Moonlight on Monterey Bay

by Sally Goldenbaum

  “It’s good for you,” Maddie said calmly.

  “I wasn’t particularly interested in nutritional value.”

  “You should be. A man your age—”

  Sam leaned back against the railing and allowed a small smile to ease the lines of his face. She was pushing him, but he wasn’t going to take the bait. “How’s the furniture for my house coming?”

  “I’m starting to get a feel for the house. Some of my original ideas were on target, but after these couple of days here, I’ve felt other vibrations—”

  “Vibrations?” He scowled. “Like in earthquake?”

  “No, of course not. Vibrations—” She swallowed her last bite of sandwich and then spread her hands into the air, her fingers wiggling. “Vibrations, currents, electricity. You know, the spiritual makeup of this place.”

  “Spiritual makeup?” Wait until he got hold of Eleanor. Maddie might be the most sensuous creature he’d met in a long, long time, but she was also wacky.

  “Oh, you know what I mean,” she said. She waved away his confusion. “And if you don’t know, it’s a shame, because it means you don’t appreciate this place as much as you should.” Her voice grew softer. “It’s a wonderful place, Sam, and has such a peaceful, satisfying feel to it. The final product will reflect all that.”

  Final product. At last she was talking his language. “Speaking of final product, when will that be?”

  “As soon as it’s all finished,” she said, and then rose gracefully from the floor and scooped up the remainder of their meal. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to bed.”

  Sam shook his head. This was to have been a nice, relaxing evening. He had planned on a brisk swim, then stretching out on the deck with a bottle of Scotch and some takeout food. Instead he was sitting with bean sprouts on his legs feeling like a stranger in his own home. With a woman who had the audacity to talk out loud about vibrations on Monterey Bay.

  “If you want to swim,” Maddie said, “take that large lantern down with you.” She pointed to another battery-operated light near the steps.

  Sam glanced at the lantern, then back up at Maddie. She was standing next to the fire, her hair frizzing up around her face as it began to dry. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks flushed. “You’re one bossy lady, Maddie, you know that?”

  She looked at him in sudden surprise.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “It’s the first time you’ve said my name. It’s nice … the way you say it—”

  “What way?” Sam looked from her face, open, lovely, and without pretense, into the fire. Things were moving around inside him again, congealing, expanding, shifting. He resisted the urge to speak her name again, to listen to the way it sounded on his lips and experience what was causing the exquisite look on her face. To taste it. He squinted into the light of the flames.

  Maddie turned and walked on into the house, leaving his question to settle unanswered in the embers of the fire. She couldn’t have answered it even if she had wanted to. How could she tell him that the way he said Maddie was the sweetest music, the loveliest lift of plain sounds that she had ever heard? It made no sense to her, not the way it felt, or the fact that such mysterious, enchanting sounds had come from such an unlikely man.

  Sam watched her walk into the kitchen, slipping in and out of the dark shadows, cleaning up the food wrappings, turning the disposal on and off.

  Finally he went in after her, his curiosity at odds with common sense, which told him to get the hell out of there. “You seem so sure of yourself. Are you always this way?”

  Maddie stopped in the middle of wiping off the counter. There had been a time in her life when her self-assurance could have fit into a thimble with room to spare. She hadn’t been sure of anything in those days—except the one decision that had altered her life, caused her immeasurable pain. The old Maddie, she thought, was long gone and buried. Now she was strong, because of love and sweat and many, many tears. But yes, dammit, she was sure of herself. Well, most of the time anyway.

  She turned slowly and looked at Sam. Her eyes were large, dark, shining. She wet her bottom lip, which quivered slightly beneath the touch of her tongue.

  The movement grabbed Sam with a force that nearly knocked him over. Hell, what was going on here? Was Maddie a witch? He reached out and rested one hand flat on the counter.

  Maddie’s voice was soft, touched with sadness when she said, “Yes, you could say I am sure of myself.”

