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I like the cottage Eric and his parents are staying in. There’s a swing and a pair of rocking chairs on the front porch. It’s a little white clapboard house in need of a fresh white washing, but I think the peeling paint adds character. The house is closer to the lake than the Lodge is and I realize that my bedroom is visible from the cottage. Eric couldn’t see into it without binoculars, but I wonder if he’s figured it out or not.

Mr. and Mrs. Northman are friendly folks who are very welcoming to me. I’ve never been invited to supper at a boy’s house before. Most of the boys I’ve gone out with since Quinn aren’t interested in me meeting their mama. All they really want from me is a few minutes in the backseat of their mother’s car before curfew. I’ve been brought home by the fuzz three times in the last year.

I’d be mortified if Eric’s parents found out about that. They don’t know about the reputation I have back home and I’m planning on keeping it that way. Distracting Eric from asking too many questions should be easy. There isn’t a teenage boy alive that can’t be distracted with making out.

I bring Mrs. Northman some flowers and one of Gran’s banana cream pies. Mama always said I shouldn’t show up empty handed.

“I hope you like lilies,” I say when Mrs. Northman takes the flowers from me.

“I love them,” she smiles. “That was very kind of you.”

“You’re welcome. Gran insisted I bring this pie, too. She says Mr. Northman’s taken a shine to it.”

“Oh he has,” she laughs. “I’m going to have to let out all his pants before the summer is over.”

“I heard that!” Mr. Northman calls out.

Eric just chuckles.

“I’ll get the recipe for you,” I offer.

“That would be great,” she says. “You two can join my husband in the living room. Dinner will be ready shortly.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” I say nervously. I feel like a big cootie as Eric leads me to the living room.

“Hey kids,” Mr. Northman says and stands up to let us sit on the couch. He’s got a book in his hand.

“Hey Dad,” Eric smiles, and sits down on the couch with me. He doesn’t try to hold my hand, but his hand does brush up against mine, seemingly on purpose.

“Hello, Mr. Northman. What are you reading?” I ask, tilting my head to try and see the title.

“Just giving The Great Gatsby another go,” he says. “It’s a fast read. Son, I raided your books to get it. Hope that’s alright.”

“Just put it back when you’re done,” Eric says.

“I like that book,” I offer. “Interesting symbolism with the billboard.”

“Very interesting,” he says, and then closes the book and sets it on the coffee table. “So, Sookie, are you a reader like my boy?”

“I haven’t been lately, but Eric and I traded books, so he might get me reading again regularly before summer’s over,” I tell him.

“It’s a good habit to have. It keeps the mind fit.”

“Yes, it does,” I agree.

“Time to wash up,” Mrs. Northman says as she steps into the room. “Dinner will be on the table in five minutes.”

“Yes ma’am,” Eric says, and stands up. “I’ll show Sookie where the bathroom is.”

Mr. Northman nods, and stands too. He heads to the kitchen. I stand up and follow Eric to the bathroom.

“I apologize if I start to ramble. I’m nervous,” I admit when he starts the water.

“Don’t worry about it. My folks like people with quirks.”

“Quirks are good. Creeps aren’t.”

“You’re the farthest thing from creepy,” he says, and kisses my cheek.

“Just you wait.”

We finish washing our hands, and then Eric shows me to the dining room. He pulls my chair out for me and pushes it in when I sit down.

“The cottage is lovely,” I say to Mr. Northman. “How are you liking it here?”

“We’re really enjoying it. Mostly because of your grandmother. She’s a very kind woman,” he says.

“Yes, she is. Gran’s a great role model.”

“What about your folks?” Mrs. Northman asks as she places the last dish on the table. Mr. Northman stands and pulls her chair out for her, pushing it in when she sits before sitting down again.

“My mother stays home, as most mothers in my hometown do. My father works for the county as a mechanic supervisor, maintaining county vehicles,” I tell them.

