Cara let herself be kissed and hugged by her friends before walking into the kitchen to put her basket of goodies down on the wide center aisle counter. She inhaled deeply, expecting a barrage of questions, and trying to think of honest if vague answers to them. She wasn't ready to share Rick with anyone, not until she had sorted out in her own mind what was happening between them. She could still feel his hands on her, his mouth, his breath, his heartbeat beneath her hands.
"Well?" Jody's voice broke into her musings as she took the casserole dish out and went to turn on the oven. "You have nothing to tell us?"
"Like what?" Cara hedged, turning the oven on to 350 degrees.
Jody chuckled knowingly. "Like who he is, where you met him, and what he was doing at your place this evening."
The other women had walked in by then -- Jenna was setting the table for five, Max was unloading her baked goodies, and Shae had the salad out of the fridge and was plating it.
"I'm kinda interested in that kiss at the door, myself," Shae announced, a teasing grin on her face. "He sure seemed to be into you. And not shy about showing it, either!"
"Is it me, or is he a sweet young thing?" Jenna asked into the amused silence that greeted Shae's comment.
All the women burst out laughing at that, and Cara felt her cheeks warm with color. She had known she would be teased mercilessly about him, and she tried not to mind too much. He WAS much younger than she was, but he didn't seem at all concerned by that fact.
"He likes cougars!" Shae opined with an amused chuckle, causing Cara's cheeks to burn with a combination of embarrassment and amusement.
"Then he's looking at the wrong person," she finally managed to say, "since I'm a lamb to the slaughter!"
"And he's the lion rearing to eat you up, eh?" Jenna winked at her, and they all laughed again.
"Still no answer as to who he is and what he was doing at your place today," Jody commented. "Dinner's almost ready, so we have time before we eat." She looked innocently at her friend before continuing slyly, "You know, in case we choke over the details!"
Her friends' snickers warmed Cara's heart, even as she wondered how she was going to handle the question. She supposed it was a legitimate question, as in all the time since David's departure, they had not even heard her speak about a man, let alone have one in her house. And Rick had kissed her in front of them, seeming to care not a whit about what they thought of his actions.
"He's my creative writing professor," she began, "and my..."
"Toy boy?" Max asked on a laugh.
Cara rolled her eyes. "Hardly!" she answered. "He's my dissertation director!"
"So you're telling us you've got a relationship going on with your college professor?" Jenna seemed incredulous, and for some reason, that stung.
"We're both adults," Cara replied with more asperity than she had meant to let into her tone. "I'm not robbing the cradle you know! And HE was the one who initiated the action, not me!" She hated that her words sounded defensive, but she couldn't take them back.
"Action?" Jody pounced on the word, and Cara's cheeks reddened again instantly. When she didn't answer, all four women turned to stare at her, and Jenna voiced all their thoughts in her next words. "What kind of 'action' are we talking about, then, eh?" She walked over to Cara and led her to the table, pressing her into a chair, while she and the others stood around her, inquisitive expressions on their faces.
"You guys are like predators, you know that?" she said, defying their interest.
"You know you're going to tell us, Cara, so you might as well stop delaying and spill the beans!" Jenna dismissed the insult and added, "Now talk!"
"Talk about what?" Cara asked stubbornly.
"She needs it spelled out for her, Jen," Max said derisively. "We wanna know if you've slept with him, rolled in the hay, made the beast with two backs!"
Cara's silence was as deafening a yes as if she has shouted it from the rooftop. Her friends continued to stare at her in shocked silence for a long minute, and then they all started speaking at once.
"Damn, girl, but you sure can pick them!" Max said, obviously referring to Rick's stellar good looks.
"You got that right!" Shae agreed. "How did you manage to net HIM?"
"You make it sound like I don't have what it takes to make a man like him interested in me!" Cara protested, stung anew by the questions. She realized she was still raw from the emotions Rick stirred up in her, and that probably explained why she was feeling so sensitive to their teasing and probing. Yet she still felt like she needed to add, "I'll have you know his family have a history of older women marrying younger men, and he seems to find me quite fetching!"
Jody put an arm around her, and she missed the look her closest friend gave the others. "Trust me, Cara, we ALL know exactly how "fetching" you are!" She squeezed Cara's shoulders and then declared that dinnertime had come.
