Lake Dreams

by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

  Over at Mc Haffie’s Homestead they settled down in broad bottomed rockers on the porch of the old log cabin, listening to Danny Eakin and the Homestead Pickers sing folk songs like ‘Old Dan Tucker’. The performer looked just the same as Cole remembered from years ago and sounded the same. Maggie and Cole rocked in tandem and talked.

  “I could get used to this,” Cole remarked.

  “What?”

  “Leisure,” he said. “Just sitting on the porch doing nothing has a huge appeal. Back in St. Louis, I never did anything like this, not for years. I always had things to do or someplace to be but I like this.”

  “Maybe you’re just tuning in to your inner lazy,” Maggie teased, then with a more serious note, added, “It’s good for you, Cole. You’ve changed a lot since you got here. Now you’re calmer and much more relaxed. Your eyes aren’t so haunted now.”

  “Were they?”

  She nodded. “Yes. And you’re not as skinny so you look better.”

  “If I’m getting fat, I suppose I could blame you,” he said. “You’re the one feeding me.”

  Maggie snickered. “You’re a long way from fat. I told you how awful you looked, so gaunt and pale. You’ve got color in your face now and you’re thin but not in such a skeletal way.”

  Her combined concern and compliments pleased him. “Then I must be making progress.”

  “Of course you are,” Maggie said. “Let’s stretch our legs.”

  Cole didn’t want to move but he did because she asked. They ambled along the path between the old cabin and the school until they ended up in a little corner away from the crowds. Maggie sidled up against him, enough to make his cock take notice, and said, “Kiss me, Cole.”

  He didn’t need a second invitation so there among the park visitors, in the shadow of a pioneer cabin he kissed her with a thoroughness she liked although it left him aching for more. If someone hadn’t called his name a few minutes later, Cole might’ve lost all track of time and sense of place.

  “Cole?”

  When a female voice spoke his name, he knew it wasn’t Maggie or Kaitlin. The tone and cadence reminded him of Victoria’s cultured voice and gave him an eerie start. Cole ended the kiss and turned toward the sound. A young woman stood there, grinning and said, “It IS you! I thought it was. How’s the sabbatical going?”

  “Hi, Jenna,” he said. “It’s been a lot better than I expected so far. Are you on vacation?”

  “Absolutely,” she said. “I don’t know if I’m having as much fun as you are, though.”

  Her far from subtle hint reminded him he did have manners. “Jenna, this is Maggie, one of my oldest friends. We grew up together, summers anyway.”

  Jenna extended a hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “And Maggie, this is Jenna. She interned at the television station on weekends.”

  “I did,” Jenna said.

  Maggie chimed in, “It’s good to make your acquaintance too.”

  The intern turned her focus back on Cole. “You’re looking great. I’ll see you.”

  “Sure.”Cole shook his head as he watched her walk away. Jenna came from another world.

  “We’re supposed to meet the kids for supper,” Maggie said as they headed toward Aunt Mollie’s Mill, one of the sit down buffet restaurants in the park. “Do you see them?”

  Cole scanned the crowds, looked past the men in Hawaiian shirts and women in sundresses to see the pair approaching. “Yeah, here they come now. Are you hungry?”

  “Starving,” Maggie said. “I should pay for supper, though. I feel like such a cheapskate.”

  “Don’t,” Cole told her. “And I’ll pay – you just enjoy.”

  Her eyes lit, luminous as a full moon in a night sky. “I can do that,” she told him.

  After the meal of fried chicken, catfish fillets, mashed potatoes, corn, and so much more all served buffet style, they all headed to watch a magic show. By the time it ended and they climbed back up to the town square part of the amusement park it was almost closing time so they loitered. They headed down into Echo Hollow for the show there, then went home late beneath a sky spangled with more stars than Cole could begin to count.

  At Maggie’s, the two teens thanked him again and dashed upstairs. Cole lingered for a few minutes in the kitchen and after a quick smooch, he sighed. “I guess I’ll go. I think your daughter wants to start driving lessons tomorrow so I’d better get some rest. Did you have a good time, honey?”

