EYES ON YOU

by Lily Robins

  “Not at all true,” she softly amended. “Thank you again for dinner.”

  Roman’s mind was stuck on everything that had happened after the dinner. “The scent of you lingers here on one of my pillows. Amazing Grace, how alluring it and you are.”

  “We’ve known each other for a month.”

  “But who’s counting?”

  She paused, and he heard her sniff before she asked, “Can someone…fall in love in a month?”

  It was his turn to pause, and the air he had breathed into his lungs momentarily halted. He hoarsely said, “My father always swore that he fell in love with my mother the first time he saw her.”

  “It wasn’t the first time.”

  “When we first kissed, in that darkroom of yours.”

  “Yes—that’s when it happened. I’ve never been kissed like that before.”

  “I love you, Jessica Wentworth. I do!” Roman sat up in bed.

  Her soft sobs emanated through the phone. “And I love you, Roman Mayer.”

  “We’re saying this while we’re four miles apart. So close, and yet, we’re so far away.”

  “I know,” she said in tearful exasperation.

  “I’ll meet you for lunch tomorrow.”

  “I’ll bring us something. At twelve?”

  “Ten minutes before then, and I’ll dream about you.”

  *****

  At eight o’clock, Ben Garard came into the clinic with an indescribable look on his face. He would have made a superb poker player, if that were his inclination. Rene looked up and said, “Hi Ben.”

  “Hi Rene.”

  “Hi Ben,” Roman said. “Come on back.”

  Once Ben had settled at the edge of Doc’s couch, he said, “Lightnin’ must have struck me.”

  Roman seated himself in a chair nearby and asked, “Why’s that?”

  Ben didn’t say anything for a moment, but the beginning of a small grin formed on his mouth. He finally sputtered out, “We went to dinner, as she likes c-callin’ the evenin’ meal. And then we wa-walked around town for a while.”

  “I take it—she was enjoying being with you?”

  “Yeah.” Ben looked up from staring at the floor and added, “She got a job as a substitute teacher, and she might get a full-time position in the fall.”

  Roman smiled. “That’s really great news.”

  “Yeah. She…uh…had a lot of problems acceptin’ her d…”

  “Late,” Roman interjected.

  Ben passed off the correction with good grace. “Her late husband’s death. And she had lost the house he and her bought ‘cause she was drinkin’ and not bein’ responsible and all.”

  “That’s one of the consequences.”

  Ben loudly sighed. “Yeah, it is. So she stays with her sister and her sister’s husband and their two kids. But, she’s savin’ up for her own place again. Anyways, when I walked her to the door on Friday night, she told me she had a nice time, and for some reason…the streetlight was showin’ her face to me, and it’s very pretty—I mean her face, and I got up the nerve to peck her on the mouth. A quick one, if ever there was one, and I closed my eyes ‘cause I figured she might smack me.”

  “And did she?”

  “Nope!” Ben’s grin was full of blissful joy and Roman’s own grin became comparable when he guessed what was coming next. “She moved in closer to me, and she gave me a real kiss. It lasted a while…and I didn’t touch her…you know…like a big hug that I was wantin’ to do, but I let her know that I was thrilled about it.”

  Roman sat quietly for a moment of shared delight. “There’s nothing that quite describes the feeling that a kiss brings to the soul.”

  “Nothin’ like it,” Ben agreed. “So, I asked her if we could go out again—like to the movies or dinner again sometime real soon, and she said she’d like that.”

  “This is great news!” Roman declared. “You’ve got something wonderful going on in your life, Ben.”

  Looking squarely at the doc, picking up on the doc’s vibes, Ben said, “You too?”

  Roman said, “Yep. I’m seeing someone too, and love’s definitely in early bloom.”

  *****

  At 11:50, he was out the door with his jacket in hand, and there was Jess’s Rover, parked across two spaces of the office’s lot, and angled out. He got in, looked at her lovely presence for one moment, and then leaned over the console to kiss her eager lips. They smiled at each other when they pulled back.

  “Nice day,” she said with sparkling eyes. “Let’s go to our overlook.”

