Seth and Jessica were walking down Main Street after buying a few groceries. The warm sunny day was calling out to them and Seth was just suggesting taking a trip out on the water for a little fishing when he spotted another doctor up ahead.
Jessica was enjoying her time with Seth. Her few items inside of her tote made walking arm and arm just felt perfect in her opinion. She had no problem speeding up a little as Seth seemed to want to catch someone's attention.
"Jess, this is my colleague, Wylie. He mostly works in the emergency room because he doesn't want to see patients more than once," he joked.
"That's not true, Seth. I just don't want you accusing me of stealing your patients away." The men both chuckled and Wylie looked at Jessica with tempered interest in his eyes.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Wylie." Jessica smiled as she shook his hand. "How are you liking Cabot Cove?" Was it her imagination or was Wylie looking at her in surprise?
"It's a seaman's dream. When I'm not working you'll find me out on the ocean, probably three sheets to the wind." The middle aged doctor seemed to be comfortable in his skin as he spread his arms wide as though encompassing the entire Atlantic Ocean.
The three of them stood on the sidewalk for a few minutes speaking.
"Wylie, do you know about the fishing contest next weekend?" asked Jessica. "It's actually on the lake and you have to take a rowboat. The prizes are for the longest, the heaviest, and the most amount of fish caught in the time period."
"That sounds right up my alley." He turned to Seth. "Are you going? We can be partners."
"Well, Jessica is usually my partner, Wylie."
"Oh Seth, it's alright. You and Wylie team up. Maybe you'll win if I'm not there to mess things up." She smiled and winked at Seth.
"Okay, you have a deal Wylie. I'll sign us up today." Seth took Jessica's arm and led her away after saying goodbye. Neither noticed the gray haired man that passed them by. (A reference to David Everett's character since this is where the characters are in the timeline. Season Three, Episode Six)
"You sure you don't mind, Jess?" Seth was looking at her curiously. She seemed mighty interested in Wylie. He had introduced her to several of his friends over the years and she was usually vaguely friendly at best.
"Not at all, Seth. It will make a newcomer feel welcome too." She smirked slightly. "Now if you don't win, it means I'm not the problem, you are."
"Whatever sets your mind at ease, Jess." They both laughed.
"Hey, why don't we invite Wylie over to dinner Friday night? I'll find another friend to round out the number. Maybe Phyllis will be available," suggested Jessica.
"That's a dandy idea. We can't stay late though. We have to be at the lake at 7 AM sharp Saturday morning."
Phyllis was eager to come to Jessica's dinner on Friday evening. Things had been slow lately and a new doctor to meet was always welcome news. She made sure Loretta would be able to do her hair Friday morning.
Jessica prepared by pulling out the candlesticks she reserved for special occasions along with the tablecloth her grandmother made as a new bride. It was over seventy-five years old and still in pristine condition.
She gave the living room, dining room, and kitchen a good scrub along with the floors. Only four people would be at dinner but she didn't want a large party. Something a little intimate so she could learn more about the new doctor. She was a little intrigued about him, not exactly interested in seeing him on a personal level but maybe he would be perfect for Phyllis.
Friday evening went off spectacularly. There was lots of good conversation, good food, and excitement over the fishing competition the following morning. Jessica was actually surprised at how interesting Wylie was. He was knowledgeable about so many subjects but also modest to a fault. He and Seth ribbed each other good naturedly and Phyllis had a smile on her face the whole evening.
Seth and Wylie left soon after dessert but Phyllis remained to help clean up.
"Jessica, I haven't seen you so animated in a long time," remarked Phyllis. "Wylie certainly caught your eye."
"Phyllis, I met him less than a week ago. I admit he is a fine man though. Have you thought about dating him?" She looked her friend in the eye. "I haven't heard you mention anyone in a while."
"Jessica, that man only had eyes for you. Seth and I were just there as party decorations." Phyllis laughed lightly. "His eyes lit up every time you spoke to him."
