by Webb, Peggy
With Todd, she tipped off the edge of the earth.
Much later, she came back to the real world by degrees, first aware of his sweat-dampened chest against hers then the thunderous rhythm of his heart. She ran her hands lightly along his back, memorizing the feel of him.
“Amy?” His voice was muffled against her hair.
“Shh. Don’t talk. I just want to absorb you.”
Her hands made lazy circles on his back as her senses took in the setting. The leather under her felt soft and warm. Overhead the ceiling fan stirred the heavy air. Its almost useless whirring sounded loud in the quiet room. A noisy fly hummed near their heads, then moved on to light on a marble-top table. The burnished mahogany walls seemed to have absorbed the sunlight. Their polished red-gold surrounded her like a benediction. A stray sunbeam, drifting through the partly closed shutters, caught the swirling dust motes on the old hardwood floor.
The room exuded solidity and permanence. It closed them away from the real world and wrapped them in serenity. To Amy’s heightened senses, the room spoke love.
She sighed against Todd’s neck.
“Amy?” He lifted his head and looked down at her, searching her face for any sign of regret. All he saw was contentment. He planted a tender kiss on her forehead. “Come back with me.”
“Where?”
“To my apartment.”
“I’m not sure ...”
“I am. I’m sure enough for both of us.”
“Aunt Syl...”
“... will approve.”
Amy laughed. “You’re right. She’ll probably even applaud.”
“Does that mean yes?”
“It means maybe.”
“Then I’ll have to convince you.” He lowered his lips to her neck and she shivered.
“Hmmm,” she murmured.
“Is that a yes?”
“Not yet.”
His mouth inched downward and she gasped.
“Yes?” His voice was muffled against her skin.
“Keep convincing me.”
And he did.
By the time the convincing was over, the sun had dropped low in the western sky and the judge’s chambers were shadowed with purple.
Todd’s laugh was exultant as he sat up and pulled Amy into his arms. “This staid old courthouse has never known such excitement.”
She playfully punched his cheek. “And you a judge. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.”
“I am. Mortified.” But he didn’t look mortified at all. Amy thought he looked like a pleased little boy who had just outwitted a roomful of adults.
She snuggled against him, completely at ease in her nakedness. “Do you reprimand all criminals this way?”
“Only those who disturb the peace.”
“Then I’ll have to disturb the peace more often.”
“How about twice a day?”
“Twice?”
“All right. You win. Three times a day.”
“It might interfere with other things ... like eating.”
“That’s okay. I can live on love.” He released her and reached for his pants. “I hate to leave.”
“Then let’s stay.” The suggestion just popped out. Amy knew that as long as they stayed in these chambers they were removed from the real world, set apart from all the bad things that could happen.
“We will if you don’t mind an audience,” Todd said.
“Who?”
“The night watchman.”
“In that case ...” She stood up and started dressing.
“We’ll call your aunt from my place.”
“I didn’t say yes.”
“You didn’t say no.”
She caught her lower lip between her teeth. What harm could there be? she wondered. After all, he wasn’t proposing marriage. He wasn’t asking for a longtime commitment. He was simply inviting her to his apartment for shared pleasure.
She took his hand. “I’ll come.”
“Remind me to send Mrs. Matilda Hildenbrand a dozen red roses.”
o0o
Todd had been right: Aunt Syl was delighted when Amy called her.
“I’m going to New York for the weekend, anyway,” she told her niece. “Now I won’t worry about you being alone.”
“You never mentioned a trip to New York.”
“Didn’t I? It must have slipped my mind.” Aunt Syl’s feigned innocence didn’t fool Amy. “I’m even taking Hortense, so you won’t have to worry about a thing. Just concentrate on the judge.”
Amy laughed. “I’ll have to ask his permission first.” Covering the receiver with her hand, she turned and asked Todd, “Is it all right if I concentrate on you this weekend?”
For an answer he put his arms around her from behind and pulled her against his chest. “If you concentrate on anything else, I’ll have you back in court so fast your head will spin.”
“In the judge’s chambers?” Forgetting about the receiver dangling in her hand, she turned and put her arms around his neck.
“Where else?” The kiss he gave her might have gone on forever if the squawking of the telephone hadn’t finally caught their attention.
Amy was flushed and breathless when she pulled away. “I forgot Aunt Syl.” She pulled the receiver up by the cord. “Aunt Syl?”
“I’m still here, dear, although I must say the heat coming from that end has nearly melted the phone. Why don’t you hang up, Amy, and get on with the romance?”
“ ‘Bye. Enjoy New York.”
“More to the point, dear, New York will enjoy me.”
Todd untangled them from the cord and hung up the phone.
“Now,” he said, “where were we?”
Amy unfastened the first button of his shirt and kissed him on the chest. “Here,” she said.
He slid his open mouth down her cheek. “I thought it was here.” His mouth moved over her throat. “Or here.” She tipped her head back, and he pushed her blouse aside. “Or here.”
