A Summer Romance (15 page)

She hadn’t even realized she’d fallen asleep
until Aaron was waking her.

“We’re home,” he said softly as he pulled to
a stop in her driveway. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she
stumbled from the truck. He crossed around quickly to help her into
the house.

He guided her to her room without a word and
when she plopped down on the bed he pulled her shoes off for
her.

“Will you stay?” she asked as she swung her
legs onto the bed and struggled to keep her eyes open.

“If you want me to,” he said softly.

“I want you to,” she yawned. He kicked off
his own shoes and climbed into bed beside her.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about medical
school,” she mumbled almost incoherently as she drifted off into
sleep.

“We can talk tomorrow,” he said as he
wrapped his arm around her waist and cuddled against her side.

Luckily Maggie wasn’t awake long enough to
worry too much about tomorrow.

Maggie woke slowly the next morning. The
first thing she noticed was that she was alone in bed, and she
wondered if Aaron had gone home. Then she realized that she could
hear something outside. She climbed out of bed, stretching out her
sore muscles as she walked to the balcony. She looked out into the
backyard and saw several large trucks with cherry picker baskets
positioned at the front of the orchards. Aaron was standing below
with a group of men gesturing out toward the fields. The harvest
was beginning.

Maggie felt a wave of sadness as the
implications sank in. Then she suddenly remembered that she was
supposed to start work today at Ms. Brandy’s antique store. She
quickly scrambled toward the bathroom to shower and change.

Maggie was dressed and out of the house in
record time. She couldn’t be late for her first day of work. She
regretted that she hadn’t said goodbye to Aaron, but she did leave
him a note. A small part of her was grateful for the excuse to put
off the inevitable conversation that was coming.

One thing Maggie realized above all else
last night was that she still wanted to be a doctor, wanted it more
than anything. But she wasn’t ready to say goodbye. She’d been
foolish to think that she could have a reckless summer fling and
walk away unscathed. She’d been foolish not to realize that she
would fall in love.

“I’m so sorry I’m late!” Maggie exclaimed as
she walked through the door of the shop. Despite her mad dash she
still hadn’t made it on time.

“Honey, after the night you had I’m sure you
needed the sleep!” Ms. Brandy replied kindly. “Think nothing of
it.”

The morning passed quickly as she showed
Maggie around the shop and taught her how to use the register.
Business was steady throughout the day. It amazed Maggie that Ms.
Brandy seemed to know what occupied each and every nook and cranny
of the crowded store. If someone came in looking for a specific
item Ms. Brandy knew without hesitation whether or not she had it
and exactly where it was located.

As the afternoon wore on the foot traffic
from the street slowed down and Maggie was given the chore of
dusting the crowded shelves of the curio cabinets that lined the
walls. Maggie took her time, meticulously cleaning the shelves as
she admired the objects they held. There were delicate china, old
silver sets, ceramic pitchers and washing bowls, carved wooden
figurines that could have been over a century old. As Maggie moved
along she came across an apothecary table that held a display of
medical instruments from the early 1800’s. Maggie recognized some
of the devices from her text books. She picked up the antique
stethoscope and stared down at the object, marveling at how such a
delicate item had survived over a century.

“I got that set when old Doc Robbins passed
away a few years back. He was the town doctor, just like his father
before him. This set had belonged to his grandfather, and I found
it boxed up in his attic during the estate sale,” Ms. Brandy said
as she walked over to see what had caught Maggie’s attention.

“It’s amazing that it’s in such great
condition,” Maggie commented as she gently laid the stethoscope
back down in the velvet lined box.

“We haven’t had a town doctor since Doc
died. Sure was nice havin’ one around. Now we gotta drive up to the
main hospital for every little thing,” Ms. Brandy commented
nonchalantly as she walked around Maggie to fluff some silk pillows
that were piled on an antique settee.

“There’s no Doc Robbins Jr.?” Maggie asked
conversationally.

“Mrs. Robbins never did have any children.”
Ms. Brandy shook her head sadly. “Speaking of babies, how exactly
did you know how to deliver that little one last night?”

