Queen Victoria Inn

--

Bryan walked to the back of the Vic. He wanted to sneak in at this early hour and avoid running into any of the ladies. Coming through the front door would only ring the bell, letting the girls know a potential customer had arrived. He really didn't need to be fighting them off this morning. He needed to get a full day's work in. Just when he thought he had made it to the storeroom, Lorna spied him in the hallway. "Damn," he thought. "She must still be up after a rowdy Friday night."

Lorna was more than just a bit drunk, but seeing Bryan she rushed up to him. "I see you've finally come to your senses and decided to visit me!" Lorna gushed.

"Well...ah...not really...ah...I'm just here to work on this room. This isn't your room," protested Bryan.

"I don't see anyone's name on it," and with that Lorna grabbed Bryan in a bear hug and with her momentum, pushed both of them through the door of the old storeroom. She shut the door with her foot as they passed through. "Why don't you just let me take care of you Bryan. No one has to know."

"Lorna...you know I'm not going to do that. Besides, you're drunk. You ought to go sleep it off" said Bryan.

"I'm not so drunk that I can't fulfill your needs Bryan!" and with that Lorna pulled her tube top up over her big boobs, letting them spill out one by one. "You know you want me. Come on loverboy, you can take it all out on me!

Lorna began to reach into Bryan's pants, but before she made it past his belt, Bryan cupped both hands around his mouth to amplify the sound. "Valerie! I'm here to work on the storeroom!

"Oh...I'll be down in a minute, Bryan!" returned the call from Val. Lorna's eyes got real wide and she struggled to get her tits back into the tube top. Lorna gave Bryan a disappointed glance. She thought she was so close.

Val said, "Good morning, Bryan," as she stepped into the room. "Lorna, what are you doing here?"

"She was just wishing me a 'Good Morning' before heading back up to her room, right Lorna?"

"Yeah that was it," mumbled Lorna. "I'm headed up." At least Bryan had saved her the cost of adding to the bounty.

When Lorna had left, Val asked Bryan how things had gone last night with Liz. Bryan responded with the dinner and the settling in. Very mundane stuff. "You know Bryan," said Val. "You really surprised me when you offered her a room. I know you haven't had anyone up to your place in God knows how long. Are you sure you're OK?"

"It really wasn't that bad, Val," said Bryan. "She didn't bother me at all. We just kind of went our separate ways when we got into the cabin. It was easier than I thought."

"Alright then. Guess I'll just let you get back to work," said Val. "The sooner you finish this job, the sooner you'll get to kick her out of your house." That thought really didn't sit too well in Bryan's head.

--

At the end of the work day, Bryan walked back to Eddie's garage. Eddie was out at the pumps, filling Liz's car with gas. "Hi Bryan," he said. "Hey...good thing you pulled this in when you did. The timing belt was shot. Practically came apart in my hands!"

"Yeesh," Bryan exhaled. "How bad is it otherwise?"

"Not all that bad," explained Eddie. "After I put on the new belt, I tuned her up with some new spark plugs and changed the oil. After that, once I got the timing back, she purrs like a kitten. It's not that bad of a little car after all."

"Wow!" Bryan was surprised. "How much do I owe you Eddie?"

"I'll send you a bill later, but don't worry, it's not that much. Parts for this model are cheap," said Eddie.

"Thanks man, you're a mechanical wizard!" zinged Bryan. "Is she ready to roll?"

"Yep," and Eddie tossed him the keys.

"Great, gotta run," said Bryan. "Thanks again man!" and with that Bryan jumped into the car. Put in the key and it turned right over, the engine running smooth. He looked out the back window and smiled. Liz's car no longer looked like a mosquito fogger rolling down the road.

Bryan pulled into the cabin's driveway. He was pleased with the job Eddie had done. He'd even had it washed and vacuumed by the time Bryan had gotten back. Eddie was a good friend. Better yet, Bryan's thoughts turned to how excited Liz would be about her car being fixed up. He was looking forward to seeing her infectious smile. He opened his front door and walked in, playfully yelling "I'm home!" That's when a delicious aroma emanating from the kitchen hit his nose. "Wow, what smells SO good?" he shouted.

"I'm in the kitchen," replied Liz. Bryan walked in, nose in the air, taking in the wonderful aroma. "I made it to the market and figured I'd make a baked ziti and salad for dinner," she explained. "I figured you might be getting tired of microwave pot pies."

"Been inspecting my freezer, eh?" Bryan feigned innocence.

