Free The Marriage Contract by Lisa Mondello

and how to
dig a hole.”
    “Ssh.  Keep
your voice down.”  Of course, there was more than an ounce of truth in his
statement, Cara thought.  Roger was born and raised a city boy.  Yes, he was
cultured in many ways.  He knew all the best restaurants to eat at, the best
stores to shop, the best value of anything around.  But a nature lover he
wasn't and this disaster just proved it.
    Devin stopped
at the plywood door at the bottom of the tower and swung around to face her. 
“No one in their right mind would take a nap in a patch of poison ivy.” 
    Glaring at him,
she said, “Who said Roger was in his right mind?  He's staying at my mother’s
house, isn't he?”
    “You're too hard
on your mother.  She only wants the best for you.”
    “Then she could
let me have my life.”  Cara pushed past him, slamming the makeshift plywood
door shut with more force than necessary.  The sun and the August heat hit her
face with striking force and she had to shield her eyes with the width of her
fingers to focus on Roger.
    He was now
standing, still surrounded by the patches of vines stretching out around the
area where he’d been sitting.  She groaned, watching him rub his hands on his
shorts, then up his arms.
    “Are you sure
this is poisonous?” he asked, coming toward them. 
    Devin backed up
a few steps.  Cara had the urge to do the same, but thought better of it.  He
may be inept in nature, but Roger wasn't a leper.  At least, as long as he
didn't touch her.
    “Yes, and don't
rub anymore.  You're sweating and all your pores are open from running.  You're
only going to get any oil that's on you into your system faster.”
    “You should
probably dive into the water to get as much of the oils off you,” Devin said.
    Roger shook his
head.  “Nah, I hate ocean water.”
    “Then we'd
better get back to the house,” Devin suggested.  “You're going to need to
change and treat your skin.”
    “The sooner,
the better,” Cara said. 
    Roger started
to scratch his neck, probably more from nerves than irritation, since she knew
he wasn't going to get a reaction to the poison ivy this quickly.    
    They jogged
along the causeway and the road until they made it to the stretch of beach
connecting a long line of cottages that led to Cara's parents' house.  The
familiar scent of seaweed baking in the sun and the cry of seagulls always
surged her on.
    Cara noticed
Roger lagging behind them, clutching his side.  They managed to make it all the
way to Devin’s cottage before they stopped.
    “Do you want to
rest?” she said, jogging in place.
    “Yeah...that
sounds...like a good idea,” Roger said, winded. 
    Devin stopped
running and blew out a few deep breaths.  “Looks like you've got a side-stitch,
Roger.  Maybe you should walk the rest of the way to work it out?  My cottage
is right here.  You should probably drink some water.  You’re not used to
running.”
    “No, no.  Just
give me a few minutes and I'll be tip-top.”  Roger plopped onto the sand and
bent his body forward. 
    “It’s not that
far to my car.  I could drive you.”
    He shook his
head again.  
    “Okay, take a
load off,” Devin said, walking down toward the shoreline.
    To keep her
muscles from tightening, Cara walked in paces and moved her arms back and
forth. She should have known better than to think Roger could handle a long run
his first time out.  Although she had to give him credit for the way he'd kept
up so far, she should have insisted he stay behind.
    While she
wasn't use to working out this early in the morning, she had been jogging in
the mid-morning for many years.  She'd always liked working out before going to
the office and meeting with clients.  Most of her clients preferred afternoon
and evening hours, so it wasn't uncommon for her working day to start somewhere
around eleven and end around eight at night.   
    To look at
Roger, no one would ever call him out of shape.  He regularly worked out at