Ch.9, Pt. 4: “You said you love me!”
“You said you love me!” cried Katherine, pushing him onto the floor.
“No, I didn’t!” he cried pulling her down with him. She covered his face with kisses, and Noodle barked and stuck his nose into their ears until Rick pulled away, saying “Enough! We’ve got a lot of work to do, Mizzz Glee!”
Every Wednesday and every other Saturday Katherine was on her own, while Rick spent time with his son Jeremy. Sometimes she asked about him, and about Jason away at college, because she felt that if things continued with Rick, she would have to meet his sons sometime. But it felt like an enormous declaration of some kind, and the longer she didn’t meet them casually, the more significance it took on.
The nights she was alone, she missed having another body in bed, and for comfort, let Noodle sleep on the foot of the bed. He got used to it, and whenever Rick was away, he would look expectantly at her, waiting for her to help him get onto the soft covers.
One day while scraping at the house, she tried a new tack with Rick. “Why don’t we ever stay at your house? I’d love to see your place.”
“Sure. But it’s not very interesting. Just a very small bungalow. I don’t plan to stay there for long.” As Rick bent to his work, Katherine felt a sudden sharp thrill at the idea that they might live together. Maybe this was why he was so interested in helping fix her house. She smiled and rubbed his back.
Every few weeks Rick would arrive with another piece of refinished furniture. The old green-painted dresser with stuck drawers was transformed into a gleaming dark sideboard for the dining room
After taking her hands away from her mouth, Katherine said “That’s it. I’m not having a dinner party until the house is finished. It’s going to be absolutely beautiful. How did you manage it?” She ran her hand over the smooth top of the dresser. “I know, it’s all in the wood. You didn’t really have anything to do with it. What can I say? Thank you doesn’t seem enough.”
“I’ll think of something later,” he said pulling her to him.
“You’re too good to me,” she murmured when a little side table arrived another day.
“That’s the truth.”
“I don’t deserve all this.”
“It’s just a table.”
“I mean all of this,” she said, spreading her arms wide. “I don’t deserve to be this happy. Why are you so good to me?”
Rick grinned down at her. “Watch out. I have plans for you, lady.”
“What plans?” Katherine prodded, smiling back in delight.
“Too soon to tell. Now, where does this table go?”
Her job was no longer the main focus of her life, yet she was pleased that she remained prepared for her interviews. She had to concentrate more when she had the time. As long as she knew when Rick was coming over next, she could do her work. But when she hadn’t heard from him in a day or so, she became distracted. She listened at every car that went by, wondering if it was him.
At work, she was usually in such good spirits that Janine and Lawrence both commented on it. She preferred to keep Rick a secret for a while, enjoying the feeling of security. The only problem was that occasionally she was restless and impatient at work, and she would pace and frequently walk to the washroom. It usually happened when she hadn’t seen Rick for a few days. Then she would feel almost wild for him. Like eating just a bit of chocolate after starving for it for a long time, she thought. A taste is not enough. You need to gorge on it.
They were in bed the morning of the first snowfall. Waking up, Katherine felt the light and outdoor sounds were different. Pulling aside the curtain, she looked out on a white world. At her cry of surprise, Rick came to look over her shoulder.
“Noodle,” she said to him. They got dressed quickly and took him outside, where he stared in amazement, sniffed and licked at the snow, and then cautiously pawed at it. When he turned to look at them as if asking what to do with it, they laughed and began scooping up and tossing the snow. Noodle joined in the romp then, bounding and barking, catching a snowball in his mouth and then letting it drop to sniff it again. After Rick washed Katherine’s face with snow, she ran inside to towel off and plug in the kettle. Over breakfast their cheeks glowed.
CHAPTER 10, Part 1: “Lawrence, can you join us? » »