by Leanne Banks
Vivian frowned. “He wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t made that arrangement with Daddy.”
“Well, maybe we should extend it. The electrician is really starting to hustle, and the part-time plumber is hanging in longer than part-time. Everybody likes Benjamin. He seems to inspire people, and you used to have a big crush on him.”
“That was fifteen years ago,” Vivian said. “He’s just so cocky.”
“Aren’t most football players? He used to play football, didn’t he?” Temple asked.
“Quarterback,” Vivian said. “They make the calls.”
“I didn’t know you watched football,” Temple said.
“With Daddy,” Vivian said. “I covered football. You talked basketball.”
Temple stared at her for a long moment and shifted her glasses, then gave her a sad smile. “We sure tried to fill that son vacancy, didn’t we?”
Vivian’s throat tightened, but she managed to choke out a laugh. “I still say Jilly pulled it off the best.”
“Is there anything she can’t do, at least partly?”
“Maybe read well,” Vivian said in a low voice. “I remember Mom taking her for some special lessons. It seemed like she was always frustrated with her.”
“I’ve been so focused on becoming a partner with my firm,” Temple said. “I’m not sure what all happened between Mom and her.”
“I know what you’re saying. I worry about what she has gone through. I asked Mom about it one time and she cut me off at the knees.” She paused and took a breath. “I want to take better care of Jilly.”
“Even though it looks like she’s done a pretty good job taking care of herself?” Temple asked.
“Yeah. I don’t want her to have to take odd jobs just to survive. She deserves better than that,” Vivian said.
Temple lightly touched her arms. “Careful. You’re turning into a mother hen.”
“How can I not? Between Grayson, Millicent, Jilly and you putting your life savings on the line...”
“Well, not my whole life savings.” Temple adjusted her glasses again. “I’m not that naive. We’ll get through this. We each have our own talents. Do yoga. Go to sleep. Can I get you some wine?”
“No. I’m fine.”
“You are doing fine,” Temple said and put her arms around Vivian in an awkward hug.
“I think I’ll take a bath,” Vivian said.
“Good idea. Trust me, the numbers will always be there whether you’re dead or alive.”
“Yeah. Thanks. I guess,” Vivian said and mustered a smile. “I’ll be better in the morning.”
“Sure you will. Jilly will get you all twisted with yoga,” Temple said. “Get some rest, princess. You’ve always been the working kind of princess.”
Vivian stared after her sister as she left the room. She and her sisters had often been so busy surviving that they hadn’t had much time for each other. Vivian had tried to keep everyone happy and often felt as if she’d failed. Temple had been brainy, but not all that sociable. They’d both been shuttled off to boarding school at a relatively young age. Jilly had been sent off, too, but she hadn’t fit in. She’d struggled. Even now, Vivian wished she’d paid better attention. Maybe things would have turned out easier for Jilly...
Vivian’s head throbbed, and she squeezed her temples. Time for a bath and some jazz music to push down her porcupine quills. After turning on the taps to the tub, she grabbed her iPod and stripped off her clothes. Stepping into the tub, she sank into the water up to her chin and focused on the music. The water caressed her skin, reminding her of how little she’d been touched lately. She should get a massage, she told herself, but as the water lapped over her nipples and warmed her all over, her mind wandered to Benjamin. How would his big hands feel on her body? Would he be rough or tender? How would his hard, muscled body feel against hers?
She wriggled in the water, feeling an aching awareness in places she hadn’t paid any attention to lately. The jazz music seeped throughout her and she tried not to think about Benjamin, but want grew inside her. She tried to push it aside, yet even after she dried off and went to bed, she couldn’t stop thinking about his invitation. If she went to his room, maybe he could ease the ache inside her, and she could get on with what she needed to do.
Vivian knew she wouldn’t. She was ashamed to admit even to herself that she didn’t have the nerve.
* * *
The next morning, she focused on sun salutations with Jilly. The poses were killing her. “Jilly, I don’t know about this downward dog. I’m having a hard time with it. Jet doesn’t ever do this kind of stuff,” Vivian said. “He just stays conked out on that rug in the bar.”
“Shh,” Jilly said. “Just breathe and give in to the stretch.”
“I’m not really feeling the Zen,” Vivian said.
Jilly sighed. “That’s not a problem. Let’s do child’s pose. That should help.”
Vivian gratefully sank onto her mat. This was one pose she could actually say she loved. “Can I stay this way all day?”
Jilly laughed. “No, but let’s do a little meditation.”
Vivian rose and tried to focus on Jilly’s words, but her mind grew busy. There were too many things to do today and tomorrow. There were too many things that needed to turn out just right. Her body stiffened.
“You’re not paying attention,” Jilly said. “I can feel it.”
“Why do you have to be so perceptive?” Vivian asked. “Stop it.”
Jilly chuckled. “We all have our skills. We’ll try again tomorrow.”
“If we must,” Vivian said as she hobbled to her feet. She gave her sister a squeeze. “Thanks, beautiful.”
