A New Kind of Bliss (9 page)

“I’m sure,” I said firmly, holding his gaze. “It’s a quiet street, Aaron. And it’s not exactly the middle of the night.”

Billy came into the kitchen. “Daddy, guess what? I did a backflip this afternoon.”

Aaron gave his son a high-five. “Hey, good for you! I’m sorry I missed it.”

“I’ll do another one for you tomorrow. It was easy.”

“There you are, Billy,” Kirsten said accusingly, appearing from another room. “Don’t you know not to bother Daddy when he’s eating?”

“And who instituted that rule?” Aaron asked, obviously startled.

Kirsten’s mouth quivered. “I just thought that…”

“She just wants to make sure that Billy behaves himself for Miss Yancy,” Beverline said easily. A grateful Kirsten moved next to her grandmother, who put a reassuring arm around her shoulder.

“Oh, I think Emily can see us as we really are,” Aaron said with a smile. He winked at me, an act I found so sexy that for an instant I considered staying. Maybe I’d get lucky and he’d sneak into my room. This house was probably big enough no one would even notice. We were overdue to get to know each other a little better, and we’d both sleep like the dead—no, that wasn’t the right word—like
babies
afterward.

Beverline placed plates containing a pork chop smothered in gravy, a generous helping of macaroni and cheese, and a few spears of broccoli in front of each of us. “Oh, how wonderful it looks!” I exclaimed. Realizing that I probably sounded overly enthusiastic—God forbid Beverline think that all people from Euliss ate nothing but McDonald’s—I hastily added, “I hadn’t realized I was this hungry. I hope we didn’t put you to too much trouble.”

“Not at all. I enjoy rumbling around a little in the kitchen, even if the housekeeper does do most of the actual cooking.”

My eyes darted toward the entry. I half expected to see a uniformed maid come in, ready to put the food back in the fridge. That must be the Shirley Beverline alluded to.

Obviously Kirsten noticed my action. “She left hours ago.”

“Oh. Um…Mrs. Wilson, can I trouble you for a piece of bread?”

“No problem, Miss Yancy.” Beverline turned to Kirsten. “Get Miss Yancy a piece of bread, Kirsten.”

The teen obeyed, but her stiff movements told me she didn’t want to get anything for me.

I lowered my head so no one would see me rolling my eyes.

“That was delicious,” I said sincerely, wiping my mouth with my napkin.

“Oh…I think you might have spilled something on your shirt,” Beverline said.

The mustard. “Actually, that happened at lunch.” How had I known that wouldn’t escape her eye and that she’d comment on it? She hadn’t exactly made me feel welcome. Of course she wouldn’t miss a chance to try to convince Aaron I was a slob or something.

I cleared my throat. “I hate to eat and run, but I really should be getting home.”

“You know, Emily, you don’t have to drive home tonight if you don’t want to,” Aaron said. “Maybe it would be better if you stayed here tonight. We’ve got an extra room for you.” He glanced at his watch. “I know it’s not the middle of the night, but it’s going on ten.”

One look at Beverline’s face told me Aaron had gone too far. She hid it well, but that little smile she offered was tighter than last year’s jeans. I felt kind of bad for her. She might have been able to absorb that her late daughter’s husband had begun dating again, plus the possibility of having the woman in question sleep under the same roof, if she’d known Aaron was seeing someone. But it was an awful lot to swallow in one gulp. I suspected she’d rather I sleep under a bridge somewhere than under this roof.

“Oh, ten o’clock isn’t that late,” I replied breezily. “And parking isn’t bad on my mother’s street. It’s a cul-de-sac,” I explained to a relieved-looking Beverline, although I suspected she’d be thrilled to be rid of me if I were to meet with an unexpected case of death on my way home.

Aaron walked me to my car after I said good-bye to the others, and when he kissed me good night I didn’t care if anyone was watching or not. Aaron’s kisses had that effect on me. His lips straddled the fine line of being both soft and insistent, and he always smelled so deliciously masculine. I burrowed as close to him as I could.

I kept rubbing my lips together as I drove. And I smiled, knowing that Aaron would be grilled about me like hot dogs on the Fourth of July by Beverline the minute he stepped back into the house.

Mom was sitting in the living room when I got in, watching CNN. “How did it go?” she asked, her eyes all lit up with the unasked questions,
Did you do the deed? Seal the deal?

“Fine, Mom.”

“I wish you’d had time to stop at Cissy’s. She called me. She was so disappointed.”

“Like I told you, Mom, it was a quick trip with a purpose, not a leisurely drive across a third of the country. I’m exhausted. We drove all day, for nearly thirteen hours. Aaron did most of the driving. I can only imagine how he must be feeling. And he’s got to go to work Monday. All I have to do is sit and wait for the phone to ring to see if Dr. Norman was able to talk those snotty sons of his into hiring me.” I’d decided I’d rather work at the Norman Family Practice than at the hospital. I sighed. “I just hope they come up with an offer before the hospital does.”

