19:Lazy Day

August 10

“Izzie, I swear to God, I’ve never experienced anything like it before.  Then again, I’ve never had sex with a man I liked so little.  Please take note that disdain heaped on top of lust makes some frigging explosive chemistry.”

It was mid-afternoon and Charlie was having a classic vacation day.  She lounged by the pool without a care in the world while the boys were out running with Jesse Bongiovi again – at the beach, she thought – taking Sydney with them since she and Luke had arrived earlier in the day.  Luke might have gone to the beach, too.  She didn’t remember that he said, and she wasn’t her brother’s keeper, as the saying went.

“Let’s get our priorities straight here.  The important question is whether or not you fucked him for me.”

Charlie let loose with a genuine laugh like she hadn’t laughed in ages.  It was amazing what good sex could do for a woman.  “No, I didn’t.  Just the once for myself.”

“Then your work isn’t done,” her friend matter-of-factly stated.  “When are you going to see him again?”

As far as she knew, never.  He’d openly admitted – as she had – that he hated their attraction, and there was no reason to believe he would ever put himself within a hundred yards of her again.  After she left last night, Lilah had probably been read the riot act, meaning that even she wouldn’t have the nerve to bring Charlie back to Lily Pond Lane again.

It was disappointing to the parts of her that had experienced most exciting wakeup call of their lives, but Charlie was taking it in stride and chalking it up as a very pleasurable isolated incident.  She was, however, going to make a point of finding another live body to service her sexual needs.  Ten minutes with Jon had made it abundantly clear that battery operated boyfriends were no comparison to a hard, living, breathing, sweaty man.

Her body tingled at the mere thought.

“I probably won’t see him and my ovaries are pouting.  Any suggestions on finding a medicinal hook up?  You know, like a round of antibiotics – three times a day for a full ten days?  God that would be so good.”

Izzie chuckled in her ear.  “Jesus, Charlie.  A man is thrilled just to have someplace warm to put his dick.  If the chemistry is half as good as you say, I guarantee he’s looking for a repeat performance, too.  Use him as your ‘bad medicine’.”

Unable to withhold her groan at the blatant Bon Jovi pun, she scolded her friend, “That’s awful, Iz!  Besides, I’d probably have better luck with Dr. Feelgood.”

“That’s probably doable, actually.  I hear Vince Neil is working cheap nowadays, but do yourself a favor and ask for a note from his doctor first.”

Lifting her face to the beautiful summer sky, Charlie giggled with the delight of a teenage girl.  “Maybe that’s not such a good idea, then.  At least I’m fairly certain Jon is clean.”

She had better be, because a condom certainly hadn’t crossed her mind last night.  Not that either of them had one or would’ve been willing to stop at that realization.  Things were too heated and frenzied to accommodate common sense. 

The adult thing would be asking the question now that common sense had returned, but she wasn’t going to turn up unexpectedly on his doorstep – again.  She’d just trust her instincts.  If he had a communicable disease, that surely would’ve come to light in the divorce proceedings.  Right?

“Whatever you do, Charlie, promise me one thing.”  Gone was the levity and sarcasm, leaving behind only Izzie and her very somber doctor voice.  “Promise me you’ll make changes in your life.  Go out and find something – or someone – that will nurture your laughter and keep your smile alive.  Because it’s been way too long since I’ve talked to this girl.  I miss her.”

Her heartfelt sincerity was enough to form a lump in Charlie’s throat, forcing her to cough before protesting, “I laugh and smile Izzie.  I’m not depressed or desolate or any of those other adjectives that require a prescription.”

“No, you’re worse; you’re all business.  The business of your kids, your family, your house, your volunteer work, your piece of shit husband and your job.  There’s no time for fun anymore.  When’s the last time you went to kickboxing class?  When’s the last time you painted something besides a wall?”

She couldn’t remember the last kickboxing class, and her easels were buried in the basement somewhere, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t painting.

“Hey.  My bedroom walls are a work of art, which you would know if you ever came over to visit,” she reminded sharply.

“Don’t make this about my shortcomings, Charlie.  We’re talking about you, not me.”

“Fine,” she sighed.  “What do you want me to say?  I can’t help it that there’s so much demanding my attention right now, but at least I had enough sense to come on vacation.  I’m taking a break and having a little fun in order to preserve my mental health, just like you’re supposed to.  There’s no reason to worry about me.”

A sniff of disdain easily traveled the distance from Manhattan to East Hampton, and she could visualize the accompanying look of disgust on Izzie’s face.  “Bullshit, but I’m not beating my head against a brick wall, you stubborn bitch.  Now go get laid.”

“I’ll work on it,” she chuckled, so very grateful for a friend that cared enough to call her out when she needed it.  That’s what friendship was all about.  “Talk to you soon.”

With the intent of putting her phone in the grass, she let it drop from her hand, where it instead bounced off of a sleeping Nana.  Her little doggy head popped with an offended yip before moving partway under the chair, where she would be safe from further attacks.

“Sorry, girl,” Charlie apologized with the brisk petting that Nana normally liked.  This time, though, the dorkie jumped up and raced toward the back door of the house, barking like crazy.   Her little body wriggled and writhed as she yipped until Luke stepped out onto the deck, which explained her behavior.  She loved Luke and it only took a quick pat on the head before Nana was content and trotting along next to his ankles as they both made their way to Charlie’s side.

