Chapter 16

Katie heard the smooth purr of the motor as Jon turned into her driveway. Her luggage was already on the front porch waiting, since Jon said he would drive. Once out of the car, Jon took the porch stairs two by two. A quick knock and he heard her yell, "Come on in!" He opened the screen door and found her in the kitchen with her back to him. He walked up behind her as quietly as he could and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her on the back of her neck.


Katie jumped a little, then melted into his embrace. "Mmmmmm, well hello to you, too." She purred. She turned around toward him with a sensuous smile on her lips. Jon smiled down at her with his arms still around her. Katie put her hands on his back and let them slowly move downward tucking her hands in his jean pockets. "Ready to go?" He asked.


"Honestly, I have been ready for a while." She admitted. "Have you eaten yet?"


Jon shook his head. "Nope, you?"


"Nada. We can get something on the way up, sound good?"


Jon nuzzled her neck, "I could just have Katie for breakfast and be perfectly happy."


She giggled at his touch, "Ok, there cowboy. That is all well and good, but I am starving! And you don't want to see a cranky Katie, now do you?"


Jon pretended to think for a moment, "Alright, lets get the lady some nourishment." Jon let her go and went towards the porch, effortlessly picking up her luggage. Katie watched as his biceps flexed as he lifted the bags into the trunk of his car. Yup, she thought, rendered stupid once again. She closed up the house, set the alarm and met him at the car. They stopped at a cafe on the way out of town, then proceeded north toward the ocean. Katie had called ahead asking what time they could check in. Rockport, not being a real beach town, was not as booked as some places, so she was told the rooms would be ready when they arrived.


She directed Jon to the Thoreau Inn, an impressively beautiful historic inn overlooking the ocean. Jon admired the Inn as they drove up. "Wow. Nice place. Good choice."


Once parked in front of the Inn, they went to check in. The man checking them in asked for the name and Katie piped up, "Two rooms under Katie McKenzie, please." He found her in the computer and asked, "I just need a valid credit card to keep on file, you can change payment type at the end of your stay if you like." Katie reached for her American Express card, and handed it to the man, at the same time Jon bumped arms with her as he tried to hand over his card. She looked over at Jon and gave him a stern look, her lips pursed together. "Let me get this, Katie." She didn't want to cause a scene, but there was no way she was going to let him pay for both rooms. "Uh, No!" she told him firmly shaking her pretty, but very stubborn head.


Jon had been around the block a time or two, and knew better than to push her too far. He had met one or two stubborn women in the past. "Ok, how about you just let me get my room then. I promise I won't argue any further if you agree to that." He silently hoped this would appease her for the moment. Damn she looked gorgeous when she had her mind set on something. He felt himself stir a bit underneath the snug blue jeans. Stop it, he thought to himself, get your mind out of your pants.


Katie figured that was an alright arrangement so she nodded, "Yeah, ok. I can go for that." Jon chuckled and shook his head. She was feisty. He found his mind wandering, thinking how that might carry over in other areas. Ashamed of his thoughts once again, he vowed to take care of something very shortly so he would not come across as a total slug. After check in they retrieved their luggage and took the elevator up to the third floor suites. Jon noticed that even though it was an historic inn, it had all the modern conveniences. Katie's room was the first one so she unlocked the door. Even with the modern conveniences, the door still took an old fashioned skeleton type key. She opened the door and they walked in. It was very tastefully decorated in a traditional New England seaside style. The four poster bed was covered in white linens with antiques scattered around the room. There were also French doors that led out to a small balcony overlooking the ocean. Katie noticed another door and found it connected to the room next door that was reserved for Jon. She had reserved a king suite for him, with a seating area. His room was decorated in much the same manor, complete all the way down to a deep claw foot tub that looked big enough for two, he thought to himself. The thought put a sly little grin on his face. Katie walked into his room and noticed his expression, "What are you smiling about? I hope the room is ok." She asked tentatively.


"Are you kidding? This is wonderful! What a beautiful place to get away from it all. I wish I would have known about this a long time ago." He nodded his approval. "I am more than happy to switch rooms if you want more space. It is not necessary for me." He knew she probably thought with how much he traveled and the kind of places he stayed, he might prefer it. But underneath it all, he was just a regular guy who did not require special treatment.


Katie said, "It's no problem. The rooms connect anyway, so we have lots of space to stretch out if we want to. I'm glad you like it. I really love this place."


"Have you been here often?" He asked, wondering if perhaps she and her ex husband had come here.


"Just a couple of times, actually. Even though I haven't taken many vacations in the last few years, I have gotten away for a couple of nights now and then. And this place is a favorite for that." Jon thought this was the kind of place a woman shouldn't have to be alone in. It was meant to be shared. And he hoped to fill this place with special memories with Katie.