“I’m sure you won’t be waiting long. Where is Aaron, anyway?”

“He’s home. We were driving my car, remember?”

“Oh, that’s right.” Her eyes flashed with excitement. “So you got to see his house. Tell me all about it.”

“Better than that. I met his entire family, his kids and his mother-in-law.”

Worry instantly clouded my mother’s features. “I wish he’d given you a chance to clean up a little. Isn’t that a stain on your shirt?”

Go figure. Mom couldn’t thread a needle two inches from her face, but she could see a slight spot from five feet away. “A little mustard sauce from the spareribs I had for lunch. I’m sure they weren’t expecting me to look like Miss America, especially once they learned we’d been on the road since early this morning.”

“What were they like?”

“Oh, his daughters and his mother-in-law were a little apprehensive, but that’s to be expected. Aaron told me he’s never brought a woman home. And they didn’t know he’s been with me; all he told them was that he was flying to Indianapolis and would be back the following evening. Naturally, they assumed it was a business trip. I think seeing him pull up with me, in my car, came as somewhat of a shock. As for his son, he’s a sweetie. But he’s a lot younger than his sisters and probably doesn’t see the implications.”

“I’m sure you’ll charm them.” Mom chuckled. “You know, Mavis must have asked me three times if you were back yet.”

I made a face. “Tanis must have put her up to that. She probably learned Aaron had gone to Indy and put two and two together.”

“I’ll just bet she did. If you ask me, she needs to forget about Aaron and look for somebody else. He’s smitten with you, Emmie.”

My expression changed to a scowl to a faraway look as my thoughts went from Tanis to Aaron. I wanted to be alone with my thoughts, to savor the memory of our making love and to daydream about all the wonderful things the future might hold. “Mom, I’m going to go to bed now. I’m awfully tired.”

“I understand. Sweet dreams, sweetheart.”

T
he job offer came Monday morning. Dr. Norman asked if I could start right away, and I was only too happy to oblige. It looked like this new chapter of my life was all falling into place.

We agreed that I would come in for at least a few hours on Thursday and Friday to get oriented and see a few patients with Gina, the pregnant P.A. I knew that meant that Gina would be observing me and report her observations and recommendation to Dr. Norman and his sons, and on Friday I’d either be asked to return after the Fourth or told that it wouldn’t work out, but I wasn’t worried. I was good at what I did, and patients liked me.

I shared my good news with Aaron, who immediately suggested we have a celebratory dinner Wednesday at Euliss’s new—and only—five-star restaurant. I thought it might be better to do that on Friday, but I guess a table was easier to get without a reservation midweek. I’d barely known Aaron a month, and already I was getting the hang of this reservations thing.

Besides, as it turned out, he had other plans for us for Friday. As we watched the sun set over the Palisades while we enjoyed a melt-in-your-mouth T-bone cut, he explained to me that intimacy was impossible at his home, as it was at mine, because of his kids and mother-in-law. “How do you feel about joining my family and me at my place in Sag Harbor for the Fourth?”

That sounded great to me except for that part about his family.

He must have noticed my hesitation. “I’m sending Beverline and the kids out on the train Friday. I hope you’ll consider spending Friday night at my house. We can drive out Saturday morning and come back late Sunday, after the traffic jams clear up. Uh…you’ll have to sleep in the guest room at Sag Harbor, of course, but at least we’ll have Friday.”

My disappointment must have shown on my face.

“The kids and their grandmother spend the summer at the house there. I usually go out on Friday or Saturday mornings for the weekends, but I’ve got a feeling that I’m going to be busier than usual this summer, if you know what I mean.”

My apprehension turned into a wide, slow smile. I’d been wondering precisely how we’d conduct our newly established sex life, and I happily told him that was fine.

My thoughts were filled with memories of last night’s dinner as I alighted from my car and walked toward the entrance of the medical building for my first day at work. Suddenly I realized that someone held the door for me. I quickened my steps, tossing out the memory of the coconut and mango and pineapple dessert I’d consumed last night, as well as Aaron’s good-night kiss, something he’s truly talented at. “Thank you,” I said to the man who held the door. Then I looked at the light brown face more closely, realizing I had seen it before. It came to me in a flash. “Teddy, is that you?” I’d known Teddy Simms since we were in the same third-grade class.

He broke into a grin. “Yeah, it’s me. Where you been hidin’ yourself, Emily? I ain’t seen you in years. You look great, by the way.”

“I’ve actually been in the Midwest for a long time, but I’m back in Euliss now, at least for the time being.”

