The Mining Town

John

John had let Patricia use his master bathroom while he got ready for bed in one of the spare bathrooms. He realized that all of Patricia's clothes were back in her room at the Greenwood, so he tried to hand her a t-shirt of his to wear and looked for a pair of track pants with a drawstring. Patricia laughed at him, walked into his master bath and closed the door, leaving him holding the t-shirt.

As he brushed his teeth, looking at himself in the mirror, he mentally repeated to himself, "No expectations." His nighttime rituals complete, he headed back into the bedroom. He debated for a moment before deciding to leave his boxers on as he climbed into bed.

He laid there for only a moment when the door to the bathroom opened. His mantra of no expectations immediately went out the window based on what he saw before him. Patricia, standing in the doorway completely nude, awakened some expectations in John. She stood for a brief moment with the light in the bathroom silhouetting her. His assessment of her ability to be a swimsuit model when they first met was spot on. She was just tan enough to show that she spent time outdoors and not in a tanning bed. Long legs and arms, a toned stomach. Perky breasts with light pink areola and nipples and a trimmed patch of brown hair between her legs rounded out the package. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

He could tell she knew the effect she was having on him. She smirked before turning out the bathroom light and sauntering over to the bed. John wasn't shocked by this. He imagined that he looked like one of those cartoon characters whose jaw hits the floor in surprise.

He quickly divested himself of his boxers as she made her way to the bed. She pulled the covers back and slid under them, shimmying up next to him.

"Hi"

"Hi, back. You know you're beautiful right?"

"You're not too bad yourself, at least your face anyway. I plan on finding out about the rest this evening."

"I plan on doing some exploring of my own."

"Well, then let's get started mister!"

With that, she put her mouth on his and kissed him deeply.

*****

They would both look back on that night and say that they made love. Even though it would be a little while longer before they said those words to one another, there was no mistaking the connection the made that evening. Any doubts either of them may have had about the path they were heading down were starting to be swept away.

There are many tales of folks that had amazing sexual experiences with people that they knew, or would come to find out, they were incompatible with. This was not one of those cases. Two people that fit together as wonderfully and beautifully as they did were rare. While they probably couldn't have explained it if asked, they both definitely felt it.

Patricia

She awoke the next morning and after taking a second or two to get her bearings, she smiled and rolled onto her side. John was facing away from her, having rolled away at some point during the night. She slid up behind him, pressing her breasts into his back and draping her arm over him.

"Hmmmmm...good morning, beautiful." John murmured. He lifted his arm to allow hers underneath. Then held her hand and pulled it to his lips, giving it a kiss.

They laid like that for a bit, but then John said that nature was calling him, and she confirmed the same. John said he would use the spare room, so she went into the master to relieve herself and brush her teeth. Even with the bedhead and sleep still in her eyes, the smile that looked back from the mirror was pure happiness.

John cooked them breakfast, which they of course ate out on the deck. John lent her a sweatshirt to keep her warm against the cool morning air. They had a second cup of coffee and enjoyed their morning together.

She opened up to him about the meeting with the creep and how she thought her supervisor might be involved. The news upset John, but she assured him she could handle it.

At some point the subject finally had to be broached and John was the first to break.

"So when do you have to leave to head back?"

"I should probably leave a little after noon. Give myself time to get back, unpack, and I have some work to do as well."

While John pondered this she added, "I'll be back Tuesday though to meet with Rob. I'd rather not make that drive twice in one day."

John smiled, "I have a spare bedroom you can use."

She smacked his knee, put her coffee down and straddled him. He held her as he reached forward to put his coffee down as well and then pulled her into a kiss.

When they finally broke free she asked, "So you don't mind if I stay here then?"

"You can stay here as long as you like."

She almost replied with 'Forever?' but felt it wise to keep that to herself for now. Instead, she just smiled and kissed him again.

*****

By the time she was halfway home, Patricia felt like a dumb teenager. She felt like she had a smile on her face the entire time. She wasn't complaining, the feeling was like nothing else that had ever happened to her. She decided to call her mother before her smile broke her face.

