The Cliff

by Gucker, Christie A. C.

  I headed to the door and tried to open it, but something on the other side was blocking it. I gave a little push and it gave way. The house was pitch black. I reached for the hall light and felt something that should not have been there.

  The air rushed out of my lungs until there was nothing left to scream with. I heard myself gasping for breath and then something else. Was that a snicker or a growl? I turned to run out the door, but the door closed in front of me. And then I felt it. A hand. I began to flail my arms wildly at nothing, hoping to fight off my invisible assailant, but then I felt a very familiar tingling.

  “Grant? Is that you?” I pleaded the question to the ghost. He began to chuckle.

  “Yes, Lanie, it’s me. You look hysterical boxing nothing. I’ve been waiting here in the dark for half an hour for you, eyes all adjusted,” and he proceeded to flip the light switch.

  There he was, Grant, and he had seemingly spent the past six months getting hotter. I threw myself into his arms and inhaled the sweet scent of him. His arms returned the wrapping and he nestled his head into my hair, then planted a kiss atop of my head.

  “We really have missed you, Lanie, you have no idea. It’s not the same without you,” he said in a soft, smooth voice, right against my ear.

  “We, huh?” I said sarcastically as I reluctantly released him. “And who is we? Because I only see you here.” Did I just make a hmph sound?

  “Well, that is a very interesting story I plan to share with you after you get yourself showered and I make you dinner. How does Bennett’s famous baked mac and cheese with warm garlic twists sound?” He literally drooled out the words, but I could tell he was craving it, and I was more than happy to let him pamper me with comfort food.

  “Sounds perfect. Can you give me about an hour to get myself together?”

  “You look pretty together to me, but of course,” he said. “And I have a special welcome home present for you, too, something to keep you here.”

  My head began to feel a little light, and things started running through it. I felt like a little girl again, all giddy about what it could be. But it was something from Grant, something he wanted to give to me, so the anticipation got the better of me and I pushed him out the door.

  “Hey, where are we eating?” I shouted as he skipped down the stairs.

  “You’ve done enough traveling; dinner will be served for you here, madam,” he said with a slight bow and a rolling salute. Wow, that was charming. I couldn’t help but blush slightly. I turned and ran up the stairs.

  I took a long, hot, soapy shower and threw on my favorite gray sweats and a tank top à la commando. The house was warm and cozy and so was I. Running a brush through my towel-dried hair, I let it air dry into soft waves.

  I would have loved to curl up in my bed. God, I had missed my bed. But I had missed Grant more, and I was famished. I rubbed some vanilla lotion I had picked up in Paris on all my exposed skin. The sweet fragrance made my stomach growl. I went downstairs and decided that eating at the table was completely out of the question. So I grabbed plates, forks, and glasses, then took them into the living room. We were going to eat on my big squishy couches with a nice roaring fire. I grabbed the fireplace remote and pressed the switch. Voilà. Instant ambiance.

  I heard the front door open. Perfect timing. I scooted to help him with everything he was balancing. I started to empty the containers from the bags and he smacked my hands and gently pushed me onto the couch. Again there was that tingle. Stop that, I thought to myself. What is wrong with me? I must be on a second wind or something. He proceeded to divvy up the food into heaping portions on each plate and then pour some black Shiraz he knew I loved.

  We just kind of stared at each other while we shoveled food into our mouths, barely speaking. Occasionally one of us would grunt. When I could not eat another bite, I grabbed my wineglass and stretched out. I patted my belly and thanked him for the extra ten pounds he just packed on me. Grant packing me. Oh, damn it! I did it again. Sleep deprivation must make Lanie a horny girl.

  I cleared my throat and tried to sound as calm and disinterested as I could. “So, you said something about an interesting story to tell me? And something else about—what?”

  “Nope, that doesn’t sound familiar to me at all.” He smiled and then looked like he was going to pounce. But then he eyed the wineglass in my hand and shifted back. Damn, I knew I should quit drinking. I loved a good Grant wrestle. I had loved wrestling with Dane and Grant since we were little kids, playful, rough and tumble, and then more flirty when we were teenagers. This would have been much more fun.

  “Fine, mister liar, no dessert for you!” I teased.

  “What? But I ate all my dinner,” he mocked back.

  “Surely you can’t expect any sweets until you add the sugar,” I purred.

  “Fine! I’ll tell you, and stop calling me Shirley,” he bantered back. “What do you want first?”

  Hmm, what do I want? I want a man to touch me in the most intimate of ways. Any man at this point, or this man … but I digress.

  “Well, I’m sure you’re wondering why it’s just you and me, kid,” he said, his tone just edging towards serious.

  “That would be something I’m wondering, all right.” And that was it, our first in-person secret after six months. “Spill it, dagnabbit!” I demanded with a smirk.

  “Seriously, did you just say dagnabbit?”

  “Focus, Grant.”

  “Fine, but you can’t get mad at me. Promise.”

