Silver Mayor: The Silver Foxes of Blue Ridge

by L. B. Dunbar

  “I really feel like this will do something good. Like I’m making a mark.” I exhale, a real sigh of contentment.

  “I’m really proud of you.”

  “Charlie,” I drone, thinking he’s patronizing me.

  “You knew what you wanted, and you went after it. That’s admirable, and on top of it, you didn’t let anything get in your way, not even me.”

  “You helped me get around your getting in my way.”

  “Yeah, but you still made the decision to keep going.”

  I stare at him a minute, really soaking up what he’s saying and drinking in the spark of his eyes.

  “Do you mean it, Charlie? Are you really proud of me?” I don’t need his approval. I set out to do all this for myself, but I want it. I want him to find pride in what I’ve accomplished.

  “There’s nothing you’d do that I wouldn’t be proud of. Look at Vega.”

  “What about Vega?”

  Charlie swallows and looks away again, his wine glass dangling from his hand. “She helped me set this up. Told me your favorite dish and suggested your mother help me. She and Lucy suggested the lights, saw it in a movie, I guess, but I liked the idea.” He looks at the mini-light strings over us. “I wanted to make tonight special, but I couldn’t have done it alone. Your daughter knows you best. I want to be the same.”

  “So you cheated on this with my ten-year-old,” I tease, but Charlie sits back, and his lips twist.

  “You’re tough to please.”

  My shoulders fall. He’s right, but I’m also not being appreciative that he did put forth all this effort.

  “Where did you see this night going, Charlie?”

  His head tilts. “I just wanted to spend time with you. Have a real date and talk.”

  “What if I don’t want to talk?” My voice drops, and Charlie stares at me.

  “What do you want to do instead?” He isn’t smiling, but the corner of his lip curls.

  “Let’s swim.” Taking a final drink of my wine, I stand, pushing back my seat. I kick off my heels and walk to the edge of the pool. Taking my hair out of the clip holding it up, I let it fall and then slowly slip from my dress. Looking over my shoulder, I watch Charlie watching me peel myself free of my wrapping. In a thin thong and my bra, I dive into the pool.

  Coming up for air on the opposite side, I see Charlie standing across from me on the edge. His shoes are removed, and he’s working on his dress shirt. His eyes latch onto me, and we focus on one another as he tugs his shirt over his head and then forces his pants down. He steps out of them, leaving on his dark boxer briefs. The material does nothing to disguise the thickness bulging in his shorts, and the length I know fills me so well.

  I’ve missed his body.

  Gracefully, Charlie prepares to dive in, and then at the last minute, he switches it up to cannonball into his pool. I scream as a wave of water hits me and laugh when he pops up, whipping his head to the side, making his hair stand up. A boyish grin graces his face as he swims to me and then sets his hands on either side of my body, pressing up against the side of the pool.

  “Are you expecting me to behave myself with you nearly naked and now covered in wet lingerie plastered to your body?”

  “Yes,” I tease, and Charlie’s brow arches.

  “Dammit.” He pushes back from the poolside and backstrokes to the opposite side of the pool. Lifting his arms, he stretches them to keep his body afloat. His wingspan is impressive, just like the rest of his body. The dim pool lights under the dark sky accentuate the athleticism of his physique. I look away from him, so I’m not tempted to cross the pool and go for him.

  Above us are a million stars in the clear black night. It’s so peaceful here. “It’s lovely,” I whisper, but the sound travels over the slight waves of water, and Charlie replies.

  “Yes, she is.”

  My gaze falls back to him, intently watching me. The attraction ripples across the water, and I don’t know how I’ll hold out knowing he’s nearly naked, with wet cotton accentuating the stiffness in his briefs. The hunger in his eyes calls out to me.

  “Charlie,” I whisper as if warning him to stop being so sexy when he can’t help it.

  “Why do we need to deny it?” he asks.

  “I don’t know.” What’s wrong with having this kind of animal attraction, this crazy chemistry? “I don’t want lust to be confused for love.”

