Chapter 8
Eve
“This is delicious.”Aunt Winnie said before placing another piece of salmon in her mouth.
“Thank you. It’s been one of my go-to meals for years. It’s fast and the cleanup is easy.”
I learned how to make the dish at a cooking class I took years ago. You simply place
salmon and zucchini in foil, add seasoning, and toss it on the grill. I usually serve it with jasmine rice, but you can skip the starch if you want to keep it low carb.
“It’s been a long time since I had a home-cooked meal.”
“Do you ever cook for yourself?”
“Not like this,” she said. “Easy things like sandwiches or in the winter I make a pot of chili or soup and have it for a few days.”
“I get that. I don’t cook a lot since Grace moved away. I usually snack during the day and go out with my pole friends or grab takeout for dinner.”
“I’m so happy you started taking those classes.”
“Me too. My friend Sophie tried to get me to go for two years.” I scooped up a forkful of jasmine rice. “Thankfully I finally gave it a chance.”
“It’s been good for you.”
I nodded as I chewed.
“Both physically and mentally. It’s a great workout and learning how to climb the pole and do all the tricks gave me something to focus on besides my divorce.”
“Are you going to miss it while you’re here?”
“I am, but the break is nice too.”
“Have you looked to see if there are any studios close by?”
“No, my plan is to stay active and exercise so I’m not totally out of shape when I get back. But I’m sure there’s a studio within a reasonable distance if I wanted to go.” I chuckled. “That or I can put up a pole in the house. I’m sure you’d enjoy it too.”
A smug smile spread across her face.
“I know a young handyman who could install it for you.”
I shook my head and groaned.
“You’re way too obvious, Aunt Winnie.”
“You never did tell me how your date was Saturday night.”
“He took me to a cute Italian bistro and the food was amazing. I had a nice time.”
I’m sure she’d love to hear about the fantabulous kiss, but I’m not sharing that. I didn’t even tell my pole peeps details, even though they each texted and tried to pry them out of me.
“Any plans for a second date?”
“We’re going hiking Wednesday,” I said. “I should be home for dinner if you want to go somewhere.”
“Don’t rush home on my account.”
“I won’t rush home, but we’re going sometime in the morning, so I doubt I’ll be out too late.” I wiped my hands and placed the napkin on my empty plate. “Besides, I’m here to spend time with you.”
“You’re here to relax and be inspired. I imagine spending time with Max Corbin could be very inspiring.” She bobbed her eyebrows. “I won’t share anything you do here with your mother or grandmother. What happens at Aunt Winnie’s stays at Aunt Winnie’s.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ve never been able to find out what my mom did during her summer visits here. But whatever she did, it convinced her to not let me come by myself once I was a teen.”
Aunt Winnie laughed then closed her mouth and pretended she locked her lips.
“But seriously, I wish I spent more time here. It’s so beautiful.” I looked around at the scenery then back at Aunt Winnie. “When my mother wouldn’t let me come for extended visits, I swore that once I turned eighteen, I was going to. Then I met John and didn’t want to leave him. And you know my mom would have had a stroke if I wanted him to come here with me.”
“You can’t change the past, so there’s no use lamenting about it.” She patted my hand. “I believe everything happens for a reason. Who knows what would have happened if you did visit? You could have wanted to stay like I did, or you might have met someone who suited you better than John. Then you wouldn’t have Grace.”
“You’re right.”
“I usually am, dear. That’s why you should listen to me when I tell you to spend more time with Max. I firmly believe he’s the cure to what ails you.”
Max
“Is this boring for you?”Eve asked.
“Nope.” She glanced up at me, her brow raised. “It’s not.”
Even though that’s the truth, the trail I originally planned on taking her to today was a little more challenging. Unfortunately, it’s closed. Even though she seems to be in decent shape, Eve doesn’t have proper hiking boots so I decided to take her somewhere easier. So here we are walking the Soapstone Lake Trail.
Since we got a later start than planned, I suggested having our picnic on the way in. When the trail opened onto the meadow, we stopped and set out the blanket I’d brought and settled onto it, our brown-bag lunches spread out between us. Eve picked up her sandwich and took a bite then looked around as she chewed.
“It’s so peaceful here.”
“I agree. The other trail I’d planned to take you on had more impressive views, but there’s just something about this spot.”
“Do you come here often?”
“Generally speaking, I don’t hike as much as I used to.”
“Why not?”
“My friends and I used to hike all the time, but they’re all married now so…” I trailed off and ended the sentence with a shrug. “What about you? Do you hike often?”
