Sand and Clay (11 page)

“Caroline! Are you okay? I am
sorry, what did I say wrong?” He pulled her towards him and hugged her, she
softened into his arms with her legs still tucked against her chest. Her
sobbing slowed as she got a grip over it and tried to regain control. Turner
was just hugging her, silently, since he didn’t know what was going on or what
to say.  After a moment, Caroline sat up and wiped her face.

“I am sorry.” She said, standing up
and heading to the bathroom to grab a towel.

She wiped her face off and dabbed
her puffy eyes with a freshly wet towel. After a minute or so, she walked back
into the living room attempting to improve her previously tear-stained look. Turner
didn’t say anything, but stood up and walked over to her, pulling her in for
another hug. He had no idea what had just happened but his father had always
told him that if a woman cries, he should just be quiet and hug her.

She appreciated his hug and gently
kissed him to show her appreciation for his kindness. He pushed the hair out of
her face and kissed her again, wrapping his arms around her waist. The kiss
started gentle but quickly jumped to deeper and more passionate as the two lost
their surroundings to focus just on each other’s embrace.

Within a few minutes, Turner had
pulled her shirt up over her head and the two were stumbling towards the
bedroom. Caroline fell backwards onto the bed and Turner unbuttoned his shirt,
dropping it on the floor, as he climbed on top of her. The two quickly and
loudly disappeared into the blankets together.

Chapter
Fourteen

“Dad, please don’t interrogate him.
He really is a nice guy. There is no need for any of that.” Caroline said into
the phone, talking with her father.

“
What does he do?”
John
Sanders, Caroline’s father, asked her over the phone.

“He is an accountant at a really
great firm here in the city. He can tell you all about it when you meet him.”
Caroline told him.

“
What family is he from? Do they
have any houses here in the Hamptons?
” He asked.

“No, I don’t think so. His family
is from New Jersey but they own a chain of restaurants that are very successful
and they are well known throughout New Jersey. But, Dad, that really shouldn’t
even matter. Just give him a chance, okay? We will head up there Saturday
morning and stay the weekend, okay? See you in a few days, I need to head to
work.” Caroline said goodbye to her father and hung up the phone. It was
Thursday and she was walking to work, about to head in to the Java Jolt for her
morning pick up.

George waved at her when she
entered the shop and grabbed a cup, nodding to her that he was starting her
regular drink order. She got in line and pulled out her wallet, counting out a
few dollars as she reached the front of the line.

“How is the boyfriend?” George
asked her, smiling and handing her a cup of coffee as she handed over her cash.

“Oh, Turner is great,” Caroline
smiled, “we are headed to the Hamptons on Saturday morning for the weekend.”

“The Hamptons? Does that mean what
I think it means?” George said, his eyebrows raised.

“Yep, he is meeting the folks. We
have been dating for almost five months now, you know? It seems like it is
time. At least my dad is insisting that it is time.” Caroline said, rolling her
eyes.

“You sound excited.” George said
sarcastically.

“Well, I am, I mean, it’s not that.
I guess I just want the weekend to be over with,” Caroline smiled, “you should
probably check back with me on Monday.”

“Good luck, Caroline. I put an
extra shot in your coffee to help you out.” George smiled at her.

“You are a saint, George!” Caroline
called back to him as she headed out of the coffee shop and continued on to
work.

~**~

“Where the heck is it?” Caroline
muttered, shuffling around inside her purse on her lap. Turner glanced over at
her from the driver’s seat in the car to see what she was doing.

“Lose something?” He questioned her
as he flipped on the turn signal and glided the car into the right lane. A sign
up ahead said the exit for The Hamptons was only three quarters of a mile away.

“I can’t find my comb!” Caroline
said in exasperation as she started yanking things out of her purse and
haphazardly strewing things around the car.

“Your comb? What do you need a comb
for?” He chuckled at her, “You are making a mess, what is going on with you?”

“For my hair, Turner, what do you
think?” She scoffed at him in irritation.

“Alright, alright, no need to bite
my head off, honey. You look great, you don’t need a comb.” Turner said,
pulling off the highway onto the exit ramp. Caroline sighed and gave up,
placing her purse on the floor by her feet. She sagged back against the car
seat and looked out the window with her arms folded across her chest.