  “It’s not. At least, not for me.”

  Can he really mean what he says? How can he love me so quickly? I promised myself I’d never fall so fast again, if it ever happened again. I’d recognize the difference between the two L-words, but I’m blinded by how I feel about Charlie and how he feels against me. The two emotions feel one and the same.

  I’m not certain who moves first, but suddenly, we’re in the middle of the pool, our mouths crashing into one another. My wet body slaps against Charlie’s as his hands cover my ass, and my legs lift for his hips. Instantly, my center meets his thickness, and I cry out into his mouth.

  “You can’t deny this,” he tells me, lips still attached to mine.

  He’s right. He’s so right.

  “I’m so confused,” I say, still kissing him.

  “Then let me work it out for you.”

  We continue to kiss, his fingers digging into my backside while mine claw at his shoulders. My body rocks against his while the water laps around us.

  There’s no denying my body wants his, but what about my heart?

  My heart wants him as well.

  “Oh, Charlie,” I groan as he walks me to the stairs, lifting me to the edge of the pool. He sets me down and tells me to lie back. The concrete isn’t ideal, but I want his touch, and he gives it to me, sliding my soaked panties to the side and entering me with two long fingers. I cry out at the welcome intrusion as my back arches, and I look at the heavens over me.

  His fingers move as he would, and I realize how much I’ve missed him, missed this connection to him. He’s relentless at drawing out a quick, sharp orgasm that has me sitting up and spreading my legs wider.

  “Fuck, I want to take you right here.”

  “Do it,” I whisper, and his sticky, wet briefs lower, allowing enough space for him to release. I lie back on my elbows, digging into the concrete, and watch him position himself at my entrance. He’s balancing in a half-kneel, half-stand on the stairs exiting his pool, but neither of us wants to move, other than to join as one. On a rush, he enters me, and I whimper at the sensation. He works fast, repeatedly filling me, tapping at a spot deep in my depths.

  “I’m not going to last,” he warns, and this is what I want. I want him to lose control over me, which makes me realize he already has. He’s admitted over and over again how out of control he feels, and he’s acted accordingly with the rushed proposal and the continued appeals for me. He’s really…in love with me. Head over heels in love. Out of control in love.

  He stills rather quickly, and the heat of him rushes inside me. He feels so good buried that deep, giving everything of him to me. I reach up, balancing on one elbow, and cup his cheek.

  “I love you, Charlie.”

  His body stiffens.

  “What?”

  “I love you. I’m sorry I didn’t say it before, and it’s taken me this moment to realize. I love you, Charlie. I want to be with you.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I—”

  “Wait, don’t answer that.” Charlie pulls out of me, and I whimper at the loss. Leaning forward, he kisses me quickly and then stands over me. “Come with me.” His hands come under my armpits, and he lifts me to stand without waiting for an answer. I’m still stunned at how briskly he left my body and how he’s leading me into his house. Dripping wet, we enter the back door and take the back stairs to the second level. Shivering in my soaked underthings and hearing the plop of water from Charlie’s briefs, we enter his room, and he stands near the dresser, the same one he caught me near on that first morning.
>
  “I once told you not to enter this room without being naked and willing and not to steal anything from me again…” His voice drifts. We’ve already had this conversation. “But you did steal something that first morning; you stole my heart.”

  Reaching around me, he pulls his grandmother’s ring from the dish on his dresser.

  “I should have just let you keep it that morning because it looked right on your finger. I’m asking you to marry me. Accept all my flaws and my desire to be good while wanting to be bad. But only bad with you.” His voice drops. “I love you, Janessa. It’s that simple.”

  “Okay, Charlie. I’ll marry you.”

  “Just okay?” he says, bending at the knees to look up at me as he holds out the ring, and I stare down at it.

  “Yes, Charlie. Yes. I love you.”

  I look up to meet his eyes, and he slips the ring on my finger. Lifting my knuckles, he kisses over the ring. “I am not taking that back from you.”

  “What about the other one?”

  “We’ll return it and use the money for a wedding.”

