Patty was the first to notice the ring when I walked into the office on Tuesday.
‘Omigod! Omigod!’ She waved her arms. Her dozen silver bangle bracelets fell down her limbs stopping inches from her elbow. ‘Our Shelly is getting married.’
Soon everyone in the office was crowded around me wanting to see the ring and hear all the details.
‘That’s a huge stone,’ said Daphne, the receptionist. ‘Is there another one where he came from?’
‘Maybe it’s one of those fake ones,’ said Stan, who sits in the cubicle next to me. ‘My wife bought a cubic zirconia when we visited St Thomas and everyone thinks it’s real.’
I flashed baby-faced Stan a mean look. ‘Trust me, Stan, it’s real.’
I wasn’t ready for the firestorm of questions. In fact, I’d considered removing my ring before I walked in to avoid the commotion. I wasn’t in the mood for the barrage of attention I knew I’d receive. I managed to dodge most of the questions when my cell phone rang. It was a client I’d been working with. Mr Beach had contacted me a few months before. He’d lost his wife of fifty-five years to cancer a year ago and had just celebrated his seventy-fifth birthday. He wanted to downsize and was just about to sign the contract on a one-floor model when he suddenly got cold feet. He wasn’t ready to leave the house where he and Dorothy had raised their family and spent the better part of his life.
‘Sorry, guys. I need to take this.’ I sat down at my desk. ‘Hi, Mr Beach. What can I do for you?’
‘Gosh, darn it,’ he said. ‘I slipped the other week coming down the steps and it got me thinking that maybe I should’ve moved when I had the chance.’
‘Oh, I see. Are you okay?’
‘Yes, just twisted my ankle and it’s fine now. But I wondered if you’d stop by. I think I’m ready to move.’
I checked my calendar. ‘How about four today?’
‘Thanks, I’ll see you then.’
I got off the phone with Mr Beach and noticed I’d received a text from Eric.
I see you made it to work. Did anyone notice?
He texted several heart emojis. Have a great day. Love you!
Thanks! Love you, too!
The day went quickly and I’d realized I hadn’t eaten lunch. I found a pack of almonds in my desk drawer and gobbled those down. On my way to see Mr Beach, I stopped to fill up my gas tank and ordered a chicken sandwich from the made to order kiosk.
Mr Beach was working in the flower bed in the front yard when I arrived. He reminded me of Santa Claus in summer attire, wearing tan slacks and a blue polo shirt. Same white bushy beard and hair and a belly that seemed to have benefited from plenty of good cooking over the years.
I scanned the flower bed, full of vibrant perennials that popped with color – purple, pink and yellow. ‘Your flowers look gorgeous.’
He smiled. ‘Dorothy was always fussy about her flowers. She spent hours deadheading the plants so they’d keep blooming. Guess I don’t want to disappoint her.’ He pointed to the sky. ‘She might take it out on me when I get up there.’
I instinctively looked up at the sky. If I had a dad, I’d have liked him to be like Mr Beach. I felt sorry for him that his two sons didn’t live closer. Both lived out of state and although they’d invited him to live with them, he declined their offers. ‘I was born in this town and I’ll die in this town,’ he’d said.
I followed him inside to the robin-egg-blue kitchen, and he served me a cold lemonade.
I took a sip. ‘Thank you. It’s delicious!’
‘Made it myself. Just like Dorothy used to do. See that metal lemon squeezer on the counter?’
I looked in the direction he pointed.
‘Got that for a wedding present from my mom. She told us that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. We’ve made a lot of lemonade over the years, me and Dorothy.’
‘You miss her a lot, don’t you?’
‘Boy, do I ever!’ He pulled out a chair and sat down and invited me to do the same.
After listening to Mr Beach’s story, the lemonade tasted even sweeter. I wondered if Eric would love me that much someday. I held up my glass to make a toast. ‘In honor of Dorothy and of the life you shared in this beautiful big house. May we find a new generation to make it their home and cherish it as much as you have.’
We tapped our glasses and Mr Beach pulled a white cotton hankie out of his pants pocket and blew his nose. He was the only man I knew who still used cotton hankies.
‘So how long do you think it will take to sell?’ He leaned back in his chair.
I opened my notebook and pulled out a pen. ‘The market’s good right now. Houses under three hundred thousand are selling fast. I don’t anticipate any problems. This is one of the nicest brick colonials in the neighborhood and you’ve taken great care of it over the years. Plus, it has a lot of curb appeal.’
He nodded. ‘Any idea if the house you showed me a few months back is still available?’
I shook my head. ‘No, but there’s another one just like it down the street. Brand new. They’re just finishing installing the flooring. Let me show you.’
I pulled my iPad out of my tote and leaned towards Mr Beach so I could show him the photos. ‘I really like the dark wooden floors and cabinets.’
‘And how much to add the sunroom like there was on the other place?’
‘An additional forty thousand.’
‘And they could add that to this home?’
‘Yes, or you could build what you want from scratch. Pick the flooring, cabinets, fixtures. Everything.’
