After tossing and turning for an hour, she finally got up and made herself a cup of hot tea in the kitchen. As she was sitting down at the small table, Sam walked in.
He grinned at her. “Couldn’t sleep?”
“No, I couldn’t. What about you?”
“Well, I haven’t tried yet. I was out bar hopping. It’s one of my favorite pastimes. You ought to go with me sometime.”
Emily shook her head. “I don’t drink. I did notice that no wine was served at dinner here. There seems to be no alcohol in the entire house, which seems unusual. What’s the story with that?”
“Well, I don’t know if I should say anything, but since you are practically part of the family now…Jamie is an alcoholic. He’s been sober about a year, so we don’t have anything in the house to tempt him. So if I want alcohol, I just go out for it.”
“You shouldn’t drink that stuff anyway,” Emily said. “It’s not good for you.”
He smiled at her. “To each his own. I know you’re a health nut. Me, I just go with the flow. I figure I’m going to die of something anyway.”
“Are you ever serious?”
He laughed. “Me? Rarely. Life is too short to take it seriously.”
She just shook her head. “What a philosophy. Anyway, what’s the story with Jamie? Did he get into trouble with the alcohol?”
Sam did get serious then. “Yes, lots of it. He was driving drunk one night and hit another car. The driver of the other car was killed. In lieu of going to jail, he did some rehab time. That’s why he’s a little bit weird sometimes. He’s still haunted by what happened. Hey, let’s stop talking about this depressing stuff. It’s not my thing to be all sad and glum.”
“I’m sure of that. No sad and glum for you. But, you know, sometimes things in life are really serious, and we have to take them that way. This thing with Jamie…well, it’s a really sad thing. I’m glad he’s staying sober. I hope that someday he’ll be able to forgive himself. Well, I think I’ll go back upstairs and try to get a little more sleep.”
Chapter Five
The next morning she was so tired that she was tempted to skip her workout. But she knew that if she did, it would be easier to skip it again and again, so she dragged herself out of bed and got into her workout clothes.
When she got down to the basement, Jamie was there already. He had been lifting weights and had worked up a thin sheen of sweat on his skin. He was really a good-looking man. She wondered why she wasn’t more attracted to him. But Patrick…well, she couldn’t seem to get him out of her thoughts. It didn’t really make a lot of sense because she had just met him and knew almost nothing about him. Yet she was drawn to him for some reason. The thought that she might see him again made her stomach do the butterfly thing again.
“Hey there!” said Jamie. “You look a little bit drowsy this morning. Did you stay up late after we got back last night?”
“No, I couldn’t sleep. I finally had to get up and make myself a cup of tea. When I got to sleep, it was in the wee hours of the morning.”
“So what was keeping you awake? Were you thinking about our date and what a sexy and attractive guy I am?” he teased.
“You’re starting to sound more like Sam now. He’s the one that’s always teasing. You’re always so serious.”
“Who me?” he asked innocently. “Well, I suppose you’re right. I am pretty serious most of the time. But I have my moments.”
They spent the next hour working out together and enjoying each other’s company. When they were done, they went up to breakfast together. Sam was already seated and halfway through his breakfast.
“Hey guys,” Sam said.
“Hey,” Emily said. “You know, I have been meaning to ask you a question. What exactly do you do? I mean, you live here with your wealthy aunt, you’re always up early, but I have no idea if you work or just play.”
Jamie and Sam exchanged glances. “Should I tell her?” asked Sam.
“Hey, we are all one big happy family. I say go for it,” said Jamie.
“Ok, come with me,” said Sam.
He led Emily upstairs to his suite of rooms with Jamie trailing behind her. When he opened the door, she noticed that the bedroom was all dark wood and beige walls, just like a masculine bedroom should be. But in his sitting room there was a desk with a computer sitting on it. There were a lot of notebooks, pens and pencils scattered around the room. And on the bookshelf were several novels by Sam Kelley, a writer who specialized in trashy detective novels. She had read several of them and enjoyed the witty, sarcastic style of writing.
“Well, here it is. This is what I do!”
Emily looked at him incredulously. “You…you are Sam Kelley?”
“The one and the same!”
Jamie was grinning at her astonished expression. “You would never have believed it, would you? I guess the gift just runs in the family.”
“You can’t tell anyone,” he said. “I write under a pen name and I don’t want anyone to know who I really am. Promise you won’t tell?”
“Of course I won’t tell. Now there are two famous writers in the house! What in the world is going to happen to shock me next?”
***
The rest of the day passed uneventfully. She started getting restless about 4:00. She kept thinking about the possibility of seeing Patrick again. Rebecca finally got tired of her fidgeting and told her to take off an hour early.
“I’m so sorry,” said Emily. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m just antsy for some reason.”
She had no idea why she hadn’t told anyone about meeting Patrick. She guessed it was partly because there was a small thrill from having a little secret that no one knew about. And for some reason, she didn’t want to share him with anyone yet.
