Sorry for the long delay folks. Here's chapter two and for those who sent me words of encouragement to continue, offered critiques, and requests for some payoff, I hope you feel rewarded by this chapter.
DAY 4
Nicola started the next day earlier than the previous one. Without the feeling of needing to catch up in her day, her morning jog was leisurely, with slow, easy strides. She was mindful of where she was running as she continued to think about the previous day, talking with David, seeing Eric.
David was bringing more conversation into this vacation than she was expecting. She had been thinking that she was going to be a hermit for the entire time. But she was enjoying herself, enjoying her time with the young man. It was refreshing. Lacking any of the pretensions and bravado of many of guys back in the city, David had an honest and relaxed take on things. She was even looking forward to seeing him today when he would come to work on the cottage. However, she also hoped that he would keep his shirt on. Talking was fine. That other sort of distraction...well, she wasn't so sure about.
Then there was Eric who, in two days, went from a countrified letch to...something else. Aside from the unnervingly warm smile he had offered to her, it was his eyes that were now the focus of attention. Perhaps it was because they were bloodshot and full of piss and fire the first time she had met him that she hadn't noticed how soulful they actually looked. Those eyes and David's good words were adding unexpected dimensions to the man.
She still thought of him as the "mountain-man" but now that just made him more intriguing.
As she walked up the stairs to the cottage, much less winded than the previous day, she heard the phone in the cottage ring.
"Hello?" she answered, wiping her wrist across her forehead.
"Hey Nicola? It's David."
"Hi David, how are you?"
"Not bad," he said. His voice seemed low as he talked, "The thing is I'm going out of town for a job in Kilonas about 2 hours north-east of here. It'll probably take me most of the day so I'm just letting you know that I can't come to work at the cottage today. Sorry about that."
"Oh," she spoke softly, "Oh, that's okay."
"Sorry I won't see you today," he said.
He couldn't hide his dejection and Nicola realized she felt the same way. They exchanged short good-byes then hung up.
Standing by the phone she let her mind drift between David and Eric. She shook her head then threw up her hands. Rolling her eyes towards the ceiling, she groaned, "Men!"
Nicola didn't bother going into town that day. She sat out on the porch, read her book, and took a short nap. A gentle wind rustled the leaves in the trees. As she awoke she smiled. She loved waking up looking upwards at the canopy of trees.
She got up and walked across the clearing, yawning and stretching her body as she did so. Stepping close to the edge of the ridge that dropped down to the ravine below, she peered down through the trees. Taking a closer look, she spotted somebody by the creek. It looked like he was fishing, a big muscular man. Her mind sighed. She knew who it was.
As typical of her spontaneous nature, Nicola had two thoughts running through her head as she made her way carefully down the steep slope towards the bottom of the ravine. First, she was wondering why she hadn't put on some proper shoes and pants instead of the cork-heeled sandals and cut off denim shorts she was wearing. Secondly, and more importantly, she was wondering why she was going down to see Eric at all.
The man was leisurely seated on the ground leaning against a large rock, one leg stretched out, the other folded casually, perching his arm which was holding a makeshift stick rod. He simply gazed at where his line had gone into the water, a noticeable, closed mouth smile on his face.
As she approached him from the opposite side of the creek, Nicola thought she had never seen a person so at ease in his world. He looked like a big Tom Sawyer.
Glimpsing the smooth white legs standing across the water from him, Eric looked up slowly taking his time to appreciate her just like he took the time to appreciate so many other things in the wilderness. He had seen many things probably just as beautiful, but a rare few were as appealing.
The pretty blonde had one hand tightly wedged into the back pocket of her sorts as she waved to him once with the free one. She managed a soft smile, although her eyes still showed some hesitation.
Like the way he had looked at her, he acknowledged her slowly with a wispy wave of his hand and that same gentle smile from yesterday.
Nicola realized he was smiling with his eyes, those soulful eyes.
Only the babbling of the small creek filled the void between them as they continued to exchange silent looks and greetings. Nicola guessed that the moment was more awkward for her than for him so she decided to wing it and just say something.
"Beautiful day," she said.
"Certainly is," Eric replied and nodded. He rolled his eyes across the sky before setting them firmly on her once more. "Just beautiful."
Again there was a long pause. He was unfazed but she was shifting nervously on her feet, chewing her lower lip.
"You want a beer?" he asked her.
Nicola looked up, startled. "What? No, that's fine," she replied, "I'm fine."
He motioned towards the water. "It's cold. It's in the creek."
She frowned and looked into the water. She saw the silvery tops of four cans gleaming just below the surface.
"Now, you
know
you want one," he laughed, "Just go in and help yourself."