“They sound like good folks,” Mr. Northman smiles. “Let’s all pray, and then we’ll keep talking.”

I bow my head and Eric takes my hand under the table. I force myself not to smile while his father says grace. When he’s finished I say, “Amen,” and lift my head. Eric still hasn’t let go of my hand so I glance at him and give it a squeeze.

Mr. Northman picks up a dish and puts a helping of food on the plate, then passes it to me.

“I’m sure by now our boy has told you he wants to be a teacher,” Mrs. Northman says as she cuts the meatloaf. “Do you plan to pursue a career?”

“I don’t know, ma’am. I suppose it’ll depend on if I get married,” I say without thinking about it, and immediately my cheeks start to burn when I realize what I said.

Eric gives me an encouraging smile, and Mr. Northman looks at me.

“You can have a husband and a career if you want it, Sookie,” he says.

“Not according to my daddy,” I say quietly.

Mrs. Northman looks like she wants to say something, but Mr. Northman interrupts with, “Well that’s a shame.”

“I suppose. Honestly I never gave much thought to being anything other than a wife and a mother and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Mama may not bring home a paycheck, but she works awful hard.”

“Being a mother is the hardest job there is,” Mrs. Northman says. “And that’s from someone who has had several jobs. There’s no shame in being a housewife, Sookie. It’s just that we believe a woman shouldn’t resign herself to believing it’s the only option for her.”

“Then it’s a shame you never had a daughter,” I smile at her.

“Perhaps we will someday,” she smiles back.

Eric not-so-subtly clears his throat and says, “These mashed potatoes look great, Mom.”

“Yes, everything looks delicious,” I agree.

“Thank you,” Mrs. Northman smiles.

“My wife is an excellent cook,” Eric’s father smiles, and reaches for his mother’s hand.

“Do you mind my asking how long you’ve been married?” I ask, looking back and forth between Eric’s parents.

“Nineteen years,” his mother says, still smiling at his father.

“That’s wonderful,” I smile as well.

“The key to staying happy is communication,” Mr. Northman advises. “Whoever you end up marrying, always be honest and open and things will work themselves out.”

“That’s good advice.” And here I am planning to lie to Eric. Then again, I’m not going to marry him. When the summer ends, so will we.

Eric smiles over at me and starts eating his dinner. I pick up my fork and do the same. Small talk continues through dinner with Eric’s parents asking more about my family and how long the resort has been open.

“The Stackhouse family has owned a few acres, including part of the beach on Blue Lake, for more than a century now. It was my grandfather that built all of the cabins that make up Crystal Shores Resort,” I tell them. “My grandparents ran it together until Papa died when I was still a baby. He was mowing the lawn and had a massive stroke. He died before Gran could get him to the hospital.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Eric says with a frown.

“It’s alright. I am sorry I didn’t get to know him more.”

“Eric’s grandparents passed when he was still a toddler,” Mr. Northman says. “It’s hard, but they’re all in a better place. Your grandfather sounds like an exceptional man.”

“He was. He was in the first World War and a week after he came home he married Gran.”

“That’s a sweet story,” Mrs. Northman says.

“I think so.”

“My father married my mother right before he left to fight,” Mr. Northman recalls. “She had me all to herself for a while before he got back. He was right shocked too because she left me out of her letters. Said she didn’t want him to worry.”

“I couldn’t imagine getting that kind of news with my mind elsewhere,” I say with a shake of my head.

With a mind full of death I would think finding out that new life would put an insane amount of pressure on an already stressed out soldier to survive. It was hard on Mom when Daddy had to go overseas. He went to the Pacific and his unit was captured for a short time, but obviously Daddy survived. He was lucky.

“That’s why she didn’t say anything. He was too shocked to be angry at first, but I believe he had a little guilt over being gone while I was born. In the end he knew she’d done the right thing.”

“You know I wonder what would be worse: never knowing about your child or knowing and dying overseas,” I say. “My brother was almost three and I wasn’t quite two when Daddy shipped out.”

