by Nova Rain
“I’m glad she doesn’t share your view on the matter,” I responded, assuming a tighter tone. “I’m going to need a favor.”
“You want me to cover your shift on Saturday,” Michael’s guess couldn’t have been more accurate. “Well, it is about time. You haven’t asked to borrow my place in Vermont since…”
“I know,” I interrupted him. “Is that a ‘yes’?”
“Just remember to change the sheets before you leave,” he requested, his smirk returning. “I don’t want to see anything…” he paused. “Unusual.”
“I will. Thank you.” I gave a nod of appreciation. “You don’t happen to have the keys on you, do you?”
“Sorry, man, I don’t.” Michael replied. “You’ll have to pay a visit to my sister in Queens to get them.”
“God damn it…” I recognized Shane Holden’s nasal voice, the company’s meteorologist as he barged into the lounge. “Same shit every year,” he growled, striding behind the counter on my right.
“Shane, what’s the matter?” I asked, worry adding speed to my voice.
“Nothing much yet, but it looks like this year’s hurricane season might go out with a bang.” Finishing his sentence, he typed frantically on his keyboard. Moments later, a picture of the weather forecast showed up on the large screen in the middle of the room. “Take a look at this.” He added, highlighting an icon of swirling winds over the islands east of Miami. “This little bastard just formed over the southeastern Bahamas. It’s the result of a merger of a tropical wave and what remained of Tropical Depression Nine. At the moment, it’s not a big deal, but if it moves towards Florida or New Orleans, things could get really nasty. That’s how Katrina began.”
“You think we could have another Katrina so soon after the first?” Surprise sent Michael’s voice an octave up.
“Katrina was fourteen years ago.” Shane reminded him, shifting his gaze down to my friend’s. “It’s not soon by any means. It all depends on the wind and the temperature of the water currents this Tropical Depression encounters. The cooler they are, the better. It’s November, which is a good thing. Katrina took place in late August, 2005. We’ll know more about it in the next twenty-four hours.”
I kept my eyes on the screen, unwilling to speak. I was only seventeen when that gigantic hurricane hit the country with incredible force. It had left utter devastation and tragic loss of life in its wake. Hundreds of thousands were left homeless, whereas the city of New Orleans lay in ruin. What were the odds of this happening again? I had no answer to that question. I just hoped that God would spare the people in the south of the country from another disaster of epic proportions.
Chapter Fifteen
Penny
What a week…
Phones at the office were ringing off the hook. News site webmasters were calling to ask permission to republish parts of my interview with Jake. For the first time ever, an article of mine made it into mainstream media like NBC and CBS. In both cases, my work was characterized as “professional and to the point.”
Our website ranking was rising at a geometric rate. According to the IT people, this was the best effect my interview had had on the Bulletin. Soon, we would have major corporations asking to be advertised on our webpage. Needless to say, my editor was thrilled to get that information. Afterwards, Walter was in a constant state of euphoria. In fact, he was so happy that for the next three days, no one heard him yelling.
I was absolutely ecstatic. I went to work with a smile and left the building oozing with confidence. Of course, it wasn’t long before someone tried to kill my mood. Tabloid reporters began questioning why a United Airlines pilot had been on an expedition in the Everglades. They all wondered about the exact same thing: what was my relationship with him? Soon enough, they wanted to have a talk with me. Although I had no problem announcing our relationship to the world, I refused to disclose any details about it. If I did, Jake and I would make headlines for all the wrong reasons. The paparazzi would camp outside our homes, waiting for a picture, an interview or anything else they might find interesting. Jake already had been suffering under the pressure. The pictures of swamped departure lounges he had sent me were definite proof of that. I didn’t ask him, but I believed that going public about our relationship would not go down well with him.
Just when I thought that things couldn’t get any better, Jake’s text on Thursday disproved my belief.
“Take Saturday off. I have a surprise for you.”
