PeakExperience (12 page)

What if she stayed with him? That didn’t lead to any
comforting views either. By the time he was her age, he might decide he’d made
a mistake in choosing someone older. She’d be in her fifties and what would
people say about them then?

As much as she hated to admit it, she wanted a normal life,
one others would see as normal as well. She’d had enough of being considered
weird as a kid with parents who didn’t fit the mold. She didn’t want a
relationship where people would wonder why she didn’t choose a man closer to
her own age. As she fell asleep, she was still wondering that herself.

Chapter Seven

Lena loved the west-facing windows of her room in the Great
House because it meant no pesky sunlight waking her early in the morning. Since
she was the only girl in the family, her parents finished the attic space for
her as two rooms. One, with the western and northern windows, was her bedroom.
With the exception of exchanging her twin bed for a queen, and taking the
stuffed animals out, it looked as it did when she summered here.

She used the second room with its eastern and northern
windows as a playroom when she was younger and as an artist studio as an adult.
It was her private sanctuary with plenty of space and wonderful lighting, both
natural and electrical. Fortunately her parents believed strongly in privacy
and needing personal space, so no one in the family came there, even when she
was away.

This morning she woke slowly and stretched pleasantly sore
muscles into rousing. She was getting used to the way her body felt after sex
with Daniel, and she liked it. A lot. Last night was simultaneously rough and
tender, both of them needing to express themselves, both of them needing the
other to accept them. Lena never knew sex could be so filled with connection.
Not even in her marriage did she experience this. She did it to please the
other person and for her own enjoyment. Feeling as though she was communicating
with her partner through sex was new.

And wonderful.

She rolled over to reach for Daniel but discovered she was
alone with a note where she thought he would be. “Gone jogging. Coffee made.
Want you again. D.” It was hard to know what was better—that he wanted her, or
that he made certain coffee was waiting for her downstairs. She decided since
she couldn’t have him at the moment, she was going with the next best thing.

Putting on an oversized t-shirt and lounge pants, she headed
barefoot to the kitchen as if guided like a cartoon character on the waves of
the enticing smell. It was a wonderful way to be greeted—a freshly brewed pot
of heaven. She could have used a kiss, too, but it was available later.

A full bottle of hazelnut creamer was in the refrigerator
from their shopping trip. She added it to her drink, took a sip and sighed
contentedly, loving the taste. Lingering over morning coffee was one of her
favorite treats when she was here, along with not having to get dressed in
anything more confining than sweatpants. Normally, her days were completely
unscripted and totally her own.

Not this time. As she continued to enjoy her coffee and bit
into a blueberry muffin, she considered how to manage her day. Maybe working
alone in her studio would help her come up with something new, something that
wasn’t possible when they were collaborating in a small office space. He might
be curious about what she was doing, but she didn’t think he would push to see
her work if she didn’t offer. He understood the creative process.

She thought of her art, sitting covered in her studio
upstairs. Maybe there was some inspiration there, although the thought of
sharing that made her nervous. What she produced here wasn’t something she
showed to anyone. It was part of why she found it easy to create. Once she
started picturing an audience, her inspiration drained away like an unplugged
bathtub.

Lena refilled her mug and left a note on the kitchen island
for Daniel.
Thanks for the coffee. Hope you had a good run. Going to work on
my own and see what comes up. See you at lunchtime. L.
She should probably
tell him where she was but she didn’t want to be found, at least for the next
several hours.

She took the supplies she brought from the living room to
the studio and then came down for her coffee and another muffin. Back in the
room she raised the shades and let in the morning light, which she was finally
ready for.

Dust particles floated in the beams of sun as brightness
fell on objects left in the dark for nearly a year. Carefully she removed drop
cloths and plastic covers off easels, her drawing table and other supplies she
stored here. Lastly, she uncovered a luxurious divan and smiled. It was her
favorite piece of furniture, a modern version of an old-fashioned fainting
couch, although sturdier and more comfortable. Ever since she was a kid she
wanted one and it was something she, surprisingly, never outgrew. When she saw
it in a magazine in a deep eggplant color she ordered two, one for home and one
for here.