  He was for that, but then—he was in an agreeable frame-of-mind and would have wanted anything she suggested. When she tore out of the lot, he did, however, pull his seatbelt over his chest and snapped it closed before chiding, “Molly and Aden weren’t lyin’ about you!”

  She laughed with him as they headed north of town, and she said, “I brought medium-rare roast beef sandwiches and iced tea.”

  “A woman who knows how to satisfy a guy’s appetite.”

  When they had parked at the overlook and Jess had shut off the engine, Roman reached over and romantically kissed her, ending it with gentle suckles of her upper lip with his. Their treat of being alone together produced beaming smiles. She reached in back, retrieved the bag filled with sandwiches, dill pickles, and drinks, and they began folding off foil wrap, with Roman diving in first.

  “You made this,” he said with a partial mouthful.

  “How do you know?”

  “There’s more roast beef than Ruth’s sandwich maker usually puts on them.”

  “And here I thought I was being subtle about it.”

  After he took a long sip of his tea, he asked, “Who’s paying for all these lunches?”

  Jess took an extra-big bite from her sandwich and motioned to herself as she chewed.

  “No more,” he said.

  “Get over it,” she said after swallowing.

  Letting that subject drop for the time being, Roman said, “I saw something yesterday that I think you’ll be eager to photograph.”

  Her green eyes went wider with her smile. “Oh?”

  “Puffins,” he said with a sly smile back at her.

  “Puffins?” she exclaimed, eager excitement consuming her.

  “Puffins. They’re darling and the first couples are scouting the area.”

  “That’s wonderful news! My next book is all about Whittler Island, and I’ve already got a head start on it.”

  “The whole colony will be here in the next couple of weeks.”

  “I can’t wait to see them!” Jess was truly lit!

  Roman’s expression became even brighter. “Who knew that I’d ever meet a famous photographer?”

  “Who loves you,” Jess earnestly replied.

  “Who I fell in love with,” Roman said.

  CHAPTER 24

  Roman took a seat in the stands, watching as the Hawks continued practicing. He had told Jess that he would bring Aden home afterward, and that they’d get in some time to talk. He and a few parents, who had arrived after their work days, sat watching as Coach Lemming put his team through a short practice game. Roman had apparently missed Aden’s throwing session, but that was all right. He knew some of what the kid could do.

  He watched Danny, who was batting first, not knowing how he would do this season as a first-year player. The boy was tall and missed the first two pitches. He was a lefty, “batting from the opposite side of the plate,” as the announcers often said—displaying a right-hand bias, and that somehow seemed to bother the “green as grass” first-time pitcher. But on the third swing, Danny hit the ball hard between first and second, but the agile second baseman got to the ball and threw to first just before Danny touched the bag. The coach brought Danny over, gave him what Roman perceived as a pointer on batting, and Danny nodded and switched places with Aden on the bench, joining other teammates who were eager to bat.

  After putting on the batting helmet, Aden took some prac
tice swings and stepped into the batter’s box. The pitcher threw, and Aden swung, missing an outside curveball. On his second swing, Aden connected with the ball, but it went foul down the leftfield line. On the third try, Aden hit the ball with all he had, and it flew well over the pitcher’s head, as well as the centerfielder’s, and landed beyond the fence.

  “Wow!” Roman muttered. The kid could also hit homers. Jack Lemming knew that Roman was in the stands and glanced his way.

  During the shortened session, one other boy managed a home-run, and Roman could see that this was going to be a good season. There were so many good players who could swing the bat and go after the ball in the field. Lemming tried to get an initial feeling for his players’ abilities. He made sure that everyone got to have a turn at bat, and he also made sure several boys got to pitch, but Aden didn’t get a shot on this first day of practice.

  After coach dismissed the players, Aden joined Roman and said, “Mom texted that you’d be picking me up.”

  Before Roman could say anything, Danny ran up to them and said, “Hey, Uncle Roman, Mom’s waiting over by the bleachers.” Roman and Aden both looked that way, Roman not having seen his sister until then. Another parent was speaking to her, and she was still wearing her police uniform. Roman figured Cheryl hadn’t been there long. She looked his way and did that finger thing near her eyes, indicating that she was watching him.