Phyllis moved closer and lowered her voice even though they were alone in the house. "You've been alone for a long time, Jess. It's okay to date once in a while."
Jessica smiled sadly. "I wouldn't know what to do or say. No, those days are probably over for me." She turned away to wipe down the counters. "It's just nice meeting someone new. It's not as though people our age are flocking to Cabot Cove."
Phyllis was shaking her head. "You're just afraid. It's hard the first time. You feel guilty. I think Frank would understand and approve."
They finished cleaning up silently. It was a lot to think about.
It was a crisp cold morning when Jessica woke up but she took her time in the shower and chose her clothes carefully. She had to be casual but still appear put together. She put on a pair of jeans with a soft cotton red shirt that flattered her figure and coloring. She had on white Keds and tied a red and white bandana in her hair. She only wore foundation with sunscreen and lipstick as her make up.
She had given it a lot of thought last night. Phyllis meant well but she didn't know that Jessica was attracted to Seth, not Wylie. Oh, she kept it hidden because Seth wasn't interested in relationships, at least not with her but she could see Wylie becoming a very good friend. She had a lot of acquaintances and knew a lot of people but it was always nice to add a new friend to her circle.
Phyllis was picking her up to take her to the lake today. Personally, Jessica didn't think it was going to be very interesting watching contestants sitting in boats on a lake but the judging was fun.
However, it ended up being very entertaining. There were so many boats on the lake that nets were being used to try to catch fish. It hadn't been outlawed so a few of the contestants were throwing chum into the water to attract fish to their location.
The excitement began when one boat bumped another and it caused the fisherman to topple into the water. He retaliated by ramming into the other boat causing both occupants to fall into the water. Nearly thirty people were in the water at the end and the onlookers laughed at the display. Fortunately no one drowned or was injured. Unfortunately, Seth and Wylie were the victims of the unsportsmanlike behavior and were pulled out of the lake soaking wet.
A twelve year old boy, fishing with his grandfather near the shore won all three categories as he was the only one with fish in his bucket at the end of the time limit.
Jessica had to turn away as the two soaking wet men waddled over to them. Their clothes were plastered to their bodies and there were obvious bulges not usually seen.
"Jessica, why don't I drive Wylie home and you can go with Seth so they can get into dry clothes quicker." Phyllis had wrapped Wylie in a blanket from her car they had used to sit on.
Seth had a couple of old towels in his trunk and he placed them on the seat to protect his seat covering.
"Seth, why don't you remove your pants?"
"Woman, you want to see me in my skivvies that badly?" asked Seth, jokingly.
Jessica rolled her eyes. "I meant for you to cover up with a towel, Seth. No one wants to see you in your skivvies."
Seth harrumphed but went behind his car and removed his pants with difficulty. Wrapped in one of his towels he returned to the driver's side of the car. He removed his shirt and dried off with the second towel before folding it so he could sit down on it.
Jessica was already in the passenger's seat so he drove off to his house. "Would you rather I take you home first?" he asked.
"What? You arrive at my house dressed in a towel? What would my neighbors think?" Jessica smiled broadly.
"Har har," replied Seth. He soon arrived home and Jessica demurely stayed in the car and waited for him.
Jessica was grateful to crawl into bed that night. She and Seth ended up hiking to Millers Point and it was steeper than she remembered. A long soak to soothe sore muscles and a cup of tea was prescribed by Seth.
Jessica quickly succumbed to sleep but it wasn't long before dreams filled her mind. Dreams of Seth in wet, tight pants that she assisted in pulling down his legs because it was too difficult for one person. It was purely accidental that his boxers were pulled down as well. Her breathing increased as she tried to pull his boxers back up without his pants going up as well.
"Seth, just pull your shirt down." suggested Jessica, even though she knew it wouldn't fully cover him. She got a good long look at him and began to imagine how he could please her.