"Bachelors!" said Liz. "It's amazing you've made it this far without starving to death!"

"Hey! I cook! Sometimes..." Bryan's voice trailed off. The tasty aromas were making his stomach rumble like a mountain thunderstorm. He walked up behind Liz as she was cutting the last of the vegetables for the salad. He couldn't fight his instinct of putting his hands on her hips, and peeking over her shoulder. "It looks delicious," he whispered into her ear.

"Hey...back off buddy...I've got a knife you know," Liz heckled playfully.

"Guilty as charged," Bryan said as he threw his hands up in the air. Liz put down the knife, turned, and locked her green eyes on Bryan. The two stood staring at each other for more than a few seconds.

"Please set the table, food's ready," Liz murmured.

Bryan turned, grabbed some plates and utensils and brought them to the dinette. "Hey, what would you like to drink? I've got a nice bottle of wine open that would work well with Italian food."

"That would be wonderful!" agreed Liz. They sat down cater-corner from each other and started in on their meal. Bryan moaned in appreciation of the first bite. A home cooked meal really hit the spot.

"So, Bryan, how was work?" Liz said playfully, trying to keep the light hearted conversation going.

"Oh you know, same old, same old," returned Bryan. "I got some parts ordered, got down to the Vic, pulled a bunch of wires and got Lorna to put her naked boobs in my face."

Liz spit her wine out all over her napkin, coughed a little and just started to laugh. The idea of Lorna doing that was easy to picture in her mind after yesterday's display. And she knew that Bryan could easily resist Lorna's advances after hearing all the stories. "Well then," Liz finally got out. "Sounds like a normal day for you." It was now Bryan's turn to choke on his wine.

The easy conversation kept going. "Bryan, I can't believe the view you have here. I didn't see anything because it was so dark last night, but when I got up this morning...WOW! I spent most of the day just staring at it. How do you not spend every waking moment out on that deck?"

"Well that's an easy one," Bryan replied. "I get to spend most of my waking moments working my ass off so that I can pay for that huge mistake in my life I call my ex-wife."

Liz's face changed from playful to concerned. She put her hand on his. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

"I guess," said Bryan. "You met Kim, my sister-in-law. My brother Craig died about 12 years ago. It was tough. My niece, Cora, was only 13. They were left with nothing. I felt it was my duty, no, my privilege, to help them through this catastrophe. Kim managed to grieve and move through the process. Cora was having a tougher time of it all, she needed a dad in her life. I just somehow started to fill in that role. Sharon, my ex-wife didn't like it much, she was selfish. I didn't ignore Sharon, far from. But her demands on me grew and grew. It was like she was doing whatever she could to make it harder for me to support Cora and Kim.

"Sounds like she was jealous or something," Liz said, as she tried to comfort Bryan.

"Yeah, more like the 'or something'," Bryan continued. "Cora was growing up. I knew that soon she would be drifting away and wouldn't need me anymore. I figured I could tread water until that happened. I was wrong, I guess. Cora did well, got good grades and had dreams that would include getting herself a college degree. Money was always an issue for Kim, but I promised her that I would fund college for Cora's future as long as she was serious about it and kept her grades up. Sure, it was expensive, but the business could support us and this too. Sharon and I never had any kids, so it's not like I didn't have the funds to do it and support Sharon's lifestyle. Hell, this used to be our vacation home."

"Wow, really?" Liz was shocked. "She couldn't see the good you were doing? It sounds cruel."

"Yeah, I think 'cruel' turned out to be her middle name," said Bryan sadly. "By the time Cora got into college, everytime I made a tuition payment, Sharon would demand some piece of jewelry or status symbol that cost just as much. It was a great big waste. No matter what I did, Sharon wasn't happy. One day I finally said 'no' to her ridiculous demands. I think that was the day she went to her shark lawyer."

"Oh no, that sounds awful. I can't believe she would act that way and not see the need in your niece's situation," said Liz. She closed her hand around his.

"In the end, it was going to be a 50/50 split, but they got the court to decide that all the money I had spent on Cora was taken from our joint 'marital funds' and that I owed Sharon half of that too. So I was court ordered to spend all that money twice." explained Bryan. "I ended up with this place, my business, my work truck, and a big load of debt to fund Sharon's frivolous spending. After 5 years, I'm finally getting near the end of the payments."

"That's awful, but it looks like you were successful in getting Cora though that rough time, now that she's getting married," Liz injected as she tried to move Bryan's thoughts to something more positive.

