by Nana Prah
“I love having you all back with me,” Grandma said with emotion in her voice.
“Why don’t you move to Boston so we can do this more often?” Jasmine asked. “You know we all want you there with us.”
She waved a hand in dismissal. “I have no intention of moving, at least not any time soon. I have peace, serenity, and friends here. Besides you’re only a few hours’ drive, and a second away by phone and e-mail. Enough of trying to persuade me to move!”
“Did you both hear her?” Ed’s dramatic ass stood up. “She said ‘at least not any time soon.’ We’re wearing you down, Grandma. We’re wearing you down.”
Grandma chuckled. “That’s enough. Now catch me up on what’s been going on with you and law school.”
Chapter 3
Exhaustion permeated every muscle in Jasmine’s body. It took sheer will and determination to help pull the canoe to the shore before collapsing onto the cold ground. Jasmine no longer sided with Grandma and told her so.
“Don’t be such babies,” Grandma said with a cackle.
“You said we’d be rowing for a few miles.” Carly found the energy to lift her head. “How many miles did you clock on your app, Jas?”
“Almost fifteen.”
“Fifteen miles!” four voices exclaimed in unison.
“You’re all young bucks,” Grandma scoffed. “I knew you could handle it. Now scrape yourselves off the ground, get our gear, and let’s head to our lodgings.”
“This coming from the woman who didn’t row a single stroke,” Ed muttered.
“What was that, young man? Never mind, I heard every word. Don’t forget I offered, but you refused.”
They grumbled their regret that they hadn’t let her help, although she could’ve handled the strenuous activity. They hiked up a path for a few minutes until they reached a set of log cabins. Jasmine took in the picturesque scene of the structures surrounded by the brightly colored trees.
“We’re staying in lodge number four.” Grandma walked them to their temporary home, removed a key from her pocket, and opened the door.
Their mouths gaped when they entered. The simplistic wooden log cabin’s exterior hid its extravagant interior. Plush colorful couches and chairs, offset by chrome and glass tables, belied that they were supposed to be camping out.
“They recently reconstructed and redecorated the place. There are three bedrooms so the girls will share one, the boys another, and I’ll get my own, unless there are any objections.” She glared at each of them in turn, daring them to oust her from having her own room.
“We unanimously vote that Grandma gets her own room,” Ed said.
“That’s very kind of you,” Grandma replied with an accepting tilt of her head. “I’ll get settled and then start lunch. You must be starving after all that rowing.” She left with the living room echoing with her chuckle.
Everyone grabbed their things and followed suit.
Lunch was a relaxing affair and afterward they rested in the living room. Jasmine awoke from her nap on the couch, struggling for air. She leapt up scanning the room. Her heart rate tripled when she didn’t find who she sought. “Where’s Carly?” she asked Sean, the only other person in the room.
“She went for a walk. What’s wrong? You look spooked.”
“Something’s not right.” Jasmine had the foresight to grab her jacket before running out the door.
Her intuition told her Carly was in trouble. She’d always been super sensitive when it came to her family and was able to sense when they’d been involved in a dangerous situation.
When footsteps crunched the leaves behind her, Jasmine turned around and experienced a wave of dizziness. She fought it and returned to her trot.
“What’s wrong?” Sean asked.
“I don’t know, but I have to find Carly.”
“Where are we going?”
“I don’t know that, either. I’m just following my instincts.”
He had no more to say, probably because she picked up the pace to a jog.
About half a mile farther, Jasmine made an abrupt turn to the left and slowed her steps, moving forward until they stood on the precipice of a steep cliff. She looked down and saw Carly lying face up on a ledge.
Jasmine’s heart leapt into her throat. “Oh my goodness! Carly!” she yelled. “Carly, are you all right? Carly!”
Jasmine’s mind raced as she tried to figure out how she’d get to her sister without careening down the cliff. The ledge wasn’t all that far below them, perhaps seven feet, but it was a straight vertical drop.
She started as a hand touched her shoulder. Getting dizzy wouldn’t help, so she didn’t bother to look at Sean. “She’s not responding. I have to get to her.”
“I’ll help you down.”
Why didn’t she think of it? She never freaked out. Taking a deep breath, she regained control. “Thanks.”
He held her hands and lowered her. As soon as her feet touched the ledge and she knew it would support her weight, she let go of him. Jasmine tapped Carly on the shoulder. “Carly!” Jasmine’s relief overwhelmed her when Carly’s chest rose and fell. “Carly!” This time she rubbed her sternum hard. Carly moaned. “Carly, wake up now!”
Carly slowly opened her eyes.
“Don’t move,” Jasmine ordered. “You took a fall. Does anything hurt?”
Carly blinked in confusion and then clarity shone in her eyes as she groaned, “Yeah, everything.”
“I’m going to check you over.”
Able to move every limb and her head, Carly yelled out in pain when Jasmine touched her hip. “Damn, that hurts like a mother! I think I may have landed on it when I fell.”
“You can move your legs with very little pain and there is no abnormal rotation of your leg so I don’t think your hip is broken.”
“Great! Must be the one reason all my fat gravitates to that area.”
