A Matter of Trust Read online

  “The deck looks great. I didn’t even see the new bench seats in the corner,” Victoria said excitedly. James had added a long seat on the side of the deck and a shorter one in the front right corner, with an armrest that could hold canned drinks.

  “That is so cool!” Victoria walked barefooted across the deck to try out the new seat. “This will be a great place to sit and watch the lake.”

  “I’m glad you like it. Wait until you see what I have planned for the dock,” he said looking pleased with her reaction.

  “I can’t wait to find out,” Victoria said as she sat on the new seat. “This is nice.”

  “Hopefully…” he said leaping up on the deck with ease, “the expansion on the dock will be finished in time for you to enjoy it for most of the summer.”

  James ambled over and sat on the bench across from Victoria. He fiddled with a measuring tape, pulling it out and letting it snap back into place. “Are you getting settled okay?”

  “Yes. It’s going to take me a long time to unpack. Everything in the cottage is working nicely. I did notice a small leak under the kitchen sink though.”

  “I’d be glad to take a look at it for you,” James offered.

  “Okay, thanks.” Victoria tried not to notice, but oh, he smelled so good. The slight breeze carried a combination of mild cologne and an earthy, woodsy scent from his direction. He was a rather likeable guy, when he wasn’t being annoying. Not to mention a heartbreaker in the looks department. But could she trust someone she knew virtually nothing about? That thought reminded her of the key to her cottage he still had.

  “I’ve decided to change the locks on the cottage,” she blurted out.

  James leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees, now twirling the measuring tape around in his hands. “That’s a good idea. You don’t know who might have gotten a copy of the key in the past.”

  “Yeah, I think I’ll call the locksmith while I’m thinking about it,” she said and started to get up.

  “Can you help me first?”

  “Oh yeah. Sure. I forgot I came out here to help you. What do you need me to do?”

  “I need to take some measurements. We need to measure post to post,” he said as he hopped to the ground again. He lifted his hands to help Victoria down.

  “I can manage,” she said and slipped down to the ground without assistance. The last thing she needed right now was his hands around her waist again. He was already raising her pulse from standing so close to her.

  “Watch the ground for nails. I’ve dropped a few and I don’t want you stepping on any.”

  “Sure thing,” she said.

  James handed the end of the measuring tape to her. “Hold it at the end there,” he showed her where to place it. After measuring the length he said, “Okay, you can let go now.”

  The tape automatically coiled back with a snap into its casing.

  “Thanks. Hey, come down to the dock with me, so you can show me where you want the swing.”

  ****

  They walked down to the dock side by side. Victoria’s bare feet stepped silently onto the worn planks.

  “Be careful of splinters. I need to remove these old boards and replace them.”

  “They are splintering pretty badly. This dock has been here for as long as I can remember.” As they neared the end of the dock, James showed her two places the swing could go.

  “I think it would be best over here,” he indicated a spot on the left of the dock. “There’s shade here from the upper level most of the day. What do you think?”

  “Shade would be nice. That looks like a good spot to me. What did Gramps say about it?”

  “He said whatever you liked best would be fine,” James said and then turned to look out at the lake when he heard a Jet Ski approaching. He leaned one arm against a post while watching a dark haired man ride up to the dock on the bright blue craft.

  The man focused intently on Victoria. His lips turned up into something short of a smile and sadness reflected in his eyes.

  “Hi, stranger,” the man said.

  Victoria stepped over and put an arm around James’ waist. James gave her the protection she sought, by putting his arm around her waist too.

  Victoria’s face had gone ashen and her lips trembled slightly when she spoke. “Eric. I didn’t know you were back in town.”

  “Got back last winter. Dad told me you were moving in for good.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Good to hear it.”

  “What do you want Eric?” Victoria questioned.

  “Hop on, I’ll show you,” Eric patted the seat behind him. James stiffened and stood up straighter holding Victoria closer.

  “Not on your life,” Victoria said.

  “I’m a changed man now, Vikki.”

  She tensed in James’ arms. “No one calls me that anymore.”

  “Can I? For old times sake.”

  “I’d rather you not call me anything.”

  The man let out a sigh. “I don’t blame you.” He directed his assessing gaze at James. “So, you her man now?”

  “James Montgomery.” James gave a careful nod in his direction.

  “I was her man once. Be careful. She has good aim.” He revved up his Jet Ski and tore off into the distant waters.

  Victoria pulled away from James. “Sorry about that,” she said as she hugged her arms around herself. “I usually don’t throw myself into a man’s arms like I just did to you. I hoped if he thought we were together, he’d stay away.”

  “It’s okay. I’m glad I was here. Who is he?” James asked facing Victoria.

  “I used to know him, years ago. I’d really rather not talk about it.”

  “Is he a threat to you?”

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Well, let me know if he bothers you.” James vowed to check into this guy.

  “Okay.” Victoria looked distracted as she watched Eric drive out of sight.

  “I was going to head over to the house for a bite to eat, would you like to come? I don’t want to leave you alone here,” James offered.

  “I’m okay here,” she said. “Really.”

