Chapter Eleven

 

Less than a week later, Allison sat with her mother on her newly purchased day bed in her new room at the Hotel. Megan had gone with them to purchase the bed, an oak night stand, and a dresser. Later, she and her mother had gone to Walmart in Edgeview and purchased a large flat-screen television for her new room. Her mother had picked out the new linens and towels, all the time explaining how excited she was that Allison was finally moving out. Not once did her mother comprehend what was going on. She’d explained it several times and each time she had to start from the beginning.

Now they sat in the freshly decorated room.

 

Her mother looked at her and said, “It’s so wonderful here. I can’t believe you got me such a wonderful room. How long did you say I would be staying?”

 

“Mom, this is your new room. You’re going to be living here now. Remember?”

 

“Well, I think it’s just wonderful. Everyone is so friendly. It’s such a nice place. I never want to leave.”

 

Iian was outside his house, working in his garden area off the back patio, when he noticed a shadow over him. It caught him off guard; and he hated being caught off guard. The man stood in a dark brown outfit and held out a clip board. Iian read his lips.

 

“So, if you’d just sign here we can get started.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Iian stood, dusting off his hands. “I’m deaf, could you please repeat what you said?” He hated the look that others, who didn’t know him, always gave. First it was always shock and then they would get embarrassed, like they’d done something wrong,. They always ended up with a pitying look.

 

“I’m sorry. I’m from Brandon’s Furniture. We’re delivering your new furniture. If you’d just sign here, we can start unloading the truck.”

 

Iian had ordered the furniture for the bedrooms upstairs. A lot of what had been up there was outdated and in need of replacing. So, he’d gotten on his laptop and in the process had found out that he loved ordering online. He had enjoyed taking his time picking out what would go in each room. He’d even ordered himself a few items for his kitchen.

 

He was spending quite a lot of his inheritance on fixing up the place. After all, he hadn’t touched any of the money since he’d turned twenty and had been given full rein to do so. He figured his father would’ve approved of all the improvements he’d been making. Iian made enough at the restaurant to live comfortably and didn’t usually bother with the extra money that sat in his accounts. He also hadn’t touched his income from the other family business, Jordan Shipping, which Todd ran full time.

 

Two hours later, he had sweat rolling down his back between his shoulders. He’d moved everything around until he was completely satisfied with the outcome. Gone were the little kids’ rooms, and in their place were two guest bedrooms and the most professional art studio he’d ever seen. He stood back and smiled at the outcome.

 

The light colored walls were still bare, but he could just imagine hanging some art in different places. The furniture was light oak and had simple lines, which kept with the flow of some of the older pieces he had. He’d kept the large bay windows uncovered. He liked the light that came in through them. The view in this room was the best in the house. His bluff stood a few yards out and he noticed that today the ocean was a peaceful blue with a matching sky.

 

The other rooms, his and Todd’s old bedrooms, were outfitted with their own unique furniture.

 

Smiling to himself, he thought that the only thing missing was someone to help fill the emptiness. Grabbing up his coat, he decided an evening walk would help him think of how he’d get Allison where he wanted her.

 

Driving home felt lonely. Her mother had looked like she was enjoying herself playing Bingo, but still the worry played in the back of her mind. Had she done the right thing? She felt like a mother leaving her child at school for the first time. Was her mother going to play nice with the other people? Would she have a freak-out moment? She knew the staff was well equipped to handle her mother’s condition, but still she couldn’t help worrying.

 

When she parked in her spot, she could see the bright lights coming from the main house and knew it was dinner time. Most of the guests at the bed and breakfast were enjoying their dinner there. Not wanting to be around the crowd, she started walking towards her cabin on the dimly-lit pathway.

 

It had been a cool cloudy day and the sun never really had made an appearance. Here in the trees, it was even darker and gloomier looking. She’d made it almost halfway to her cabin, when she heard a sound behind her. Turning around, she thought she would see another guest walking the path. But there wasn’t anyone there and the sound had stopped. She turned and proceeded down the pathway until she heard it again.