“I haven’t been home in awhile. I
just don’t want to deal with all the crap I always get from Dad.” Caroline
muttered, still irritated. Turner reached over and squeezed her knee and then
grabbed her hand, holding it.

“Babe, there is nothing to worry
about. Your dad will be happy because you are doing great at work, you got that
promotion to junior legal assistant and you are scheduled to take the BAR test
in a few months. You are dating an amazing, hot guy that all parents fall all
over in adoration. What could possibly go wrong?” Turner said jokingly, trying
to lighten her mood.

Caroline continued to hold onto her
frustration but couldn’t help but smile at his attempts at humor. She squeezed
his hand back and turned to look at him.

“I know, they are going to love
you. You are like the definition of exactly who they want me to be with.”
Caroline chuckled.

“Uh oh, does the rebellious teen in
you not like that?” Turner grinned at her.

“I’ll figure out a way to get over
it.” She teased back.

At this point, the car was in a
residential area and the GPS was alerting the couple that they were approaching
their destination. Caroline scrambled to reassemble her purse and smooth her
hair in the overhead mirror while Turner pulled the car into a driveway
entrance and started driving up the very long and winding driveway through a
path of trees.

After a few minutes, the trees
thinned out and a large house appeared in front of a circular driveway with a
few higher end cars parked to the side. The landscaping was impeccable as every
tree was trimmed and flowers were delicately arranged in beautiful patterns. The
house itself was a white brick with olive green shutters, a bright red door,
and a wraparound porch across the first floor.

As the couple climbed out of the
car, Turner raised his eyebrows in admiration at the large, standard Hampton
house in which Caroline had grown up. Caroline grabbed her bag out of the back
seat and closed the door to the car. Turner met her at the front of the car and
wrapped his arm around her. He grabbed the bag from her so that she didn’t have
to hold it and grabbed his own bag as well.

“You grew up in this house?” Turner
asked.

“Yeah, I know. It’s a nice house. Not
really me though, my parents like to wear their money on their sleeves. I’ve
always hated that they do that.” Caroline said as the two walked up the steps
to the porch. Turner looked at her and opened his mouth to respond but didn’t
get a chance because the front door swung open and a very tall, white haired,
stocky older man stepped out. His eyes were glued on Turner and his face was
stern, no hint of welcoming.

“Daddy!” Caroline greeted her
father and skipped forward to wrap her arms around him. She couldn’t help it,
she would always be a Daddy’s girl. Finally a smile broke across the large
man’s face as he responded to Caroline’s hug and squeezed his daughter tight.

“My Carrie bear, it’s so good to
see you.” He leaned down to kiss her cheek. A brunette, slender older woman
dressed in a silk dress with a large, jeweled necklace and several bracelets
adorning both wrists poked her head out from behind Caroline’s father. Her face
was the exact opposite and was beaming with excitement. She stepped around and
embraced her daughter.

“Carrie, sweetie, you look so
beautiful.” Caroline’s mother told her, hugging her again.

“Carrie, are you going to introduce
us to your gentleman friend?” Caroline’s father boomed in his deep voice while
standing and staring at Turner, still no hint of friendliness on his face. Turner
stood to the side of Caroline, clearly nervous, with a pensive smile on his
face.

“Oh, yes, of course. Dad, Mom, this
is my boyfriend Turner Schwartz. Turner, this is my Dad, John Sanders, and my
Mom, Elizabeth Sanders.” Caroline motioned to everyone during the
introductions. Turner smiled and offered his hand to Caroline’s father.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr.
Sanders.” Turner shook his hand and Caroline’s father looked him up and down
suspiciously, not saying anything more than a grunt and a nod. Caroline’s
mother rolled her eyes and gave her husband a little push to the side and took
his place shaking Turner’s hand.

“I am so glad to finally meet you,
Turner. You can call me Elizabeth. Come, come, let’s go inside, it’s chilly out
here.” Caroline’s mother told everyone and ushered them inside the large house.

“Just leave your bags by the door,
kids.” Elizabeth instructed, “Rosie will take it to your rooms.”

“Rooms?” Caroline asked, “Mom, I think
I am old enough to share a room with my boyfriend.”

