.
“No, we never did this,” I whispered, my lips brushing his.
He gathered me in his arms, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, and we locked in for a long passionate kiss.
He moaned and broke away, but not before I felt his hardness pressed against me.
“I better go before I stay.”
One last look and he turned, jumped in his truck, and was gone.
.
The next morning my phone rang. Chandra.
“Long time no hear,” she said, getting right to the point.
“Yeah, clearing the house is taking longer than I expect,” I lied. “How’s it going there? It’s the slow season so no problem. Just checking in to see if you’re alright. That’s got to be tough cleaning out your Mom’s things.”
“It is. I’ve had help from old friends, which makes it better.”
She filled me in on business happenings and we hung up.
.
I wandered the house still loathe to start packing. I oddly thought of how nice the kitchen would be with a remodel.
I decided to go up and clear my room. Which was easy. Most went in one box because it was associated with Rex. I did keep a few things. The dried corsage Grady got me for the dance. A few other things. The rest went in the trash.
The room was gloomy once everything was off the walls.
I grabbed my keys and jumped in the Mustang.
I heard Grady call my name. “I’m upstairs. Come on up!”
He walked in and looked around. “You’re painting?”
“Yeah, I packed my stuff, and the room was yuck.”
“Ah. Okay then.” He crossed in arms in front of him and watched me for a moment. “Would you like some help?”
“Hellyeah!”
We had it painted in no time.
“It is brighter,” he said.
“Yep,” I said with a feeling of accomplishment.
“But I guess I’m not sure why. You’re not going to sell the house now?”
“I might… Yeah, probably will… Sometime.”
“Alrighty then. Go get cleaned up, I’m taking you to dinner and it won’t be stir fry,” he laughed.
“Boo,” I said, pouting.
He gave me a light kiss, slapped me on the ass, and said, “Get going!”
We drove a ways towards the coast to a seemingly empty parking lot. But for the big food truck with people lined up waiting for their serving of smoked barbecue.
“Oh my gosh, I love barbecue!” I nearly bounced in my seat.
“And this is the best!”
I found a picnic table under a shady tree. He set three white foam containers down in the middle of the table and sat next to me.
“Okay, what we have here is smoked brisket, and this here is pulled pork, and this here is chicken.”
“Whoa,” said breathing in the wonderful smell.
He had a bag full of napkins, extra sauce, greasy French fries, and two plastic tubs of coleslaw.
We didn’t eat half of the food and it was decided the leftovers would reside in my refrigerator until tomorrow night for leftovers.
I liked knowing that he’d be over again tomorrow night.
“Hey, you got a bit of sauce right here,” he said, leaning over and sucking my lower lip before pressing in for a kiss.
“Mmm, you taste good.”
“You do too, babe.” He looked at me and tucked my hair behind my ear. “Guess we should go and free up this table for others.”
He helped me up into his truck.
“Do you mind if we make a quick stop? I need to check on a horse.”
“No, not at all!”
Large cattle and horse ranches went for miles in these parts. I’d often look back at those long lanes wondering what was at the end. What the ranch house looked like. If I was lucky, we would go through when a cowboy would be out. Daddy told me that he could be checking his fence line, looking at the small wells they used for watering the cattle or checking on the outer pastures. That we had cowboys here in Florida was exciting to me at that age.
Grady turned back one of those long lanes and we rode for a while before the building came into sight. Ranches here could be hundreds and even thousands of acres, so a house and a few outbuildings could get lost.
“Wow, they’re gorgeous,” I breathed.
“Arabians. This is one of the top breeders of Arabian horses. They’re worth a small fortune.” We pulled up by a barn. “C’mon, you can get out if you want.”
I nearly fell out of the truck in my excitement. Oh, if my coworkers could see me now, the usually serious and sedate Eydie, excited like a child about horses.
As soon as my feet hit the ground, one of the horses trotted right over to the fence. I ran my hand over the sleek chestnut coat. He snuffled my hand, then hung his head over to snuffle my neck.
I quietly talked to him, telling him that he shouldn’t do that to ladies he doesn’t know. How ungentlemanly it was. He looked at me, snorted, and dipped his head and I laughed.
“You made a friend,” Grady said, coming out of the barn.
“I was teaching him some manners,” I said seriously.
“Oh boy, I’m glad I wasn’t on the receiving end of that!”