Mr. Northman looks at Eric and says, “I’d rather have known what I was leaving behind, what I was fighting for.”

“Did you enlist?” I ask Mr. Northman. Most boys did, according to my parents. Just about every house on our block has a veteran or a widow living in it.

“I attempted to, but I was declared 4F,” he says. “I did end up working in one of the converted factories though.”

“Mom and Dad made parachutes for the men who jumped out of planes,” Eric says.

“Well, I made the parachutes; your father managed the factory. We had a very high productivity rate and he treated the women right,” Mrs. Northman says with a proud smile at her husband.

“That’s very cool,” I smile at them.

I wish Daddy would be more progressive and encouraging, but that’s just never going to happen, especially with Mama taking his side. She’s happy about being a housewife. My whole life she’s been telling me how important it is that I make my husband my first priority, even above my children. She doesn’t see anything wrong with being dependant on a man.

I sometimes wonder what she would have done if Daddy hadn’t come home. He could have died on a beach in the Philippines, like so many other unfortunate souls did. While Daddy was gone Mama stayed out here with Gran, helping to run the resort. Would we have stayed here if Daddy had died? How different would my life be if we had?

“If you ever want a job, you find me,” Mr. Northman says. “Architecture firms are always looking for new secretaries. It’ll get you into the working world and you may find you have a knack for something else.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, sir,” I nod.

A boy like Eric wouldn’t have a problem with a working wife, but most of the boys I know back home sure would. We were all raised with the same post war traditional values. Husbands go off to work and the wives stay in the home raising kids and catering to their husbands. That’s just the way it goes. I’ve never thought much about having a life any different than that.

“It’s a shame you and Mom never had a daughter too,” Eric chuckles. “She’d be lucky.”

“Yes she would,” I agree with a smile, but being around Eric’s parents suddenly makes me sad.

They’re great people and it’s obvious that they love their son very much. I don’t doubt that my parents love me, but I do know they’re disappointed in me and I think that hurts more than I was willing to let on. We finish dinner a short time later and I offer to help Mrs. Northman with the cleanup.

“That’s very sweet of you, but I can take care of it if you’d like to spend some time with Eric,” she says.

“I don’t mind,” I say, and look to Eric to see what he thinks.

“If you want to help, that’s fine,” Eric says. “I thought we’d just go for a walk.”

“I’m happy either way,” I say, and Mrs. Northman is the tie breaker, insisting that I go for a walk with Eric.

“Come on,” Eric smiles, and reaches for my hand.

We both stand up and I leave my napkin sitting on the table. Eric’s parents smile at us as we walk out of the room. I like them a lot.

“Your parents are great,” I say to Eric once we’re out of the cottage.

“Yeah, I try not to take them for granted,” he says. “I know I’m a lucky kid.”

“You are.” I’m not sure he really knows how lucky he actually is.

“I wish your parents encouraged you more.”

“Oh they encourage me, just not the same way yours do.”

Eric laces his fingers with mine and we walk toward the lake. When we get close we sit under the same tree where I found him dozing on my first day here. I like the way my hand fits in his. He’s got big hands, but given his height that’s no surprise. I run my fingertips over his knuckles and watch goosebumps rise up on his forearm. When my eyes lift to his he’s smiling at me.

“What?” I ask, a nervous smile claiming my own face in the fading daylight.

“Nothing,” he says. “I just can’t help but smile around you.”

I reach up with my free hand to touch his cheek and then lean over to kiss him. He’s getting the hang of this kissing thing. I could sit here for hours kissing him… and I’m sure Eric would be just fine with that.

EPOV

The next month is probably the happiest I’ve ever experienced. Sookie and I quickly fall into a habit of seeing each other every day. I always meet her at the beach when she finishes up her chores, except on the few rainy days we had. On those days I go pick her up and we go into town for dinner before going to a little lover’s lane type place some town kids told us about. We actually do that on more than just the rainy days.