“I did hear your father passed. I’m sorry.”

“Thanks.” I noticed he carried a white lab coat on a hanger, covered with plastic. “You work in the building?”

“Yeah, I work for Dr. Jensen three days a week. I’m a denture technician.”

I nodded. It was a small building, and I’d seen the dentist’s name on the directory. “I guess you stay pretty busy.”

“Yeah, I do. I work Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for Dr. Jensen, and Tuesdays and Fridays for another dentist in Mount Vernon. All that stuff they told us about taking care of our teeth when we were kids was right on.”

I instantly looked at his teeth, which appeared to be in pretty good condition. In fact, Teddy Simms looked pretty good all over. Most of the boys I’d gone to school with became better looking as they got older, Teddy included.

Despite a forehead that was a little flat, Teddy had turned into a real cutie by the eighth grade, and that’s when I decided I wanted him to be my boyfriend. He’d even looked cool with glasses. He kind of gravitated toward me for about five minutes, but then he decided he liked Tanis better. It must have been the hair. Tanis had what was politely known as “a good grade,” thick with a natural wave, which back in the day she often wore loose. My hair was almost as long as hers, but too nappy to be worn loose. Anyway, being Tanis, she promptly forbade him to talk to me.

God, I hated her even back then.

“Have you moved back here?” he asked as we got into the elevator.

“Well, not permanently.” I immediately thought of my blossoming relationship with Aaron and wondered, as I always did, just where it would take me. “A few months, at least. My mother shouldn’t be alone right now. So I’m filling in for Dr. Norman’s P.A. while she’s on maternity leave.”

“What’s a P.A., an accountant or something?”

Of course. I hadn’t been fair to expect him to know what it meant. The man was a dental professional, not a medical one, and there were light-years between the two. I knew next to nothing myself about dental work. I still couldn’t understand why there were so many fields of dental medicine: general dentistry, orthodontics, endodontics, oral surgery, pedodontics, periodontics. “A physician assistant,” I explained.

He nodded. “Hey, didn’t I hear something about you marrying somebody from Chicago or something? How’s your husband feel about your spending an extended time in Euliss?”

“Actually, it was Indianapolis, not Chicago. And I haven’t been married for years.” When Al and I got married Mom insisted on putting a wedding announcement in the
Dispatch,
so everyone would know I’d managed to snag a husband. They also ran birth announcements, but there was nothing broadcast when someone got divorced. “I stayed there after the divorce because I liked the city and I’d made friends there.”

Teddy laughed. “Anyplace is probably better than Euliss.”

I couldn’t help being curious. “What about you, Teddy? Are you married?”

He shrugged. “I guess I’m destined to be a lifelong bachelor. Besides, who’d have me?” His eyes traveled approvingly down the length of my body, eliminating any automatic suspicions that arise about never married men over forty. No question about it, Teddy Simms was heterosexual, through and through.

Who’d have him, indeed. He wasn’t particularly tall, only about five-nine, and not classically handsome, but he had undeniable sex appeal, with a neatly trimmed beard and full head of close-cropped hair. I’d jump on him in a minute…if Aaron wasn’t in my life, of course.

The elevator stopped on the third floor, and he paused in the entryway, his palm preventing the door from closing on him. “You and I will have to have lunch sometime. Catch up.”

“Sounds great. Anytime next week will be fine, assuming I pass my orientation, which is today and tomorrow.”

“I’ll stop by. Good luck.”

“Thanks, I’ll need it.”

He stepped out of the elevator, and I continued on to Dr. Norman’s sixth-floor office, free to let my mind return to how great this weekend’s sex with Aaron would be.

Aaron made light breathing sounds—no way could they be called snores—as he slept beside me, his arm extended so that his wrist rested in the crook of my waist, his palm against my abdomen. But I was wide awake.

I had called him as I left work this afternoon and insisted he let me take him to dinner. I was in a celebratory mood, for all three Dr. Normans told me that I’d done a wonderful job in my two-day trial and that they wanted me to come back after the holiday as a full-time employee.

Of course, I took him to an ordinary place, a bar in Riverdale where they have live entertainment and great burgers. We didn’t hang around after eating. I think he was as eager as I to get to his house. We held hands as we walked toward his front door, and I could feel my heart racing.

We made love again, twice. But it was the same, the
exact same
as it had been last weekend in Indy. Now, there’s practically some kind of rule that says that the first time a man and woman have sex, he should be the one on top. But in my experience, the second time—which usually occurs very shortly after the first—was done differently. When this didn’t happen last weekend I merely chalked it up to exhaustion after a plane trip followed by sightseeing. Now, every instinct in me warned that something was terribly wrong. I’d never had sex four consecutive times with no variation. Either I’d get on top, or we’d do it doggie style, or something. Surely in all those years Aaron spent with Diana, they’d done some experimentation. Not for one minute did I believe that people who married young remained sexually naïve. Like everybody else, they learned what their partners liked, played dress-up, shared fantasies….

