The Job Offer (18 page)

While she was in her room, she looked up
the number for a realtor listed in the Redmond-Bellevue area on her cell phone
and placed the called expecting to be told to leave a message because it was
still too early.  The realtor answered the call on her cell phone and promised
to have a number of apartments and rental houses lined up to show Anne on
Tuesday and Wednesday, a schedule that worked well for Anne because she was set
to fly back to Boston on Thursday morning.  Grabbing her dress and essentials
for the evening, she headed back across the path to Ben's balcony.  When she
got to the door, she stopped in shock at what she found.

Taped to the door was a single piece of
paper with the word "slut" written on it in big letters with a felt
tip pen.

Feeling shaken, she pulled it off of the
door.  It was probably Chelsea's attempt to scare her off.  She planned on
telling Ben about it, but when she entered the room, he was working on his
laptop and talking on his cell phone in a foreign language.  It sounded like he
was either speaking Chinese or Japanese and she remembered that he said he was
leaving for Asia on Monday.  He glanced over at her, gave her a quick smile,
and went back to his conversation.  She crumbled the paper into a ball and
threw it in the trash.  She would tell him later.

Not wanting to disturb him, she took her
things into his bedroom, hung up her dress, and put her makeup, jewelry, and
hair products on the bathroom vanity.  Checking her reflection, she thought
that her casual attire with the red straps sticking out from under her tee
shirt would not be a problem in the dining room for a Friday.  Friday,
Saturday, and Sunday mornings were a little more formal than the other days of
the week, usually because of weddings, special events, and church services. 
But there were always a handful of people who tended to dress casually for
breakfast at the inn no matter the day of the week, and Ben was in his swim shorts
and a tee shirt, too.

Going back into the sitting room, she
sat on the couch, picked up the newspaper and began to read an article in the
Times
about a housing boom in the Seattle area, one of the few booms after the Great
Recession that hit the country a few years before.  That would drive up the
price of rents, and she wondered what she would find in her price range.  She
wanted to find a two or three bedroom house.  After living in apartments for
the past eleven years, she wanted to be back in a house.  It would probably be
better to buy, but she was leery to do that until she had a chance to check out
the southern and eastern suburbs.

"Ready?"

Ben finished his conversation and was
looking at her expectantly from the table he used as a desk.  "Ready,"
she said and stood up.  Leaving her purse behind, she walked beside Ben
downstairs to the dining room and forgot all about telling Ben about the nasty
note taped to the door.

*  *  *  *  *

Anne and Ben spent a relaxing day biking
to the eastern side of the island and Moran State Park.  From there they made
their way up the road to Mount Constitution and wound their way up to the
observation deck that had been built at the summit.  The views from the top
were breathtaking.  The sky was clear again and they could see for miles.  The rest
of the San Juan Islands were the closest.  Further out they could see Mount
Rainer, the Cascade Mountains, and the port cities of Anacortes to the
southeast, Port Townsend to the south, and Bellingham to the northeast.  They
stood for several minutes just taking in the splendor of the 360 degree view
from the top.

Then they made their way back down the
summit again and rode their bikes south to Mountain Lake along one of the many bike
trails located in the park.  The blue water surrounded by tall pine trees came
into view long before they arrived.  Several fishing boats and canoes were in
the water further out and away from the shoreline.  They stopped at a public
beach along the lakeshore then ate a light picnic lunch of peanut butter and
jelly sandwiches, apples, and water after taking a swim to cool off.  The food
and cool water revived them.  The warm sun and exercise were taking their toll.

Later that day, they made their way back
to the inn and cleaned up for the wedding rehearsal taking place at the chapel.
 They drove her rental car to the chapel and to dinner at the steak and seafood
house located in Orcas Village, so that they could leave when they wanted to do
so.  After the dinner was finished, they decided to leave before dessert,
saying goodbyes to everyone before they left.  Anne could not help but see the
happy smiles directed at her and Ben from Ben’s family.  On their drive back to
the inn, they decided to detour and stop in Eastsound for some ice cream and a
walk around the harbor.  Walking arm and arm along the docks and the downtown
area, they greeted several locals and the tourists they crossed paths with who
were also out for a stroll.

The village was quaint and always warmed
her heart when she was there.  If she could have a vacation home, it would be
in Eastsound, she thought as they stopped to look in storefronts.  The buildings
in town looked like cottages that could be found in a storybook, all neat with
painted clapboard siding.  Some sported gingerbread trim along the fascia and
gables.  A number of houses were owned by permanent islanders, but there were
also several rental homes and B & B’s that could be found in the village.

The landscape was dotted with cabins and
campgrounds further out of the small downtown area.  Wild flowers growing in
rock ledges along the shoreline and hills were juxtaposed with neat window
boxes and flower pots on doorsteps.  They could see both of the distant
shorelines of the East Sound, a natural waterway that split the island into two
halves like an undone bow tie whose ends were left hanging from the center
loop.  Eastsound was the knot in the middle.  Hilltops covered primarily with
fir trees could be seen in the lowering sun that cast warm colors across the sky
and made the water of the Sound sparkle.

Walking around downtown, they found a
little shop that sold ice cream and went inside to get a couple of waffle cones
that they ate as they continued their stroll along the downtown area filled
with various businesses.  When the sun finally set, they headed back to Anne’s
car and drove back to the inn.  Ben parked the car in the Petrovic's private parking
area behind their house then walked with Anne up the back path to the inn’s
main building.  The swimming pool, that held a number of people earlier in the
day, was empty now and music from a live band came from inside the lounge.  Deciding
to skip the lounge full of wedding guests and vacationers, Ben took Anne's hand
and led her up the fire escape to his room where he proceeded to show her just
what the day spent with her meant to him.