Cara was grateful for the support. She hated feeling so vulnerable, especially among these women, who all were highly sexual and unafraid to share it but who didn't seem to have the need for the fairy tale that she did. She still often wondered how she came to be friends with someone like Maxine, who had a "love 'em and leave 'em" attitude towards the men who paraded through her life, and her bedroom. She was a tough as nails, and yet possessed a beauty of spirit that drew Cara to her. And tough as she was, hers would be the first eyes to fill with tears.
She thought about the other three as they dished up food and then served themselves. She was grateful for the ritual of silence that began their shared meals together, as this time, she could use it to think about how she came to be part of the group. Jody had been her best friend all her life it seemed, their bond sisterly. Jenna, Sharon, and Maxine had been college roommates, and when they all ended up within fifty miles of each other after graduation, and found each other at a convention, the friendship was sealed.
Jenna and Sharon were married to each other's brothers, which was a constant source of amusement to the group. Maxine was determinedly, almost recklessly, single, and Jody was about to say yes to the man who had been hotly pursuing her for five years. Only Cara was left without any apparent rudder in the relationship seas -- until now. Rick had changed her worldview overnight, and she doubted she would ever be the same again. She didn't know what would happen, and it worried her...
"Earth to Cara!" Jody's voice broke into her musings. "Let's say grace and eat, please, so we can finish this conversation!"
It always amused Cara that Jody insisted on praying over their shared meal, and she was usually ribbed by the others mercilessly. But not today. After the few murmured words of thanks for the food, everyone turned their attention back to her. She sighed inwardly, and prepared herself for their questions.
"So how do you feel about him, Cara?"
"Wait!" Before Cara could answer Jody's question, Max asked, "What's his name?"
"Rick," Cara said. "Professor H. Erick Montienna."
"Italian, is he?" Shae asked, sipping her wine.
"I don't know, actually. We haven't gotten around to...well, to a lot of stuff!" Cara lowered her eyes to her plate, and stabbed some green leaves, prepared to stuff her mouth to stop herself from giving away more information she had meant to keep to herself.
"So answer me, Cara. How do you feel about him?" Jody repeated her question, her eyes boring into Cara. "I'm assuming you wouldn't have hit the sack with this guy if you didn't feel something!"
Cara thought for a minute, chewing slowly, and realized she was more than a little in love with her dishy professor. But she wasn't sure she should be telling anyone that, in case he didn't return her feelings. For all she knew, it might just be lust, and as soon as he tired of her body, he'd be on his way. She had to find out first...
"Cara, either you have feelings for this man or you don't, sweetie! And unless you're telling me you've joined Max, I cannot believe you'd sleep with a man you have no feelings for!"
Jody's reasonable and worried tone shook Cara out of her reverie.
"Of course, I have feelings for him, Jo! I just...well, it seems a bit soon to speak of them. What if he doesn't...?"
Shae broke in, wiping her mouth on a napkin. "What if he doesn't like you back? I'd say, based on that tender little scene at the door, you've got nothing to worry about there, sweetie!"
"That could just be lust, Shae!" Cara protested. "And anyway, you all just want me to get a man!" She chuckled half-heartedly and put more food into her mouth.
"We're your friends! That's what friends do! We fret over you and tease you, but it's only because we love you!"
Cara smiled at them through sudden tears, which she swallowed with a large gulp of wine. "Thanks, you!"
By the time dinner was over, the dishes washed and put away, and Jody dressed, Cara knew she would call off her clubbing with them. She sighed inwardly. For all her talk of independence and liberation, she didn't want any man to see her looking like she did, as long as there was Rick to look like that for. She wanted to save the sexiness for him. She watched her friends gather their things and when Jody asked if they were ready for her to call the cab, Cara shook her head.
"I think I'd better call it a day, you guys! I'll call Rick to come get me, if you don't mind! It's been quite a day for me!"
She knew how it sounded, but she'd rather they think he had exhausted her in bed, than have them realize she was backsliding. Their knowing looks and teasing grins did not deter her as she called his number. She was relieved when he answered almost immediately, and promised to be there in ten minutes. While the others waited for the cab, which they had all agreed they should splurge on rather than drive impaired, she retrieved her casserole dish and sat with them, listening idly to them talk about where they wanted to go. The doorbell rang, and Jody went to get it. Rick stood there, a smile on his face that was only for Cara, who stood and hugged her friends before going to him, an answering smile on her face. She hid her nervousness, and when she passed by Jody, her friend said in a stage whisper,
"Have a nice night, girlfriend! Don't do anything I wouldn't!"
