Sandcastles

by Suzie Carr

  “What about you? What did you think?”

  She tossed her backpack over her shoulder. “The second speaker lost me at gluten-free. I can’t imagine abandoning whole wheat pasta and bread.”

  “Ah, you like the brain fog, then.”

  “It protects me from all the stupid people in the world.” She chided herself. “It’s my protective barrier, my shield, my safe place.”

  “Well, Ms. Foggy, how about I show you my mess from this morning and see if one of those tools will help us put it back together again. By then, Yvonne should be free.”

  “With Dean asking questions, Yvonne will never be free.”

  “Come on,” I reached out for her hand and led her down the hallway.

  We walked past the candle lit rooms and the consultation room, and straight ahead to the aquatic center’s doors. “Prep yourself. It’s going to get hot.”

  “Oh?”

  I opened the doors and heat smacked us in the face.

  “You weren’t kidding.”

  Steam limited our view. I scanned the immediate floor for the spider, and when I didn’t see it, I led Lia to the thermostat. “I kind of got a little crazy this morning.”

  She laughed and moved in closer to examine it.

  I moved in and examined it with her. Our breaths swam together in the sea of steam before us.

  “I’m not even going to ask how you did this.”

  “It’s best to leave that up to your imagination.”

  “My imagination tends to run pretty wild,” she said.

  “Even better,” I said, daring closer to her.

  She turned to me, and her breath mixed with mine. “I’ll just need you to turn off the circuit breaker for this room.”

  “You talk like you’ve gotten your hands dirty in this type of thing before.”

  A cocky smile crept onto her face. “I’ve gotten my hands dirty quite a few times over the years.”

  Our chests rose and fell in unison. “It’s hot in here.”

  Her lips brushed the air next to mine. “You don’t say.”

  My pulse quickened. Her heart beat just as wildly as mine. I boldly reached for her hands, and caressed them in mine.

  She followed my brave move with one of her own. She traced my lips with the tip of her finger and stared deep into my eyes, then took my hand in hers.

  I wanted to kiss her.

  She traveled to my cheek, sweeping it with gentle strokes.

  I closed my eyes to savor the intimacy, leaning in closer to catch the warmth of her on my face. She placed her moist lips on my cheek. They trembled against my skin, causing my heart to twirl. She traveled down to the corner of my lips, and nibbled ever so gently on that sensitive spot.

  Her tongue unfurled, as if indulging in the taste of me.

  I needed to kiss her.

  She lingered on the corner of my lip as if waiting for the perfect moment to dare further. Time stood still as we embraced that present moment when nothing else in the world mattered, just the two of us caught up in a hot and steamy prelude to a kiss.

  Her lips softened on mine, tender and delicate. I responded with a gentle moan. Our lips fit perfectly together, dancing in harmony as they feathered against each other in a slow, seductive passion that ignited my core. I let myself go, surrendering as she parted my lips with her tongue and twirled it with mine.

  She sought me out with more intensity. I closed my eyes and embraced her soft, sweet touch, caving into that moment I’d only ever dreamed about. My body drifted alongside of hers, carefree and at home in the arms of a woman. A hunger to taste all of her sweetness drove me. Her lips heated against mine and she tasted fresh and minty. She ushered me into a heated tango, teasing me with her playful elegance. I loved the warmth of her lips on mine and the gentleness of her breath on my skin as we delved into the lustful swirl of our tantric first kiss.

  My breath became her breath.

  In a state of nirvana, I subconsciously floated, rising up into the vapors of the steam surrounding us. My body ached for her, wanting more. Her lips cradled against my tender skin, sending ripples through me. I entered a dreamlike state where the rest of the world vanished and allowed us the space and freedom to indulge in each other’s sensual dance.

  She slowed our kiss down, then traced her finger down my cheek and jaw line. “Did you feel anything?” she asked.

  I struggled to find my voice. “Oh, I’d say so.”