Anne woke early on Saturday morning to
the feel of Ben behind her, his arm thrown over her waist and his hand on her
breast.  His lips moved over her shoulder and she sighed before rolling onto
her back.  He moved between her legs and entered her as he watched her face in
the dim morning light.  She felt the familiar pleasure enter her with each of
his thrusts, and she rose to meet him.  Then they found their climaxes together
before Ben collapsed on top of her, their bodies still joined.  She gladly
accepted his weight and held him in her arms, running her hands over his
muscled back and firm cheeks.

They both knew that their time was
running out, and their passionate lovemaking the night before was laced with a
touch of desperation that heightened every sensation.  Several times during the
night, Ben brought her to climax, holding back his own release until she
finally took control and drove him over the edge of desire.  In contrast, their
joining this morning was sweet and simple, and its impact squeezed her heart.  She
still held out hope that he would say something today to let her know that he
wanted to continue their relationship.  If he didn't, she would risk his
rejection by telling him that she would be moving back to Seattle and hope for
the best.

There were several times when she tried
to find the words in the past two days to tell him, but her fear held her back.
 When it came right down to it, the woman she was here on the island was not
who she really was anymore.  He remembered the fearless spitfire she used to be
when she was a kid.  But she had changed, and if he knew just how boring she
really was, he would run in the other direction.  Her life revolved around
science now, being careful, and looking at things logically.  She wore lab
coats over tee shirts and jeans, her hair was usually pulled back into a clip,
and her nails were unpolished.  But she wished that she could be the sexy
spitfire he said she was.

Ben smiled sleepily at her and kissed
her tenderly before laying back down beside her.  She soon fell back to sleep.  When
she woke up again, the sun was bright and she looked over at the bedside clock.
 It was ten-seventeen.  Goodness!  Anne could not remember ever sleeping so
late.  Getting out of bed, she picked up Ben’s tee shirt and put it on before
going into the sitting room.  The room was empty, but a note was left on the
buffet next to the coffee pot and a lemon poppy-seed muffin.  She smiled
because he remembered the kind of muffin that was her favorite.  The note was
from Ben telling her he would be back soon.

Before pouring a cup of coffee and
eating her muffin, she went into the bathroom for a quick shower then dressed
in the pair of shorts and a blue button down shirt she had brought over the day
before.  Once dressed, she went back into the sitting room and picked up her cell
phone to check the text message that beeped at her.  Looking at the message, she
smiled when she read it.  It was from Carla.  Sitting down on the couch she
pressed Carla's number in her contact list and waited for the phone to be
answered.

"So, did you get called back?"
 Carla greeted Anne by asking her the question.

"Good morning to you, too.  They
offered me the job."  Carla screamed in excitement then told Gary, who was
somewhere close by.  When Carla got back on the line, Anne told her the details
of the contract and when she would start.  Then she told her that she would be
looking for a rental on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"Oh, I know of a place you can
rent.  You know that little cape cod at the other end of the block?"

"Is it the blue one with the
dormers or the white one with the fence?"

"It's the blue one.  It's owned by
a techie who is moving to California for a year, but he doesn't want to sell it,
just lease it out.  But he is picky about who he will lease it to, too.  He was
talking about leasing it out to someone who doesn't have kids or pets,
preferably a professional.  No college students.  I told him about you, and he
is interested in showing it to you.  What should I tell him?  Will you look at
it?  It's a two bedroom, has a killer kitchen, a fireplace, and a big deck in
back.  Oh, and it has a single detached garage.  You need to see it."

"Sounds super tempting, Carla.  What's
he asking per month?"  Carla told her the lease price that was well within
Anne’s budget.  "Tell him that I'll be in town on Tuesday and Wednesday.  If
he is available, I want to see it."

"Will do.  How's it going at the
inn?  Do your mom and dad have you working?"  Anne took a sip of her
coffee before answering.

"No work this time.  I'm just
relaxing with old friends."

"That's good, Anne.  I told you
that I had a good feeling about this."  Anne heard Ben putting his key
card into the lock.

"Hey, I have to go now, Carla.  I'll
fill you in on Tuesday about what I've been doing.  Ok?"

"Ok.  Bye, Anne."

Anne pressed the disconnect call button
just as Ben walked into the room.  He saw her sitting on the couch and put his
hand behind his back before walking over to her.  She was curious about what he
was hiding.

"Morning," she greeted him
with a smile.  He, in contrast, had a nervous look on his face.

"Good morning.  I got this for
you."  He pulled his arm from behind him and showed her what he held in
his hand.  It was a white jewelry box.  Surprised, she looked up into his eyes
then took the box from him.  She was speechless, and swallowed a couple of
times to remove the lump that suddenly formed.  Inside the box she found a
delicate silver chain with an aquamarine stone attached as a permanent setting
of the chain.  It was beautiful.  "It reminded me of your eyes," he
said as she continued to look at the necklace.  She felt her eyes water.  "Anne?"

"It's beautiful."  She looked
up at him, and he saw her tears.

"Don't cry, Anne.  You don't like
it.  I'll take it back.  I'll exchange it."  Alarmed, he dropped to his
knees before her.

"Don't you dare!  I love it.  Help
me put it on."  She took the delicate chain from the box and tried to open
the clasp, but her hands were shaking too much.  Ben took it from her and sat
next to her on the couch.  She lifted her hair so that he could secure the
clasp, and then he kissed her nape when the clasp was secure.  Letting her hair
fall back down, she turned to look at him, fingering the stone that rested at
the base of her throat.  She was not expecting this.  Hopefully it was a good
sign, she thought, and not a parting gift.  "When did you get this?"