Autumn Getaway (Seasons of Love)

by Gracen, Jennifer

  “Hey you,” said Sam, warm and friendly.

  “Hey yourself.” Lydia smiled into the receiver.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Packing.” She sat on her bed to chat. “I have to leave here at two-thirty if I want to get to Matt’s on time to pick up Andy for dinner.”

  “Okay. I just got back to my room, I’m going to pack now too. A limo is coming for my whole family at three to take us to JFK Airport. We’re all flying back to Chicago together, we have a five o’clock flight.”

  “All of you in one car?” Lydia chuckled. “That should be some ride.”

  “Yeah, right.” Sam snorted. “So we have, what, a little more than two hours? Where do you want to meet, what would you like to do?”

  Lydia’s insides stirred as she thought of some interesting, extremely physical ways to pass the time. Instead she said, “How about that walk you suggested?”

  “Okay. So… meet me in the lobby in, what—fifteen minutes?”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Great. I’ll see you down there.”

  Lydia hated packing, and found that doing it quickly was the best way to get through it. She scooped her last few items of clothing from the dresser and threw them into her suitcase, then swept through everything she’d brought into the bathroom, then went through the closet to retrieve whatever she’d put in there. At the sight of her beautiful dress that she’d worn to the wedding, crumpled up in a pile in the corner, she experienced mixed feelings: she was reminded of both the euphoria she’d felt when Sam seductively helped her take it off, and the mortification she’d felt when Alec had seen her in it the following morning. She picked the dress up, rolled it up tightly into a ball, and shoved it into her suitcase. All the dress needed was a good dry cleaning, and she'd fall in love with it all over again.

  She did a once over and looked around the room, making sure she’d packed everything she’d arrived with. The bathroom, closet, and all drawers were empty. But across the room, on the couch under the window, she spotted her book, the one she’d been reading for pleasure when she’d spent time with Sam in the garden, their first real conversation. The book she and Sam had chatted about at length during the cocktail hour. She wanted to hug that book. She crossed the room to the couch, and when she picked it up, something fell out of it—a huge yellow leaf slowly fluttered to the carpet, and landed silently.

  She bent to pick it up, sank down on the couch, and stared the leaf. She rolled the stem carefully between her fingers, spinning it in slow circles. She vividly recalled when Sam had reached out into the air, catching the leaf as it floated down towards them, and the playful smile on his face as he held it out to her. That had been only forty-eight hours before; how much could change in such a short time. She remembered their exchange with total clarity.

  “Good catch,” she marveled.

  He smiled and held it out to her. “Would you like it?”

  “Sure, I’ll take it,” she said. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure,” he said, grinning at her.

  She laughed lightly as she reached out, grasped the leaf by its stem, and placed it between the last page and back cover of her book. She looked back up at him with a quizzical expression.

  “What?” he asked, still grinning.

  “You’re… interesting,” she said.

  “In a good way, or a peculiar way?”

  “I’m not sure yet.”

  “Ha! Well, maybe over the weekend, you’ll figure it out one way or the other. You’ll have to let me know before you leave.”

  Something strange happened to her at that moment; a warm flood of emotion rushed through her, and took her in its undertow completely. She couldn’t even put a name to exactly what she was feeling—she just knew with a sudden, overwhelming urgency that she had to see Sam, had to be with him, right then, at that second. She had to let him know… that she'd figured it out.

  She placed the leaf back in the book with great care, stood to stride across to the bed and stuff the book into her suitcase, grabbed her card key, and hurried from the room.

  She started down the hallway in a brisk walk, but by the time she hit the stairs, she was practically running. She flew along the third floor corridor until she got to his room, and pounded on his door.

  Sam opened the door quickly, a look of puzzled concern on his face. “Hey, Lydia. You okay? I thought we were—”

  She pounced on him, kissing him forcefully. One of his arms went around her without delay, pulling her into his room, while the other one reached out to slam the door closed behind her. She kissed him deeply, without holding back, devouring him. He used his free hand to grasp her hair and hold her against him, kissing her back with matching fervor. They stood that way for a long minute, melding together, kissing passionately. Finally he broke away, both of them close to gasping for air, and pulled back to look down into her face.

  His expression was one of enchanted surprise as he said in a husky voice, “Wow. What was that for?”

  “Because you’re interesting in a really good way,” she said, breathless. “And I needed to see you, to tell you that. To tell you now that I know, that I figured it out.”

  His head cocked sideways, obviously trying to grasp what she meant.

  “The garden?” Lydia prompted. “I said you were interesting, and you asked if I meant in a good way, or a peculiar way…”

  His mouth curved into a smile. “And I said that if by the end of the weekend you figured it out, to let me know what you’d decided.”

  “What I’ve decided,” she said quietly, “is that you’re really great, and I'm so glad I met you, and I'm going to miss you after we leave this place. I had to let you know that. I had to let you know that even though I'm a little scattered right now, I think you're fantastic. I can't even believe how good you were to me this weekend, how much I enjoyed you, and I don't think I showed you that enough, or told you that.” She cupped his cheek and added, “No matter what happens, I didn't want you to leave here without your knowing that.”

