by Deena Bright
Beginning to doze off, a book resting on my stomach, I heard, “I hope you have sunscreen on.” Startling me, causing me to jump up, I fell off the raft, splashing entirely in the water.
Resurfacing, I yelled, “Leo Cling, you son of a…” Soaking wet, I exited the pool with my book dripping wet. “Are you some kind of sunblock bounty hunter?” I grumbled.
“Oh shit, I didn’t mean to ruin your book. My bad.” He grabbed the book from me and began drying it off.
“Really? Really? You’re more concerned with my chick-lit novel than if I’m alright,” I questioned him, feigning annoyance and anger. “Oh wait, that’s right, you’re a chick-lit closet case.”
Smile fading, dimples disappearing, he said, “Closet case? That’s real nice, make fun of the virgin, he has to be gay if he isn’t screwing everything with legs.” He turned to walk away.
Shit. I was only kidding. “Leo! Wait,” I yelled after him. “I was just playing, no seriously, wait.” I felt horribly, by no means did I want to offend him or hurt him.
Turning around laughing, he said, “Gotcha, we’re even.”
“Not even close,” I argued, “you ruined my book. It was just getting good too.” Pouting, I sat down on the chaise and tried to salvage my book. Useless.
“Yeah, looks like a riveting one,” he joked. It was good. Granted, it was the third time I’d read it, but it was still good. I couldn’t argue that Chelsea Handler books were all that literary, but they cracked me up. I enjoyed every one of them.
“Oh, I’m sure. Ya teaching that author in your class these days?” He asked sarcastically.
“Yes Leo, I’m now teaching Chelsea Handler’s art of sarcasm and satire. Turns out, this fall, you’re my first guest speaker.” He laughed, sitting down next to me. “Shouldn’t you be at work?” I asked, faking annoyance.
“Our offices are closed today and tomorrow for some company golf tournament,” he explained.
“Why didn’t you go?” I asked. He should be embracing this just-out-of-college bachelorhood.
“Since I’ m new, I missed the sign up; all the teams were formed already,” he shrugged, not seeming to care. “I didn’t wanna sit around all day in a golf cart, drinking when they don’t really know me yet.” He had a point; it was good for new employees to be a little reserved at first. But soon, he’d need to loosen up and start making some work friends. “I don’t know; I may stop by tomorrow.”
“I think you should go for sure; make some friends,” I said, smiling at him. He was so good looking. I couldn’t wrap my brain around the fact that he was single.
“Miss Garrity, can I ask you something?” He suddenly seemed very serious. “What do you think sounds more me, a big lake and lots of land, or a wooded area with a lot of wildlife and privacy?”
What a strange question! Certainly not a question I’d predict. “Before I answer that,” I said, “Can you please start calling me ‘Janelle;’ you’re not in my class anymore.”
He blushed, dimples bigger than ever, and said, “I could never call you ‘Janelle.”
After some coaxing and convincing, he agreed to give “Janelle” a shot, but I wasn’t all that confident he’d actually be able to use it. “Well Leo, I guess I can see you in both. You’re pretty reserved and quiet, like a man who’d live out in the woods, outdoorsy,” I explained. “But, I can also see you married with kids, playing in the lake, ice skating in the winter, big picnics with baseball teams out on the land.”
“That’s the problem,” he whined. “I want both, but can only afford one.” Ahhh, he was deciding between two houses; he’d told me the first day he stopped over that he was looking for a house to buy. I couldn’t believe he was so young and ready to purchase a home. He really had his shit together. When I was his age, five years ago, I was drowning in credit card debt and student loans. I wouldn’t have survived if Jasper hadn’t taken over.
“When you’re in each house, which one feels like home, which one can you visualize yourself in more?” I asked, trying to help him solve his dilemma.
“Both, seriously both. I can’t decide.” He seemed truly torn. Deciding between two equally perfect things, so different, but still perfect in every way, was a tortuous and grueling task. “Well thanks anyway Miss Garrity, I’d better get back to work; your brother is going to think I am a total slacker.”