They each went to their rooms and spent a while unpacking and settling in. Jon noticed a round antique table in front of the window. On the table sat a crystal vase filled with a large bouquet of fresh roses. He looked at them for a moment, slowly forming a thought in his head. After a minute, he nodded to himself and continued to unpack. Katie had just finished unpacking as she noticed Jon's head peeking through the door that adjoined their rooms. She couldn't help but let a little yawn sneak out. It had been a bit of a whirlwind week and Katie realized she was a bit tired. "Hey, how are you doing over there?" She smiled a bit sleepily at him.


"All done. Looks like you are pretty well set also. Want to come over and test out the bed with me?" He smirked, enjoying her startled expression. Damn that man, she thought. He really loved teasing her. One of these times he was going to get just what he asked for, she vowed.


He reached out for her hand and she took his, letting him led her to the bed. "I will be good, I promise. You look like you could use a little rest. Come sit next me, I want to help you relax." She sat on the edge of the bed, Jon sat behind her. He picked up her thick hair and laid it over her shoulder. Then taking his hands he started massaging her shoulders, neck and back in a firm motion. Katie found herself melting under his strong hands. "Ahhh, oh that feels so good." She sighed with pleasure. He continued until her muscles relaxed and her head leaned to the side, relaxed. He then slid back laying down on the bed and motioned for her to lay next to him. She snuggled up against him with her head on his chest and his arm around her. He stroked her hair and soon her breathing became slow and more shallow. He looked down at her realizing she was asleep. He closed his eyes and smiled, allowing himself to drift off as well.



Katie woke to the sound of the ocean in the distance. She slowly opened her eyes remembering where she was. A slow smile spread across her face as she looked up at Jon. Since he was still asleep, she took the opportunity to study him. He was a work of art, she thought. His face looked so relaxed, his chiseled cheekbones and full lips held her gaze. She noticed the fine lines in the corners of his eyes. Despite that little reminder of time passing, he looked easily 10 years younger then she knew he was. She unconsciously brought her finger up to his lips and traced them lightly with her finger tip. Jon stirred in his sleep, slowly coming out of his slumber. He kept his eyes closed even after he was fully awake, enjoying the feeling of her touch.


Jon eventually opened his eyes and met her gaze with his. "Mmmmm. Now this is nice." He stretched and pulled her closer, feeling her warm body. They rested for a while longer, Katie finally asking, "What do you say we freshen up and grab a late lunch? We could go sit by the shore afterwards."


"Sounds perfect." Jon decided he was going to bring something with him this time.


After they freshened up, Jon met Katie in her room holding his guitar. "Ready to go?" He asked.


"Sure. What might that be for?" She asked curiously. "Are you going to sing to me?" She asked hopefully.


"I thought I might strum a few notes, if you don't mind." He sometimes felt he expressed himself best through song and he wanted to sing to her.


Katie, on the other hand, was in heaven anticipating having him sing just to her. A dream she had held onto for years and years about to come true. They held hands as they descended the antique staircase of the Inn. The inn keeper waved to them as the left. "Have a good afternoon, folks!"


Once down in Rockport, Jon decided to park by the cliff and leave the guitar in the car. They walked down to the shop area again, Katie leading the way to the little seaside cafe they had both been to just a couple of weeks ago. Jon said, "I like!" as they were escorted to a table outside by the water. The cafe was almost empty by this time of the day. They ordered a bottle of wine while waiting for their lunch to arrive. After a leisurely lunch, Jon suggested they head back to the cliffs and relax. "Wonderful idea!" Katie, feeling a bit tipsy at this point, agreed enthusiastically.


Back at the car, Jon took out a blanket and the guitar. Katie noticed it was the black guitar she had seen so often at the shows. She knew from watching a segment on TV that it was his favorite and very expensive. She had another brief moment of realization of the happenings of the past two weeks. They carefully picked their path to the flat area near the edge that they had found previously. Sitting down on the blanket Jon pulled her between his legs and wrapped his arms around her. Katie had a tank top on, having left her other shirt in the car, but shivered a bit in the breeze. Jon had a gauzy blue shirt over his t-shirt and took it off, putting it over her shoulders. She breathed in deeply, smelling his scent on the shirt. They talked for awhile, taking breaks to listen to the ocean, gulls, and the sounds of the shore. Katie was still feeling a bit uninhibited from the wine, and a bit bold to boot. She figured this was as good of a time as any to let Jon see the real her. Her face clouded over with the difficulty of where to start.


Jon noticed her solemn expression. "You ok, babe?" He asked with concern. She hesitated for a moment and then said,"You know on the beach when I said I didn't want to talk about some things? Well, I think I am ready."


Jon moved around so he was seated facing her, taking her hands in his. "OK. I will listen. You're safe with me. I hope you know that." He looked into her eyes and could see sadness in them. She nodded, "I know that now."