  She walked up to the boat James had tied to the dock and peered inside. “It’s nice. Do you own it?” James noticed her grab on to the sides, probably to stop the shaking in her hands.

  “No, it comes with the house rental. I’d like to take you for a ride in it sometime,” he offered looking at her directly. “If you’d like to go.”

  James watched Victoria as she debated her answer. She scanned the boat and then the lake as she tried to decide. Finally she blurted out, “I have peanut butter and jelly in the kitchen. No need for you to leave for lunch.”

  “That sounds good to me. It would save me a considerable amount of time. I’ll be right in,” he said without hesitation. He would let the boat ride offer drop for now, but he would not give up that easily.

  ****

  Victoria turned to walk up to the cottage. What had she done! Not only did she feed the man dinner last night, now she’s offering to feed him lunch! She wondered if he would be like a stray puppy and keep coming back for more.

  “You’re a sucker, Victoria,” she spoke to herself as she climbed up the hill. She tried to ignore the unexpected anticipation of being in close proximity to him again, but the sensation persisted as she started preparing the sandwiches.

  “Come for a ride with me,” James said later that night as he packed up the last of the scattered tools lying on the deck.

  “Oh no, I don’t think so.” Victoria had already spent too much time with James today. After eating lunch, he had expertly fixed her leaky sink in no time and continued working on the deck, often asking for her help with measuring this thing or that. He made tremendous progress on the deck and would soon be finished and ready to begin working on the swing for the dock.

  James drew her in, she couldn’t explain why. But he did. She caught herself watching him on and off
throughout the day. When he dove into the lake to cool off, she was tempted to take a swim herself as the day got hotter and hotter, but couldn’t gather enough courage to put on a swimsuit and join him.

  “Come on, just a short ride.”

  Victoria shook her head. She came out of the cottage to say goodnight to him and to thank him for his hard work on the deck. She hadn’t expected him to ask her to go off with him.

  “I really need to check on Gramps.” Victoria turned to leave.

  He caught her wrist in his firm hand, halting her retreat. “Gramps isn’t even home. Come with me. Please.”

  “I know nothing about you.” She nervously looked from the boat to his beckoning eyes. “It takes time for me to learn to trust someone.”

  Victoria saw James’ eyes soften as he said, “I don’t know who hurt you Vic.” He loosened his grip on her wrist. “But I wish I could have ten minutes alone with the guy. He’d be sorry he ever met you.” James leaned in to place a quick kiss on her cheek. His breath caressed her cheek for a moment before he backed away. “If you change your mind, the offer will still be open tomorrow and each day after that until you say yes.”

  Victoria watched him walk away. She covered her cheek with her palm, where his lips had left welcoming tingles of warmth. She wavered a bit on her decision not to go. Normally, she stuck to her decisions, but when it came to James, he could persuade her too easily. As dusk settled in, she saw some stars appearing in the darkening sky. She prayed as she looked heavenward. Lord, help keep me safe and help me to trust again.

  The reflection from the moon glimmered on the water, causing thousands of flashing ripples to sparkle on the lake. The serenity and beauty of the lake combined with a soothing light breeze had an immediate calming effect on Victoria. She looked down toward the dock and watched as James loaded his tools into the boat and prepared to leave, his broad shoulders easily carried the load in graceful movements.

  Victoria took a hesitant step toward the dock. Her desire to go with him warred with her fears of the unknown. He seemed harmless enough. She couldn’t even classify him as a stranger anymore. They did have dinner together, right? As she began walking toward the dock, she rationalized each step she took. If she needed to she could bail out and swim safely to shore. She wouldn’t be trapped on the boat with him. Before she knew it, she stepped onto the dock.

  A passing cloud hid the moon, casting the dock into deeper shadows. Hesitantly, Victoria continued walking. By time she reached the boat, the moonlight came back, shining down on James’ handsome face. He looked up at Victoria and his broad smile melted the last of her reservations.

  “Change your mind?” His deep voice mesmerized her.

  Victoria only nodded in reply. James held his hand out to her and she put her hand in his, allowing him to ease her into the boat. They stood close to each other for a moment. Their eyes met and held. Something passed between them at that moment, a mutual attraction was exposed. Each took in a subtle breath but neither spoke nor moved.

  Her heartbeat intensified. She should back away, but she found herself immobile. He didn’t make a move toward her, only watched as if trying to interpret her thoughts.

  A few heartbeats later, Victoria backed away an inch and smiled. “Well, thanks…for offering a ride,” she barely managed to squeak out.

  “Anytime,” James said as he cleared his throat and stepped away. He started the motor as if nothing had happened. Maybe she had only imagined the intense moment between them.

  “I’ll get you a blanket, it gets chilly out on the water at night,” James stated and stepped down into the cuddy cabin and came back with a soft, deep blue throw. He wrapped it gently around her shoulders and smoothed his thumb under her chin. He gently lifted her face until their eyes met again.

  “You have nothing to fear from me, Vic,” James said quietly.

  “Promise?” Victoria wanted so badly to believe him.

  “Just…trust me.” He stepped away from her and untied the boat from the dock.