Vivian headed out of the screened-in porch while Jilly worked on harder poses. She brushed her hand over her forehead and nearly walked straight into Benjamin’s hard chest. “Oh, my. I didn’t see you. Um, good morning,” she said and noticed he was carrying two fishing rods.
“Good morning to you,” he said, pulling his ball cap into place. “You’re just who I was looking for.”
Vivian blinked. “Why?”
“So we can go fishing,” he said. “Two poles. I’ll even bait your hook for you.”
“I don’t have time to go fishing,” she said. “But thank you.”
“It won’t take long,” he said. “It’ll do more for you than that yoga with your sister.”
“I find that hard to believe,” she said.
“You’re not sore?” he asked.
“Yes, but that’s part of the process,” she said.
“I can guarantee you won’t get sore from fishing,” he said.
“If I don’t slice my fingers to ribbons trying to put a worm on the hook,” she grumbled.
“I already said I’d do that for you. C’mon. I’ll just keep you an hour. If you don’t feel better after an hour, then I won’t make you do it again.”
Make her, she thought. He wouldn’t make her do anything. At the same time, she wondered if it might help her to spend a little time on the lake. “Just an hour,” she said, relenting. “I have work to do.”
“So do I, but I’ll get more done if I start out this way,” he said. “Maybe you will, too.”
She was skeptical, but something in his gaze offered a temporary escape she wanted or needed. But she wouldn’t confess to that. Never. Ever.
* * *
Benjamin watched Vivian, sitting in the boat across from him, eyeing the hook with trepidation. She was a girlie-girl who’d always tried her best to be more sporty, probably to please her father, and that was one of the reasons she’d always fascinated him. She was willing to step out of her comfort zone.
Benjamin felt her watching him bait his hook.
“I should at least try,” she said.
“Why?” she asked. “You’re so sure I can’t do it.”
“No,” he said. “I just don’t want this to be the last time you go fishing with me. One thing at a time. I bet you’re good at casting.” Casting was like shifting gears. Once you got out of Neutral, you were in good shape. He put a juicy worm on her hook. “Show me your stuff.”
She looked at the rod, then at him. “This is embarrassing. I’ve forgotten how. I never dated a fisherman,” she said, clearly exasperated.
“That’s your first problem,” he said. “It will all come back to you. Use your thumb to hold down the casting reel. Pull it back, then slide it forward and release.” He nodded as she followed his instructions. “There you go. Perfect.”
“I’ve never been called perfect,” she muttered.
“Then maybe you’ve been hanging around the wrong people,” he said.
Her head snapped up and she met his gaze. She might have been raised in Virginia, but her eyes were Carolina blue. He felt the intense, deeper-than-it-should-have-been connection ricochet between them.
She must have felt it, too, because she looked away. “When are you going to cast yours?” she asked, not meeting his gaze.
“Right now,” he said and cast his line over the other side of the boat.
After several moments, she sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “I’m remembering why I didn’t love fishing. It takes so long.”
“Relax. Take a deep breath. This is your opportunity to slow down.”
“I don’t have time to slow down,” she said. “I need to paint a bathroom.”
“You’ll do it faster if you fish first. Trust me,” he said. “Stop thinking about everything you think you need to do and listen to the lake.”
Vivian took a deep breath. A thousand thoughts tried to storm through her mind, but she deliberately pushed them aside. She focused on the sounds of the lake. A bird called in the distance. The water made gentle swishing sounds. Gradually she felt soothed. Just a bit.
Something tugged on her line, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. “Ohmygoodness, I have a bite.”
“Good for you. Just hold on. Reel him in,” he coached.
Benjamin could feel her concentration. Moments later, she pulled the squirming fish into the boat.
“Oh, no,” she said. “Look what I’ve done. I’ve killed a fish. Should I throw him back in?”
Benjamin bit his lip. “No. You’re going to eat him.”
Vivian made a face. “Oh, I don’t know.”
“I will fix him up for you. He’s your trophy meal. You deserve it.”
“What about the worm?”
“I’ll get rid of the worm,” he told her and put the fish in the ice chest. “Can you relax now?”
“I’m not sure,” she said. “My heart is racing and I feel like I should be doing something.”
“You should,” he said. “You should be kissing me.”
She shot him a suspicious glance.
“Kiss me,” he said. “You’ll feel better. I promise.”
“You’re ridiculous,” she said, but after a moment, she leaned forward and pressed her mouth against his.
Benjamin slid his hand behind her neck and took her mouth, deepening the kiss. She tasted sweet, like the girl he’d always wanted but never gotten. The boat began to rock. He reached out one of his hands to steady her, but she pulled back.
“I think that’s enough,” she said breathlessly.
“Do you really?” he asked, leaning toward her.
Vivian leaned backward. “I do,” she said.
Benjamin felt a tug on his line and pulled in the fish. “Dinner for two,” he said.
“You can have mine,” she said.
He shook his head. “Didn’t your daddy tell you that you’re supposed to eat what you catch?”
“I guess,” she said. “What if I don’t like this kind of fish?”
“You will,” he said. “I’ll use the kitchen at the lodge. We can meet on the dock this afternoon.”
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea,” she said. “You’re very distracting.”