He stood up to leave. I shielded the sun from my eyes to look at him; he seemed to always be standing in the sunlight, with a halo of rays surrounding him. Angelic. How was this guy single? I never wondered why Briggs was single; he just never appeared to be a one-woman man. Briggs’ bachelorhood was by choice, I was certain. Leo, well Leo needed to find the right woman, the forever woman.
“Hey Leo, it’s ‘Janelle,’ remember?” I laughed, putting in my earbuds and lying back on the chaise. I waved and closed my eyes, smiling.
“Hey Janelle,” he called, emphasizing my name. I looked up again, and took out one earbud, waiting. “Sunscreen, remember?” He admonished and tossed the tube to me. I laughed, grabbed it, and used a little on my face and chest before reclining back down.
I stayed out in the sun for a little over an hour; then decided to go inside for a bite to eat. I still had plenty of time before Briggs was due back over; there was time to kill. As I started up the walk to the front of the house, Leo stopped me and asked if I’d want to go check out the two houses with him once he finished up.
Leo hit my soft spot; I loved touring houses. I told him that I’d love to and would be back out after I showered the lotion off and changed clothes. I showered quickly, not wanting to make him wait, happy that I’d already enjoyed quite a lengthy shower that morning. Braiding two fishtails braids down my back and slipping into my favorite one-piece teal romper, I was ready to go. The sun had pinked my cheeks, the best thing about summer, not wearing makeup other than a little mascara.
Walking out the door, Leo was waiting on the porch for me. Leo’d never been the ladies’ man, but the way he looked at me at that moment, I questioned his overall degree of innocence. Suddenly, I felt self-conscious, nervous, and very flushed. Places were twitching; I looked at my cell phone. I had three hours until Briggs arrived.
“Miss Garrity, uhh, Janelle,” he stood staring at me with a look of appraisal. “You may never wanna wear that, that thing either in front of your students.” He blushed, shaking his head.
“Leo, first of all, I’d never wear shorts and a tank top romper to school,” I explained. “Secondly, why? What’s wrong with it; it covers everything. Not short, not revealing, what?” I asked.
Not taking his eyes off my legs, “Uh, that’s easy; you look, um, great, hot, in it.” He said, his voice raspy. Well, well, well, looks like Leo was noticing. I hadn’t even planned to make him notice. Hmmm, very interesting, very very interesting.
******
Driving back from looking at the houses, I said, “You got big problems, big problems.”
“I know; this sucks. How can I decide?” He asked, more to himself than to me.
“I don’t know, Leo, just keep stopping back, weigh the pros and cons.” I answered. The houses were both perfect, a perfect fit for him.
“I don’t see the cons,” he whined, banging his head on the headrest. He was adorable. He was so mature, so manly, but he had childish tendencies that were charming and sweet. However, he was 100% right; I didn’t see the cons either. Choosing one would be very difficult, impossible really. But he had to make a choice; he couldn’t have two houses. People didn’t really have two houses.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The first house, a cabin in the woods, looked like a modern-day Thoreau hideaway. It was simple, but serene and quiet. Everything was rustic, raw, with untouched wood. The whole house had secret cubbies and hidden little rooms. The stairway was small, hidden off the kitchen; one had to go through an unassuming doorway to find it. One bedroom was small, loft-like with low ceilings, mysterious; the only way to it was a ladder up the
hallway wall. I pictured two little boys sharing it, telling ghost stories at night, hidden under blankets with flashlights. Another bedroom, close to the master bedroom, was narrow, and long, with vaulted ceilings and small cubbies and cutouts. Immediately, I wanted to put a pink canopy bed in the corner, build a window seat and fill it with stuffed animals and baby dolls. It could be a little girl’s make-believe castle, a pretend world of fairies and princesses. The master bedroom was simple, efficient, nothing to ooh and ahh over. But the master bath had a double-sized old-fashioned footed bathtub, sitting in the middle of the bathroom, begging to be filled with water and bubbles and soaked in for hours.
