by Lacy Hart
We both watched Shannon march off and out of the pool area.
“I have a feeling I am going to regret doing this,” James said to me.
“Thanks, James. I owe you big time. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
“Don’t worry about it.” James wrapped the towel around his waist and made for the door.
“I better go get myself ready since I have no idea what I am in store for now.”
I followed James out the door and went upstairs to start getting myself ready for Kelly. I wasn’t sure what time she might show up beyond knowing it would be after three. I went and jumped in the shower, making sure to shave off the stubble that had grown over the last two days. I decided I didn’t want to get too dressed up and just put on a white linen shirt and some khaki shorts. By the time I had finished getting ready and made my way out to the kitchen, Shannon and James were both sitting out in the living room area waiting for me.
“You’re all set,” Shannon said to me. “They’ll be a delivery here in about twenty minutes with the food. The rest is up to you.”
“Thanks, Shannon,” I said to her.
Shannon got up from the couch and turned to James.
“Okay, let’s hit the road,” she told him.
James got up from the couch and walked over toward me.
“So where are you going?” I asked him.
“I have no idea,” he said to me as he shrugged his shoulders. “She hasn’t said anything to me. It’s all a surprise I guess.”
“Well, just use the Amex card for anything, and I’ll cover it. Do you need cash?” I asked him.
“I’m good, boss,” he said, waving me off.
“Man, I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of that Mustang,” Shannon said with excitement.
“If I need you to bail us out, I’ll give you a call,” James said as Shannon tugged him towards the stairs.
“Enjoy your date, Damian!” Shannon yelled as I heard them go down the stairs and eventually heard the front door slam. A few moments later, I could hear the roar of the Mustang engine coming from below me and then heard the tires squeal, no doubt after the gate opened so Shannon could pull the car out.
The house was suddenly very quiet, and I put some background music on just to help break things up and help me relax a bit. It was just a few minutes later when I heard the buzzer, indicating someone was at the gate. I glanced over at the monitor to see if it was Kelly, but it was a white van from the delivery service. I buzzed them in so they could pull up to the house, and then used the remote to unlock the front door when they arrived, directing them to use the elevator to bring things up.
I heard the ding of the elevator as they reached the top floor, and out walked two men all dressed in white. One was carrying a large pot, and the other had a couple of bags that he placed on the kitchen counter. Shannon had ordered a clambake for two, and the one gentleman gave me some quick direction on how everything should be prepared. They had also brought along some wine, appetizers, and dessert in case I needed them. I made sure to tip them both well, thanking them profusely for the help, and then hustled them out the door so they would be gone before Kelly arrived.
I put the items in the refrigerator to keep them cold, and I could hear the lobsters scratching away at the cooler they were in as I stored them for the moment. I took some time to set up the small table that was positioned nearest to the windows that looked out over the ocean so that the setting was nice, putting some candles on the table that I could light later.
When everything was done, I took a quick look at my watch and saw it was after four. I began to wonder if Kelly had changed her mind and decided not to come after all. I tried not to get too tense about it and walked over to the bar and made myself a vodka martini. I had just finished pouring the drink into my glass when the sound of the buzzer cut through the silence in the room.
A glance at the monitor showed Kelly standing at the gate, waiting for a response.
10
Kelly
I thought about riding my scooter over to the Damian Woods “compound,” but I figured I wasn’t going to be there long enough for me to have to worry about walking back to get the scooter to go home. As I marched down the boardwalk, my hair still wrapped in my ponytail, I could feel my resolve building to go into the house, see what was there, and then let Damian know what I thought of him building his monstrosity on the beach and how selfish and pretentious he was. After I had my say, I could turn around and walk out, go get my scooter and go home and I have a nice glass of wine, reveling in the look that would be on his face when he got schooled by a local.
I got to the end of the boardwalk and went down the steps, taking me over to the road that led down to his front gate. Suddenly I had butterflies in my stomach. I was nervous, not so much about what I had wanted to say to Damian, but if things turned out differently, I didn’t think I was sure how I would react. There was no denying he was nice and friendly from the interactions I had with him, and he certainly was someone I was physically attracted to.
I walked slowly towards the gate and could feel myself sweating more as I got closer with each step. Beads formed on my forehead as the sun beat down on me, and I felt like I was breathing a bit heavier than I should have been.
Maybe this is a bad idea, I said to myself as I got about twenty yards from the gate.
I stopped and looked at the giant house looming in front of me behind the iron fence. If I was going to do this, one way or the other, this might be the only opportunity I had. I shuffled along the sandy road until I stood in front of the entrance and reached over to press the buzzer. My hand shook slightly and hesitated.
