Shoe Strings

Cal wanted was for his son to scare away the first and only
renter of the season.
    “I see you’ve met my son, Jesse.”
    “Yes.” Lita’s face appeared flushed.  
    Was she embarrassed, Cal wondered, or had something happened
between them already?   How long had
he been gone?
    “I’ll clean this up,” Jesse said.   “And I apologize again about the shower
and the scare.”
    Lita nodded up at Jesse and made her way into the kitchen
where Cal stood tongue-tied.   She
wouldn’t look him in the eye and he had the sudden urge to bolt.   “Well, I guess I’ll be going then.   You holler if you need anything.   Jesse,” he called, purposely loud, “I
could use your help with something before you go.”
    “Be right over,” Jesse said and with that Cal smiled at Lita
and walked slowly back to his house.   Christ, maybe it wasn’t so nice having a
woman around after all.
    ***
    “Good as new.”   Jesse replaced the broom and dustpan in their spot along the
refrigerator.   He turned around and
blessed his dad for having enough smarts to leave them alone.   “Angelita, is it?”   What a name, but it fit.   It was the kind of name that could only
work on a Vegas stripper or a gorgeous woman.   And considering the amount of blushing
she’d done in the last fifteen minutes, he knew she had to be the latter,
despite the spiky-heeled sandals and fancy clothes.  
    “Um hum,” she said and watched him with the deepest, darkest
chocolate brown eyes he’d ever seen.   “I hate to take you away from your smelly shampoos, but I’ll be here for
awhile.”
    “That so?”   There
truly was a God.   “How long?”
    “Two weeks, maybe longer.”   Her voice was deep, too, and thick, like
rich caramel syrup drizzled over ice cream.   But despite her exotic and definitely
foreign look, there wasn’t any trace of an accent coming out of her pipes.
    “Well, I guess I’ve got some time to make a better
impression.”   He stepped an inch
closer and had to fight the urge to reach out and run his hand over the dark
brown curls swirling around her shoulders.   Everything about her was dark and touchable.
    “It can only go up.”  
    He’d made her uncomfortable; just that tiny step forward and
she’d reached around to grip the counter like she had when he’d first popped
out of the shower and found her screaming at him.   He wondered what made a woman like her,
a woman who packed a punch with just a glance, so vulnerable?   “I’d better get out of your hair.   It was nice to meet you, Angelita.”
    “You too.”   She
followed him to the door.   When it
shut quickly behind him, he heard the distinct click of the lock that hadn’t
been engaged in, well…ever, as far as he knew.  
    Jesse patted the knotted muscles of his stomach.   Lord have mercy.   Seemed driving up the old logging road
wasn’t the only teenaged behavior he was indulging in today.   He hadn’t had that kind of reaction to a
woman, or from a woman, since Kerri Ann performed her cheerleading dance to
“Flip Fantasia,” looking him directly in the eye during the half-time show at
county finals when he was thirteen.   He’d had to borrow Bryce Jenson’s jean jacket to spread over his lap
until he’d gotten things under control.
    Thankfully he’d learned to regulate that particular area of
his body, but that didn’t stop his heart from damn near leaping out his
chest.   What a looker.   It was like someone, maybe the God he
occasionally prayed to, put all his favorite parts of a woman together in one
unbelievable package—and dropped her right into his lap.  
    The mass of curling dark hair, the shimmering olive skin,
the strong straight nose, and those full red lips.   But it was her eyes--deep set, molasses
brown, and slightly turned up at the ends--that did him in.   And what the hell had she been
wearing?   He hadn’t seen clothes
like that since he’d been clubbing in Atlanta and women were dressed to lure
and tease.  
    He must have been dreaming.   But no, when he turned back around,
there she was, peeking through the blinds.   He had to stifle a cocky grin.   He’d caught her looking twice now.  
    Jesse was so mired in thoughts of the mysterious and
beautiful Angelita, he didn’t even realize his dad was calling to him from the
porch.  
    “Jess, are you deaf, son?” Cal called and let the screen
door slam behind him.  
    “Huh?”
    “What the hell were you doing in the cabin or do I