The outside was heavily wooded, with trails leading every which way, waiting to be explored. There were two decks off the back and side of the cabin, at two separate levels. A small staircase, curved, joining the two decks. The decks weren’t enormous, but big enough for a family to eat their dinner overlooking the woods, hoping to see wildlife run by. I could picture hammocks set up between the wooden pillars, and rocking chairs haphazardly placed about the decks. The previous family must have had children, because off the highest point of the deck was a zipline, for kids, maybe even adults, to soar from the top deck to one of the trails in the woods. Leo and I were both dying to do it, but we questioned its overall safety. He promised that if he purchased the cabin, he’d safely secure the zipline, and I could be the second person to zip through his woods.
“Why, can’t I go first, selfish?” I asked him, pouting, hoping to get my way.
“I’m not selfish; if you think I’d send you down that thing without testing its durability first, then you’re nuts,” he explained, looking at me with concern. “I could never sit back and watch you get hurt.”
Leo said things like that without weighing the magnitude of what he was saying. He was so serious about caring for people, but fun-loving and witty at the same time. I’d never met anyone like him before. He intrigued me. With Briggs, what you saw was what you got, but he could surprise you at times too. With Leo, everything was a mystery, but he was so secure and stable too. They were paradoxes that I couldn’t quite understand.
The second house, the lake house, was on acres of land with a lake in the far back corner of the property. This house screamed friends, families, get-togethers. Pulling down the long drive back toward the house and lake, I could picture large picnics with entire soccer team families playing all throughout the land. The previous family wasn’t taking any of their outdoor recreational equipment with them, leaving paddle boats, a canoe, a playset, a trampoline, and four picnic tables for the new owners to enjoy. Walking back along the lake, it felt like vacation, an escape from reality.
The inside of the house was new, open, airy, spacious, floor to ceiling windows throughout. It was a home to be proud of, to invite friends over, proving your financial status in life. The countertops were granite, white crown molding topped the edge of each wall, and the ceramic tiled floors were immaculate and flawless. The bedrooms and closets were large and open, but the master bedroom was breath-taking. The entire back wall of the bedroom was glass, revealing a magnificent view of the lake and property. French doors led out to a small deck, overlooking the lake. The bedroom would act as an oasis, a getaway from kids and guests when a couple wanted an out.
I didn’t know how Leo would ever choose between the two houses, seemed like a daunting, grueling chore. How could he choose, when each one was entirely perfect on its own, but so dissimilar from the other? What one house lacked, the other possessed, and vice versa.
“Leo, I’m thinking you’re gonna hafta just flip a coin.” There really was no other way to decide. He couldn’t buy them both, which reminded me, “So uh, when you said that you wanted to buy a house, I figured that meant some little starter house. How’re you gonna pay for this?” It was a nosy question, but these houses were gorgeous. When Marc and I were house hunting, he and I couldn’t have come close to this price range. I was curious.
“I’ve got some money stashed away, saved for a rainy day.” He said.
“Some money? Leo, both houses are gorgeous; did you rob a bank? Sell crack in college?” I joked.
“Well, you know me, anything for a buck,” He shot back, smiling. “Nah, not so much. I pretty much saved every penny I’ve ever made and then, when my grandma died, she left a large chunk of her savings to my sister and me.” Listening, I realized that when Leo spoke of his family, he always got a little sappy, but remorseful. I needed more information on that someday. “So now I’ve got money and a decision to make.” And what a decision that was. Two perfect but very different houses.
Something didn’t add up. “If you’ve got all this money, then why in the Hell are you doing Jasper’s yard?” I asked, utterly confused. “Why aren’t you enjoying your summer and hanging out with your new work friends?” I knew Jasper wasn’t paying him all that much; Leo was an accountant. He obviously didn’t need this weekend landscaping gig.
He looked away, then into the review mirror, avoiding my gaze. He was silent for a bit, then said, “Let’s just say I love working outside and the company’s pretty nice.”
Huh? I didn’t follow, “What company? Garrity Advertising?” I asked, clueless.
He shook his head, dropping his eyes from the road, sighing, “You’re gonna make me say it, aren’t you?” I looked at him dumbly, still not understanding. “You, Miss… you Janelle, I like coming over to see you, to talk and hang out.” He took his eyes off the road and looked at me, awaiting my reaction to this revelation.