 

This time it was faster and louder. Spinning around she braced herself, but again, no one was there. Looking around slowly, she could only see darkness in the trees. Her breathing was starting to come faster and she could hear no normal sounds coming from the trees, no birds, no crickets, no frogs, nothing. Just an eerie silence. Cautiously, she turned and picked up her pace, glancing over her shoulder occasionally. When her cabin came into sight, she rushed to the front porch and hastily opened the door with her key. Slamming the door shut, she make sure to flip the lock quickly. Leaning back against it, she realized she was out of breath and her heart was racing. Had it been an animal? Was someone following her?

 

Just then her phone rang causing her to jump almost a foot off the ground and let out a small squeal. With her hand over her heart, she went to answer it.

 

Fifteen minutes later, she was shaking and out of breath for different reasons. Long gone was the feeling that someone had followed her. Instead it was replaced by the worry and questions she had about her future.

 

She had some thinking to do. Looking out the large front windows of the cabin, she decided a long walk on the beach might help clear her mind. Even though it was still gloomy, she thought the cool air would help clear her mind.

 

Grabbing up her jacket, she headed out the door to take the pebble path through the tall grass which opened up to the sandy Oregon shore. Large chunks of drift wood lay scattered across the empty beach.

 

The summer weather had finally settled in leaving most days warmer, but the breeze off the water was still cool enough. Looking off to the horizon, she could see large dark clouds. It appeared there would be a storm later that night. Keeping her head down, she walked along the shore and did her thinking.

 

Iian stood on his cliff; he watched the rain forming far off in the horizon and knew a storm was coming. Usually the weather could take a few hours to reach land or just a few minutes. Living on the coast his whole life, he learned he could usually gauge it pretty well. This one, he thought, might hit the shore before he could make it back to the safety of his house. So, he’d get wet. Living in Oregon, you learned to either love it or hate it. He loved it.

 

Then he saw her. At first glance she appeared to be just a dot on the horizon, but he could tell it was her. He would always be able to tell it was her from afar. Her head was down, the hood of her bright red wind-breaker covered her hair and face. It was the way she walked that set her apart from anyone else. She carried herself like a dancer most of the time, but when she was deep in thought, she tended to march as she was doing now.

 

He took a path that would take him to the beach before she passed the cliffs he frequented. He knew she hadn’t seen or heard him, even though he had dislodged a truck load of pebbles and dirt getting down the hill.

 

Coming up behind her, he easily matched his pace with her brisk one.

 

“Heading somewhere?” He asked.

She jumped and then whirled around putting her hand up to her heart. Her face was flushed from the brisk walk and the tip of her nose was a bright pink. No doubt from the cool wind.

 

“Oh,” she said. He watched her lovely mouth make the all-too-familiar word.

 

It took Allison several seconds to realize where she was. She hadn’t intended on going this far up the beach. Looking around, she realized she was past the bluff. How could she have gone this far and not known it?

 

Blinking, she looked at Iian and said, “Wow, I guess I walked farther than I intended.” She tried for casual.

 

He signed as he spoke, mostly out of habit. “Doing some deep thinking?” He took her hand in his and started pulling them up the path to his house.

 

His hand was warm and she could feel his heart beat in her palm. Turning her head so he could read her lips, she said,“Yes, well…”

 

“Hang on,” he interrupted, “let’s get out of the rain.” He saw her surprise when the heavens chose that moment to open up and drench both of them. Smiling, he continued to pull her up the hill.

 

Quickly walking beside him, she kept her hand in his as he guided them through the rocky path lined with tall grass. The rain was cold and she realized the breeze was blowing the wind right through her light windbreaker.

 

All of a sudden she was very glad he’d come along when he did. She hadn’t been focused on the weather and the thought of being stuck on the beach in a storm gave her the chills. She’d grown up here and knew better than to go marching down the beach and not pay attention to the skies.

 

When they reached the back door of his house, he pulled her into the kitchen and reluctantly let go of her hand to help pull off her wet jacket. Then he pulled his own coat off and hung them on the hook on the laundry room wall.

