PeakExperience

by Rachel Kenley

Daniel had a few seconds to notice the cozy living room with overstuffed furniture, bookshelves everywhere and photographs covering the few empty spaces before he heard someone joining them.

  “A strange man is bringing my lady flowers,” said a deep voice. “I don’t know if I like that.”

  Daniel knew the words were said in jest, but there was so much authority in the voice he couldn’t stop himself from being a little nervous. Lena saw the reaction and said quietly, “Mr. Pierce is the high school principal and a former science teacher. He commands instant attention and respect.”

  “I believe it,” Daniel said as a man slightly shorter than he with broad shoulders and gray hair entered the room. Lena was right. He wanted to fix his posture and make certain the collar on his shirt was straight. “Good evening, sir,” he said, holding out a hand. Not surprisingly, he was met with a firm handshake.

  “Martin Pierce. Nice to meet you. And you, missy?” He turned to Lena. “Where’s my hug?” A second later Lena was enveloped in the arms of the man, who, it was clear from the expression on his face, loved her like a daughter.

  Mrs. Pierce came back into the living room, carrying the flowers in a vase. “Come, everyone, sit down for salad. Martin, open the wine.”

  “This is a work of art, not a salad,” Lena said as a giant bowl was passed around the table. Daniel couldn’t disagree. Besides a variety of greens and tomatoes, Mrs. Pierce included feta cheese, avocadoes, dried cranberries and sugared walnuts to create one of the most amazing blends of flavors he’d ever enjoyed at the start of a meal.

  When he reached for the bowl to have more, Mrs. Pierce swatted his hand away. “You need to save your appetite for the rest of dinner. You like my salad so much, I’ll put some in a container and you can take it with you.”

  He almost said something, but he knew arguing was pointless and would make him look foolish. Instead he said, “I can’t wait to see what’s coming next.” He caught Lena’s eye and she smiled. He had the distinct feeling she tried something similar in the past.

  The salad only hinted at the abundant meal they were served. With the roast, Mrs. Pierce served scalloped potatoes with little bits of bacon, green beans, carrots and the most tantalizing warm rolls he ever enjoyed. As he ate one he heard Lena laugh.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You moaned,” she said.

  “I did not.”

  “Yes, you did.”

  “You did, Daniel,” Mr. Pierce chimed in. “But if it’s any consolation, you’re not the first. My wife’s cooking is worthy of any and all sounds of appreciation.”

  “That it is,” Daniel agreed. “This is quite a feast, Mrs. Pierce.”

  “Nonsense, I love doing this,” she said, but Daniel saw her blush with pleasure.

  “The more people she has to cook for the happier she is,” Mr. Pierce explained. “Me, I’m just happy to have the leftovers.”

  “Not quite as much as usual, Martin dear. I have to give some to these two to take back. You know our Lena, after all.”

  “Okay, so I can’t cook. It’s not a disease.”

  Mrs. Pierce patted her hand. “Maybe one day we’ll try those cooking lessons again.”

  “I’ll get extra insurance on the house,” Mr. Pierce said.

  Daniel laughed and asked, “That bad?”

  “It was when she tried to make French fries.”

  Lena grimaced. “Oh, come on, we don’t have to bring this up again, do we?”

  “Too late,” Daniel said. “What happened?”

  “Everything was going fine,” Mrs. Pierce said, “until she tried to boil the oil.”

  Daniel choked on a bite of vegetables. “You tried to boil oil?”

  “Well, the oil always looks bubbly when you see fries being made. I thought you had to get the oil really hot.”

  “Not so hot that you incinerate the poor potatoes on contact,” Daniel said.

  “Yes, I know,” Lena said. “Now I do, anyway.” Daniel thought her pout was cute. It made him want to kiss her. Although if he were truthful with himself, almost everything she did made him feel that way.

  “Fortunately, we could smell the oil heating from where we were sitting in the living room and things were taken care of before they got out of control.”