I elbowed him. “Yes, you are!”
We got back to the house, and he walked me to the door.
“I can’t stay, I have early surgery tomorrow morning.”
He cupped the side of my face. “Too bad, but I understand.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed him. He pulled me close, and our kisses deepened. Our tongues searching and tasting. He pulled back, growled, and rested his forehead against mine.
“It’s getting hard to leave you, Eydie,” he admitted, and I nodded.
“Me too, but you need your sleep so you don’t cut something off you shouldn’t.”
He laughed hard. “Thanks for looking out for me!”
I winked. “Anytime!”
I went upstairs and surveyed my bedroom. Now that the paint was dried, it was a beautiful buttery yellow. Much brighter than the purple I had in high school, I thought, laughing to myself.
I had been staying in the third bedroom, which was part storage. I slept in a single bed which was fine for me, especially since it was only temporary.
I poured a cup of coffee and called Chandra.
“Aren’t you the early bird,” she answered. “How’s it going?”
“Great. I decided to do a little painting.”
“That’s wonderful! They say that helps resale value. Fresh paint.”
“Exactly.”
After we ended our call, I jumped in the rental car and headed to the big box store that sat some ways out of town.
At the usual time, Grady was calling me from the front door.
“I’m upstairs!”
He came into Mom’s bedroom. “You’re painting again?”
“Yeah, they say it’s good for resale.”
He looked around, then at me for a moment. “Uh. Huh.” He turned and walked out the door. “I brought you something. You need to come downstairs.”
He pointed to the box, and I opened the flaps. Two tiny fluffy black kittens looked up at me with their bright blue eyes. Both mouths opened at the same time with the tiniest mews I’d ever heard.
“Oh my god, Grady! They’re so freaking cute!” I picked them up and held them against my chest and they both began to purr. “They’re so small! Should I feed them? I don’t have any cat food. I don’t have a litter box or litter!”
He held his hand up. “First, they’re not eating food yet. They drink kitten formula out of a bottle. And they don’t need a litter box just yet. I’ll show you about that,” he grinned.
I was already deeply, totally in love with the two tiny warm bodies that had nuzzled into my neck. “But I can’t keep them,” I said, nearly in tears.
“I know I know. I thought you might like to foster them while you’re here. All you have to do is feed them and have a warm box to keep them in. They’re tiny and not mobile.”
“How did you get them? Where’s Mama?”
“Sadly, their mama got hit and killed. They were born in a shed back side of someone’s house. Instead of trapping mama and babies and bringing them to us, they left them, and this happened,” he said angrily. “Some people just can’t do the responsible thing.”
They had both gone to sleep at my neck. “Of course, I’ll do what I can. As long as you teach me.”
“Oh baby, I’ll teach you alright,” he leered.
I laughed. “You’re so bad.”
He went out to his truck and brought in everything I’d need, then proceeded to show me how to do it. It really was quite easy, and as he said, I was saving two lives by doing this.
That was quite a feeling once I thought about what I was doing. They would have died if people wouldn’t have stepped up to the plate and done the right thing. Finally.
After they had settled in, he helped me finish painting.
“So, you’re doing all this for resale value, eh?” He eyed the gallons of paint stacked in the hall.
“Well yeah, they say that’s what you should do.”
“They say, huh.”
“It is a lot brighter in here. I understand why Mom wouldn’t have gone to all that trouble just for herself.”
“Hey, if we do pizza tonight that’ll give us enough time to start another room.”
“Deal!”
He looked in the attached bath. “Small and needs upgrades but this would be nice when it’s done.”
“Do you think I should plan to do that?” I asked earnestly.
“Depends babe. On what your plans are. If you’re just going to paint to sell, then I’d say no. Paint is enough investment. Now if you were staying, that would be another consideration.”
I crossed my arms and looked around. “Hmm.”
“What is really needed?”
“What?”
“A kiss. I really need a kiss. If you have time that is.”
“Well since you said you’d help me paint, that’s the least I could do.”
We stood in the hall; he pressed me against the wall and the kiss quickly fired up. I ran my leg up his and he moaned. He cupped my ass and pulled me against his hardness. When we pulled away, we were both panting.
My mound was pressing against his hardness, and I shuddered. He had buried his face in my neck and groaned when I moved. I held the back of his head, and he flexed his fingers into my ass. His heart pounded with mine.
