A few weeks later, the Airbnb host opened the door to the cottage Aubrey had rented in Vineyard Haven, Martha’s Vineyard. The cottage was modern, the interior was stylish, and the private patio was lined with tall hedges and decorated with flower pots.
A perfect place to relax.
After Aubrey and Calder unpacked, Calder immediately bedded Aubrey. She wanted to take it slowly, but here was a college athlete who wanted to go full steam ahead.
He was on top of her; she could feel his erection pushing against her. Their kisses grew deeper; their tongues were encircling each other while they explored each other’s bodies with groping hands.
They were like two people who were making love for the first time. Calder was in a teenage frenzy, eager to start but unsure where to begin.
Aubrey pushed him off and stood next to the bed. She disrobed quickly and motioned for Calder to do the same.
Once undressed, Calder helped Aubrey into bed with an eager, excited forcefulness. This was a fun romp in the hay with a college boy.
Now Calder was all over Aubrey, like a puppy excited to see his owner. Aubrey chuckled and then held him firmly to calm him down. She guided his hands around her body, guided his mouth to kiss her neck. He fumbled around with her breasts, but he meant well, and Aubrey got into the younger man fantasy she had thought about since counseling blue-collar men.
Calder was quick to guide his cock into Aubrey’s wetness. Aubrey felt relaxed to be with a man who wanted to prove himself as a skillful lover, with no more expectations from her than a release and a nap afterward.
Calder was pumping his cock into Aubrey’s slit with a college boy’s intensity. He was breathing hard and turning red in the face. Aubrey didn’t get a lot of satisfaction out of it except to enjoy Calder’s excitement.
He blew his load a few minutes later. He rolled off Aubrey, proud of himself.
“Was it good for you, babe?” He asked.
“Yes, Calder, it was. Would you go to the bathroom and get some towels?”
The two of them slept for the rest of the afternoon, Calder the conqueror and Aubrey the weary traveler.
That evening, they went to a quaint seafood restaurant and took a walk down to the ocean.
The next day was shopping, which Aubrey enjoyed more than Calder, who trailed behind her joyfully carrying her shopping bags. The sun, the gentle breezes, and the salt air added an authenticity to the historic streets of Vineyard Haven.
Aubrey liked having Calder around her. He made her feel so feminine, so taken care of, all in a harmless way. He opened doors for her and did whatever she wanted him to do, even when she didn’t ask. Having Calder around was like owning a well-trained puppy you couldn’t help but adore.
That evening, Aubrey ordered dinner in. She sensed that Calder wanted to talk about something. He always did, and Aubrey was happy to oblige. Although she had to be careful about what she said. Calder was so impressionable.
She had to remind herself he was only a teenager, here for her company, not a relationship.
“So you and Foster are still getting a divorce, huh?” Calder asked the question with a mouthful of lobster roll.
“Yes, we are,” Aubrey admitted.
“And you said there’s nothing between us. But then you asked me to come here. Why?”
Aubrey felt guilty. What was she thinking, leading Calder on like this?
“I wanted to have some fun with someone I trust. That was you. I’m sorry, Calder, I didn’t mean to lead you on. If you want to go home, you can.”
“No, this is a trip I could never afford. I’m enjoying myself. I love you, Aubrey, and you said some things that made sense the last time we talked.”
“What was that?”
“That I’m nineteen. There will be plenty of girls for me in the future. You just happen to be one I like more. When we get back home, I plan to find someone.”
Aubrey laughed. “That sounds like a good plan.”
Calder grinned, a little sheepish, a little proud, like someone who’d just been told he was doing adulthood correctly for the first time. He wiped his hands on a napkin and leaned back in his chair, the weight of the question finally gone.
“I mean,” he added, “I’m not stupid. I know what this is. You’re in between serious relationships, and I'm in a casual fling. A boy toy.” He winced. “That sounded way worse out loud.”
“It didn’t,” Aubrey said. “It is what it is.”
They ate in comfortable silence after that. It was comfortable because the island lent itself to relaxing. Ocean breezes, clustered historical properties, and light vacation laughter permeated the whole place.
They were both happy. The two of them had a special relationship. They could talk frankly and appreciate each other's company. They had become two peas in a pod.
Later, they sat on the patio with glasses of wine Aubrey had ordered with dinner. Calder sprawled in one of the chairs, barefoot, slightly sunburned, looking exactly like what he was: young, unscarred, clueless.
“You know,” he said, staring up at the darkening sky, “this is probably going to be one of those stories I tell my friends someday. The older woman, the island, the whole thing.”
“And how does that story end?”
He thought about it. “That she didn’t ruin me,” he said finally. “She taught me everything a man should know.”
Aubrey liked that portrayal of their relationship.
“That’s good,” she said. “Because ruining men is a bad habit I’m trying to quit.”
Calder laughed, then grew quiet again.
“I think I’m going to go home tomorrow. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, Calder. We had our fun, and now it’s over. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I would stay longer, you know, just to hang out, but I don’t want to get in the way of your friend coming up. He seems serious. Intense.”
