hadn’t always been that
way. The mega-strength had evolved from the mishaps and tragedies in her life.
In some ways Reeva and Serena had grown up together,
and her mother had excelled in adulthood beyond the boundaries.
Not wanting to think about all that
tonight, Serena walked moodily around her house. The weather was humid and
sticky, not at all as one would expect in September, and her body felt entirely
unhappy burdened with the emotions circulating through her in the past few
days.
She stopped in the kitchen and
poured herself a big glass of cranberry juice from the container in the refrigerator.
Pascal hovered around her legs. She drank, put down the glass and squatted to
pat him.
“What am I going to do, Pascal? I’ve
never really been in love. Yet sometimes I wish I could fall in love. Just for the hell of it.”
Pascal flopped on to the floor and
Serena settled beside him for his nightly rub down. She began with his ears and
he purred loudly. “Like that?
You do, yes. I wouldn’t mind someone rubbing me this way tonight.” Nick
Fraser’s face came into her mind, and for a second she let herself feel his
touch. Her imagination left her hot and trembling, proving that it was
definitely Nick who’d placed all this uneasiness inside her.
Pascal eventually got bored. Serena
rose to her feet and began the routine of locking up the house for the night.
This predicament was all her own fault. She should
have let herself fall in love years ago. But she’d never met anyone she felt
she could trust with her inner self. She ran like a frightened rabbit whenever
she’d felt herself falling in love with a man. Now she was hung up with
dissecting every relationship that came along. Even the thought of falling in
love brought on a mini-anxiety attack. She knew all about the hurt and pain
love brought with it. She’d lived with her mother’s suffering.
Serena finished the lock-up and
walked into her bedroom to find Pascal already settling down in the middle of
the floral green and pink duvet. He was licking himself expansively.
She laughed and tucked herself into
bed beside him. “What guy would put up with you every night on the bed?”
But even having Pascal with her
tonight didn’t stop her feeling lonely and full of longing. She rolled over on
to her stomach and pressed her face desperately into the pillow. Tomorrow
evening she would see Nick Fraser in a social situation. Maybe he’d get drunk,
or obnoxious, like a lot of men she knew. Anything so she wouldn’t fall in love
with him.
•
Nick missed the corner store
landmark the first time, and then wasn’t sure which road he was to take, so he
went into the store to ask the way. When he saw the bunches of pink and white asters, he purchased a bouquet for Serena to accompany the
bottle of wine he’d slipped into the car on the way out of Toronto. He made himself feel like a guy on a
first date, when in reality this wasn’t a date at all.
He took the flowers to the counter.
“Do you know where Serena Brown lives?” he asked the woman.
She began wrapping the flowers.
“Yes. Just down the road. She’s famous around here. I took one of her courses
once, on television journalism. She doesn’t teach them anymore, but when she
first came here, three years ago, she taught two evenings a week at the West Vale
High School.” She handed
Nick the bouquet and gave him his change. “Have a nice evening.”
“You too,” he said. He thought it
interesting that Serena should teach journalism. It was really even more
interesting that she’d followed her father’s career. But then he was
discovering that anything about Serena interested him.
way. The mega-strength had evolved from the mishaps and tragedies in her life.
In some ways Reeva and Serena had grown up together,
and her mother had excelled in adulthood beyond the boundaries.
Not wanting to think about all that
tonight, Serena walked moodily around her house. The weather was humid and
sticky, not at all as one would expect in September, and her body felt entirely
unhappy burdened with the emotions circulating through her in the past few
days.
She stopped in the kitchen and
poured herself a big glass of cranberry juice from the container in the refrigerator.
Pascal hovered around her legs. She drank, put down the glass and squatted to
pat him.
“What am I going to do, Pascal? I’ve
never really been in love. Yet sometimes I wish I could fall in love. Just for the hell of it.”
Pascal flopped on to the floor and
Serena settled beside him for his nightly rub down. She began with his ears and
he purred loudly. “Like that?
You do, yes. I wouldn’t mind someone rubbing me this way tonight.” Nick
Fraser’s face came into her mind, and for a second she let herself feel his
touch. Her imagination left her hot and trembling, proving that it was
definitely Nick who’d placed all this uneasiness inside her.
Pascal eventually got bored. Serena
rose to her feet and began the routine of locking up the house for the night.
This predicament was all her own fault. She should
have let herself fall in love years ago. But she’d never met anyone she felt
she could trust with her inner self. She ran like a frightened rabbit whenever
she’d felt herself falling in love with a man. Now she was hung up with
dissecting every relationship that came along. Even the thought of falling in
love brought on a mini-anxiety attack. She knew all about the hurt and pain
love brought with it. She’d lived with her mother’s suffering.
Serena finished the lock-up and
walked into her bedroom to find Pascal already settling down in the middle of
the floral green and pink duvet. He was licking himself expansively.
She laughed and tucked herself into
bed beside him. “What guy would put up with you every night on the bed?”
But even having Pascal with her
tonight didn’t stop her feeling lonely and full of longing. She rolled over on
to her stomach and pressed her face desperately into the pillow. Tomorrow
evening she would see Nick Fraser in a social situation. Maybe he’d get drunk,
or obnoxious, like a lot of men she knew. Anything so she wouldn’t fall in love
with him.
•
Nick missed the corner store
landmark the first time, and then wasn’t sure which road he was to take, so he
went into the store to ask the way. When he saw the bunches of pink and white asters, he purchased a bouquet for Serena to accompany the
bottle of wine he’d slipped into the car on the way out of Toronto. He made himself feel like a guy on a
first date, when in reality this wasn’t a date at all.
He took the flowers to the counter.
“Do you know where Serena Brown lives?” he asked the woman.
She began wrapping the flowers.
“Yes. Just down the road. She’s famous around here. I took one of her courses
once, on television journalism. She doesn’t teach them anymore, but when she
first came here, three years ago, she taught two evenings a week at the West Vale
High School.” She handed
Nick the bouquet and gave him his change. “Have a nice evening.”
“You too,” he said. He thought it
interesting that Serena should teach journalism. It was really even more
interesting that she’d followed her father’s career. But then he was
discovering that anything about Serena interested him.
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