Eve smiled to herself. It was an option she ought to consider. Two years was far too long to go without sex. But great sex every six months might be exactly enough. I have a lot of catching up to do, she murmured to herself.
CHARLIE GLANCED AT HIS WATCH, illuminating the face to see the numerals in the dark.
You keep looking at the time, Jack said. Do you have somewhere you need to be?
Yeah, he said. Ive got aa date.
His old friend chuckled then shook his head. Youve been in town for less than twenty-four hours and you already have a date. Jeez, you move fast.
Its not like that, Charlie said. Shes an old friend. She runs a restaurant downtown and she finishes work at eleven. Im going to stop by and invite her out for a drink.
After what had happened earlier that day, Charlie had decided to proceed slowly. Eve had made it clear that she still harbored a few grudges. And she had every right. Hed walked out of her life five years ago after an incredible month together, and then never called or wrote. On the other hand, she had decided to marry another man, so contact probably would have been inappropriate.
Hed been given a second chance. They were both single and he had some time on his hands. And he needed to know just where this all might lead. He wasnt going to mess it up by seducing her on the first date.
And here, I thought you came back to town to see your old buddy Jack.
Actually, I came back to Boulder to give a couple of lectures at the university. Seeing the girl again is just a bonus.
Hows your mom?
Shes doing well, Charlie said. Now that Im home for a while, Ill have time to go out to visit her in San Diego. I called her this morning. She was glad to hear the seven summits was done. I stopped telling her about the climbs until after they were through. She worries too much.
You always were a thrill junkie, Jack said. My son is like that. Last summer, he jumped off the garage roof into our swimming pool. I didnt know what to do. He was so proud of himself.
How old is he? Charlie asked.
Eight, Jack said.
It was hard to believe that Jack had a eight-year-old son, or that hed been married nearly ten years. He and Jack had been friends since their freshman year at UC. Charlie had left Boulder after graduation, but Jack had stuck around to get his masters and then a doctorate. Now he taught mathematics at the university. Could you stand another beer? Charlie asked. I dont have to leave yet.
He pushed to his feet and walked into the house. The interior of the three-bedroom bungalow brought back a flood of memories from his childhood. The last time he was in Boulder, hed come to help his widowed mom get packed up to make her move to San Diego, to a condo near his sisters place. Hed decided to buy the house from her and shed given him an outrageously low price, considering the real-estate market in Boulder.
Hed intended to fix up the house and sell it, but hed never gotten around to calling an agent. Hed met Evie and spent an entire month in bed with her. Had he known, somewhere deep inside, that hed be back someday? That hed want and need a place to call home?
Most of his belongings were scattered around the country, some in the attic here in Boulder, some in Chicago with his brother, and the rest in his mothers storage locker at her condo. He lived out of a backpack and didnt possess a single item larger than the rear cargo area of his ten-year-old Jeep.
This was the only place that felt like home. After his father had died when he was ten, his mother had been forced to sell the big house theyd lived in and rented the ramshackle bungalow on Tenth Street. Without any source of income, shed gone back to school and got a teaching degree, while Charlie and his two younger siblings were left to fend for themselves. Shed scraped together enough to buy the home from their generous landlord and lived there until the last of her children had graduated from UC.
His sister worked at a large advertising agency in San Diego and his brother was a trader in downtown Chicago. Charlies profession, on the other hand, was best described as an adventurer-slash-writer. An after-school program in rock climbing had led to his interest in outdoor adventure and living in Boulder gave him plenty of opportunities to hone his skills as a climber.
Charlie snagged a few beers from the fridge, then grabbed a bag of chips hed bought on a quick trip to the grocery store. Though the house had been shut up since the renters left six months ago, the cool breeze blowing through the open windows had carried away the last traces of musty air.
When he got back to the porch, he handed Jack a beer, then sat down on the plastic chair, kicking his feet back up on the porch railing. Thanks for taking care of the house.
I thought you were planning to sell it.
I was. But it never seemed like the right time.
Its kind of silly to keep it, Jack said. Youre never here. And its probably worth close to a million if youd fix it up a little bit.
Charlie shrugged. Im thinking of staying for a while. Ill get a little work done around here, relax and-
Who is she? Jack interrupted. And what has she done to the Charlie Templeton Ive always known.
