Loving David (11 page)

“I hope this tastes as good as it smells.” Charlotte said, eyeing the hunk of fish David had served her.

“It’ll be fabulous.” David said as he poured the remaining white wine.

Charlotte stuck her fork into the fish and held it up to her lips. “Here goes,” she said as she put her fork into her mouth. She moaned and pounded the table. “Oh, my God. This is outstanding.”

David nodded, having his own culinary orgasm. “Charlotte, this is fantastic.” He speared a potato and closed his eyes. “Magnificent.”

They barely spoke, forks clinking against plates, wine being slurped, fingers being licked. Satiated, they quickly cleaned the dishes before taking a quick stroll around the lake. They threaded their fingers together, the night air covering them in a slight breeze.

“Convinced I cooked dinner last night by myself?” David teased.

“I’m a believer. I couldn’t have done it without you. You’re amazing.”

“Ah, well, without your expert fishing technique, I couldn’t have caught such a delicious fish to begin with.”

“I guess we make a pretty good team,” Charlotte said.

David stopped and pulled Charlotte toward him. He tilted her face up and took her bottom lip in his teeth. “The best,” he whispered. Charlotte wrapped her arms around David and let him pepper her face with sweet, tender kisses. Charlotte still couldn’t believe this was her reality. To think she had almost missed out on this…life was about taking chances, and she’d almost let her fears chase her from taking the best chance of all. Charlotte traced the outline of David’s face with her fingertips, imprinting his features against her fingerprints.

“David,” she whispered.

“Yes, Charlotte?”

“I love you, David.”

CHAPTER 6

David wiped his forehead with the back of his arm; the early morning sun already beating against him like his body was a punching bag. The heat had caused him to cut his workout a bit short that morning, though he’d still managed to get in his customary 200 sit-ups. He was on his way back to the cabin when out of the corner of his eye he spotted Karen unloading groceries from her car.

“Good morning,” he jogged over to help her. “Looks like the early bird caught the worm, eh?”

Karen handed him two bags. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not much of a people person. Early morning grocery shopping benefits me and the masses.”

David chuckled, unsure of how to respond.

“So,” Karen slammed the trunk of her SUV. “I never did hear how the big birthday celebration went.”

David picked up two more bags, and he and Karen began the walk toward the dining cabin.

“Marvelous. Couldn’t have done it without the help of everyone here, what with whisking Charlotte away and such.”

Karen maneuvered one of her bags so she could open the door of the cabin. “Uh huh. And the little fishing excursion. Also fun?”

“Well, nothing stays under wraps around here for long.”

Karen shrugged. “No, I’m just nosy. Didn’t see Charlotte around yesterday----asked Hendra about where she was.”

“Ah,” David said as he hoisted two large bags of potatoes on the counter. Karen smirked.

“Shirley’s making pot roast tonight, so; lots of potatoes.”

“I see,” David nodded, and they resumed putting the groceries away in silence. “So,” David said as he put away the last of the ice cream that would be the night’s desert. “I get the feeling you don’t like me very much.”
Karen shook her head. “No, that’s not it. I actually like you quite a bit. I can tell you’re good people.”

David sat on one of the kitchen stools. “Okay, so whatever it is, I want to hear it. I promise; my feelings won’t be hurt. For an actor, my ego’s not all that fragile.”

Karen sat down on another stool and steepled her fingers underneath her chin. She was quiet for a moment before she let out a big sigh. “Listen, I think it’s one thing to have a fun little fling. Hell, I have several of them on a regular basis. But a serious relationship is quite another. Is that where this is going?”

David glanced down, a shy smile tugging at his lips. “That’s my plan.”

Karen sliced her gaze into him. “You think you love her, don’t you?”

“I
do
love her. I’ve never felt like this before. I know I’ve known her only for a short time, but I just… I feel so connected to her. Like I’ve known her my whole life.”

“For all of your thirty years, you mean?” Karen asked her question wrapped in sarcasm.

In spite of himself; David let out an exasperated sigh. “Why is that such a problem?”

“Well, of course it’s not a problem for
you
– you’re the younger one, and you’re the man!”