“Hey.  You’re starting to burn,” her big brother observed, perching on the edge of the adjacent lounge chair. 

 “Am I?”  A quick look down at the pink tinge on her chest confirmed his statement, and Charlie remarked, “I guess that’s my cue to go inside.  Where have you been?”

Through the tinted lenses of her sunglasses, she saw that his clothing was vacation appropriate – swim  trunks, tank and slip-on sandals – but his face was determinedly hanging onto the lines of stress he’d brought with him.  The worksite disaster that had delayed his arrival still wasn’t fully resolved, but Luke had told her it was now out of his hands so he opted to drive on out to the Hamptons.

“Beach.  It was miserable hot and frigging crowded.”

“Uh, yeah.  That’s pretty standard for this time of day, dumbass.  What did you expect?”

“To be able to relax, dumbass, and that wasn’t relaxing.  Is there beer in the fridge?”

“Of course.”

Even though he just sat down, her brother immediately shot to his feet and, assuming that he was going in the house, Charlie sat up and swung her legs around to do the same.  His feet stayed planted, preventing her from standing, so she looked up from her seated position to find him staring at her. 

“What?”

“Before I forget to ask, do you have plans tomorrow?”

He seriously needed that beer.  Luke was so tense that his tension was making her tense, and she was going to end up fighting him for that beer if this kept up.  Maybe if she shoved him in the pool, he would loosen up.  It warranted serious consideration. 

With a frown deep enough to crinkle her forehead, she slowly answered, “Nothing more exciting than baking by the pool.  Why?”

“Because I kind of committed you to something.”

She smacked at his thigh with the back of her hand, silently herding him out of the way so that there was room for her to stand.  When she did, Luke was still staring down at her with those damn lines in his face. 

 “Oh God.  What?”

“We’re going to the marina tomorrow to hang out on the water.  Jet skis, paddle boards and all that jazz.”

Okay, that wasn’t so bad.  In fact, it sounded kind of fun. 

“Yet you look like you’re waiting for my head to spin around a la Linda Blair.  Is there more to this story?”

“Maybe.” 

Sighing, she scooped up the phone and her towel, folding it into crossed arms.  “How about you spare me the Days of Our Lives melodrama and get to the punch line, then?”

It was his turn to cross his arms as he told her, “We’re going with Jon Bon Jovi and his family.”

She had most assuredly been out in the heat of the day for too long.  It sounded like her brother had made plans for her with Jon and his family, but that couldn’t be possible.  Sunstroke was producing some vivid hallucinations. 

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”  After he repeated the same words, verbatim, Charlie shook her head.  She wasn’t hallucinating.  “Okay, now for the part that tells me why you think this?”

“Jon called, surprising the hell out of me by saying he heard I was coming to town.  He asked if we’d like to join his family outing tomorrow.” 

It was highly unlikely that he’d intended to include her in that invitation, considering he’d basically told her to get out last night.  He might have been satisfied by the sex, but he still wasn’t happy with Charlie.

“I think you’ve misunderstood.  He probably meant you and Syd – and maybe the boys since they’re friends with his son.  That man wouldn’t willingly invite me anywhere.”

Snorting with amusement, the lines in Luke’s face finally eased.  “Damn, you two are funny.  I figured you’d be all ‘I’m not going anywhere near Jon Bon Jovi’ and beat the hell out of me for even mentioning it, but you’re actually more concerned that he doesn’t want you there.  Then there’s him, telling me you’ll never come without a personal invitation.”

A text message chimed out from her phone, making Luke laugh out loud.  “Coincidentally enough, I’d say that’s your personal invitation.  I gave him your cell number.”

“You did what?”  It was one of the only consolations she had, knowing that he couldn’t send her insulting and argumentative text messages.  Now that little bit of comfort had been stripped away by her own brother.

“Lighten up, Charls.  There are worse things than having a real man in your life.  Enjoy it for a change.”

Tapping and swiping at the phone screen as he ambled off across the yard with her dog, she saw that the message was indeed from an unfamiliar number with a New York area code.

[2:37 PM]UNKNOWN: Marina tomorrow @10.  Bring your kids and plan on spending the day. JBJ

It was as unbelievable as Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny that he was actually requesting her company.  Personally. 

What the hell?  Maybe Izzie was right about that repeat performance?

Her inner muscles rippled and then clenched with excitement at the very prospect, but the lawyer in her demanded more information.  Living the life of a control freak could be a pain sometimes, but it was as second nature to her as breathing.  She couldn’t have stopped herself from typing the message if her life depended on it.

[2:38 PM]CHARLIE: Why?

[2:38 PM]UNKNOWN: Need to see you

There went those muscles again, but her curiosity still hadn’t been satisfied.

[2:39 PM]CHARLIE:  Again, why?

[2:41 PM]UNKOWN:  Shut up and just ducking be there. COUNSELOR.

Grinning at the screen, Charlie decided that as much as it went against the very nature of her being, she was going to let it go at that.  Some things were more important than appeasing her inquisitiveness, and knowing that they were still battling for the upper hand… 

Well, it aroused her enough to push everything else to the back burner.

For now.