“Oh, I give up. You men and your one track minds.”
Tilly got up and started to clear the table. Matt smiled at Cedric and then chuckled when Jade pointed a finger at her uncle.
Jade felt her face get a little warm. “How would you like a grand tour of my little spread, such as it is?”
“Great. Thank you for the fine meal, Tilly. If there’s anything I can do to help you, let me know.” Matt looked at Cedric.
“I think I’ll just give Tilly a hand. Thanks anyway. I’ve got some parts to check on for my pickup so I’ll say good night to you two.”
With the sun gone and the light fading, the crickets seemed to sing louder and the night had music of its own.
“Your eyes are shining. I can see you really love this place. It must’ve been great growing up in the country like this.”
Jade returned his warm smile and nodded. “I only spent my summers here while I was in my teens but I loved it. My folks had this huge house and yard on the edge of Minneapolis because my dad designed hospitals and there were medical centers all over the place. My mother was an attorney mostly for doctors. They were really into the arts and society and all that sort of thing but it never appealed to me much. I liked helping Martha and Henry, the people who worked for us, and I loved getting odd jobs with the neighbors. My folks were so embarrassed by me. Finally, my grandfather visited and took me home with him for the summer when I was twelve. I returned every summer after that until I graduated from high school. I loved every minute of this place. I learned to milk a cow, candle eggs, catch a trout, ride old Ebenezer, and pull weeds in the garden. I was never bored and I didn’t get lonely, even when Grandpa was busy on his tractor.”
Matt leaned down and nibbled on her eyes before he kissed her. “I’m glad you had those days and now the place is yours. You weren’t like this in San Francisco. It was like you had withdrawn inside yourself, except when we looked at the art glass. I can see this is where you belong.” His smile slipped away and he looked down. “I’ll probably always have to work wherever the artists are, in my business. I hope you’ll let me visit you.” When his eyes ventured up to her face he looked scared.
“You’re welcome to visit here as much as you like. There isn’t anyone else I want. I sent the guy on his way that I had been seeing. I just never felt this way about him. I was wasting his time.”
“Any man who gets to be around you is just plain lucky.” He reached up to pluck a red apple off the nearby tree and handed it to Jade before he picked one for himself. He started to rub it on his shirt when she grabbed his hand.
“Allow me.” She held the apples under a spigot on a pipe near the base of the tree and dried them with a clean tissue from her pocket. “There.” She took a bite of the tangy fruit and dabbed her chin while she chewed. “Thank you for the compliment but if you get to know me too well you may be disappointed. I’m pretty blunt sometimes and I have a hot temper. It’s not quick but once I get up steam it takes me a while to cool off. I usually have to go for a walk or something.”
Matt chuckled. “You sound like my mother. She put up with a lot from my dad. He was constantly worrying her by getting injured or promising to do more than he should on some project. When she got fed up she could really blow. You’d hear her for miles but it didn’t happen very often and Gordon knew he deserved it so he’d stay scarce until I told him she had cooled off. You don’t have to worry about that with me. I know what it’s like to worry about someone you love and have them take you for granted. I don’t want to do that to anyone, especially you.”
Jade looked at the way his jeans and soft blue shirt clung to his muscular body and felt her body respond. She pulled him down onto a flat rock near the top of the knoll in the center of the yard, her arms around his neck. After several sweet apple kisses they came up for air and she let out a contented sigh. “I haven’t lost my temper much since I broke up with my last boyfriend, until that slimy Alfred Winks bought a piece of land off of me and started asking me out when he comes back for the summer. I’ll sure be glad when it gets cold and he scurries back to Texas where he belongs.”
By the time they headed back to the house there was a half moon hanging over the nearest mountain ridge and the stars peeked through the velvet sky. “I’d better show you where you’ll be sleeping tonight and put some towels out for you, if Tilly didn’t already do it. Did you want to catch something on TV or would you like to check out my library?”
