Chapter 21

Exhausted was the only word to describe how Ed felt as he stepped into his room. He had spent most of the previous night sitting with Dr. Hayes as the old man talked about his life with his wife. The elderly doctor had loved his wife with a love that had grown even stronger in the latter years of their life together. It had been a very hard evening listening to the stories and keeping up the spirits of the doctor. On several occasions, the doctor had broken down and cried.

The morning had been just as busy. Ed had made the arrangements for the body to be taken to the funeral home, the funeral service, and flowers. Cathy had volunteered to do that, but Ed felt that it was something the family should do. No expenses were spared in the funeral arrangements. The service was going to be held in the school, since it was the largest building in town.

The afternoon was going to be just as busy for Ed. The family was returning home and that always meant a degree of chaos as the kids ran around, people dropped by, and activities scheduled during a family meeting. Throughout the afternoon, he would have to spend time with Dr. Hayes and let him know that he wasn’t going through this alone.

For at the moment, all Ed wanted was a nap before the family arrived. As he headed to the bed, a knock on the door brought him up short. Wondering what was the problem, he answered the door to find Cathy and Sarah with the portable massage table. They were both naked, providing a nice visual contrast. Cathy with her pale skin standing beside the dark skinned Native American beauty emphasized the attributes of each.

Cathy said, “You look like a man in need of some tender loving care. Let us give you a massage and help you relax.”

Of all the things Ed had heard that day this was the best. His shoulders were tight, his back tense, and his arms heavy. A massage would solve those problems. With a smile, he replied, “That would be perfect.”

Sarah rolled in the portable massage table and set out the supplies while Ed stripped. Cathy went to the stereo system and inserted a CD with soft music. Ed climbed on the table and relaxed. Cathy and Sarah went to work massaging the muscles on his back. As their hands did their magic, the muscles relaxed and he drifted into a state of mental bliss.

Sarah worked on his neck muscles, digging her thumbs into the muscles forcing the tension from the knots. Cathy worked the muscles of his broad back, spending time on those that ran along the spine. The work was unhurried, as the women were prepared to spend hours removing all traces of tension.

Ed fell into a light sleep, body and mind resting while still aware of the sensations created by the pair of women. He heard them ask that he turn over, but he didn’t remember turning. Cathy gave him a facial massage while Sarah worked on his chest. After that, each woman took an arm. From the arms, they moved to his legs working the tension out of the strong muscles of his thighs.

Ed was floating in a sea of sensual bliss as his body relaxed and his mind renewed itself. When they started running their hands up and down his body with very light touches, his body reacted sexually as they had intended. Rather than move directly to rub his erection, they continued the soft exciting stroking of his body. When Sarah finally reached his cock, Cathy turned her attention to his nipples teasing them erect.

Sarah’s hand stroked the cock up and down with a twisting motion when she reached the head. His body shuddered at the incredible sensations their hands produced in his body. With no warning, he came, shooting come over his chest and stomach. Linda smiled and said, “My cousin would be so disappointed to see that come wasted.”

Without saying a word, Cathy went to the bathroom and ran a washcloth under warm water. Returning, she wrapped his cock in the washcloth. The wet warmth felt great around his cock and he sighed in pleasure. Cathy then cleaned up the come off his stomach and chest.

Ed climbed off the table feeling refreshed and re-energized not realizing that almost two hours had passed. As he dressed, he said, “Thank you very much. I didn’t realize how tense I was.”

“You’re quite welcome,” replied Cathy with a significant glance at Sarah. They both knew that Ed had talked to their boyfriends last night. While the consequences of that discussion weren’t known, they were sure that it would work out well for them.

“It was a nice thing you did for Shauna,” Sarah said with a crooked grin. If there was anyone that took care of the women around him, it was Ed.

“Oh, hey. Anyone would have done it,” replied Ed with a shrug. As far as he was concerned, if you couldn’t use your money to help people, then it was of no use. He glanced at the clock and stared at it wide-eyed. Surprised, he said, “Look at the time.”

Cathy and Sarah prepared the massage table to be moved out of the room. In an attempt to get Ed to calm down, Cathy said, “Nothing is happening now. The family isn’t due for two hours. George and Walt are with Dr. Hayes. You even have time to have a swim if you would like.”

“Thanks.”

Sarah wheeled the massage table out of the room as Cathy followed her leaving Ed with nothing to do. Rather than stay in his room, he left to check on the rooms for the kids. Sarah had already cleaned the rooms. The beds were made, the lights were on, and the floors were vacuumed. Even the desks had been restocked with new pens and pads of paper.

Leaving the rooms, he ran into Walt. Concerned about seeing the man given the information that Cathy had provided about him talking with Dr. Hayes, he asked, “What’s up?”

“The good doctor has gone to take a nap. He said that he wanted to be alert when the kids showed up.”

“Okay. That’s good thinking on his part,” replied Ed. There were still doubts in his mind about how well the doctor was handling the death of his wife. It was well known that when one spouse died, the other often followed within a year.

“I think the kids will be a good influence on his mental state. They’ll give him something to live for.”

“I hope so,” replied Ed.

“Well, I’m going to double check everything for the arrival of the family. It’s going to be nice to have everyone here again,” said Walt. The house had been too quite for too long.

Satisfied that all was well, Ed wandered to the kitchen where Marguerite and Shauna were busy getting a meal prepared for when the family arrived. With a grin, Ed announced his presence by asking, “What kind of toxic concoction are you brewing up now?”

“Concoction?” asked Shauna with mock anger.

