by Laura Hart
After several rings it went to voicemail, and once the message was done, Sadie listened to it.
Hello, Sadie Duval. I’m thinking of you and our weekend together rather than doing my work, so I thought I’d call and see what you’re doing. It seems I’ll have to do without talking to you tonight, but I’ll call you tomorrow. Sweet dreams.
Sadie bit her lower lip and thought again briefly about having Max’s strong arms around her and of sitting on his lap. Suddenly, she frowned. Really? Sitting on his lap? Talk about a submissive thing to do! Equals don’t sit on each other’s laps, do they? She sighed and set her phone to go directly to voicemail.
Back in Houston, Max was standing at the window in his Galleria-area apartment looking out at the evening lights and remembering how Sadie had said she loved the lights so much. Why hadn’t she answered? It seemed a bit strange, because he’d noticed that she almost always had her phone with her. Oh well, he should stop acting like a love-struck teenager and get back to work. Surely, there was a good reason why she hadn’t been available.
* * *
“Darling! What a nice surprise!” exclaimed Harmony as she looked up and saw her daughter standing in the doorway. “I didn’t even hear you come in.”
“I’m just a quiet little mouse, don’t you know?” replied Sadie with a laugh. Then she caught the scent of a heavenly aroma and glanced around, but she didn’t see anything cooking. “What’s that great smell?” she asked, suddenly aware she’d had nothing but coffee since getting up.
“It’s a new recipe called Pioneer Porridge. It uses only natural ingredients and is supposed to be super healthy for you. Do you want to try some?”
Sadie looked around the kitchen again and asked, “Where is it?”
“It’s in here keeping warm,” replied Harmony, opening one of the small front doors on her Aga range. She lifted out an iron pot and put it on the countertop, then removed the lid.
“Oh, yum!” Suddenly Sadie fully felt her hunger, and she quickly reached into the cabinet for a bowl. “Do I eat this alone or with something on it?”
“However you like. Try it first and see what you think.”
Sadie looked at it skeptically, but there was no denying it smelled wonderful, so she took a spoonful and then closed her eyes while she savored it. “I have no idea how I’d even describe this, but it’s fantastic. I’m going to eat it just like it is.” With that, she took her bowl and sat down at the kitchen table.
“Do you want some coffee?” asked Harmony.
“Actually, I think I might like some milk. Is there any?”
Harmony set a glass of cold milk down on the table and then sat down herself. “How was your weekend in Dallas?”
“I don’t know,” replied Sadie. She took another big spoonful of her mother’s mystery food and again savored it slowly.
“How can you not know?” Harmony looked intently at her daughter.
Sadie sighed. “That’s kind of why I’m here. Can I stay here for a couple days?”
“Of course you can, you know that, but what’s going on? Did this Max give you trouble?”
“Kind of.”
“Tell me about it. I thought you liked him.”
“I do.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
“That’s the problem. I like him.”
“How much?”
“A lot.”
“And that’s bad because…”
Sadie suddenly looked miserable. “Oh, Harmony, he’s so perfect. He’s gorgeous and considerate and interesting and sexy. Super sexy.”
“At the risk of being repetitive, why is that bad?”
“I don’t know. It just is.”
“Darling, being an independent woman doesn’t mean you have to give up the delights of men.”
“You don’t think men are delightful. You keep them far away.”
Harmony refilled her coffee and gave Sadie more milk before sitting down again.
“I have a daughter, darling. That means I haven’t always kept them far away. As a matter of fact, I think I’d disagree with that statement anyway. I’ve told you before, I have no problem with men. I’m just not sure I want a permanent relationship at this point in my life, but you’re at a very different point. I don’t understand why you’re so dead set against letting a sexy man into your life.”
Sadie played with her porridge for a minute before answering, but finally she looked up with tears in her eyes. “I sat on his lap!”
Harmony waited, but when nothing more came, she asked, “So?”
“Harmony! I sat on his lap, like some silly little ditz.”
“Do you think Max sees you as a silly little ditz?”
“I don’t know,” Sadie answered miserably. “He acts like I am. He holds my chair and opens my doors, and he even picked me up and carried me.” She didn’t mention the spanking.
Harmony smiled and repeated, “You think that means he sees you as a silly little ditz?”
“Well, you wouldn’t pick up the woman in the next office.”
“Not at the office, no, but on a weekend date, why not? It was all in fun. The interplay between men and women is fun. Don’t be so afraid of appearing weak that you lose your natural feminine self. Did you enjoy being with this sexy man?”
“I told you I did.” She sounded like she was admitting to a serious flaw.
“Then embrace it. A big strong man can make you feel things you’ll get nowhere else. Don’t deny yourself. Liking a man doesn’t make you weak, it makes you normal. There’s no law that says strong women have to be celibate.”
Sadie sighed. “I was trying to write my blog this morning, and I couldn’t. I felt like a liar. All I could think about was Max. I had absolutely nothing to say that didn’t feel like I was just making up words.”
“It sounds like you and Max really connected. Don’t deny yourself the fun of a great connection.”