Matt took her hand and kissed it while his eyes seemed to slip into hers. “I suppose you have to work late.”
“No. I’m all yours for about another hour. Then I’ll start turning into a pumpkin and I hate to do that in front of such a vital, attractive man.” She took his hand and held it against her cheek before she kissed his palm. “I hope you can give me a little more time before we get too cozy.”
“I can and I am. You’re very special to me. What would you be doing if I weren’t here?”
“I’d nestle down with a good book and a cup of berry tea.”
“Let’s see what you have in your library.” He held the porch door for her and followed her in.
Even though they only necked a little on the couch in her office before she headed for bed, Jade could not remember feeling more at peace when she went to sleep. The only problem was that Matt’s attractive body kept waking her up with lovely fantasies. She wished they were real.
Tilly outdid herself on the pancakes the next morning. Jade gave in to temptation and had one with fresh peach slices and vanilla soy cream on it.
“Are you going to be with us for dinner tonight, Matt?” Tilly’s little bird eyes peered at him.
“I’d love to but I have to head south for a meeting with Jade’s friend, Lee. He’s a busy man and I have to grab him when I can. I’m hoping he can help me set up a project that will keep me employed for a while and save some people from a lot of injuries.”
“Hmph! I can’t imagine that playboy setting up anything but a rendezvous with some unsuspecting beauty.” Cedric looked skeptical.
“Uncle! Stop picking on one of my best friends!” Jade usually ignored Cedric’s comments about Lee but this time she could feel her irritation. “The women know what’s up when he courts them. He’s not a cad and he’s very honest.”
“I still don’t see how he finds time to make all that money he spends on fancy clothes and cars when he always seems to have something going with a female everywhere he goes. Heck, I’ll bet he’s got one here and he doesn’t even live here.”
“Cedric Watson! You sound downright jealous of that young man and you shouldn’t talk that way in front of Jade’s young friend here. What will he think?”
Jade laughed and shook her head. “Matt knows what kind of friendship I have with Lee. I kidded Lee about all his lady friends right in front of him. You can relax, Tilly.”
Matt’s reluctance to leave left Jade feeling a lot better than she thought she would, when he finally pulled out of the yard. All the same, she didn’t feel too hopeful about such a long-range romance.
It was the first week in September and business kept pace with what they had done during the summer. If anything, it picked up. Jade felt she had every reason to be happy and content but she felt restless and at odds with herself.
By the following Monday she realized that she had turned a corner in her life. She was no longer satisfied with focusing on her company and using the farm to hide away from a private life.
On Monday night, at dinner, she glanced around to see a very quiet Cedric and Tilly exchange knowing glances. “Okay, what’s up?”
“I think what’s up is when are you going to get yourself a real life, you know, with a special man and maybe a kid and stuff like that?” Cedric peered into her face as if he expected her to yell at him.
Jade sighed and then smiled at the both of them. “I know. I’ve been thinking the same thing. Matt did call me a couple of times this week so it’s not like we’re avoiding each othe
r.”
Tilly’s voice sounded small and shy. “Have you called him?”
“I called him Saturday night. I don’t want to interfere with his work schedule.”
“Don’t be so proud you lose a young man like him. He’s crazy about you and he made no bones about it. You’re not eighteen anymore and he gets around selling his stuff. You better make your move before some other female throws her lasso over him.”
A tear tried to sneak out of Jade’s eyes. She hadn’t seen Cedric look this worried in a long time. It made her feel pretty good. “As a matter of fact, if he asks me to meet him at Scottsdale for the weekend I’m going to say yes. Happy now?”
“I’d be happier if you’d offer to meet with him down there. Man likes to be asked once in a while, you know.”
“Now, don’t push, Cedric. They haven’t known each other long.”
“I’ll think about it, Uncle. I really will. He said he finally had a meeting set up with Lee for yesterday so I’ll call him if he doesn’t call me.”
