Shut In

She smiled, thanked him, then laid a ten-dollar bill on the counter. She shifted the paper tray/carrier around so she could open the door then headed across the street to The General Store where Hank welcomed her with his booming voice.

"Well, I declare!" he said loudly and with a smile. "Look what the cat drug in!"

"Hi, Hank!" she called back before walking over and offering him a cup.

He picked it up, smiled again, and said, "It's so good to see you, Nicole. How you doin'?"

"Good. Really good," she told him truthfully.

The sound of a familiar female voice caught her attention as Sarah walked up.

"Look at you!" she said as she hugged Nicole the best she could.

"I brought one for you, too," she said as she held out the tray.

"You didn't have to that," Sarah said as she took one.

"And you didn't have to make such an amazing dinner," Nicole reminded her.

"It was the least I could do," she said with a bright, happy smile.

"It was very thoughtful of you and much appreciated."

"I fished out the silver trays," Hank announced proudly.

"Then thank you, too!" Nicole told him as Sarah gave him an 'are you kidding' look.

They talked for a couple of minutes, and both of them were very happy to know she was able to get out again, and both of them hugged her when she told them she needed to go.

"Would you be heading to the sheriff's office by any chance?" Sarah asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"I just might be," Nicole said with a smile of her own.

"He's a very handsome young man," Sarah said quietly as though Hank couldn't here.

"I'm standing right here, woman!" he said as though he was jealous.

"If I looked like Nicole, you might have a reason to get all worked up," she told her husband playfully.

"Ahh! That is so sweet," Nicole told her.

"And true. It's none of my business, but I think the sheriff is pretty sweet on you."

"Oh?" Nicole replied with another smile. "I had no idea."

"Well, he is," Sarah informed her. "He's awfully young, but he's such a nice man."

"Yes. Yes, he is," Nicole agreed.

"Well, you tell him 'hello' for us, okay?" Sarah requested.

"I will, and thank you again for the wonderful meal."

"Our pleasure!" Hank said much too loudly and as though he'd done all the work.

Sarah smiled the way a wife does who's used to her husband's ways, and Nicole smiled back understandingly.

"Bye, you two!" she said as she headed out.

"Come back soon!" Sarah called back.

It was just a block to Eric's office, and she smiled when she noticed the cruiser was out front. The tiny town couldn't afford even a single deputy to help out, so if there was any need to arrest someone and keep them overnight, the sheriff had to be there 24/7. No one was in 'the clink', but Eric was at work.

When she walked in, he was sitting at his desk. He looked up and froze then smiled before standing up.

"Well, well, well," he said as she walked toward him.

"Hi," she said sweetly. "This is for you."

They stood there awkwardly for a moment before Eric leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. When he did, Nicole told him he was more than welcome to kiss her and Eric gladly did so.

"Now that's a good morning," he said before taking a cup and thanking her for it.

"And last night was a good...no, a great evening," she said with cheerful smile.

"It was pretty amazing, wasn't it?" Eric offered.

"Uh-huh. Very."

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Or you," he told her.

"Oh. Then I'm not the only one daydreaming about last night."

Eric laughed then said, "That makes me very happy."

She had no intention of saying it, but it just kind of came out.

"You make me very happy," she told him.

Eric smiled again then said, "Truth be told, I didn't just start thinking about you last night."

"Oh?" she said with a very sweet smile.

"Yeah. I uh, I kind of realized I couldn't get you off my mind from the first time I saw you."

"Was it my beauty or my charm, suh?" she asked playfully in a southern accent.

Not to be outdone, Eric did his best impression of Rhett Butler, and said, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a da...darn. Which one, that is."

Nicole laughed happily and asked how his coffee was.

"Strong and black," he said. "In other words—excellent."

"So how'd you do coming into town today?" he asked before taking a second sip.

"Not bad. I had some jitters in the driveway, but other than that, I was even able to drive past the marker without getting emotional."

"That's wonderful," Eric said sincerely. "I'm really happy for you."

"And I'm really grateful to you," she replied.

"I didn't do any original thinking. I just used Google and...voile!"

"Yes, but you took the time to do the research, and if you hadn't, Lord only knows how long I might have been living as a shut in."

"The Fall Harvest festival is this weekend," Eric said with a smile.