  “Thank goodness,” Daniel said.

  “Can I call for a subject change?” Lena asked.

  “Absolutely,” Mr. Pierce said. He gallantly brought up sports, which led to a discussion of fantasy baseball then baseball movies and Lena was grateful not to be the focus of conversation for the rest of the meal.

  “That was excellent,” Daniel said as he popped the last bite of biscuit into his mouth.”

  “Thank you. It’s always good to see food enjoyed,” Mrs. Pierce said. “Lena, help me clear things so we can serve dessert. You have all saved room for dessert, right?”

  “Yes ma’am,” Daniel said, knowing it was the only acceptable answer.

  “Such a smart boy,” Mrs. Pierce said with a smile.

  * * * * *

  Once in the kitchen Mrs. Pierce said, “You know why I asked you in here.”

  “To help with the dishes?”

  “Of course not. To tell me about Daniel, you silly thing. You’ve never brought a boy home, so I can’t compare him to others, but I have to say from the way you two look at each other, there is something very special going on.”

  “There is,” Lena said.

  Mrs. Pierce fixed her with a level gaze. “I hear a ‘but’ coming.”

  “It’s complicated.”

  Mrs. Pierce waved a hand in the air as she set the coffee pot brewing. “Nonsense. You want it to be complicated.”

  “No, I don’t.” Did she? Mrs. Pierce sounded so certain that Lena had to wonder.

  “Of course you do, sweetheart. We’ve all done it. That way you don’t have to feel vulnerable or accept what you’re feeling, what’s really going on.”

  “Ouch,” Lena said, but couldn’t deny the accuracy of the statement. “You have a knack for shining a bright light on the truth.”

  “Thank you, but compliments aren’t going to change the subject.”

  “It’s not what I expected. He’s not what I expected.”

  “They never are, dear.”

  “We have differences.”

  “Who doesn’t? It’s simply another excuse.”

  “He’s a lot younger than I am,” Lena said. Saying it out loud was harder than she thought, and she braced herself for judgment and concern.

  “What qualifies as a lot?”

  “Twelve years.”

  “Yes, I guess that is a good deal of time. It’s more than what separates Martin and me.”

  “You’re older than Mr. Pierce?”

  “By over seven years.”

  “I had no idea,” Lena said.

  “That’s because I’ve aged well.” She laughed. “Nowadays everyone assumes he’s older and there’s no reason or occasion to correct them, but when we met, our friends and family were rather shocked. My sister tried to talk me out of the relationship. Over forty years later I can definitely say I’m glad I didn’t listen to her.”

  “It couldn’t have been easy.”

  “There’s no such thing as an easy relationship, Lena. People are fallible, difficult and emotional. When two of them are together for a lengthy period of time there will be good times and bad. You can count on it.”

  “What made you decide to keep seeing Mr. Pierce, to marry him?”

  Mrs. Pierce didn’t answer immediately, and Lena appreciated her taking the question seriously. “I think it was more about me then it was about him. When I was with Martin, I could be myself. Maybe it’s because when I started seeing him I thought it would be a short fling, nothing permanent, but I was able to truly relax with him more than with any other man I dated before. And then I discovered something wonderfully unexpected. I liked who I was when we were together. There was no pretending or pretense. I didn’t talk
to impress him, or stay quiet to impress him for that matter. I was all of me and he loved it. Loved me. That’s a very powerful thing.”

  “I understand,” Lena said, meaning it. She considered the last few days with Daniel, and the ones preceding them. She shared her art, her work and herself with him in a way she never did before. With him she knew she was safe and accepted, flaws, fears and all.

  “You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?”

  “Of course.”

  “And is what I said matching what you’re feeling for him?”

  Lena didn’t respond out loud but she knew the answer. She was pretty certain Mrs. Pierce did too.

  “Are you baking things from scratch in there? You’ve got hungry men waiting on you,” a voice bellowed from the dining room.