Half an hour later Matt reached her in her office. “Hey, beautiful lady, how does it sound for you to get away to Scottsdale Friday night? I reserved the adjoining room for you, next to mine, in case you can make it.”
“That sounds perfect. I can get a seat on a flight that will get me to the airport, there, at seven o’clock. Is that good enough?”
“I’ll be waiting. Which airline?”
“American. Now, I want to hear all about this new idea of yours.”
“Better than that. You can go with me to our meeting. You know Lee and I think you’d find Rafael Omano interesting. He’s rich and eccentric and Eurasian. He loves the arts. He’s the patron for a guy who writes music and plays the piano at all his parties. Then there’s that beautiful woman sculptor. She bought most of the gems I bought from Lee last time. Another guy who lives with him is fantastic with oils and water color.”
“Have you been to his house?”
“I met with his lady sculptor at his Washington estate one time. It’s really something. It’s above Vashon, on the island, and has the most fantastic view of the harbors around Seattle that you can imagine. The guy lives like some kind of rajah or something. I don’t even want to know how much the stuff I saw was worth. There were fantastic Asian antiques and Egyptian relics all over the place. I was afraid to sit down. I figured the chairs cost more than my pickup did when it was new.”
Jade found herself giggling. “You’re making me nervous already. Are you sure you want to turn a country girl like me loose in a palace like that?”
“My only worry with you is that Omano will try to make you part of his so-called art family. He loves beautiful women.”
“Well, I’m not for sale. I’ve had enough trouble with Winks, my neighbor. Maybe I’ll just wait for you at the motel and read a good book.”
“I wouldn’t do that to you. If he starts coming onto you, do you mind if I tell him we’re going to get married? That’s about the only thing that slows him down. Don’t worry. I won’t hold you to it unless you want me to.”
“Thank you. I’m still not sure I have the talent for it. I haven’t done very well in relationships so far and none of them made it to the part where we started talking about the future.”
“Well, I don’t understand those guys but I am available for whatever you have in mind. I’ve never met anybody who has taken over my mind like you have and I don’t want to get over it. I guess what I’m saying is I think I’m falling in love with you and I never made it that far before. But I’ll let you set the pace.”
“I appreciate it. We haven’t had much time together and I’d like to get to know you a lot better.”
“You tell me when and where and I’ll try to get there. Right now, I’d better let you get some rest. You strike me as the hard working type. I hope your company is making you lots of money. Maybe one of these days you can tell me what I’m doing wrong. I’ll be thinking about you all the time.”
After they said good-bye Jade stared at her phone for a long time. He seemed so far away, as if he were on another planet. How was she going to have anything going with a guy who was working all over the place? She had a company to run right here. For the first time she thought of selling her company. It put an ache in her heart. She didn’t want to do that to her people and she loved it here. “I’m not much of a traveler. Maybe this wasn’t meant to be.”
She pushed that thought away. It was too painful. She climbed into bed and returned to her favorite fantasies starring Matthew Dixon.
For the next three days, Jade buried herself in her long term holiday planning and order forecasts. She called all of her suppliers with her estimates and insisted on hearing any bad news or projected problems that might impact their shipments. By Friday morning she felt that she was as ready for November and December as it was possible to be six weeks ahead of time.
It was still light when her plane touched down at Scottsdale Airport on Friday night and the air was warmer than she had expected it to be. Then she reminded herself that this was the desert and people had told her Christmas day was often warm enough for a swim.
When she walked through the gate into the terminal Matt swept through a group of shorter people with Asian eyes and pulled her to the side for a warm, tender kiss. The rest of the passengers slipped past them as if they were invisible.
“I thought this week would never end. What would you like to do first?” Matt’s eyes flashed at her before he gave her several more kisses. “Now, I’ll let you answer my question.”
Jade could feel her smile spread to match his. “I was too excited to eat lunch so I’m starved. A sandwich would even be good, and a gallon of iced tea.”
“I know you like garden fresh stuff so let’s head over to a place Lee recommended. He’s not going to be here until tomorrow morning.”
