by H. B. Stumbo
I nodded and leaned into him, he pulled me close and kissed the top of my head, I smiled at the comforting feeling he gave me. In such a short amount of time he had crossed the line of a stranger into a friend and I needed a friend right now.
“Rich said you called yourself my boyfriend.”
“Hmmm, that is what I am.”
I exhaled into his shoulder and he looked at me oddly, “I didn’t know that’s what we were to each other, since we’ve never really talked about it.”
I felt him shift a little and his grip around me tightened. “Some things don’t need to be talked about to be what they are. I care about you, you obviously care about me so that’s that.”
I smiled and he pulled me down onto my pillow and rolled onto his side. “You need to get some sleep or you’ll be exhausted.”
I nodded and he reached over and flicked off my lamp. When he turned back towards me he pulled the covers around me and smiled. “Do you want me to stay in here with you? I’m not leaving this house but if you want to be alone…” his voice trailed off and I shook my head quickly.
“No, please stay. It’s comforting having you here.”
He situated himself on the small bed and held me close as my mind darted rapidly around my thoughts. “I want to tell you about my past and what happened tonight Vance, but I don’t know how to start.”
He sighed and kissed my forehead again, “Sleep on it baby, you can tell me when you’re ready and you only have to tell me what you want.”
I nodded but I knew I owed him more than a short synopsis at this point. This man had located the house I grew up in and drove here in the middle of the night just to make sure I was okay. The urge he had to make sure I was okay and wasn’t hurt was deep and I couldn’t pretend to understand it. How could someone who was a stranger just months ago end up being the only thing holding me to the earth right now?
My thoughts drifted as my eyelids began to close. I was mildly aware of Vance rubbing my back and humming lightly, it was familiar to me somehow, but that was the last sound I heard before exhaustion finally collected me.
Chapter 19
I awoke with a jolt the next morning as the nightmare I was having ended. I sat upright and took in a huge breath but relaxed when I realized I was in my old room and I was safe. I rubbed my eyes and looked around the room as it filled with sunlight. I stretched and remembered Vance had stayed, a burst of peace washed over me at the thought of him sleeping in the same bed as me, but when I looked he was nowhere to be found. Confusion washed over me but I felt a little better when I saw that his jeans were still crumbled on the floor, his shirt however was missing.
I stood up and stretched and walked out the door and downstairs to the kitchen. I could hear someone mixing something with a spoon and I could smell food cooking. Lara was an amazing cook and her breakfasts were to die for, it was one of the only things I missed about living at home with her and Rich. I peeked around the corner and saw Lara mixing a bowl of batter and Vance working over a pan, their backs were towards me and they were talking.
“Where did you learn to cook like that? Most men are helpless with flipping eggs over.”
A pang of sorrow washed through me as I remembered the look on Vance’s face when I asked him the same question. To my surprise, he answered the question without hesitation.
“I learned at a young age, and I enjoy it so I do it often.”
I could sense Lara’s approval and almost hear the smile spread across her face. I watched them silently work on their chore unaware that I was admiring both of them.
“Lara…I just want to know one thing and it’s all I am going to ask you about the situation.”
I could see Lara tense up and I could feel myself tense as well, she nodded towards him.
“How bad were things…with her ex-boyfriend?”
She mixed the bowl slowly and I saw her look down at the floor and sigh before she answered. “My dear boy, hell doesn’t even begin to explain what she went through.”
I noticed Vance nod and his jaw tensed immediately. He glanced forward out the window and I was aware that he was gripping the counter top hard. I turned and walked towards the living room, I didn’t want them to know I was listening.
After a few minutes I could hear someone leave the kitchen and I looked over my shoulder to see Vance approaching the staircase, when he noticed me he changed his course and walked over to me, a small smile spread across his face.
“Good morning, Char,” he whispered as he neared me and he leaned down and wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in for a tight hug. I relaxed against his body and peace washed over me again. When he was like this, protectively wrapped around me, I didn’t care or worry about anything. He held me like that for a few minutes until he pulled away and brushed my hair behind my ears.
“We made breakfast, come eat something.”
I nodded and followed him into the dining room. Lara ran to me and engulfed me in a deep hug. She held my face in her hands and kissed my forehead. The worry had ceased a little over night and most of her initial panic was gone but she was still dwelling. I noticed the bags under her eyes and wondered if she had slept at all last night. Rich joined us in the dining room and gently tugged his overly emotional wife off of me; Vance never took his eyes off of us. He looked like he was trying to understand the situation and take in all of the love that Rich and Lara had for me.
Breakfast was easy; Lara wanted to know all about Vance and judging by her questions, his uninvited interruption in the middle of the night didn’t seem to bother her. She seemed happy that he was around, less anxious maybe.
We talked about his house and touched base briefly on his family. He was pleased to know that Rich knew his father. We talked a little about how long we had been “seeing” each other but I left out all the parts that were too difficult to explain like the weeks we didn’t communicate and the ordeal with Rita. After breakfast, I helped Lara clear the table while Rich and Vance talked about his business ventures. When I carried a stack of plates into the kitchen and loaded the dishwasher Lara sighed.