“There’s a scenic vista near Scranton called Top of the World and my friends and I hike up there once or twice a year.”
“What do you do to keep in such great shape?”
Her eyes widened then the corner of her mouth kicked up in a small smile.
“I uh, I do pole dance fitness.”
“Pole dance fitness?” She nodded. “Not what I was expecting. How did you start doing that?”
“A friend of mine started taking classes after attending a bachelorette party at the studio. She kept bugging me to go with her, but I insisted I was too busy. Around the time I got divorced, I agreed to take a class. I swear, it was the hardest thing I’d ever done.” She smiled. “And I couldn’t wait to go back.”
Her whole face lit up and I couldn’t resist leaning in for a kiss. I don’t know why I thought I could stop at a simple peck. Like the other night on the beach, things went from a spark to an explosion as soon as our lips touched.
I nibbled on her luscious bottom lip and she one-upped me by licking at my top lip, fanning the flames. Our mouths opened, our tongues teasing and tasting, giving and taking. I pulled her tight against my chest, savoring every dip and curve of her amazing body.
Eve threaded her fingers through my hair, pulling me closer. She twirled her tongue around mine, drawing it further into her mouth, then lightly sucked. I groaned as my cock jumped, testing the strength of my zipper.
I twisted, lowering Eve to the blanket, our mouths never losing contact. My erection brushed against her hip and I cupped her ass, holding her in place as I pulsed against her. She groaned against my mouth and wrapped her leg around mine, pulling me even closer.
Eve’s hands roamed down my back and squeezed my ass before reversing direction and slipping under my shirt. Goosebumps trailed in the wake of her fingertips as I continued feasting on her mouth.
I don’t know how long it went on or what would have happened right there in the meadow if the distinct sound of footsteps didn’t break through our sensual fog. I ended the kiss and cocked my head to the side as I listened, my eyes not leaving hers.
The steps moved closer and voices became clear. I squeezed Eve’s waist before kneeling and holding out my hand to help her up. She scooted toward the other side of the blanket, her gaze still on mine. When I licked my lips, it dropped to my mouth. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in through my nose, then let it out slowly. When I opened them again, Eve was watching the people walking a few feet away.
“Ready to start moving again?”
Thankfully she nodded. I don’t trust myself to keep my hands off her if we don’t. We collected our trash then stood and folded the blanket. I stashed both in my backpack then looped the straps over my shoulders.
More people are on the trail than when we walked in, a few of them with dogs. Eve stopped to say hello to all of them…the dogs, that is.
“Do you have a dog?” I asked when we started walking again.
“No.” She shook her head. “I had one growing up, but my ex-husband was allergic.”
It’s not the first time she mentioned her ex, but the time was never right for me to ask about him. We have about a mile to go before we reach the truck. Now seems like as good a time as any.
“How long has it been since the divorce?”
“Just shy of three years.”
“What happened?” I asked, then realized that bordered on being rude. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”
“No, it’s fine,” she said. “I found out he started dating a woman at work. From what I understand there were a couple before her, but I didn’t know about them. Otherwise, the divorce would have happened sooner.”
“That must have been hard.”
“It was. When you plan your life a certain way, it’s tough to pivot.” She shrugged. “Thankfully my daughter is grown and I’m financially independent. It would have been much harder if it happened when she was young, before I started writing.”
“How old is your daughter?”
“Grace is twenty-two now, so she was nineteen when it happened.” I stopped walking, too shocked to move. “What?” she asked.
It still boggles my mind that she’s almost a decade older than me. I shook my head as we started moving again.
“I can’t believe you have a daughter that age. You don’t look much older than that.”
“I started young,” she said around a chuckle.
There was more I’d love to ask, but this is a date, not an interrogation. We have plenty of time to get to know each other. Besides, if she tells me hers, eventually she’ll expect me to tell her mine and I’m not ready to do that yet. Not all of it anyway.
We approached the truck and I opened the passenger door. Eve climbed in and once she clicked her seatbelt into place, I closed the door. I searched my mind for ideas to extend this date, but only one interests me. As I settled behind the wheel, I prayed it would appeal to her too.
I started the truck and turned down the volume of the radio before turning to face her.
“I’m having a great time and don’t want our time together to end just yet,” I said. “Would you be interested in coming back to my place? We can sit on the deck and have a drink or two?”
Her eyes searched mine for a few heartbeats.
“I’d like that,” she said. Then her mouth curled into a mischievous smile and she added, “Plus, if I go home too early, I’ll hear about it from Aunt Winnie.”
My answering laugh echoed through the cab as I shifted into drive and pulled out of the parking lot.