Saturday? Was he going to be in New York for more than twenty-four hours? At least that’s what his text implied. I called him right away, eager to know what he meant. Even so, Jake didn’t give me a straight answer. He chose to tease me and leave me in the dark. I pretended to be mad at him, but not even that worked. The only response I got was: “You’ll find out soon.”
The lovely colors of the sunset were up in the sky over the city that Friday afternoon. Red, orange, and pink had joined the blue up above as the day drew to an end. I was going over some of the latest statistics of the Bulletin when the annoying noise of my apartment buzzer rang in my ears.
“Jake, is that you?”
“Yeah.”
“Come on up.”
“I would, but I can’t take my surprise with me.”
“I’ll be right down.”
Did I wish to pressure him? Yes. I couldn’t wait to find out about the surprise. At the same time though, I knew that insisting on him telling me was pointless. He had been tight-lipped about the issue for two days. So, I ran out of my apartment and started jumping down the stairs.
You’d better impress the hell out of me.
Hopping off the bottom landing, I turned right and into the lobby. The sight out on the street piqued my curiosity. Jake was leaning against the side of a large, black Toyota Landcruiser, his eyes on the entry door.
“Welcome back,” I chirped, stepping out into the sidewalk. “You bought yourself a new car?”
“No, it’s a rental,” he claimed, his eyes glinting with excitement. “Go pack a suitcase. We’re going to Vermont.”
“Ver…” I froze halfway through the word, my heart leaping with delight. “Are you serious?”
“No, I rented a big gas guzzler like this because I find it sporty,” he spoke in sarcastic tones. “Of course, I’m serious.”
“How…?”
“I’ll give you the details later,” he interjected. “Just go pack a suitcase.”
Crazy man… And he called me “unpredictable.” Where in the world had this come from? A pilot, a guy with so little time to himself, had organized a romantic escape upstate. With me. Those two words echoed in my head while I stared at him in disbelief. Dozens of thoughts popped into my mind. I considered praising him, hugging him, or jumping in his arms and showing him my enthusiasm. But speaking and moving a muscle were both impossible tasks. Only when he offered me another opportunity to marvel at his sexy smile did I turn around. Jake had been crystal-clear. Now, I just had to do as he’d asked.
Sweaters, pants, skirts, and underwear were thrown into a red suitcase as I imagined what the trip would entail.
Snow. Romantic walks in one of Vermont’s many forests. Kissing in the sunset. The smell of freshness in the air. Cozy fireplace chats. As for the icing on the cake? Becoming his plaything, in the bedroom, by the fireplace, or anywhere else passion would take us.
I was ready in just a matter of minutes. I shoved my key into the lock of my front door and pulled it shut, smiling to myself. Like the true gentleman he was, Jake took the suitcase from my grasp and put it in the back. I entered the huge SUV, my heart fluttering in my chest. As he joined me, I leaned over, reaching for his face. I locked my lips with his, running my thumb over his cheekbone. Without uttering a word, I returned to my seat.
“I’d been wondering when you’d do that,” he confessed, turning the key in the ignition.
“It crossed my mind to do it out on the sidewalk,” I told him, belting myself in. “I’m
curious to know how you got out of work.”
“I asked a friend of mine to cover my shift tomorrow,” he explained, driving off. “The house we’ll be staying in is his.”
“He must be a good friend,” I presumed, watching the taillights of a large truck get closer.
“He is,” Jake affirmed, his tone weakening. “So, how was your week?”
Excuse me?
Those words were on the tip of my tongue, because he was well-aware of how my week had been. We had talked for hours on the phone each night, mentioning pretty much everything worth telling. Despite my confusion though, I chose to keep it to myself and repeat the things he already knew. We had just embarked on a long road trip to Vermont. I wouldn’t start our first holiday together with an argument. We had had enough of those; one more would ruin this wonderful surprise he had prepared for me.