  James drove slowly, passing through the water a little above idling speed. He looked to the right and pointed at a large house. “That’s the house I’m renting.”

  The two-story stone structure impressed Victoria. It had two large decks overlooking the lake and tall, oversized windows that promised an excellent view of the water. The surrounding yard looked more like fancy gardens with its detailed landscaped patterns and variety of flowers, shrubs and trees.

  “It’s lovely,” Victoria said. It fit in well with the other expensive homes that lined the lake. Well manicured lawns adorned each of the houses they passed, and they each commented on features they liked as they cruised along the lake.

  James pointed to an island up past the bow of the boat. Overnight campers claimed the small beach with tents and they sat gathered around a campfire.

  “That looks like fun,” he said as he turned the boat away from the island.

  Surely he wasn’t suggesting they go camping together? “It does.”

  “Do you like to camp?”

  “As a matter of fact I do. I haven’t been in a while though.”

  “I go anytime I get the chance.”

  Victoria began to relax once he didn’t say they should camp sometime. Whew. What would she have said to that?

  They cruised by condos and houses and even found a few trailers that occupied a bit of the shore line, and continued their observations of each one that stood out to them. A mansion captured their attention, with its massive structure overwhelming even the fanciest of the other houses. It looked like a medieval castle with its massive stone and mortar structure and with tall towers on each end of the home. Tall, dark slatted windows showed no light or life within its gray walls. It looked particularly foreboding in the darkness.

  “That one belongs to Phillip Maddox,” Victoria stated with a hint of aggravation. “It’s obscenely large for one man, don’t you think?” She wondered if it was as cold inside as it appeared to be.

  James raised his eyebrows as he asked, “Do you know him?”

  “He’s one of the lake’s real estate developers. He’s a jerk and a half.”

  “Are you speaking from personal experience?” James probed.

  “Maddox tried to bully Gramps into selling his land. He showed up at the farm one day, offering to buy it at a low price, thinking that Gramps would be dumb enough to sell it. Thankfully, he refused. Maddox left that day, but wouldn’t give up. Over a period of several months the little bugger kept hounding us.”

  “Us?”

  “Yes, part of it went on while I was here last summer. He tried raising his offer, but Gramps wouldn’t even consider it. He came back several times and started making passes at me. The man is old enough to be my father. Maddox was pushy toward me, which upset Gramps more than anything. Maddox became really irate the day Gramps got fed up and said he wouldn’t sell it for a billion dollars and told him to get off his property. He meant it too.” Victoria smiled. “That’s my Gramps,” she said with pride.

  “You said he became irate? What did he do?”

  “He threatened to take the land, said he knew important people. He said he could take it and Gramps wouldn’t get a dime for it. But his threats were all empty, we haven’t seen him since.”

  “What did you do when Maddox came on to you?”

  “I ignored him at first. But one day he went too far. So, I poured ice cold lemonade down over his head and told him to get lost.”

  James laughed. “I can only imagine what his reaction to that was.”

  ****

  They continued on their cruise in comfortable silence. All the while James thought of ways to bring her around to trusting him quickly. If he had her trust, he could easily disguise any questions she may have if she caught him where he didn’t belong. He decided it was time for them to get to know each other better. He cut the engine and let the boat drift for a while.

  “Would you like a drink?” he offered.
/>   “What do you have?”

  James smiled ironically. “Lemonade.”

  “Sure.”

  He opened a plastic bottle of lemonade but held it back from her. “Only if you promise not to pour it over my head.”

  Victoria smirked and stood up trying to reach it. “That only happened once, and he deserved it.”

  “I’m sure he did.”

  A large firework exploded over the shoreline. The bright lights sparkled in the distance and lit up the sky. Another went off, then another.

  “They must be warming up for the July fourth celebration. It’s just around the corner,” James said.

  “Hard to believe it’s only a few weeks away.”

  “Yes it is. Come sit with me,” James offered her a seat in the back with him.

  The bench seat had enough room for at least three people. James noticed she sat far enough away from him not to touch him.

  “I bet you have a lot of memories of the lake, don’t you?” James offered an avenue of conversation he knew she would be comfortable with.

  “Oh yes. I do.” Victoria smiled. “I remember catching a huge striper just off to the left over there.” She pointed to a wide expanse of the lake. “And over there, I was water skiing once and hit a wake so hard I flew out of my skis.”

  James laughed good naturedly. “I bet that was a sight.”

  “I’m sure it was. Gramps was driving the boat and he saw it happen. He couldn’t stop laughing for a week.”

  James enjoyed talking with Victoria and breaking down her defenses, but he recognized that his defenses began to break down too. The slip of a girl began to grow on him as he watched her eyes light up with some of the stories about her childhood and watched them fill with tears when remembering her grandmother.

  “I’ve been doing all the talking James, how about you? Any memories of the lake or is this your first visit?” Victoria sipped the last of her lemonade and screwed the top back on.

  “I’ve passed through the area a time or two.” James saw her watching him intently. He decided to let her in a little. Gain some trust. “I live outside of D.C. I moved there from California a few years back.”