Jasmine knew her sister would be fine. “Let’s see if you can sit.”
Carly winced and sucked air through her teeth with every movement. When she got to her feet she couldn’t support her full weight on her left leg. Other than a sore hip, a few scrapes and scratches on her face and hands, Carly wasn’t badly injured.
“We’ve got to get off of this ledge. Sean,” Jasmine yelled, “we’re ready to come up. If you could reach down for Carly, I’ll push her up. Be careful, she’s injured her hip.”
“Okay,” he said, extending his hands to Carly.
With a joint effort, they got her off the ledge. Jasmine had done some rock climbing back in college so she climbed with no problem.
When she’d almost reached the top, Sean grabbed her under the arms and hefted her up.
“Thanks,” she mumbled to his chest. His touch caused her stomach to flip, a pleasant but unusual feeling. She rushed to Carly who was propped up against a tree.
“I called for an ambulance and then informed Ed about the situation.” Sean’s deep voice soothed her. “We have to get her to the main road.”
“Carly do you think you can walk or should we carry you?” Jasmine asked, knowing she had the strength of will to transport her sister by herself if she had to.
Carly grimaced when she moved her leg. “I believe I can walk.”
Sean and Jasmine got on either side of her, providing support as they travelled the quarter of a mile of the footpath to the road. Miraculously, Ed and Grandma knew just which path they’d emerge from and had the ambulance waiting for them when they got there.
Jasmine handed her sister off to the paramedic while giving a brief yet thorough report of her findings. She still didn’t know what had happened so she let Carly explain.
“One minute I was standing at the cliff’s edge, looking out, and the next I sensed someone behind me. I tried to turn around, but before I could, I felt hands on my back, pushing me. The next thing I knew you were calling me and pressing on my chest with your knuckles. That really hurt,” she whined while rubbing her chest.
/> “I’m glad it did. I’d do it again. You felt that someone pushed you?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you see anyone?” Ed asked.
Carly gave an involuntary shiver. “No. I detected someone there, but I didn’t hear anyone.”
“Ed, call the police and have them investigate.” Jasmine’s efficiency blocked out all emotion. She couldn’t take the time to think about what could’ve happened to her sister if she hadn’t met that ledge. A roll down the deep rocky ravine would’ve killed her.
“She’s only complaining about general bodily pain with a focus on her left hip,” Jasmine told the paramedics. “I’d appreciate if we could get an X-ray of both her spine and pelvic area done at the hospital after she’s seen by a doctor.”
“Jasmine,” Carly hissed. “Let them do their jobs.”
“Just trying to be helpful.”
“More like bossy. Helpful was when you saved my life. Thank you, by the way.” The reality of what could’ve happened must’ve hit Carly because tears sprang to her eyes.
“No problem.” Jasmine’s voice shook as she leaned over to give her a hug.
“Ow.”
Jasmine released her. “I’m so sorry.”
Before the doors to the ambulance closed Carly asked, “How did you know where to find me? There are at least four other trails I could’ve taken.”
“I felt you.” Jasmine glanced at her family. Everyone, including Carly, nodded in understanding. Sean was the only one in their group who would’ve questioned the statement. Jasmine still refused to look at him so she could only guess at the expression on his handsome face.
They grabbed a ride to the hospital and, when the police arrived, Carly gave them a report. Ed, Sean, and Jasmine led the police to the cliff where Carly had fallen. Their investigation didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. The place was heavily littered with leaves, making it impossible to find footprints. When they were through, the police advised them to be careful and not to walk in the forest alone. They’d keep a lookout for anything or anyone suspicious, but they didn’t look hopeful.
The officers gave them a ride back to the hospital. Carly and Grandma were still in the small curtained cubicle in the Emergency Room.
“Have they taken any X-rays?” Jasmine asked as soon as she entered the room
“Yes, domineering nurse lady,” Carly replied. “We’re waiting for the results. They even gave me some medication for the pain.”
“She’s fine,” Grandma assured them. “She’s a tough cookie.”
“Mmmmm. Speaking of cookies, I’d love some of your homemade chocolate chip cookies, Grandma,” Carly said with a glazed look in her eyes.
They must’ve given her something really good for the pain after discarding the potential of a head injury.
The doctor came in with the X-rays, confirming that no bones were broken and she could be discharged. After arriving at the cabin and making Carly comfortable, they discussed whether they should leave and go back to Grandma’s house. The deciding vote lay with Carly who wanted to stay, especially after finding out Grandma had brought the ingredients for her delectable chocolate chip cookies. At that point, they all knew Carly would be fine.
Jasmine, on the other hand was holding herself together for the sake of her family.
***
“I’m going out for a walk,” Jasmine announced once Carly had fallen asleep.
“I’ll join you,” Sean volunteered. He didn’t take offense at Jasmines sigh. She may have wanted to be by herself, but it wasn’t the best idea. “We’re not supposed to be in the woods alone,” he reminded her.
“By the time you return, I’ll have some freshly baked cookies and dinner will be ready,” Grandma sang on the way to the kitchen.
“Thanks, Grandma. Do you want to come with us Ed?”