Six hours later, New York was far behind us. The SUV was cruising along bumpy, slippery roads, its headlights exposing piles of snow on either side of us. Climbing a short hill outside the scenic town of Manchester, I realized how wrong I had been about city lights. Yes, they looked beautiful in the dark, but they paled in comparison before the view out of the passenger side window. The whole area was enveloped by lush beams of moonlight. Three mountaintops lay in the backdrop, wearing their bright, winter outfits. Below them, snow-covered forests lined the slopes, reaching into the town of Manchester. Sparse houses and cabins were hiding in between them, thick smoke rising from the chimney tops. Staring at them in awe, I was at a loss for words. I just cast a quick glance over at Jake, my mouth partially open. I was in luck, because his attention was on the road up ahead. Otherwise, I was sure he would tease me.
All four wheels of the Land Cruiser skidded across the snow, tossing flakes up in the air as it approached a big house on the mountainside. Surrounded by a white fence, it overlooked the town. Before the SUV had come to a halt, I gripped the handle and jumped out. My ears caught Jake’s voice, but his words passed by me unheard. I pulled the gate latch to the left and let it open inward. With my shoes sinking in ankle-deep snow, I jogged towards the house.
“You should have stayed in the car,” Jake said, a hint of discomfort in his tone as he switched off the engine.
“I can handle a latch,” I argued, offering him a sweet smile. “God, it’s so pretty…” I whispered, savoring the same, magnificent view.
“Here.” He tossed the keys over to me. “Go inside and let your man take care of you. I’ll go get some wood for the fireplace.”
Your man… It had a nice ring to it. Was I going to oblige him? Not quite. I took my suitcase from the trunk first. Jake was my boyfriend, not my porter.
An ugly smell of staleness filled my nostrils and dampened my enthusiasm. It appeared that the house had been closed up for a while. The logs by the fireplace in the middle of the house confirmed my suspicion. Most of the ones on top of the small pile were moist. They had spent at least one winter in there. Still, this was a minor issue. I opened both living room windows and let the cold air in, glancing out at the snowy trees.
Afterwards, I retreated to the bedroom. There was a king-sized bed in the corner, right under the window, with a closet across from it. I set my suitcase down on the bed and unzipped it, the whistle of the wind outside growing stronger. The moment I opened the closet however, it dawned on me that something was very wrong. It was full of women’s clothing. There had to be more than twenty dresses on the hangers. On the shelf above them, were jeans, blouses, sweaters, and even nightgowns. The lower tip of a silver picture frame under the dresses glowed in the light, catching my eye. I bent down and pushed the hangers to either side, realizing that this was by far the biggest surprise in that closet. The frames were stacked on top of one another. In the first picture, was a tall, slender blonde, alongside… Jake. She was in a sparkling, strapless, grey dress, whereas he wore a black tuxedo. Holding hands, they were posing for the camera, under the emblem of a world-famous fashion house: Versace. Stunned, I looked at the second picture. In an instant, I regretted my decision. The gorgeous blonde was a shadow of her former self. Lying in a hospital bed, pale, bald, having lost at least thirty pounds, her fingers were interlocked with Jake’s. He was leaning over her, his half-smile indicative of the pain he had been going through.
“Crap…” I heard his voice behind me. “Penny, I…”
“Does that friend of yours even exist?” I was quick to ask, putting the picture frames back.
“What?” He squinted, his face twisting into an expression of surprise.
“It’s a simple question, Jake,” I uttered, my voice beginning to wobble as I turned to him. “Back in the car, you deflected when I praised him. You didn’t even give me his name.”
“Yeah, because Michael was Caitlyn’s cousin,” he explained, maintaining eye contact with me. “If I started talking about him, I’d have to mention all the good things he’s done for me. The best of which was introducing me to Caitlyn. Imagine how awkward that would have been.”
“Okay, I get that, but…” I faltered. “Some things just don’t make sense. I mean, what were you doing on a catwalk? And she was too young to have…”
“Leukemia,” he finished my sentence. “You’re right. She was just twenty-four when she was diagnosed. The doctors said it was very rare. As for your first question, she was a model. That picture was taken at the end of a fashion show.”
“You guys lived here together?” I spoke, my voice a mere whisper.