  “Tell me what you saw this time.”

  I pulled back. “This time?”

  She swept over my lips again. “Did you get another vision?”

  Vision? She wanted a vision? I pushed off of her. “Really?” I fought to regain my senses. “Is that why you kissed me? To get a better vision?”

  Her eyebrows furrowed. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

  My heart sank. The air tightened in my lungs, pressing against my chest walls. I chastised myself for being such a fool to believe she enjoyed the kiss as much as I did and for believing that, for the first time ever, someone so beautiful could view me as someone more than a freak of nature. “I’m not some kind of an instrument you can tune into like a radio.”

  Lia stared at me with concern. “I don’t think of you as a radio.”

  I blinked away the embarrassment. “I should get back out to Yvonne and the rest of the group.”

  She placed her hand on my arm. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I enjoyed the kiss. Really, I did.”

  I didn’t have to be a psychic to see the truth in that lie. “I’ll switch off that circuit breaker for you.” I walked away from her and headed out of the pool room, poised despite the hurt.

  Chapter Nine

  Lia

  I stood in the dark, trying to recapture my senses. I could still taste Willow on my lips and smell her light fragrance in the steam. I had hurt her, and hated myself for it.

  I never should have kissed her in the first place. Why did I kiss her?

  My goal was not to fall into her arms like some lovesick puppy. I wanted answers. But, the steamy heat, the closeness of her face with mine, and her innocence to her mishap wove together and formed an intimacy that I couldn’t deny myself. I folded into the moment, and savored it. My knees had buckled, and every fiber of my being had capsized in the wake of her touch. In that moment when our lips touched and my heart spun erratically, I had panicked.

  I don’t think of you as a radio?

  “Argh.” I cringed and bent over at the knees. I could’ve gone with something a little more prolific and less demeaning.

  Just then, the door opened and Willow walked back in.

  “Are you alright?” she asked.

  I stood up and the heat smacked me like a hammer in the head. “Yeah. I’m good.”

  “I just wanted to check that I clicked the right circuit breaker.” Her voice rose up in an animated tone.

  “Seems so.” I smiled at her silhouette.

  “You don’t have to do this,” she said, coming over and checking out my tool kit.

  She was right. I could’ve just walked away from the whole mess right then. Just packed up the tool kit, walked through the frosted doors, grabbed Dean and got out of that place, leaving behind the memory of the kiss and the anxiety of a silly psychic vision.

  “You’re hesitating,” she said. “I’m sensing you’re not comfortable with any of this.”

  “By any of this, you mean the thermostat?”

  “What else would I mean?” she laughed.

  “Nothing, I suppose. Listen, I’m going to fix this.” I bent down again, and reached into the tool kit for a screwdriver.

  “No,” she said, picking up my father’s rusty hammer and examining it in the glow of my flashlight, like it was an ancient tool picked out of an archaeological site. “Don’t trouble yourself over that. Come back out to the front and talk with Yvonne.”

  “I can talk to her after.” I reached out for the hammer. “I want to fix it.”

  She rais
ed her hands in surrender. “Fine. I’m not going to argue.” She began to back away. “Can I at least get you a cup of tea?”

  I placed the hammer back down in the tool box and studied her. “You do believe me when I tell you our kiss meant something, right?”

  She chuckled, stretching her eyes up in a playful dance. “It was just a kiss. Not a big deal.”

  My heart took a nosedive.

  She had moaned during our kiss. She had caved. She had sunk against me. “I don’t believe you.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “How can you state that so confidently without having any psychic ability?”

  Were we teasing? “I don’t need to be a psychic to know that you are lying.”

  “You’re being too serious about this,” she said, waving me off. “It was just a silly kiss.”

  My heart halted. “A moment ago you walked away upset with me.”

  She placed her hand on the door frame. “You like to flatter yourself, I see.” She shook her head and smiled.

  I stuttered over a comeback, but none matched hers. “Maybe I misread.”