I still haven’t moved on to the other kind of kissing, but I want to. I just don’t really know how to ask her.

There is rain forecast again today, so I take the car up to the main house to pick up Sookie. When I head in, Gervaise is sitting on the porch.

“Evening, Gervaise,” I smile and nod.

“Good evening, young man. How are you?” Gervaise asks.

“I’m swell,” I say. “How are you?”

“I’m juss fine,” he nods. “Miss Sookie’s inside.”

“Is she all done with her chores?” I ask.

“I believe she been readin’ up in her room most of the afternoon. She say she ain’t feelin’ so good at lunch,” Gervaise tells me. “I think it’s just this here heat.”

“I hope the rain will go a long way to cut the heat,” I say.

There’s rain clouds rolling in and the wind is picking up a bit. It’s still a hot wind though.

“Yessir,” he says. “A break would be mighty fine. You go on in and cheer that girl up.”

“I’ll do my best,” I smile. “Have a good evening, Gervaise.”

“You too, young man.”

I head inside and up to Sookie’s room. I’ve been in it a couple times now, and her Gran has a rule that her door must stay open if I’m in it. That’s fine by me, and we don’t kiss or anything while I’m there. I knock on the door frame since the door is open, and smile when Sookie looks up from her book.

“Hi,” I smile.

“Hi,” she says, and marks her page in the book before setting it off to the side.

“How are you feeling?” I ask as I step inside. “Gervaise said you weren’t feeling well.”

“Oh, it was just a headache,” Sookie says as she sits up. “I’m fine now. Gran thinks it was just too much time in the heat.”

“There’s rain coming in. I thought we could go into town for dinner, and then maybe go… park the car?”

Sookie smiles and says, “Sure. Let me just tell Gran I’m going.”

Sookie gets up and slips on some sandals. When she gets to me at the door she kisses my cheek before slipping past me to go find Mrs. Stackhouse. I follow her downstairs and wait in the entryway for her. She appears a few seconds later with a smile on her face and cookies in her hand. She hands one of them to me.

“Snickerdoodles,” she says, and takes a bite of hers. They’re still warm.

“These are my second favorite cookies,” I smile, and take a bite. It’s delicious.

“Gran makes the best cookies,” Sookie says and then opens the front door. Gervaise has left the porch.

“These are better than my mom’s,” I say as we walk down the front steps.

“I won’t snitch on you for saying that.”

“Thanks.”

We get into the car, and I finish my cookie before backing up and heading down the driveway.

“That cookie may have spoiled my dinner.”

“Are you saying you aren’t hungry?” Sookie looks like she doesn’t believe me.

“Oh I will be by the time we get there,” I laugh. “And I’ll eat way more than you.”

“You always do.”

“I’m a growing, active boy.”

“Mmhmmm… and you need to keep your strength up for making out with me, right?”

“That’s exactly it,” I grin. “I like making out with you.”

“Ditto.”

Lightning flashes in the distance.

“I love storms here,” I say.

“It’s nice to watch them from the porch,” Sookie says as she slides closer to me. She rests her head on my shoulder and her hand on my leg.

I smile and take a deep breath. She always smells so good, and I love that she’s comfortable being close to me.

“We don’t have a big porch back home. Maybe we will at our new house.”

“That would be nice,” Sookie says. “I love the sound of rain. It always makes me feel relaxed and like I could fall asleep.”

“Well don’t fall asleep on me now.”

“I won’t. It’s not raining yet.” Her head lifts just enough to press a gentle kiss to my neck before dropping back to my shoulder.

We’re both quiet the rest of the way into town, and it’s nice. We’re getting closer, and the thoughts of being apart haven’t really settled into our minds yet. I know it’s coming though. We go into the diner and get our normal waitress, who knows us by name now. Today I get chicken fried steak instead of a burger. Sookie gets a BLT.

