by Nicole Smith
"I'm a Patriots fan myself. We're on opposite sides on this one."
She bit into a roll and muttered, "That will be fun."
He had on tan chinos and a cream-colored pullover sweater with cable knitting. She set her food down and went to stand in front of him. Reaching out to brush his dark blond hair back, she said, "You look far more delicious than any breakfast roll. I wish you didn't have to go."
"Me too," he said with feeling. "What are your plans for the day?"
"Not sure yet. Computer business stuff. Maybe we can get together this afternoon?"
He put his arms around her and pressed his body against hers. "Sooner, if I can figure out a way."
She whispered, "Yes, sooner." The kiss between them soon had her heart racing, as desire for him flooded her body. She wondered how she'd make it until this afternoon.
He pulled away first. "Ah, woman, you tempt me too much. I'm out of here, before I decide to close up the shop for the rest of the month."
Laughing, she ran her hands down his arms. "Okay, go and leave me all hot and bothered."
He glanced at the watch on his wrist and said, "That's it." And with one move he had her over his shoulder as he walked back to the bedroom with her squealing in surprise.
As he left her dazed and thoroughly satiated a bit later, he said, "I'm late, but it was worth it." She watched him walk out the door and rolled over beneath the covers. The man was incredible, she thought as she fell into sleep.
When she woke for the second time that day, she got up and dressed quickly. She felt energized and ready to take on any challenge. Somewhere in her sleep, she'd made the decision to see the office space Frank and Mrs. Gilchrest had mentioned. She gathered up her things to leave and then remembered her car was back at the beach house. About the time she was going to call Cody about it, she noticed a note propped up on the counter. She smiled gleefully as she read it. CORVETTE IS YOURS FOR THE DAY. The keys were by the note. Perfect.
She'd taken test drives in a Corvette before, but to have access to one for a whole day was a dream. The car was wonderfully fun on the curvy road back to the beach house. She'd decided to change to more business-like attire. Not a business suit, God forbid, but nicer pants and a better top than her sweatshirt. After reaching Mrs. Gilchrest by phone, the plan was made to meet at the bank in an hour.
Julia was not surprised to see Frank outside the bank when she arrived. He, however, looked shocked when she got out of the Corvette.
"Julia--what are you--Cody let you drive the Corvette?"
She bobbed her head. "Sure, he left me the keys to use it for the day. Is that a big deal?"
Frank ran a hand through his hair. "Yes, it is, because he never lets anyone, not even me, drive that car. I never thought he would. Hmm."
"What?"
"Just how serious are you guys getting, Julia?" Frank said with a chuckle.
She didn't reply, wondering about the answer to that question herself. Mrs. Gilchrest came out of the bank right then, saving Julia from giving Frank a response.
"All right, Julia. There's a little place the bank has owned for a while, right off the square. We can walk there from here."
They headed down the wide sidewalk. After walking the length of one side of the town square, they made a left turn onto Maple Street. Set back from the street was a two story red brick building with a large bay window on the first floor. They stood on the sidewalk looking at it. Finally, Julia broke the silence. "Is it--a house? Or was it a store? And who built it? Because that's the ugliest Gothic building I think I've ever seen."
"Well, yes," Mrs. Gilchrest said. "It does have its faults. But, it's sturdy, well-made, built to last forever. It's got the two floors plus a basement. And if you look past the, uh, gargoyle-type decoration at the arch above the door and window, and the part to one side sticking out...it's not really too bad."
Julia noticed the certainty in the bank president's voice faded away by the end of her last sentence. Taking a few steps up the walkway to the front door, Julia said, "Come on. Let's go look at it. For some reason this place interests me."
Once inside, she was astonished and delighted to discover hardwood floors throughout. There was a very large room with a smaller room at the back adjacent to a small kitchen. The bathroom was nothing exciting but was serviceable. There was a strangely-shaped room off to the side of the large room. Upstairs were three rooms and another bathroom. Again, one room had an unusual shape, following the side of the building that jutted out, seemingly without purpose.
