Easy Like Sunday Mourning

by Jennie Marts

  What if he had hit his head on the car and been knocked unconscious? What if his clothes had snagged on the car and it was pulling him to his death, unwilling to release him as it sank to the lake floor? What if?

  Relief flooded her as she heard a splash, and Jeremy’s dark-haired head broke the surface of the water. He sputtered out lake water, choking as he called for her. “Maggie!”

  She swam to him, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks, mixing with the water from the lake. “I’m here. Jeremy, I’m here.”

  Then he was there. Wrapping his arms around her, buoying her up, still thinking about her safety above his own. “Maggie. Thank God you’re all right.”

  And she was all right. They both were. She kissed his face, awkwardly treading water and trying to hug him at the same time. “I’m so glad you’re okay. You didn’t come up, and I thought something…I thought you were…”

  “It’s okay. I’m okay.” He gripped her shoulder, turning her toward the shore, where they could see someone waving their arms and calling to them. “Let’s get out of this damn lake.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Pulling the scratchy wool blanket around her shoulders, Maggie stepped closer to Jeremy and tried not to shiver. The late-summer night air was still warm, but her clothes were soaking wet and clung to her goose-pimpled skin. The blanket had come from the car trunk of the woman who had been standing on the shore of the lake calling to them, and it smelled vaguely of horses.

  Her name was Rita, and she claimed she had been a ways behind them on the highway when a dark-colored car sped past her and nearly ran her off the road. She saw it speed up on Jeremy’s SUV and then ram it before running them off the road. It wasn’t until she got closer that she saw they had plunged into the lake. She saw the back end of their car as it was sinking and had called 911.

  She was standing on the side of the lake with a couple of blankets as Maggie and Jeremy swam to shore and waded out of the lake. Two police cars pulled up to the bridge, their lights flashing a red-and-blue strobe in the night sky.

  Maggie was surprised to see Mac was one of the policemen. The look on his face as he rushed toward her told her that he was surprised to see her as well. “Maggie? What happened? Are you all right?”

  “Some idiot ran them off the road,” Rita answered, rubbing Maggie’s shoulder. “I saw their car go into the lake, and I about had a heart attack. I couldn’t believe it when I saw them both pop up out of that water. They’re lucky to be alive.”

  Mac’s eyes widened. “You were in the car while it was sinking?”

  Maggie nodded. “We both were. Jeremy saved us. He broke the back window and got us out of the car.” She pressed closer to the warmth of Jeremy’s body as she looked up at him and smiled. “Thank goodness Jeremy’s mom watches Oprah.”

  Mac looked at her questioningly.

  “She saw an episode of Oprah that taught how to get out of a car submerged in water and bought Jeremy one of those tools that breaks out a window,” Maggie explained. “That’s how we got out.”

  The police officer shook his head. “Well, I’m glad you got out safely, but my main concern right now is how you got in there in the first place. Any idea who did this?”

  Jeremy frowned at Officer McCarthy. “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

  “Did you get a good look at the vehicle? Could you see the driver? Was it someone you recognized?” Mac asked.

  “No, it happened so fast. All I know is the car was a dark color. It was big and heavy enough to push us off the highway when it rammed into the side of us.” Jeremy shrugged. “That’s about all I can tell you. It was dark, and the car just came out of nowhere. It flew up behind us and butted the back of my car a couple of times, then I thought it was going to pass us, but instead it ran us off the road and into the lake.”

  Mac turned to Maggie. “Did you see anything? Could you see the driver at all? Could you tell if it was a man or a woman?”

  A woman? The thought hadn’t crossed Maggie’s mind that a woman could have done this. The only woman she could think of that might want to harm them hadn’t shown up to work this week. Maggie had no idea what kind of car she drove. Though she pictured the blond bombshell in something small and sportier. And probably red.

  Maggie shook her head. “I didn’t see any more than Jeremy did. It happened like he said. One minute we were driving along, listening to the radio—the next, some asshole is crashing into us, and we were soaring into the lake.” She shuddered at the memory of the car sinking into the water.