  “The best,” Maggie said. “I’ve never gone on vacation but these days out with you feel like one, Cole. I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate them or how glad I am you came back. I wish you didn’t have to leave.”

  His pulse increased and his temperature elevated a few degrees. “Wish I didn’t either, Maggie, but it’s probably better I go to my cabin. I don’t want to ruin any friendship I’m building with your kids.”

  Her laugh came out ragged. “I understand completely but it doesn’t make me miss you any less.”

  Maggie’s expression as she looked up at him, sweet and sensual at the same time, lips almost pouted brought a rush of desire so strong he thought he’d have to take her in the kitchen, up against the stove or something. With desire came love, a powerful tide swamping him and although he almost said it aloud, Cole choked it back and took a step toward the door.

  “I know the feeling,” he said, ashamed of his own cowardice but he remained a little wary about declaring his love. “Can I ask you a favor?”

  She frowned a little. “Sure, what?”

  “Figure out by tomorrow morning where there’s a straight piece of road where I can give Kaitlin driving lessons,” he said. “I doubt my nerves are up to beginning with hairpin curves and steep hills.”

  Maggie laughed. “I will, Cole. Good night, then.”

  “Night, honey,” he said. He came back to where she stood and kissed her, his mouth full-bodied over hers, saying what he couldn’t just yet.

  ***

  Somewhere beyond the College of the Ozarks down a lonely lane leading nowhere Cole switched places with Kaitlin and went over the basics of starting a vehicle. He made sure the seat adjusted to her height and asked if she could see over the dash.

  “Totally,” the girl said and turned the key with enough force he winced. “Can we start driving now?”

  “Yes,” Cole said. He expected to regret this but he had to try first. “So put your foot on the brake and then gently shift to “D” for drive. Then remove your foot from the brake and lightly put it on the accelerator. Can you do that?”

  “For sure!”

  Kaitlin shot forward with the acceleration of a stock car driver on a racetrack and sped down the straight road with more speed than he liked. Cole yelped and griped the door handle with tight fingers. “Easy, there. Slow down!”

  She hit the brake hard enough to throw him forward. If he hadn’t been wearing the seat belt harness, Cole figured he’d have smacked the windshield with his head. Before he could recover, Kaitlin drove right down the center of the road which would have been fine except for the huge silver pickup truck careening at them. Cole resisted the impulse to grab the wheel out of her hands but winced, expecting impact. Instead, Kaitlin managed to scoot the car over to the right side of the road. When she stopped this time, her hands shook and tears poured down her cheeks.

  “I’m sorry,” she sobbed.

  Cole resisted the urge to scold her and instead he said, “I know. You scared the holy crap out of me but its okay. You did a good job moving over to this side of the road.”

  Kaitlin calmed a little as she said, “You’re not mad? You’re not going to yell at me?”

  “I can’t make any promises,” he said with total honesty. “I’m not mad and I’ll try not to holler at you but kid, you need to go slower and go easy on the brake. Can you do that?”

  She sniffed, twice, wiped her face with one hand and hiccoughed. “I can try.”

  “All right,” he sa
id. “Let’s give it a shot.”

  Two long hours later, he brought Kaitlin back to Maggie’s. By then his stomach knotted tight enough to hurt and his head ached so bad he thought he might lie down for awhile. His frazzled nerves craved some down time. He forced a smile as Kaitlin thanked him and would have driven to the cabin but Maggie came out.

  “How’d it go?” she asked.

  “Oh, all right,” Cole replied.

  “You look pale,” Maggie said. “Your hands are shaking. Are you sure it went okay?”

  “I think so,” Cole replied. “Kaitlin liked it and she’s getting the hang of it now.

  “How’re you doing?”

  He tried to grin which made his head hurt all the more. “Terrible,” he admitted. “I’ve got a killer headache and my stomach’s in knots. I’m all right, though, it’s just nerves. I thought I’d go take a nap and recover.”

  Maggie leaned into the open car window and put her hand across his forehead. “Was it really that bad?”

  “Worse,” Cole said. “Just don’t tell Kaitlin.”

  Maggie smiled. “All right, I won’t. Go feel better, Cole. I’m expecting you to come to supper.”