"Oh. And you're telling me this why?" Nicole asked as though she had no idea.

"Well, I was thinking—and hoping—that I might be able to find someone to go with me."

"I see. Go as in...a date?" she asked, her eyebrows raised high.

"That's the word," he told her with a smile.

Nicole smiled back and said, "I'd love that, Eric."

"Are you busy tonight?" he asked knowing it was almost rhetorical.

"Hmmm. Let me see," she said as she fished out her phone and pretended to go through an appointment calendar. "Wow. Yeah. Tonight's not looking good. I've got that state dinner with the governor and then there's the rally in DC the following morning, and..."

Eric stood up then came around and took her in his arms, and said, "What time shall I pick you up?"

Nicole laughed at her silly thought but said it anyway.

"Was that your best...pick-up line?"

Eric groaned loudly and said, "On second thought..."

"No! Don't you dare have a second thought. I'll be ready anytime you'd like," she told him as their eyes met and danced.

"You are so beautiful," he told her again quietly as they stared into one another's eyes.

"I still don't know why you think that, but I'm very happy that you do," she replied quietly.

"Come here," he said as he led her over to a full-length mirror.

Nicole had no idea why a jail had a mirror that size, but it was there so she followed him over to it.

Eric stood behind her and explained why he felt that way beginning with her long, soft hair and ending with her sexy, shapely legs, covering nearly every part of her body in a way that was anything but crass.

By the time he finished, her heart was beating fast, and she was very aware of her wetness. She pulled his arms around her waist and closed her eyes as he placed his cheek next to hers.

"So now you know why I think you're the most beautiful woman on earth."

Nicole wanted to say something to downplay it like, "You mean in this tiny little town, right?" but she didn't. She didn't because she couldn't, and she couldn't because his words were like an intoxicating drug to her; words she drank them in and found herself wanting more.

"That was the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to me, and my husband was a very romantic man," she said quietly as he held her from behind.

"I know I can never replace him, but if I could just be some small part of your life, Nicole, I'd be a very happy man."

She smiled, held his arms tight, then said, "In that case, you should be very happy."

He turned her around, smiled at her, then leaned down and kissed her softly.

"Mmmm," she moaned as the kiss became more passionate.

He went to pull away when Nicole said, "One more? Please?"

"If there is one more, it's going to be very hard to stop."

Nicole smiled happily then said, "Then maybe we can save that special kiss for later tonight."

Eric raised an eyebrow, and Nicole laughed happily.

"Hmmm. I'm not even going to ask what you meant by that," he told her.

"If you have to ask, then I must like the wrong guy."

"Oh, so you like me, huh?" he teased.

"Maybe. A little," she teased back.

"Be ready at seven," he told her out of the blue.

"Oh, wow. A man who takes charge. Me like," she said with another warm smile. "I'll be ready."

There were only a handful of shops in town, but Nicole spent the next few hours going through each of them and catching up with friends. She loved that almost everyone who lived there was a friend; someone who could be depended on. She hadn't spent a single dollar in town for a some time now, and she did her best to make up for it.

In the one place that sold nicer women's clothes she spent a couple of hundred dollars on a new dress, some shoes, and a few other things. Then on the way back to the car she stopped back in at The General Store and bought a bottle of red wine and settled up her tab. Hank told her there was no hurry, but there was no reason to put it off, and it gave her the chance to think him and his wife again.

Sarah could see the sparkle in Nicole's eyes and mentioned it to her.

"You were right," Nicole told her. "He is a little sweet on me, and I think I just might be sweet on him."

"I'm so happy for you, honey. You deserve to be happy after all you've been through."

"Sarah?" she asked. "Do you think I'm foolish for getting involved with someone so much younger than me?"

"Oh, sweetie. Listen. All that matters is that whoever it is makes you happy. I can't answer that for you, but I can see the way you're smiling. I haven't seen that since before, you know."

"I do," Nicole replied. "All I can say is I'm smiling because for the first time since I lost my family, I'm happy. And I'm happy because of Eric. So if I'm making a mistake then so be it. But I honestly don't believe I am."

"Then follow your heart, Nicole."

She leaned closer then said, "If I was in your shoes, I'd do the same thing."

"You better hope Hank didn't hear that," she said with a smile.