“I’m not out just for a good time, Karen, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Well I hope not. Listen. Just so you know, I thought it would be good for Charlotte to have a little fun with you. So long as that’s all it is. But once you start getting into serious business, well…that’s a whole different ballgame.”

David raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”

“Listen; Charlotte likes to play all nonchalant and all that, but I saw her after the whole mess with Ben, and she was a wreck. She couldn’t stand to go through that kind of betrayal again.” Karen leaned back against her chair. “So all I’m saying is, be sure that you’re not just intrigued by the thought of being with an older woman, that you really do care about her the way you say you do. Otherwise, just keep it light and fun.”

David crossed his arms. “And what makes you the expert on younger men and older women?”

“My husband was nine years younger than me. Nine years doesn’t sound like a big deal, but when you’re forty-eight and your thirty-nine year old husband changes the deal on you and decides he wants children and you know you don’t want to be a sixty- year -old woman running around after a twelve- year old, well that makes me an expert. He’s now married to a woman seven years younger than he is and he’s running after kids all day, happy as a pig in mud.” Karen stopped and crossed her legs in defiance before she started talking again.

“My ex said he never wanted kids. He had a right to change his mind. And I had a right
not
to change mine. So, okay---- you don’t have a problem with the age thing, and I have to admit; it makes you a little endearing, but it also makes me wonder if you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into.”

David was quiet, except for the sound of his fingers drumming against the countertop.

“Obviously you feel quite passionate about the subject,” he finally said.

“Alright, you say you love her. Today. What about tomorrow? Will you always feel this way? Time could change your mind, too.”

Karen stood and looked at David. “Like I said, I’m a nosy broad, and I hope I haven’t crossed a line with you. I guess all I’m saying is…be sure. Be absolutely, positively sure that Charlotte is what you want. Not some Hollywood fantasy.”

David smiled and stood to join Karen. “I love to see how much you care about Charlotte, and frankly, if you didn’t give me a bit of a hard time, I’d wonder how much of a friend you are.”

Karen snorted. “Really?”

David nodded. “She is lucky to have you in her life.”

Karen leaned against the counter. “You didn’t say whether you want kids.”

“Well, truth be told, my biological clock has never jangled so much as a broken note. I like kids, so long as they’re other people’s. It has honestly never been my thing.” David looked down. “I’m sorry your marriage didn’t work out, but I can assure you, that will never be an issue with me and Charlotte.”

Karen studied his face. “Okay,” she said, not entirely convinced.

David glanced at the wall clock. “Well, I’d better get back or Charlotte might think I’ve run off.” David planted a huge kiss on Karen’s cheek. “Thanks for the talk. I appreciate it.”

#

Charlotte gathered her clothes and headed to the divorcee cabin, which housed the washing machine. She stood over her pillow case, which doubled for a laundry bag, quietly sorting clothes.

“Magnificent.”

Charlotte gasped and dropped a pair of jeans. She turned to see David leaning against the doorjamb, grinning.

“Here we go again. How is it that I never hear you sneak up behind me?” Charlotte murmured as David moseyed over for a kiss.

“Even doing laundry you’re just so damned sexy.”

“Oh, yeah---- Laundry. Every man’s aphrodisiac.”

David gripped Charlotte around the waist. “I can attest that it’s working on me.”

They both laughed before going in for another kiss. Charlotte pulled back. “Speaking of laundry let me throw in a load for you. You couldn’t have had much in that backpack.”

“Well, I’m not so sure how I feel about you washing my kegs.”

“Your what?”

“I believe you Americans call them ‘
underwear’
.”

Charlotte shook her head. “I feel like I need to go out and buy a British-English dictionary.”

“Oh, no worries, love. You’ll always have me to translate for you.” David planted a kiss on her forehead. “So what’s on the agenda for today?”

Charlotte resumed sorting her laundry. “Book club.
Pride and Prejudice
, the ultimate chick lit.”

“Oh dear. Sounds fascinating.”

“Hey, I could make you sit in on the discussion.”

David shuddered. “Not that I don’t appreciate good literature, but I’ve never quite understood the allure of sitting around and discussing it. Probably stems from when I was in school and got called on to give deep, critical analysis, and half the time I hadn’t done the assignment.”