  I raised my right hand and stated, “I promise not to get mad at the messenger.” This had been our standard secret-telling rule since we were seven.

  “Well, Dane has been keeping some ‘particular’ company with—”

  “No. No. Don’t you even say her name!” I interrupted him.

  “I won’t say it, but you wanted to hear, so I’ll just say Sally instead, okay?”

  I glared at him.

  “Umm, Dane ran into Sally at a recent work function and they went for drinks after.”

  “And?” I was really not in the mood for this to be the news I came home to. And I was dreading to hear it confirmed by Grant. Now the paranoia was not paranoia any more, it was the real deal.

  “And well, they came back here after drinks.” I pursed my lips so tight, Coach would have been proud.

  “Here? At my house?”

  “No, of course not. I meant here on the cliff. His house.”

  “Okay, there has to be more to it. What’s more to it?”

  “Well, um, Sally has been here ever since.”

  “Dane is shacking up with her? Are you kidding me?”

  “No, I would never do that. Especially where Sally is concerned. And of course, Dane as well.”

  I just stared at him and shook my head. No, please, not here. Not her on my cliff with one of my guys. And what was worse was Dane knew how I felt about her and he had the nerve not to show up tonight. He chose her over me. That was always the way it was when stupid-Sally-selling-herself-by-the-seawhore was around. Ha, ha. I made myself laugh.

  “Lanie.”

  “No, I don’t want to talk about this anymore. We’re done.” He could tell I was fuming inside.

  “How about that surprise I have, to make everything better?” he teased.

  “No, I don’t want anything right now.”

  I could tell I hurt his feelings by the way he just kind of dropped his eyes from mine and cleared his throat. I felt bad. It wasn’t his fault. And I really, really wanted to see what he got me that would, and I quote, ‘keep me here.’

  “I’m sorry, I feel bad now.” I pouted. I even did my best boo-boo lip and then bit it and then kicked him. “Give it to me.” Wow, I wish I could say that in other ways!

  His eyes lit up, and he jumped up and ran out of the room. I heard a door open, and then close and footsteps back.

  “Close your eyes, no peeking. Promise.”

  I raised my right hand like the good girl I was an
d stated flatly, “I promise not to peek.”

  He told me to put out my hands. I complied. And then I felt something so warm and completely not what I was expecting …

  Chapter 2

  Knock, Knock, Who’s There?

  … because it was soft and warm and moving? Yes. It was definitely moving.

  “May I please open my eyes now?” I said excitedly.

  “Yes, Lanie. Please do.” He snickered. And there in my hands was the tiniest, cutest, sweetest little black kitten I had ever seen.

  “Oh my God! A kitten? You got me a kitten? You got me a kitten.”

  “You’re great at this game,” he chortled, “and now you can’t leave or he’ll be all alone. And he doesn’t like to be left alone. So can you not leave for that long again?”

  “Grant. I love him. He’s adorable. I’ve always wanted a kitten.”

  “Yes, you need some protection with that wolf in sheep’s clothing hanging around here.”

  “Did you say woof? I’m pretty sure you just said woof in sheep’s clothing,”

  “I said w-o-l-f. Wolf,” he said, even though I swear I couldn’t hear that L.

  “Nope, you just said it again. Woof.”

  “Shut up,” he whispered under his breath with a smile.

  “I think that’ll be his name. Woof.”

  “You’re going to name your kitten Woof? That’s absurd.”

  “Absurd and a done deal.”

  I put Woof on my lap and leaned over and gave Grant a soft kiss. And then it happened. He lingered. Yes, I’m sure of it. My sweet peck became a “linger.” I couldn’t bring myself to pull away. But after a few seconds longer, I felt his lips turn into a smile and he sat back, breaking our “linger” with what sounded like a sigh.

  “I missed you. I have everything ready for him. Litter boxes, both upstairs and down, as well as bowls, food, and toys. I also took the liberty of stocking your fridge.”

  Did he just say he missed me? Oh and he took care of taking care of things here? This was a man any woman would fall head over heels over. Pact. But not me, right? I was not falling head over heels. Was I? No. This was Grant. Pact. Pact. And more pact.

  “It’s getting late, and you probably could use some sleep in your freshly sheeted bed,” he stated. He really had all the bases covered.

  “Please don’t go. I haven’t seen you for six months other than online video chat, and honestly, I really don’t want to be alone. Please stay.”

  “Lanie, I have to get up pretty early to take care of the horses before my nine o’clock in the morning conference call.” He sounded disappointed.

  “Woof says pretty please. How can you resist him?” I said as I shoved Woof into his face.

  “I wouldn’t want to disappoint Woof. Let’s watch some TV and hang for a bit. That work for you?”

  “Yes!” I handed him the remote, grabbed my throw and snuggled into the side of him with Woof carefully cradled in my arms. I’m not sure how many seconds it took for me to start snoring, but I remember feeling Grant pick me up and carry me upstairs, lay me in my bed and tuck me in too. Somewhere I think I felt him stroke my hair and bless my forehead with a kiss. Or was I dreaming?