"Ha! If I wasn't in the picture, he'd be doing his best to win you over."

She leaned even closer then said, "He's no George Clooney, so there's not a chance in...Hades...of that happening, but I do love him very much. And I'd say you might just be falling in love with the town sheriff, so young or old, don't let love pass you by."

"No. No, I won't," she said as though it was a promise. "And thank you so much for listening."

"I don't get a lot of girl talk in here so anytime I do, I'm not going to pass that by!" Sarah assured her.

They hugged, and Nicole thanked her again then thanked her for being such a good friend, and that reminded her she hadn't spoken to her mother in way too long.

When she got home, she steeled herself for the conversation knowing it could 'go south' very quickly, but she was her mother, and it was time to call. Whether or not she told her about the new love interest in life was another story, though.

When her computer screen came to life, Nicole forced a smile.

"Hey, Mom!" she said as cheerfully as she could.

"Hi, honey!" her mom said back. "I was going to call you tomorrow, but I'm so glad you called me."

"Why? Is everything okay?"

"Now it is. I thought you were upset at me after we talked the last time because this is the longest we've gone without communicating, and I was getting worried."

"Why would I be upset, Mom?"

"Well, as much as I really do try not to meddle, I can get awfully pushy about trying to talk you into coming home...sorry. Back to Seattle."

"You're not meddling, Mom. I know you have my best interests at heart."

"Whew. I'm so relieved to hear you say that, sweetheart," her mom said. "So catch me up. What have I missed?"

Nicole hadn't had this pleasant a conversation with her mother in at least two years if not more. The change in attitude was such a pleasant surprise she decided to share her newest secret.

"Well, I kind of met someone," Nicole began.

"Are you serious?" her mom asked. She was so excited she shifted positions before asking for details.

"Well, for starters he's the new sheriff in town."

"Uh-huh. That's a good thing," her mom said.

"And...well, he's very good looking. As in 'Tim good looking'.

"Oh, my. Tim was a very handsome man."

"Yes, he was. But Eric, that's his name, is every bit as attractive as Tim was, and well, maybe even a little bit more so."

"Was he a male model in a former life?" her mom teased.

"No. Nothing like that. He said he was an officer in the Marine Corps for several years, then went to the police academy here in Portland."

"I still think Oregon every time you say Portland," her mom told her for the umpteenth time.

Nicole only smiled and then explained the rest. Except for his age.

"Well, he sounds downright wonderful," her mom said.

Nicole sensed a 'but' coming and asked what it might be.

"No 'buts'. Just a question."

"Okay. Ask away."

"Well, if this gets serious, does that mean you'd be staying there? In Maine?"

"We're not even close to that kind of serious yet, Mom. So I can't really say."

"I...I see," she said, the disappointment finally showing through.

"Anyway, he's coming over tonight to pick me up and we're going out. I don't know where yet, but it doesn't really matter, you know?"

"Well, I'm very happy for you, honey," her mom said as sincerely as she could.

"Thanks, Mom. And how's Dad doing?"

Her father's face appeared upside down in the monitor just as he rolled his eyes.

As always, his antics made her laugh.

"Hi, Daddy!" she said.

"Hey, sweetie. I was listening in, and we're both very happy for you."

"Thank you, Dad. I love you!"

"Love you, too."

He was a man of few words, and Nicole was happy just to hear his voice.

She wished them both a wonderful day then signed off and thought about when to start getting ready.

"Not bad," Nicole said as she took a look at her new outfit in the mirror.

The weather had been reasonably nice but was even colder than it had been just the day before and it was forecast to drop below freezing the night of the Fall Festival. With that in mind, Nicole found a very pretty off-white, knit dress that fell to about three inches above her knees. With a pair of matching heels, she thought she looked pretty good for a woman her age.

As she turned both ways, Nicole realized she no longer cared about Eric's age, but found it very hard not to think about hers. She still felt young, and nearly everyone she knew told her she still looked young, but all that mattered to her was how Eric felt. And so far, at least, she had no reason to believe he was anything but honest, and after the way he'd made her feel in his office earlier that day, all she could do was trust that he meant what he'd said.

Nicole also had a coat in the same color she hadn't worn in at least three years, but like most of her other nicer things, it too, was in very good condition. It was still covered in the same plastic bag it came home in from the dry cleaners and was ready to go.