  There was nothing he could say. What he had uttered as a rebuke was picked up by Maddie and transformed into a confession, a stirring kind of confirmation of herself. How did she do that? She twisted things, manipulated his feelings. And he didn’t like it. It translated into power—and no one had power over Sam Eastland.

  Maddie had turned back to the sink to wipe a small water stain from the stainless-steel surface.

  “Where does it come from, this self-confidence?” Sam asked.

  She hung the towel on a small hook beside the sink and turned to walk back across the room. “Life,” she said simply.

  Sam watched her every movement. He saw her pivot like a dancer, and then he spotted the small pool of water on the floor. Before he could utter a warning, her bare foot slid through the puddle, then shot out from under her as her body toppled toward him. He caught her as she fell, and pulled her up against his chest. And when she lifted her head in surprise, he was ready to do what one small but vital part of him had wanted to do for what seemed like a long, long time.

  He lowered his head and kissed her. His lips parted hers ever so slightly until his tongue slipped inside and tasted the sweetness of her mouth. Her lips were moist, full, and tasted as sweet as smooth thick honey. Twisting his fingers into her braid, he pulled her closer to him, and the soft escape of her breath, tantalizing and sensuous, whispered into his mouth. The surge of desire was swift and fierce. His kiss deepened, his tongue exploring, his heart pounding.

  Finally he released her, his hands dropping down to his sides, his chest expanding as he gulped air. He braced himself for her response: a slap across the face, a silent, defiant departure. But whatever it was, he had felt her desire keenly, a powerful match for his own. Her response had been full and animated. The simple act had split apart a lump inside of Sam, a pent-up feeling, bordering on painful. Maddie made him angry, she irritated him, and she made him swell with pulsing desire.

  Straightening up, his back flat against the cool wall, he faced her. She was immobile, her arms at her sides. Her eyes were glistening, holding flashing specks of light in a sea of deep green.

  “Well?” Sam said at last.

  “Well, what?” she asked. The words were throaty, forced. Her eyes roamed his face while she steadied herself. And then she shrugged. “From what I’ve read about you,” she said calmly, “I’d have expected you’d be better at that.”

  With that, she turned and walked calmly through the kitchen and across the living room to her sleeping bag. She hunched down, separated the downy folds of the bag, and then slid her slim body between them.

  Sam stood there for a long moment staring at her, trying to focus. Emotions washed through him, one conflicting with the next: frustration, anger, desire, and several he couldn’t put names to. By the time he pulled himself together and strode across the room to the sleeping bag, she was as quiet as the night air. One arm was curled beneath her head, her eyes were closed, her breathing deep and even. She was sound asleep.

  Maddie knew he would be gone when she woke up, and for that she was grateful.

  She was acquainted with aggressive men, and she could handle that just fine. But when Sam Eastland had kissed her, it wasn’t his aggressiveness that affected her. It was the warm river of pleasure that ran through her, the tingling of her senses, the stirring up he caused. And that was a whole other kettle of fish, as Sadie used to say. He threw her treasured equilibrium off, injected a tension into her life she didn’t need or want. She wanted exactly what she had�
�a peaceful life in a small town with good friends nearby, a place where her “old-fashioned dream,” as her friend Lily affectionately called it, was a possibility. And that dream? It was for a wonderful, committed husband and a houseful of kids to raise with endless hugs and love.

  Sam Eastland wasn’t part of her dream. He sent off all the wrong sorts of vibrations. He was a man to stay away from. She would. And that would be that.

  But it wasn’t.

  And Maddie should have known. Nothing in her life had ever run along a natural, smooth course. Why should this be any different, simply because she had wished it so? No, of course not.

  But she didn’t have to go like a lamb.

  With hands on her hips, she stood in the center of Joseph’s office and glared at her boss. “A dinner is absolutely ridiculous, Joseph! Even if we had the money, it would be a waste of it! Since when do we wine and dine our clients?”

  “Since now, that’s when. And you can let me worry about the money, Maddie. There are a couple of papers Sam needs to sign. By the way, I hear he showed up while you were out intuiting his house a few days ago.”

