by Mary Tribbey
Chapter 15
Once she was snuggled in the soft canopy bed, she realized with a start how close she had come to surrendering herself to him. She thought back on everything they had seen and done on the trip. It was the most wonderful, exciting time she had ever had. With a sob, she realized that, in spite of her best intentions and resolve, she had fallen in love with Dave. She knew she loved him and longed to be with him now and forever, but the fear of his reaction to her past filled her with panic. Joan knew it was too late to keep from falling in love, but she vowed to keep her guard up and not let herself get more involved. “One week, one perfect week, and then I must not see him again. If I continue seeing him, I won’t have the strength to pull back. I can face living without him, but I can’t face the idea of seeing the look of shock or pity in his eyes if he learns about my past. More than anything, I wish I could be part of this loving family, but that can never be,” she sobbed as she cried herself into a fitful sleep.
The next morning, Joan pushed herself away from the table with a contented sigh. “That was a delicious breakfast, Mrs. Allen,” she said.
“Caroline, please call me Caroline. I always feel ancient when people call me Mrs. Allen,” she said with a laugh.
“All right, Caroline. Thanks again for the lovely breakfast and for the wonderful visit here at your home,” Joan added.
“You’re welcome, honey. I hope you will always feel that this is your home. I can’t begin to thank you enough for saving Dave’s life. There will always be a welcome mat out for you here. Come and visit us anytime, even if Dave can’t make it. As you can see, we have lots of room for visitors and family. I hope you’ll come back and see us often,” Caroline said warmly.
“It’s a long ways from California to here, but I want to thank you for making me feel so welcome. I loved hearing all the wonderful memories of family times you shared. I enjoyed so much hearing about Dave and his family. I don’t know what, if any, will fit in the article, but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to you talk about it. It was delightful to be a part of a family, even if just for a couple of days.”
Caroline pulled her into a warm embrace and kissed her happily. “You come back and see us again soon,” she said.
“I hate to break up this mutual admiration society meeting, but Joan and I are going to take a walk along the lakeshore this morning. Now, don’t get jealous Dave, but I asked her first,” Rich teased.
“You’d better not be gone too long, Dad, or Mom and I will both come looking for you,” he quipped.
Dave watched as his father and Joan walked across the lawn and entered the tree lined pathway. Rich took her arm and they disappeared into the trees. He sat silently watching where they had disappeared from view until his mother’s voice interrupted his reverie.
“You’d better not let this girl get away, Davey. She is a lovely young lady. She’s very pretty on the outside, but, more important, she is even more beautiful inside,” Caroline chided.
“I know, Mom, she’s the most interesting wonderful woman I have ever met. She is a mystery to me in many ways, but I feel like I have loved her all my life. I feel so mixed up, but it is an exciting confusion,” he laughed.
“Why do you say she’s a mystery? She seems like an open, honest person,” she asked.
“Maybe mystery isn’t the right word, but there are things she isn’t being totally honest about, at least not with me. I love her, Mom, but there is someone else in her life right now and she isn’t being honest about him.”
“How do you know there is someone else in her life?” she asked.
“I called her apartment shortly after we first met. There was a message recorded in her voice on her answer machine that said ‘George and I are both busy now and can’t come to the phone, but if you leave your name and phone number, one of us will call you back when we are free.’ Obviously, they are both living in the apartment. Also, she told me she wrote some articles for Sunset Magazine, but, when I looked for them in the magazine, it says they were written by George Adkinson. I’ve tried to leave openings for her to tell me about George, but, so far, she hasn’t told me anything,” Dave said angrily.
“Have you asked her about him?” she asked.
“No, but I know she is a very private person. Whenever I try to turn the conversation to her, she gets nervous and changes the subject. I don’t know who this George Adkinson is to her, but I know I want to win her away from him. Right now, I think she likes me. Sometimes I feel she really cares for me a lot, but I’m afraid to ask questions. The first night we actually talked together, she told me not to ask questions so she wouldn’t have to lie to me. I’ve never been afraid of competition, but, right now, I’m just trying to spend time with her to give her a chance to fall in love with me. I think sometimes she loves me, but maybe not enough to break up with George, yet. This article and trip is partly just to get to spend time with her,” Dave admitted sheepishly.
“I saw the way she looked at you last night while we were on the porch, and the way she was concerned about your shoulder. I think she’s already in love with you, Davey,” Caroline encouraged him.
“Thanks, Mom. I hope you’re right. I really love her and I’m doing everything I can to win her love. Of all the girls I’ve ever met, Joan is the only one who has ever made me feel this way,” he admitted. “I think we’d better go find Dad and Joan. There’s no telling what he may be saying to her.”