“Toxic?” asked Marguerite as she set down the spoon that she had been using to stir the soup she was making. She turned to face Ed with her hands on her hips as she added, “You have nerve! Now get out of my kitchen before I fillet you! Out! Out! Out!”

Grinning at how Marguerite was trying to shoo him out of the kitchen, Ed said, “I know when I’m wanted and when I’m not. Definitely, now is case where I’m wanted.”

“I think he has blown a fuse,” replied Shauna.

Marguerite suddenly changed tack and approached Ed in a sultry seductive manner as she said, “Oh, big man. I just can’t keep my hands off you. Come to momma.”

Waving his hands above his head, he ran out of the room screaming, “The cooks have gone crazy!”

The two cooks watched him leave while chuckling at his antics. Shauna commented, “God, he’s hard to resist, isn’t he?”

“Yeah. He doesn’t even know it,” remarked Marguerite.

Ed went out of the house deciding that he had enough time to hit the bar and talk to Shirley. It was a little after the lunch hour and she should have a little time to spare. As he walked down the street, neighbors came out to give their condolences. He was touched by their heartfelt concern that came from a real grief over the death of his mother-in-law.

Many of his neighbors also expressed their excitement about the marriage of Shauna, asking him if she had registered at any store. Since he had no idea what that meant, he answered that he didn’t know. He would ask Shirley when he reached the bar and she would explain it to him.

It took almost thirty minutes to make the five-minute walk to the bar. He didn’t mind the interruptions. Stepping into the bar, he looked around and spotted Shirley behind the counter taking care of the end of lunch crowd. He took a seat at the bar and winked at her.

While she poured a Coke for him, she said, “I heard all the news coming out of your house. Some good news and some sad news.”

“Yeah, that’s true. I don’t know if I should be happy or sad,” replied Ed as he accepted the Coke from Shirley.

She wiped down the bar as her eyes scanned the room to see if anyone needed her attention. Satisfied that all of her customers were okay, she asked, “Which one would you like to talk about first?”

“I guess the sad news, so we can end on a happy note,” replied Ed.

“Makes sense to me. I was sorry to hear that she passed away, but I’ve heard that you have rented the school gym to hold the service. That’s nice. I know a lot of the people will be happy to know that they can attend the service.”

Ed shrugged. “I thought a few people would like to give their last respects to her. She was a great woman.”

“I agree. She did a lot for the community,” replied Shirley. Mrs. Hayes had taken to being a community figure like a champion. Any charity or social group could count on her to support them. “The gym might not be large enough.”

“I know. It’s hard to believe that anyone could do that much charity work. The family was more than happy to fund a community park, but she wanted it to come from the people of the town rather than from us.”

Shirley smiled at Ed knowing that Mrs. Hayes had hurt his feelings during that particular episode. She had spent a whole afternoon explaining to him that having the park given to the community by one of its wealthier members wouldn’t give the rest of the town that same sense of ownership. It had taken some time for him to accept the logic of that argument. Once he had accepted it, he supported Mrs. Hayes to the fullest extent that she would allow him. Shirley smiled, “The town is very proud of that park.”

“I know. She was right about that,” remarked Ed.

“So tell me about Shauna,” said Shirley as she changed the subject.

“She’s getting married,” replied Ed knowing that she wanted more details than that, but was feeling like having a little fun with her.

“I know that!”

“Oh? So why did you ask?” asked Ed with a grin.

“I want the details. Who is he? What does he do? When is it happening?”

“I don’t know all the details. She’s marrying Desmond Van Engen. He was a chef at ‘The Gourmand’ in Phoenix, but they’re moving to Missouri to be chefs at the Governor’s Mansion.”

“She’s leaving your house?”

“Yes, she is. This is a great opportunity for her. She’s lived under the shadow of Marguerite for the past few years. I know that she’s learned a lot from Marguerite, but it’s time for her to establish her own reputation,” answered Ed.

“You’re right.”

With a wink, Ed said, “I feel sorry for the Governor. He’s going to come into the kitchen one day and find everyone dancing.”

“Oh, you’re horrible,” teased Shirley. She knew how proud Ed was about the skills of everyone that worked for the Carter Clan.

The comment reminded him that he had a question and asked, “What does it mean to register at a store when you are getting married?”

Stunned by the question, Shirley answered, “It’s something you do so that people know what to buy you for a wedding present.”

“Huh?”

“You set up a list of items that you would like to receive as a wedding present. That way, everyone can buy a plate knowing that the plate will match the plates that other people buy. When someone buys one of the items, it gets checked off the list.”

Whoever had come up with that idea had been pretty clever. Nodding as he considered the idea, he said, “I was worried that we did something wrong when we got married. I thought it meant that you were supposed to go to some store to get permission to marry.”

Shirley giggled as she recalled when he had confused a baby shower with a baby bath. From the look on his face, she knew that he had followed her thoughts. She said, “I hope that we get to have a bridal shower.”

“You’re putting me on. I know all about baby showers,” replied Ed.

Shirley giggled and commented, “There really is such a thing as a bridal shower.”

His truth sense told him that she was telling the truth. There really was a bridal shower and it made him wonder what was involved. Knowing that it didn’t involve bathing, he said, “Now that is something that I might enjoy watching. Shauna washing in the shower.”

Shirley started to react, but then realized that he was teasing her. With a wink, she replied, “I’ll let her know that.”

“Okay,” retorted Ed knowing that Shirley would tell Shauna and Shauna would shower in front of him just to carry the joke to its logical conclusion.