“Thank you,” he said.
* * *
After her fishing expedition, Vivian painted a bathroom and a quarter of a bedroom. By the end of the day, she ached from head to toe. “All I want is pain meds and my bed,” she said as she slumped down in the hall and took a long sip from her water bottle.
Jilly joined her. “Yoga would help,” she told her.
Vivian winced and shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’ve been sore every day since I’ve been doing yoga.”
Jilly pursed her lips. “Maybe I’ve overestimated you. Maybe you need yoga for older people.”
Vivian glanced at her sister, insulted. “Excuse me. I’m not old.”
“Well, you’re not old,” Jilly corrected herself. “But you’re new, and you haven’t stretched much. The older you get...”
Vivian gave her sister the death glare. “Don’t call me old.”
Temple hobbled down the hallway toward them. “I need a pain reliever. Maybe something stronger than over-the-counter.”
“You and me both,” Vivian said.
“I think the lodge would benefit from a spa,” Jilly said. “Especially since many older people will visit.”
Temple and Vivian glared at her.
Jilly shrugged. “Tell me you wouldn’t benefit from soaking in a Jacuzzi. Maybe we should get more than one.”
“Because we have so much extra money,” Vivian said.
“I bet it’s not that much extra,” Jilly said.
Temple cocked her head to one side. “You might be right. We should think about it.”
“Really, Miss Penny Pincher?” Vivian asked Temple.
“Yeah,” Temple said. “They are not hideously expensive, and they evoke luxury.”
“Inside or outside?” Vivian asked.
“Outside. That way we can skip indoor mold,” Temple said.
“Can we put up a sign that tells people not to pee in the spa?” Vivian asked.
Jilly giggled.
“We can,” Temple said. “But we can’t skip chlorine.”
“Just think how much you could be relaxing in a Jacuzzi right now,” Jilly said.
Vivian closed her eyes and groaned. “I wonder how quickly we can get them.”
Hearing heavy steps walking toward them on the hallway, she glanced up to see Benjamin. Her heart skipped over itself.
“Fish is ready. I don’t want it to get cold. Come on down to the dock,” he said.
“I need a shower,” she protested.
“Jump in the lake,” he said. “I’m hungry.”
Vivian scrambled to her feet and stared after him as he walked toward the stairs.
“You went fishing?” Temple asked more than said.
“It was a dare,” Vivian said.
“Hmm,” Temple said in disbelief.
“Fishing,” Jilly said with a mischievous smile. “You’ll have to tell us all about it. Go ahead, now, and enjoy...it all.”
“I couldn’t turn him down,” Vivian said. “He said I only had to do it once.”
“Sounds like it went well,” Temple said.
Vivian groaned. “Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.”
“Bet that fish is gonna be delicious,” Jilly said. “And maybe the man, too.”
Chapter Six
Benjamin successfully seduced her—into joining him in eating their catch of the day with some great sides.
With her honey-blond hair in a ponytail and her face clean except for a few swipes of paint, Vivian looked almost the same as she h
ad fifteen years ago. Except for her curves. She’d definitely filled out in that department. He’d told himself she wasn’t his type, but he couldn’t resist the urge to get to know her better. Maybe if he spent some time with her, he wouldn’t find her such a source of temptation.
“Hush puppies, fried fish and French fries,” she said as Benjamin gave her a full plate. “If I die from this, I’m sending my sisters after you.”
“There are cabbage and carrots in the coleslaw. That counts as a vegetable,” he said, sitting beside her on the dock. “If you don’t want it—”
“Don’t even think about taking away this food now that you’ve tempted me with it.” She took a bite of a hush puppy and moaned in approval. “Did you make all of this?”
“No. Grayson did most of it. He also warned me not to take advantage of Jedediah’s daughter.”
She slid a sideways glance at him. “I’m sure you’ll heed his wise words.”
Benjamin chuckled at her sly glance. “You’re well past the age of consent.”
“Are you calling me old?” she countered with a scowl.
“Not at all. If I didn’t know better, I’d probably card you at my bar.”
Appearing mollified, she twitched her lips. “Well, I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said and took a bite of fried fish. “Delicious.”
“When was the last time you caught your own dinner?” he asked.
“A very long time ago. My dad insisted I bait my own hook, and I was squeamish about it. That meant I spent a lot of time watching and reading.”
“Reading?” he said.
She nodded. “He allowed me to bring a book. Otherwise, he said I talked too much and would disturb the fish. I think my chatter bothered him a lot more than it bothered the fish.”
“Probably so. I don’t think he always knew what to do with three girls.”
“I think he tried hard to counter my mom’s influence. Ballet, piano, private school, finishing school.”
“You think he was successful?” Benjamin asked.
Vivian sighed. “Depends on the day. I know I made some choices due to my mother’s expectations. I remember my wedding day. Daddy and I were just getting ready to walk down the aisle. He had never trusted Robert. Daddy turned to me and said, ‘You can still call it off. I’ve got the keys to my Jeep in my pocket.’” She gave a wry smile. “I still remember hearing the jingle of his keys over the sound of Canon in D by Pachelbel.”