“How was your day?” I ask her.

“Other than the headache not too bad. How about yours?”

“It was just alright until I got to you,” I smile. “You make everything better.”

“You’re sweet,” she says.

“Just honest.”

My honesty earns me a quick kiss over the table.

“See?” I say. “All better.”

“Careful or you’ll make me diabetic,” she warns.

Our drinks arrive, and as usual Sookie has a chocolate milkshake. She immediately goes after the cherry on top. I smile as she eats it and take a drink of my cherry coke.

“I wish I could take you home with me,” I say.

Sookie lifts an eyebrow. “Now why would you want to do that?”

“Because I don’t want to leave you.”

So much for those thoughts not happening yet.

“The summer’s not over yet,” she says, but then a worried expression takes over her face. “Are you leaving sooner than you thought?”

“No! No, I’m just… I’m not looking forward to having to leave.”

“I’m not either. Let’s not talk about it,” Sookie says. “It’ll just bring us down.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” I nod, and reach for her hand across the table. “What do you want to do this weekend?”

“There’s a fair on the county grounds,” she says.

“That would be fun. I’ll see if I can use the car.”

“If not we might be able to catch a ride with Sophie-Anne. I think she said she’s planning on going.”

“That would be good,” I nod.

“I’ll check with her tomorrow.”

“Great,” I say, and then our food comes.

We eat slowly, and watch the rain fall outside. It’s coming down pretty heavy still when we finish up. I forgot to bring an umbrella, so we run out to the car together. My shirt is pretty wet by the time I’m in the driver’s seat.

“I didn’t think that through,” I laugh.

“Didn’t think what through?” Sookie asks. Her shirt is plastered to her.

“Coming without an umbrella,” I say. “You’re soaked.”

“Good thing I’m not made of sugar.”

“I don’t know you taste pretty sweet to me.”

“Is that right?”

“Yep,” I say, and lean over to kiss her on the lips.

“Save it for parking, buddy,” she says with sass, and lets her hair down from its ponytail.

“Yes ma’am,” I smile, and start the car.

The drive to the place where the teens park their cars takes a short ten minutes, and when we get there, there aren’t any other cars. I park in front of a tree, and turn off the car, then turn a little to look at Sookie.

“You look good all damp,” she says, and scoots closer to me.

“So do you,” I say, looking at the way her top is still clinging to her body.

She picks up my hand and puts it where my eyes are. I’ve never touched a girl’s breast before, and I’m not sure what to do. I stammer a little, and try to pull my hand away.

“What’s wrong?” Sookie asks.

“I… I don’t know… I’ve never…” I can’t think of a good reason. I’m just nervous.

“You were doing just fine,” she says and puts my hand back on her chest. “Just relax and kiss me.”

“Will you show me how to kiss you? Like you tried that one day.”

Sookie smiles and moves closer to me. “There’s no one way to do it. Just do what feels natural to you.”

“But I… I had this friend once who kissed a girl like that and she said he was bad at it and never talked to him again,” I say quickly. I can’t really believe my hand is still where it is.

“Eric, take a breath,” she says. I do what she says, and then Sookie leans in and presses her lips to mine.

I kiss her back like I’m used to, and feel myself relaxing. My hand is still on her breast, and I don’t really know what to do with it. All I know is that it feels better than I thought it would. Sookie starts to move my hand a little to let me get comfortable with it, and after a few minutes she licks my lips like she did that first time.

I suck in a breath, but I don’t pull away this time. Instead, I part my lips for her. She takes it slow, but her tongue finds mine. It’s a strange feeling at first, but not a bad one. I try to do what feels natural, and soon enough I feel her moan into my mouth. The noise encourages me and I pull her closer with my free hand as the other massages her breast.

Sookie lets go of my hand and her fingers start to play in my hair as our kisses get deeper. I can feel myself growing hard, and Sookie’s getting so close to me that I’m afraid she’ll notice. In no way do I expect anything from her in that way. I’m used to handling that by myself.