“We better start painting now, or we won’t get to it,” he murmured against my neck.
“Mmm,” I agreed, not moving.
He finally pulled away and walked downstairs.
My cheeks were flaming hot, my panties were wet and steamy, and I wanted to jump his body. But there was something that held me back. It wasn’t as though I didn’t know him. I’ve known him longer than almost anyone.
I sat in a sheet-covered chair in the bedroom. Was it because I would be leaving soon? The last thing I wanted to do was leave with unfinished business. Again.
Was it his heart or mine I didn’t want to break?
.
Those adorable silky black balls of fluff were a responsibility, but because they did nothing but eat and sleep at that age, took little time. If I had to go somewhere and it was going to be feeding time, it was easy enough to take a bottle and put them in an extra purse I found around here. They were happy to cuddle and snooze.
I would sometimes give people a peek in the bag and laugh at their excitement when they saw what was in there.
I decided to stop at Grady’s clinic on the off chance he might not be busy. I didn’t expect that but thought I’d try.
The building was as utilitarian as I’d expected. The front desk and waiting area were comfortable.
“Hi, I was wondering if Dr. Slocum was available for a moment?”
A severe-looking young brunette frowned at me. “Do you have an appointment?”
“Well, no, I just stopped by–”
“You really need an appointment. The Doctor is busy.”
“Yes, I understand, no problem,” I murmured, turning away before she bared her teeth to me.
“Eydie!”
Grady was just coming down the hall. He motioned me back and I felt the glare of the rabid brunette as I passed by.
He pulled me into an examination room, closed the door behind me, backed me up against it, and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he pulled me into him. I moaned. I swear if that examination table was larger, I’d have thrown him on it and had my way.
I pulled back a bit. “I just stopped by to say hello,” I smiled, breathless.
“Mmm, I love your kind of hellos,” he murmured.
The intercom crackled in the room. “Doctor Slocum your next patient is waiting room three.”
“Go!” I said, my hand on his chest. “I’ll see you later?”
“You bet!”
He got one last kiss before disappearing down the hall.
I smiled at the pit bull at the desk because she looked even more ferocious looking.
.
I spent the afternoon moving furniture and mattresses from room to room and just added a few finishing touches.
I put spaghetti sauce on, made garlic bread, and had salad in the refrigerator. I stopped for a bottle of red wine, hoping it was good and hoping Grady drank red wine. I ran up to shower and just came downstairs when he got there.
“Hi babe,” he said, smiling and pulling me against him. Our kisses turned intense quickly and I pulled back. “Mmm, do you ever smell good?”
“Dinner is almost ready. I just have to make the noodles. Hope you like spaghetti,” I said, walking into the kitchen.
Turns out he did, and loved the wine which we enjoyed on the patio that flashed colors in the setting sun.
“Your Mom loved making these,” he said, watching the glass shimmer. “She had a vision of what it would look like, and she was right. Her description is exactly what happens when the sun hits the glass from different angles.”
We sat enjoying the sunset and the rest of our wine in peaceful silence.
After it disappeared, I asked, “Say, do you want to see what I did today?”
“Absolutely!”
He followed me up the stairs and waited until I opened the door of the main bedroom.
“Wow!”
He walked in and looked around. I moved the biggest bed and mattress from another room. Moved the matching dresser and bureau in as well as two velvet upholstered chairs in front of the window.
The new pale blue bedding and sheets were a shade lighter than the walls and blended beautifully.
“Wow,” he said again, walking around.
“You like?”
“It doesn’t look like the same room, Eydie. Amazing.”
“I didn’t have time to remodel the bathroom though.”
“Oh sorry, that should have been part of the deal. Won’t work then.”
“Maybe I can coax you into reconsidering.”
I sauntered across the room to him. I watched his pupils enlarge, and his eyes darken. I slid my hands up his chest to his shoulders and leaned into him. He held me by the waist.
“Do you think that would work,” I asked quietly, my eyes locked with his.
“I’m likely to say yes to anything you want right now, babe,” he growled.
I hooked the hem of my t-shirt and pulled it over my head, revealing the pink, fine lace bra. The sheerness of it left nothing to the imagination, as they say.