"Yeah, Cora is great. I'm so proud of her. She got her degree with flying colors and has already started to intern in a law office. I've met her fiancé. He's a great, upstanding guy. She's got a bright future ahead of her. If I had to do it all over again, I'd still do what I did. In the end, seeing Cora bloom was worth all that pain.

"I hope you've decided to go to the wedding. You NEED to go. Watch her move on in her life. You need closure," counseled Liz.

"I am. I called and RSVP'd. I'm just afraid of what Sharon will do when we are stuck in the same room together. If that bitch ruins Cora's wedding by making a scene I'll never forgive myself," confessed Bryan.

They finished their meal. It was as delicious as it smelled. As they cleaned up the plates and dishes, Bryan said, "Hey, I'm going to open up another bottle of wine. Want to join me out on the deck? Sunsets back here are always a surprising array of colors!"

"I'd love to," replied Liz.

Bryan found that his heart warmed as he heard those 3 little words. He grabbed a bottle of semi-sweet rosé, two glasses and headed out to the deck. He took a deep breath as he exited the cabin. The fresh air helped him come to terms with his feelings. He looked at his favorite chair, but then opted for the love seat swing on the other side of the deck.

After putting away the last of the leftover ziti, Liz made her way outside. She saw that Bryan had already poured 2 glasses of wine and had them sitting on the table in front of the love seat. It was easy to just slide in next to him, as she felt so much more connected now that Bryan had put all his cards on the table. She sat on one hip and cozied into Bryan's side. As she reached for her wine glass, her hand grazed his chest. It was taunt and muscular.

As Liz sat down next to him, Bryan put his arm out across the back of the swing. Liz's feet were curled up under her, so he used one foot to slowly rock them back and forth. They both had the same exact thought. 'This is cozy and comfortable'. They settled in for the light show over the river.

"Ooo's and Aaah's" were the only thing that left their lips as they watched the sun slowly disappear into the river. Vibrant reds, oranges and pinks delighted their senses. The wine was mellow and satisfying. Bryan's hand came down to Liz's shoulder. He gave her a squeeze. Liz finally broke the silence as she put down her wine glass. "Bryan, is that your boat down there at the end of the dock?" she asked.

"Sure is," replied Bryan. "One more thing I got in the divorce. Sharon hated it. She would throw up within the first 15 minutes from leaving the dock and wouldn't stop. My sister Kim used to refer to her as 'the old chum bucket'."

Liz found herself spitting wine once again. "I've gained a new appreciation for your sister," Liz grinned.

"Yeah. Kim and Cora loved the boat. There's a private beach cove not far from here. We spent so many hours swimming and just lying in the sun. Looking back, I realized it was so special because Sharon wasn't there with all of her drama. Been a while since I've been back there though," said Bryan as a wave of melancholy hit him. "Hey, since I'm off tomorrow, would you like to go for a sail?"

"I can't think of a better way to celebrate your day off," replied Liz. "I'd love to go!"

"Great! I hear it's going to be a warm day. After breakfast we'll get some gear together and get out on the water," said Bryan. "Wow, I'm excited to get out there. It's been too long. Guess I just needed someone to share it with me." And with that Bryan turned and looked down at Liz, their eyes met again. Liz could tell Bryan had some mist in his eyes.

"Thanks for dinner. It was really wonderful," Bryan said as he moved down and gave Liz a peck on the forehead.

"It's the least I could do, I owe you so much," replied Liz.

"No. You don't." protested Bryan. "These last few hours are all the payback I need."

Liz smiled and just looked back at him. Her eyes were just melting his heart.

"I'm going to turn in. It's been a long day. I'm beat. Having Lorna's boobs bouncing off my cheeks really takes a lot out of me," Bryan said as he gave Liz a smirk.

Liz swatted at him playfully. "Sweet dreams...but don't you be thinking about Lorna all night," teased Liz.

Bryan assured her that wouldn't be the case. "Besides," he said. "I'm looking forward to seeing how a certain someone looks in a bathing suit tomorrow."

The glow of Liz's blush could have lit up the entire deck. She stared down into her wine glass in embarrassment. "I'll come back in shortly". She needed a few minutes to react to what just happened.