  “Sure your timing to ask me about a vision was horrible, but eh, who cares? You’re curious. I get it. You figured my lips would tune you into a clearer channel setting. It’s not the first time, and won’t be the last time.” She turned and walked out of the room, leaving a trail of mystery behind.

  Just a kiss? Not a big deal?

  I bounced the light around the wall in a chaotic frenzy, trying to digest the past few minutes.

  I should’ve just left. I should’ve just escaped through the emergency door and called Dean to have him meet me around the backside of the center. I could go back to my life and pretend Willow never appeared. I could refocus on my work, take better care of myself, and never ever step foot in that flea market or wellness center again.

  Walk! Just get the hell out of harm’s way. Go!

  I didn’t do any such thing. Instead, I stood in the dark reliving her kiss, feeling faint with desire over how much I still wanted to taste her, put my lips on her soft cheeks, and enjoy her freshness again. I wanted her to lean into me and whisper how she loved being so close to me. I wanted to hook onto that sense of freedom enjoyed moments ago when she responded to my touch with a deep and meaningful sigh.

  I wanted that moment back, and all the moments that preceded it.

  In a comfortable kind of way, I enjoyed volleying Willow around in my mind. She kept me company without even knowing. She kept me company when I woke and when I went to sleep. Her voice traveled in and kept me company during long client meetings and long into the night when I sat alone in my condo watching late night television. I didn’t want to shut off her light just yet. I enjoyed its warmth, and its undetermined direction. I liked not knowing what to expect on the other side of the curve. She interested me in a brand new way. She wasn’t a textbook personality with refined features that spelled out exactly how she would act in any given circumstance. I never knew what would escape from her mouth, and I enjoyed that unpredictability.

  She sprinkled fresh air into the staleness that had become my life. She managed to find her way through the locked windows and doors, curling her energy and personality up into hidden cracks and showering me in the unexpected. The air around her moved freely, and when I walked in that air, I glided, like gravity no longer weighed me down.

  I was sure she reciprocated those feelings.

  So, like hell she was over it. Granted, I effed up comparing her to an inanimate object. What woman wouldn’t protect herself with a nonchalant front after such an attack?

  I would smooth over my stupid remark by fixing the thermostat and hopefully proving that kiss meant more than just an investigative study into my future.

  “Okay,” I said, swiping my hands together like I knew what the hell to do with the thermostat. I stared at the loose wires and the bent casing.

  I had no freaking clue how to fix it.

  So, standing in the dark, I decided to call my father and ask for his help.

  “Are the wires ripped and smashed too?” he asked.

  I examined them, switching over to Bluetooth to free my hands for the flashlight. “They look intact.” At least something still was.

  My father talked me through the mechanics of how to fix that thermostat.

  I took it apart, found the loose wire culprit, rewired it, straightened the casing box out with a rubber mallet and put it all back together again as my father remained patient on the other end.

  “I couldn’t have done this without you, Dad.”

  “Eh, it’s a piece of cake.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” I stepped back and admired the remounting. “I should turn on the circuit breaker to see if it works.”

  “Remember, your circuit panel is a little tricky. I labeled each room on a spreadsheet.”

  “Oh, I’m not at my place. This is for a wellness center I’m visiting. As a matter of fact, do you remember that girl Willow that Anna feared from the campground?”

  “How can any of us forget?”

  I laughed recalling Anna’s extreme praying to ensure Willow didn’t read her mind.

  “Well, she works here, and the thermostat broke, so…”

  “Are you friends with her?” His tone changed from concern to judging.

  “Sort of.” I feared pushing the button too hard, not wanting to hear that tone.

  “I know I don’t have to warn you about her.”

  I gritted my teeth, bracing for a wave of disappointment that my father, my sweet father, could be judgmental. “I’m a big girl now, Dad.”

  “You’re also naïve.”

  I jumped into defense mode. “Naïve?”