  Jeez. “Did it cost that much?”

  “I don’t care how much it cost. This ring”—he taps on the one on my finger—“this one is the one as priceless to me as you are. And I’m keeping you both.” He kisses me quickly. “And Vega.”

  “Oh my God, what am I going to tell Vega?”

  Charlie shrugs. “She already knows.”

  “My daughter knows I’m marrying you before I do.”

  “She knew you liked me.” He winks. “And I couldn’t ask your father for your hand, but I figured your daughter is the one who really needs to give me permission.” Papi wasn’t here to see that I was finally happy, and my heart hurts a little with the thought, but it’s quickly replaced with the sweetness of this man asking my daughter for my hand instead.

  “And Vega said yes, just like that?” I tease.

  “She couldn’t resist the Harrington charm,” he jokes, wrapping his arms around me, and we both shiver as the wet material of our underthings touch cool skin.

  “Is it time for us to do the naked part of your demands?” I ask.

  Charlie nods.

  “Okay, then yes to that part, too…sir.”

  And with the use of that word, Charlie growls and tosses me to the bed, then follows me to meet all our commands together.

  34

  My Vow to You

  [Janessa]

  It’s a beautiful early September day, and I stand inside a guest room of Charlie’s home. Checking myself in the mirror one more time, I hardly recognize the woman reflected back at me. Who knew happiness could be as visible as a white dress? But it’s not the dress covering me. It’s the changes inside me that radiate back at me.

  Vega and I are safely removed from Richard although there will be a time to digest what the separation from Richard will mean for my daughter. He’d already given me sole custody and had all rights for visitation removed. The loss of communication with him makes him a name on Vega’s birth certificate but not her father. He’s never truly been one, but I smile to myself when I think of Charlie.

  Since the time of his official proposal, the genuine one in his room when he gave me his grandmother’s ring to wear forever and ever, he’s added Vega to his fatherly duties as if she’s always been present. Pool time and attending the summer camp’s final art show. Hikes as a family and dinners together. The inclusion of our children has curtailed our wild, reckless sex time, but when we sneak in things like bathroom breaks and shared laundry, we find a way to be just as reckless and wild with two ten-year-olds somewhere in our home. The girls can’t wait to celebrate their joint birthday soon.

  My thoughts flip to Lucy and how she and Vega have an even better understanding of one another. While her mother has been distant for years, only seeing her daughter when it suits her, Lucy accepts this reserved relationship, but an adjustment period will come for her as well. Charlie is demanding full custody from Angela with restrictions to the visitation if they even continue. For now, Angela is giving in to Charlie’s demands, but he’s not confident she’s gone forever.

  Thinking of Lucy, I take a final look at myself in the mirror, smooth over my hips at the beautiful but simple dress, and smile when a light tap comes to the door.

  “Hi,” Lucy softly says to me, entering the room in a yellow dress. Vega wears the same style in pink. We let the girls pick the dresses within reason. The coloring doesn’t match the season, but they are only ten, and it’s better than the mint green they first selected. “You wanted to see me.”

  “Come here, baby,” I state, walking myself to the bed and then patting the space next to me. With dark hair and blue eyes, Lucy doesn’t really look like a typical Harrington until she smiles and opens her mouth to speak, then she’s all Charlie and not a trace of her mother.

  “I wanted to give you something.” I hold out a small box for her, wrapped in yellow paper. “But first, I want to tell you something.”

  When we told the girls we were getting married, Lucy cheered, and Vega cried. Charlie was concerned until Vega clarified she was just so happy.

  “I am not your mother.” It sounds stern and almost heartless, but I keep my tone soft. “I can’t replace her, Lucy. She’s still your mother, but what I’d like to be is your friend. Your confidant, meaning you can tell me anything. Your playmate and teacher, which means I’ll try to keep up with you active girls but also know that I have things to teach you, and at times, that might mean I have to be a disciplinarian.”

  “That was one of my vocabulary words last year.”

  I smile at her interruption.