When it was time for dinner, Emily kept on her jeans and t-shirt and put on her hiking boots. She planned on going down to the rocks tonight, hoping that Patrick would be there. She was beginning to think she was acting like a crazy person, but she couldn’t help it.
“Well, you sure dressed differently for dinner tonight,” remarked Rebecca.
Emily smiled. “I’m just moody like that. You just never know what I’ll feel like wearing.”
After dinner, Emily told everyone that she would like to wander around by herself for awhile.
“Do you want to go do something later on tonight?” Jamie asked. “Sam could go with us, too.”
“No, I don’t think so. I really just want a little solitude this evening, ok?”
“Sure,” Jamie said. “I’ll see you either later on tonight or in the morning. Sam, let’s go shoot some pool.”
After the two men had left, Rebecca went up to her sitting room and Emily went down the path and down the little rocky cliff. She was disappointed to find that Patrick was not there. She wandered down the coast a little bit, looking around, hoping to see him somewhere. The disappointment she felt was much deeper than it should have been.
‘What’s wrong with me? Am I just a school girl with a crush? I just met this guy!’ she thought.
Suddenly a teasing voice came from behind her. “Are you looking for me by any chance?”
She whirled around to find Patrick standing there, his shoulder length dark hair blowing in the wind, a slight smile on his face. He was wearing jeans that rode low on his hips and a t-shirt that was a little tight, showing off his lean body. He didn’t have the bulkier muscles like Jamie did, but was thinner, with muscles that were hard, but not huge.
“How in the world did you get back there? I was looking all over….” She stopped, blushing when she realized that she was admitting more than she wanted to.
He reached out and lightly touched her face for just an instant. Just that tiny touch sent shivers through her body and turned her legs to water.
“I just walked up behind you. You were just not looking in the right direction.”
“But you couldn’t have…..never mind. I must have been daydreaming
and just didn’t see you.”
“So, Emily, what have you been doing today? Working, playing, daydreaming?” he teased.
Emily blushed again. “I’ve been working quite hard today, thank you. But I have been a bit antsy. I guess I just needed some fresh air.”
“This is the perfect place to get it. I was hoping you would come down here again this evening. I was thinking that maybe you could stay later this time and we could watch the sunset. It is really beautiful.”
Her heart started beating a little faster. He actually wanted to spend time with her! She had thought that perhaps she had been a nuisance to him yesterday and was just being nice.
“Y-yes, of course I’ll stay. I’m flattered that you want to watch the sunset with me. I didn’t want to be a pain, and I was afraid I had invaded your privacy yesterday.”
“Nonsense. I enjoyed your company. I’m mostly a loner, but I do enjoy being around certain people. So far, you are the only one whose company I have enjoyed since I moved here.”
They talked about a lot of different things, but it seemed like he still was unwilling to reveal very much information about himself.
“Please tell me more about you,” Emily pleaded. “All we do is talk about me or about trivial things. I still know next to nothing about you!”
“There is so little to tell. I’m an artist from Connecticut and I have a lot of money. I’m just a very boring person.”
“What about your love life. Do you have a girlfriend anywhere? Did you have one before you came here? Have you ever been married?”
A sad look came over his face. “I was engaged once.”
“What happened?” she asked, knowing she should mind her own business.
“I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s just be quiet for a little while. The sun is about to set. Look over there, isn’t it beautiful?”
They watched the sunset together, not talking, just enjoying the view and each other’s company. Emily was finding it hard to breathe every time she looked over at Patrick. He was so beautiful. It was hard to describe him as handsome, and certainly not cute. Beautiful was the word that seemed to fit. He wouldn’t look at her, and she felt like she had overstepped some boundary when she asked him about his engagement. Maybe when they got to know each other better, he would open up to her a little more. Right now, she just had to be content to be with him.
When it started getting dark, he turned to her and said, “Do you want to go back to the house, or do you want to stay with me a little longer?”
“Do you want me to stay?” she asked shakily.
“Yes, I would like that. Let’s not talk, though. Let’s just be here.”
He took her hand and leaned back on the rock. She leaned back beside him, thrilled just to be touching him. They stayed like that for about an hour. Soon her back was hurting and she had to sit up straight.
“I’m sorry, but I was getting very uncomfortable sitting against the rock.”
He let go of her hand then. “No, it is I who am sorry. I should have realized that you would be uncomfortable.”
“Aren’t you a little stiff and sore from sitting here?”
He smiled a little. “No, I don’t feel pain the same way that others feel it.”
“What does that mean?” she asked, puzzled.
“It’s a long story. Maybe I will tell you someday. Now it’s time for you to go back up to the house and for me to go home.”
“I enjoyed spending time with you today,” Emily said shyly.
“I enjoyed it as well. Thank you for a pleasant evening. I look forward to seeing you again.”
He took her hand and gently kissed it, smiling at her as his lips touched her skin. Then he let go of her hand, turned around and walked away. She admired the way he looked, walking confidently down the beach.