  His eyes rounded as he smiled down at her. The look on his face was warm and radiant, like sunshine. “Well, thanks. It's good to know.” His finger trailed down her cheek slowly, then he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as he continued to gaze at her.

  “I don’t want to go for that walk,” she told him. “I… well, I'm not here to sleep with you. I want to, don’t get me wrong, but I still can't, and I have to put that out there upfront.”

  He nodded, waiting for her to finish.

  “But I’d love for us to stay here, curl up on your bed, and talk, and laugh, and just spend some time together,” she said. “We can find ten other ways to torture each other until we have to leave the hotel, if you want. And I'm sure we can think up some fabulous ways. But really, I just want to be alone with you, locked in here, away from the world for a little while longer. How does that sound?”

  His eyes widened, shock and delight mixed in his expression. “It sounds wonderful.” He kissed her forehead. “Actually, I think you are wonderful.”

  “Thanks. I think you are too.”

  “Awesome, we’re a mutual admiration society. We rock. So… ten other ways, huh?” He slid his arms around her waist slowly and smiled down at her again. “Sweet. I'm in.”

  “Great. Kiss me.”

  “Don’t have to ask me twice,” he said in a sultry growl, and pinned her back against the wall to kiss her hungrily.

  * * *

  Cool winds had blown away most of the clouds, and the sun shone gloriously as it changed position. It bathed the entire estate in warm golden light as Sam escorted Lydia down the staircase at the main entrance to the hotel, holding her hand as he motioned to the valet to come over. She gave the young man the ticket for her car as Sam placed her suitcase on the ground with his other hand. The valet moved away to retrieve her car, and Sam turned her to face him. He wrapped both arms around her snugly. She looked up into his face and smiled. He lo
wered his head and kissed her with sweetness and gentle longing. He held her close, as if he was savoring the feel of her, and she embraced him back with the same warmth.

  “I’m going to text you when I land in Chicago tonight,” he said into her ear, not releasing her, “and I’m going to call you tomorrow, after you get home from work, in the evening. Alright?”

  Lydia nodded against his cheek, trying to commit to memory how he felt holding her, how he felt against her. Not just because she didn’t want the weekend to end, not just because she knew she actually would miss him; but just in case he was lying after all, didn’t mean a word he’d said, and she’d never see him again. She just wanted to remember how good that moment felt, above all else. She’d have that to hold on to.

  She basked in that moment—the beauty of it, the closeness, sweetness, intimacy, and romance of it—and made herself not think about what might happen once they separated. This moment was pure, it was complete satisfaction and bliss, and she didn’t know how many more moments like it she’d get in her life. She closed her eyes and relished it.

  Sam kissed her again, ran his hands down her back, and she let herself willingly slip under the waves of lightness and wonder and drown in them. She would worry later about the consequences of letting her guard slide briefly. Right now, this felt too damn good. She locked her arms around his neck and kissed him back with all the emotion in her heart.

  A soft moan rose from his throat and he kissed her once more before he pulled away. “You have to stop now.” He grinned. “Because God knows I wish we didn't have to.”

  She only smiled at him. She reached up to touch his cheek; he held her hand there, closed his eyes, and nuzzled her palm.

  Her black Honda CR-V drove up to where they stood. The valet hopped out, opened the trunk, and gently placed Lydia’s suitcase inside before slamming it shut. Sam shook his hand, thanked him, and discreetly gave him a few dollars before the valet left them alone.

  Sam looked down at her. His deep voice was earnest as he told her, “This was one of the best weekends I’ve ever had. Honestly, Lydia. I'll never forget it.”

  “Me too,” she admitted, her eyes shyly flitting down to his chest. “On all of it.”

  “You’re a wonderful woman. I’m so glad we met.” He leaned down and softly kissed her mouth with great tenderness. He pulled back to stare at her features, memorizing them again, one last time. “Don’t forget. Date in New York, on November seventh.”

  “Don't forget? You’re kidding, right?” she scoffed. “Don’t worry, I’ll be there.”

  “Okay. And, until then, we have email, and texting, and cell phones—all the best technology the 21st century has to offer.”

  “Of course,” she said. “Hope your trip back to Chicago is quiet and uneventful.”

  He grinned. “Yeah. Your trip too. Drive home safely, okay?”

  She hushed him with one last, deliciously lingering kiss. “Bye.”

  His dark eyes twinkled at her, and the corner of his mouth turned up in his endearing crooked half smile. “Bye.”

  He released her, and she walked around to the driver’s side and got in. The car was already running, the valet had left the key in the ignition. She glanced out the window at Sam; he had taken a few steps back and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He grinned and winked at her. She smiled back and slowly drove away from him, away from the hotel, heading down the elongated driveway, back towards the highway that would lead to the interstate.

  Her mind was blank, her insides were calm, and she felt warm, fuzzy, and oddly content. If Sam never called her, never emailed her… if she had to deal with the disappointment of that later, she would. But at this moment, with the sun lowering slowly over the glorious autumn scenery that whooshed past her windows, Lydia chose to hold on to something rare, glittering, and priceless: hope. Mixed with cautious optimism, but she was hopeful. It was something she hadn’t felt, hadn’t allowed herself to feel, in years. She basked in its uplifting warmth.