“No.” Jake shook his head lightly. “This was the last place Caitlyn ever got to visit before she died. In fact, she, uh…” he paused and pressed his lips together. “She passed away on the trip back to New York. I gave Michael her wardrobe after I lost her. I had no idea he’d brought it up here. I asked management to demote me to domestic flights only, because eventually, I’d have had to fly to Milan, her favorite city. I just couldn’t go back there without her.”
“Oh, Jake…” I sighed, squeezing a tear out of my eye. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to make a scene.”
“It’s okay,” he whispered, cupping my face in both of his hands. “The way I see it, you were entitled to ask those questions.”
“Yeah, because the reporter in me won’t keep her big mouth shut,” I groaned, averting my gaze from him.
“Don’t talk like that,” Jake requested in a soft voice. “I happen to like that mouth.”
I snorted in amusement, looking down at my feet. “How the hell do you do it?”
“What?”
“You stay so calm,” I murmured, lifting my gaze up to his.
“That’s just the way I’m made.” He shrugged, a tear moistening the tip of his thumb. “Hey, don’t do that, okay? I didn’t bring you to Vermont to see you cry.”
“All right.” I nodded in agreement. “Give me a few minutes to unpack. I’ll see you out in the living room.”
Dismissing me with a smile, he left the bedroom, his response fueling my admiration.
“That’s the way I’m made.”
I couldn’t argue with that. He had been demonstrating that calmness since my flight to Miami. A panicked pilot wouldn’t have been able to save that plane. And a man with a short fuse wouldn’t have been able to tolerate me. Once again, he had reacted in a way I couldn’t have. He didn’t shout at me for snooping through that old stuff. On the contrary, he was patient and kept his cool, although going down memory lane couldn’t have been easy for him.
I strolled out into the living room, noticing the absence of the staleness. In its stead, was the delicate scent of cedar trees, along with the sizzle of logs burning in the fireplace. A glance down at the couch alerted me that this night had come to an end. Jake was lying on his back, his head resting on a blue pillow with his eyes shut. Complaining to him was out of the question. Only God knew how many hours he had been working this day. To top it all off, he had driven us all the way up to Vermont. I went back to the bedroom and grabbed a brown blanket from the closet. I
covered him up to his chin and kissed him goodnight, marveling at the face of the man who was beginning to star in my dreams.
Chapter Sixteen
Jake
“Catch me!”
The next morning in Vermont was a revelation to me. At last, I was seeing another aspect of Penny’s character. Her playful aspect.
The snow all around the property had somehow brought the little girl out in her. At first, I was a bit confused as to why she was behaving this way. She wasn’t living in the tropics; she was born and raised in Brooklyn. Her excuse was that this was the first time she was in a place where the air smelled so clean. I didn’t insist. I just played along, chasing her and throwing snowballs at her.
Nevertheless, I had to admit that I had another reason to act like an eight-year old. Last night had threatened to destroy our weekend together before it even began. I thought that I would never see Caitlyn’s clothes or those pictures of us together again, because Michael had promised to keep them someplace safe. Little did I know that what he meant was his sanctuary in Vermont. Once I laid my eyes on them, I felt like my heart was going to burst right out of my chest. It had been three years since Caitlyn’s passing. The memories might have started to fade, but they were still alive in me. Frankly, I didn’t believe they would ever die. My belief was that they would remain dormant for years and years, until something or someone stirred them up again.
“I’m desperate for a shower,” Penny stated, her voice drowsy as she threw her coat on the couch.
“Use the bathroom upstairs,” I suggested, striding into the kitchen. “I’ll make us something to eat.”
“What’s wrong with this one?” she wondered, halting outside the bathroom in question.
“Trust me, you’ll like upstairs more.” I winked down at her, hoping she wouldn’t insist. To my relief, she did no such thing. I watched her head over to the staircase in front of her, eager to hear what she had to say. Michael’s place had not been kept up. He hadn’t been there in more than two years, but it featured one or two remarkable luxuries. Penny’s precipitous scream soon provided the answer I had been waiting for.