They drove up the hill to a restaurant called The Mesa Gardens. It was high enough to show them a sweeping view of Phoenix from their window table. There were gardens all around the glass walls of the restaurant and Jade could smell garlic and mushrooms and fresh cornbread.
“This is wonderful. I didn’t realize cactuses could bloom in so many colors. I’m not really a desert person but I can see how beautiful it can be.” She could see cacti of all sizes and shapes along pathways in three different directions. Some blooms were red, some yellow, even purple.
“I can see why Lee likes this place. I’m afraid most of this area isn’t this colorful. Like you, I prefer more water, some seashore or lakes, trees. I’m a little surprised that Omano has an estate here. Of course, if he’s just now thinking about putting in a hotshop he may not realize that hot shops in hot climates usually close for the summer months. As you know from the hot shop I showed you in Frisco, those places get as miserable as a steel plant, even in winter.”
Jade looked up and leaned back so the waiter could serve their drinks and salads. “I take it that you haven’t been to this estate before.”
“No. I’ve been meeting with Delta at Omano’s place near Half Moon Bay. Delta Spencer is the lady sculptor who buys the gems from me. I think you’ll enjoy meeting her.”
“Half Moon Bay? Wow. I guess he is rich. I understand that any land with a view of the ocean around there is the most expensive real estate in the country.”
“That’s probably true. The estate looks like he had a chunk of land, and everything on it, air lifted from the Indian Ocean to the California shore. The plants and trees are a little tropical for the cold fog they get in the Bay area so he had heaters installed near some of them so they can survive the winters there.”
After feasting on vegan chili and honey cornbread they wandered through the gardens as the last rays from a lazy sun slipped behind the mountain ridge and the twinkling white lights came on in tea trees and small saguaro. Arches holding trumpet vines sheltered a rustic wooden bench where they kissed in tight embraces until they heard voices from a group of people walking in their direction.
They slipped away to Matt’s truck and headed toward the city lights below.
When they settled in their rooms at the two story motel back in the city Jade stared at the door to Matt’s adjoining room.
“I’ll leave it up to you as to whether we use that door or not but it will be open on my side. I want to make sure you can get in if you need me during the night.” Matt perched her suitcase on the luggage carrier and watched her walk up to him.
“I have to admit that I’ve had some wonderful fantasies about you that I would love to investigate.” She felt nervous and aroused and too bold for her own comfort.
Matt’s smile was as enticing as the most exotic dessert. “Does that mean you’d like to get comfortable for an early night or would you like to have a drink first in a local night spot?”
“I’m going to enjoy a hot shower and then I’ll join you.” She stared at him while he pulled her into an embrace and a kiss that made her toes curl up like little leaves.
“I’ll be waiting.” He locked her deadbolt, unlocked the door to his room, and slipped through without making a sound.
Jade hoped Matt hadn’t fallen asleep by the time she donned a shimmering deep blue nightgown covered with a matching satin robe and slipped into his room. She felt like she had taken forever to get ready but she didn’t really know what time it was.
When she shut the door and turned around he was watching her from his bed, a small wall lamp above him. It was the only light in the room and it gleamed off his bare body, above the white sheet over his legs. He flung the sheet to the side and slipped off the bed to help her out of her robe before he pulled her gown over her head and tossed it onto a nearby chair.
In the next moment Jade found herself wrapped by his body as if he were her cocoon. She was filled with amazing lights and floods of heat, the taste of his lips and his skin as they crashed to earth and then did it all again. The night seemed to last forever and to be gone in an instant.
The morning light was an unwelcome intruder and the thought of leaving his arms made her want to cry. Finally, she slipped out of the bed and hurried to the bathroom. After a two minute shower and a little gargle she slipped back under the covers only to find him grabbing her as if he were a drowning man. His lips were hot but his mouth tasted of mint and his skin smelled like soap.
Jade Page 5