"Hi Sweetie, you home yet?"

"Hi Mom, no. I'm about two hours out."

"Oh, well how was the rest of the trip? You said you stopped in a small town?"

Patricia went on to describe the town, the art scene, the hiking and the waterfalls.

"It sounds lovely."

"It was...and I met someone."

This news perked her mother up a bit. Her mother knew she dated; her mother also knew how disinteresting she found most of her dates. It got to the point that her mother wouldn't even ask how the date went. Knowing that if there was anything worth talking about, Patricia would let her know.

"Someone interesting I take it."

"Very."

"What do you want to tell me about him?"

"Mom, I want to tell you everything about him. He's that amazing...it's just, it's really quick, you know?"

"Sweetie, you are not the type to fall in love with every guy you see. If anything, you are the opposite. So, if you feel this strongly already, if you feel you love him, then I can't wait to meet him."

"I didn't say I love him."

"You didn't have to."

John

Mrs. Fertig came in on Monday to pick up her car. John told her a good Samaritan had donated an engine for her car. He didn't know if Patricia wanted it known that it was her doing. Not that anyone in town knew who she was. John cut his labor rate in half and told Mrs. Fertig she could make payments to him if necessary. She had about half the money and said she would have the other half in two weeks, which was fine with him.

Having worked on cars for two thirds of his life, John was able to get the rest of his jobs done that day almost on autopilot. The rest of his thoughts were filled with the sandy-blonde haired beauty that had fallen into his life. John was still trying not to get ahead of himself. He would thankfully take what came his way in this new relationship.

His head filled with wonderful thoughts, John's day passed faster than any he could remember.

Patricia,

She was in the office early on Monday. Notes on the pointless and ridiculous meeting with the Fat Predator, as she was starting to call him in her mind, were finished and sent to the partners. She then wrote another set of notes. Ones that encompassed what actually transpired at the meeting in all their pompous, sweaty, detail. She had mostly pushed the meeting out of her mind while she spent time with John. Choosing to focus on the chemistry and great time they shared.

Going through her emails with Luke, the partner who had asked her to take the meeting, she was fully convinced she had been set up. She looked through the visitor log to see when he had been in the office. It was Thursday a week and a half ago. That lined up...that's the day she met him in the office.

She was convinced...but she couldn't prove it. She pondered for a little while longer before getting up and closing the door to her office. She pulled out her cellphone and dialed the number. She talked softly into the phone.

"Hi Mom....is Dad there too?...yeah, I need some advice."

*****

The phone on Patricia's desk rang. She picked up the receiver.

"Patricia Holder speaking......Ok, I'll be right up."

'Shit,' Patricia thought; they called him.

She walked out of her office and down the hall to the elevators. Wondering the whole time how much her parents had told him. Normally she would be upset. They knew that she wanted to make it on her own. She had only agreed to come to this firm if he agreed not to meddle, even a little. She put those thoughts aside as she got out of the elevator two floors up.

The area where Patricia's office sat was nicely appointed, she always thought. This...this was something else. Rich wood paneling everywhere with beautiful light sconces adorning the walls. 'If they could have wallpapered it with actual money,' they probably would have, Patricia chuckled to herself. She approached the assistant's desk at the end of the hall.

"Hi, Cynthia."

"Hi, Patricia, he's waiting for you. You can go right in."

"Thanks!"

She opened one of the double doors and entered an office that was probably only slightly smaller than her apartment. The gentleman sitting behind the oak desk rose and smiled. Some lawyers, no matter how expensive the suit, no matter how well styled the hair is, come off as smarmy. That was not this man. If Patricia had to come up with a word to describe him, it would be distinguished.

"Patricia!"

Patricia made sure the door was closed and she covered the distance between them before speaking.

"Hi, Uncle Tom."

She then gave him a hug of genuine love. They separated and he looked down at her.

"Do you know how hard it is to know you are a couple of floors away and that I can't come chat with my goddaughter, or take her to lunch? I feel like I see you less now than when you were in law school!"