  After Aden said hello to her, he and Danny began walking toward the parking lot, lost in their own conversation.

  “Am I risking arrest?” he asked, glancing down at Cheryl’s uniform, worn under a waist-length jacket that showed her sidearm and much of her cop paraphernalia.

  “I won’t take you in if you’ll tell me how your hot date went down,” Cheryl matter-of-factly said.

  “Your tendency toward voyeurism hasn’t improved any since we were teen-agers,” Roman replied to his lovely sister.

  “I’ve got to know just one juicy detail to satisfy myself.”

  “Eli can do that, so you don’t have to,” he deadpanned with a grin as they continued on their way toward the parking lot.

  She grinned magnificently, even as she blushed at having walked squarely into that one. He chuckled at her, even as she elbow-jabbed him.

  “We’re moving along…quite well,” he said to placate her.

  “And you’re here…”

  “To give Aden a ride home, and then, Mona and I are on childcare duty tomorrow night.”

  Cheryl said, “Jess called to let me know that she’s seeing an attorney in Boston. I’m glad about that.”

  “Me too.”

  “We’re all ecstatic about this, Bro. Everyone but Althea, who’s kickin’ her own behind six ways to Sunday.”

  Roman appeared momentarily startled. “Althea and I met for drinks twice. That’s all there was to that.”

  “She was hoping for more.” Cheryl watched as Roman shook his head. “You were the catch in this town, for any gal over 35,” she commented.

  “I never realized…” Roman thought of someone else, Cynthia Ralston, and he said, “There’s this woman who’s a former client of mine who won’t let go. I sometimes feel like I’m being watched lately.”

  “Huh?” Cheryl totally tuned in to that, stopping before they reached their vehicles. “You mean you’re being stalked?”

  He told his sister about finding more fresh footprints around his house. “She came to the office last week—early—and I had to wrench myself out of her grasp. She’s got a case of transference going on in her head that’s…gotten a little out of hand. I don’t know if she’s the one walking around my house at night, but…” He felt rather stupid for saying anything about it.

  “I’ll alert John Jacobson and Ferrell McLean about that,” Cheryl said with concern. “They can at least check out the ground around your house, and watch for anyone parked out on those trees at night.”

  “I’ve got to get drapes up on my living room window.”

  “You walk around in your birthday suit, Bro?”

  Roman smiled, not answering. Cheryl reached out and hugged her brother. “Watch out for jealous women,” she said, not at all kidding him.

  *****

  Because they’d missed the ferry when he stayed a little longer with Cheryl, Roman and Aden had more time before the next ferry crossing. On the way to the dock, they discovered that they both liked the same pro baseball team.

  “The Chicago Cubs are my all-time fave,” Aden declared. “The Mariners—not by a long shot.”

  “Gotta love ‘em,” Roman said in total agreement. “First game’s in a couple of weeks.”

  “Countin’ it.”

  “Are you slacking a little?”

  Aden looked out at the empty landing. “Coach asked me if I wanted a chance to pitch and I told him no. So I had to give him a little somethin’ on the bat.”

  “How long you gonna hold out?”

  “Don’t know. We played a little catch when we all camped out the other night. Most of the time, nobody could see shit.” Aden laughed and Roman did too. “Which…made things even funnier. Danny and Patrick are both cool guys.”

  “Did they smuggle any beer out of their dad’s stash?”

  Slowly, Aden grinned toward the dash. “You’re a narc, so can’t say.”

  “They’d have been nuts not to.” Roman saw Aden grinning again.

  “We had a great time. Mr. Randall brought us a whole truckload of firewood, we got this huge bonfire goin,’ and didn’t have to worry about a fire breaking out with all the fog.”

  “I’m thinking we need to take your mom and Molly on a camping trip over spring break. You game? We’ll ask Danny and Patrick to come along too.”

  “A fam thing?” Aden asked.

  “Yep. Just us in the fam.”