She turned over in bed as her abdomen tightened and warmth enveloped her. In her dreams, Seth had given up on trying to shield himself from her eyes and was watching her tug on his pants. Her face was awfully close to him. His thoughts began to overwhelm him and he hastily tried to cover himself again.
"Oh, Seth," she moaned. She suddenly sat up in bed. The throbbing in her loins was real. She was panting and she groaned when she realized she was having a sex dream about Seth.
She headed downstairs to get an ice cold drink of water. The cup on her nightstand was room temperature. She gulped the water hoping to quench her desires but her body wasn't taking the hint. She began to pace. She hadn't been worked up in a long time.
She remembered the naughty talks she heard in school about pleasuring yourself. She never indulged. She had been taught it was wrong and once married, she tried to tempt Frank away from his desk by touching herself lightly, in front of him but he was always eager to join her after a minute or two so she never learned to self-indulge.
She was frustrated now though and wished she had paid more attention. She turned on the lights as she paced through the downstairs. An hour later she was sitting on her sofa watching an infomercial about fading age spots away when she heard a car drive into her carport.
"Jess?" Seth called quietly.
She hurried to the kitchen and opened the door to let him in.
"I saw all the lights on and thought something was wrong." He looked her over carefully, noting she wasn't wearing a robe, her satin pajamas fitted her physique very well, and the pale color didn't leave much to his imagination.
"It's just the change, Seth. I got hot and flustered." Jessica's face was red but she seemed embarrassed. Menopause was normal so she couldn't be embarrassed about it. They had held several discussions about it in her kitchen, one as recently as two weeks ago.
She was certainly flushed but as he got closer he saw her nipples were hardened and pointing at him. He nearly groaned but was able to appear unaffected. Was this happening because of Wylie? She certainly never got all hot and bothered before.
She wasn't looking at him so he turned her around and told her a cool shower is what she needed.
"It will cool you off enough to sleep, Jess. I'll check with you later, oh uh, it's already five in the morning. I'll go home and shower and dress and we can go to the diner early for breakfast."
"Were you up seeing a patient?" she asked.
"Delivering a nine pound fifteen ounce little boy to Amy Bergdahl but there were no complications. It's her fifth, you know." Seth was marching her toward her stairs. "I'll be back in an hour."
The shower did help although Jessica thought Seth's appearance might have done it. It was such a relief that he didn't realize how she was suffering.
The diner was very busy even at five-thirty on a Sunday morning. Diners grabbing a bite before the early morning service at church, or heading off for a shift at the hospital. Some of them were just getting off shift. Wylie was one of them. He had just ordered when Seth and Jessica arrived. He waved them over.
"Good morning! You two are up bright and early." Wylie moved his newspaper out of the way and the two of them sat down.
The waitress returned to take the additional orders before leaving them to talk. Seth and Wylie both ordered two eggs, two sausages, toast, and hash browns. Jessica opted for toast, fruit, and oatmeal.
"Jessica, you can't be watching your weight. Is this how you eat?" Wylie looked at her in faux disgust.
Seth chuckled. "That's her usual breakfast order except she's drinking coffee today instead of tea."
"I don't like to eat a large breakfast. It slows me down for the entire day," she smiled at both men.
"Well, eating right has certainly paid off for you," complimented Wylie.
Seth stared at his friend in shock. Was he flirting with Jessica?
"Thank you," responded Jessica. There were two spots of red on her cheeks.
Seth stared at Jessica. Was she blushing? Or maybe it was one of her 'hot flashes'. The kind that Wylie causes. He had never been adept at flirting but he thought he knew it when he saw it.
He contributed little to the conversation but it didn't seem to matter as Jessica and Wylie held forth until the food arrived. Breakfast was taking much longer than he thought it would. He had been up all night but neither of them seemed to be slowing down.
"Seth, you look done in." Wylie was looking at Seth with concern. "I can take Jessica home. Go on home and we'll catch up to compare dates to see if we can sign up for the fishing competition rematch."