Just then Sadie’s phone rang. She looked at the screen, grimaced, and then switched it off.
“Was that him?” asked Harmony.
“Yes. It’s the second time this morning.” She got up and put her dishes in the dishwasher. “Thanks for the porridge. I’m going out for a while.”
“A strong man can make you happy in a way very few other things can,” Harmony called after her, but Sadie wasn’t listening.
I’ll Follow You There Just to be Sure
Max looked at his phone and frowned. Something wasn’t right. Last evening and now again this morning his calls were going directly to voicemail. He didn’t want to be overly dramatic, but before now, he couldn’t remember Sadie’s never picking up one of his calls. Either there was a problem in her life or she was deliberately ignoring his calls.
He thought back but couldn’t come up with any reason why it should be the latter. He thought they’d parted on good terms, and she certainly seemed to have enjoyed herself in Dallas. He knew she was a bit skittish, but he thought they had overcome that. Maybe not.
He didn’t want to crowd her, so he decided to wait several hours before trying again, but later that afternoon the same thing happened. His call went directly to voicemail.
He was tempted to drive to Galveston and see what was going on, but he had a dinner meeting that was too important to cancel, so he forced himself to set the matter aside for several hours. It was only temporary, though. If Sadie thought he was a man who would give up based on a few missed calls, she had misread him completely. Tomorrow, he would deal with the matter head on.
* * *
“I have an appointment in Houston this morning,” Sadie told Harmony the next day as they had breakfast together in the kitchen. “I have to talk to someone at the university.”
“All right, darling. Drive carefully.”
It was almost noon when Harmony heard the doorbell. She had a group of women coming over the end of the afternoon to learn about summer solstice ceremonies, so she’d been deeply engrossed in a book on the subject, but she
pattered to the door in her bare feet, the book still in her hands.
“Excuse me for bothering you, but I’m a friend of your daughter’s, and I wondered if you might help me.”
Holy mother of god! She was looking at one of the most gorgeous men she’d ever seen—tall, full dark hair, full eyebrows and piercing dark eyes, an obviously well-conditioned body… Okay, she was staring and needed to stop.
“My name’s Max Orlov, and I’m trying to get in touch with Sadie.” He smiled, completing the picture of an insanely handsome man.
Max! She should have guessed. The man her daughter was going to great lengths to avoid was standing on her front porch, and he was even holding flowers, which she assumed were intended for Sadie. She was quickly disabused of that idea.
“I apologize for arriving unannounced,” he continued, nodding his head ever so slightly. “I hope you’ll accept these flowers in amends for my rudeness.” He held the bouquet of fresh colorful flowers towards her, flowers that had obviously come from a fine florist and not some bin in a grocery store.
“Oh!” exclaimed Harmony, momentarily taken aback. Then she opened the door wide. “Please, come in. You don’t need flowers to be welcome here.”
Max entered the foyer but then paused and again held the flowers towards her. “Please, I’d like you to take them.”
“Thank you,” smiled Harmony. “Let’s go to the back so I can put them in water.”
Max smiled back, aware of the same lack of ceremony and pretension in Harmony that he enjoyed in Sadie.
“Can I get you a cup of coffee or some iced tea?”
“Tea would be nice, thank you.”
As Harmony poured the tea, she studied Max out of the corner of her eye. He had the kind of good looks that would cause female heads to turn in a restaurant, but there was nothing pretty boy about him. He was every inch a man, with a firm jaw and muscled body.
“Why don’t we go out on the back terrace,” she said, motioning with her hand. “It’s lovely out there this time of day.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt your schedule. I thought you might be able to help me get in touch with Sadie.”
Harmony motioned again, so he followed her out to the back where he chose a large wicker chair. Harmony sat down near him in a wicker loveseat and tucked her feet up under her peasant skirt.
“I went by Sadie’s apartment, but she wasn’t there,” the resonant deep voice continued, “and since she’s not been answering her phone, I thought perhaps you could tell me where I could find her.”
Harmony was torn. She believed totally in letting her daughter live her own life, but she also suspected that Sadie’s head was a bit muddled when it came to Max, and now that he was here with her, she believed it even more strongly. He seemed like a really great guy, and he obviously cared enough about Sadie to come looking for her. Maybe she’d just meddle a bit this one time.
“Sadie’s gone into Houston for an appointment, and I’m not sure how long she’ll be.”
“Do you know why she isn’t returning my calls? Did I offend her in some way?”
“No. Quite the opposite. She finds you attractive.”
“She has a strange way of showing it.”
Harmony looked at the flowers blooming abundantly in her back yard before changing the subject abruptly. “Has she talked to you at all about her blog?”
Max blinked in surprise, not sure what the one had to do with the other. “I know she writes one, but she hasn’t told me much about it other than it was about being a strong woman in today’s world. I think those were her words. Why do you ask?”
“Because right now Sadie’s torn. She finds you very attractive, but that scares her, because she doesn’t know how to integrate you with her beliefs.”
Max looked started. “What beliefs?”
