Today, he would see clearer and get the answers he sought.
EVAN WAS UP. THE MOMENT he heard the spare bedroom door open, his eyes popped open. Living alone had made him accustomed to the familiar sounds in his home, and another person was living in his house, an attractive woman with all the right assets. He was anxious to find out more about the life she had left to come live in a three-bedroom cabin in dire need of an update.
Leta had requested he bring his A-Game. It had been years since he’d dated, let alone actually courted a woman, but he wasn’t dead. Evan just felt like it on the inside. A few concerns he had wanted to address early on—the winter driving and her staying home instead of working once the child was born—he’d approached with no real squabble on her part. He’d expected a more significant fight from her, but the look in her eyes told him that the conversation wasn’t over. She was allowing it to rest before coming back and saying hell no. The clothes she wore spoke of high class and money. Leta Eaton was a career woman accustomed to having her own of everything. She could easily make more than him in a year, versus his paltry government job barely making sixty per annum, but with no car note or mortgage, life wasn’t difficult to lead in his neck of the woods. However, not knowing her finances, as the agency provided to all applicants, made him concerned.
The smell of the coffee erased his moment of uncertainty as the savory scent of ginger pulled him from the bed. An old screen door, way past its prime, squeaked in the announcement of a body exiting the front door. Alone, he made his way to the bathroom wearing just his boxers, remembering at the last minute to close the bathroom door in case Leta came back into the house. Seeing the process of Evan relieving himself would not the best way to start the first full day as husband and wife. He washed his hands and went searching for coffee. While pouring a generous cup, he looked out the window to see where his wife had gotten off to, only to have his eyes stop on the image of her on the dock.
He set the cup down, sprinted to grab his camera with the zoom lens, and eased his way out of the front door, careful, the same as she’d been, not to allow the screen door to slam shut. Lifting the camera to his eye, he captured the moment of pure bliss of her toes in the water, basking in the early morning sun. Maneuvering about the front yard, Evan snapped several photos of her from different angles, almost wishing she wore a hat to complete the composition of a summer morning at the lake. Practiced fingers found the zoom button and zeroed in on the face, a lovely face with deep brown skin. The sun hit the dark black hair, capturing the rays of light that mingled with the navy hues bouncing off the lake. He snapped several more, then focused his attention on the images recorded on the memory card.
Evan’s eyes were engaged on the camera, failing to notice that Leta was no longer on the dock but walking his way.
“Good morning,” she offered as she got closer.
Stunned that she’d moved and he hadn’t noticed, he jumped at her physical closeness. He offered a smile to her and mumbled a greeting.
“Seems you were in a hurry this morning and forgot your pants,” she said, reaching for him. “It would appear that your friend is also enjoying the fresh morning air.”
“My what?” he asked, wondering what she was talking about.
“Boop,” she said, poking the tip of his penis and pushing it back into his underwear.
“Oh, damn,” Evan said, lowering the camera and turning his back to her. He doubled checked himself, ensuring that his man child maker had been put back in the holder. “I’m so sorry. This was not intentional. I can’t apologize enough. Excuse me, Leta. Again, I apologize.”
“Evan, I’m your wife,” she replied softly. “Pretty soon, that fella and me will be on a first-name basis.”
“True, but I didn’t mean for you to meet Hercules like this,” he said, looking over his shoulder.
“Hercules?” she asked, her eyebrows raised. “He has a name?”
“Yes, he does. A commanding warrior who gains strength the more he exerts his powerful muscles must have a name,” Evan said, chuckling and raising his hand high over his head in a declaration. “At first glance, he doesn’t seem like much, but put him into battle and feel the awesomeness of the mighty hero!”
“Whatever,” she chuckled, walking past him. “I have gingerbread muffins baking for breakfast. I thought I’d scramble up some eggs, and I think there were sausages in the fridge, not much else.”
Evan tagged along behind her, watching the gentle sway of her hips. She was indeed a fine-looking woman and each second which passed, he considered himself the luckier of the two to have scored a prime filly like her to call his own.
“I didn’t buy groceries. I figured we can make a day of it by hitting the farmer’s market, then the butcher’s, and show you around town,” he said.
“I’d like that, plus we need to find a church for tomorrow.”
“Church?” he asked, stopping on the bottom step.
“Yes, Evan. I know you believe in a higher power,” she said, looking back at him, her hand on the screen door. “It was nothing short of divine intervention which prompted me to get on that plane and come here. For this, we’re grateful and need to give back our time in a few hours each week of appreciation. Plus, we, and I use that term loosely, need a church family to help with babysitting when we go into Manchester to the opera or to see a play. Also, the kids will need to be baptized.”
“Why opera?”
“Out of everything I said, your mind stuck on the opera,” she said, frowning.
“Yeah, I don’t object too much to the other stuff, but listening to a fat guy sing in a language I don’t know doesn’t sound like a good evening out on the town,” he said, coming up behind her.