  Her invitation cut through his various physical ills and put a real grin on his face.

  “I’ll be there, honey.”

  And after a long nap, some ibuprofen, and an ice pack on his head, he was.

  Chapter Seventeen

  By July, Kaitlin could drive without terrifying Cole on the straight stretches of road in a few weeks, he figured she could test and get first level of license without any trouble. Frequent phone calls from California confirmed Maggie’s dad recovered well from his minor heart attack. Cole ate most meals with Maggie and the kids and spent the larger part of his waking hours with them. Little by little, they bonded into a family type unit and Cole wondered if he would want to return to St. Louis when his three months ended.

  Since bumping into Jenna at Silver Dollar City, Cole hadn’t seen or talked to anyone back home except his mother. Just before noon on July 3, however, a familiar Lincoln Town Car rolled into the resort and Cole, cutting weeds up past the swimming pool, recognized it before Donald ever got out of the vehicle. As Donald looked around Lake Dreams he never spotted Cole and mounted the steps into the office. Cole cursed under his breath, uncertain about the collision of his two separate worlds. He hustled and arrived in the office in time to hear Donald asked Maggie if Cole Celinksi could be found, pushy as ever, his harsh tone bordering on open rudeness.

  “He might be if you look hard enough,” Maggie said with dry sarcasm. “Maybe if you close your eyes then turn around and click your heels together three times he might appear.”

  Cole hooted at her humor, aware it cloaked dismay as deep as his. Apparently Maggie wasn’t sure either how his St. Louis life and this one might intersect. “I’d like to see you do that, Donald.”

  His one-time friend whirled around. Donald’s eyes widened when he saw Cole. “Buddy, it’s good to see you. I don’t have to ask how you’ve been – you’re looking good.”

  Cole glanced down at his faded jeans, old ones he bought at a flea market over in Branson to wear for yard work and a chambray shirt. Grass cuttings covered his shoes and he caught a whiff of his own sweat. Compared to the suits he’d worn on air at the television station or the casual Dockers with golf shirts he’d worn for leisure, he probably looked like a bum to Donald.

  “You think?” Cole said with an arch lift of one eyebrow.

  “I do,” Donald said. He grabbed Cole’s hand and shook it. “You could’ve called or something, man. I’ve been concerned about you so I came down over the holiday to see what’s going on. Well, really the family’s on vacation but I wanted to look you up while I’m here. Your mom gave me a heads up where to find you. Don’t you answer emails anymore?”

  Cole laughed. “I hardly ever go online these days, man. No reason to, really. I’m doing fine, a lot better than I was back in the Lou.”

  “Evidently you are. I hardly recognized you. Hey, you got time to go do lunch?”

  He’d plan to share his noon meal with Maggie and the kids. She’d promised homemade ham salad and Cole anticipated it all morning. “I doubt it,” he told Donald. “I’m just halfway done cutting weeds for the day and I’ve got other plans for lunch.”

  Behind Donald, Maggie remained at the counter. Her wary expression changed with those words and she smiled, giving him a thumbs-up. She jerked her head toward the kitchen and vanished, leaving him to deal with his visitor.

  “Oh, come on, Cole, tear yourself away for an hour or two,” Donald said. “Why are you doing yard work anyway? Is this some kind of hippie joint where you work off your bill?”

  In Cole’s mind, Donald erred. Any disparaging remark about Maggie’s place disrespected Maggie. With a rush of fury could Cole could hardly contain, he said, “I’m doing the work because I enjoy it, Donald. And no, this is a family resort. I grew up coming here with my grandparents.”

  Donald shook his head. “Oh, I should have figured. I wondered why you’d stay in this dump. We’re at the Chateau on the Lake, real nice place with a lot of class. Come on over and get a taste for your old life with me. We’ll do lunch and have some drinks maybe shoot a few rounds of golf. Whaddya say?”

  “No,” Cole said with amazing restraint. “Thanks for the offer, Donald but I’m busy. Are you here with the family?”

  “Oh, of course,” Donald said. “I sent them over to the amusement park, Steal Your Dollar City.”