Its not like that. Ive just beenreevaluating. He took a sip of his beer, wondering how much he wanted to reveal. Hell, he wasnt sure how he felt, but Charlie knew something had changed inside him. The circuit in his brain that had caused him to wander the world, searching for the next big thrill, had been switched off. I was standing on top of Everest and I couldnt believe it.
Man, that must have felt incredible.
That was the problem, Charlie mused. It hadnt felt incredible. But kissing Evie had. Just pulling her into his arms and feeling her warm, soft body against his had beenthrilling. Through all his adventures, hed never felt that. Satisfaction, yes. Pride, of course. But nothing had matched that first kiss in the restaurant refrigerator.
It didnt, Charlie said. Id achieved everything Id ever wanted and it didnt make me happy.
What are you, freakin crazy? You get paid to do stuff I can only dream about. You have no responsibilities. You decide you want to go surfing in Australia and youre there the next day. Jenny and I have been planning to go to Banff for nearly a year and we still havent picked a date. Taking a family of four on a vacation is like planning a military invasion.
But you like it, right? The wife, the family. Its all good?
Sure, Jack replied. Im not saying its easy, or that every day is a disaster. Or that I dont envy you on those nights when the kids are sick or when Jenny is mad about something. But I dont know what Id do if they werent in my life.
Thats the thing, Charlie said, leaning forward and bracing his elbows on his knees. Youve got someone, someone who cares that you walk in the door at night.
You have family, he said.
Charlie shook his head. Its not the same. Family is required to love you. They dont have a choice. Besides, they consider me the black sheep in the family. The sibling who never quite grew up. I want someone who needs me.
Jenny says men chase immortality. Thats why we look at younger women, why were afraid of commitment, why we get drunk and howl at the moon. She heard it in a movie and now, whenever I do something stupid, she says its because I fear getting old.
Charlie frowned. I dont think about getting old.
Your dad died when he was thirty-six. You dont ever think of that? I mean, youre going to be thirty next year, right?
Shit, youre right, he muttered. And no, I really didnt think much about it until now.
Maybe thats why you chase adventure, Jack said.
What are you, my shrink?
No, but I watch a lot of Dr. Phil when the kids are home sick.
Charlie set his beer down and got to his feet. I have to go.
What time is it? Jack asked. I told Jenny Id be home by ten.
Its close to eleven.
Jack jumped up, wagging a finger at Charlie. See, this is what I love about your life. Im required to be in by ten and youre just going out at eleven. You know, hooking up with a girl this late at night looks suspiciously like a booty call.
Charlie frowned. You think? I dont want to give her the wrong idea. Im not expecting a hook-up. Maybe I should call first.
That would make it worse, Jack said. Just tell her you were out for a walk. That would play much better if you had a dog. You can come over and borrow our dog.
You have a dog?
And two cats, a fluctuating number of fish, and a hamster thats been missing for three days.
Charlie found the news strangely disquieting. Jack really was settled. And as much as his friend couldnt imagine what climbing Everest was like, Charlie couldnt fathom caring for a family and a houseful of pets.
The grass is always greener, Charlie murmured. They jogged down the porch steps together. Ill stop by tomorrow and see the kids, he said. Tell Jenny Im sorry I kept you out so late.
They walked in opposite directions, Jack toward the family he had waiting and Charlie toward the unknown. Hell, he wasnt sure what he was doing in Boulder or why he was so intent on seeing Eve again. But hed always allowed his instincts to rule his life and right now, this was where he was supposed to be.
The fifteen-minute walk to downtown Boulder was filled with indecision. Charlie was anxious to see Eve again, if only to find out whether the attraction theyd experienced earlier that day was more than one-sided.
This was really crazy. Hed always known exactly what he wanted in life, planning each move ahead of time and throwing all his energy into making a success of whatever he tried. But here he was, wandering the streets of his hometown, without a clue as to why he was here.
Hed never put much stock in psychiatry, but he had to wonder if something hadnt snapped in his brain when he was at high altitude. Lack of oxygen could do funny things to a guys head, even make him feel something that wasnt really there.
His mind drifted back to the kiss, to the taste of her mouth, the way she opened beneath him. Hed felt something then, something powerful. Hed kissed a lot of women and relying on his experience, Charlie was pretty sure Evie had wanted to be kissed. Shed even enjoyed it. And before the night was over, he planned to do it again.