The smell of the hyacinth on her skin made him feel bold. Leaning down, he provided a gentle kiss to her shoulder. Loving the feel of her velvety skin on his lips, he allowed his mouth to travel up to her neck, planting another small kiss, watching her skin prickle in gooseflesh.
“We will add learning Italian to the list of things to do this year, and maybe on our one-year anniversary, we can visit Rome,” she said, opening the door and stepping inside.
“Or we can get this house started, make a budget and with what’s left, do Rome as a late honeymoon,” he said, touching her arm. He inhaled deeply. “Leta, I’m really starting to look forward to this life together.”
“Good, because it’s going to be grand. Now, please, put on some pants while I make us breakfast,” she said with a soft smile. “Maybe after you brush your teeth, I will give my husband a proper morning kiss.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, holding the door for her to go inside. Evan was looking forward to the day out and flaunting his sexy brown wife to the pink populous and watching their reaction. “This is going to be goooood!”
A SMALL COLORFUL BAG with wheels materialized from the back seat of the rental when they parked at the market. He didn’t want to ask where it came from and Evan was certain she didn’t put it inside of her luggage. Yet, he couldn’t take his eyes off the shopper as she dragged it along behind them. Leta appeared fashionable with a small bag slung across her body, which matched the delicate pink blouse and comfortable pink slippers with what his sister called a kitten heel. He wouldn’t mention that he knew what that was, out of fear she would think he was in the outfield because he played both sides of the bases. He couldn’t help but admire the scenery. Sunglasses on her face gave his wife a look of a celebrity slumming it to start a new diet before her next significant film role.
“I like the bag; did you have that in your suitcase?”
“This? No, I have another one like it in my household goods, but this one I purchased at the airport. Two bags may seem like a lot, but I can use the other as a diaper bag and attach it to a stroller and use this one to haul things I have to buy. In the end, it makes sense.”
“Like getting on a plane to marry me made sense,” he stated, but it really was an open-ended question.
“Evan Eaton, how the heck are you? I heard you were getting married,” a man with a rounded face said. “If so, you need to give me a call and talk about a room addition pretty soon.”
“Larry Fields, I’d like for you to meet my wife Leta,” Evan said with pride.
“Well, Lord bless this soul, how lovely you are,” Larry said, taking her hand for a hearty shake.
“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fields,” Leta said.
“You newlyweds are busy with the loving, but when you’re ready to expand that house, let me know. I’m ready to work,” Larry offered.
Leta didn’t know the man, nor his quality of work, which prevented her from sharing their future planning. Instead, her eyes went to her husband, offering him a warm smile. Evan, in turn, smiled back and thanked Larry for the offer.
Saying farewell, they continued through the market, lifting and smelling produce along with furtive glances as they checked each other out. The community, mostly present, also watched the new couple, knowing, not wanting to comment, and a few came over to introduce themselves, offer invites to dinner, but one man, made a beeline towards the newlyweds with an enthusiastic approach.
“Evan Eaton, you old hound dog. Word’s spreading through the market that you’ve gotten married. I had to come meet the ball and chain and introduce myself. I’m Gerald McCraney, owner of McCraney Insurance,” he said. “Tell me your name, lovely wife of Evan, and what you used to before coming to our fair city,”
“Mr. McCraney, I’m Leta Eaton,” she said with a stern face, “and before coming to Meredith, I was an independent forensic claims adjuster.”
“Whoa, Nelly!” Gerald said with bushy eyebrows raised, looking at Evan, who also appeared to be surprised. “Oh should I say, whoa, Leta! I tell you what! I sure would love to invite you to the offices, maybe carve you out a space and put you on retainer. I have one or two cases now needing your eyeballs and man, how lucky are we to have you in town?”
“Mr. McCraney, allow me to get settled first and talk it over with Evan. I mean, we do have a honeymoon to get to,” Leta said with a wide smile.
“So the answer isn’t no?” Gerald inquired.
“Mr. McCraney, it wouldn’t be fair for you to snap me up without having a chance to speak or meet with other insurers in the area,” she said, removing her glasses. “My motto is to always be fair to both the company and the insured to create a favorable outcome for all involved.”
“Fair. Fair. I like that,” he said. “We have a meeting this upcoming Tuesday at the local community center offices. All the insurers will be there. Let us chat amongst ourselves and maybe we can all chip in and offer you a nice salary to cover all five companies in the area. I mean, we sure could use you on our teams.”
“Now that sounds fair, but if I’m working for all five companies, my salary is going to be a hundred, that would be twenty from each of you, which equals about sixteen hundred a month each,” Leta said. “I’m certain if you have two cases, the others should have a few as well. It would pay the salary upfront and the rest of the agencies can rest assured that when they have claims, I’m ready to go.”
“I like you,” Gerald said.
“Again, this is dependent upon my husband, his approval for the hours needed to work for five agencies, and the like,” Leta said, slipping her hand into Evan’s.
“Evan my boy, we need your wife,” he said. “No more having to send to Manchester for an investigative adjuster that doesn’t know our community or our people. This is such a win-win.”