  Although Donald laughed like a crazy man, Cole didn’t. “You mean Silver Dollar City? Yeah, it’s a nice place. Maybe you should have gone with your family, Donald.”

  “No way,” his old pal said. “I’d be bored out of my mind with all the hillbilly shtick and nonsense. I don’t do rides and I don’t want to hear cornpone country music.”

  He sounds like Victoria would’ve if I ever brought her here Cole thought and remembered his association with Donald came through his late wife. Donald never spoke about Cole’s humble origins in Bevo or about anything not connected to his upwardly mobile lifestyle.

  “I like the place myself,” Cole said with a slight drawl. “Well, it’s good to see you but I’ve got things to do so I’ll catch you later.”

  With that he slapped Donald across his broad back and left a sweaty imprint on the other man’s expensive Ralph Lauren polo shirt. Cole ducked behind the counter and headed into the kitchen. He shut the connecting door behind him with a decisive sound and looked up to see all three Browns watching with interest.

  “I guess you heard all that,” he said.

  “Yeah,” Kiefer said. “Man, what a dork. I’m glad you didn’t take off with him, Cole.”

  “Me too,” Maggie said and he’d swear her heart shimmered in her eyes. By doing what felt right, he passed some kind of test with her. Joy swelled within Cole’s chest until he thought he’d burst with the good feeling. Maggie added, “Lunch is ready.”

  “Let me wash up,” he said and within minutes joined them at the table for her delicious ham salad and a new batch of Babka’s potato salad. Everything tasted wonderful and Cole didn’t regret turning down Donald’s invitation. After lunch as he headed back out to finish cutting down weeds, Maggie stopped him.

  “How much more do you have to do?” she asked.

  “Not very much, an hour or less,” Cole said. “Why?”

  A wicked little glint sparkled in her eyes. “I told the kids I’d take them over to the IMAX Theater to see a movie. We could drop them off and have a couple of hours together if you’d like.”

  “Sounds wonderful,” Cole said. “What would we do?”

  Maggie glanced around the empty kitchen. “We’d go to bed.”

  Cole chuckled, his desire prickling at the suggestion. He knew, though, just how long it took to drive from the quiet side of Taneycomo over to Branson, navigate the busy Strip, and didn’t see how they’d make the round trip within two hour
s. “I like the idea, honey but I don’t see how there’d be time.”

  She grinned. “There’s a motel close to IMAX and I’ve got a coupon for a really cheap rate from one of those little travel booklets. We drop the kids off, check in and we have most of two hours. What do you say?”

  Without hesitation, the first stirrings of erotic desire racing through his blood, Cole said, “Yes.”

  “I thought so,” Maggie said with satisfaction. “Go finish the weeds, clean up and we’ll head out around three o’clock.”

  Anticipation oozed down his spine and through him as he finished cutting weeds. Cole hurried but managed to do a thorough job. After a swift shower, he dressed in casual shorts and didn’t bother to pull on briefs. Cole strolled down to Maggie’s with growing excitement and loaded everyone into her car for the trip. The two teens chattered about the movie and when Kaitlin asked what the adults would do, Maggie said, “I thought I’d show Cole some things around town.”

  “Oh, okay,” Kaitlin said.

  Cole didn’t linger to watch the kids enter the IMAX but drove down the road to the motel Maggie’d mentioned. He entered the office, used the coupon and paid cash for a room. Once inside the standard room, he drew the drapes and turned to find Maggie naked on the single bed. She’d shucked off her clothes in record time and he followed her lead.

  “I guess you wanted some lovin’,” he told her as he swept her into his arms, adoring the feel of her skin against his.

  “I need it bad,” Maggie replied. “Oh, Cole, it’s been too long.”

  Her small hands raked his back, her nails creating exquisite trails. She scratched just hard enough to hurt and yet titillate him. Sweet bursts of physical pleasure danced along his body and he buried his face between her breasts. Her soft mounds smelled of her perfume and he rubbed his cheeks against her flesh with pleasure. Cole rose up enough to tweak her nipples between two fingers and grew hard when each one grew larger. He suckled first one, then other with exquisite delight enhanced by Maggie’s randy moans. She liked what he did so he did more.