Katie took a deep breath and began. "My childhood wasn't so rosy. Not nearly as perfect sounding as yours. And I still have a lot of unresolved issues with some parts of it." She stopped for a moment. Jon gave her hand a gentle squeeze encouraging her to go on when she was ready. "I know this isn't unusual and know a lot of people have dealt with it, but it made parts of my life very difficult growing up. My father is a recovering alcoholic. He has been sober now for about 15 years. But by that point I had left home and there was such a wall up between me and my dad that I don't think it will ever get torn down. I can't seem to forgive him for all the pain and heartache he caused us all." She stopped, trying to compose herself as she felt the tears come to the surface.


"Oh, sweet Kate, I had no idea." She looked up at him, plainly seeing the concern and caring in his face. It gave her the strength to go on.


"I know a lot of people have been through worse. I guess it is just how it affected me. And the fact that I feel like I never had a real dad. Ever since my first memories, I remember him drinking. It got worse when I was around 8 and 9, and went on like that until after I left for college. I felt like the only person I could trust was Jason. My mom was too busy trying to keep the family and house together when he would go out on drinking binges. I remember her asking him for money and he wouldn't have any. She worked a job at night for years when we were old enough to stay alone. He would be gone all night and come stumbling in while we were getting ready for school. When I was about 13, one night it got really bad, I could hear them yelling and my mom screamed. Jason and I ran in the living room and he was hitting her. I tried to yell at him to stop, but Jason grabbed him and punched him, knocking him out. Jason pulled him outside and let him lay there. I guess he eventually woke up and left. Mom was so upset she thought he might not come back. I remember thinking it might not be such a bad thing. He did, though, that next afternoon. He was sober and he said he was so sorry, and all of that. I think my mom hoped things would change, but they didn't. He never hit her again until years later. I think he was afraid of Jason. But he kept drinking. At least he came home most nights after that. Mom seemed to be a little happier. He at least gave her money when he got paid. He even tried to act kind of interested in us. But by that point it was just too little, too late. You know? Jason went to off to college. My senior year I tried to get my mom to leave him. I mean we were both going to be gone so she only had herself to worry about. But she said she wasn't ready. She loved him. I never understood that. I have always loved my mom, I just never understood why she would put herself through that for love. I vowed I would never put myself or any children I had through something like that." Katie stopped for a moment as the tears decided they would wait no longer.


Jon caressed her face with his hand, wiping away the tears that streamed down. His heart ached for her. He felt like he wanted to beat her father up for putting her though so much. Katie finally found a lull in the tears and went on a bit more, "About three years after I left, my mom called me and told me she kicked him out. He had went on a bender again and hit her. I guess that was the last straw. It must have woken him up because about a month later he was sober and asked my mom to take him back. She agreed only on the condition that he never take another drink and was in a treatment program. That was 15 or so years ago now and he has stayed sober. They seem very happy and settled now. I am happy for my mom and thankful he is sober. But I can't get over a lot of the anger yet. I should try, I know. I know he loves me, but we rarely talk when I am not home, and when I am it is only small talk. I don't know if we will ever be able to break that wall down. I just can't get over the shame and pain of not having friends over, or him never remembering one birthday growing up." A few more tears slipped out as she looked out at the ocean. It always soothed away the pain, she thought. She looked back at Jon and realized she got the same feeling looking into his eyes. The realization shook her to her core.


Jon kissed her lightly on the lips, tasting their saltiness from the tears. "Katie, thank you for trusting me. I can see how hard it is for you. I now understand so much more about you. Just know you are safe with me."


Katie was so touched by his words, and she felt he really meant it. He reached around her and picked up his guitar, starting to strum a few notes. From just the guitar cords she didn't recognize the song right away until he started singing...


I saw you coming from a mile away
Trying to hide behind that pretty face
Bet my last dollar baby you been bruised
Poor little heart all black n blue


Last thing you needs another pickup line
You must have heard them all a thousand times
God only knows what you been through
Believe me I been broken too


It aches, it breaks, it takes your breath away
Ive been around that block a time or two


Baby, I don't want to fall in love with you
I try, try, try but I cant get around the truth
Please don't say my name, give this heart a break
I don't want to make the same mistake but its too late
Ill leave on the light
These arms are open all night


I got your taste in the back of my mouth
I want to reach in and pull it out
And Id be lying if I didn't say
When you're this close I'm afraid
Of the way Ill feel if I touch your hair
The way Ill miss you when you're not there
And that Ill see you when I close my eyes
Its too late, Ive crossed that line


It breaks, it aches, it takes your breath away
Ill still be around come closing time


Baby, I don't want to fall in love with you
I try, try, try but I can only tell the truth
Please don't say my name, give this heart a break
I don't want to make the same mistake but its too late
Ill leave on the light
These arms are open all night


Its 2 am, its last call, baby. the barkeeps gone, Ill walk you home now
Save me, baby


These arms are open all night


He strummed a few more notes and set the guitar down, reaching for her.

Chapter 17