  “Naïve in a sweet, endearing way, Lia.” He cleared his throat. “That girl was never right. She even scared Father Richard.”

  “She’s a nice person, Dad.”

  “Easy does it kiddo. I’m not trying to start an argument. I just want you to use your head.”

  I heard enough. “Thanks for the tip. I can handle it from here.”

  “I know you can. Now listen, I’ll wait on the phone while you turn on the circuit breaker.”

  “I’ve got it from here. Thanks for your help. I have to go.” Bitterness sat on my tongue, burning a hole through it.

  I hung up on my father before he could say goodbye.

  # #

  I walked back into the receptionist area, and Willow was talking to a skinny guy with a bald head. He leaned in close to her and talked too loud for the small area.

  “The guy was ready to charge me five hundred dollars to replace the engine in the lawn mower. I was like, hey man, I’m going to be dead next summer. I’m not going to pay you five hundred dollars.”

  “What did he say?” Willow asked.

  “Well, his jaw hit the floor,” the guy laughed obnoxiously. “And after he picked his fat jaw off the scummy floor, you should have seen him. He stuttered all over the freaking place.” His laughter grew even more obnoxious.

  “Did he discount it for you, at least?” she asked.

  “The guy did it for free.”

  “For free?”

  “What can I say? Having cancer has some perks,” he said, backing away and raising his hands up in the air like he just scored a touchdown. “Hey, doll, I’ll catch you later. Don’t forget to call me when my probiotics arrive. I’ll have the wifey stop by and pick them up for me.”

  “Sure thing, Pat. Tell her and your daughter I said hi.”

  He walked past Yvonne. “Bye beautiful.” He bent down to kiss her cheek. “Thanks again for letting me use the hot tub. Legs were extra tight today. I’m as pliable as Gumby now.” He released one more obnoxious laugh before heading out of the door.

  “That guy,” Yvonne said, “is nuts. Certifiably nuts. I couldn’t love him more.”

  Dean stared out the window at him, as he dashed across the busy street.

  “He’s got cancer,” she said. �
��He’s done a couple of talks here for us. He’s hysterical, and helps put life into perspective for people.”

  “What kind of cancer?” Dean asked.

  “Liver cancer. The guy ran a marathon and experienced a stabbing pain as he crossed the finish line. He thought he suffered a muscle spasm. Turned out he had not one but three baseball sized tumors sitting on his liver.”

  Dean bowed his head. “How’s he still laughing?”

  Yvonne shrugged.

  I turned to Willow to get away from the conversation. She typed a document, focusing on it like she was decoding critical information that could save humanity.

  I tapped the desk. “I fixed it.”

  She turned her head on a snap. “Awesome. Thank you.” She went back to typing.

  Desperate to keep the lines of talk open with her, I decided to play her words back. “It was no big deal.”

  She never looked up at my smile. “So what do we owe you for that?” she asked, typing with renewed gusto.

  I proceeded forward, tiptoeing on that line of vulnerability. “How about dinner at The Coastguard House?”

  She looked up at me with a smirk. “Oh, I can’t do that.”

  Turn around and walk out. Just bow your head, cut your losses, and save yourself from additional embarrassment. I ignored myself, tracing my finger along the edge of the desk. “Sure you can.”

  “I’m afraid not. Toss me a dollar figure.”

  My ego fell flat at my feet. “Fine. Five hundred ought to do it.”

  “I’ll cut you a check in just a minute after I finish what I’m doing here.” She picked up the phone, dialed, then, “Hey, Mrs. Friedman, I hoped I’d catch you.” She looked up at me and placed her hand over the receiver, whispering, “Go introduce yourself to Yvonne. She’s dying to meet you.” She looked back at her computer as if I was nothing more than another patient in the center. “Yes, I’m preparing the documents now and am wondering if I should include last year’s figures too or just the bottom line balance.”

  I waited for her call to finish. Each time she blinked in my direction, my blood turned colder. I effed up, big time.