Free Adversaries and Lovers by Patricia Watters

supposed to be some kind of business meeting? I’d like to know what kind of business he’s conducting. Seems the only thing he has time for is playing with oversized toys and throwing old folks out on the streets. Well, he’s not welcome in this house." She untied her apron, slapped it on the table and stalked out of the room.
    Kate studied the sleek boat with its overhead canopy. At least it was entirely open. Having hedonistic fantasies about being with Ben was one thing. Finding herself in a cozy little stateroom below deck with him was quite another.
    Ben climbed out of the Jeep, and Kate backed away from the window to where she could watch him walking toward the house without being seen. Dressed in a black tank top and denims cut off at the knees, and wearing blue flip-flops, it was obvious he intended to conduct business on the boat. However, with Grandma in such a surly mood, Kate had no intention of letting Ben in the house. Without waiting for him to knock, she opened the front door slightly, poked her head out, and said, “I’ll be right there,” then shut the door.
    As she was packing her drawings into her portfolio, light streamed across the room. She looked up to find Ben standing in the doorway, eyes fixed on her. Miffed that he'd let himself in, and uncertain how she should act towards him after his less-than-friendly dismissal of her the week before, she said, “I see you’ve come with another oversized toy." She glanced at the closed door to Grandma’s bedroom, realizing she was beginning to sound like her. But this time Grandma was right.
    “Life’s too short to take seriously,” he said. He wasn’t smiling, nor had his words been said in jest, and she sensed that there was some deeper meaning to them.
    But she refused to dwell on it now. “Well, I hope you’ll take my ideas for the swim fin promotion seriously,” she said.
    “I will," Ben replied. "And bring your Sealskin."
    Kate looked at him with a start. Surely he didn’t intend a repeat of their session in the pool. “I won't need it," she said, "because I have no intention of swimming with you again.”
    “Suit yourself." Ben scanned the length of her. "But you might want to change into something cool like shorts and a tank top. It's already hot as hell out, and it's pretty casual where we're going.”
    Kate eyed him with curiosity. “Where, exactly , are we going?”
    “A place called Coopers Landing.”
    ”What’s at Cooper’s Landing?” she asked.
    “You’ll find out when we get there.”
    After packing a duffle bag with a small towel, a hair brush, and some cosmetics, she changed into a pair of cut-off jeans and grabbed the only top she could find that was both cool and clean, which coincidentally was black, like Ben's, but a very snug fit. Eyeing it critically, she started to toss it aside and find something more modest, then deciding there was nothing immodest about a top that covered her completely, she tugged it over her head and started down the hallway. On a whim, she snatched the Sealskin suit off the hook on the door of the bathroom and stuffed it into her bag. Later, she’d worry about the ramification of her impulsive act.
    During the drive to Cooper’s Landing, Ben was in good spirits, whistling along with the radio as they drove, which puzzled Kate. She didn’t know what to make of the man. During the short time she’d known him he’d ranged from being a cocky, hot-shot, motorcycle buff in black leather, to a brawny tennis jock, to an Olympic-quality swimmer, to a skilled craftsman who cared nothing about the home or works of art he’d created. Then there were those fleeting moments when his mask would slip away, revealing a troubled man she couldn't reach.
    The man he was today seemed to delight in withholding information about the town of Cooper’s Landing. All she could get from him was that because a bridge was being repaired, the town was only accessible by boat, which served to arouse her