The only accessories she wore were a pair of pearl earrings and strand around her slender neck. She did wear a touch more makeup than normal, but not so much that it looked...bad. She hated the word 'slutty' and tried to never use it, even when the word fit. And it most definitely didn't fit where her makeup was concerned.

Eric showed up exactly on time, and Nicole found herself smiling as she watched him pull in. She'd been sitting in her favorite chair watching through a window as she waited for him to arrive.

She got up to meet him, and when she saw him, she felt her heart swell with emotion. She'd never seen him in a suit, and when she did, she was so glad she'd bought (and worn) something nice. When she opened the door for him and saw him up close, she thought she might throw herself at him.

Before he could say a word, Nicole told Eric, "You look...amazing!"

"Me? Are you kidding? No one's even going to notice me if I'm anywhere near you," he said as he gave the 'once-over' twice. "There's beautiful and there's...beautiful."

Nicole closed the door and when she did, she turned around and saw Eric standing right in front of her.

"Oh. Hello there," she said with a smile.

He put his arms around her and said, "I can't possibly not kiss you 'hello'."

"By all means," she told him as she slid her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

She asked him if he'd like a drink, and he said 'no thank you' and asked if they could leave.

"Yes. Of course. Are we going somewhere out of town?"

"We are," he told her as he helped her with her coat.

They drove right by the marker and Eric asked if there was any amount of anxiety or discomfort.

"No. None," she told him.

She smiled at him, and Eric reached for her hand. Nicole gave it to him and asked where they were going.

"There's a place where we can go dancing after dinner about 30 miles from here. How does that sound?"

Nicole knew the place, and told him, "As long as I'm with you, it'll be perfect."

She and Tim had been there once around ten years ago, and it had been a very nice place. Since then they'd expanded the dance floor and had hired someone to play piano.

It was quite possibly the most romantic dinner and evening she'd had since the night Tim proposed to her. The food was superb, the service was excellent, and Eric was a surprisingly good dancer. Most couples were turning in little circles which would have been just fine, but when Eric led her in several different dance steps, Nicole couldn't stop smiling.

"You are one pleasant surprise after the other," she told him after a more lively dance.

"As long as you're happy, I'm happy," he told her as they sat back down.

"I am very happy," Nicole told him. "I don't know whether or not I'd given up on ever being happy again, but I was at least resigned to living alone and making the best of it."

She looked right at Eric then said, "But you've let me feel hopeful again."

"You never saw yourself dating me though, did you?" he asked without any kind of accusation.

"Honestly? No. But I think you gave me hope, and that gave me the willingness to try again."

She smiled then said, "Even if I struck out in a big way first."

"I uh, I'm not sure if I should tell you this, but Hank asked about Zeus, and I told him a vet had come by and given you a prescription for him. When he asked me which one I told him."

"And?" Nicole asked knowing something else was coming.

"And...according to Hank—and Sarah—Dr. Mike is a married man."

"What? Are you serious?" she asked, the disbelief written all over her face.

"Since I don't know that, it's really just gossip, but when both of them assured me was married, it seemed reasonable I should tell you."

"That...man!" she said with a shake of her head.

"I didn't mean to upset. I only thought it best I tell you rather than someone say something one day."

"Oh, someone would have said it. I love our little town, but something like that seeps into every home within hours."

Eric laughed and said, "I'm learning that's true."

"Not the hard way, I hope," Nicole said, her smile back.

"No. Just...talk. You know."

"About us?" she asked.

"Um, well...yes. About us."

"Does that bother you? I mean, I'm sure they're saying horrible things about me like 'cradle robber' or..."

"No. Actually they're not. The handful of people who've said something have all told me how happy they are for you; for both of us."

"Then again, I'm very happy," she replied.

She hesitated then said, "Are you?"

Eric smiled, took her hand, then looked into her eyes and said, "If I tell you I'm falling for you, will you tell me it's because I'm too young to know what real love is?"

Nicole stopped smiling as his words sank in.

"I...we...I'd...I'd never say that, Eric."

"Good. I'm very relieved," he told her.

"I wouldn't say that because I'm falling for you, too," she said without taking her eyes off of his.