Page 26 of The Lover
The room over the Hair Stop. The only place to rent in Riverbend. Every husband who had ever been thrown out of his house by his wife would have rented that room at some point. Now it was my turn.
“That’s all I need.”
“I’ll tell you something else. This Monday, Kathy broke her leg. She’s all messed up and staying with her sister in Billings. Bernie has been helping Frank out when she can, but you know how clumsy she is.”
Bernie—Bernice actually, but everyone called her Bernie—was Frank’s wife. She managed the money and the food ordering and stuff. But she did not wait tables. Mostly because when she did, she usually spilled something on someone.
I glanced across the street at the diner, and lo and behold, saw the Help Wanted sign.
Perfect. I was sorry about Kathy’s leg, but this couldn’t have worked out any better.
Denny carried my suitcase up, and I had my scales and another bag. Maryanne was going to box up all my other stuff and ship it. I left her with enough money to hopefully cover everything.
Denny gave me air kisses on each cheek and then saidtain that way he did.
Then I was alone. In my new place. I took my scales out and set them up on the table by the bed. Nine disks on the right side. One on the left.
Because while I was back in Riverbend, I still wasn’t where I was supposed to be.
One step closer, though.
I smiled and wondered how Jake was going to react to all this.
* * *
Iwalkedinto Frank’s early the next morning. Bernie was running around with coffee, mostly screaming at everyone that she would be there in a minute.
I took a booth and waited. Finally after ten minutes she stopped by.
“What in the hell are you doing here?”
That was about right for Bernie.
“I’m home from school and I’m actually looking for a job.”
I could see her hopes rise, only then she scowled at me. “Don’t you have Long Valley to run?”
“Jake is doing that for me. He’s got to get his house done before he can move out, so I’m staying in town until then. While I’m here, I figure I might as well work.”
I could tell she knew there was more to the story. But how did I explain it to Bernie, who had been married to Frank for twenty years?
Jake and I were lovers, but he wasn’t ready to commit to me. Which meant I couldn’t go back to the house. The cabin too, for that matter, was too close. He hadn’t let me spend more than one night there, and I knew that wouldn’t change over the summer.
He was probably planning on moving into the bunk house, but I didn’t see that working either.
There was no way, after our hump fest, we were going to be able to keep our hands off each other. Which meant more than likely we would end up sleeping together in the house.
All of that was too easy for him.
I kept going back to what Maryanne said that one time about Jake. Didn’t I deserve more?
My answer was a resounding yes. I deserved a man who wasn’t reluctantly attracted to me. I deserved a man who told me he liked me and he wanted me. I deserved a man who shared himself and his feelings with me. No matter how hard that was for Jake.
I had been a dog at heel for two years, feeding off the scraps Jake was willing to dole out. Loving each and every one of them.
That had to end. If we were going to work we needed a little more balance, which was why I didn’t tell Jake I loved him when I woke up Thursday morning and saw him watching me.
Yes, I was a basic novice when it came to sex, but I wasn’t an idiot.
