Chapter 4

Bob had no idea what to do for Julie. She sat, slumped in her chair, looking at the floor. She was all cried out, for now at least. He looked at the breakfast he had worked so hard on. It was cold now. But he hadn't eaten yet, so, for lack of anything else to do, he piled all the quiche and macaroni on one plate, put it in the microwave and heated it up. The ham would be fine cold. He glanced out of the side of his eyes at Julie while he puttered around, and saw her doing the same thing, watching him.

Once the food was warmed up, he set two places, redistributed the food, and sat down and began to eat.

Julie watched him for a minute, her eyes hooded.

"Men!" she snorted finally. "All they think about is food and sex."

"Not necessarily in that order," commented Bob between bites. "You should eat something."

"I'm not hungry," she said.

"You should eat something," he repeated.

"And then I suppose I should have sex," she said dryly.

"Might make you feel better." He grinned, but it faded when she didn't smile back.

He had said enough. He continued to eat.

"What is that?" she asked.

"Quiche," he answered. "I made it myself."

"You cook?" she asked.

He shot her a look. "I run a resort," he reminded her.

"Yeah," she sighed. "You don't have much to do this week, thanks to us."

He put down the fork. "I have all the customers I want this week."

He got a tiny smile that time. "You're sweet."

"First I'm nice, and now I'm sweet," he moaned in mock agony. "Next you'll be talking about how nice it would be to be friends. I know I told you I don't date, but come on. Cut a guy a little slack here." He wiped away an imaginary tear. "If you keep talking like that people will think I'm gay!"

"Men!" she snorted again. Still, she didn't smile.

He ate in silence for a while, switching to fruit.

"It does smell good," she admitted.

He got up and went behind her. She yelped as he picked her up, chair and all, and moved her to the table. Then he handed her her fork and put a napkin on her lap for her. He asked if she wanted coffee, and when she shook her head he handed her one of the glasses of juice he had poured. She looked down at her stained top, which was still wet.

"I hope it goes better on the inside than the outside," she said dryly.

Bob felt the first hint of hope. If she could find humor in the situation, she might pull through all right.

Her first bite reminded her that she hadn't eaten anything since the previous afternoon, and she was suddenly ravenous. She found herself eating pieces of fruit with both hands, and looked up to find Bob staring at her, open-mouthed.

"I said you need to eat something... not pig out." He smiled.

"I'm starving," she said defensively.

He rolled his eyes. He didn't have to remind her that she had just said she wasn't hungry only moments before.

They ate in a surprisingly comfortable silence for a while.

When he finished, Bob sat back and just looked at her.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"What for?" she mumbled around a bite of quiche.

"You deserved better than this," he said softly.

"This is wonderful!" she said, stuffing another forkful in her mouth.

"OK, be that way," he said.

It was another two minutes of silence before she said: "Thank you."

"I ate too much," groaned Julie, leaning back in her chair.

"I agree," said Bob. "But I have to admit, that for a pig, you're a pretty little pig."

She stuck out her tongue at him.

"What do you want to do now?" he asked.

"I have no earthly idea," she admitted, looking forlorn. She wiped her eyes with her fists suddenly as her eyes filled up with tears.

"You want me to move you to another cottage?" he asked. "To get you away from the memories?"

"The memories I want to get away from aren't tied to this cottage," she snorted.

Bob let it lie.

"You want to go for a boat ride?" he suggested.

"No," she said. "Maybe later."

"How bout a swim?" he went on. "You need to work off one of those meals you just ate."

She arched her brow at him. "You're just trying to get me naked again, aren't you."

He just grinned. "You do need to work that ankle." He put what was supposed to be a look of genuine concern on his face. "I could keep my eyes closed, if that would make you feel better."

She snorted again. "It's not your eyes I'm worried about," she said.

"I've got a bathing suit around here someplace," he said calmly. "It might take me a while to find it, but I'd wear it if it made you feel more comfortable."

The stern lines on her face melted, and her eyes got softer. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know I'm acting like a bitch."

"I think you're acting perfectly normal, under the circumstances." he said. Taking a chance, he added: "Though, since we're confessing things to each other, I admit I was trying to get you naked again."