  Once she got to Matt’s apartment, got her son back, and got back to reality, she would put the special feelings in an invisible jar and seal them up, deep inside, where they couldn’t do much damage until Sam proved himself one way or the other. But in the two hours it would take to drive back to Long Island, enjoying her solitude, she would allow herself to just feel good.

  She felt restored on so many levels. There had been the restoration and re-cementing of her relationships with her dear college friends whom she hadn’t seen in way too long— who had made her laugh and dance and tell the truth. There had been restoration of her old belief that marriage could be a beautiful thing, after watching Melanie and Ryan glow at their magnificent wedding. There had been the unexpected and shocking restoration of her libido and sex life, which had been woefully nonexistent for so long. There had been the restoration of her ego and self-esteem, which had gotten a tremendous and desperately needed boost from her friends' support and Sam’s attentions.

  And, most importantly, there had been the restoration of something positive inside of her. The feeling that she could enjoy herself, let go a little bit, and let herself possibly—just maybe—embrace new and unforeseen possibilities without fear. That she could hope for good things.

  She’d turned a corner. She felt empowered. It was incredibly galvanizing, and she couldn't stop smiling.

  Lydia rolled down her window halfway to let the cool autumn breeze refresh her, put on her sunglasses, and leaned over to turn on her stereo. One of her favorite songs had just started playing on the radio, “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. Pleased, she turned the volume way up. The upbeat, cheerful song, with its easygoing guitar, sweet vocals, and positive lyrics, perfectly complimented the way she felt just then.

  She rolled her window down a little bit more. Strands of her thick hair were lifted in the air as if by invisible fingers and flew behind her shoulders on the wind. Streaks of brilliant color, trees that were magnificent in their autumn peak, were glorious as she passed them by. She focused on closing her mind to negative thoughts, to letting her heart sing and her nourished soul soar. Smiling, she felt genuinely ready for whatever would come next.

  THE END

  KEEP READING FOR A SNEAK PEEK AT

  BOOK 2 OF THE SEASONS OF LOVE SERIES…

  PREVIEW OF

  WINTER HOPES

  SEASONS OF LOVE Series, Book Two

  CHAPTER ONE

  LYDIA POWELL COULDN’T BELIEVE how quickly her mood could change. She had been so high, so elated, for the entire drive back from Connecticut; but as soon as she crossed the border into Matt’s town, she felt an instant, dramatic decline. The good feelings seeped right out of her, and quickly, like the air being released from a balloon. Some residual happiness from the magical weekend clung to heart with tiny claws, but the closer she got to her ex-husband’s apartment building, the darker she felt.

  She hated how she could never find a parking spot in Long Beach. To park anywhere near one of the many apartment complexes by the beach, she usually had to drive around, circling, searching for a good ten minutes or so before finding a space. Today wasn't any different; if anything, it was worse because it was dinner time, so everyone was home, and there were no open spots to be found. By the time Lydia found a space, three blocks away from Matt’s building, she was annoyed and disgruntled.

  After exiting and locking her car, she raised her face to the early evening sun and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Parked so close to the Atlantic, she could smell the salt of the ocean on the air. Light gusts of wind lifted thick strands of her hair from her shoulders and whipped them into her face. She took one last deep, cleansing breath, pushed her hair out of her eyes, and headed towards Matt’s apartment building.

  She couldn't help but let her thoughts again drift back to Sam, the sweet, gorgeous man she'd met over her long weekend away. She’d travelled to Connecticut for her friend’s wedding, and really hit it off with the best man’s brother. Sam had
knocked her flat with his easygoing nature, kindness, warmth, and delicious charm. And those warm brown eyes… and that lean, taut body… and that smile. She'd never seen a smile that physically impacted her as his did. It made her feel silly, how much it affected her.

  She wondered if she'd ever see him again.

  He'd pursued her all weekend, then made a strong case—claimed he wanted to see her again, for them to give long distance dating a chance… but who knew if he was really sincere? Time would tell. In any case, it had been such a wonderful weekend, it barely seemed real. Even as the prospect of dealing with her grouchy ex loomed, the thought of Sam kept a smile on her face and in her heart. It was enough to buoy her up for now.

  Lydia’s chin edged up defiantly as she entered the lobby of Matt's building. She felt restored, renewed, and stronger as a result of the weekend away. Spending time with her three best girlfriends from college, who'd been so supportive and fun… relaxing at the beautiful estate where the wedding had been held… and her unexpectedly delightful rendezvous with a new and appealing man. No one could take any of that away from her, not even her snide ex-husband.

  She pushed the button for his apartment and waited for him to buzz the security door open. It took him a good twenty seconds, and she fleetingly wondered if he was genuinely busy, or if he was just making her wait to be obnoxious. She swatted the thought from her mind as she made her way across the lobby and into the elevator.

  She checked her watch as she rode to the fourth floor; it was almost five-thirty. Again she thought of Sam. If the flight was on time, he and his extended family were probably taking off at that very moment, headed back to Chicago… she made herself return to reality as she realized she had to figure out what to give her son for dinner.