Julia said, "It's like it was a regular building then someone came along and scribbled all over the architect's drawings. Strange place. Still, it would be plenty of room, that's for sure. I could even live here, upstairs. Not sure I'd want to, though. But for working, it definitely has possibilities. For computers, I'd need some good wiring--"
"It has excellent wiring. Everything really was built to be the best. You could run cable in here as well."
"Who built this? What business was in here before?"
Frank said, "You can't really judge a place by who, or what, had it before."
"Who or what?"
"Frank!" Mrs. Gilchrest admonished. "The previous owner was a very nice man who believed he was a witch, or rather, a warlock. He sold herbs, candles, crystals, that sort of thing. The place just didn't have enough customers to make a go of it. One day he up and left."
"Vanished, that's what he did," Frank commented.
"And so," Mrs. Gilchrest continued in a louder voice. "The bank took possession. It seems a shame for a good building like this to just sit here unused."
"I see." Julia wandered around the first floor again, amused by the oddly shaped room to one side. She wondered if Mrs. Gilchrest had realized it was five sided. Julia had never been superstitious or a believer in the paranormal. The history didn't bother her. "I don't know if it's almost too much space. I wouldn't really need the second floor."
"You never know when you might need storage," Mrs. Gilchrest said. "And the payments on this property will be quite reasonable."
She quoted a figure that made Julia blink. It was not just reasonable, but cheap. Julia nodded thoughtfully. "I need to think about this. I still hadn't decided I needed a separate office from home. Of course, I'd need a home, but I really can't see living here. You are right, though, it would be a good workspace for the computers I might bring in."
"Told you she wouldn't buy it, Betsy," Frank muttered.
"Hush, Frank. She said she'd think about it," Mrs. Gilchrest said in a quiet voice.
Julia walked outside to the front of the building. The place did have a certain weird charm. She was surprised to find herself wanting to know what Cody thought of the idea. Not that she wanted him to decide for her, but she wanted his input.
The others caught up to her and they all walked back to the bank. Julia thanked Mrs. Gilchrest and Frank, and took off in the Corvette for a drive along the coastline. She needed to think.
Her mind went first to practicalities. She'd need a place to live here in Sully Point. Her current savings and investments could carry her for a number of years if necessary, without having to touch her trust fund. Which would be good, because her parents had control of the dispersal of the trust fund money until she was thirty. The mortgage payments to the bank on the gothic building would fit into her budget.
Then her thoughts slid over to the impractical side--the part where her feelings for Cody entered into the equation. Was she considering this whole idea just to stay near him? She had to be clear in her own mind about that, she decided. To do something this major to be close to a man--except it wasn't just any man. It was Cody, the man she had deep feelings for already. She couldn't leave her feelings out of the decision-making process. Where the relationship was going still wasn't clear to her, or to Cody, she thought. But something major was happening between them. She wanted time to sort it out, to see if it was real and lasting, or not.
The other side
to all of it was dealing with her mother. If she did start this business, she'd have to face down her mother, and all of her manipulative emotional warfare. It made Julia a bit shaky inside to think of how it would be. But if she was ever going to break away, it had to be now. If she gave in at this point, she wasn't sure she'd ever have her own life.
When she returned to the beach house, she pulled on a thick sweater jacket and headed out to sit on the deck. It was sunny today and warmer, but still cool by the water. She sat staring out at the turbulent waters for a long time, watching the waves coming in and out, much like her thoughts, pro and con, washed over her mind.
The bottom line, she finally decided, was about working at something she loved. Aside from making money, getting closer to Cody, being healthier in her life, getting away from her mother--all these were unimportant compared to her doing something with her life that she would enjoy. As she shivered in the breeze she realized she made a decision, and smiled.
Cody came around the side of the house at that moment, and stopped dead, looking at her. "What are you doing out here, you crazy woman?"