A crooked grin slid onto her face and she shrugged.
Eric watched her as she reached down to take off her sandals. Holding them in her hands, she dipped her toes into the water. She shirked back and yelped, "Hoo! That's cold!"
"Yeah, it'll feel great," he cajoled, "Trust me. Just jump in!"
Nicola stepped into the water gingerly. When both feet were in she stood there letting the water rush past her just a couple of inched below her knees. He was right, it did feel very good and as she stepped across the narrow creek, the smooth river rocks massaged the bottom of her feet.
She reached down for the cans. Stooped over, she looked up at him. "Did you want one?" she asked.
"Sure. Bring them all over."
As Nicola carefully stepped out of the creek holding the beer in her hands, Eric reached behind his back and pulled out the blanket he had been leaning against. He flipped it onto the ground beside him.
Nicola put down the beer before settling down into the blanket. Then she handed him a can and opened one for herself. Eric held his can out to her. She looked at it, then with a wry smile, she touched her can to his. With that silent toast, they both took a drink, her a short sip, him a long drag. As he continued to gulp down the beer it occurred to her how strange it was that she was now sharing a drink with the man who had cause her to tear up the streets of Dorrits with her car in order to escape him during her first few days in town.
Eric sucked down the last drop of beer. "Ahh, that's pretty good, eh?" he said. As she nodded, he rubbed his hand, moist from the can, across his chest and belly.
The fact that he was shirtless all this time hadn't been lost on Nicola. She had noticed it from all the way at the top of the slope. Now as he dragged his hand across the darkly tanned skin stretched tight across his hairy barrel chest and solid abs, she was acutely aware that this man was indeed cut from the stuff of the wilderness around him.
She looked away, hiding the blush on her face. What was it with these shirtless guys these last couple of days?
Staring at her feet, she brushed away the small bits of dirt at her ankles. She sighed and decided to take the bull by the horns. "Eric, about the other day-"
"I'm really sorry about that, Nicola," he interrupted, "I've been a jerk and had every right to be upset with me. I'm sorry."
Nicola glanced up at him, bewildered by his unexpected words and sincere tone. It was also the first time that he called her by name instead of "Sunshine".
Noting how she was stunned into silence, Eric continued, "I guess you've just got to understand that it's hard for us guys out here, you know, when someone like yourself comes through here. We just sort of, well, let go a bit. You know, strut around, swinging our dicks...uh, sorry about that, too."
Nicola chuckled and nodded. The phrasing was what she had expected. She was still surprised by his candid remarks, however, and the way he wouldn't take his eyes of off her. Most people would be fumbling around, looking this way and that, when they offered such a frank apology that seemed to go against heir grain. It was almost as if he were making her accept the apology just by his stoic stare alone.
Trying to fill the sudden silence, Nicola shifted on the blanket and looked at him directly in the eyes as well. She said, "Well, actually Eric, I was going to-"
The man raised an assured finger to her. He tilted his head as he shook it, his lips pursed, silently hushing "Shh." He wagged his finger and said, "Don't. You don't have to."
Nicola wasn't sure why but she smiled and felt more at ease all of a sudden. She looked over at his line drifting in the shallow waters. They sat there quietly for a few minutes then she asked, "So how are they biting?"
************
For the next couple of hours, it was just their voices drifting along with the running creek. Nicola was unaware of the time passing. It was a nice, new feeling for her considering the way her life was run by the clock back home. She was really enjoying their talk. Listening intently, she tried to match his leisurely voice. He had a slight drawl, with lazily spoken R's and W's. There was a whole relaxed nature about him. Nicola though of how David had barely skimmed the surface when he had told her that Eric was truly immersed in his surroundings when he wanted to be.
Eric had a cabin which he had built himself further down the creek. He used it more as a depot than an actual place to live. He liked to stay out doors as much as he could, sleeping outside many nights. He'd stock up his large backpack with supplies then trek off through the hills. He admitted however, that even though he'd probably logged several hundred miles in his treks, he never really wandered too far from the area. Nicola imagined him to be like a solitary bear who had staked his territory and was content to stay there.
"Probably why my wife left me about 10 years ago," he remarked, not sounding too particularly disappointed.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Nicola replied.
"Eh, not such a big deal," he shrugged, "She wanted to go places, wanted a big house. I just wanted to build my little shack in the woods. Wasn't right to make her stay."
"I couldn't imagine yourself any other place but here," she said then added, "You belong in the wilderness."
He looked at her for a moment, taking in those attentive blue eyes of hers. He sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right."
Thinking she might have overstated herself, she quickly added, "I mean, I've never seen anybody so completely at ease with their surroundings."
Eric nodded slowly then looked back at the fishing line.