Dave and Caroline walked down to the lake shore path and found them sitting on a log bench near their boat dock. When Rich looked up, he called out. “We were just about to head back and see if you two would like to take a ride around the lake. Joan has never been on a speed boat. Can you believe that? It’s time to give her an education in boating,” Rich added.
The four of them walked to the boat dock and climbed into the bright, shiny speed boat. Rich started the motor and backed out into the lake. He started moving slowly around the lake. The shoreline was punctuated with several expanses of lawns leading up to large houses. Between the houses, stands of cypress trees and dense foliage grew down to the waterline. Rich pointed out the home of a former Olympic gold medal diver and the retreat that a famous movie star had built back in the early 50’s. The sun shone down on them, while a cool breeze drifted in from the nearby Atlantic Ocean. The sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds. Along the shore, Joan saw several different wading birds in the water and perched in the treetops. Rich slowed the boat and stopped for a moment. He pointed to a large log floating near the shoreline. Dave took a small fish from the stocked bait box on the boat and tossed it at the log. With a quick movement, the log snapped its jaws and captured the fish. Joan back away and bumped into Dave. He grabbed her elbow and held her steady. He felt her trembling.
“That’s the way alligators hunt. They stay still until something comes close, and then they snatch it,” Rich stated as they watched it resume its waiting position.
“Wow that was quick! I’ve never seen anything like that before. I had no idea there were alligators in this lake. I’m glad I didn’t decide to get up this morning and go for a swim,” she joked.
“That’s all right. You would have been safe. These are all ‘man-eaters’ and you are definitely not a man,” Rich kidded.
“He’s right about that. These alligators don’t usually bother people, but I wouldn’t want you taking any chances,” Dave said seriously. Joan leaned back against him.
“Now that you’ve had the scenic nature tour, it’s time to show you what it’s like for water skiers and racers,” Rich said. He put it into gear and revved the motor. The boat roared to life and sprang forward. Joan was unprepared for the change of speed. Dave, standing beside her in the boat, grabbed her arm and steadied her to keep her from tumbling backwards. Joan leaned back against him while the wind whipped through her hair. Rich let off the gas pedal and slowed the boat. He glided into the boat dock with prac
ticed ease.
“That was fun and exciting at the same time,” Joan shouted. “Thanks for the ride.”
Later that afternoon, as Dave and Joan carried their luggage down to the rental car, Rich and Caroline followed them. “Dave, are you sure you won’t change your plans and stay a few more days? We don’t get to see you often enough and there are so many wonderful things around this area that we could show Joan,” she urged.
“Mom, the offer is tempting, but we already have reservations on a flight out tomorrow morning for Seattle. I hope we can come back soon for a longer visit, but you know how busy it is for me during football season. I’m hoping not to be home for Christmas,” he laughed, “because I want us to be in the playoff games this year. We have been playing very well lately. I think that’s why this injury is so frustrating. You know, I’ll be back to visit as soon as I can. You can count on that,” he said.
“Be sure to bring Joan with you. Come back anytime, Joan. We’d love to show you around the ‘Florida tourist traps’, as Dave calls them. It’s funny we live close to the most popular tourist attractions in the world, but rarely go to them, unless we have visitors. I hope you’ll come back and give us an excuse to go to Disneyworld, Universal Studios, and Cypress Gardens,” Caroline said giving her a hug and kiss on the cheek.
“Seriously, Joan, we really meant it last night when we said you are part of this family now. We want you to feel free to come back anytime or call us if you ever need anything. Even if Dave can’t make it, you are always welcome. Why not plan on coming here for Christmas? If you are here, I’ll bet Dave will make more of an effort to get home for Christmas, too. Hurry back, both of you. Only next time, plan on staying longer. It was a real pleasure getting to know you Joan. Please come back again,” Rich added. He pulled her into a huge bear hug and kissed her on the cheek.
Joan hugged them both just before getting into the rental car. Because Dave’s shoulder was still hurting, Joan started the car and drove back down the driveway. She looked back and waved and watched them standing there by the porch with their arms intertwined until the driveway turned and they disappeared from view. When she turned back, Dave noticed there were tears in her eyes.
Dave handed her his handkerchief. “Are you all right?” he asked quietly.
“Yes,” she admitted after drying her eyes. “You have a wonderful family, Dave. I can’t ever remember feeling so welcome or so much a part of a family before. I doubt if you can understand how much that means to me.”
“Joan, thanks for telling us about your childhood. There is so much about you that I don’t know, but I’d like to know more. Hearing about that terrible time in your life, I think I can understand you better. I’ve never seen my parents react so warmly to anyone before. You may not believe them, but they really meant what they said. You are a member of this family right now, if you choose to be. We all love you and hope you will accept our offer,” Dave said, reaching over and gently touching her face.