"I know, and while I'm sorry that we don't see each other as much as we would like. I do appreciate you honoring my wishes."

"If keeping our relationship a secret is what it takes to have a talented lawyer like you at the firm, then that's what I'll do. But I'll be honest, I wish I could have it both ways."

"I know you do Uncle, but you know how I am. If I didn't feel like I accomplished it on my own, anything I did here would feel cheap and unearned."

"I know dear, and I'm sure you know why you're here."

"Either Mom or Dad or both called you."

"The news you gave them was worrying enough for them both to call. But they were adamant that you stated you couldn't prove anything.

"Correct, I can't. It's just a hunch."

"Ok, well your parents didn't give me the details, so why don't you run though everything with me."

Patricia spent the next ten minutes detailing out everything to her godfather. One she laid out all the facts she explained her reasoning on why she felt she had been set up, stressing that she was basing her final assumption on intuition.

"Well, you're right, you don't have a case as it sits now. But where there's smoke there's often fire, so I'm having the IT team archive all his emails. In the meantime, I'm going to have you reassigned to another partner."

"Actually Uncle Tom, I wanted to take the rest of the week off."

The statement hung in the air for a moment as Tom contemplated it.

"Patricia, if I am prying, then please don't answer...but are you asking for time off because of this incident, or is there more going on?"

Patricia did not keep any secrets from him, and thus had no issues being honest.

"I met someone. Someone amazing, and I'd like to spend some time with them as well as figure a few things out."

"If you think he's amazing, then I can't wait to meet him. I'll tell Luke you are out for the rest of the week."

"Thanks, Uncle Tom!"

*****

Patricia closed out the work she had left for the day, keeping her door closed and ignoring Luke's emails. She left the office early and headed to her apartment.

She was going on instinct, feeling that John felt as strongly for her as she felt for him. As such, she packed for a week, hoping she wasn't overstepping. Once she finished packing, she was a nervous ball of energy. She couldn't wait to head back to John. Sleep was going to be hard to come by tonight.

John

Patricia had called him Monday evening just as he was cleaning up from dinner. She asked if she could stay Tuesday evening as she wasn't sure how long it would take to work on Rob's variance, and thus did not want to head back too late. John said of course she could. Honestly, regardless of how long it took to help Rob, we would have asked her to stay.

John pondered on these thoughts for a bit. How to make sense of them? Life experience tells us to be cautious, to go slowly, lest we open ourselves to sudden hurt. The logical part of his brain was screaming that he - that they - were moving too fast. He pushed those thoughts aside. Not easy for a mechanic and former engineering student. You need to analyze problems in those disciplines. To pick apart the issue into its base pieces so that you can put together a solution around them.

John knew that wouldn't work here. There was no problem to pick apart. Everything about the two of them had been perfect so far. The old cliché of 'I've never felt this way before' came to mind. It was true though, wasn't it? He could honestly say it was. He had girlfriends over the years, two he told he loved them, and he did. None like this though. Not that he was ready to tell Patricia yet, but he saw that time fast approaching.

This was a new experience. To have his mind filled with thoughts that didn't require him to problem-solve. He could simply enjoy the pleasure of thinking about a beautiful woman and where their journey might take them.

Like Patricia, sleep came slowly that evening for John. Thoughts of a hopeful journey consuming him.

Patricia

Patricia had called John to tell him she had arrived at Rob's. She had gone through all the paperwork Rob had and decided to speak to the folks at the town offices to feel them out. She was not known in town, and did not want to ruffle any feathers as she went through the process of getting his variance approved.

She called Rob after stopping at the town municipal building to bring him up to speed and schedule the next time she would be at his office. She was now on her way to John's shop.

Patricia loved driving through new places. She felt she noticed so much more when the scenery is new to the senses. She went back to a memory, a childhood friend she had drinks with after college. The friend talked about an old barn that had finally been torn down in their hometown. The friend told of how it made her sad as they had visited often with other children that lived near her, all within walking distance of the barn. Patricia could not remember the barn at all, even though it could be seen from a road they often travelled on. It wasn't until she was shown pictures before it's demolition that she vaguely remembered the structure.

