A Love for All Seasons (9 page)

All Those Years Ago

A
licia
whirled around. “How do I look?”

“You're breathtakingly beautiful,” Caroline proclaimed, her hands clasped at the level of her chest.

“Thank you.” Alicia made a playful mini-curtsy. She had dressed casually in jeans, suitable for their plans to see a movie.

“I want to meet your young man when he comes,” Caroline stated firmly.

“Mom, don't you think going downstairs will be a bit much for you?” Daphne said quickly.

“No, I don't. That's why I have a motorized stair climber, so I can go up and down without over-exerting myself. I'll go downstairs and sit in the living room.”

“But Mom, it's late. You've been up all day. You really should be getting to bed.” Daphne turned to Alicia, mouthing the words, “Help me!” with panic in her eyes.

“Daphne, stop over-reacting,” Alicia said with undisguised annoyance. “Going downstairs for a few minutes is hardly the same as going out and dancing until dawn. Mom'll be safely in bed before nine o'clock.” Sometimes she believed her sister made it a point to disagree with everything she said just to be difficult.

Daphne crossed her arms over her chest. “You just want her to meet your date.”

“Yes, I do.” Alicia was eager for her mother's impressions of Jack. She started to say, “Just like you wanted Mom to meet Todd when you first started seeing him,” but quickly thought better of it. She didn't want to give the wrong idea, like that she expected, or even hoped, to marry Jack, a man she barely knew. But Caroline's instincts had always been dead on where she was concerned. No one knew her better. Maybe she could provide some insight on why he affected her the way he did. Her eagerness for her mother to meet Jack outdid any qualms about Daphne getting in the way. Besides, Jack sounded awfully determined when he asked what time he should pick her up. A sixth sense told her that if she told him she'd meet him again, he would withdraw the invitation. This would be the last time she'd see him before he went home to spend Thanksgiving with his family.

“Well, that's settled. I'd better get downstairs.” Caroline placed her palms down on the sofa in her sitting area and pushed herself up. “Help me,” she commanded of Daphne, who promptly rose and offered her arm.

“I'll answer the door,” Daphne said.

“Gee, thanks,” Alicia replied dryly. She would have preferred for Martha to get the door, even if it meant her coming over from the guest house over the three-car garage where she lived with her husband and two high school-age children. She felt Martha would be glad to do it, since she'd expressed curiosity about the first man she'd allowed to pick her up at her mother's home.

 

Jack pulled into the driveway of the impressive beige brick two-story house. No, make that mansion. From lights in the back of the house he could catch a glimpse of the dark waters of Long Island Sound. He'd love to see it by the light of day. He'd bet it was fabulous. Certainly far removed from his parents' modest home in Docena, which started with two bedrooms, with bedrooms and an additional bath added on in rather haphazard fashion over the years as their family grew.

He rang the doorbell, and after about a minute or so the door opened and he stood face-to-face with a striking young woman whose long reddish-brown hair framed a face highlighted by light blue eyes. This must be the sister Alicia mentioned so off-handedly. “Hello, I'm Jack Devlin, a friend of Alicia's.”

“Hi, Jack. I'm Daphne Scott, Alicia's sister. Please come in.” She made a sweeping gesture with her hand.

“Alicia will be down in a minute,” Daphne said as she closed the door behind them. “I was just sitting with my mother. Come and join us.”

“Thank you.” He fell into step beside her, forcing himself to look away from the grand winding staircase in the foyer. Not only was this house impressive, such grandeur was a little bit intimidating as well. They went into a living room furnished with red flowered print sofas and matching drapes, solid red easy chairs and red-and-white striped Queen Anne chairs, all with pillows upholstered in one of the opposing prints. The effect was homey, especially with the fire that snapped and crackled in the fireplace, but so coordinated he felt certain a decorator had done it.

A small gray-haired figure sat upright in one of the Queen Anne chairs, most of her body concealed by a tiger print throw.

He walked up to her as Daphne performed introductions. “Jack, may I present my mother, Caroline Timberlake. Mom, this is Jack Devlin, Alicia's date.”

He held out his hand. “I'm very glad to know you, Mrs. Timberlake.”

