hands were full of groceries - he’d bought a pair of steaks and some potatoes for dinner tonight. He figured it would be a decent apology to Kate for not getting the work done on time. He balanced the groceries against the door, and reached for the spare key in his back pocket, and as he put weight on the door it started to sidle open.
It was a quasi-acrobatic move that kept the groceries from tipping over onto the ground, and by the time Blake had everything in hand again his back was turned towards the door.
“You left the door open, you know,” he called.
Blake backed into his apartment and set the groceries down on top of the counter. On the back of one of the tall chairs sidled up next to the bar Kate had piled her dirty clothes. Blake hated having clothes left out there in the living room, but he was nervous to touch them. Whispering Pines didn’t have much of a singles scene, and it had been literally years since he’d had to deal with picking up women’s clothes.
Had it actually been since he’d come back from San Francisco? Blake never thought about it, but it must have been. He’d not touched a woman in three years. My God, he thought, when you retire from life you really do it whole hog.
It wasn’t that big a deal, he decided. Priests go their whole lives without female companionship, and he had felt himself under a sort of penance in all his time away from Seattle. Better to abstain from it all. Reasoning couldn’t make longing go away, though...
He heard Kate mumble something, syllables that made no words. Sleeping sounds. He turned from the counter and saw her there on his couch, her back to him with her arms tucked in at her side. She turned a bit in her sleep, and he caught a quick glimpse of her face.
She was beautiful, especially there in her sleep. It’s because she ain’t talking, he thought . There was something to that. When she was asleep the guile was away from her face. That smirk that always made him wary of anything she said was gone. Without her irony, Kate was a truly beautiful woman.
She murmured again, and turned back on her side. As she did, her white blouse was caught under her arm and was pulled up a bit, revealing the side of her stomach. Blake was about to look away, like a schoolboy, but something on it looked strange. Was it a tattoo? He sneaked closer. No, it wasn’t a tattoo. The red mark running down her side was a scar. It was like a fork of lightning thrusting upwards from her hip.
Blake sat down on a chair opposite her and stared. He couldn’t help himself. It must have been a terrible wound to leave a scar like that, but he didn’t see Kate limping or any evidence that she was recovering from a wound. At least nothing physical.
Blake’s mind twisted as though it wanted him to leave this alone. He grimaced and knew exactly what he was missing. He’d smoked back when he started on the force, before it was made illegal to do so in county buildings. He was a disciplined man, but for the first time in years he wanted a cigarette. He had a lot of thinking to do, and he needed something to keep his mind occupied and relaxed. He had nothing, though, but himself.
Kate woke up and wanted to go right back to sleep again, but she caught Blake looking at her and decided to stay awake. He was leaning back in his chair against the window, and behind him the sky was filled with red clouds, like something had set them afire. It was gorgeous. Kate couldn’t help but be flattered that Blake chose to look at her rather than the splendors of nature.
“Hey, don’t you know there’s something creepy about watching people while they’re asleep?” She smiled, but Blake didn’t smile back. He was still looking at her, but it didn’t look like he was seeing her. Kate sat up and tugged her clothes into place. “Jeez, I’m all ruffled. You didn’t ravish me, did you?”
“What? No. Ravish you. That’s silly.” He stirred in his chair
It was a quasi-acrobatic move that kept the groceries from tipping over onto the ground, and by the time Blake had everything in hand again his back was turned towards the door.
“You left the door open, you know,” he called.
Blake backed into his apartment and set the groceries down on top of the counter. On the back of one of the tall chairs sidled up next to the bar Kate had piled her dirty clothes. Blake hated having clothes left out there in the living room, but he was nervous to touch them. Whispering Pines didn’t have much of a singles scene, and it had been literally years since he’d had to deal with picking up women’s clothes.
Had it actually been since he’d come back from San Francisco? Blake never thought about it, but it must have been. He’d not touched a woman in three years. My God, he thought, when you retire from life you really do it whole hog.
It wasn’t that big a deal, he decided. Priests go their whole lives without female companionship, and he had felt himself under a sort of penance in all his time away from Seattle. Better to abstain from it all. Reasoning couldn’t make longing go away, though...
He heard Kate mumble something, syllables that made no words. Sleeping sounds. He turned from the counter and saw her there on his couch, her back to him with her arms tucked in at her side. She turned a bit in her sleep, and he caught a quick glimpse of her face.
She was beautiful, especially there in her sleep. It’s because she ain’t talking, he thought . There was something to that. When she was asleep the guile was away from her face. That smirk that always made him wary of anything she said was gone. Without her irony, Kate was a truly beautiful woman.
She murmured again, and turned back on her side. As she did, her white blouse was caught under her arm and was pulled up a bit, revealing the side of her stomach. Blake was about to look away, like a schoolboy, but something on it looked strange. Was it a tattoo? He sneaked closer. No, it wasn’t a tattoo. The red mark running down her side was a scar. It was like a fork of lightning thrusting upwards from her hip.
Blake sat down on a chair opposite her and stared. He couldn’t help himself. It must have been a terrible wound to leave a scar like that, but he didn’t see Kate limping or any evidence that she was recovering from a wound. At least nothing physical.
Blake’s mind twisted as though it wanted him to leave this alone. He grimaced and knew exactly what he was missing. He’d smoked back when he started on the force, before it was made illegal to do so in county buildings. He was a disciplined man, but for the first time in years he wanted a cigarette. He had a lot of thinking to do, and he needed something to keep his mind occupied and relaxed. He had nothing, though, but himself.
Kate woke up and wanted to go right back to sleep again, but she caught Blake looking at her and decided to stay awake. He was leaning back in his chair against the window, and behind him the sky was filled with red clouds, like something had set them afire. It was gorgeous. Kate couldn’t help but be flattered that Blake chose to look at her rather than the splendors of nature.
“Hey, don’t you know there’s something creepy about watching people while they’re asleep?” She smiled, but Blake didn’t smile back. He was still looking at her, but it didn’t look like he was seeing her. Kate sat up and tugged her clothes into place. “Jeez, I’m all ruffled. You didn’t ravish me, did you?”
“What? No. Ravish you. That’s silly.” He stirred in his chair
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