  “But it also means that when it comes to you, I do what I do because I care about you. Honestly, Lucy, I already love you and not just because I love your father and you’ve been the best friend to Vega, but because you’re a great girl who’s going to be a wonderful woman someday…but hopefully not too soon.” I cup her jaw and wink at her. Her little lip trembles, and I can honestly say I’ve not seen her cry. She’s a strong child, and I credit her strength of character to her father and his family.

  “Do you understand what I’m saying? I want you to let me love you as a mother should, but you don’t have to call me mom, and you don’t have to love me in return. Just know that I’m here for you. Every day.”

  A single tear slips from her eye, and she quickly wipes it away. Her nod tells me she understands me, but only time will really prove my words to her.

  “So open this,” I say, handing her the gift. Inside is a puzzle piece charm on a necklace. There are four pieces—one for each of us. Lucy stares at it until I explain the meaning.

  “Your dad and I thought we’d give each of you two halves to a heart, you know like those friendship bracelets or sister charms, but we wanted to be included so we had puzzle pieces made and they all link together, linking the four of us.” Lucy and Charlie’s link side to side as do Vega’s and mine, but then our pieces fit into Lucy and Charlie’s connecting us as one complete shape.

  I hold up my wrist to show Lucy mine charm on a bracelet.

  “Can I wear it now?” Lucy asks.

  “I hope you wear it every day,” I say, helping her remove it from the box. “Turn for me.” The girls were treated to updos for the day while mine still remains down as Charlie likes it. I clasp the tiny catch and then hold my hands on Lucy’s shoulders, aiming her for the mirror.

  “What do you think?”

  “I think I’ll wear it every day,” she whispers as though she’s making a vow to me. “Can I ask someone to take a picture of us?”

  “Of course,” I reply, thinking she means sometime during the day, but she runs to the door and opens it for her cousin Sadie. Directing her teenage relative, Lucy returns to the bed and wraps her arms around my neck. Cheek to cheek, we sit while Sadie captures the images that I know Lucy will share on social media in a respectful manner. She’s learned her lesson about the dangers of images and imprope
r use.

  When Sadie finishes, I press a kiss to Lucy’s cheek. “See you at the end of the dock,” I tell her, and she gives me a little wave before leaving the room.

  My heart nearly explodes with nerves—good nerves—over sharing that moment with Lucy and sharing the rest of my moments with Charlie in only a matter of minutes.

  35

  The Last Link

  [Charlie]

  Standing in my room, I straighten my already straight tie one more time as I stare at myself in the mirror. My eyes flit to the dresser where it all started. A woman in my bedroom. A ring stuck on her finger. The prophecy I felt at that moment as she quietly stole my heart with one look, and months later, I gave her the ring to keep forever. My grandfather would be proud, I hope. Even more so, I hope my grandmother is smiling down on me.

  “I picked the best one even after I thought it was too late for me.” Too late to love. Too late to feel this alive inside. Janessa does both—gives me life and love—and I look forward to every day being a new adventure with this woman and her kid. Our children.

  I’ve asked my sister, Mati, to find Vega for me as I need a moment with her before the wedding. Moving to stand at the footboard of my bed, I lean against it while I wait on them, thinking back over the past few months. What a crazy ride it’s been, meeting a woman and connecting so quickly with her, but it makes sense to us. We’ve both suffered through loveless marriages while being passionate people at our core. We need that other person to light our match and keep us lit, and we’ve found it in each other.

  A short set of raps come on my door, and then it opens without prompting. Mati smiles at me as Vega enters. I’ve asked Mati to remain at the door to make Vega feel comfortable. While Lucy quickly warmed to Janessa, it’s going to take more time for Vega to come to me as her separation from her father is a new wound.

  “Hi there,” I say as she draws near, looking back at Mati. As the one sister in the Harrington mix, she’s been the staple female next to my mother for Lucy. Her recent return from a summer-long road trip has thrown her back into the position of token aunt although we seem to be adding new ones quickly: Letty, Roxanne, and now Janessa. “Are you all ready for today?”