Chapter 4
The next morning I woke at seven AM and was ready to go by eight. I was only a little excited. I had my warmest coat, mittens and extra socks to put in my boots. I hoped that I was not over doing this. I didn't want to look silly. When Jethro arrived at nine I think I had over-dosed on caffeine. Three cups of tea might have been overkill. He picked up my bag, not asking about the contents, took it and me to his car. It's an amazing vehicle. It was a Dodge Challenger from the early 70's or late 60's. I can never tell. It's painted a wonderful yellow and it looked like most of it was a custom job. He said his dad had done a lot of the work on it. What a truly beautiful car. I wondered out loud where the nearest beach was and was told Chesapeake Bay, Maryland. It was about an hour and a half away. We got on the road and made great time. We actually got there in an hour. Jethro does drive a little on the fast side.
The cottage was definitely more than a cottage. It's a glass fronted home on the beach. I would've wanted to live there all the time. Even on this overcast day it was a beautiful sight. The waves were bigger than I'd seen in a long time. It was cold and took a while for the furnace to warm up the cottage. We had stopped for food for lunch and dinner and needed to put it away in the fridge. We also needed to check and make sure there was no damage to the house for his buddy Dom. I was happy to help. Jethro turned on a radio and I made a pot of coffee and a kettle of hot water for my hot chocolate and tea. I washed some of the mugs. I wasn't sure when the last time they were used.
Around noon we went for a walk down the beach. We met a constable for the town. His name was Tom Wesford. He seemed like a nice man. Gibbs was respectful but it was not a real warm reception. After Tom walked away I asked Jethro what that was all about. Jethro grew quiet and finally said that many in town were worried about the disappearances of some women who were traveling through. They didn't think that Tom did enough to find these women. I could tell that Jethro was one of them. "Don't go anywhere in town without someone with you." He said. I felt creeped out after that. I didn't intend to leave his side that day, anyway.
We went back to the cottage and ate lunch. I made more hot chocolate for me and another cup of coffee for Jethro. We sat on the couch and watched the waves for the longest time. Before we knew it was four o'clock in the afternoon and the misty air was turning to snow. Jethro wanted to stay for a while longer, but a little while later we decided that supper would have to wait until we got back to DC. We packed up and headed out. The ride home took considerably longer. The snow got heavier and heavier the further inland we went. We made it back to my apartment and I prepared dinner. By the time Jethro went to leave, the city was buried and the city directors had told everyone to stay put. We had no choice but for him to stay. It made me happy to give him a safe place to stay. He said my couch is comfy and it would be great. He'd be gone by seven AM. He got his go bag from the car.
We sat and began to talk about our lives. He knew that I worked as a teacher and I wanted to know what he did for a career or job. I could see him as a teacher or, or what? I just couldn't place him. I finally asked what he did for work. He told me he is a federal agent. In Washington that could mean anything. He could be a guard at a monument or work for the CIA. I didn't get the whole story that night. We went to our beds around ten PM. I lay there thinking about the day I had just spent. I'd been alone with a man for the whole day. He held my hand, put his arm around me, but never made an inappropriate move. I think I like this man.
Chapter 5
The next morning I got up to go to work and Jethro had already left. He wrote a note saying how much he enjoyed the day and thanks for letting him stay. He would call me later. I checked and found that I had no work today. Yeah, I get a snow day. I started water for tea and the phone rang. No one was on the other end of the line and no caller ID. I got ready for my day and started working on the quilt that I started. I don't know why I wanted to make a queen size but it called me. The browns would not match my décor. I was into the blues and yellows. I worked until one-thirty and the phone rang again. This time it was Jethro. He wanted to know if I had been enjoying my day off. I said yes and that I was getting a lot done on my new project. He just felt like he needed to connect with me. It touched me that he felt that way. It didn't seem like it fit in his nature. He had to go and said he'd see me soon. I said that would make me happy. We both went back to our work and I didn't think about him again until seven PM. The phone rang again and once again no response or ID. I called the phone company and asked if a problem had occurred with my line and they said they couldn't find anything wrong. I ate dinner and did a little more on the quilt top. I would finish the top this weekend. I went to bed and slept well thinking of Jethro.
Chapter 6
The next day I arrived at school early. I had bus duty and some copying to do for classwork. My phone rang again and no one was there. This was getting old real quick. The day in school went by quickly for a change. The children just wanted to go home and play in the snow before it melted and I wanted to go home and correct classwork and homework that had been passed in today. I was going to keep up with correcting so that I could have my weekends free, just in case Jethro asked me out again. Jethro called and I told him about the calls. He said he'd do some checking for me. It surprised me that he could do that. He also left me his cell phone number. It made me feel a little safer. I put into my speed dial.
"Want some company for a little while?"
"Sure, come on over." I was a little relieved that he was coming over. The calls were scary after meeting the constable. That was in Chesapeake Bay though, not here. I put the quilt away in the closet to make room for people to sit. I tend to get carried away when I work. I also lose track of time and pins. I started a pot of coffee and put the kettle over for hot chocolate. He came in and we sat and talked. He brought up the subject of the phone calls and asked to see my cell phone. I gave it to him and he looked to see if there was a way to access for numbers that had called. He said he wasn't that technically savvy and would have McGee look into it for him. If I got any more of them I was to call him at once. He didn't like this.
He left my apartment at ten and I went right to bed. Sleep escaped me for another hour and when I did sleep it was a series of nightmares. It was not the most restful night of sleep. Maybe it was the concern that Jethro had shown over the phone calls.