Free Love With A Stranger by Janelle Taylor Page A

serene time of day.
    As they walked half way between the low dunes and water’s edge and sipped their drinks, Cass asked Peter, “Are you planning to stay on Sea Island?”
    “I imagine so, at least for a while. Dad’s other companies have good managers, so I’ll probably run everything from here because the two local companies are the only ones that need me around most of the time. Of course, I’ll have to check on them personally from time to time.”
    Cass swallowed the tart liquid before she surmised aloud, “That means you’ll be traveling on occasion like Tom did?”
    “Not as much. My way of thinking is, if you hire good men, let them do the work and stay out of their hair. After beingmarried to Dad for almost three years, you know he had a restless spirit. He had to keep busy and moving and have plenty of challenges. Not me; I prefer to stay put as much as possible. I guess you could say, I prefer living and working in a near paradise to battling excessive traffic, smog, and noise in those rat-race towns. What about you, Cass? What are your plans?”
    Cass lowered her cup from her lips and clasped it between her hands. “I haven’t made any, but I should give it some serious thought within the next few weeks. I love this area and the house, but one might be too large for a woman alone and the other might drive me away if things don’t settle down soon. I suppose it’s obvious I haven’t made any friends here and this might not be the best time to start looking, not with everybody so intrigued by Tom’s accident. The way things are now, I wouldn’t know who was seeking me out for myself or only as a source for obtaining gossip for their little cliques.”
    “As soon as the investigation’s closed and we become old news, things will change. I had noticed you kept to yourself most of the time, even when Dad was away. Strange, but you’ve never struck me as being a shy person.”
    “Most of the time I’m not. I tried to get into several activities to help me get to know people, but Tom wanted me to stay home until he had time to check out who and what I had in mind.”
    “You’re a beautiful woman, Cass, he was probably afraid you might meet somebody and he’d lose you before he settled down. He told me he was planning on doing that at the end of this year; it was to be a surprise.”
    “It certainly is, he never mentioned anything like that to me.”
    They strolled in silence for a time as dusk slowly crept across the secluded location. Finally, Peter suggested they turn and head back.
    As they strolled homeward, Peter talked about the protected species—dolphins and Right whales—that seasonally roamedthe coastal waters, and about shrimping. Several times he made jokes, to which Cass laughed in genuine amusement.
    “We’re making progress, Cass, and I like this relationship better. It’s a shame we both stayed so stubborn for so long.”
    “You’re right, Peter, and I’m grateful we’ve both changed.”
    Cass suddenly noticed somebody—a telltale light behind the person—watching them from a window. No doubt the snoop wondered why the young widow and her handsome adult stepson were ambling along a romantic beach in approaching moonlight, sipping cocktails, laughing, and chatting less than a week after Tom’s death. She certainly did not need that kind of gossip added to the supposed rumors already circulating about her and Tom and the accident. “Let’s pick up our pace,” she suggested to Peter. “I’m feeling very relaxed, even drowsy.”
    “Am I so boring I’m putting you to sleep on your feet?” he teased, but knew it was what he had slipped into her drink that was doing the trick. He noted how her pace had slowed, her body had loosened, and her lids were drooping.
    “No, the person to our right has binoculars trained on us, but I am feeling most relaxed, thanks to you, this walk, and a delicious drink. I think, after a warm bath, I’ll be ready to snooze like a baby