“Her beliefs about what it means to be a strong woman. I think you should hear it in her own words.” Harmony got up and went into the kitchen to get her tablet and then returned. She opened Sadie’s site and then handed the tablet to Max. “Why don’t you look through this while I go finish what I was doing. I’ll be back pretty soon. If you want more tea, help yourself in the kitchen.”
Max sat back and looked at what Harmony had given him. It was an attractive site with a smiling photo of Sadie and the title ‘On Being Complete.’ Looks good, he thought to himself. He glanced quickly through the archives and could see that she’d been doing the blog for a couple of years now. He decided to read some of the early columns first before the more current ones so he could get an idea of the sequence of thought.
He’d intended to skim so he could cover more territory, but he found himself reading the entries closely. She wrote well, persuasively even, but he had a hard time putting the words he was reading into the mouth of the woman he’d made passionate love with three days earlier. The writer was obviously male-skeptic, but the woman in his bed had been warm and loving. He could definitely understand some of her behaviors better now, like her not wanting him to pay for lunch the first day, but the Sadie he’d laughed with and loved with didn’t seem to match the Sadie who’d written these columns.
He was troubled. If this was truly what Sadie believed, maybe a relationship with her wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d hoped. There were even columns that could make him doubt such a relationship would be possible at all, but he wasn’t a man who accepted defeat.
“How’s it going out here?” asked Harmony as she came back out still carrying her mug of coffee. “Do you need a tea refill?”
“I have everything I need, thank you. I have to admit that I’m bothered by some of these columns, though. Does Sadie not plan on having a man in her life?”
Harmony sat down again on the loveseat and then sighed. “I don’t know. I feel somewhat guilty, because I think she’s misinterpreted some of my own attitudes. I wonder if the divorce affected her in ways we weren’t aware of. It was a fairly friendly divorce, and her father has remained in her life and is fully supportive of her, so I’m just not sure why she’s so intent on keeping men at arm’s length. She’s had many boyfriends, but I must say they’ve often seemed more platonic than romantic. As far as I know, she’s never been badly hurt by any of them, so I truly don’t understand it.”
Max shook his head. “What I take from her writings isn’t so much that she’s anti-men but that she feels their behavior makes it very difficult for a woman to be independent.” He smiled, remembering her fuss over his opening the car door for her.
Harmony sighed again and nodded. “I just don’t know where this is going to end. You’re the first man she’s been interested in for a while, but it’s that interest that has her spooked. She’s afraid of giving in to her feelings.”
“Without meaning to be indelicate, she seemed to give in to them while we were together.”
“And now she’s having regrets. She likes you, and that scares her.”
“Does she plan to ever answer my calls again?”
“I really don’t know.”
“Do you think she truly wants me to leave her alone?”
“I’m not sure of that either. She likes you, Max, but she doesn’t know how to have both you and her beliefs.”
Max was quiet for a moment. This was unlike anything he’d ever dealt with before. He usually had women chasing after him, not hiding from him and refusing his calls. “Do you have any advice?”
“Harmony? Where are you?”
Harmony and Max both looked surprised to hear the new voice.
“Out here, darling,” called Harmony, smiling mischievously at Max.
Sadie opened the door to the terrace and stopped short, staring at Max. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, looking as if she might turn and run.
“We’ve been having a lovely visit,” Harmony said before Max could say anything.
“Hi, Sadie,” put in Max, trying to look casual.
Sadie looked like she might burst into tears, but Harmony
got up and gently pulled her towards the seating area. “Come sit and have some tea, darling. I’ll get you a glass.” She waited until Sadie sat down and then turned and went into the kitchen.
“What are you doing here?” repeated Sadie, looked reproachfully at Max.
“Looking for you.”
“Why?”
Max looked at her intently. “You really don’t know?”
Just then Harmony reappeared with some tea for Sadie. “Why don’t you two have a chat while I go get ready for my class?” She disappeared again into the house, leaving an awkward silence behind her.
“Why won’t you answer my calls, Sadie?”
Sadie studied her hands and shrugged slightly. Max watched her silently a minute and then said, “Can we go to your place? I need to talk with you in private.”
“I don’t want to talk.”
“Then listen, but I need to talk to you, and I’d prefer to do it in private. Can we go to your place?”
Sadie hesitated. Being here with Max, seeing him and hearing his wonderful voice brought back the feelings of attraction she was trying to ignore.
“Sadie?”
“All right,” she agreed, almost inaudibly.
They gathered up the tea things and took them back into the kitchen and then went to find Harmony.
“We’re going to my place,” Sadie told her.
“All right, darling,” her mother replied with a smile on her face.
“Didn’t you see my car when you arrived?” asked Max as they left the house.
“You parked on the street and not in the driveway, and I wasn’t paying any attention. If I’d seen it, I wouldn’t have gone in.”
“Thanks a lot,” replied Max, looking at her intently. “If we take both cars, can I trust you to really come with me to your place?”
Sadie giggled, the most relaxed thing she’d done since first discovering Max at her mother’s house. “Who knows?”