This brief conversation, one that would normally be forgotten by both participants not long after it happened, affected Patricia. The next time she visited her parents' home, she made it a point to drive around the area, trying to pick out things she had never noticed before. It amazed Patricia, all the little details she had never noticed before. The dirt road that led to an abandoned homestead - still passable - most likely due to teenagers using it as a hangout. The hand-laid foundation stones that she passed nearly every day yet had never noticed. Some later research showed that the foundation was from a home that dated back to the mid-1800s.

The memory made her smile. She soaked in the vibrancy of the details the town offered her, knowing they would eventually fade, and she would have to concentrate more to see them. Side roads and homesteads. Foundations and abandoned homes. They all fascinated her. She made a mental note to ask John to take a ride and see what backstory he could give her about these places.

John

He heard the car pull up and his intuition told him it was Patricia. The certainty of that feeling is comforting, although it lasts only a brief moment before the mind catches up and tries to rationalize it. In this case, he needn't worry; his intuition was correct. He went to his shop sink to wash his hands.

He had a feeling she would be here before he was finished. A rush job for a good customer come in and he told him he would squeeze him in, so he was later than usual in finishing up. Patricia had been taking the lead so far and he was starting to feel confident enough to reciprocate.

Just as he was drying his hands, Patricia walked through the bay door and up to him to give him a kiss. He kept his lips planted on hers but backed away slightly as she tried to move into him. This repeated twice before she pulled away with a slight pouting look on her face.

John laughed and quickly stated, "I don't want to get you dirty! My hands may be clean, but these overalls definitely aren't!"

Patricia's pout changed to an evil little grin, "What if I want to get a little dirty?"

This caught John short, and he had no reply. Patricia saved him with a giggle and said, "What time are you finishing up?"

"I probably have a half-hour or so, then close-up...so probably 45 minutes total."

John said the statement as he walked into the waiting room with Patricia following him. He walked over the counter and picked up a key and handed it her.

"Do you remember how to get to my place?"

"Umm, yes."

"Good, I don't want you waiting around here for me and I know how much you like the deck...so I figured you could go relax and have a glass of wine while I finish up here. I put some more wine on the rack, so feel free to have whatever you'd like."

Patricia wore a deep smile, "Well I was going to say I don't mind waiting for you, and I don't...but that idea sounds lovely."

They both smiled at each other for a moment before a thought caught Patricia, "What were you thinking for dinner? I didn't have time to stop and get anything, but I could head over to the market now."

"That's ok, I bought supplies for dinner, and I'll make it when I get home. It shouldn't take me too long...oh, do you like spicy?"

"Spicy sounds wonderful! Would you like me to start prepping anything?"

"No, I did some prep already, so all good."

"Sounds great! See you soon."

With that, Patricia leaned forward and gave him a kiss, making sure not to touch his overalls.

*****

He had finished up the work at the shop and was heading home. People often have an idealized version of how an event or even a scene in their life will play out. Rarely do these events meet those visions. This was one of those rare cases when reality exceeded expectations. It wasn't that Patricia was wearing something revealing or was in some erotic pose when he walked onto the deck...it was much more subtle. The way she sat, holding her wineglass, wearing a smile that melted John. She was lovely, elegant, sophisticated and certainly beautiful. John paused, taking it all in. He must have had a blank expression on his face, his mind racing to process the perfection he saw, because Patricia's smile dipped for just a moment. John forced his brain back into action and smiled deeply at her.

"You look lovely."

Her smile broadened again.

"Before I stare at you too long, I'm going to head inside and take a shower. Then I'll start dinner."

"I'll come in and help you."

John paused for a moment; it was his turn to put on an evil grin.

"I meant with dinner, but don't worry...I plan on helping you with some other things after dinner."

John laughed, "Sounds wonderful, I'll be back in a bit."