Bryan got back to his room. He really wasn't that tired, he just knew that it was getting dangerous for him to be so close to this woman. The evening they just had was just too close to an idyllic home life in his mind. It would be so easy to just slip up and start something he knew wasn't going to end well. The best thing he could do was just get away for now. He got himself cleaned up, changed into some night clothes and slipped into bed. Luckily, the combination of exhaustion and wine allowed him to drift off to sleep.

Liz slipped under the covers. What was happening here? Things felt so warm and safe this evening. She knew she was attracted to Bryan. She knew he must feel the same way. It was so easy to talk to him. Now they're going to spend the day together tomorrow, out on his boat. She remembered she only had one bathing suit, and it didn't leave much to the imagination. As much as she ached to grow closer to this man, she didn't know how it could possibly happen. Hell, she'd be starting her new "career" next week. As much as she wanted everything to work out, she couldn't see how it possibly could. As she drifted off, she promised herself to just take it one step at a time.

--

Morning came, but they both slept in this time. Liz was enjoying just hiding from the world in this little pocket of heaven, and Bryan just needed the rest. Finally, Bryan stirred and threw off the covers. If he was going to take the boat out today, he knew he needed to get all the gear prepped and be sure the boat was fueled and ready to go. Nothing kills a good day out on the river like having your engine go south. He jumped up, threw on some jeans and a t-shirt and headed down for some coffee. Once the coffee was brewed and he had scarfed up one of the muffins Liz had bought earlier, he set out to prep the boat.

Liz was up shortly thereafter. She came downstairs. Coffee was a number one priority. She filled the biggest mug she could find and headed for the deck. As she sat down in Bryan's favorite chair, she noticed him working down at the dock. Even from this distance she could see the muscles in his arms as he flexed while working on the lines of the boat. A smile came to her lips as she imagined those strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her into a warm embrace. She was startled out of her dream by a big blue heron swooping down and landing not 20 feet away. She took a big gulp of her coffee. At least she could still have dreams.

Bryan returned to the cabin about an hour or so later. "Hey Liz, the boat's ready to go. We are going to need some provisions. Would you mind packing us some food for a late lunch? I'll go grab some of the other stuff we'll need and fill up the cooler with ice and drinks."

"Sure," said Liz. "I'll need to change clothes too."

"No problem," answered Bryan. "I should have most of whatever else we'll need out on the boat. I'll meet you back out at the dock in half an hour." With that, Bryan went back up to his room and changed into his swim trunks, Hawaiian shirt and boat shoes. He grabbed a hat and went back down to the boat to get the cooler setup.

"Well, here goes nothing," Liz thought to herself as she put on her white bikini. She had gotten this old thing back when she had just turned 20 and had used it to torture all the boys at the beach that summer. After she had gotten it on, she turned and looked at the mirror. "Oh boy," she thought to herself. "My girls are bursting at the seams in this thing. Jeez...I almost look like Lorna! Well, let me just throw on this coverup. Maybe I won't need to take it off." She grabbed her flip flops and sunglasses and headed to the kitchen. She picked up the bag containing their picnic lunch and headed for the dock.

"Welcome aboard, ma'am!" shouted Bryan. "Here, take my hand. Mind the gap. No need to end this cruise before it gets started. Don't want you falling into the water before you ever get on board!"

"Thank you kind sir," Liz played along. "Wow, nice ship you have here captain! What do you call her?"

"Well, I'd like to call her 'The Love Boat', but in order to do that I'd have to show you 'down below'."

Liz slapped him on the chest. "Calm down mister, or I'll have to call the Coast Guard on you!"

"OK. OK. ready to get this show on the road?" Bryan said as he started up the outboard. "We'll tour around a bit before we head up to the cove for a swim and a late lunch. Sound good?" Liz just nodded her head. Her plan to keep the bathing suit concealed might not work out.

Bryan untied the last of the ropes from the cleat holding the boat to the dock, pressed the throttle forward and off they rumbled down river. Bryan swayed the boat back and forth as they reached plane-ing speed. Partially to work out the boat from its too long stay at the dock, and partially to see if Liz could keep her sea legs. Liz had no issue with the sway of the boat. In fact the gentle rocking back and forth felt serene to her as she marveled at the scenery. Bryan pulled back on the throttle and gave Liz the 'grand tour' of this part of the river, pointing out landmarks and telling old stories. Liz truly enjoyed her personal tour, and the handsome guide.

After about an hour or so, Bryan said, "Liz, we have a little way to go before we get to the cove where I plan to stop for a while for our picnic. If you'd like, you can take off your wrap and use the lounge chair on the bow and sun yourself."