Maggie felt as if she’d walked into a trap.
She suspected this conversation had been headed in this direction
all along.

“Back in Boston I went to Harvard medical
school,” Maggie answered honestly.

“So you’re a doctor?” Ms. Brandy asked in an
off-handed way. Maggie assumed her seeming lack of interest was
feigned, but she decided that perhaps this would be a good time to
practice the conversation that she was going to have with Aaron
that evening.

“I didn’t finish school,” Maggie admitted.
“So no, I’m not a doctor. Not yet.”

“Hmmm. You know Mercer has a pretty good med
program in Savannah,” Ms. Brandy mentioned as she continued to
meander through the shop, adjusting and fine-tuning the placement
of items on shelves.

Maggie stopped short, still holding the
feather duster mid-way to the top shelf of a china hutch. “In
Savannah?” she asked. She immediately thought of Aaron and the new
job he’d just found in Savannah.

“Harvard may have a big, fancy name. But it
ain’t the only place you can learn to be a doctor, and Boston ain’t
the only town that needs ‘em,” Ms. Brandy told her, this time
facing her and looking her straight in the eye. Then she shrugged
casually as she turned to head back up to the front of the shop and
greet a customer who had just entered.

Although Ms. Brandy had said very little,
she’d given Maggie a lot to think about. Her mind was working over
the possibilities the rest of the afternoon.

Maggie left work with high spirits. Perhaps
there was hope after all. She was ready to face Aaron, ready to
face the future. She didn’t want to put it off any longer, so
instead of driving back to Devereaux Manor, she took the turn off
on the dirt road that she was sure lead to Aaron’s place. She still
hadn’t been there, but it was time. It was time for everything to
be put on the table. Maggie was very aware of the fact that the
decisions she was facing were not hers alone. Before she could
decide whether or not she would stay, she first needed to find out
if he even wanted her to. Tonight would be a turning point for
them.

As she drove up the rutted out driveway she
saw the roof of the old barn coming into view. She decided that she
should call rather than just knock on the door. She pulled out her
cell phone and smiled when his name was the first to come up on her
contact list.

“Hey, beautiful,” Aaron answered.

“Hey there, yourself,” Maggie replied. “Got
any plans tonight?” she asked coyly.

“Well, I was hoping to have a hot date,” he
teased.

“Oh… then maybe I should turn around,” she
playfully pouted.

“Turn around?” the alarm in his voice did
not sound affected.

“Mmmhmm. I was on my way to your place but
if you’re busy…” she trailed off smiling at their little game.

“I can come over,” he said quickly, no
longer playing the game. His comment reminded her of his reluctance
the last time she’d mentioned coming to his house.

“Do you not want me at your house?” she
asked bluntly. She was done playing games.

“No… it’s not that… it’s just I don’t want
you to have to go traipsing through the woods. It’s much easier for
me to come to you,” he stumbled through his excuse.

“I’ve already traipsed,” she replied as she
pulled to a stop in front of the old barn. “I drove straight here
from work. Should I turn around?”

There was a pause before he answered. “No,
just give me a minute, okay?”

“I’ll be right outside,” she answered before
he clicked off. She felt her stomach drop. Had she made a mistake
in coming here? There was no turning back now.

She stepped out of the jeep and walked
around to the small front yard looking up at the old barn. The red
paint had faded to mere streaks in the grains of the wood. The
structure looked as if it could be a hundred years old, although
the metal gambrel roof looked fairly newer. A large set of double
doors dominated the front of the façade with a similar loft window
located just above it.

The barn itself was surrounded by woods. Any
pastureland that may have once bordered it was now consumed by
forest. There was a small lawn around it that was dotted with wild
flowers. She wondered how many years it had been since this
building had actually been used as a barn. At the moment it seemed
quite out of place in the middle of a forest.

As she paced anxiously waiting for Aaron to
appear she saw a spark of light flash in the woods. She stopped
walking and stood transfixed as another and yet another little
light exploded along the tree line. She stared into the forest as
tiny little lights began appearing everywhere. She’d never seen
anything like it.