 

She was rubbing her hands up and down her arms, trying to get warm, when he turned back around.

 

“Come on, let’s go into the living room. I’ll get a fire going.” Walking into the next room he looked back as she followed him slowly.

 

She watched him walking into the the next room. This was the first time she’d been in the large brick house. She’d seen it from the beach ever since she could remember. It always looked like a large castle shining on the hills above the beach. From her old bedroom window, she could just make out the brown roof poking up through the trees. Following him out of the large kitchen, she watched his back and enjoyed the view. He had always been very tall, but it wasn’t until high school that his shoulders had become so broad. He had played basketball all throughout junior high and high school, and she’d played on the girls team herself. Admitting it only once to her sister, the only reason she had tried out for the team was because she knew Iian had already made the boys team.

 

When she walked into the large living room, she noticed that he hadn’t bothered to turn on the lights. She saw him bent over the fireplace, his shirt and jeans were wet from the rain. Looking down at herself, she realized she too was drenched. Her white shirt clung to her skin. Quickly, while his back was turned, she tried to pull it loose and crossed her arms over her front.

 

Walking further into the dim room, she looked around. Even shadowed in darkness, she could tell it was decorated in warm colors and felt very comfortable. Iian finished lighting the fire and turned back to her.

 

“Come over here, you must be cold.” He still signed along as he spoke. She found it interesting to watch his hands. Could she really be turned on by just watching his hands?

Signing back, she said, “Thank you, I didn’t realize the storm was coming that fast. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come along.” She stayed where she was, not wanting to get any closer to him. “I guess I would have gotten even more wet.”

 

“How’s your mom?” He walked towards her. No, more like stalked towards her.

 

When he reached her, he grabbed her hand and pulled her lightly towards the fire. He had a funny look on his face and she noticed that his fingers were warm in hers.

 

“She’s, she’s fine. I think she really enjoys the staff and the people at the home. I’m just nervous, since it’s her first night there.” He had pulled her down to the couch and sat close to her. It was so very hard to focus on anything when he was looking at her like that.

 

“What caused you to be out on the beach so late tonight?”

 

She took a large breath and released it. “I’ve been offered a position at a top art institute.”

 

“Wow, congratulations.” He could tell by the look on her face that there was something more. “And?”

 

“It’s in Paris.”

 

The room was silent.

 

“I don’t know if I want to pick up and move. I know everything I had was lost in the fire. To be honest, I was very glad I’d come home when I did. It wasn’t just for a visit you know. I’d come home to stay.” She leaned further back in the warmth of the couch. “It’s not that I didn’t enjoy California, it’s just that I was done with that lifestyle. I thought I would eventually get used to living in a large city. But Paris?”

 

She’d leaned so far back that the firelight no longer lit up her face. He took her hand and pulled her towards him and the light so he could see her face more clearly.

 

Realizing it had been too dark away from the fire and he couldn’t read her lips, she blushed. He just smiled back at her.

 

“What do you want to do?” He asked.

 

“I’m not too sure of that myself. I know I couldn’t be happy half-way around the world when my mother is… is…” she shrugged her shoulders.

 

“I’ve always thought you would look like this in firelight,” he said softly.

 

She just looked at him confused.

 

“Beautiful.” He reached out and toyed with the ends of her hair. “I’ve been wanting to see if it was as soft as I imagined.”

 

“Iian,” it came out as a whisper and she realized nothing else really mattered.

 

“Allison, there’s something I’ve been holding back for years. I don’t know how much longer I can hold it at bay.”

 

“Iian, I think,” she moistened her lips and heard him groan. Looking at him, she realized his eyes were fixed on her lips. Which naturally caused her to look at his. They looked very inviting. She loved looking at the small cleft in his chin and imagined playing her tongue over the sweet dip.

 

“I think,” she said again and then thought, screw it! You only live once. Right? Taking a deep breath, she leaned forward and rubbed her lips gently over his.