  “Don’t think I don’t know you’re changing the subject,” Maddie said sternly. And then she wrinkled her forehead in puzzlement and asked, “How did you hear that?”

  “A little birdie told me.”

  “Eleanor,” Maddie said as the light dawned.

  Joseph smiled.

  “And what else did he tell Eleanor?”

  “That you’re slightly crazy, but I told her that was one of your charms.”

  “I see.” Maddie leaned her head to one side and scrutinized Joseph closely. “And if I might be so bold as to ask, why were you talking to Eleanor?”

  “When people have dinner together, they talk.”

  “Joseph, you devil!”

  Joseph eased himself into the chair on the other side of her desk. “Save your wild imagination for the Eastland home, Maddie,” he said. “I wanted to try that new restaurant in Capitola. You weren’t available, so what was I to do?”

  Maddie smiled. She liked Eleanor, and this was definitely a move in the right direction. Since Sadie’s death, there had been a steady stream of eligible females knocking on Joseph’s door, but so far he had resisted all their efforts. Yet, Maddie knew, he had been terribly lonely. This development was a move in the right direction.

  “Don’t look so smug, missy,” Joseph grumbled. “It was simply a dinner. Now, why don’t you fill me in on your little adventure?”

  “Sounds like you already know all there is to know.”

  Joseph smiled. “Eleanor said Sam Eastland is intrigued with you.”

  “And thinks I’m crazy. Good, maybe that will keep him out of my hair so I can finish his house. It will be a relief when this job is over, Joseph. Eleanor must be a saint. I couldn’t work in the same office with that man for more than ten minutes!”

  “Eleanor says he’s a wonderful man.”

  Maddie frowned.

  “And generous.”

  “Did she mention sneaky and presumptuous?”

  “She says he’s lonely.”

  “Now that I can understand. He probably has no friends.”

  “Maddie, you’re reacting a little strongly. Your cheeks are flushed. And it isn’t like you to be so judgmental.”

  Maddie ignored the laughter in his eyes. “Sometimes, Joseph, I have to call it as I see it,” she said. “So … so what time is dinner?”

  “No need to drive like a crazy man,” Eleanor said. She gripped the sides of the bucket seat of Sam’s car.

  “This is a foolish waste of my time, Eleanor.”

  “No, it’s not. This is your house Sam, and maybe if you’re involved in fixing it up, you’ll want to spend more time there.”

  “Eleanor, I plan on spending more time there. But I don’t really give a damn if there’re black tiles or purple carpet on the floors. As long as the bed is comfortable and the place has plenty of Scotch—”

  “Oh, hush,” Eleanor cut him off. “You care about that house and how it looks. You just don’t know it, that’s all. Besides, a gorgeous Saturday like this certainly shouldn’t be spent in an air-conditioned office building. And besides that, I needed a ride to my sister’s in Watsonville. My car simply gave up the ghost yesterday. So you see, dear Sam, this worked out for the best for everyone involved.”

  Sam set his jaw. He had decided he’d steer clear of the beach house until it was completely finished. He had enough problems without coping with naked decorators on his deck. It was a moment frozen in time, and he couldn’t get away from it, that moonlight vision of her, dripping wet, naked as a jaybird, her eyes luminous, beautiful, deep … her skin as silky smooth as a fine imported fabric. And then the kiss that followed later—hell, it took a freezing swim even to begin to dampen it. And Lord knows he didn’t need it. He had plenty of women friends. He didn’t need to be obsessing about a strange young woman who communed with houses and dressed like a damn hippy.

  “She’s a beautiful young woman,” Eleanor mused.

  Sam shut off his thoughts, shut out Eleanor, and pressed down hard on the accelerator.

  “They’ll meet us here,” Joseph announced as he ushered Maddie inside the restaurant.

  The restaurant was on the edge of the Santa Cruz wharf, a quiet, casual place with great seafood and a wonderful view. Strollers sauntered out to the small shops and restaurants along the weather-beaten wharf.

  “Cozy,” Maddie mused as Joseph held open the door to the restaurant for her.