I’d already felt my excitement diminish a bit when Aaron positioned himself between my thighs. He always got me so excited with his skill at foreplay, and just when I started to think that this was the time we’d do it in a different position and really go at each other, it turned into the same old, same old.

Don’t get me wrong. The sex was good. Aaron’s been blessed with a penis that can please any woman, and it’s a nice, tight fit. But it would be truly out of sight if we mixed it up a little.

Therein laid my dilemma. I lay awake wondering how I could possibly make the suggestion that we try a little variety. I didn’t want to scare the man off by boldly lying him back and mounting him like Lady Godiva. He’d already confided that Diana had been his only sexual partner. I didn’t want him to think that I was some kind of slut.

Something about Aaron’s breathing and his arm wrapped around my waist soothed me, and my eyelids began to feel heavy. I fell asleep thinking,
The key is not to rush him. He’s such a good match for me. If I concentrate hard enough I’ll be able to figure something out, make him think it was his own idea.

We were on the road by eight
A.M
. and arrived in Sag Harbor at ten-thirty. Aside from an occasional firecracker, the street where Aaron’s house was located was quiet, with houses set back from the street, most of them fenced in with white picket or log fences. Aaron’s house had the former.

Beverline sat in a white wicker rocker on the front porch reading a newspaper. I was sure she sat there so she’d be sure to see us arrive, although I wasn’t sure why. Maybe she hoped there’d be a change in plans and I wouldn’t make it, because her face still bore that constipated look.

“Where’re the kids?” Aaron inquired after we greeted one another.

“Oh, they took off on their bikes right after breakfast. They’re around the neighborhood somewhere.”

How nice, I thought, to live in a place where you didn’t have to worry about harm coming to your children while they were riding their bicycles. In Euliss, many parents forbade their children to go outside unless accompanied by an adult.

A whole new lifestyle,
I reminded myself.

“How was the drive out?” Beverline asked.

“Not bad. I think most people came out last night if they weren’t here already.” Aaron held the screen door open for me. “Come inside, Emily, and I’ll show you around.”

I admit to being a little surprised at Aaron’s summerhouse. For some reason I was expecting something along the lines of his New Rochelle house, large and imposing and elegant. The house in Sag Harbor was probably sixty years old or older, more like a cottage, like most of the other homes in the area, small and cozy.

After thinking about it for a bit, I realized how silly I’d been. Aaron was wealthy, but he wasn’t a movie director or a star musician who could afford the upkeep on multiple homes, each one a mansion.

The house, dark green shingled with white trim, was actually quite handsome. It had a front porch across its width, a relatively small living room with attached dining area, a nice kitchen that had obviously been remodeled, two bedrooms, and a remodeled bath on the main floor. When he showed me a bright corner bedroom with a double bed I looked at him quizzically, wondering if this was where I would sleep. “That’s Beverline’s room,” he said. “Diana and I used to sleep here, and the kids next door. I thought it would be better to let Beverline have this room after…”

After Diana died,
I thought. I had to get him off the subject of his late wife.

“But surely there’s more than these two bedrooms.”

“Yes. Kirsten and Arden sleep next door, and Billy and I sleep downstairs. There’s also a guest room down there. That’ll be your room.” He added in a sexy whisper, even though no one was around, “Right across the hall from me.”

Well away from Beverline’s prying eyes. I started to feel better about the weekend.

We traipsed down to the basement through an attractive open staircase, which gave the house more of a two-level feel rather than one level and a basement. Aside from the two bedrooms with a bathroom in between, it had a laundry room tucked into a corner, and a great room with a microwave and mini-fridge. Aaron explained to me that the great room was where Kirsten, Arden, and Billy entertained themselves and their friends.

The nicest feature of the house was the backyard. It was spacious, with a large whirlpool tub, a detached garage, and grounds as beautifully manicured as in the front. Because I was a city girl, botany was not my area of expertise. I could identify only a rose, a daisy, and a black-eyed Susan, although if I had to guess the type of pink, white, and yellow flowers that had been planted in neat multilevel brick-bordered beds and gave a wonderful burst of color to the yard, I’d say they were lilies.

I stood at the kitchen window, transfixed by the pretty scene.

“Let’s go out and chat with Beverline,” Aaron suggested.

I sat in the second rocker on the other side of a matching glass-top table, while Aaron perched on the railing. In an attempt to be pleasant, I said, “It’s so lovely here,” unwittingly opening the door for Beverline to go after me the way a rabid dog would tear up anyone it could sink its jaws into.

“I suppose you’ve never been here before, Miss Yancy.”