“He really is quite a catch, Charlotte. And I’m happy he is here, I think it would be harder for me to deal with this situation if you were alone.”
“Does that mean you’re not going to force me to stay here?”
She shook her head, “No dear, Vance has already informed me that you’ll be in good hands with him.”
This was news to me. So would Vance be staying with me for a few days now since it was recommended I shouldn’t be alone? Deep down inside of me I wished that would be so, I enjoyed having him near, I didn’t seem to worry or dwell too much on the large elephant that was in the room that everyone had avoided mentioning this morning.
By mid-afternoon Vance and I were ready to leave. Lara made me promise to text or call her multiple times to just check in, I promised I would. I owed her that much.
When we left we headed right to my house and Vance held my hand the whole way from the car to the house. When we were inside he smiled and sat down at the table.
“Why don’t you pack your things and plan on staying with me for a few days?”
My stomach churned as the thought of sleeping next to him again shot through me, “Are you sure?”
He looked oddly at me, “Yes…why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t want us to move too fast,” I echoed his words and he stood up and walked over to me.
“Charlotte…I promised your Aunt I would keep you in my sight for a few days and I wouldn’t leave you alone. We slept together last night without doing anything but sleeping. I think we are capable of doing that again, don’t you?”
Disappointment washed through me, I didn’t want that to be all we did. Right now I wanted to forget everything and anything that had to do with Jackson or the phone call from yesterday. I nodded and walked towards my room and began packing a few outfits. After I had grabbed all I needed for a few days’ worth of being away I w
alked back to the kitchen where I found Vance standing and looking out the window. He turned when he saw me, but he looked lost in thought and even when he noticed me standing there, he still looked like he was miles away. He looked at me with such sincerity, like something was weighing so heavy on his mind but he couldn’t talk about it. He shook himself from his thoughts and smiled, “Ready?”
I nodded and he led me back to his car and we headed towards his house, my current safe place.
Vance told me he wanted to keep my mind busy and my thoughts positive, he told me he had plans for the next couple of days starting with tonight. I eyed him oddly but he pulled off of Water’s Road and onto a side road where a fruit and vegetable stand stood a few miles down. He led me through the small tent where a young boy sat near a black cash box in the shade. It was a self-serve stand and to my surprise it was busy. Vance handed me some vegetables and told me to pick out some different fruits I liked. I watched him with amazement as he strode up and down the man-made aisles and sized up the onions and asparagus. When he had purchased everything he wanted and smiled at my arm full of blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and kiwi, we headed back to the car.
“What’s all this for?”
He smiled at me and kissed my cheek, “Dinner, and you can help cook.”
After an amazing dinner that I did help Vance prepare, he showed me the upstairs of the massive house. It was just as beautiful as the rest of the house but parts of it were beginning to wear. His room was massive and connected to a large master bathroom that had definitely been remodeled. I unpacked my bag into one of the spare dressers and I was aware that he was watching me from the doorway.
“Are you sure it’s okay if I sleep in here?”
He nodded, not taking his eyes off me, “I told your Aunt I’d keep a close watch over you. There is no way I’m letting you out of my sight.”
I blushed and continued putting stuff away. When I finished I turned towards his bathroom and rolled my shoulder, glancing back at him I smiled sweetly.
“What?” He asked raising his eyebrows.
“I was wondering if I could take a bath.” His eyes grew wide and he fidgeted in the doorway. “I noticed the huge soaker tub and I’d really like to relax a little.”
He seemed to relax and he walked through his room and into the large bathroom. Flicking on a dim overhead light he walked over to the tap and turned it so water began to fill the huge tub. He rummaged through a cabinet for a few towels and pulled out two big fluffy ones and sat them on the edge of the granite around the tub. He reached underneath the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of something and poured it into the tub, the scent of eucalyptus hit me like a brick and filled the air. The steam in the bathroom began to make it cloudy and I could feel my tank top begin to stick. I watched as he tested the water with his hand and adjusted the knobs before feeling it again. When he was satisfied with the temperature of the water he stood up and shook his hand off before drying it along his jeans. His gaze met mine and his eyes were on fire. I felt my stomach roll and I took a step towards him.
We stared at each other as both of our breathing ragged. I wanted him much more than I ever thought I would and I couldn’t tell if it was because I wanted to erase all of the terrifying memories and thoughts from my mind or if it was because he was being so protective and caring.
He tilted my chin upwards with his hand and leaned in and kissed me lightly on my lips. It was the first time we had kissed since everything had happened and it was soft and light, like he was testing things to make sure I was okay with it.
Just when I was ready to deepen the kiss and rip his shirt of he pulled away.
His eyes were smoldering and he pulled himself away from me and out of the bathroom but it looked like he was really fighting the urge to stay with me.
“I thought you were going to keep me in your line of sight,” I mumbled just as he was ready to shut the door.
“I think you’ll be okay in here,” He sighed and shook his head.