  “Come now, Madeline, let’s put aside this reluctance to have fun and relax a little.”

  “Joseph, that’s my line.”

  Joseph’s lined face creased in a grin. “That’s right. So I finally took you at your word, and what happens—you go and turn into a curmudgeon on me!”

  Maddie touched his hand. “Not so. I’m okay now. I was a little preoccupied this afternoon, that’s all. I’m fine.”

  “I understand. I was wrong to make plans for you, but I did think it wise to have Eastland approve the initial expenditures. We’re spending a hefty sum of his money, my dear.”

  A waiter led them to a table near a wall of windows overlooking the ocean and took their drink orders.

  Maddie looked out at the ocean, following a wave as it rose up into the air and curled back on itself, finally unraveling into a thin white strip along the beach. Even after nearly five years here, she was still mesmerized by the power of the sea. She loved it, found peace in it. She turned her attention to Joseph.

  “This restaurant was a good choice. Since the view is the same as that at the Eastland house, it will be easy to talk about ideas.”

  Joseph nodded. “I’m happy to see things are happening out there. The painters called and said they had gone back, left more sample strokes on the walls—”

  “Good.” Maddie sipped her iced tea slowly, her brow creased in concentration. “We might need some minor carpentry work done too. I left a note on your desk about it. And I want to green up the front and sides of the house with plantings.”

  From the front door of the restaurant, Sam Eastland watched the conversation between Maddie and the older man. Her cheeks were flushed, her hands moving through the air like propellers. She wore a black hat tonight, one that fitted her head closely, then curled back in the front. And there were the flowers, yellow and blue and deep rose, tucked into the front of the hat. Her hair, dark and worn loose, wisped about her face and hung down over her shoulders and back in shiny black ripples. The top part of her dress fit closely and he could see the rise and fall of her breasts beneath the scalloped neck. He couldn’t see the dress, except for the top, but it looked silky and old-fashioned in a muted floral print. She was certainly unique, he mused as he waited for Eleanor to return from the rest room. She didn’t fit the professional-woman image; in fact she didn’t fit into any standard image, at least none he was familiar with.

  “Shall we go in?” Eleanor
asked, coming up behind him and touching his elbow.

  As they approached the table Joseph stood, but not before Maddie caught the sparkle in his eyes as he welcomed Eleanor. She was instantly glad she had come. Seeing Joseph smile that way was worth anything, even an evening with Sam Eastland.

  “Hello,” Sam said, coming up behind Eleanor and extending his hand to Joseph. “Eleanor has said good things about you and your firm. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He looked over at Maddie. “Hello, Maddie.”

  Maddie nodded and smiled politely. Polite. Nice. Gracious. Lord, it was going to be a long night!

  “Did the house send out any more vibrations?” Sam asked as he took the chair next to Eleanor’s. He flagged a waiter and ordered drinks for himself and Eleanor.

  Maddie couldn’t read between his words, but the half smile that lifted his lips—oh, those darn lips!—made her shift in the chair. She lifted her elbows to the white tablecloth, rested her chin in her hands, and smiled pleasantly. “Actually, no. No more vibrations. Something must have happened to deaden the air currents, because that next day—after you were there—there wasn’t much electricity. Nothing but dusty air. A shame.”

  “I see.” Sam’s crooked smile stayed in place as he listened to Maddie trying to negate the kiss they’d shared with her double talk. Conversation with her was like playing chess, and oddly pleasurable as well. And it didn’t matter what she said. There was no doubt the kiss had aroused her. He had felt it in his fingers, in the quiver of her supple body as she pressed against him. His Scotch and water arrived. As he sipped it he realized that absurdly he was enjoying himself.

  “We have some paint samples you might want to look at, Sam,” Joseph said.

  “Paint?”

  “Paint colors for the beach house, Sam,” Eleanor said.

  “Anything is fine.”

  “Well, you might want to take a look as long as you’re here,” Joseph said. “But that’s shoptalk and it’ll wait until after dinner.” He flagged a young waiter and the conversation switched to fish specials and the fine wine selection.