As her projects were uncovered she sensed a shift within
herself, an easing. Lena would never tell her mother this, but she missed
living as an artist, giving herself over to whatever means of expression was
necessary to create. She worked in photographs, oils, cut paper—whatever
inspired her. Here there were no limits, no restrictions. It was her piece of
paradise. She hoped she would find the inspiration she needed.

* * * * *

Daniel had left a sleeping Lena and now stretched his legs
against the steps and railing of the Grand House’s porch. It was a crisp
morning and he was looking forward to running through the camp, seeing what
changed, what was still the same. One thing was very different. The woman who
would be waiting for him back at the house.

He started down the path and smiled when he saw the art
cabin a few yards in front of him. Turning left, he passed the radio station’s
shack and the path leading to the all-purpose building, before heading down the
dirt lane lined on both sides by the girls’ cabins. He remembered a time when
he, and every boy in his bunk, would have given almost anything to have access
to those oversized rooms holding the mysterious creatures they were starting to
notice. Of course, then he noticed Lena and none of the other teen girls
compared.

Being here was a surreal experience. He didn’t come for the
reunions or keep in touch with any of the friends he made. The idea of being
here alone with Lena was nearly impossible to comprehend. Years of dreaming
couldn’t compare to being with her. He knew dreams were different from reality,
but this reality was better than anything he pictured.

He jogged past the soccer field, turned down to the archery
area and then toward the lake. The temperature changed as he neared the water.
Lena was right about swimming. It was too soon, too cold, to try out the water,
which was definitely too bad. It would have been fun to skinny dip with her.
Maybe after this project was over he’d offer to take her somewhere warm and
tropical—and secluded. Thoughts of her luscious curves in a bikini, dripping
wet from the ocean flashed through his mind. He hardened immediately and almost
stumbled. He shook his head to clear the image. With that picture of Lena he
would never be able to run.

Daniel’s morning jogs were a time of peace for him, and
since joining the track team in college, he rarely missed a day. When he did,
he could feel it. His thoughts were disjointed, as if his brain were clogged.

He wasn’t a morning person, or so he’d been told by previous
roommates and bedmates. Before coffee and his run, he was probably barely
human. Their relationship was too new for her to see him in that zombie state.
He didn’t want to scare her.

Not that she rattled easily, at least not since their first
morning. There was so much passion behind her buttoned-up exterior. He loved
feeling her come alive with desire. He was fairly certain she had no idea how
erotic she was, but he was having a very good time showing her.

On his second lap around the campgrounds he chose a
different route, this time passing through the wooded area where the boys’
bunks were nestled. The summers he spent here were all great, but none like the
one when Lena unexpectedly arrived. Photography became and stayed an important
part of his life, and it was possible Lena would too. He increased the pace for
the last part of his run, wanting to get back to the Grand House to see her.
There was never someone waiting for him before.

She wasn’t waiting for him. Her note said she’d see him at
lunchtime. Her car was still in the drive, but he couldn’t find her. He
considered checking for her at the art cabin, but decided maybe she needed time
alone. Neither of them were too keen on the idea of forced company. Lunch would
be soon enough. He jumped in the shower and put on comfortable clothes.
Grabbing a notebook and sketch pad along with a fresh cup of coffee, he made
himself comfortable at a table in the living room and started playing with
images and ideas.

He got so involved in his work he didn’t notice the time
until he heard someone making noise in the kitchen. Pushing away from the
table, he stretched his legs, stiff from sitting in one position for a long
time, and headed toward the sounds.

“Good morning,” Lena said as he walked in. “Or I suppose I
should say good afternoon, since it’s nearly twelve thirty.”

