Chapter ten

Jill watched the clock, the hands moving ever closer to one. The morning had been nearly insufferable and she urged the clock to hurry.

" You're being ridiculous, " she murmured quietly. Yes, she knew she was. But she stood nonetheless, logging out of her computer before moving into the main office, waiting for Harriet to return so she could make her escape.

The sudden ringing of her cell phone startled her and she fished it out from inside her purse, frowning when she saw Craig's name displayed. He rarely called her.

" What's up? " she answered.

" Hey babe, glad I caught you."

She glanced quickly at the clock, then out through the windows to the street. " Is something wrong? "

" No, no, of course not. I thought maybe I'd take you to lunch today, " he said.

She stopped short, panicked. " What? Lunch? "

" Yeah. I mean, I owe you 'cause of Saturday night."

She closed her eyes, letting her breath out slowly. The make-up lunch. She should have known.

" Craig, you have a class at one. You can't take me to lunch."

" I've got a student teacher with me this term. He's cool if I slip out."

She shook her head, then moved to the door when she saw Harriet drive in. " Craig, there's no need to take me to lunch. I don't want you to get into trouble."

" Babe, our football team went to State. My basketball team is in first place. I'm not going to get into trouble, " he said with a laugh.

" Well, I don't need you to take me to lunch, " she said quietly. " As a matter of fact, I'd just as soon you not."

" I knew you were mad, you said you weren't but I knew you were."

" I'm not mad. Really, I'm not. But my lunch is my time, " she said evenly. " It's my time to relax and get away, " she said, smiling as she met Harriet in the doorway. " So don't feel like you owe me.

" But I thought we could meet somewhere, maybe get a burger or something, " he said.

She paused outside her car, glancing up into the overcast sky. " How about you take me and Angie out to dinner tonight? That'd be nice, " she said.

" Oh, babe, I have practice after school. It'd be late."

She nodded. " Well, then how about the next night you have free? Maybe treat us to pizza or something."

" You sure? "

She unlocked her door and slipped inside, the phone tucked against her shoulder as she turned the key.

" I'm sure. Now go back to class."

She was five minutes late when she turned onto the park road and as her luck would have it, the rain that had been threatening all morning turned into a downpour in a matter of seconds.

" Unbelievable, " she murmured as she slowed her speed, her wipers struggling to keep pace against the onslaught. She pulled into her normal parking place, wondering what she was going to do if she didn't see Carrie today. But she didn't have to wonder long. The other woman tapped on the passenger door and Jill unlocked it quickly.

They sat there, both smiling as Carrie brushed at the raindrops on her face.

" I think perhaps you bring the rain, my dear, " Carrie said lightly.

Jill nodded. " It seems that's true."

" I love the rain."

Jill grinned. " I aim to please."

They were quiet, their eyes meeting, then moving away. Carrie finally cleared her throat.

" I... well, I missed you this weekend, " she said.

Jill turned in her seat, looking into the pale blue eyes of her companion. She nodded slowly. " I missed you too."

Carrie cleared her throat again. " If you don't think it's too forward of me, may I suggest an alternative meeting place? "

Jill nodded, not caring in the least whether it sounded forward or not. Any alternative to sitting in her tiny Subaru in the rain was fine with her, as long as she got to see Carrie.

" I have a place on the lake, a small cottage, " Carrie said. " Seems kinda odd for us to meet here, especially when it's foul weather, when we could be there, " she finished with a shrug.

" You have a cottage? Here? No wonder you're familiar with the lake, " Jill said.

Carrie flashed a grin. " Follow me. It's on the north side."

She was out before Jill could protest and Jill watched her through the foggy window as she got into a blue van. She backed up carefully and followed the van through the winding park road and back to the main highway. Instead of turning left, which would take her back to town, they turned right on a road that led them through the new subdivisions that had been creeping closer to the park. A few miles down the road, Carrie turned right again and Jill followed close behind. The tiny residential road was bumpy and Jill slowed, finally stopping as Carrie waited for an electric gate to open.

She followed Carrie through the gate, her Subaru bouncing nosily on the gravel road which curved dramatically through the trees. She saw the lake before she saw the cottage, her eyes widening as an inviting pier came into view. But she turned her attention back to the road, slowing again as the bumpy gravel road turned into a smooth paved driveway. She parked beside Carrie's van, pausing to grab her umbrella before getting out.

" This way, " Carrie called, motioning for Jill to follow.

Through the white picket fence, a path led them to the back of the cottage and a sun porch. Jill paused to wipe her shoes on the mat before following Carrie inside.

" Just leave your umbrella there by the door, " Carrie said. " I'll turn the heat on."

Jill nodded, shivering as the damp cold penetrated. She turned in a circle in the sunroom, a smile forming as she looked at the lake. The sunroom had a perfect view of the lake and pier.

" You like? "

She turned at the sound of Carrie's voice, nodding. " Beautiful."

" Not so much now. Everything is gray, dull. Even the water. But springtime is beautifully green, it almost hurts your eyes, " she said.

Jill spread her arms. " If you have this, why bother with the park? "

Carrie shrugged. " Can't sketch the same old stuff every day, now can I? "

" Yeah, but you wouldn't have to put up with—" Jill stopped, smiling. " Maybe I really don't like people after all."