Charlotte started the machine. “Let me guess. You were one of those kids who charmed and bewitched your way through school.”

David laughed. “Hardly. I got my diploma in summer school. Hey, since you’re going to be tied up with your book club, do you mind if I borrow your car? I’d like to run into town for some man things.”

“What are
man things
?”

“You know… soap, deodorant, razors. That kind of thing.”

“And how do you expect to walk around town without being accosted by another mob?”

David licked his lips. ‘Well, I’ve got all that figured out. First, if you notice, I haven’t shaved yet, so we’ve got a nice…” he looked at his watch. “…ten o’clock shadow going on. Second, I’ve got a baseball cap and sunglasses and a patented slump that makes me appear about two inches shorter than I am. Finally, if I’m forced to talk to anyone,” he cleared his throat. “I’ve done several movies in an American accent,” he said in a perfectly executed Midwest twang. “I think I’ll be okay.”

Charlotte giggled. “Sounds like you’ve got everything covered.”

“I thought you’d approve. So how about those car keys?”

#

All through dinner Charlotte couldn’t stop staring at David. He’d caught her a few times and grinned as she busied herself with finishing her salad. After dinner, David and Emma became engaged in a movie trivia one-upsmanship game, and so far the older woman was winning. Of course, Charlotte wasn’t sure if David was letting her win, but it was fun to watch. She plopped her chin in her hand, her mind shifting to the past few days with David.

During the day, while Charlotte was participating in her retreat activities, David had been burning up the phone lines with William, discussing upcoming location shoots, premieres, and scripts. He continued to teach her kitchen tricks, even helping her prepare a Mexican feast for the ladies the previous night. So far, they’d stuck to the no-sex rule, though there were times Charlotte wanted to just say the hell with it and rip his clothes off.

Charlotte and David were off the hook for clean up duty that night, so after the games were over, David walked over to Charlotte and sat down.

“You’ve been awfully mysterious tonight,” he said as he trailed one finger up her arm.

“Have I? I hadn’t noticed.”

“Almost like you’ve got something up your sleeve.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble.”

David nudged her shoulder. “How about we take a walk around the lake?”

Charlotte nodded her agreement and after they had said their good-nights to everyone, they set off for a stroll in the breezy night air. David filled her in on his conversations with William, and Charlotte bounced an idea for a new book off him, her embarrassment having finally dissipated around him where her writing was concerned.

Without even realizing it, they were near the boathouse where they’d first gone fishing. Charlotte wrinkled her nose and looked up at the sky, which was filled with patches of purple and indigo, broken up by dark, puffy clouds.

“I think it’s going to rain.” she muttered.

David looked up. “Oh, I doubt it. We’ve had beautiful sunny days ever since we got here.” He kissed her forehead. “A metaphor, don’t you think? Besides, nothing in the forecast said anything about rain.”

Charlotte closed her eyes and let the damp wind wash over her face. She shook her head. “Yeah, like the weatherman never gets it wrong ----”

Just then a fat, juicy drop of water smacked against Charlotte’s bare arm, and it was followed by a rapid succession of raindrops. Sheets of rain began to cascade against them in short order, followed by furious crackles of thunder and quick snaps of lightning.

“I’ll never doubt you again,” David yelled as he grabbed Charlotte’s hand and they dashed through the downpour to the boathouse. Fortunately it was unlocked, and they managed to duck inside.

“Woo!” Charlotte yelped as she flung water from her hands. She and David looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“Well, you’re certainly a better predictor of the weather than I realized,” David laughed.

“Now you know from now on to listen to every word I say.”

David cupped Charlotte’s face in his hands, her face slick with rainwater. “Every word,” he whispered as he drew her in for a kiss. Charlotte’s teeth began to chatter, and she held him close.

“Cold?” he asked. Charlotte nodded, and David wrapped his arms around her. “Here… Better?”

Charlotte tilted her face up to David, the tiniest sliver of moonlight from the boathouse’s lone window illuminating his flawless features. The rain beat against the outside, raw and primal like a tribal drum. She ran her hands up and down the length of his arms and shivered.