There was no more time for words. He scooped her into his arms and carried her to his bedroom. She had a fleeting impression of heavy furniture and ordered masculinity before she was once more lost in the magic of his embrace.
By the time the magic ended, the first pale fingers of a summer moon lay across the bedcovers.
“One of us should be thinking about food,” Todd said.
Amy stretched drowsily and snuggled closer to him. “I thought you said you could live on love.”
“I lied.”
“Is that a habit of yours?”
“Yes. It came in handy when I was a child. Got me out of all sorts of scrapes.”
“I wish I had had brothers and sisters.”
“I wish you had, too, love. Having a family is like having a safe port in a storm.”
“Of course, I had Aunt Syl. And Hortense.”
His arm tightened around her shoulders. “And now you have me.”
And now you have me. The words seemed to echo in her mind. Did she really have him? He felt solid and lasting, but how did she know it would? Almost desperately she turned her face into his chest. Her mouth blazed a hot trail of nibbling kisses through the dark crisp mat of hair.
She absolutely refused to think any further than this weekend. She put on a brave smile and raised her head to look at him. “Do you intend to keep me captive in this bedroom, or do you intend to feed me?”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
“The food?”
“No. The captive part.”
“I’m in lo—” She stopped to correct herself. “—bed with a tyrant.” Dragging the sheet with her, she bounced to the floor. With expert motions she fashioned a sarong. “That will have to do since all my worldly belongings are upstairs.”
His broad smile showed his admiration of her attire. “I like that. How did you learn that trick?”
“It’s no trick; it’s an art. I spent some time in India with Aunt Syl.”
He reached over and traced one
bare shoulder. “What would happen if I untied the knot?”
“Don’t you dare. Unless you want me to cook in the nude.”
“That’s a wonderful idea.” His fingers inched closer to the knot.
She playfully swatted his hand away. “What if grease splattered on me?”
“I would apply burn remedy.”
He hopped out of bed and stood before her, splendid in his nakedness. Todd had awakened a sexuality she hadn’t known she possessed.
He stood in the moonlight, smiling at her, then suddenly reached over and untied the knot. The sheet slithered to the floor.
“I vote for a bath before we eat,” he said.
She stood very still, loving the way his gaze blazed over her. “Is this a democracy?”
“No. It’s a dictatorship.” He lifted her into his arms and carried her into the bathroom.
Chapter 8
Todd’s tub was enormous, more than big enough to accommodate two feisty lovers. They cavorted in the bubbles like naughty children.
“I’ve never kissed a man with a bubble beard,” Amy said. “I like it.”
“Then I’ll grow one.”
“A bubble beard?”
“Certainly. I’ll do anything for my China doll.”
“Anything?”
“That’s what I said.”
“Then pass the soap. You’re hogging it.”
“You’re easy to please. You could have kingdoms laid at your feet, and you ask for soap.”
“You haven’t heard the rest. I want you to scrub my back.”
“Here?”
“Yes. There ... and there ... And oh, yes. there.”
“What about here?”
“Todd! That’s not my back.”
“Didn’t I tell you? I don’t know back from front.”
“A convenient disability.”
“Handy.”
“Wonderful.”
“Downright sinful.”
“Positively ... hmmmm, Todd.
They stayed in the tub until Amy declared she had shriveled to a prune. Todd said wickedly that he ate prunes for breakfast. She told him that it would soon be breakfast and not dinner if they didn’t quit horsing around. He said he never knew horses had so much fun. She swatted him with a towel.
Amy dressed in Todd’s shirt and he wore the jeans. In the kitchen, dinner preparation became a bawdy romp.
“Stir this, Amy.”
“But that’s steak.”
“I know. Stir it anyway.”
“Why?”
“Because you jiggle when you stir.”
“How do you know?”
“You jiggled the night we cooked Chinese food.”
“You rascal. You weren’t cooking; you were watching me.”
“Guilty.”
“Is that why you were squeezing the egg rolls?”
“Just be quiet and stir the steak, Amy.”
After dinner Todd told Amy he was going to give her an introduction to his bed. She said she had already been properly introduced. He said he wanted to give her an improper introduction.
He did.
o0o
“Wake up. Amy.”
She pried one eye open. “I just got to sleep,” she said.
“Hurry or we’ll miss the sunrise.” Todd pulled her out of bed and stood her on her feet. He laughed when she threatened to topple. “Upsy daisy, sailor,” he said as he steadied her. “You’ll have your sea legs in a minute.”
She peered groggily around. “Sea? I thought this was your bedroom.”
“It is. But in a jiffy we’ll be on the boat. Run upstairs and get your swimsuit.”
“Run?” She yawned. “I can barely stand. Is this a sane weekend affair or a survival contest?”
“Neither. It’s love.” He picked up her purse and rummaged in it for her keys. “Tell me where you keep your swimsuit.”
“In my bedroom.” She sank onto the bed. “Closet.” She lay down. “Top shelf.” She pulled the covers over her head.