Emily walked back up the rocks to the path leading to the house. She felt like she was walking on air. Her stomach was all tied up in knots from being with him and holding his hand. And she could still feel his lips on her hand where he had kissed her. What was she, sixteen years old? She didn’t care if she was acting like a teenager. It felt good and this was the first time she had felt anything like this for a long time. She intended to enjoy it, even if it came to nothing. She decided that living for the moment was the way to go.
Chapter Six
The next day, Emily and Rebecca were very busy. One of Rebecca’s novels was ready to send to the publisher, so Emily typed the letter to go with it and got it ready to be mailed, making sure to add insurance. It was like shipping a precious commodity. Books were like that.
“Now we’ll have a party,” Rebecca said.
“A party? Do you always have a party when your novels are ready for publishing?”
Rebecca grinned. “Yep! As long as I’ve been writing books, I still get nervous about them. I like to celebrate when one is finished.”
“So, who do you invite to these parties?”
“I usually choose about 100 people from Port Crest. I try to get a very diverse group each time. Now, we’re going to have a lot of work to do to prepare for this party. After I make the guest list, you’ll have to get invitations. And you’ll have to help Sarah and me plan the menu. It will only be finger food and drinks. We will pretty much open up the entire first floor so there will be plenty of room for everyone.
“Drinks? I thought…..” she stopped, not knowing whether or not Sam would want Rebecca to know he had told her about Jamie’s drinking problem.
“What, that we wouldn’t have alcohol because of Jamie? We usually don’t. But this is the one occasion that we do. Jamie is ok for just the parties. But we do keep an eye on him just in case. I would hate to be the cause of him slipping.”
The rest of the day was spent in preparation for the party, which would be held in two weeks. By the time they were done, Emily was exhausted. Sally was tired from all the meal planning and arguing about what they were going to have.
Rebecca looked at Sally and Emily and said, “You know what? We are all tired and I know that no one feels like cooking. And none of us really feels like sitting around a table and making conversation. Let’s order pizza and eat it in the theater room while we are watching a movie. What do you think?”
Emily and Sarah readily agreed, so Rebecca went to find the guys and tell them.
That night they just hung out, ate pizza and watched a movie. Then everyone agreed that it was time to go to bed. Emily went upstairs and waited until everyone was settled in their rooms. Then she tiptoed back down the stairs. She heard the clock strike 11:00 as she went out the door. She was afraid that Patrick would have gone already.
She traveled her usual path and was surprised and delighted to find him sitting there on the rocks. She sat down beside him.
“Hey, I was afraid I had missed you tonight,” she said.
“I was just getting ready to leave. I wondered where you might be, but I figured you had more of a life than just coming down here to talk to me.”
“We ordered pizza and then watched a movie. It was fun, really, but I was a little restless.”
“Well, I’m glad you were able to make it.”
Emily smiled at him. “Guess what? We are going to have a party celebrating Rebecca’s new novel. She just finished it and I sent it off to the publisher.”
“That sounds like fun. When are you having it?”
“In two weeks. It’s going to be a big fancy thing. I’ve never been to a party like that. I was sort of hoping you would come with me since I don’t have a date for it.”
He hesitated. “Emily, I’m not much of a people person. I don’t really like crowds. I told you, I’m a loner.”
“I’m not crazy about crowds either, but I would really like for you to come. It would be more fun with you there. I won’t know all those other people except for the people who live here. Please?”
“I’m sorry, Emily. I really can’t. You can tell me all about it when it’s over. In fact, you c
an sneak down here really late that night and we can talk about it. I will wait for you.”
She pouted a little, and wouldn’t look at him.
“Emily, you have only seen me three times. You know nothing about me. Why would you care whether or not I come to that party?” he asked.
“I don’t know, Patrick. I just…well, I like being around you.”
She was blushing now and looked down, not wanting to meet his eyes. He put a finger under her chin and lifted it up so that she was looking at him.
“Emily, I enjoy being with you, too. So let’s just continue to meet here and let it be our little secret. You haven’t told anyone about meeting me, have you?”
“No, I haven’t said anything to anybody.”
“I wonder why that is. Why you haven’t mentioned me. It would seem the natural thing to do to say something to Rebecca or someone else in the house. Why have you kept me a secret?”
Emily bit her lip. “I don’t really know. I guess it’s kind of exciting to have my own little world outside of the normal routine. Everything is just great. I’m happy, everyone has been wonderful to me, I have everything I need and most of what I want. But it gets a little boring sometimes. With you, everything seems different. You are kind of a mystery. A mystery that I would love to solve.”
That sad look that she had seen before crossed his face for just a second and then it was gone. She was wondering if she had imagined it.
“Be careful about solving mysteries,” he warned. “Some things are better left alone. Now, unfortunately, I have to go.”
He got up and pulled her up with him. His hand lingered in hers for just a moment, then he let go.
“Will you be here tomorrow?” Emily asked.
“I don’t know, maybe. We will see. Now you should go back up to the house. It’s getting a little chilly out here.”
She reached out for him, but he shook his head and stepped back. This man was so frustrating! So she turned her back on him and walked away. After a few steps, she looked back. She couldn’t help herself. He was gone.
A Rocky Path Page 3