meaning behind the words that she said.
Interesting.
"So you thought that I used a ruse to get you in my…ah, guest room."
"Well. Kind of."
"And you were willing to use my…guest room even though you thought I exaggerated the damage to your home."
"Uhm…"
" Mera Pyari , I've wanted you since we first met. I don't play games or manipulate situations to get my way. And I especially wouldn't involve my detectives in a ruse to get you into my…guest room."
"I know, Ram," she said softly, looking up into his eyes.
"You know the best thing about Sundays?" he asked completely changing the subject.
"No."
"It is the one day of the week, the single solitary day of the week, where you can stay in bed all day and not feel guilty."
He savored the beautiful smile that eased its way across her lips.
"Can't stay in bed with you all day as much as I'd like to, Sailor. I've got a date to go shopping with the girls. But that's not until ten."
He can feel the smile on his own face but glanced at the clock on the microwave.
Plenty of time before she had to leave.
"What are you thinking?" Marianne said trying hard not to giggle.
"I'm trying to decide if I like the blue nightie more than your lace panties with your tiny t-shirt without a bra." Ram reached across and dragged his hand over her beautiful breasts that were stunningly showcased. "Tell you what, last one to make it to the bedroom gets to be on top."
"I'm not falling for that again. Besides, you have a kitchen to clean."
"I've got a kitchen to clean?"
"I cooked, so you clean up. It's a fair division of labor and I'm not a messy cook."
Yep, this just keeps getting better and better, he thought as he smiled with her.
*.*.*.*.*
Ram was absolutely right about Sundays being the best day of the week. He didn't get a single call out for the couple of hours we were ensconced in his big bed. We were able spend some time getting to know each other and to explore his…guest rooms.
He finally told me the reason he had bought such a large house was so his family in Denver could stay with him when they came to visit. He explained that, in his father's culture, family does not go to a hotel when they visit. It was expected you would stay with family, when you visited, even if you made pallets on the floor sleeping like sardines, shoulder to shoulder next to other family members.
It was an amazing Sunday.
A postcard kind of Sunday morning.
Whenever I have a memory I want to keep, I take a mental picture and call it a 'postcard'. Something I treasure and can keep forever.
And I had several postcards for this particular Sunday morning.
Ram finally, reluctantly took me back to Auntie's house again parking two blocks away for a good bye kiss.
He walked me to the door, holding my hand.
"I have something for you, MG," he said softly as we stood on the porch.
He handed me a grocery bag.
"I want you to wear it and think of me."
"Okay. Thank you."
He raised his hand to my face and rubbed his thumb over my cheekbone, his fingers gliding along my jaw before his thumb rubbed my bottom lip.
"See you soon, Ram?"
"Yes, Pyari . See you soon."
I glanced in the bag as soon as the door closed behind me.
In it was the blue long shirt I wore when I first spent the night in his…guest room. When I wore the long shirt and he wore the bottoms.
I brought the fabric to my face and inhaled the fragrant spice I identified simply as 'Ram'.
Auntie came down the hall on her way to the living room.
"Hi, Mari! He said he'd have you back, I guess next time I'll just have to ask him what day he'll have you back." She winked at me before turning into the living room.
I shook my head, not saying anything.
Knowing she was right.
I went upstairs to get ready for shopping.
*.*.*.*.*
I had a blast shopping with Caitlin, Leila and Crystal.
Leila and I really clicked but I think part of it was because we're both in our early thirties,
Maggie Brendan
Barbara O'Connor
Jan Washburn
Terri Blackstock
Norah Simone
Barry Kemp
G.P. Taylor
Alan Cumyn
Linda Barnes
Lisa Jackson