I could hear myself say “to hell with this,” and got ready to turn and go, but then my index finger seemed to jump on its own and hit the buzzer. I thought about turning and running, but my legs and my brain were not on the same page at this point either. I tried to remain calm and stand still, figuring there was a camera somewhere that was pointed at the entrance, watching me. My left foot started to tap as I waited for a response.
“Hold on one second,” Damian’s voice crackled over the intercom.
The gates slowly hummed and retracted, and I began my descent down the driveway. The black limo was still parked just where it was yesterday when we saw James out washing it, making me wonder if there was a houseful of servants inside to wait on Damian’s every whim. I knew if I saw that it would give me one more reason not to stay very long.
By the time I reached the front steps, Damian had opened the front door and was standing there waiting for me.
“I’m glad you could make it,” Damian said to me, holding the door open for me as I slid past him and went inside.
The cool blast of the air conditioning enveloped me as soon as he shut the front door, sending shivers up and down my body. We stood in front of the staircase for a moment, neither one of us sure as to what to do next.
“I guess you didn’t have any trouble finding the place,” Damian said, a lame attempt at a joke.
“It’s kind of a hard place to miss,” I told him, only half-joking myself.
“I know, the place seems a little… ostentatious, I guess. When we were working out the plans for everything, and I saw the final blueprints, I was a little worried about how everyone would react to the house. Would you like the grand tour?”
“Do we have enough time to see it all before dinner?” I cracked.
“I think we can squeeze it all in,” Damian told me as he started walking down the hall.
I followed along, looking at the artwork on the walls, typical beach stuff with shells and driftwood that tourists often go for when decorating rental homes. We walked past a few rooms with closed doors that I assumed were bedrooms either for guests, or staff, or both. We ended up in an immense room with a pool table, big screen TV, a large bar and a jukebox.
“Wow, quite a space,” I said, knowing I sounded unimpressed. I moved towards the center of the room and saw anot
her small hallway beyond where the TV was mounted.
“What’s down there?” I asked.
“Oh,” Damian answered. “There’s a laundry room and a small movie theater in the other room.”
“Fancy,” I told him. “I see you have an elevator too.”
“Just easier to bring bags up and down that way,” Damian replied nonchalantly. “Come on,” he told me, leading me back down the hall to the staircase so we could go up to the second floor.
I could see bedroom doors to my left and right, but down at the end of the hall were large clear windows. We walked towards the area, and before we got there, I could see rooms on either side.
“This room is the fitness room,” Damian said pointing to the left.
I peeked in and saw the room filled with various workout equipment, all top-of-the-line stuff, and some TV screens so you could watch while you worked out.
“And this is another fitness room,” he said, heading off to his right. This room was a little larger and was outfitted with a boxing ring, heavy bags, and other equipment.
“You have your own boxing ring?” I said to him.
“I like to box for my workout, so I thought it would be useful.”
“Who do you box?” I asked, thinking he probably had designated people that come in for him to punch.
“Well, I hadn’t really thought about it that much,” Damian said, feeling sheepish. “James and I do spar sometimes.”
We walked back out, and I was standing before the pool area. Damian opened the door for me, and I went in. The transition from the cool, air-conditioned house to the warm air around the pool hit me square in the face. I could hear my sneakers squeaking on the floor as we moved closer to the pool. I saw the area on the far wall where the pool had a small transition to the outdoor area.
“Nice,” I said to him, trying to sound casual. “I have to tell you, Damian, having a pool at the beach seems a little… well strange to me.”
Damian looked back at me as if he were expecting me to say something like this.
“I know,” he told me. “I’m sure people around here just think I’m some eccentric rich guy that doesn’t want to swim in the ocean. Truth is I love the ocean and love to swim in it. I just thought some of my friends and family would like the pool better, especially the kids.”
“Did it have to be indoors and outdoors?” I asked him. I could tell my questions were starting to make him feel a little uncomfortable. Part of me felt victorious in my efforts, and another a little guilty for pressing him so much.
“No, it didn’t have to be, but I thought it looked nice,” he said honestly. “Besides, now I can swim even if the weather isn’t so good in the summer or the winter.”
“So, you plan to be down here often?”
“Yes,” he said, standing in front of me now. “I plan on making this area my home, maybe even full-time if I can work it out.”
“Hmmm,” I said to him as I looked out on the vast pool area outside.
“You sound skeptical of my intent,” he said to me as we started walking back to the entrance to the indoor pool area.