She laughed, a joyous laugh, because no matter what, she knew she'd made the right choice for her.
"It's cold by the water, Julia, honestly what were you thinking? Here, come inside and get warmed up." He was bundling her along and into the house while she continued to giggle. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, yes," she managed to say. "I'm just a bit giddy with happiness at the moment."
He looked at her curiously, but didn't say anything. Instead, he went into the bedroom and brought back a blanket.
"Haven't we done this before?" Julia asked him, settling on the couch. "Come share the blanket with me and I'll warm up faster."
He stood looking at her for a moment, eyes concerned, then nodded. "You're right."
She fitted her body to his under the blanket, head on his chest, an arm around his waist. The feel of his hands rubbing up and down her back felt amazingly good. "It wasn't cold out there when I first went out. Then, I was thinking hard and lost track of time."
"The wind did come up rather suddenly. I drove out to have lunch with you and when you didn't answer the door I got worried. Thought I'd see if you'd locked the back door and then there you were."
"It's only lunch time? I feel like I've been thinking for a whole day."
"Well, it's a late lunch time. I have people at the store for the afternoon, which means I'm all yours for the rest of the day and night."
"Mmm. Sounds perfect." She tilted her head up and met his kiss. They both froze when they heard someone at the front door, unlocking it.
"What the--" Cody began. He quietly moved Julia off his lap and got up from the couch.
The door opened.
"Sam--Anna! What are you guys doing here?"
Julia watched Cody walk quickly over to hug his sister. They didn't look much alike as Anna had dark auburn hair compared to Cody's dark blond. She wasn't a beautiful woman, but a striking one. And one who had surprised her brother.
"Anna--you're pregnant!" He hugged her again, more gently this time.
"Yes, I am. We came back because I want to have the baby here, in May probably."
"Congratulations, Sam," Cody said, shaking his brother-in-law's hand with a wide smile.
Anna had walked past Cody into the living room and stood looking at Julia. "And you must be Julia Tremaine, am I right?"
Julia nodded. "Yes, it's nice to meet you. Your beach house has been lovely to stay in."
Cody had turned to walk back over. "Yes, except for the little spot of trouble at the beginning."
Sam stood by Anna and took her hand. Anna said, "We are so sorry that happened to you. I'm just glad she's locked up again. But what," Anna continued, "are you doing here Cody?"
Cody grinned at Julia for a moment. She shrugged. "We're dating. Julia and I have only recently gotten together, Sis."
"You let her drive your Corvette," Anna said, wonderingly. "I only just put together the fact that your pickup and your corvette are outside. Did you, let her drive it, I mean?"
Cody said with a frown, "Well, yes, but I don't see what--"
"Cody, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for both of you."
Cody turned red and looked down at his feet, and Julia felt curious. What did Anna mean?
"All right, Sis. Let it go," Cody said, waving a hand at her in dismissal. "I've only been here a few minutes. Julia was sitting out on the deck, and we came in to get her warmed up."
"The ocean view is truly restful. Conducive to thinking," Julia said in explanation. "But now I think I should start packing. I'm going to need some place else to stay."
"How about the loft?" Cody asked. "If you want your space, it's empty since I moved back to the boat."
His sister nodded. "Yes, the loft would be perfect. You must stay there. I'm sorry we're kicking you out of here."
"Not a problem. The loft will be great. Come help me pack, Cody." They got up and went into the bedroom, while Sam got the rest of his and Anna's luggage into the house.
While she opened up her suitcase Julia asked, "What did Anna mean? About my driving your Corvette? Your father this morning acted weird about it too."
"You saw Dad this morning?"
"Yes, but don't change the subject."
Cody stopped carrying clothes from the closet to the bed. He put his hands on her shoulders and drew her to him. "Because I've never let anyone else drive the Corvette. And she knows--I must feel something special for you to trust you with my car. It is my baby after all." He grinned at her and kissed her lightly. "Back to packing."