  “That’s our cue,” Mrs. Pierce said. “Grab the plates and pie and I’ll bring the coffee. Let’s go join our men.”

  * * * * *

  Their trek back to the Grand House was slower than the walk over since their arms were overflowing with containers of leftovers. “We could stay for a week and have enough food,” Lena said.

  “Especially since I can’t imagine wanting to eat for a few days,” Daniel said. “I’m so full I’m amazed I can breathe without unbuttoning my pants.”

  “And I know I must be pretty full if your comment doesn’t make me want to respond with something raunchy about unbuttoned pants.”

  He chuckled and then groaned. “Wow, it really does hurt when I laugh.”

  Fortunately, there was plenty of room in the refrigerator for everything Mrs. Pierce sent home with them. “From the looks of it, we could be snowed in for a week and manage to survive fine, food-wise,” Lena said.

  Daniel nuzzled her neck. “There’s something rather appealing in that idea.”

  “Yes, there is,” she said, and turned to kiss him. Mrs. Pierce was right. Fighting her feelings was about fear of opening her heart and being vulnerable to another person. But if she didn’t find a way to do it, she’d miss out on something special.

  “Part of me wants to carry you upstairs and make love with you,” he said, kissing her jaw followed by the sensitive skin behind her ear.

  “And part of you wants to collapse on the couch and watch a movie,” she said.

  “How did you know?”

  “I’ve got the same parts.”

  He wiggled his eyebrows. “You got some fun different parts too.”

  “Let’s save that for when we can move without groaning.”

  “Good idea. What do you have for DVDs?”

  “I have no idea, hopefully something good. I know there are some classics.”

  “I can get into a good black-and-white movie.”

  “Then let’s go check out the cabinet.”

  They chose Some Like It Hot, and she snuggled against him as they watched, even though she agreed it was painful at first to laugh. By the time Marilyn Monroe was trying to get Tony Curtis to respond to her kisses, Lena was thinking of doing the same thing to Daniel.

  With his arm draped around her, her head on his chest, she tried to remember the last time she relaxed with a man she was in a relationship with. As she thought about it, a scary truth hit her. Since her marriage she’d dated men, but never really had a relationship. They’d go out or meet friends. There was almost always an activity, never simply being together. Thinking about sitting quietly with a few of her exes brought an uncomfortable sensation. It wasn’t something she wanted to do with them, and she probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it if she did.

  All the more reason to notice the truths in her relationship with Daniel. Mrs. Pierce was right. Because Lena entered into things with Daniel assuming there was no possibility for a future, she didn’t hold back, didn’t censor herself and in the process she discovered two important things.

  First, how amazing and empowering it was to be herself without worrying what the other person might think.

  And second, how truly wonderful a man Daniel was. He was caring, intelligent, funny and unbelievably passionate in bed. Her first lover who wanted to give as much as receive, and because of this, she wanted to give more. The way he accepted her, connected with her, she never felt so special and cherished.

  By the time Osgood uttered his famous, “Well, nobody’s perfect” at the end of the movie, Lena was exhausted from the night and the weight of her thoughts.

  Daniel kissed her forehead gently. “Ready for bed?”

  “Very,” she said and couldn’t contain the yawn.

  “Oh, don’t get me started yawning or I may not be able to carry you to bed.”

  “That sounds lovely. Sometimes being little has its advantages.”

  “I’m glad you think so,” he said, getting off the couch then scooping her into his arms. “My room or yours?”

  “Yours, it’s closer.”

  “Very considerate of you.”

  “Too tired to go any farther than that.”

  “Agreed,” he said and strode up the stairs. Moments later they stripped to their underwear and wrapped in each other, fell asleep.

  Chapter Ten

  Lena opened her eyes slowly, stretched and brushed against Daniel’s body. Waking next to him was a wonderful experience. Usually he was awake before her and taking a run, showering or having breakfast. She liked him being there, naked and close.

  She rolled over and kissed his chest. He pulled her to him and she kissed him awake.

