Free Macy’s Awakening by Pepper Anthony Page B

end of the couch, studying the on-screen movie menu.
    “How about Avatar ? Have you seen it?” she asked as he handed her a bowl.
    “Just once, in the theaters. I’d be up for seeing it again.”
    “Great.”
    She made the selection and sat back, her eyes steady on the large screen. The movie began, the oversized images dancing in the dark room, throwing colors and light into the corners and all over Macy herself. He watched her fondly from the corner of his eye, trying not to notice the long stretch of bare calf and thigh. She insisted on wearing those old shorts around the house, and a snug pink t-shirt that hugged her breasts. Maybe she didn’t realize how delicious she looked, like something made of cream and cocoa with raspberry garnish.
    It had been three weeks since Chuck’s Sunday morning call, and—true to his word—Jerrod had managed to keep things totally on the up-and-up with her. Though it had been a little awkward at first, they’d settled into a routine of sorts, with him going to the office early every morning and coming home early in the afternoon on days when he didn’t have to be in court. He brought his files with him, and kept in touch with Verna, his assistant, via fax, text, and email. Sometimes he ended up working late into the night in order to have time with Macy in the afternoons and evenings.
    They’d done just about all the tourist attractions the Portland metro area offered—the art museum, forestry center, museum of science and industry, Pioneer Square, and the paddle-wheel dinner cruise boats that plied the Willamette River. They checked out Saturday Market twice, Pittock Mansion, and the Zoo, not to mention several shopping malls. It had been great to reconnect with his city again, in a personal way he hadn’t since Allie was a little girl.
    It was a departure for him to put less emphasis on his legal cases. Oh, he was still giving them his full attention, but he’d gotten better about juggling his schedule and his personal energy so that he and Macy always at least had dinner together. And he’d even turned down a couple of cases in order to retain some flexibility in his day. Arlene’s biggest complaint had always been that he put his work first. It had come as a shock to Jerrod how easily he could prioritize his personal life now that he was coming home to Macy.
    Although they weren’t having sex, they’d come to form a close bond that fell outside standard definitions. They were friends, but more. And yet the age difference often made it feel like a father-daughter relationship, or perhaps student and teacher. Sometimes it wasn’t clear which one of them was the student and which the teacher.
    The girl had a unique perspective on life that refreshed him. She wasn’t frivolous or giggly, like lots of young women he’d met, but she was open to life in a way he’d forgotten how to be. She noticed everything and shared her observations joyfully with him—rainbows caught in dew on the grass, a tiny bird’s nest lined with feathers, even the melody in Peter’s rumbling purr.
    But she wasn’t a Pollyanna either. In fact they’d had several lively debates on a range of topics from politics to the humane treatment of farm animals. That she could hold her own in a discussion with someone twice her age impressed him to no end.
    The longer she stayed with him, the more his own perspective began a gradual shift from tired and cynical to something more hopeful, more alive.
    Yes, that was it. He definitely felt more alive with Macy in his house.
    He watched her now as she lost herself in the movie, her fingers covering her mouth as the story took a dramatic turn. Peter had wandered in and claimed the spot next to her on the couch, a new habit of his. Apparently just as charmed by Macy as Jerrod was, the cat had gone from aloof loner to faithful pet in the last three weeks. Peter had even included Jerrod in the expanded circle of his good will.
    So, if he’d come to admire her