Seth agreed and said his goodbyes. As he drove home he couldn't help but wonder if Wylie just wanted time with Jessica without him.
Jessica and Wylie left the diner half an hour later. Jessica was surprised at how comfortable she was in his presence. "Wylie, Seth is coming over to cook dinner at six tonight. Why don't you come too? Seth is a really good cook."
"I'd love to come, Jess." He looked at her briefly. "Are you sure he won't mind?"
"Of course not," she assured him. He dropped her off and she went inside.
Seth decided to put extra effort into the dinner he planned to make for Jessica. Her shore dinners were legendary but he was capable of seafood dishes as well. He decided to make seared scallops with a lemon-herb rice, corn and fish chowder, crab-bacon-spinach salad, and the rolls he picked up from the bakery.
He started the chowder in his crockpot before going to bed.
He woke up shortly after three in the afternoon. He made the rice dish and the salad then mixed up the dressing. He couldn't wait to see how much Jessica liked the dinner. At a quarter until six he packed everything in his car and drove over.
Years before when He and Molly were the best of friends and he fell in love with her, he lost her to his brother, Richard. The two of them ran off together and got married, breaking his heart. She died without them resolving anything and it was thirty years before he made up with his brother.
He didn't think he had thirty years left in him and he was determined not to lose Jessica to Wylie. He hoped to dredge up the courage to speak with her after dinner.
Jessica was setting the table when Seth knocked on the door with his foot. She hurried to remove the bags from his arms and placed them on the counter while he went back to his car to get more things.
She plugged in the crockpot full of soup, lifting the lid and inhaling the fragrance. "This smells so good," she commented.
"Ayuh, I had a taste and it was wonderful." He handed her the basket of rolls to put on the table.
Another knock sounded on the door. Wylie stood there with two bottles of wine and a bouquet of flowers. "I wasn't sure what was on the menu so I brought one of each."
"Come on in, Wylie." Jessica turned to Seth. "I invited Wylie to join us."
"The more the merrier," said Seth, although he wondered why she didn't mention it to him. It was a good thing he planned a grand meal. It would easily stretch to three people.
It was a lovely evening. Jessica was an adept hostess and neither man felt like a third wheel. Of course, the men both had flattering thoughts about her. Wylie thought she was nowhere near the hoity-toity type looking down her nose at people despite her celebrity status. She was friendly, intelligent, and easy on the eyes. Seth figured they wouldn't play chess this evening and was content to stay at the table talking. Wylie was a good friend of his although he hoped he wouldn't try to make the moves on Jessica. Maybe he should warn him off or something.
Jessica enjoyed the men telling impossible stories about their residencies and overly strict attending physicians. Her laughter delighted the men. Eventually, the hour grew late and both men stood to leave. Jessica walked them to the door. She said goodnight to Wylie while keeping her hand on Seth's shoulder to make sure he didn't follow.
Seth turned to her once she closed the door. "I'm sorry I forgot to forewarn you about inviting Wylie."
"It's no problem, Jess." Although it was.
"Thanks for making dinner. It was wonderful." She kissed his cheek and opened the door.
"Goodnight, Jess."
Two hours later she was in bed thinking about Seth. She couldn't prevent the flush that washed over her when she thought about what he could do in bed. She didn't know for sure but the few times she met his wife, Ruth, she seemed content. She was also pretty sure that Seth didn't always live like a monk. He never said but there were knowing qualities he hinted about on the rare occasion when their talks turned personal.
Feeling foolish she decided she might try to pleasure herself. Maybe it will curb the edge she felt. Tentatively she slowly moved her hand across her body. She felt more foolish. She unbuttoned her pajama top and kicked her pants to the floor.
Seth was calling himself a host of names, coward being the most prominent. He needed to speak up before she fell in love with Wylie. He may as well tell her how he felt because even if she didn't feel the same, he would lose her anyway. He pulled off his pajamas and grabbed a new pair of pants. Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Hoping against all hope, he wished she felt just a smidgen of what he felt for her.