“You look as if you’ve never seen lightening
bugs before.” Aaron’s voice startled her and she spun around to
face him.

“Lightening bugs?”

“Fireflies,” he clarified.

“Is that what they are?” she asked with all
the wonder of a child. He smiled at her excitement.

“You’ve really never seen them?”

She shook her head emphatically. “Never,”
she confirmed, turning back to watch the lights. “It’s
beautiful.”

“They’re just getting started,” he told her.
“There’s a great view of the woods from the loft.” He gestured
toward the large window near the barn roof. “If you’d like to come
in.” He sounded almost shy in his invitation. Maggie smiled up at
him.

“I’d love to,” she said as she slipped her
hand into his.

They walked to the small side door hand in
hand. Aaron reached for the handle and pushed the door open,
gesturing for Maggie to step inside. She crossed the threshold and
looked around, taking in the high arched ceiling with exposed
wooden beams. She was surprised at how beautiful it was. She’d
never been inside a barn before, but this one was not like any
she’d seen in movies or on TV.

The concrete floors were swept clean,
without a trace of hay or dirt. A large rug covered a good portion
of the central floor space along with a small couch, coffee table,
and an old-fashioned TV complete with the “bunny ear” antennae on
top. Maggie had never actually seen one of those in person. To her
right she noticed a ladder leaned against the wall leading up to
what she could only assume was the loft area he’d mentioned.

Across the room was a series of wooden
partitions dividing the far side of the room into three sections.
She imagined those had at one time been horse stalls, however, each
section now served as a make-shift room in this large open
space.

One area held a very small rounded
refrigerator, a deep basin sink, and a very small antique stove
that must have been from the 1950’s. In fact, Maggie realized as
she looked around the room, all of the furniture appeared to be
circa 1950. A single barstool and high wooden table completed what
Maggie realized was the kitchen. She noticed that the next
partition had been filled with shelves to provide a sort of pantry.
The shelves were filled with a variety of canned and dry foods as
well as dishes and cookware. Maggie glanced over her shoulder to
see Aaron still standing near the doorway watching her cautiously
as she explored. She smiled at him before turning back to walk
farther into the room.

The final segment revealed a small single
bed with a nightstand and plain wooden dresser. The nightstand held
a lamp and a pile of books. Curiosity drove Maggie into the small
bedroom where she reached for the first book on top of the
stack.

“
Great Expectations,
” she read the
title and turned to face Aaron again. He’d stepped farther into the
room but still kept his distance, standing near the small couch. He
shrugged dismissively.

“I like to read,” he said quietly as he
looked down and nervously shifted his feet. This was a side of
Aaron that Maggie hadn’t seen before. She didn’t understand why he
was acting so shy with her now.

“So do I,” Maggie said, placing the book
back on his nightstand and closing the distance between them. She
reached for his hand, holding it in hers until he raised his eyes
to look at her.

“
Great Expectations
is one of my
favorite books, but I never understood why Estella was so awful to
Pip,” she told him.

“She didn’t believe he was good enough for
her,” Aaron responded.

“She wasn’t good enough for him,” Maggie
countered. “It doesn’t matter how you grew up. It matters who you
are,” Maggie said, looking deep into his eyes. He finally smiled,
showing one sexy dimple before lowering his head to capture her
mouth in a searing kiss.

Maggie wrapped her arms around his neck,
molding her body to his and losing herself in the kiss. He slid his
hands down her back, resting them on her hips and pulling her in
tighter.

“I pray every night that that’s true,” He
whispered against her lips and the raw emotion in his voice pulled
at her heart. Her need intensified as she grasped his shoulders,
pressing her body against his. His hands roamed over her backside
and she could feel the hardness of his excitement pressing against
her. A small voice in the back of her mind warned her that this
might be the last moments of intimacy she shared with Aaron,
depending on how the evening went. So she didn’t want to let it
end. She wasn’t ready to.