“Hey. Wait up.” Roger called as he double-timed after her. When he caught up to Beth, she was standing at the edge of the pool. It was a big pool. Olympic-size, Roger figured. The sun reflected off the water like a barrage of sparkling jewels rising out of the blue depth. It was surrounded by white columns topped with lamps. Several stone statues of naked men and women guarded the perimeter. In the far corner a hot tub was being tended by another statue of a nude woman holding a large decanter. The decanter was tilted and water poured endlessly into the hot tub. The pool area looked more like a scene from Greece than a backyard pool in Nebraska. Ivy climbed up many of the columns adding a splash of green to the picture. As impressed as he was with the scene, it all paled in his eyes when he shifted his gaze to Beth. She stood motionless on the cut stone deck surrounding the pool. Her hair framed her face and hung over her shoulders. Her eyes seemed to be smiling although her lips were not. Roger would have never thought anyone could be so completely captivating. If she looked this good in a T-shirt and jeans, could he hold it together when she changed into a swimsuit? He approached her slowly and she held up her hands motioning him to stay where he was. He stopped his advance without removing his eyes from the vision in front of him.
Beth smirked at him as if to dare him to move without permission. Almost like he were a dog being tempted out of a stay command. He didn’t move. Mostly because he had no idea what the rules of this game were, or what game he was playing for that matter. She was beautiful, confident and definitely in charge of this encounter. Without warning, she bolted toward the side of the garage. A steel staircase painted the same green as the roof lead to a loft above.
When she reached the base of the stairs she called back, “Well Vermont, are you coming?” She had about a twenty-yard head start on him but he climbed the stairs three at a time and gently bumped into her at the top before she could open the door.
They entered the loft and Roger couldn’t believe what he saw. He expected some old farm equipment and maybe a small change room. This was a lavish apartment, bigger than his parent’s house. The furniture was contemporary. A huge TV mounted on the wall came to life. It was loud, and the channel was set to MTV. Beth seemed to notice Roger’s confusion.
“We had it connected to the motion sensor. When we walk in the room the TV comes on. Isn’t it cool?”
“You do have a swimsuit in that pack, don’t you?”
He looked over his shoulder toward the door. His pack was still stowed in the back of the car. She pointed toward the last room on the right at the end of the hall. “You can change in there.”
He stood, watching her saunter down the hall, unable to believe this was happening to him. His eyes followed her every curve gliding away from him. If an expression could define happiness, it was the one on Roger Morris’ face as he gawked at Beth’s retreat.
“You better haul ass, Vermont, you don’t want me to change my mind about treating you to dinner, do you?”
He turned and bolted from the room taking the stairs three at a time to retrieve his pack and two at a time on the return trip. A quick look around told him he had entered a guest room. An oak four poster covered with a patchwork quilt, a matching oak bureau and some paintings on the walls, all depicting some old west cattle drive. Two doors on the wall opposite the window opened to a full bathroom and a small closet. He tossed the backpack onto the bed and explored the room. Closet empty, bureau empty, a cabinet behind the bathroom mirror empty. Roger walked over to the window and looked down on the pool. He began to wonder if Beth’s dad owned all of Nebraska. Just then his thoughts were interrupted by Beth’s voice through the door.
“What the hell, Vermont, did you fall asleep in
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