some?”
Nora looked wary. “What’d you have in mind?”
“Nothing mundane, I assure you. Get me some credit for creativity, huh? Since you’re not from around here, I figured you’d might like a guide that’ll take you out to witness the majesty of the swamps.”
She gave him a doubtful look that made him laugh. “It’s not that bad, Nora. Mosquitoes are basically out for the year and the boat ride can be sort of serene, looking at all those trees with their leaves dropping off and the fish all lazy beneath the surface of the water.”
“Boat?”
“Mm hmm.” Matt heaved himself up and stretched his back by reaching his arms high over his head. He noticed Nora staring at the bit of hair that carpeted the skin between his navel and waistband and gave her three additional seconds to enjoy the show. “Canoe, actually. Ah, Nora. Your distrustfulness of me is downright adorable,” he said, climbing the three stairs up into the kitchen and picking up his thermos.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you.” She followed him up and pressed a lid onto another container of soup for Karen’s dinner. “I’m just not sure if me and a boat in a swamp make the best combination.” She ran a strip of freezer tape around the container for insurance.
“It’ll be fine, I promise. Hey, I’ll make you a deal,” he said, chucking her under the chin playfully. “If you absolutely hate it, I won’t bring up the hunting issue ever again. I’ll find a new honey hole.”
Nora blushed and mumbled something about finding a plastic grocery bag. She’d caught the innuendo. Matt wanted to see just how far he could push.
“Fine,” she acquiesced. “But if I fall into the swamp you owe me big-time and not just for a new camera.”
“You got a deal.”
Chapter Four
Nora was sweeping out the accumulation of rotted straw on the barn floor when she heard the sound of someone leaning on a car horn. She looked down at her old Swatch and couldn’t believe how she’d lost track of the time. She had been cleaning to the soundtrack from
The Phantom Menace
and was getting some good exercise in waving her rake around like a light saber between each heavy load she carried to the trash bin. She needed the distraction. She couldn’t do anything — not research, not sketch, not paint —
nothing
without thinking about Matt Vogel. That scared her. She hadn’t even touched the man yet and she felt like a floozy for the things she wanted to do to him — and where.
The person in her driveway had to be Bennie. She was supposed to have arrived around lunchtime, which for Bennie actually meant “around three,” so she was right on time at five.
Nora peeled off her gloves and ran out to meet her friend, who had finally got off her horn so she could climb up to the porch.
“Wow, this place is a dump,” Bennie said cheerfully while receiving the hug Nora offered.
“Thanks for noticing. It actually looks worse now than it did when I bought it, and when I bought it the house was nearly completely covered in vines. The electric company had a hell of a time getting into the yard to run a new line.”
“Jesus. I hope you’re upgrading to the current century’s technology,” Bennie said, flicking her shiny black hair from one shoulder to the other and raising a perfectly waxed brow at her dirty friend.
“Among other projects. But don’t worry — I booked a hotel room for you for tonight so you don’t have to sleep in the draft.”
“Excellent. Is your painting boxed up? Let’s go to the hotel now. Is it far? I’m starving. Let’s go have dinner in town. You
do
have a town here, right? It’s not all just swamps and corn fields?”
Nora edged her overwrought friend into the living room and let the door shut behind them. “Yes, Bennie, there’s a town here.”
Bennie stuck out her tongue and helped herself to a juice glass from the drying rack and drained some of Nora’s boxed Merlot into it.
“Who’d you borrow the
Nora looked wary. “What’d you have in mind?”
“Nothing mundane, I assure you. Get me some credit for creativity, huh? Since you’re not from around here, I figured you’d might like a guide that’ll take you out to witness the majesty of the swamps.”
She gave him a doubtful look that made him laugh. “It’s not that bad, Nora. Mosquitoes are basically out for the year and the boat ride can be sort of serene, looking at all those trees with their leaves dropping off and the fish all lazy beneath the surface of the water.”
“Boat?”
“Mm hmm.” Matt heaved himself up and stretched his back by reaching his arms high over his head. He noticed Nora staring at the bit of hair that carpeted the skin between his navel and waistband and gave her three additional seconds to enjoy the show. “Canoe, actually. Ah, Nora. Your distrustfulness of me is downright adorable,” he said, climbing the three stairs up into the kitchen and picking up his thermos.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you.” She followed him up and pressed a lid onto another container of soup for Karen’s dinner. “I’m just not sure if me and a boat in a swamp make the best combination.” She ran a strip of freezer tape around the container for insurance.
“It’ll be fine, I promise. Hey, I’ll make you a deal,” he said, chucking her under the chin playfully. “If you absolutely hate it, I won’t bring up the hunting issue ever again. I’ll find a new honey hole.”
Nora blushed and mumbled something about finding a plastic grocery bag. She’d caught the innuendo. Matt wanted to see just how far he could push.
“Fine,” she acquiesced. “But if I fall into the swamp you owe me big-time and not just for a new camera.”
“You got a deal.”
Chapter Four
Nora was sweeping out the accumulation of rotted straw on the barn floor when she heard the sound of someone leaning on a car horn. She looked down at her old Swatch and couldn’t believe how she’d lost track of the time. She had been cleaning to the soundtrack from
The Phantom Menace
and was getting some good exercise in waving her rake around like a light saber between each heavy load she carried to the trash bin. She needed the distraction. She couldn’t do anything — not research, not sketch, not paint —
nothing
without thinking about Matt Vogel. That scared her. She hadn’t even touched the man yet and she felt like a floozy for the things she wanted to do to him — and where.
The person in her driveway had to be Bennie. She was supposed to have arrived around lunchtime, which for Bennie actually meant “around three,” so she was right on time at five.
Nora peeled off her gloves and ran out to meet her friend, who had finally got off her horn so she could climb up to the porch.
“Wow, this place is a dump,” Bennie said cheerfully while receiving the hug Nora offered.
“Thanks for noticing. It actually looks worse now than it did when I bought it, and when I bought it the house was nearly completely covered in vines. The electric company had a hell of a time getting into the yard to run a new line.”
“Jesus. I hope you’re upgrading to the current century’s technology,” Bennie said, flicking her shiny black hair from one shoulder to the other and raising a perfectly waxed brow at her dirty friend.
“Among other projects. But don’t worry — I booked a hotel room for you for tonight so you don’t have to sleep in the draft.”
“Excellent. Is your painting boxed up? Let’s go to the hotel now. Is it far? I’m starving. Let’s go have dinner in town. You
do
have a town here, right? It’s not all just swamps and corn fields?”
Nora edged her overwrought friend into the living room and let the door shut behind them. “Yes, Bennie, there’s a town here.”
Bennie stuck out her tongue and helped herself to a juice glass from the drying rack and drained some of Nora’s boxed Merlot into it.
“Who’d you borrow the
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