Evan didn’t know what to make of it all. Leta had barely been in town 24 hours and already had a job offer. People were buzzing in the market, gawking at them, and for a brief second, he found himself puffing up his chest. His wife was causing this stir in a good way.
“Gerald, allow me and Leta to discuss this, the work hours, requirements and all that good stuff that goes along with the job. In the meantime, you run it by the others, and we will have an answer for you next week,” Evan told him.
“Tuesday we meet, Mrs. Eaton,” Gerald said, shaking her hand again. “Boy, oh boy. The team is going to be hecka excited. I know I am. Truly, it was a pleasure to meet you. Just wait until I tell the other agents. Whoo! It feels like I have met a rock star. Evan, you lucky cuss! Whoo!”
Gerald wanted to walk off but he remained steadfast, looking back over his shoulder as Leta went back to squeezing melons and sniffing berries, her glasses sitting on her face as if she were incognito and slumming the morning away.
“Wednesday, you can expect to hear from me, Mrs. Eaton. I look forward to continuing this discussion,” Gerald said with a booming smile, fervently shaking Evan’s hand. “I tell you, oh boy, this is good news. Good news idea. Just wait for the rest of those old coots to hear about this. Whoo!”
Gerald looked back several more times at Evan and Leta, nearly walking into the other shoppers who were also bumping into each other while they too gawked at the newlyweds. Evan hadn’t moved as Leta went back to selecting apples, bananas, and other fruits. He couldn’t get over how easily his wife had handled one of the toughest negotiators in the insurance business. Leta cleared her throat before speaking.
“Evan, it’s bad enough that most of the people in the market are ogling me. It doesn’t feel good having my husband do it as well,” she said, lifting a pound of red grapes. “Imagine these splayed out on a nice cheese board, a bottle of red, with thin wafer crackers, olives and a bit of prosciutto.”
“Seriously?” he asked, “You can’t be seriously planning a charcuterie after just negotiating a six-figure salary with the toughest insurance agent in New England. That man barely gave his children an allowance and they had to earn their Christmas presents, and in one easy breath, you got him to commit to paying you for a job that doesn’t even exist. Hell, I don’t even understand what the job is, but evidently, Gerald must really need what it is you do. Explain that to me, please.”
“I doubt very seriously if those men are going to pay a black woman six figures,” she said. “Who is the really cheap one of all the five men?”
“I guess Willis Foredan,” Evan answered.
“Mr. Foredan isn’t willing to pay twenty grand a year. He’s going to lowball them for five. They will argue, haggle, and come in at about twelve thousand each,” Leta said. “An amount I will reject and come back at eighteen. We will settle around sixteen each. The ending salary should come to about seventy-five, but you can add me to your insurance, so I may squeeze out eighty.”
“Eighty thousand dollars? To do what?” he asked, his eyes wide in shock.
“When people have home accidents or incidents and file an insurance claim, if there are suspicions about deaths, warranties, or wiring, then it’s my job to get in there to dig around for the truth,” she said. “Usually, I have an electrician, a plumber, a private eye, and a handyman on the team. I send them in, they bring back the truth, and I provide clear information to the insurance companies on the payouts.”
“Wow, can I say that I’m impressed?” Evan asked. “If this would become your new job, would this mean working in an office for them?”
“No, I would form my own company and work for myself, and they would be my primary clients,” she said.
He didn’t know what else to say. Instead of talking, his desire was to kiss his wife, so he stepped forward, a hand removing the shades from her face so he could stare deep in her eyes. He lowered his head and their lips met, tenderly, then pressing harder until her lips parted. The tip of his tong
ue slid inside Leta’s mouth, teasing with promises of more later. She had a geniality about her that made others feel comfortable in her presence. Evan liked it a great deal.
“Get a room!” A blue-haired, bent back older woman on a scooter yelled at them as she sped by, knocking over a basket of apples. Separating, he looked at his watch. It was nearing noon and time for lunch. He genuinely wanted a cup of Ms. Hazel’s chicken noodle soup with a turkey sandwich loaded with cranberry sauce.
He blushed under the sudden notice of all the people gawking at them as he bent, rescuing the rolling, runaway apples. Looking up at his wife, he said, “I’m hungry. Can I take you to lunch?”
“What about the items we bought, Evan? It seems like a waste to go out to eat when we purchased food,” she said. It truly felt as if she were channeling her mother.
“We bought produce. That’s not food,” he said. “Leta, I’m still trying to figure out who the hell you are.”
“I’m your wife, Evan,” she said, paying the woman at the fruit stand. “You and I are an invincible team.”
Chapter Five- Pleasantness
Hazel Murray reminded Leta of every cafeteria madam at any middle school in America, complete with a big bust, lunch lady turkey gobbling arms, and a stringy fishnet cap over her wrongly dyed black hair. She moved with the slowness of a woman with swollen ankles who had spent too many years working on her feet in cheap shoes without arch support. The weight of the large breasts forced her body to bend slightly at the shoulders from the burden of carrying such a heavy load.
Maple Sundaes & CIder Donuts Page 4