I looked away, immediately, not responding to him, embarrassed by his confession. But why? I’d wanted him, hoping he saw something in me. So now, why was I so uncomfortable with his admission? Thinking about it, fantasizing, well that was one thing; Leo just made something that I kept in the forbidden, something impossible, a reality, and actual possibility. It was suddenly getting very hot.
“Ice cream!” I squealed, thankful for the distraction. “Pull over, let’s get ice cream.” Leo turned the car into the ice cream shop’s parking lot. The place was packed; summer nights’ heat brought people out of the woodwork.
Leo and I stood in line, discussing our many options. Luckily, things were’t uncomfortable between us. It was strange like that with Leo; he’d make these statements and then act as if they never really came out of his mouth. It was a puzzling, yet endearing quality. Normally, when I revealed too much or laid everything out on the table, I was mortified after and wanted to crawl immediately into a hole and hide.
Beginning to eat our sundaes, we decided to sit on the back picnic table at the far corner of the parking lot. I picked up my cherry, disgusted, about to throw it out, when Leo grabbed my wrist, and said, “Don’t even think about it.”
“What? This cherry; you want it?” I teased, trying to release his grip. He was too strong for me. He held my wrist, bringing my hand to his mouth, cherry dangling. He stuck his tongue out, pulling my wrist closer to him. Finally, I unexpectedly gave up restraint at the same time he pulled harder, forcing me to punch him in the mouth, smashing the cherry all over his face.
“Holy shit,” he groaned, holding his mouth.
“Oh my God, Leo, I’m so sorry.” I apologized profusely, trying to wipe his face.
“It’s fine really,” he said, taking the napkins from me to wipe off his face. “But let’s be perfectly clear on this, we’re even now.” He said, smiling, those dimples making me melt. Still feeling horribly, I told him I’d be right back and ran around front to the counter, while he waited at the picnic table.
Returning, I dangled a cherry between my thumb and forefinger, donning the best guilty puppy-dog face I could muster. With my lip out, I said, “Am I forgiven?” He nodded, his eyes blazing. I fed him the cherry; his tongue darted out, grasping the cherry and my thumb simultaneously. He sucked both into his mouth; I gasped.
Frozen, not moving, staring at him, he inched closer to me at the same time we heard, “Miss Garrity!” S
tartled and guilty, I turned. Vince! He was coming toward us shaking his head. “Well now, Miss Garrity seems like you’re just getting all around this summer, huh?”
The creep. “Hey Vince, do you know Leo Cling; I think you graduated together?” I asked.
Leo stood up, offering his hand; Vince just nodded, and said, “Yeah, didn’t I fuck with you a few times in high school?” Vince laughed, looking smug.
Leo just sat back down, not phased at all by Vince. I rolled my eyes, and turned away from him. Vince walked around to stand between Leo and me, separating us. “So Miss Garrity, it’s good to see you so soon again,” He looked at me with raised eyebrows, and an all-knowing look. He shrugged his shoulders, shook his head, and walked away. Calling over his shoulder, he said, “It’s good to see that you’re still trying to touch so many students’ lives.”
Groaning, I told Leo that I was ready to go back home; we were still about fifteen minutes from my brother’s house. Of all people to run into! Vince was a loud mouth, sneaky bastard. Wasn’t he supposed to be golfing? He’d stopped by the house earlier today to get his clubs from Briggs. How could Briggs be friends with him? Briggs. Oh God, Vince would tell Briggs that I was here with Leo. But what did that matter? That was okay, right? We said we weren’t “dating,” didn’t we? Well, we weren’t. I could hang out with whomever I chose. Why was whomever I chose these days always former students? Hot, sexy, mouth-watering students? This didn’t have to be as big of a deal as I was making it out to be. I toured houses with a former student, offered my advice. We stopped for ice cream, at my request, on the ride home. No more, no less. Briggs had to know Vince was a douche. I could convince Briggs that Vince didn’t know what he saw, if he saw anything at all. I was making too much out of this. Briggs wouldn’t be at my house for another hour; I had time to figure this out.