  Shifting a bit in his seat, thinking for a moment, Aden said, “Cool. Danny and Patrick have talked about all the hiking you guys do, up in the mountains. You really gear up.”

  “Think your Mom and Molly would like to come along?”

  “My Mom will be a definite. She’ll take along a camera or two, and want to take pictures of every blade of grass…every cobweb…every mushroom…”

  The boy made Roman laugh out loud.

  They talked more on the crossing, mostly about baseball, and as the ferry pulled in to Whittler Island’s landing, Roman said, “You know what I think?”

  Aden’s good mood stayed steady. “I could guess.”

  “What am I gonna say?” Roman asked.

  Aden thought for a moment and said, “That I should be honest?”

  “That you ought to give it all you’ve got, and if you show that the new kid’s got the juice, then so be it. Your mom was walking around with a brownie camera when she was younger than you are, and she didn’t let bullies get to her. She just kept taking her pictures and not worrying about what other kids thought.”

  Aden turned his head toward Roman. “You ever been bullied?”

  “Yes,” Roman answered. “When I wasn’t playing basketball, or baseball, I had my head stuck in a book, reading assignments, and studying. And a few assholes at Murray High called me a nerdbucket.”

  “Did you…like ignore ‘em?”

  “I showed ‘em by getting A’s on my tests, and by doing really well in basketball, and earning a Merit Scholarship. Guess who’s laughing now.”

  “You were thinkin’ ahead,” Aden said.

  Roman nodded.

  *****

  After saying goodnight to Roman, Aden ran into the house, passing his mother after saying something to her, and Jess stepped out onto the lighted porch.

  She said, “Stay for dinner. I’ve made enough pasta sauce for an army.”

  Roman shook his head, but had a smile on his face. “Thanks, but I had a great lunch already. Turn the light off.”

  Reaching inside the doorway, Jess did as Roman asked. “You’ve got your key to the house, the one you’ll always keep?”

  Roma
n held up his key ring with several other keys besides hers on it. She looked so irresistible in her boyfriend jeans and in another of her sweaters that hugged her trim torso. In the dim glow of the streetlight, her face was tantalizing to him.

  “Call me,” he said, “Or text to let me know you got there.”

  Her smile intensified before she said, “I will.” She reached up to caress his beard-prickled cheeks. He raised his arms and hands to the sides of her hair, then to her cheeks, and he slowly kissed her.

  Finally, he pulled back and said, “Be careful—okay? I’ll see you on Wednesday.”

  “I love you.”

  “And I love you.”

  CHAPTER 25

  When Roman got to the office the next morning, the last person he expected to see was Cynthia Ralston. Thankfully, Rene was there too, and when he glanced at the woman who sat in the waiting area, he said, “Cynthia, I thought I made things clear to you the other day.”

  The woman was seated erect in her chair, with her full-length coat wrapped snuggly around her. A contrived smile from her emerged. “I’m keeping my appointment with Ms. Gilliland.”

  Roman looked at Rene, and Rene diminutively nodded. His secretary’s face, however, said to him that she was not pleased. Cynthia averted her eyes from him. Roman had been caught off-guard, but he felt nevertheless emboldened. No other client had yet arrived, so the waiting area was empty, except for Cynthia.

  “Have you been prowling around my house, Cynthia?” And before she could respond, but showing a sudden shocked expression, Roman added, “That’s carrying your obsession with me way over the line.” He stood motionless, staring malevolently at his former client. A look of distain and horror had begun clouding Cynthia’s face at the same time that Tess Gilliland appeared, and opened the front door, ushering in Roman’s eight o’clock appointment, a woman he was counseling for depression. Tess sized up the situation. She saw that Cynthia had tears in her eyes. Roman was turning his attention away from her, and Rene sat unmoving at her desk. Consequently, she chose to diffuse the situation and said, “Ms. Ralston, let’s go back to my office.” Cynthia’s tear-infused face turned to one of pure contempt as she responded to Tess’s invitation. For one brief moment, her eyes found Roman’s before he glanced away. She then followed Tess down the hallway, quietly sobbing.