“Not under my roof.” Caroline’s
father huffed and then turned and headed into a side room which was the study. A
plump, middle aged woman wearing a maid’s uniformed entered from the opposite
side of the foyer and picked up their luggage.

“Nice to see you again, Ms.
Caroline, it’s been quiet around here without you.” Rosie greeted her. Caroline
smiled and rushed over to hug her.

“Oh, Rosie, I missed you! How are
you doing?” Caroline asked, giving her a hug.

“I am late on finishing dinner, Ms.
Caroline, so I need to rush.” Rosie gave her a wink and then headed up the
stairs with the luggage. Caroline turned back to face her mom, Turner wrapped
his arm around her waist in an attempt to ground himself since he was still
nervous.

“Let’s go in the sitting room until
dinner is ready, Rosie is making your favorite! Roast beef and potatoes.” Elizabeth
explained as the couple followed her down a hallway and into a very bright
sitting room with several couches. The décor could have been right out of a
magazine or an upscale catalog. Caroline and Turner settled themselves onto a
floral patterned couch, sitting next to one another. Elizabeth picked a seat
diagonally across from them and continued to talk.

“So, tell me about yourself Turner!
We are dying to get to know the man who has stolen our daughter’s heart, she
has never brought a boyfriend home before, you know.” Caroline’s mother gushed
as Caroline turned bright red.

“We liked it that way too.”
Caroline’s father said, entering the room, having gotten himself a glass of
scotch. He took a swig and then sat in a large chair near the fireplace and
stared at Turner, who cleared his throat to ease his nerves.

“Well, I am an accountant. I am
Jewish as you can probably tell from the last name and the large schnoz.”
Turner grinned, pointing at his nose. Elizabeth chuckled at his joke but John
stayed straight faced. Turner cleared his throat again and then continued.

“Well, my parents own a chain of
four star restaurants throughout Northern New Jersey and I worked at several of
those restaurants when I was growing up, but I love math and numbers so I went
to Princeton for college and became an accountant a few-“ Turner was saying
when John interrupted him.

“You are a Princeton graduate?”
Caroline’s father sat up straight in his chair, questioning Turner.

“Yes, sir. Class of 2006, summa cum
laude.” Turner nodded in pride, eager to have found something that softened her
father’s face.

“My boy, come on, let me show you my
collection.” John stood up and finished his drink in a quick gulp, then
motioned for Turner to follow him out of the room. “I am a Princeton man
myself, class of 1982. Let me ask you a question, is Professor Stein still over
there in the…”

The men’s voices trailed off as
they left the sitting room, excitedly chatting about their alma mater. Elizabeth
stood up and joined Caroline on her couch, grabbing her hands.

“My dear, Carrie, how have you
been? Tell me everything now that the men have abandoned us.” Elizabeth
chuckled, squeezing her daughter’s hands.

“Everything is great, Mom. Nothing
has really changed, still working at the firm and doing well there. Turner and
I are doing well. Everything is great. Oh, Jackie and Aralia send their love.” Caroline
gabbed.

“Oh, those sweet girls. I miss
them, tell them to come visit soon! I haven’t seen them in at least a year.” Elizabeth
crooned.

“I will tell them.” Caroline
nodded. Elizabeth leaned back on the couch and sighed, a serious look coming
over her face.

“So, have you heard from Logan or
has Turner completely eclipsed that romance?” Her mother asked her.

Caroline startled in surprise at
the mention of Logan’s name, just hearing it felt like a stab through her
heart. Caroline forgot that she had told her mother about Logan shortly after
their separation. She had been so down and depressed for weeks after Logan went
on tour and the lovers split ways, she had turned to her mother for a few phone
calls of comfort.

Her mother had kept her confidence
and not mentioned anything to her father, which was great because a rock star
was not who her father had ever pictured her with. She didn’t need to hear that
lecture too.  Caroline shook her head in response to her mother.

“No, I assume that he is still on
tour. It’s irrelevant anyways since he is still dating that woman. It just
wasn’t meant to be, I guess.” Caroline answered softly, feeling a catch in her
throat as she remembered their brief romance.

“So, you are happy with Turner
then? You love him?” Her mom cocked her head to the side, looking inquisitively
at her daughter. Caroline looked down, not meeting her mother's eyes, and
paused for a moment. Before she could answer, Rosie walked into the room and
announced that dinner was ready.