“What friend's coming up?”
“He said his name was Ian. He said he’d see me at Martha’s Vineyard, but he didn’t seem so happy about me being here,” said Calder.
Aubrey’s heart sank. What was Ian up to? Surely he wouldn’t follow her to Martha’s Vineyard.
“How do you know Ian?”
“I met him when I was doing your front yard. You weren’t at home.”
“Tell me exactly what happened.”
“Well,” Calder started, “he parked his car outside your house and sat there for a while. He made a few phone calls and then got out of the car and came across the street. He signaled me to stop the lawnmower, and then he came across the lawn to speak to me.”
Aubrey was getting anxious. “What did he say?”
“He asked me if you were home, and I said no. Then he asked me when you would be back.”
“And what did you say?”
“I said you were out shopping for things for your vacation next week, and you would be back shortly.”
“Oh God, Calder, you didn’t tell him where I was going, did you?”
Calder cringed a little. “Yes, I told him Martha’s Vineyard. Did you not want him to know?”
“No, I didn’t,” Aubrey whispered.
Calder looked crestfallen. “I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Calder. I have to face him sometime. It might as well be here.”
“What happened?”
“It’s a long story. But when I left Foster, we started dating. It didn’t turn out so well.”
“Do you need some backup? I can stay. Is he a bad guy?”
Aubrey studied Calder for a long moment. He was earnest and concerned. It was sweet that he wanted to help her.
“No,” she said. “You don’t need to protect me. And you definitely don’t need to be here for this.”
Calder frowned. “But he sounds like he’s stalking you. Do you have a restraining order or something?”
“No,” Aubery said. “I don’t have a restraining order; it’s not that serious. He’s just an intense guy.”
Aubrey never thought about getting a protection order. Should she?
Calder frowned. “Are you sure I shouldn’t stay? He sounds like he might try to hurt you.”
Aubrey reached across the table and covered his hand with hers, grounding both of them. “This isn’t your problem. I’ll handle it. Besides, this is tourist season. There are too many people around for him to try anything. It’s not like I’m at an isolated farmhouse.”
Calder nodded, though he clearly didn’t like it. “I still feel bad. If I hadn’t told him—”
“He would have found me anyway,” Aubrey said. “He has connections.”
“He sounds like he’s in the mafia,” Calder said.
“Something like that. He’s a billionaire who owns a huge corporation. He’s one of those men who likes to control everything.”
Aubrey’s use of the word ‘men’ stung. Calder felt like he was being dismissed from a category he had only just begun to imagine himself belonging to.
“When is he coming?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Aubrey said. “But not tonight. Ian doesn’t improvise when he’s angry. He plans.”
That made Calder worry more. He was not a part of this situation, but the man in him wanted to be. He didn’t like situations that were over his head, knowing there was nothing he could do.
He and Aubrey took one last walk around Vineyard Haven and went back to their cottage for a quiet night of lovemaking. Calder had a high libido, and Aubrey liked indulging him.
Calder packed quietly the next morning. He moved through the cottage with a subdued efficiency, folding clothes, checking drawers, stealing glances at Aubrey as if trying to memorize her in case this really was the end.
At the ferry later that morning, he hugged her tightly.
“Be careful,” he said.
“I always am,” Aubrey replied, and this time, she meant it.
“Take care of yourself, Aubrey,” he said. “And don’t marry another psycho.”
She laughed. “I’ll try very hard not to.”
When the ferry pulled away, Aubrey didn’t wave. She stood very still until it disappeared, then turned back toward the empty street.
The cottage felt different without Calder. Quieter. Empty. No cheerful vibes with Calder gone.
She locked the door, checked her phone; no messages, no missed calls, so she started to worry.
Ian hadn’t arrived yet.
That meant she still had time.
Aubrey poured herself a glass of wine and sat on the patio as the afternoon light shifted.
Her mind was preoccupied with how she would handle Ian. She was thinking about Public places. Witnesses. Exit strategies.
Was she overthinking things? The one thing Aubrey didn’t want was to let her imagination run wild with impossible scenarios.
But still, she rehearsed conversations she hoped she wouldn’t have to have and resolved, firmly, not to be surprised by anything Ian did.
But she had to ask herself the question: What does he want from me? He couldn’t win her back with gifts and charm. She wasn’t intimidated by his passive-aggressive behavior.
She had told Calder she thought he was planning something. So what was it?
Aubrey racked her brain, but short of kidnapping her, she didn’t know what Ian had in mind. She wouldn’t meet him anywhere but a public place for coffee.
When her phone finally buzzed, she didn’t jump.
Ian: I know where you are.
Aubrey stared at the screen, then typed back.
Aubrey: Good. Then we won’t waste time pretending.
Ian: Meet me this afternoon. Mayflower Teahouse.
Aubrey: Ok
She set the phone face down and lifted her glass.
Whatever was coming next, she would meet it clear-eyed.
No more running. No more pretending.
Not this time.