Chapter 3

Pam stood and said she needed to get busy. "I'm going to bake a cake for your birthday. What's your favorite kind?"

"I like them all but my favorite is carrot cake."

"Let me see if we have the ingredients." She walked to the kitchen and looked up the recipe. After a few minutes of reading and searching through the fridge and cabinets, Pam determined that we were short on several ingredients.

"Can you drive me to Publix again? I need sugar, pecans, cream cheese, and carrots."

"Wouldn't it be easier just to buy a carrot cake mix?"

She looked at me like I had slapped her. "That's cheating. I don't ever use mixes."

"Uhhh, okay."

On the way to the grocery, Pam mentioned, "By the way, I invited Susan to lunch at the cabin tomorrow."

"Oh?"

"Yes, she told me their diner is closed on Mondays so I thought it'd be a good opportunity for us to visit."

"That's fine. It's been several years since they've been over."

"Carl is going fishing with a buddy, so it'll only be Susan."

"Was this part of the girls talk you had at lunch?"

"Part."

"Okay."

"I was thinking about lamb chops. I didn't see those on her menu and thought it might be something a little different she might enjoy. Do you like them?"

"I do. I could grill them, if you'd like."

She thought for a second, "Yeah, that'd be very good. You like to grill?"

"Yes and I brought a new bag of charcoal this week."

"Then let's do it. I'll concentrate on the side dishes and salad. We could offer carrot cake for dessert."

On the way home, I suggested grilling burgers for dinner. "We could use up the rest of the potato salad and we have a can of baked beans if you want."

"Lovely. It's going to take a while to put this cake together so you doing the burgers would be a big help."


As she emerged from the car, Pam reached for me. I couldn't resist giving her a lingering kiss. It was obvious she didn't like French kissing and I respected that. Lydia had taught me to love it but this was a whole new ballgame.

Walking to the kitchen, Pam immediately sorted the ingredients and measured the proper proportions. In just minutes, she was mixing the batter while the oven was warming.

I decided to clean the fireplace while waiting. There was a huge bed of ashes and I used a metal bucket and small shovel we had for that purpose. Should there be any hot coals remaining, the metal would contain the heat and prevent an unwanted fire.

Within the hour, the cake was out and cooling and Pam joined me at the grill. The coals were ready and I gently placed three burgers over the hottest part of the fire. As they sizzled, we sat in lawn chairs, sipped beers and enjoyed the early evening fresh air.

"I love this place, Tom. The lake is beautiful and this cabin is perfect. It's a quiet haven from the world. Did your dad build it?"

"He bought it a year or two before I was born. I think it's about 50 years old. But he did many upgrades to it and has put a lot into maintaining it."

"What upgrades did he do?"

"He had the garage built, and the back porch added and screened in. There was no plumbing in the cabin so he had a well drilled and updated the bedrooms to include baths. He also had the metal roof installed. Of course, the kitchen is his doing. He enjoyed cooking for Mom, and he put in the best quality appliances he could afford back in the early 1980's. They enjoyed getting away and coming here for a few days at a time. Still do, in fact; but it's probably been six months since they were last here."

I turned the burgers and sat again.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"One of each, both older. I've always thought I was an accident."

Pam grinned. "There's the number three again. You were the third child. That means you're perfect, I suppose."

"No, three can mean perfection or completion. In my case, it was completion." We both laughed.

"Mom was almost 40 when I was born. My sister is Katherine and she lives in Nashville. Her husband Bob Witman is a music producer. They have beautiful twins, Allie and Traci, who are now in college. One goes to Vanderbilt and one to Tennessee. Since they're identical, they decided to split up. I think they got a little tired of being mistaken for each other.

"My brother is the oldest at 43. His name is James and he lives in Dallas. He owns a small trucking business that specializes in local pickup and delivery. His company does a lot of deliveries for Home Depot, Lowe's and Sears. His wife is Joan and she's from Dallas. They don't have children."


I took the burgers off and closed the top of the grill. Pam carried the plate and I opened the door for her.

"Let's fix our burgers. While you were grilling, I pulled out the potato salad, pickles and the condiments. The baked beans should be ready."


For just hamburgers, it was a very good meal. She had added chopped onions and hot peppers to the beans. And they were hot! Thank goodness for Stella and lots of ice water. Even Pam thought they were too hot and apologized for going overboard.

I joked, "That's alright, I'll spank you later."

Her eyes lit up and she replied, "Oh boy! Promise?"

I studied her face to see if she was serious. She showed only a blank stare so I couldn't tell. I decided to change the subject. "You don't seem to like French kissing."

"Actually, I do as long as I think my mouth is fresh and he doesn't have bad breath. Are you wondering why I didn't do that with you this afternoon?"

"Well, now that you mention it, those jalapenos in the meat loaf were strong and I hadn't brushed my teeth."

"Bingo."

"I appreciate your honesty."

She reached over and held my hand. "I'm into honesty."

After I cleaned the grill and put the dishes in the dishwasher, Pam cut the cake and served my piece with a single candle. To my pleasant surprise, she sang "Happy Birthday." Her voice was amazing.

"Have you had lessons? You're great."

"Not really. I sang in our church choir and some of the musicals we presented in high school and college but never had any serious voice lessons."

"Dad also has a great voice and he sings in the choir. Many people think he sounds like Kenny Rogers."

"Oh, I love Kenny Rogers, especially the duets he did with Dottie West and Dolly Parton."