She took his hand in her thin one. Her heart-shaped face had lines around her mouth and under her prominent cheekbones. In spite of ill health, Caroline Timberlake was nonetheless a stunningly beautiful woman.

He stiffened as an expression he could only describe as shock formed across her face. “Mr…. Mr. Devlin,” she said, making a quick regain of her composure.

Jack had never seen anyone look at him with that expression before. Mrs. Timberlake, a woman he'd never seen in his life, looked like she recognized him as someone repugnant. He felt like he'd suddenly sprouted a third eye.

“Welcome to our home,” she said warmly.

Her demeanor was so friendly, he could hardly believe that just seconds ago she recoiled like he was the Ghost of Christmas Past. “Thank you very much. And please call me Jack.”

“Please, sit down.”

He did as instructed, lowering himself into a comfortable-looking easy chair opposite Caroline's maple rocker. Daphne sat on one of the sofas, a tan leather with a tufted back.

“Did you have any difficulty locating us, Jack?” Caroline asked. “I know that we can be hard to find, especially being so close to the water.”

“I'm happy to say I had no problem at all. Alicia provided me with excellent directions.” He paused, not sure if he should elaborate before continuing. “I drove up from Stamford.”

“Ah, Stamford. I used to live there when Alicia and Daphne were small. We lived in Strawberry Hill.”

“Yes, I think my real estate agent showed me a condo in that development. Nice place.”

“Are you from Connecticut, Jack?” Daphne asked.

“No, I'm from Alabama. I relocated here to accept a job offer.” He realized Alicia's mother and sister were merely making conversation, but he wished they'd stop asking so many questions. Couldn't they just talk about the weather?

“Oh, how quaint.” This from Daphne. He was beginning to understand why there seemed to be no love lost between the sisters. She wouldn't have made that remark if he'd said he came from a city north of the Mason-Dixon line. Next thing she'd be asking how they managed to drive on dirt roads when it rained.

The sound of footsteps rushing down the steps quieted them all. “This must be Alicia,” Caroline said expectantly.

Jack rose when she entered the room. He broke into a smile at the mere sight of her. Even in jeans, a blue chambray collared shirt and a red pullover sweater, she looked gorgeous.

“Hi, Dev,” she said to him. “I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.”

“I think I could have held off running amuck for another minute or two,” he said with a smile.

“Well, the movie starts in twenty minutes, so we'd better get going.” She removed her coat from over her arm, and Jack quickly moved behind her to help her into it. He noticed her hair was twisted in a single French braid down the back of her head.

“Mrs. Timberlake, Daphne, it was a pleasure,” he said politely.

“Same here, Jack,” Caroline said warmly. No traces remained of her quickly concealed but obvious disconcertment of just a few moments before, but Jack knew he'd never forget her reaction. “Come and see us again.”

“Thank you, ma'am.” He placed a hand on Alicia's elbow.

She stepped forward to Caroline's side and bent to kiss her cheek. “Good night, Mom. I'll see you in the morning. 'Bye, Daphne.”

“I'll get the door,” Daphne offered.

The moment the latch clicked into place Daphne returned to the living room, where Caroline sat staring out the window. “Mom, when you got a good look at Jack you had a look on your face like you'd just seen a poltergeist. What was that all about?”

Caroline sighed. “I couldn't help it. He just looked so much like—”

“Like who?”

She bowed her head. “All those years ago. It was like a photograph come to life.”

“Mom, what are you talking about?” an exasperated Daphne asked.

Caroline looked up again, but she appeared to be speaking to an unseen person rather than Daphne. “It's all come together. No wonder Alicia said he gave her an unsettling feeling. I was going to tell her, I swear I was. And I will. I want her to know the truth before I go. I'll tell her first chance I get. Praise God, there's still time.”

“Mom, you're confusing me something awful, so whatever it is, why don't you tell me
now?
”

Maybe I'm Amazed

“Y
our
mother has a beautiful home,” Jack remarked as he drove out of the semi-circular driveway. “Is that where you grew up?”

“Yes. My father bought the house in Nineteen Eighty. It had been built forty years earlier and was still in the hands of the original family. I was nine years old and in the fourth grade when we moved here from Stamford. My sister and her husband had their wedding reception out back.”

“If you don't mind my asking, what did your father do for a living?”

She grinned at him. “I hope you're not wondering if he did anything illegal.”