Julia had the distinct feeling he'd changed what he was going to say Anna knew, but that was okay with her. He feels something special. Interesting, since what she felt for him was pretty special too.
They packed quickly, wanting to give Sam and Anna back their house after the long trip from Italy. Once everything was in suitcases, Julia got out clean sheets and they changed the bed. She stuffed the used sheets into the washing machine and started it up, along with the towels from the bathroom.
"There. All set, I think," she told Cody who was carrying out suitcases.
Anna was sitting in the big leather chair. "Don't forget this," she said, holding up the beginnings of the crocheted sweater.
"Thank you, I was about to leave it here." Julia got everything back into its quilted bag to go out to the car.
"You do beautiful work. The color reminds me of Cody's eyes."
Julia felt herself blushing. "Yes, that occurred to me also."
Anna gave a soft laugh. "He looks happy. I'm glad."
"He makes me very happy," Julia said to her in a quiet voice.
"That's what matters," Anna replied.
Cody called out, "Anna, we're ready to go. Julia and I will take the truck and her car now. Then we'll come back for the Corvette and leave you two in peace. When are you going to see Dad?"
"Tonight. We'll show up for dinner there--and it's to be a surprise Cody, so no telling him we're here, or about the baby."
"Ah, you're spoiling my fun. Can we at least be there when you come for supper?"
"Of course. Whose night is it to cook? Because I don't want pizza."
Cody looked affronted. "I'll have you know, I now cook. Learned while you've been gone."
"Nice!"
"Don't worry, we'll have a good home-cooked meal for you."
Julia watched as he hugged his sister one more time, and then they headed out to the cars. "You seem close to her."
"I am. More now than before, actually. We grew closer last year. Dad is going to bust a gut when he hears about the baby."
"I'll follow you to the loft," Julia said as she got into her car. "I was a bit distracted the last time we drove there."
Cody laughed and nodded.
Julia was glad she got to see him with his sister. There was a sweetness between them, an obvious caring. She'd always wanted a brother or sister and was deter
mined, if she ever had kids, she would have more than one. She wouldn't want them to be lonely like she had been.
* * * *
Cody thought about the Corvette as he drove to the loft. He knew very well what Anna had been referring to. He'd always said, only the woman he planned to marry would be allowed to drive his Corvette. Yet, today he'd gone off and left her the keys as if it were nothing. He trusted her, he realized with a start. More than anyone he'd ever known.
But marriage? Was he thinking of marriage on some unconscious level? He'd never ever considered getting married. In the past, he could never imagine settling down with just one woman. There were so many out there, after all. Then Julia had come into his life and now he only seemed able to think about her. When they were together he felt as if he'd found his other half.
He gripped the steering wheel tighter and thought about it. What would it be like to be with Julia always? He already knew he was in love with her, but he'd been in love before. Not like this, he thought. What we have is different. He found himself smiling as he glanced in the rearview mirror to see her car behind him. It was still very early to be thinking of things like marriage, but he could wait. He'd wait forever for her, if that was what it took.
They pulled up at the loft and proceeded to carry everything up to the second floor. Julia was surprised when he took her down the stairs at the back of the loft, leading to the first floor living area. "I didn't even realize the two floors were connected. I think I'll only need the top floor though."
"Well, it's there, in case you do need more space. Let's go back and get the Corvette. I think I'd better call Dad and tell him I'm cooking again tonight. I'll make some of Anna's favorite foods. He won't suspect anything is going on because he'll think I'm just trying to impress you."
"You do impress me, in amazing ways," she said with a grin.
"Okay, okay. I think we'll have macaroni and cheese for one dish," Cody said with a grin right back at her. "She always loved the homemade stuff Dad made. I'll do some barbecued chicken on the grill. And grill some vegetables. After I get the Corvette from the beach house, we can pick up some bread at the bakery." Then he hesitated. "I mean, if you want to come with me. If you want some time alone here, I'd understand."