All of a sudden Sookie pulls back. She sucks in a few deep breaths and then climbs over the front seat to get in the back.

“What… What are you doing?” I ask. I’m out of breath too.

“Waitin’ on you,” she says, and starts playing with her skirt.

It takes me about ten seconds to decide that I should join her. I still feel like every move is in her hands since I don’t want to pressure her, and she initiated this. I very ungracefully climb over to the back seat, and manage to fall to the floorboard. Sookie laughs but helps me get up on the seat.

And then she pulls me on top of her and kisses me again. I get the hang of French kissing her fairly quickly and I like it, but I’m still nervous about her feeling what’s happening in my pants. Her hands move over my back and she breaks off the kiss we’ve been locked in so she can kiss my neck instead, and her hands move down to my backside to pull me closer to her.

I groan when my body makes contact with hers, but Sookie doesn’t act like she’s offended or anything. She just keeps kissing me, and her hand gives my backside a squeeze. Her lips find mine again and her hips rise up off the seat to rub against mine.

I break the kiss and say, “Sookie, wait.”

“What?” she asks in a breathy voice.

“Are you okay with this?” I ask.

“You mean this?” she rubs against me again.

My eyes close as a wave of pleasure rolls through me, and I say, “Yes. I don’t want you to think you have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

“I want to,” she says. “But if it’s too much for you we can slow down.”

“It’s not too much,” I smile down at her. “I like this.”

“Good,” she says and pulls me close again.

We start kissing again, and Sookie resumes the movement of her hips. I start to move with her but I try to keep it slow. I’m not sure if I want to finish like this. After a few more minutes though, it seems that my body is going to make that decision for me. I feel all the signs that it’s going to happen and I panic a little and sit up quickly.

“What’s wrong?” Sookie asks, looking a little nervous herself.

I try to catch my breath and figure out how to explain it to her. I have no idea how far she’s willing to go, and I don’t want to assume anything.

“I was just about to… you know,” I say. “I didn’t know what to do.”

“So why’d you stop?” Sookie looks confused.

“I didn’t know if that was taking it too far,” I say.

“I’m not a tease, Eric. If I didn’t want to be back here with you I wouldn’t be,” she says.

“What? Sookie, I don’t think you’re a tease,” I say sincerely. “I just didn’t want to assume that you coming back here with me meant that you’d be okay with that happening. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

“I’m not.”

“So you wouldn’t mind if we kept kissing and that happened?” I ask with a smile.

“No, I wouldn’t mind.”

“Well then,” I smile, and lean over to kiss her once more.

Sookie gets right back into it and wraps her legs around me. Everything picks up where it left off and the sensations I feel overwhelm me in no time. This time I don’t pull away. I keep moving with her, kissing her, and my hand finds her breast again. Within a few short minutes it happens again, and I let it. My whole body goes stiff and starts to jerk uncontrollably, and I break the kiss to groan into Sookie’s neck. I’ve never felt anything so good in my life.

She moans in my ear and I feel her shiver underneath me. I kiss her neck, and then back to her lips again.

“I don’t know what to say,” I tell her after I catch my breath.

“You don’t need to say anything,” she says, her hands roaming my back.

“Can I say thank you?”

“You’re welcome,” she smiles.

“Did you… you know?”

She nods and lets her hands settle on my lower back.

“Really?” I grin.

“Really.”

“Good,” I say, and kiss her again.

She kisses me back and her hands move up to my hair again. After a moment I pull back because I have something to tell her.

“Sookie, can I tell you something?”

“Sure.”

“I’m falling in love with you.”

Sookie smiles up at me and her hand moves to touch my cheek. She looks me in my eyes and says, “I’m falling in love with you, too.”

A big smile spreads on my face and I feel lighter than anything. I don’t say anything else; I just lower my head and kiss her again.

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