“No, of course not.”

“He was a criminal attorney, one of the best. He represented a lot of well-to-do folks in New York when they were charged with crimes like embezzlement or fraud. He also represented their children when they got into serious trouble. Plus, he took a few pro bono cases here and there, if it was a case he believed in.”

“A good field, law. How did he feel about your getting into court stenography?”

“He didn't like it. He felt it was beneath me, that I should have gone to law school if I wanted a legal career.” Alicia sighed. “Sometimes my father could be hard to please.”

“You miss him, don't you?”

“Of course. But my fondest memories of him are from when I was small, before Daphne was born. I remember him carrying me up on his shoulders. He was very tall, and I'd wrap my arms around his neck tightly because it seemed like I was so high up. I'm amazed I didn't choke him to death.” She chuckled at the memory. “As he got older he started getting a little crochety and
very
opinionated, as if his way was the only way.”

“Some people get that way as they age. Alicia….”

She shivered. She wasn't cold, she just reacted to the way he said her name. It left her breathless. She'd never responded to any man the way she did to Jack Devlin. It amazed her. “Yes?” she managed to say.

He covered her palm with his. “I'm glad you didn't object to my picking you up tonight.”

She chuckled. “It almost feels like I'm seventeen again, with my date coming to pick me up and meeting my parents.”

“I'm glad I got the opportunity to meet your mother. She's a beautiful woman.” He tactfully refrained from mentioning the strange look Caroline Timberlake gave him. At best, it could be described as shock; at worst, horror.

“She is, isn't she?”

“Daphne looks a lot like her.”

“I know. I look more like my father, other than inheriting my mother's cheekbones.”

“Maybe next time you'll show me a photograph of him.”

“I'll do that.”

 

After the movie they stopped at a restaurant and ordered a light meal. As they walked back to his SUV he captured her soft hand in his and held it, not tightly, so she could pull away if she wanted. To his joy, she didn't.

They'd seen one of those thought-provoking films that spurred conversation long after the final fade-out. The plot had taken twists and turns that neither of them anticipated. They talked about it all the way back to the Timberlake home.

Jack steered the Aviator into the circular drive, carefully passing the three vehicles parked on the right border. He quickly got out and went around to her side and opened the door for her, extending his hand to help her down from the high-sitting vehicle. He moved in to close the passenger door and found himself standing just inches from her. He could smell her perfume, and a little bit of the vinaigrette she'd had with her salad.

Later, he couldn't even remember how it started. He only knew that she was in his arms, and he was kissing her with the pent-up fervor that he'd harbored since meeting her. Better yet, she kissed him back. Her arms went around his neck and then to the back of his head, holding him in place.

He broke away from her lips to nibble on her earlobe, and as he did so his fingers smoothly unbuttoned the large buttons that held her jacket closed and slipped beneath it, desperate to feel feminine curves rather than a shapeless mass of wool.

That accomplished, he found her lips once more. He felt her body tremble. As he felt her passion rising, his own grew stronger. He'd waited for this moment for weeks.

Alicia tried to hold steady, but she couldn't control her reaction to him. She moaned into his mouth, her body quaking unstoppably. Whether his voice saying her name in his special way, or his mouth ravaging hers, she had never experienced these feelings with any man. Her emotions whirled and skidded like an out-of-control vehicle on an icy road.

When they parted at last she held the front of her jacket together with her hands. The mercury had dipped since they set out hours earlier. “It's cold,” she said, steam arising from her warm mouth.

He slipped his arm through hers. “Come on, let's get you inside.”

He guided her the few feet to the front door, waiting behind her as she retrieved her keys from her purse and unlocked the door, aided by the lights that flanked the doorway.

She pushed the heavy oak door open and gestured for him to follow her inside. He shut the door behind him to keep out the cold. A night light shone dimly in the foyer, another illuminated the stairs.

“I'm not going to stay, Alicia,” he said. “I just wanted to see you inside.”

She didn't seem surprised at his statement. “I had a nice time tonight, Jack. We'll do it again, huh?”

“You bet.” He leaned in and kissed her again, briefly this time.

 

Jack jauntily walked back to the Aviator. Alicia Timberlake was one amazing woman.

If he had his way, she would be
his
woman.