“I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
“Don’t hurry on my account.” She was asleep again before he got to the front door.
o0o
A short time later, Amy marveled that she was actually wide awake on Todd’s boat watching the sunrise.
“It’s gorgeous,” she said. “I wouldn’t have missed it for anything in the world.”
“That’s not what you told me half an hour ago.”
“What did I tell you?”
“You said you would kill for another hour of sleep.”
“I didn’t know what I would be missing.”
She turned her face to the east and watched the flamboyant sun preen itself in the mirror of the Gulf. Brilliant pools of red spilled across the waters. Gold, so bright it almost hurt the eyes, gilded the waves and burnished the sails.
Without realizing it, Amy was a part of the morning beauty. Todd stood transfixed as the sun made her skin glow. With her fair hair and blue swim-suit, she seemed to be one with sun and sea. A sense of well-being washed over his soul, and he knew he was experiencing a moment that would be forever engraved in his memory.
After the colors had faded from the water and the sun had risen above the horizon, Amy told him, simply, “Thank you. I’ll always treasure this moment.”
“The best is yet to come.” He lowered her to a blanket.
“What about other boats?”
“This cove is secluded. It was designed especially for us.” He peeled away the rest of her skimpy suit and tossed it onto the deck.
Only nature witnessed what happened next.
Afterward Todd sailed into shallow waters and moored the sloop. Taking nets, they climbed over the side and trapped enough crabs for breakfast. Todd built a fire on the beach, and they carried on in the tradition of newfound lovers while their food steamed.
“I hope this day never ends,” Amy said while they were enjoying their morning’s catch.
“It doesn’t have to. Marry me, Amy.”
She ate three more bites of crab before answering.
“I can’t.”
“Give me one good reason why not.”
“Be—”
“If you say ‘because,’ I’m going to leave you stranded in this cove.”
She laughed. “I love you, Todd.”
“Say that again.”
“I love you.”
“That’s all the answer I need. We’ll have a big family wedding. You’ll love my brothers. In fact, you’ll meet them next Tuesday. I’m having a small party—”
“I didn’t say yes.”
“To the proposal or to the party?”
“Both.”
“You said you loved me.”
“It’s not the same thing.”
“Yes, it is.”
She pushed aside her paper plate of steamed crab and stood up. “This is all happening too fast, Todd. I need more time.”
He was silent as she paced the beach. “I hadn’t even meant to say ‘I love you.’ It just popped out. I guess I wasn’t fully aware of it myself until this very moment.” She stopped pacing and dug her toes into the sand, staring down at the small indentations she was making. “I can’t say yes right now, Todd. Please don’t push me.”
He stood swiftly and pulled her into his arms. For a long while, he rocked her in the cradle of his embrace.
They sailed back to the dock, subdued. Silently, they sat side by side in the boat communicating a thousand thoughts with their clasped hands.
Amy suggested they spend the rest of the weekend in her apartment.
“Who knows,” she said half in jest, “after seeing what a disorganized woman I am, you might change your mind about wanting to marry me.”
“Never,” he said as he followed her inside. He stubbed his toe on a hammer when he said it.
“See what I mean?”
He bent over and rubbed his toe. “My oldest brother, Jeff, is always telling me I need more adventure in
my life.”
“You’ve come to the right place. If you’re lucky, Aunt Syl might even hang you out the window.”
“I can hardly wait.” He carefully made his way between the toolbox and the birdcage. The lone seascape on the wall had caught his attention.
Amy watched him studying the painting. She loved the way he stood, his body relaxed, his expression serene. He seemed to have infinite patience. She wondered if she had made a mistake in saying no to him. She loved him. There was no denying that. How long she had loved him she couldn’t be sure. Perhaps she had loved him from the moment she had seen him standing beneath her window, a trick played by the Sunday Cove legend. Perhaps the love had been growing all along without her awareness. She thought that sometimes love was like that—a subtle flourishing rather than a sudden attack.
She gazed at the painting. Tim’s painting. A few short days ago when she had put away his paintings, she had never dreamed she would be saying she loved another man.
“How did he die?” Todd asked the question without turning around.
“He drowned.” Saying the words aloud was almost a catharsis for Amy. She crossed the room and stood beside Todd, looking up at the painting. “Ironic, isn’t it, that the one thing he loved most in the world finally claimed his life.”
Todd reached out and squeezed her hand.
“He was always painting water,” she continued. “He used to say it had many moods and he wanted to capture them all. The sea was almost his obsession.” Now that she had released the words, they flowed out. The more she talked about her husband’s death, the better she felt.
“He could sit for hours, sometimes never lifting his brush, simply gazing across the water. Now that I remember those times. I think I was a little jealous. I guess I never fully understood Tim.”
“Does anyone ever fully understand another person?” Todd asked quietly. “Man is a complex creature, seen through a glass darkly.”
She turned an appreciative look in his direction. “Sometimes you surprise me. You have the soul of a poet.”
“Borrowed phrases.”
“When you say them in that magnificent voice, you make them your own.”
He pulled her into his arms. “Does that mean the woman loves me?”