"Well, there you go. You and he could cook together and sing together while you do it."

Pam laughed and said, "Now you're in fantasy land."



Before I could take a bite of the cake, she handed me a small wrapped present. I thanked her and gently opened it. Smiling, I said, "It's a magnetic key box. Just what I needed."

"Now you can hide your cabin key in a little less obvious place."

"Yeah, I must keep away all the gorgeous young women who would want to move in and have their way with me."

She smiled and replied, "That's right."

The carrot cake was the best I'd tasted in years. One could tell it was made from scratch as the pecans were still crunchy and the carrot slivers still tasted like carrots. The flavors needed a day or two to fully merge but that's true of all cakes.

"Pam, this is outstanding! I'm very glad you hate mixes. The taste is amazing and will only get better tomorrow."

"Thank you. I'm glad it turned out."

The piece she cut for me was very large, so we shared it. I made a pot of coffee and we carried our cups to the fireplace. Pam snuggled into my arms as I maneuvered to keep my cup out of her way. We watched the dancing flames and sat in silence for several minutes.

She reflected, "Life is so unpredictable. Three days ago, I never thought I'd meet someone like you. I was very depressed and angry at the world and myself. Sure, I made mistakes. I knew that a lot of it was my fault. I hated the thought of depending on friends in Atlanta and I don't have all that much money. I'm amazed that you're so nice to me."

"You said you were planning to leave in a few days?"

"Yeah, I was running out of your food so I was going to look for another cabin to use. If that failed, then I was going to Atlanta. I didn't have many choices."

"Well, I'm glad I came here when I did."

She smiled and snuggled in closer. We continued talking until bedtime just getting to know more about each other.

I was up early and peeked in on Pam after starting a fire and making the coffee.

"Good morning, sleepy head," I whispered.

She rolled over and glared at me. "Do I have to get up?"

I asked, "Do you want coffee in bed?"

"No, let me go to the bathroom and get a robe on. It's cold in here. I want to sit by the fire."

I returned to the kitchen, poured two fresh cups and carried them to the sofa.

Pam emerged wearing the same beautiful housecoat as the day before. She had brushed her hair but had not yet put on makeup. She didn't need it. After plopping down beside me, she turned and raised her knees so she could slide her cold toes under my leg. I handed her the coffee and we gazed at the roaring fire. 


"Tom, I had a wonderful dream about us last night."

"Oh?"

"We were in a boat on the lake and you made love to me under a large tree that hung out over the water. I remember studying the tree as you tended to me. I was so turned on by that."

"Well, that's a lot better than dreaming about a stranger coming into your room late at night." She nodded and grinned.

"Did you have any dreams?"

"No. I slept soundly this time."

"Susan is coming over at noon. What time is it now?"

"About 8:30. What do you feel like for breakfast?" I asked.

"We're going to have a heavy lunch so how about cereal?"

"Sounds good. I could make oatmeal. We have strawberries, blueberries and raisins we could add. Oh, we also have some of those pecans left."

"That'd be delicious."
She sat in front of the lively fire and sipped coffee as I worked. It was ready in just a few minutes and we sat at the table.

"Tom, I was thinking about what to serve with the grilled lamb chops. What do you think about au gratin potato casserole and roasted mixed vegetables? We have green bell peppers, squash, onions and mushrooms. I could slice them into strips and drizzle 'em with a little olive oil and oven roast 'em. The flavors should go well with the lamb."

"That'd be very nice. Susan doesn't have any of that on her menu so it'd be something different."

****



As lunchtime approached, I prepared the charcoal but planned to wait until Susan arrived before lighting it. Pam worked on the potatoes and then put the casserole in the oven to bake while she prepped the veggies.

Susan arrived just a few minutes after noon. I met her at the car with a hug and smile.

"Tom, I'm so glad you're happy once again. When I met Pam yesterday, I just knew she was the one."

I smiled and asked, "What do you mean?"

She returned my smile and replied, "I'll tell you later."

I opened the door for her and we entered the cabin. Pam exclaimed, "Susan, welcome! Tom, can you take her coat? I'm glad you could come. Oh, I love that outfit you're wearing."

"Thank you, Pam. I'm happy you invited me."

I took Susan's coat and laid it on the bed. She had a folder of papers that she kept with her and I wondered about that.

Pam said, "Tom, if you're ready, go ahead and get the charcoal going. It's going to be another 20 minutes before the potatoes are done."


I walked to the back porch and lit the briquettes. When I returned, I saw Pam and Susan hugging. I wondered what was going on.

"Susan was just telling me about your parents and how sweet they are. I told her I couldn't wait to meet them someday."

I smiled but that wasn't why they were hugging with tears in their eyes.

When lunch was ready, we sat at the table and gorged ourselves on very tender lamb chops, flavorful au gratin potatoes and veggies fresh from the oven.

"Tom, has your mom or dad mentioned that we're retiring early next year?"

"No! I had no idea. So after 40 years, you're calling it quits?"

"Yeah, we're ready. Carl will be 72 in March and I'm just a year younger. It's time for us to start taking it easier."

"What about the diner?"

"We're selling it. You know Tony. He's buying it from us and it'll continue on like it is."

"Tony's been cooking for you a long time."

"Over 20 years. For the last four years, he's been paying us a little at a time to buy the place. Carl and I are thrilled he wanted it. We think he and his wife will run it better than we did."