“Me? Dude, I’ve had enough exercise to last me a month and a half with the rowing and traipsing through the forest. I’m good.”
Sean and Jasmine left the cabin, hiking at a more leisurely pace than they had earlier in the day. Absorbed in their own thoughts, the gentle noises of scurrying animals, birds singing, and the rhythmic crunching of the dried leaves beneath their feet shrouded them.
Not more than ten minutes later, without hesitation, Sean stepped in front of Jasmine and wrapped his arms around her. The embrace was her undoing. The silent tears he knew she’d been shedding transformed into gulping sobs that wracked her body.
He held her close and rubbed her back while swaying their bodies. Eternity came and went before she stopped crying and the hiccups started.
Jasmine stepped back but remained within his embrace. She didn’t look up into his face. “Thanks,” she said, wiping her cute nose on her sleeve for lack of a tissue.
“No problem. It’s been a rough day. You’re allowed to cry.”
He rubbed her back and she melted into him. She fit into his body as if she’d been carved from him. It was such a peaceful embrace, a perfect fit of two bodies in sync, two souls in harmony with each other.
Sean felt the most at home he’d ever been with anyone. He knew her and somehow he could sense that she knew him, even though they were total strangers.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Embarrassed, but I’m better.” She stepped out of his hold and continued their stroll.
He overcame the urge to pull her back into his arms where she belonged. He’d never reacted to a woman like this and didn’t know how to handle it.
Usually, he was Mr. Cool when it came to women, but Jasmine had him all shaken up, putting him at a loss for what to say.
They walked for a little while without speaking. “Why don’t you ever look at me?” he finally asked.
She kicked a rock on the path. “What?”
He grabbed her arm to turn her around. “Why don’t you ever look at me? There’ve only been three times I’ve ever looked you in the eyes. When Ed first introduced us, after you’d eaten breakfast, and then after you came downstairs from your shower. Ever since then you’ve been going out of your way to avoid me.”
Her gaze remained focused on her feet as she shrugged.
“Will you please look at me?” His voice was calm even though a desperate need to look into her beautiful brown eyes once again rode him. He braced himself for the anticipated pain he’d experience with the full onslaught of her gaze at close range. It would be worth it.
“I’m afraid,” she mumbled.
“Of what? Am I so ugly you fear turning into stone?”
Her full lips curved into a small smile. “Not at all.”
“What are you afraid of?”
Angling her head to the left and staring out into the vastness of the woods, she took a deep breath. “Every time I look at you, I get lightheaded. Yesterday was the first time I’ve ever fainted in my life. As soon as I looked at you...well, I don’t actually remember what happened, but the end result was that I passed out. And every time since then, whenever I look at you I get woozy.”
An awkward silence lay between them and Jasmine tried to brush the whole thing off. “We’ll be going back to Boston early Monday so it’s no big deal. This is probably the last time we’ll see each other again.”
“Not if I can help it,” Sean said under his breath.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. Are you sure you only get lightheaded when you look at me?” Sean resisted reaching out and tilting her chin upward. He wanted her to look at him of her own free will.
“I’m positive. I experimented a little by observing you when you weren’t aware, and each time I got the same result.” She gazed at his chest. “It decreases each time. I’m just afraid of the full force of close eye contact.”
“Can you try it again? Please?”
She raised her head and met his gaze. He grunted at the excruciating pain in his stomach just as Jasmine wheezed in a breath and stumbled back.
“I’ve got you.” He captured her arms,
refusing to look away from her eyes. “How do you feel?”
“Like I need to fall down.” At least she held his gaze.
The pain in his stomach was receding, but his heart beat so hard that it neared the level of pain. They took slow deep breaths, almost in unison.
Sean didn’t know how long they stood like that, but the abdominal pain disappeared, replaced by a warm feeling of desire low in his gut. She smiled and he experienced the same sense of connection he’d felt earlier when she’d cried.
Jasmine placed her hand on his cheek rubbing her thumb against his cheekbone. His eyes drifted closed as he relished her gentle touch. He turned his head so his lips brushed against her palm. It wasn’t enough. He closed the space between them and kissed her inviting lips. When she returned his kiss he deepened it. The warmth of her mouth as she opened for him gave him the true definition of pleasure. Only Jasmine and her enticing body, her touch, and the power of her kisses existed, as his world spun out of control. He couldn’t handle the onslaught of it all so he pulled away, panting.
Hands on her knees she seemed to be catching her breath, too. What had he done?
A minute later she stood and stared at him. When he was sure his voice wouldn’t tremble with the need coursing through him, he said, “When I first looked into your eyes yesterday, I doubled over with a pain that felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. I attributed it to bad food, but then it happened again when I looked into your eyes the second time. Only the ache wasn’t as bad, at least not like it was just now. For some inexplicable reason my reaction to you is visceral.”
The admission slipped out of Sean’s mouth before his brain had the chance to filter it through as words never to be said out loud. Jasmine moved toward him and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head onto his shoulder. He rested his chin on her soft halo of hair as he held her tight.
“I couldn’t stand having you not look at me. I needed to look into your eyes and be seen by you.”