It was in the spring of the year, and our lives were progressing. Kids were getting older, moving out of the house and into college. We found ourselves with the oldest two out of the house, and our youngest still at home. Having her driver's license, and an active social schedule, we seldom saw her around the house. The spring of that year we had decided to possibly rent out our bunk house for the summer. The extra money would help fund one of the three college tuitions that we would soon be on the hook for.
Renting out the bunk house came with the realization whoever rented it would have to share our kitchen, and the downstairs bathroom. In essence this was not a big deal. Our two older sons were off at college, and staying in the respective towns for the summer. Our daughter was seldom around, so it seemed to make perfect sense. After our final conversation, Ken and I decided to rent it out and see how it worked into our schedule.
We placed our ad in the surrounding papers, trying to find the perfect renter or young couple. After the first week, we had close to 20 calls. Most of them didn't pan out after finding out how much the rent would be. One of the last calls was from a man who was planning on taking a break from college to enjoy the summer up north. His name was Paul, and he actually vacationed up here when he was younger with his family. The money wasn't an issue; he had financial help from his parents. We agreed to a meeting to discuss all the specifics and see if Paul would be a good fit. We set the meeting for the next day in town.
The meeting place was set at a small sports bar. Paul came in and introduced himself, and we started to get to know him a little better. It turned out Paul was finishing college, and was going to start Grad school in the fall. He was a good looking young man. Paul had darker skin, straight brown hair and brown eyes. He and Ken seemed to hit it off and got along well. I found him to be quite attractive, and he had a great smile and personality. I couldn't tell if he was Italian, or even an African American mix but he fit the role of tall, dark and handsome. I asked where his hometown was, and he said he grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. After speaking about vacationing up here with his family, he showed us a picture of his family on his laptop and where they used to stay. In the pictures his father was black, and his mother was white. I couldn't help but think what a nice mix this young man was from both parents. We concluded our meeting and told Paul we would call soon about the vacancy.
Back at home, Ken and I talked about it over dinner. With more pros versus cons, we decided we would offer the bunkhouse to Paul. At our meeting, he gave us all of his contact information. I told Ken I would call him tomorrow on his mobile phone and let him know he could have the lease if he still wanted it.
The next morning I ran into town and did the typical chores and running. After getting groceries I stopped at a restaurant to meet a friend for lunch. As I was waiting for her to arrive, I thought I would call Paul to offer our bunkhouse to him. I dialed his mobile number, the phone rang but he never answered the call. I left a message for him informing him it was all his for the taking, and to call me back on my mobile when he had a chance. During our lunch, Paul called and I answered. He was ecstatic and excited that we chose him. He thanked me several times, and told me how much he appreciated the offer and was looking forward to be in the northwoods for the summer. Paul said he would be moving up this coming weekend. My friend Connie asked what we were doing, and I told her we were renting out our bunkhouse for the summer. After some idle detail chat she asked me if he was good looking guy. I told her he was quite good looking. Connie laughed and hit my arm which was typical for her, and said I would have to invite her over for lunch soon. We enjoyed the rest of our lunch and I was happy that we could make Paul so happy.
The following three days I thought about what our summer would be like with a new person around the house. I wondered if it would hamper our lifestyle, or if indeed it was a mistake to share our house and lake with someone we didn't know quite well. The weekend came quickly, and Paul called me on my mobile to let me know he would be there shortly. He called for directions. Until now, all he had seen was a few pictures we had showed him during our interview.
Ken was gone when Paul had arrived. I greeted him, and told him the garage and bunkhouse was all his. He thanked me and called me Mrs. Johnson again. I insisted that he call me Penny from now on. Paul grabbed one of his bags and I walked him up the stairs to the bunkhouse. He looked excited about his new summer housing. I told him to make himself at home, and to let me know if he needed anything. He came over and gave me a hug, which kind of surprised me, and said Thank you Penny. I laughed and told him to get settled in and relax. After seeing him again after the interview, I was reminded how he was an attractive young man. I couldn't help but notice when he did hug me, he was solid and muscular. He was a little over six feet tall, and had a real nice smile with straight white teeth.
I smiled to myself as I started walking back into the house. I was glad he was so excited to be up north, and to share our little slice of heaven. A few minutes later he was out on the dock in his swimming suit. He wasted little time swimming in the lake. He had on a bright pair of board shorts, which accentuated how dark his skin was. He literally had no body hair, and was definitely toned. Very toned, and pretty muscular, he must work out regularly I remember telling myself.
Ken came home later that afternoon and we decided to have a cookout on the deck. It would be a nice ice breaker and a way for us to welcome Paul and get to know him better and remove any of the awkwardness. During dinner, the conversation flowed, and the meal was perfect. The sun was setting on the water and the wind died down. He and Ken didn't run out of any topics to talk about, and I found myself asserting our decision that we chose the right person. After dinner, we had another round of drinks on the deck. When I would speak to Paul he would look directly at me. He would nod as I was talking to him and look at my mouth for an extended period of time and give a small smile of approval. He was definitely cordial and polite, but the way he would smile and the length of his gaze made me wonder what he was thinking. To be honest, it made me feel pretty good that this guy was maybe checking me out. When Paul would talk to Ken it wasn't as long, and certainly not as big of a smile that he was giving me.
Later that night when we were in bed, I told Ken I thought we made the right choice. He agreed and mentioned that Paul must have been in Track or some other college sport because of his physique. He also said that Paul was pretty lucky as well. He will have a great place to stay and a beautiful woman to look at every day also. He asked me if I caught the way he was looking at me. I told him I didn't, and Ken said it was all night long out on the deck, and that he could tell that Paul thought I was a good looking, attractive woman. I told Ken it was just his imagination and that it probably excited him to think there was something there, since that is his ultimate fantasy. We said good night and I rolled over on my side. I smiled to myself thinking about the night, the way Paul did look at me, and what my husband had said about him. I did notice it and it was nice receiving the attention.
The next few days flew by. We kept to our schedule, social activities, and Paul to his. Everyone seemed to get into their routine, and we hardly noticed he was there at our house. When I would run into Paul he always flashed a big smile, and continued with the long looks. It happened consistently enough that I knew it wasn't my imagination. I was unsure if I was returning the looks and smiles or even reacting the same way to him.
It was about two weeks into his stay when I found something that caught me off guard. It was Wednesday evening, and the garbage was to be picked up the next day. I started making the rounds throughout the house and then into the office. I thought I should empty the cans from the bunk house as well. Paul was in town, so I wouldn't be invading his privacy and space. On my way up into the bunk house, I emptied the garbage cans. I looked around and he rearranged the bunk house. Paul had moved the beds together at the end of the bunkhouse and set up a bigger desk for his laptop and other books and files by the window.