  “All right. I’ll call some divers and a wrecking crew in from Denver tomorrow. See if they can recover the car and tell us anything.” Mac pointed at his squad car. “There’s not much more we can do tonight. You can wait in my car. At least get the heat turned on.”

  Thirty minutes later, Mac pulled up in front of Maggie’s house. Even though it was close to eleven, every light was blazing. The front door opened, and Chad and Maggie’s sons came running out. She was surprised to see Sunny, Cassie, and Piper following close behind them.

  Maggie pushed open the car door and ran for her boys, wrapping both of them in her arms and breaking into tears. Mac had found a gray hooded sweatshirt in his car and given it to Maggie to put on. The sleeves were too long but she didn’t care. She was so glad to have her sons in her arms.

  Dylan wouldn’t let go of her, his arms clinging tightly to her middle, but Drew stepped back to look at her. “Mom, are you all right? We heard that your car crashed into the lake.”

  “It did. But we’re okay. Jeremy saved us.”

  Jeremy stood next to the police car. His clothes were still damp, and he had lost both of his shoes in the lake. Drew took three steps and engulfed Jeremy in a huge bear hug, clapping him on the back. Maggie was surprised to see that her son was close to Jeremy’s height. When had he grown into a man? If she hadn’t already been crying, this emotional scene would have brought her to tears.

  A moment later she was surrounded by her friends, each one hugging her and asking if she was okay. Chad waited behind her girlfriends, giving them each a chance to touch her and see that she was safe. Jeremy had stepped onto the lawn, and the women each took a turn hugging him too.

  Maggie smiled as she saw Cassie move around the front of the police car to throw her arms around Mac, who was standing by the car.

  “You scared me, Maggie-May.” Maggie was surprised at the emotion she heard in Chad’s voice as he pulled her into a tight hug. “You sure you’re all right?”

  She was touched by Chad’s concern and nodded into his chest before letting him go. “I’ll be better when I’ve washed the lake water out of my hair and put some dry clothes on. What is everyone doing here?”

  Chad shrugged. “I got a call from the police that you had been in an accident. I was home playing video games with Dylan. We called Drew, who was with Piper at Cassie’s house, and she must have called Sunny. I’m not really sure how it happened. All of a sudden, they were just all here.”

  Sounded about right. Maggie looked over his shoulder. “Where’s Edna?”

  “She’s not here. I guess Sunny didn’t want to wake her.” Chad smiled. “You know there’s gonna be hell to pay when she realizes she missed out on all this excitement.”

  Maggie laughed. Chad was right. “Well, all of this ‘excitement’ has about done me in. I just want a hot shower and my warm bed and about ten hours of sleep.” She turned to find Jeremy behind her, and she wondered if his closeness had anything to do with Chad’s embrace.

  She wrapped her arms around Jeremy’s waist, hugging him tightly. “Thanks for dinner. Oh, and for saving my life.” She pushed up on her tip-toes to lay a light kiss on his lips. “I’ll call you in the morning.”

  He squeezed her back. “Get some rest. We’ll talk tomorrow. Good night, Beautiful.”

  ##

  Rest was the last thing she was getting as Maggie lay in bed an hour later. She had taken a long shower, shaved, and mois
turized with a scented lotion to get the smell of the lake off of her skin. She had put on her softest nightgown, and the satin fabric was cool against her smooth skin.

  She had bandaged the gash on her leg left by the broken glass of the windshield and taken some ibuprofen. A warm cup of tea sat half-empty on her night stand next to the book she couldn’t concentrate on reading.

  Her mind was full of thoughts and images of her and Jeremy plunging into the lake, of swimming through the raging current of water pouring through the broken window, of the passionate kiss that they shared as the car was sinking. Of him saying “I love you”. And of her saying it back.

  She stared at the ceiling, wide awake, feeling as if something important had happened. Not just that her life had been threatened, but that her life had changed. Her heart had changed.

