The explosion of flavour set him off. The chilli was cooked to perfection and wonderful.
“This didn’t take long,” he said.
She gave him a funny look.
“What?”
“You were gone over an hour,” she told him.
“Really?”
Laura giggled and went back to eating.
He admired her for several minutes. Dean loved to watch a woman eat. She wasn’t self-conscious and she enjoyed her food.
“This tastes really good,” he complimented.
“I’m pleased you like it.”
They ate in silence, but in a companionable silence. Dean enjoyed every single second. The food didn’t need conversation. He enjoyed being at the table and eating home-cooked food.
When they were finished, Laura washed up and handed him a cup of coffee. He didn’t have the heart to stop her from being at home and he could become used to the way she looked working in the kitchen.
“How’s the writing going?” she asked.
“Slowly,” he replied, looking at her over the edge of his cup.
“Will you ever tell me your pen name?” she asked.
He smiled. He wasn’t sure if she’d be able to handle some of his work.
“In time,” he answered.
“You’re very cryptic,” she said.
“You’ll know when I need you to know,” he replied.
She washed the last of the dishes and put them away before sitting with him at the table.
“How’s your writing?” he asked.
“Slow.”
He threw his head back and laughed.
“I was thinking we could go to the stream at the bottom of your garden, passed the line of trees,” she said.
Dean took a sip of his coffee and asked, “Why would you want to go there?”
“I think it’s a brilliant place to think. It might open your mind to many more possibilities.”
He thought about the stream where he’d first caught her on his property. The spot did have a calming quality he’d enjoy.
“All right. How about next week? I’ve got a few things to get done, but that would be the best time for me," he said.
Chapter Seven
Dear Diary,
Today I’ll be going to the stream with Dean. He doesn’t know how beautiful it can be. I loved the way he laughed the night I made him chilli and I want to hear more of his laughter. He needs to see the beauty in life and any chance I’m given for finding out his pen name is a plus. The fact that he won’t tell me is driving me crazy. I want to know all about his writing career and everything about him. Wish me luck with finding out more.
Peter continues to study at the library and, all right, I have to confess that he’s not a complete jerk. There, I’ve said it. I've admitted something I never thought possible. He studies most of the time and doesn’t torment me anymore, not even when his friends stop by, which did surprise me. I wonder if he’s told them to lay off? Anyway, it’s a bonus for me. I don’t have to deal with the herd.
Laura grabbed Dean’s hand and moved down the path of his garden toward the trees. Dean had tried to put off this visit and she wouldn’t let him. The sun was shining and the breeze was to a minimum. She wanted to share a part of her world with him. When she sat on that boulder that overlooked the water she could imagine being in any place other than Cape Falls.
“You don’t have to drag me,” he complained.
“Yes, I do. You were dawdling and I want to enjoy as many minutes of peace I can get. Especially since I have to get permission from the owner to visit,” she teased.
A few minutes later they stood at the beautiful spot. It was like a hidden paradise away from everyone and everything else.
“I love it here,” she whispered.
“How deep is the water?” he asked.
“It’s a stream. I don’t think it’s that deep.” She let go of his hand and climbed up onto her boulder. Laura turned and saw Dean watching her. She tapped the spot by her side.
“How long have you been coming here?” he asked.
“A few years. Mostly since the end of high school, when the pressure got too much. Coming here always made the bad seem worthwhile.”
“High school was a bummer,” he admitted. Dean climbed up on the boulder and sat close beside her.
“You hated high school?” she asked.
“Yes, everything about it. I was bullied by the jocks and tormented by everyone.”
“You weren’t a jock?”
“Nope. First-class nerd all the way. Also, in my spare time I liked to read poetry. The only person who didn’t bully me was Carla.” He went quiet at her side.
“Was Carla your wife?”
“Yes.”
“Were you childhood sweethearts?” she asked.
“Do you really want to know this?”
Laura glanced over at him. “I want to know everything about you.”
She heard him sigh and instead of badgering him to continue she stared at the water and waited.
“Carla and I were close growing up. We lived about three houses apart and were great friends, nothing deep or meaningful. If we had classes together we partnered up. We were each other’s back-up. She went to prom with the most popular guy in school. Wow, I didn’t know I’d ever forget his name, but I can’t recall it. Anyway, after prom and graduation, I had a scholarship to go to a creative writing college while she went off and did her own thing. We lost touch for over ten years.”
Laura heard him chuckle and the next moment felt her hand being taken. She gazed down to see he was holding her hand. Did he know what he was doing?
“We met at a drinks celebration," he continued. "I wasn’t doing well at story writing at the time and I wrote small pieces for tabloids and magazines. Not good enough to get noticed, but enough to pay the bills. We met and the years melted away. Five years later, when we were both thirty-three, we decided to settle down together. We cared about each other from the beginning. We got hitched in the summer of that year and a year later we’d fallen in love. I know it sounds corny and romance movie, but it happened that way for us. She’s the one who told me to start writing my own stuff and one night after, well, after doing adult stuff...”
Laura thumped him in the side. “After you’d made love. I’m not a child.”
“Okay, after we’d made love I went to my computer and typed all night long. The piece was awful. That was the starting point and I haven’t stopped since. Carla became my world and I became hers. Nothing mattered as long as we were both together. Then four years ago, little Frankie was born. My son. Our family was complete.” Tears ran down his face. Laura gripped his hand more firmly.