“Please?” I asked and his eyes blazed.
“Charlotte…” His voice trailed off but had a warning tone to it, like he knew if I begged him enough he would succumb to my wishes and stay in here with me. He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re still upset and you still have things on your mind, I’m not going to make things worse by going there with you.”
I looked down feeling embarrassed again and nodded. How long would he keep up with this façade? Eventually, I would be angry with him for not being with me. What was the problem? Why would he always turn me down when I begged for more? Last week we were nearly naked on his couch and he stopped then, too. I shook my head and relaxed as the smell of eucalyptus lingered around me.
After my bath I wrapped myself in a towel and dried my hair with another towel before putting it up into a bun on top of my head. The bath did exactly what I wanted it to, calmed me down and nearly evaporated all the stress and worry from my mind. Deep down, the threat of Jackson was still festering and I knew if I let myself dwell on it too much, I would become an emotional mess again. A small part of me worried that it wasn’t just the threat of Jackson that made me worry, but also the fact that I would eventually have to tell Vance about him, and I couldn’t tell Vance about Jackson without telling him the details. I shook my head; it could wait a little longer.
I walked out of the bathroom and jumped a little when I saw Vance sitting on the edge of his bed. He looked up when I walked out and smiled a little before looking me up and down. The towel left little to the imagination and I was suddenly thankful that I hadn’t had anything else on, maybe I could tell him no now, even though I knew if he wanted me I’d say yes right away.
I walked over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top before disappearing back into the bathroom to change. To my surprise and my disappointment, Vance didn’t seem affected by me at all, he stayed on the bed and out of sight until I was clothed and only then did he approach me and plant a soft kiss on my lips before disappearing down the hall.
Did this man have the strength of a priest or something? I shook my head as I tried to imagine why he was holding back on not crossing any lines. Did he really think it would ruin things? Was he waiting for some reason? Maybe he was a virgin? The idea became unbidden in my mind and I giggled a little. To imagine someone as handsome as Vance actually be a virgin was both hysterical and unbelievable to me. I walked into the hallway and downstairs where he was sitting on the couch watching the news, he motioned for me to come sit beside him and I obliged. Vance was easy to succumb to especially when he was as kind and caring as he was. Even though I desperately wanted to be with him, it was nice not feeling pressured into anything with him. He was easy to be around, easy to care for.
I snuggled into his side and he kissed the top of my head.
“Doing okay?” He mumbled in my ear which sent some shivers through my spine.
I nodded and could almost hear the smile in his voice, “I want to take you out tomorrow, get your mind off of whatever is clouding it.”
I smiled at up at him knowing that he was asking me to explain things without prying, I just wasn’t ready to go there yet.
“Okay…what did you have in mind?”
“There’s a small town about an hour north, they have old shops and a decent winery. I thought we could go there tomorrow for a late lunch and do some sight-seeing.”
I nodded, it sounded nice getting out of town and even though I knew there was no way Jackson was in Locke’s Point, I still wanted to get away and disappear. My mind drifted to spending the next few days with Vance and just with Vance and I wondered what it would be like to be around him twenty-four seven.
“You may get sick of me after spending a few days with me.”
He shook his head, “I don’t think that’s possible.”
I smiled and blushed and settled back into a comfortable position. My eyes flicked to the news and I stared at the televisio
n not really paying it much attention and sighed. “Tomorrow is Monday though…I already took vacation time over the fourth.” My voice trailed off.
“Vacation time that Rick issued you to take.” His voice was stern and I knew he was right; it was Rick who suggested I take some time.
“Don’t you get to pick your hours and days that you work?”
I nodded and shrugged.
“Then what is the problem? Take tomorrow and if you need it, Tuesday off and work the rest of the week to make up for it.”
He was right, I could easily do this. I was the only full time employee in the office who didn’t utilize this option. Both of the other full timers worked when they wanted and I rarely saw them. “Let me just shoot Rick a text so he knows what is up.”
Vance nodded and I peeled myself away from him. I grabbed my phone and let Rick know my plans to not come in until possibly Wednesday. I sat my phone down and looked around the massive dining room at the pictures on the wall. My eyes darted from the beautiful paintings to the mantle over the fireplace with multiple framed pictures in it. I made my way over to it and noticed a few black and white photographs of people who seemed to be Vance’s family members. They were standing on the front porch looking posed and proper. There were other pictures, too. Pictures of parties and guests lined up all smiling for the camera, pictures of the orchard, and then I noticed a picture of what appeared to be Vance’s parents holding Vance and Riley while sitting on the porch. I could tell it was his parents instantly; he looked just like his father. Riley was young, maybe not even a year old and Vance looked uninterested in the photographer. His Mother was beautiful and I smiled at the look of peace on her face. My heart constricted a little at the thought of his parents losing their lives so young. I wondered how different Riley and Vance would be if they hadn’t lost them early in life. I felt Vance approach me and he looked at me strangely.
“These are your parents,” I pointed to the picture and he nodded.
“Your Mother was very beautiful. You look a lot like your Father.”