He got a real smile this time.

"You'd take advantage of a poor girl on the rebound?" she asked.

Bob patted his stomach. "Hey, I ate already. What else is there but sex now?"

"And I guess I am the only woman around," she said, still smiling.

"Yeah," he said, as if it didn't matter. "I guess so. You aren't much to look at, but you're the only game in town."

She reached to slap him on the arm and her elbow tipped the half full glass of juice. Her convulsive grab to keep it from falling just pulled it toward her and the red liquid flowed across the table and splashed into her lap. She squealed, and her convulsive jerk scooted her chair back a few inches, but the damage was done. Her shorts and thighs were stained with red.

Her eyes filled with tears, and Bob hastily said "Boy! I can't take you anywhere!"

Her tears turned to laughter, and she dropped her head into her hands, only to pull her face away and see that her hands were also wet with juice. She wiped ineffectually at her face, simply smearing the juice around.

"At least my top and shorts match now," she sighed. "OK... take me swimming."

Bob, knowing that her mood could change rapidly, and without warning, intended to do just that - take her swimming.

While getting her naked would undoubtedly be a fun thing, he was also well aware that she WAS a woman on the rebound, and that taking advantage of her situation would not result in happy times in the long run. She had had enough pain and suffering, and he didn't want to add to it.

He picked her up again, as he had before, and started out the door with her.

"My clothes!" she said.

"They could use a good rinse," he responded.

Then, when he got her in the water, and she was standing on one leg, he pulled at her shirt.

"I thought we were rinsing my clothes," she said, smiling shyly.

They'll rinse better off of you," he said, in what he hoped was a business-like fashion. She raised her arms, and went under the water, pulling herself out of the shirt and leaving it in his hands. She broke the water with her head held back, straightening her hair. Bob balled up the shirt and threw it toward the shore. It landed short of the beach and he started to go get it.

"Here!" she called, and when he turned she threw him her shorts. They landed in his face and she laughed. To pay her back, while he got her shirt and took it to the sand, he took off his shorts. He was relieved to feel his penis flaccid.

Her eyes were on it as he returned, watching it until it was covered by water, but she said nothing.

When he aproached her again, she reached for him and resumed the instinctive position she had the night before, holding her chest to his as she stretched out her legs and began kicking gently.

"It's still sore," she said into his shoulder.

"It will be probably be sore for a week or so," he answered.

"It feels so different," she said. "In the daylight, I mean. I feel like everybody can see us."

"There's nobody around for half a mile," he said, stroking her back.

"Set me down," she ordered.

He let her drift away, holding her hands, at first, but she pulled free and began to tread water. She was tall enough that she could put her good foot down and bounce lightly on it, holding her body steady by moving her arms. She looked around.

"It's gorgeous here," she sighed.

"It's why I came here," he said. "After the breakup, I fooled around and made some money. But I wasn't happy. I came here and learned how to be happy again."

"You broke up?" Julie asked.

"Yeah. She took off one night. Just disappeared into the underground of the city or something."

"I can't imagine someone leaving you," she said. "I think you're wonderful."

He grinned. "That's a little better than nice and sweet. You're making improvements." He grinned, but saw she was serious. He sighed. "I was driven, back then," he said. "I wanted to become wealthy, and was willing to neglect everything else except that goal. She was a fun-loving girl... wanted to party and enjoy life. I can't really blame her for going somewhere else when I didn't give that to her."

"So you got divorced?"

"I filed the papers... put out the public notices. She didn't appear in court, of course. It was over just like that."

"I suppose I'll have to do the same thing." She sighed again.

"Under the circumstances, I expect the annulment you mentioned is the best idea. It should be easier... quicker," he said.

Julie pushed with her hands and laid back in the water, kicking with her good foot and using her arms to propel her body along the surface. Her breasts broke the water and Bob stared at them. She let her momentum die, and her legs sank. She changed smoothly into a breast stroke that took her back toward Bob.

"It's not polite to stare," she smiled. "Not proper either, for an uncle to stare at his niece."

He twisted his face intentionally. "That's right! You're not going to be my niece once you get the annulment."