Daniel automatically looked at his watch. “So it is. Have
you had a busy morning?”

“I have, you?”

“Yes, and hopefully productive.”

“I suppose we should compare notes this afternoon,” she
said.

He watched her work, more relaxed than he expected. Still,
he asked, “Do you really cut yourself off from civilization when you visit?”

“No, not entirely. I have my cell phone, and there’s a
library two towns over with internet access. I go over there every other day,
check out a new DVD or a few CDs, have lunch at one of the cafés, and bring
home Chinese takeout for dinner unless I have leftovers from Mrs. Pierce.”

“Mrs. Pierce? Is that a restaurant?”

Lena laughed. “Sort of. She and her husband are our
neighbors across the road. I’ve known them my whole life. She’s like another
grandmother to me, and she tends to check in and take care of me when I’m here.
I assume we haven’t seen her yet because I’m here unexpectedly and she hasn’t
noticed my car. Her cooking is amazing and there is always plenty of it.”

“So,” he said, adding a pause for dramatic effect. “What
have you been doing today?”

She shrugged. “Just working. Going through stuff I left here
to see if anything works for our campaign. Nothing big. Any new insights on
your side?”

Whatever she’d been doing Daniel was pretty sure “nothing”
didn’t describe it, but he was equally certain she wasn’t going to give him
details. He could be patient. Proximity made for opportunities, and he planned
on taking advantage of every one of them.

They spent the rest of the day looking at what they had and
being ruthless about their ideas. If they didn’t both love it, it was tossed.
Occasionally she was able to successfully defend an idea or he was, but for the
most part, if they didn’t agree, the plan went into the junk folder. As artists
they knew not to throw anything away that could be used in the future, but it
was discarded for this pitch.

“I’m cooked,” she said finally. Her head hurt from thinking
and running her hands through her hair. “Everything we look at either makes me
groan or makes me laugh.”

“Or both.”

“Which is not the response we’re looking to get from the
client.”

“Agreed,” he said.

“If you don’t mind, I’m going upstairs to sleep.”

“Not a problem. I’m going to channel surf for a bit to
unwind.”

“Lucky for you we have cable or you’d be surfing through
about three channels. Good night.”

As she crawled into bed, Lena thought about the man
downstairs. Now that she’d started to relax, she enjoyed her time with him, in
and out of bed. And that was saying something. Still, she told herself, it was
a short-term thing, both his employment with Crane and Fulton and in her bed,
which was how she wanted it.

Somehow, she didn’t find that as reassuring as she thought
she would.

* * * * *

The next day dawned cloudy and drizzling. As much as Daniel
would have liked to join her when she went to sleep, he didn’t want to push.
Keeping things from going too far too fast was challenging enough considering
they started out in bed on the first night here and they needed to spend a lot
of time together when they were awake.

Once again, they worked this morning in their separate
locations, however the late night and the rainy chill made him decide to rest
in his room with a book after about an hour. He didn’t know how much time
passed when a banging startled him. He opened his door to see Lena in the hall.

“Did you hear something?” he asked.

“Yes, sounded like it came from the kitchen.”

“Must have been pretty loud since it woke me.” She gave him
a quizzical look. “Late night, early morning. I started reading and fell
asleep.” Another bang.

“If the sound is making it all the way to us on the second
floor the person down there is not trying to be quiet. That’s a good sign,
right?” Lena asked.

They waited and heard more banging. “I think so,” he said.
“I hope so. I’ll go and check.”

“We’ll go and check.” They padded softly downstairs. “It’s
definitely coming from the kitchen,” Lena said as they got to the dining area
and another sound greeted them.

“And it smells really good, so I’m pretty certain this is
not a hostile invasion.”

Lena visibly relaxed then smiled. “Come with me. There’s
someone I want you to meet.” She led him into the kitchen. “Mrs. Pierce!” Lena
opened her arms and a short, slender woman turned around with a huge smile on
her face.