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Chi-Chi broke the ice. “I think your sister is sweet on Marshal Gaines. Do you not agree?”
“And vice versa.” Cullen nodded as he kept his eyes on the road.
“So what do you think they should do about it?” Chi-Chi was as baffled as anyone as to why the relationship between Luna and the fine marshal hadn’t moved ahead.
Cullen thought it was ironic that he should have to answer that question since he was in a very similar situation. At least on his end. “Huh. In today’s world, men have to be very careful with their approach.”
“Please explain.” Chi-Chi was highly aware about the growing number of sexual harassment claims. Chi-Chi was also curious about Cullen’s take on American male-female interaction. Where she came from, many marriages were arranged. And under Sharia law in the Zamfara State, a man could take up to four wives provided he treated them equally. Thankfully, her father had had the presence of mind and a decent enough education to know that was not what he wanted for his daughter.
“Ha. Where do I begin?” Cullen laughed nervously. “Over the years, there has been a tremendous amount of sexual harassment. Probably since the beginning of time, actually. But only recently has it become major news, with a deluge of lawsuits. Major executives losing their jobs, celebrities, you name it. And I can’t blame the women for blowing the whistle on them.” Cullen paused at a STOP sign to check the traffic. “Now men are overly cautious to approach a woman in any way so as not to offend them or have their intentions misconstrued.”
“I understand. So if a woman wants a man to kiss her, she needs to invite him to do so?” Chi-Chi was playing coy with him.
Cullen chuckled nervously. “Pretty much. Sorta takes the romance out of it, though.”
“So you cannot ‘make a move,’ as they say, without permission?” Chi-Chi asked.
Cullen let out a guffaw. “I know it sounds crazy, but this is what it has come down to.”
Chi-Chi sat back, pondering this new information. She had dated several men, but the relationships never moved forward enough to the point of sex. Likewise, her religious beliefs forbade premarital sex regardless where you lived. That was one of the few moral imperatives that her family had instilled in her. At thirty-four, she was still a virgin. She often wondered if she would ever fall in love, but she knew she liked Cullen very much. Maybe that was what love was supposed to be about. Liking someone very much.
As they pulled into the parking lot of the center, Chi-Chi kept her focus straight ahead. “So if I wanted someone to kiss me, I would have to ask them to?”
“Awkward, huh?” Cullen was expressing his own feelings at the moment.
“Indeed.” Chi-Chi thought about everything Cullen had said. She would save the invitation for another time. Someplace a little more romantic than a parking lot. She hoped that when she did ask, he would be happy to oblige. In the meantime, she would find out what kind of invitation was necessary.
Chapter Six
Marion, NC
That evening
Tori was relieved to see that her husband’s pickup was not in the driveway. She knew he wouldn’t wait for her, but she was relieved nonetheless. She removed the small bag of groceries and entered the house through the side door. It occurred to her that no one ever used the front door. So strange. It wasn’t as if it was a big walk from the gravel driveway to the front of the house.
They lived in a small ranch. It had been built in the 1950s under the G.I. Bill. A number of similar developments throughout North Carolina had been built at the same time. The tobacco industry and furniture manufacturing had enticed many looking for a decent wage and a safe place to raise a family. Tori and her husband had bought the place from the son of the original owner. After his folks died, he decided to move his family to a less rural part of the state. It was a quaint, historic town, named for Brigadier General Francis Marion, a Revolutionary War hero who earned the nickname “Swamp Fox.”
Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, it was also in the middle of nowhere and somewhere else. The scenery was beautiful, with the backdrop of the Pisgah National Forest, the highest point east of the Mississippi. For people who loved the outdoors, the hiking trails were magnificent.
It was a relatively quiet, historical town with fewer than eight thousand residents. As far as the crime rate, drunk and disorderly was commonplace, as well as domestic disturbances. When there were serious crimes, the FBI or the U.S. Marshal Service usually stepped in. For the most part, her husband’s job wasn’t dangerous. Almost boring. And so was her life. The only excitement for her was her job. Except for the occasional domestic quarrel during a divorce action, it was a relatively quiet and predictable job. For that she was thankful.
Tori put the groceries away and snatched her white bag of pastry pleasure. She clicked on the TV to watch the last of the news. Not much new. She thought they should rename it S.O.S. for “same old stuff.” She licked her fingers, savoring the buttery morsels of delight. It dawned on her that if something so small could make her feel this good, imagine how good she would feel if she could sweeten the rest of her life. She giggled. Yes, it was a pastry epiphany. Or a sugar high. She was going to be on top of her game even if she didn’t know what the game was. Yet. But she had hope. Faith. She had to remind herself that in spite of fleeing from home right after high school and having a baby at nineteen, she had a good job at a respectable law firm.
She finished off the final piece and tried to shake the crumbs into her mouth. Instead, they got all over her shirt. She giggled again. Time to take a long hot bath and begin to discover who she was.
Tori ran the tub, sprinkling Epsom salts under the spigot. Her doctor told her it was safe to use it in a warm bath and it would help with any stress. She thought about it. Stress. It was odd that she didn’t feel it. Not at that moment. She felt invigorated. Maybe it was her hormones. She slid farther down into the cozy water and propped a rubber pillow under her neck. She strained her mind, trying to remember the last time she had treated herself to this kind of relaxation.
She thought about the past twenty years. How had they gone by so quickly? Retracing her life, she remembered the excitement of their first year of marriage. Sure, there were ups and downs, but they kept, or maybeshekept believing they would have a good, solid, happy life together. For the most part, it was solid. Financially comfortable. He was paid well and had benefits. Good? Yes, when her son was growing up. Happy? Not so much anymore. It was the same old adage about growing apart.
After Brendon was born, she went back to work at the restaurant, but the hours were tough. She managed to juggle her schedule for several years until her son was in grammar school. With Brendon being involved in a lot of activities, doing the chores, shopping, and working, Tori was beginning to feel weary. And she was only twenty-six at the time.
One of the restaurant’s frequent customers owned a small law practice in town. He was several years her senior. Maybe the age her father might be now. He was a kind man who usually ate alone. If it was a slow night, she would stop by his table and chat. He seemed to appreciate the company. They would talk about her son mostly. How fast kids grow up. Over the years, she discovered he was a widower and had a couple of grandchildren. One evening, he told her his receptionist-assistant was going to retire and he needed to replace her. Much to her surprise, and out of the blue, he offered Tori the job. “Why don’t you come and work for me?”
Tori was dumbstruck. “Mr. Layton, I don’t know anything about the law.”
“You seem like a quick study, and I’ll pay you double what you’re making here.”
“But you don’t even know what that is!” Tori smiled.