  I woke up to Woof playing with a tendril of my hair that was across my face. He would swat at it and hit me in the nose. That was the cutest way I had ever been awakened. I looked at the clock and it read 6:45 A.M. I hit the bathroom and then jumped back in bed and shut my eyes, hoping to fall back to sleep for a few more hours. I had earned a late sleep. I deserved it.

  After about half an hour, I heard a quiet knock on my front door. Then I heard it open. 7:13 A.M. I groaned. I heard a bunch of fumbling around in the kitchen. Woof and I looked at each other. I grabbed my robe and Woof and headed down the stairs. “Knock, knock. Who’s there?” I called out.

  There at my kitchen table were two cups of coffee, and I could smell bagels toasting. I turned towards the delicious smell and there was Dane. He looked like a little boy who had just been caught stealing cookies.

  “Ah, the prodigal sister joins us again.” He joked.

  “Really, Dane? After you never came to see me last night? Or returned my text telling you I was on my way?” I said, slightly annoyed.

  “I never got your text. I swear. I had no idea you were actually going to be home until late last night when I saw your lights were on. I figured I’d let you get unpacked and get some sleep and surprise you with breakfast.”

  “Grant got my text and you were on the same message. I’m sure it was the company you’ve been keeping who wouldn’t let you come over. Hmmm? Come on, ‘fess up,” I said, poking him in the chest.

  “Not at all, Lanie, I swear. She’s not the same person from high school. She’s matured. She’s so sweet and open and really, I promise, you’ll love hanging out with her.”

  “That is highly unlikely, Dane, but I would never stand in the way of something you seem so determined about. I’ll give her a chance, of course.” I’m a sucker for my guys. I hated this woman with all my being and he knew it, but if he was standing there asking me to give it a go, I just couldn’t say no. He was so damn cute with his big puppy dog eyes.

  He actually clapped. “Thank you. You’re the best.” And he proceeded to pull me into his arms. Those arms were twice the size they were when I left.

  “Working out much?” I stammered. Any woman, even his mother, would feel flushed having those guns wrapped around her. He made me feel so tiny. He held me close, and was he pushing his hips towards me? Nah.

  Then he finally released me. “Time to eat. I got bagels, cream cheese, whipped butter, and your favorite, fresh lox. Oh, and fruit and a box of coffee.” Actually, if he wasn’t going to make me breakfast, this was my favorite breakfast to nosh on.

  “How could I possibly stay mad at you for you blowing me off, then waking me up early, and sleeping with my enemy for the past few months, when you bring me a breakfast like this?” I said in my most placating voice and then proceeded to grab a sesame bagel off the tray.

  “Real nice, Lanie.” He snickered and then winked.

  “I’m kidding,” I said, peering over my coffee cup at him while I took a nice long gulp. “Kind of.”

  “So. I was wondering if you and Grant want to have dinner over at my place tonight.”

  “Okay, but you’ll have to ask Grant yourself. Not a double date, you know?”

  “Oh, of course not. I just figured you’d want someone, you know, there on your side.”

  “On my side?” I cocked one eyebrow at him.

  “You know what I mean. She’s cooking. I’ll even give her requests.”

  “No, that’s all right. I’ll come. I have to stop over at Grant’s this morning to give him six months’ worth of work crap, so I’ll tell him about tonight.” He leaned over the table and gave me a quick kiss and ran a finger down my cheek. That was sweet.

  Dane was just too hard to say no to, ever. Made perfect sense for him to handle all the sales work for the company. He just had a pull about him. He always got what he wanted. And if he didn’t, he’d just take it.

  As soon as breakfast was done, I gave Dane a quick hug and scooted him out the door so I could get ready for the day. I ran upstairs and saw the phone sitting there, telling me to call Samantha and Chelsie. I had to get their feedback on tonight and also see if they wanted to help me look absolutely amazing. If I was going to face my enemy, I was sure as hell going to look hot. It’s a girl thing.

  Around one o’clock, Samantha and Chelsie were pulling in front of the house with bags of stuff. Grant had been standing outside and headed over to greet his cousins. After some quick hellos, they made him leave and busted right in.

  “Lanie! I am so happy you’re home. I missed you so much,” Samantha chimed. She sounded like perfectly tuned wind chimes, whimsical and melodic. And for someone so tiny, she nearly knocked me down when she threw herself into a great big bear hug. I wondered how Dylan, her fiancé, dealt with that. Eve
n though she was such a petite little thing, I was sure she dominated their bedroom.

  “Hey sweetie, so glad you’re home,” Chelsie said. Now Chelsie was just a perfect specimen and so was her husband, Steve. They were Mr. and Mrs. Perfect, and I wanted to be them when I grew up!

  “So, you want to look hot for your date tonight, huh?” Chelsie said, matter-of-factly.

  “Date? You know it’s nothing like that. I just have to look hotter than her.” They knew the whole story.