“Well, we have lots of rich folks come down here and build houses or buy houses with the same idea, but I think once they see what life is like living here, they get a little bored with it and change their minds. There’s not much of a nightlife here, and even less so in the winter.”
I walked back into the air conditioning, grateful to have the cool air on me again.
“I can see that,” Damian said as we started to climb the steps to the next floor. “But I’m not much for going out on the town. I do a lot of that stuff because I must. I don’t go in for art shows, restaurant openings, and red carpets. That stuff bores me. I’m more of a homebody.”
We reached the top floor, which was perhaps the most expansive in the house. Each room was nicely decorated, and the kitchen Damian had seemed larger than the one I had in the bakery. It was an open floor plan, so all the rooms melded together nicely, and there was one room with a closed door that I assumed was his bedroom. I walked over to the glass doors that opened onto the patio outside and opened them to step out and have a look. It felt like I was far above the beach, and I could see the beach out to the right and where public access opened up again about fifty yards down. Just below us was the outdoor pool, with a waterfall and slide, a cabana outside, and what looked like a built-in stone grill and other outdoor accessories.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Damian called to me from inside.
I turned toward him and saw him standing behind the bar, ready to get me anything I could ask for.
“A glass of white wine would be nice, please,” I said to him as I looked back out over the ocean.
I had grown up living and looking at the ocean, playing in its waters and on the beach, and being in this house seemed to speak against everything that I thought living here was supposed to be about. I felt this down to my bones, but Damian was making it hard for me to not like him. Every time I tried to come up with something to say against the house, he just gave me a calm, rational answer that made him endearing.
Damian appeared just to my right, handing me a glass of nicely chilled white wine.
“Thanks,” I said politely, taking a sip.
“See,” Damian said as we looked out over the ocean, “we finished the tour, and the sun hasn’t even set yet.”
“You have a nice place here, Damian,” I said to him. “I hope you make the most of it.”
“Oh, I think I will,” he told me as he took a sip of his drink. “I hope you like seafood,” he said to me as he turned to walk inside.
I followed him into the house and walked over into the kitchen, where he had a big pot going on the stove already.
“Of course, I like seafood,” I said to him, feeling slightly offended.
“Great,” Damian answered as he took a small cooler out of the fridge and placed it on the counter next to the stove. “We have an indoor clambake tonight. I know it’s probably not as good as what you’re used to right on the beach, but at the last moment this is the best I could do.”
I watched as Damian prepared everything, deftly taking the lobsters out of the cooler and placing them into the boiling water where the other items already were. He put the lid on the pot quickly to keep the lobsters from trying to work their way out. While the seafood boiled, I watched as he chopped items for a salad. He cut the greens and vegetables with great expertise and then made a quick vinaigrette with some olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and spices.
“I have to say I’m impressed,” I told him.
“Impressed by what?” he asked as he tossed the salad lightly in a wooden bowl.
“I don’t know, I guess I thought you would have a chef or wait staff or something taking care of all this for you,” I told him. After I said it out loud, I realized how silly it sounded.
“I don’t have a staff like that,” he told me as he put the salad down on the table that was set for dinner. “James is my driver, and bodyguard, but that’s all I have. Although I do have a cleaning service come in and clean my apartments and the house. I like to cook, so I try to do it myself. Hopefully, you’ll appreciate it tonight.”
I thought back to the notion that it might be the time for me to ask him about the road, the beach access, and what his house did to the area. Now seemed like a good time to have my say.
“You look like you want to ask me something,” Damian said to me. He could see me watching him in the kitchen.
“Actually,” I said, standing up straight on the other side of the counter where he was prepping food, “I do. You know, when you had this house built, they took away the public beach access to this area for everyone. It seems kind of selfish of you to do that, especially to people that really like this area of the beach. A lot of people love to come down to this end. The views are better, and it's off the boardwalk, so it doesn’t get as crowded, but now they can’t even walk down the street here.”
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sp; I had gotten it all out and felt a little flush, unsure of what Damian was going to say in response. He put down the knife he was using and looked over at me, wiping his hands on a towel.
“Yeah, I felt bad about that,” Damian said to me in a serious tone. “That wasn’t my intent or even my idea. I knew the house was going to take up a lot of space, and the town insisted that I have the gate and the walls to keep things private. They decided it would be better if they just made the road private and closed off access. I wanted to put a pathway that led from the road around the house and out onto the beach, but the approval for that hasn’t come through. They said maybe before next season, so I hope it goes through. I would like to let people onto the beach if they want to be there.”