He waved his hand. ‘That’s too much trouble.’
‘I’d like to show you the property. When would you be free?’
‘Well, I golf Wednesdays and Fridays. Sometimes Saturdays. But I’m usually done by one and I can go anytime the other days.’
I checked the calendar on my phone. ‘How about tomorrow at three?’
‘Works for me.’
‘In the meantime, I’ll start the paperwork on putting this house on the market.’
After we finished our lemonade and ironed out sale details, I followed Mr Beach outside. ‘Thank you for getting in touch with me again.’ I shook his hand. ‘I’ll get you the best price I can.’
As I slid into the car to drive home, Mr Beach returned to gardening. I smiled. Dorothy would be happy.
I’d forgotten to text Eric to tell him I had a late appointment, so when I checked my texts before starting the car, there were several from him.
Where are you?
Checked GPS. Whose house?
Worried. Text as soon as you get this.
I sighed. On the one hand, I wished he wouldn’t worry about me so much. On the other, it was great that he cared and looked out for my wellbeing. I typed:
Had late appt. Sorry didn’t text. Heading home now.
K. Saw you were at house outside city.
I replied. Yes. See u soon!
I started the car and resumed listening to the audiobook Eric had bought me. ‘I want to make your commute as painless as possible,’ he’d said.
An hour and a half later, I pulled into the driveway. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I smelled steaks sizzling on the grill. I walked around to the back to find Eric opening the grill cover and poking baked potatoes with a fork.
‘It smells delicious,’ I said. ‘And I’m really hungry.’
He looked up. ‘Finally, you’re home.’
‘Yeah, sorry I was late. I thought you were going to the gym tonight?’
Eric closed the lid to the grill. ‘I was going to, but since you weren’t going to be able to make it I decided to cook dinner for you instead.’
I walked over and he kissed me and held me tight against him for what seemed like hours.
‘Besides,’ he whispered. ‘I have a surprise for you later.’
I pulled away so I could look in his eyes. ‘You keep it up and I’m never going to want to leave you.’ I laughed.
He pulled me in again. ‘That’s what I’m counting on.’
A bottle of wine, steaks, baked potatoes and salad later, I thought I’d burst.
‘You were hungry,’ Eric said.
I explained about missing lunch, finding almonds and the chicken sandwich. ‘Oh,’ he said. ‘I didn’t see you stop for a chicken sandwich.’
I scrunched my nose. ‘What? Do you check my location constantly? When I stopped for gas I bought a chicken sandwich.’
I guess he noticed I was a little annoyed. ‘Look, I just worry about you. I check it throughout the day to make sure you’re safe. I’ve waited my whole life for you and now that I’ve found you, I never want to lose you.’
My heart melted. ‘Thanks, that’s so sweet. But please don’t worry about me so much.’
Tears formed in the corners of his eyes and I felt like I was floating on air. How could someone love me as much as Eric did?
That night after I showered, I found Eric’s latest surprise on the bed. There was a note on top of it.
Put this on. Spread eagle on the bed. I’ll be right there.
What the…? I looked over to the bathroom where Eric was showering. I picked up the sexy black bra set with high-waist panties that laced up at the front and had adjustable garters. He’d also bought thigh-high fishnet stockings with lacey tops. I guess that’s what the garters were for. I also noticed the set included wrist restraints.
Another one of his fantasies? I put on the bra and lacey panties and looked in the mirror. I felt like a Victoria’s Secret model flunkie. I heard the shower stop so I quickly pulled on the fishnet stockings and fastened them to the garters. That’s when I noticed the pair of red spiked high heels sitting on the floor. I picked one up and checked the size. It was my size. I guess I’m supposed to wear these, too. I strapped on the shoes and crawled into the middle of the bed and spread eagle, like he had instructed me to do. Seconds later, he came out of the bathroom.
‘I see you found my surprise.’ He sounded like a little kid on Christmas morning.
I lifted my head. ‘Yes. Although I feel ridiculous in it.’
He walked over to the bed. ‘You’re beautiful. Just like I wanted.’
‘Is this another one of your fantasies?’ I asked.
He crawled onto the bed and started kissing me. ‘Mind if I use the wrist restraints.’
I shook my head. ‘But not tight.’
‘No, not tight. Loose like last night.’
He straddled me and tied my wrists to the bed spindles. ‘You’re so absolutely beautiful.’
‘I kind of feel like a whore wearing this.’
He kissed my arm, starting with my wrist and moving down towards my shoulder. Then he whispered in my ear. ‘Then you’re my whore.’
I thought he was going a little overboard with the whore roleplaying scenario but couldn’t resist the things he was doing to me. If he got his kicks from pretending I was his whore, what harm could it do? What he commanded, I did. And I did things I’d never done before. By the end of the night, I knew there’d be many more nights when he’d want me like this.
‘Are you asleep?’ he whispered into my ear.
I yawned. ‘Almost. Why?’
‘Thank you for tonight. You listen well.’