Still watching him, I tucked my fingers into the waist of my shorts and began to slowly shimmy them down my hips. I kicked them aside and gave him a sexy pose in the bra and matching thong panties.
“Oh babe,” he said, his voice broken.
I stood in front of him and unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. I ran my hands over his bare chest, his skin was so hot to the touch. The center of his chest was dusted with fine curls the V’d down to disappear into his jeans.
He grabbed me for a passionate kiss. My nipples hardened and pushed through the lace, rubbing his bare chest. He moaned. He had my ass and pulled me into him. The jeans were rough against my bare skin and unbelievably arousing.
I reached between us and unzipped his jeans. He pushed them down and kicked them away. He pushed the sheets back and pulled me onto the bed with him. I shuddered when I felt his hot bare skin against mine.
“Oh Grady,” I murmured, running my hands down his chest and over his stomach. His cock was thick and rested on his stomach, throbbing as my hand moved closer.
“Touch me, babe, touch me,” he moaned.
I wrapped my fingers around his thickness. Precum coated the satiny head, and I thumbed it on the sensitive skin. He hissed through his teeth.
“I need you,” I whispered, not wanting to wait any longer. I wanted. Needed him inside me.
He rolled into the cradle of my thighs. As he locked eyes with mine, he slowly slid into me. The pleasure was excruciating, and I mewed soft and low as his cock stretched my tunnel. He sucked on my nipples, and they ached for more. He moved from one to the other and I arched, needing even more.
I pushed up, taking his cock deeper. I met every thrust, which drove him deep. The sound of our bodies, the rasping breaths, and the scent of sex heavy in the air all combined to inflame me.
Suddenly, my body went rigid, then waves of orgasms rocked my body. My pussy contracted around his cock, and he moaned. He thrust again, then grunted, drove deep, and released his hotness deep inside me.
We panted, catching our breaths, then he rolled to his back, taking me with him to his side. He put his forearm over his eyes.
“Sorry, was pretty intense.”
“It was perfect. I needed you. We had enough foreplay,” I said, smiling.
I had my head on his shoulder, his arm was around me and we dozed for a bit. When we woke it was late.
“You can stay if you like,” I said, not sure if it was appropriate timing.
“I’d like. If you don’t mind if I get up early to go to the clinic.”
“Not at all. If you want to shower in the morning, I got some guy stuff in there.”
“Guy stuff eh.” He loomed over me. “It better be me guy stuff and no one else.”
“Oh yeah, it’s you, babe.” I pulled him down for a kiss.
.
The days went by, and Grady and I fell into a comfortable routine. He spent most nights with me. At one point in time, I realized I didn’t know where he lived.
“I have an apartment on the other edge of town. It’s not much. I used to spend most of my time at the clinic,” he told me when I asked.
I had kept a low profile since arriving in town. Not so much the Rex and Janice debacle, but I didn’t know how long I’d be staying and I’d have to answer a lot of questions I had no answers to.
I had several phone calls to make the following morning. By the evening I would know what my future held, and what the answers to those questions would be.
.
During dinner, I asked Grady, “So who would be the best one around here to remodel that bathroom?”
“I can do it,” he said, looking at me. “Why do you want to do it now?”
“You have enough to do Doctor. Ow!”
The kittens were growing and now had the run of the first floor. They also decided my leg was the best way to go up. I picked them up and kissed each one of them. They snuggled against my chest and began to purr. I held them and went back to eating dinner.
Grady was watching me, shook his head, and laughed. “They have you at their beck and call.”
“They need me!”
He looked at me and set his fork down.
“I need you too, Eydie.” He hesitated. “I love you.”
I swallowed hard and he leaned to kiss me. The kittens began to squirm between us.
“I love you too, Grady,” I replied amidst the mewing of the two tiny house panthers. “What do you say about me staying here? Not going back to New York.”
“I’d say yes. I’d say I’ve been wanting to ask you to stay here with me, but I didn’t think it would be fair to you and your career.”
“My career can continue here. I talked to the company today and they gave me a new position, a raise, and their blessings. Chandra will take over the office.”
“Then I guess it is time to remodel that bathroom!”
We laughed and the kittens jumped onto the table, I scooped them up and threw a ball across the room and they were gone.
“You know I won’t be able to give them up now, don’t you?”
He shrugged. “Looks like you got yourself a built-in family already.”
So, it does. So, it does.
~~the end~~