  In that moment in the car, with the water rising as fast as her panic, something changed, and she knew that she could believe in Jeremy. That she loved him. That she could trust him. That she didn’t want to go another moment without telling him how she felt.

  And now, lying in bed, with sleep eluding her, she didn’t feel worried or stressed. She felt happy. She felt loved. She smiled and wrapped her arms around herself. But those were not the arms she wanted to feel.

  She didn’t have it all figured out, but she knew one thing. She knew where she wanted to be right now, where she needed to be. And it wasn’t here, in this bed, alone.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Maggie knocked on Jeremy’s door, her heart in her throat. She knew it was late, and she prayed he would be glad to see her.

  She had no phone to call ahead and warn him that she was coming. Her purse was at the bottom of the lake. Thank goodness she hadn’t taken her car keys out on their date.

  She was in such a hurry to get to Jeremy, to do something spontaneous for once, that she just grabbed a jacket, threw it on over her nightgown, and jumped in the car. The jacket barely covered her short pajamas and left her legs bare. She had scribbled a quick note saying she went for a drive and would be back soon, and left it on her nightstand just in case anyone came looking for her.

  She had no shoes, no driver’s license, no wallet. She’d watched her speed as she had driven over, more worried about a cop catching her in a short black satin nightgown with no bra than with no license.

  The front door opened, and Jeremy stood there, in a pair of black boxers with a picture of Han Solo and a caption about his light saber on them. His hair was smooshed and stood up in little spikes on the side of his head. He squinted at her through his thick black glasses. He couldn’t have looked more nerdy. Or more adorable. And she knew that she loved him.

  She gave him a little wave. “Hi.”

  “Maggie? Is that really you?” He stood back from the door and let her in. The house was dark except for the light from the flames thrown off by the fire that glowed in the fireplace. A pillow and a throw blanket lay haphazardly on the sofa. “I fell asleep on the couch and was just having a dream about you. Am I still dreaming?”

  “If you are, then I’m dreaming too. And I don’t want to wake up.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

  “Is that okay? That I just showed up? I know it’s late.”

  His face broke into a grin, as if he had just received his favorite gift at Christmas time. “Heck ya, it’s okay. It’s awesome.” He grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug, lifting her off her feet and planting a kiss on her lips.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist and felt his hands slide down her back and cup her bottom under the jacket.

  Jeremy pulled back, a mischievous look on his face. “Are you wearing a thong?”

  Maggie’s face broke into a naughty grin. “Maybe.”

  “Is it my birthday?”

  “It might as well be.” She nibbled at the spot she loved, right under his earlobe. “You’ll have to unwrap me to get your gift.”

  He smiled at her, a grin so big it nearly split his face. “Challenge accepted.” He carried her into the living room, her legs still tight around his waist, and dumped her onto the sofa. He straddled her and grasped the belt that tied her light jacket shut. “Should I just rip the wrapper off my present to see what’s inside? Or should I take it slow and savor the process?”

  Maggie looked up at him, the flames of the fire reflected in his brown eyes. She searched his face and all she saw was love and wonder and passion. She felt this was right. This moment was exactly where she was supposed to be, and she knew she loved this man. Her voice was husky and low. “We’ve got all night. I think you should savor it and take it slow. Really slow.”

  He pulled the knot loose, and she heard him catch his breath as he carefully opened her jacket and let it fall to the side. Her short black nightgown was pushed up so it barely brushed her thighs. The lacy bodice had shifted as he threw her on the sofa and rode low on her bare breast, scarcely covering her erect nipples, now puckered and hard from want.

  He dipped his head, laying a row of gentle kisses along the top edge of her breast and down into the V of her nightgown. His hands brushed softly down her sides, causing her to arch her back against him and let out a low moan of desire.

  His lips traveled up her neck, catching her earlobe in his teeth and sending waves of pleasure through her very core. His breath was warm against her throat, and his voice was gruff in her ear. “Maggie, you are so sexy. I want you so bad. I want to touch every inch of you. I want to see every part of you.”