  “Wow,” he said. “There is something better than coffee in the morning.”

  “Who knew? You slept in.”

  “I guess I did.” He stroked down her back to her ass. “Or yesterday wore me out.”

  “Complaining?”

  “Not even a little.”

  “Didn’t think so,” she said, curling closer to him, enjoying him against her whole body. He did so much for her, to her. In a surge of bravery she said, “No one, no lover, no boyfriend has ever made me feel the way you do.”

  He stared at her, not blinking. “You mean that.”

  “Completely. You make me feel beautiful and sexy. When I look into your eyes and see the desire there, it steals my breath away.”

  “Then I guess that’s another way we’re a good match, because the fact that you don’t know how desirable you are, how naturally sexy you are, leaves me speechless. It boggles my mind no man ever saw in you all I do.”

  And to think she almost didn’t give them a chance. “You didn’t have any reservations about us, did you?”

  “I knew what I wanted, but I also knew things changed in the ten years since we saw each other. The reality of what we wanted and needed from a relationship could be different. I didn’t like the possibility, but I knew it existed.”

  “And here I thought you were optimistic all the time.”

  He smiled and shrugged. “Realistic is smarter.”

  “I’m glad you took the risk and glad you didn’t give up when I disappeared after our first night.” Without warning he kissed her deeply, pulling her to him, filling her senses with passion. She never wanted to be without those kisses. When he broke the embrace she said, “I’m not complaining, but what was that for?”

  “I have wanted to hear you say that.”

  “Now you know.”

  “Now I know. There’s something you should know.”

  “Yes?”

  “I love you, Lena.”

  Her heart stilled then swelled. There was no other way to describe the expanding feeling inside her. It didn’t come as a complete surprise, but hearing it was thrilling. She reached out and touched his cheek. “Daniel, I love you too. I don’t know when, and I’m only beginning to understand why, but I know it’s true.”

  As he kissed her again, she allowed her feelings to course through her. Not the sexual desire, although that was there too, but the love she wanted to give him, show him. She was still scared but ready for the risks loving and being loved entailed.

  It was a long time since she
’d opened herself creatively and emotionally. With Daniel she was able to do both and it amazed her. Energized her. Being in bed with him was as thrilling as being in her studio. Well, almost, she admitted. She was alive and free in a way she hadn’t been since her teen years when she started turning her back on her true self. Never again would she live a closed and blocked-off life without passion.

  And if things went as she hoped, she wouldn’t live without Daniel either. She loved being with him, loved the way he saw her and she wanted to have that always.

  “That’s it!” she said, leaping up from the bed.

  “What’s it?”

  “The campaign. I know what we have to do.”

  He was so thrilled to hear her say she loved him he couldn’t make sense of what she was suddenly trying to tell him. “Slow down,” he said as she began spilling her ideas.

  She took a deep breath. “Every woman wants to be looked at with love, passion and acceptance. The way you look at me—although not at the moment because you’re staring at me like I’m crazy.”

  “True, but keep going.”

  “All the current cosmetics campaigns show the woman wearing makeup, usually some celebrity who even though we all know she’s been airbrushed like crazy, we aspire to look like. Well, what if we don’t show the woman. What if we show the man?”

  “We don’t show the product? That’s risky.”

  “We do, we’ll show a woman, but only a little. Either in profile, or reflected in a mirror, but what we really see is the man looking at this woman as though she is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. She is his fantasy come true.”

  “A man who can’t take his eyes off her,” he said.

  “Now you’re getting it.”

  “So, a tag line like, ‘Let him see the best in you’.”

  “Yes,” she said. “Come on.”

  He followed her down the stairs and into the living room where they spread everything out again. “How about the phrase ‘Show him your beauty’ or ‘Show him your passion’,” she said.

  “Or ‘let him see the fantasy in you’?”

  “I love that—then we can roll your more fantastical images in. Almost as though they are a frame around her. For him she’s fantasy and reality all rolled into one.”