Carrie laughed. " I enjoy the privacy of this place too. Especially in the summer, when kids run amuck at the park." She pointed to the door she'd just come through. " Want a tour? "

" Of course."

" Won't take long though. I didn't build this for a family home. It's just a place I can escape to."

Jill followed her into the cottage, the bright walls a contrast to the dark, dreary day outside. A long bar separated the kitchen from the den and Carrie scooted a barstool closer to the bar as they passed.

" A nice-sized kitchen but I don't really use it much, " Carrie said. She pointed to the sitting area, which was sparsely furnished. " Or this. I mostly use the sun porch."

" I love the kitchen. It looks inviting." Jill turned to face her. " How long have you had it? "

" I built it four years ago." She laughed. " As you can see, I don't come here all that much."

" I'd be here every day. Do you guys spend weekends here? "

Carrie shook her head. " James and the boys have no idea it exists."

Jill stared. " Why not? "

Carrie smiled. " Because I haven't told them."

" How in world can your husband not know? "

" We keep our finances separate." She laughed. " Well, not really. I mean, he's made a small fortune with his business—okay, a large fortune—so my real estate profits were my play money, as he called it. And as an agent, I didn't sell all that much, so it really was play money. But I never told him how much I made on the property I bought on a whim all those years ago."

" What property? "

" Here at the lake." She pointed to a closed door. " Bedroom's through there. And I've never used it." She opened another door. " Large bathroom. It's got a connecting door to the bedroom."

" Nice. I like the red."

" It'll wake you up, that's for sure." She sat on one corner of the tiny loveseat, motioning for Jill to join her. " Years ago, the park was just an afterthought, really. There were a handful of homes on the south side, closer to town, and that was it. The county owned most of the rest but the lake was built as a water reservoir and for fishing. They weren't really pushing development then.

" But anyway, I was pregnant with Josh, so nearly eighteen years ago I was fishing out in a canoe on the north side of the lake. There was this old man fishing on a pier, little bitty pier and I waved to him. He took one look at me and stood up. 'What in tarnation do you think you're doing? '" Carrie laughed as she mimicked him. " Honest to God, that's what he said. So I'm looking around, wondering if there's some easement or something in the lake and I was trespassing. So I told him I was fishing. He pointed to his pier and said get over here right now. I know I probably should've been afraid, I mean, he was six-foot tall, easy. But I looked at him and said 'yes, sir, ' and paddled over. I sat there in my canoe and he pointed at me. 'Good God, girl, you're about to give birth. What were you thinking? That I'd swim on out to help you when you went into labor? Now get out of that there boat! '" Carrie smiled fondly. " Oh, he was a character. He drove me around to the park in his old, beat-up truck and got my car, then we drove back to collect my canoe."

" How in the world did you lift a canoe when you were nine months pregnant? "

" I was praying I'd go into labor, " she said with a laugh. " But he was such a sweet man. He was eighty-six and a widower. And he owned a couple hundred acres he didn't know what to do with. We became friends. I was quite taken with him. I spent every day after that with him, until I gave birth. His name was Joshua."

" You named your son after him."

" Yes. James had his heart set on Jeremy. I convinced him to change it. But anyway, Joshua sold me all his property, except for about ten acres that his house sat on. I never told James. And I never did anything with it. But I'd go visit him often, always taking Josh with me. Josh wasn't even two when he died. He didn't have any kids of his own and he left me the rest of his property."

" Wow."

Carrie shrugged. " Kinda strange I never told James, I suppose. I just hung on to it, sneaking out whenever I could. It was my escape. But then the developers came and I didn't know what I was going to do with two hundred acres. So I sold for an outrageous amount of money about five years ago."

" And James never knew? "

" No. I retired on the pretense I wanted to spend more time with the boys and I wanted to take some art classes. I tore down Joshua's old shack and pier, and built this little cottage. It won't be much for resale, not with just the one bedroom. But it's just a place I can come to, if I need it."

" Like for lunch on rainy days? "

" Like for lunch on any day. Unless you have a fondness for the park and all its people, " Carrie teased.

" I'd rather come here, " Jill said seriously. " I mean, if you want, " she added.

Carrie nodded. " The sunroom is wonderful when the weather's bad. The pier is awesome when the weather is nice."

" Do the ducks make it around this far? "

" There are some that hang around but I'm not here enough to feed them on a regular basis, so they're not always here. But I've never seen Grandma Duck out this far." Carrie reached over and squeezed her arm. " If you're going to miss feeding the ducks, we'll have to make a date to meet at the park at least once a week."

" Well, like you, I've become fond of Grandma Duck." Her eyes lingered where Carrie's hand still touched and she wished she wasn't wearing long sleeves. She watched as Carrie's fingers slipped away, then looked up, meeting Carrie's eyes for a brief moment.

" It's probably getting late, " Carrie said.

Jill nodded then pushed up her sleeve, revealing the slim watch she wore. She nodded again.

" Yes. Time."

" Well, maybe the weather will be nicer tomorrow. I'll show you the pier and garden." She stood. " And maybe I'll surprise you with lunch."