  The slow patience of his touch ceased as her jacket fell away and the only thing between them was the lace and satin of her nightgown. Maggie lost herself in the feel of his hands as they plunged into her hair. He feasted on her mouth and her neck, tasting her skin as if she were a delicacy to be savored and then devoured.

  His hands covered every part of her, sliding and grasping, and she only wanted more. She couldn’t get close enough to him. She pushed him back, gasping for breath, then brazenly pulled the nightgown over her head and lay back on the sofa, naked except for the small black lace thong.

  She reveled in the look of desire that shone in his eyes as she lay stripped in front of him. She felt as if she had bared not only her body, but her soul to him. Laid herself open to let him in, to trust that he would treasure and not destroy her.

  Jeremy leaned above her, consuming her with his eyes. “Baby, you are so beautiful.”

  A lock of his dark hair fell across his forehead, and Maggie was overwhelmed with how handsome he was and how much she felt for him. She reached up, encircling his neck with her arms and pulled him down, bringing his face to hers and softly kissing his lips.

  The feel of their bare skin touching was almost electric, and Maggie felt Jeremy’s low moan of passion against her mouth. She gave herself to him, pulling him tighter against her, clutching his muscular back with her hands. She felt his hands slide under her, grasping her bottom, his fingers sliding closer to the center of her desire.

  He raised himself above her, only long enough to peel the lacy thong down her legs and shimmy out of his boxers. She missed the heat of his skin on hers and gasped in pleasure as the weight of him settled against her again.

  She arched against him, wanting to feel all of him, to give herself to him and to take as well. To take the love that he so freely offered her. To take the gift of his heart and his body. Especially his body. She really wanted to take his body. And right now.

  She felt his want. In the way he touched her and in the longing of his kiss. She gasped against his ear as he filled her, and they joined together in a dance of pleasure and desire. A dance that took her soaring, calling out his name, and merging their bodies and souls as they crossed the boundaries of intimacy and ecstasy.

  Afterwards, they lay on the floor in front of the fire. The thick, plush rug soft against her bare skin, she pulled the sofa throw down to cover them. Her body was spent. Jeremy lay sprawled next to her, his arm thrown possessively around her waist.


  She drew small circles with her fingertips on his muscled biceps. There must be something to this afterglow business, because she felt as if she were glimmering with happiness. A spark welled from inside of her, shining brighter than the golden flames of the fire.

  She snuggled against him, burying her face in his neck. She inhaled the expensive aftershave that he wore and knew that his scent now covered her skin.

  She spoke into his ear, her voice calm and strong, conveying the emotions she felt, the only emotion strong enough to express the feelings inside of her. “I love you, Jeremy.”

  Jeremy rolled over and pulled her under him. He swept a lock of hair from her face and kissed her lips with a tenderness that spoke volumes. “I love you too, Maggie.”

  One soft kiss. One moment of time. But everything had changed. She had changed. She felt different. Lighter. Like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Happy.

  He lay back and tugged her to him, cradled in his arms. Making one last declaration before drifting off to sleep. “Best birthday present ever.”

  ##

  Maggie whipped the eggs into a golden yellow froth and caught herself singing to the radio as she made brunch for the boys. She had snuck back in the house around four in the morning and caught a few hours of sleep.

  The rest of the house was sleeping in, so she had taken a bath that morning, soaking her battered body, and found a series of bruises and scrapes resulting from the car crash. Her shoulder was sore from where she had been thrust against the seatbelt during the impact.

  She had a couple of bruises that she attributed to falling off the sofa last night with Jeremy and whacking her hip on the coffee table, but those she wore with pride.

  Thinking about last night made her smile. She turned the radio up before she poured the eggs into a skillet. Singing along with a top-forty tune, she danced to the refrigerator, wiggling her hips to the beat.

  Chad wandered into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and mumbling about coffee. “Did I hear you singing? What are you so happy about?” He stopped and looked at her. Really looked at her. “Oh. I get it.”