Page 81 of The Forever Christmas Tree

Of course, they weren’t laughing when they came to a mutual roaring climax. She arched her body up off the bed, taking him with her . . . There is something to be said for special forces exercise! . . . as he thrust in one last time, to the hilt, threw his head back, and gasped out, “Yeeesss!” Even when he shot his wad, her vaginal muscles continued to clasp and unclasp him with diminishing strength until he could barely breathe, in a good way.

When they lay sated beside each other, she turned on her side and kissed one of his nipples. Glancing up at him, she whispered, “Thank you.”

Well, it wasn’t “I love you,” but it was nice just the same.

“No, thank you.”

Talking Heads (or “Why Do Fools Fall in Love? Wah, wah, wah!”) . . .

Wendy lay in Ethan’s arms and thought, Say it, you fool! Tell me you love me. Ask me to stay.

Ethan kept his eyes closed, just relishing the afterglow of lovemaking and the simple pleasure of holding Wendy in his arms. Tell me you love me. Stay with me, Wendy. Don’t go away, again.

No, no, no! I don’t wish that. Yes, I want him to love me, but I can’t stay. What am I thinking? I’m not thinking, that’s what.

What am I thinking? I am such a fool! She can’t stay. Even if she wanted to, she has a commitment to Uncle Sam. But I wish . . .

I should tell him how I feel.

I should tell her how I feel.

Neither of them said anything.

Forget about sugarplums dancing in their heads that night. It was Frankie Lymon crooning, “Why do fools fall in love? Wah, wah, wah!”

Peace comes, and peace goes . . .

It was Christmas Eve. Already. Time was passing so fast for Wendy, and there was still so much to do. And that didn’t include Ethan. Because she didn’t have a clue what to do about him.

That morning, following her wonderful night with Ethan, events moved from one crisis to another. Which at least kept her from obsessing over Ethan.

First crisis: Gloria was in full-blown dementia mode. When Wendy tried to return the Tiffany bracelets, Gloria accused her of theft and wanted to call the police. When Wendy tried to calm Gloria down, she attacked her by clawing at her face and had to be pulled away by JAM and K-4.

Luckily, Jefferson Hale, the new doctor who was opening a clinic in Bell Cove, had come by with a U-Haul to pick up more of the medical equipment and furniture from the offices of Wendy’s late father. He examined Gloria and gave her a sedative which put her to sleep, and he prescribed some pills that should calm her down on a temporary basis. “She needs to be in a skilled nursing facility ASAP, though,” he cautioned them. Gloria’s daughter was coming tomorrow to take her back with her to Long Island where a different facility had been found for her, one that could take her immediately, unlike the previously planned one which didn’t have a room vacant until January 5th.

Wendy liked the new doctor, who asked her to call him Jeff, and she could tell that he liked her, too. Oh, not “like” in her case, as in sexually attracted, as she was to Ethan. Jeff felt a little different, as evidenced by how eagerly he accepted Aunt Mildred’s invitation to tomorrow’s open house and gave her a little wink.

About thirty-five years old, Jeff had recently completed his residency in family practice. He was part of that government program that paid a med student’s school expenses as long as they promised to serve for a number of years in remote regions where medical care was not readily available. Which described Bell Cove to a tee with an hour traveling time for an ambulance to the nearest hospital, including the ferry ride. Her father’s practice had been sorely missed these past five years since he’d died.

Second crisis: The U-Haul wouldn’t start once it was loaded, and the guys had to jumpstart it from their rented SUV.

Third crisis: Elmer insisted on their having goose for their feast on Christmas evening, after the open house. But no one, least of all Wendy and Aunt Mildred, had realized that it would start with a live goose, which everyone was chasing across the dunes as it escaped its doom.

“If I had my rifle with me, I could shoot that bugger in no time,” Diane said. “Maybe Gabe has one we can borrow from that ancestor of his.” Which Elmer and the guys thought was a great idea, but Aunt Mildred put the kibosh on that suggestion immediately. “There will be no guns fired in Bell Cove.”

In the end, they let the stupid bird go. It was probably hiding in a flock of sea birds on the rocky shore.

A grumbling Elmer went to the Shop-a-Lot where he had to settle for two fifteen-pound frozen turkeys since they were sold out of the big ones. “My dogs could have tracked the damn goose down if you’d let them loose.”

Fourth crisis: Diane sampled too much of Aunt Mildred’s punch, which was heavy on Scotch whiskey, and fell into a drunken doze on the sofa before the fire. Even the dogs took one sniff of her breath and chose to lie on the other side of the room.

Fifth crisis: Aunt Mildred ran out of Glenlivet 12 and insisted that Geek drive to Nags Head where they had the best prices on that particular year. Since she needed ten bottles, it was worth the trip, in her aunt’s opinion.

All Wendy could think was: Ten bottles of whiskey? Holy hangover!

Laura dropped by for a little “girl time” with Wendy. That wasn’t a crisis, but a welcome respite from the constant ups and downs.

“What did you think of the dance?” Laura asked when they sat in the kitchen alcove sipping cups of ginger chai tea and munching on raspberry shortbread cookies.