Her house was dark and he thought he should wait until tomorrow but he chastised himself for being cowardly so he quietly let himself into the kitchen and paused to listen. Yes, he definitely heard something.
Jessica wasn't comfortable. She tried moving her hand over easy to reach places on her body, as if she was giving herself a bath. She sort of felt something when she touched her neck but couldn't talk herself into touching the truly intimate places.
"Seth," she cried in frustration. She knew she was going to dream about him again and while she wanted to do just that, she wanted the dream to reach the obvious conclusion.
"Jess!" Seth thundered up the stairs after he heard her call. He didn't bother knocking, not with all the noise he made coming upstairs. Bursting in the room, he turned on the light.
Jessica sat up in shock before reaching for her quilt and covering herself. She stared at him as though seeing him in a dream.
"What's wrong, Jess?"
"How?" She blinked owlishly at him.
"I came over to speak with you and heard you call my name," he answered before she could finish her thought. He moved forward and sat on the edge of her bed.
"What is it, Jess?"
Knowing he was going to get it out of her anyway, she pushed the quilt down. Her unbuttoned top barely covered her.
"I was trying…" she stopped then began again. "I've never tried before." She looked up quickly then back at her lap. "I dreamed about you and wondered whether…wondered how it would feel…I wanted you."
Seth had been following along but his head jerked up when she said she wanted him.
He picked up her hand and rubbed her fingers.
"Oh, Seth! You don't have to tell me you don't feel the same way." She couldn't look at him.
He placed his hands on her shoulders and parted her pajama top.
"You've never satisfied yourself before?" he asked gently. She shook her head. "I'm an expert. For the last three years I've wanted to tell you how I felt but didn't think it possible you could feel the same." His hands were moving over her softly. Her face, neck, shoulders, and arms were given a lot of attention. She was becoming frustrated as he moved away from her breast and to her waist.
"Seth, please," she whispered. She pushed her chest forward but he moved to her legs. He began kissing her legs from her thighs to her ankles. She felt herself flush again. This was torment. He moved higher and she began whimpering.
"You are so beautiful, Jess." He took one globe in his hand and began gently massaging her until it was rock hard. He moved to the other and repeated his ministrations. He could hear her heavy breathing. He kissed her down to her navel before slowly removing her underwear.
Jessica was about to despair of him ever reaching where she needed him most until she felt his lips on her chest. Oh, this felt so good. He moved south again and slowly parted her legs.
"Touch yourself for me, Jess." He took her hand and placed it between her legs, guiding her, showing her how.
"Oh, oh my!"
His tongue replaced their fingers and she came undone.
Jessica was floating in space, slowly returning to earth. Seth had covered her and was lying beside her, watching.
"That was…oh Seth."
"It was merely a prelude, my dear but I want to tell you something before we go further."
Jessica brought her hand to her chest. Was he going to tell her this was a one time affair? He didn't want to further their relationship? Her eyes widened.
"You can't…I mean, you aren't able to…" She pointed in the general direction of his waist.
Seth looked at her incredulously. "I can perform, woman!"
"Oh, that's good, I mean."
"I love you, Jess. I came over to tell you that I want us to be together. I don't want you with Wylie."
"Wylie? Why would I be with him? I barely know him. He's a nice enough man but Seth you're the one I love."
Seth's smile widened suddenly. "I'm not too late?"
"I'd say you're about three months too late, Seth. Do you know how much I've suffered?"
"I can remedy your suffering." He moved up to kiss her lips. "I'm about to knock your socks off."
Her peal of laughter cut off suddenly.
Later, thoroughly sated and feeling drowsy, she smiled. "Seth, I love you."
Drawing her ever closer, Seth returned her smile. "I love you, Jess. I'm so happy I didn't lose you."