"You were a naughty uncle anyway." she grinned.

"You were a naughty niece," he countered.

She stopped, a foot away from him, her eyes staring into his.

"I think I want to kick again," she said.

She flowed against him, sliding her arms around his neck and under his arm, pressing her breasts to his chest. She kicked gently, and wiggled her upper body against his.

"You're being naughty again," he said.

"I know." She wiggled some more. "I feel like kissing you again, too."

"Julie..." He put warning in his voice.

"I know," she said again. "I'm on the rebound, and vulnerable and all that. But you've been nice to me, and I feel all wiggly inside when we do this."

"Roger was nice to you too," he commented. "It's a little soon to be trusting men so easily."

The arm that was through his arm pit moved, and he felt her hand slide down his hip.

"You're not Roger," she said as it moved. Her hand went lower, to his thigh, and came around and up, to cup his balls. She gripped them firmly, but not too firmly. "You'd better not be Roger," she said. "I've heard that if I squeeze these really hard, I can make a man sorry he hurt me."

"I'm not ROGER!" he yelped, as she squeezed gently.

Her hand moved up and fumbled to find his penis.

"How come you aren't hard?" she asked.

"This isn't the time to be hard," he said.

"Oh." She let go, and brought her hand back up to his back.

"Why would he even do that?" she asked, her face buried in his shoulder. He didn't have to ask her what she meant.

"For some men, the chase is everything," he said softly. "They can't be satisfied unless they make another conquest. That would be my guess."

"And because I wouldn't let him... he had to marry me?" She sounded confused.

Bob understood that confusion. It didn't make any sense to him either.

"Something like that," he said, rocking her in the water unconsciously.

"He got me perfume," she said. "He said when he smelled it, it reminded him of me."

"Mmmm" said Bob, just making a sound to keep her talking.

"That Emily woman was wearing the same perfume," she said, her voice choking a little. "I smelled it on her when she attacked me."

"I'm sorry," he said, helpless to say anything more.

"To think that all he wanted was my virginity."

"Maybe it wasn't even that," said Bob, letting his mind roam free. "I mean, if that was the whole goal, he would have at least stayed sober to actually get it."

She seemed to shudder, and then she looked up. When she spoke again, her voice was stronger.

"Can I really stay here?"

"Definitely," he said.

"You just want to do this," she teased, rubbing her breasts against his chest.

"As often as humanly possible," he sighed. "I know that's not what you want to hear right now, but I feel a compulsion to be as honest with you as I can be."

"I thought Roger was being honest with me," she moaned. "How will I ever know if a man is being honest with me or not?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I guess all you can do is trust your heart and hope for the best."

"I had a feeling before the wedding... my mother said it was just nerves. She said she always felt that way, and I even thought about the fact that she had made such miserable choices in men. How am I supposed to know what my heart wants?"

"I wish I had all the answers for you," he sighed. "But I don't. All I can promise you is that I'll tell you the truth. You won't know if it's the truth or not, but that's the best I can do."

She wiggled in his arms.

"At least one good thing happened. I got you for an uncle, even if it's only temporary."

She lifted her head again and faced him, looking into his eyes. Then she buried her face in his shoulder again.

"If I wasn't your niece... you could kiss me," she murmured.

"I'm still old enough to be your uncle," he said. "Or your father."

"I don't have a father," she said. "He ran away when I was little... like your wife."

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I never knew him. He doesn't really exist for me."

"That's sad too," he said. "When my wife left, she took our daughter with her. I miss that the most, I think."

"That's terrible!" said Julie, hugging him tighter.

"Yeah. I have no idea how she grew up, or what she's like, or if she's happy."

"I'd say maybe she's like me," said Julie, lifting her head to look into his eyes. "except I don't want you to think of me like a daughter. A niece either."

Then she kissed him. She did it without warning, pressing her lips against his. His stiffened at first, but then relaxed as he felt her warm lips moving. Her head went this way and that, and her hug got harder. Whether it was meant to be a short kiss or not, it didn't turn out that way. It was a long, lover's kiss... the kind of kiss that usually is only shared after a couple has kissed many times.