Page 38 of Separate Lives

They ended up spending the morning deciding what to visit, and the afternoon visiting Pioneer Park, the forty-four-acre pioneer theme park right in the middle of town. Mingled together with the other sparse tourists, Reece still had a hard time believing that anyone else besides Jess was crazy enough to visit Alaska in October. His reasons for being there were of a different nature than those of the other people milling around the park, but he had to admit that he was having a rather good time away from the limited space inside the log cabin, and away from Chicago and his familiar daily routine.

It also made for a nice, surprising change that he and Jess could spend some carefree hours together enjoying the other’s company without their mutual attraction, or recriminations of any sort, getting in the way.

Onlookers would’ve never guessed the many unanswered questions pending between them, or the differences of opinion and misunderstandings that had actually built a chasm between the two. All they would see was the spontaneous and affectionate way Reece and Jess related to one another. How he protectively loomed over her, unconsciously declaring her his, discouraging other men from looking at her with lust in their eyes. Onlookers would also see the genuine smiles she gave Reece, and how she trustingly reached out for him when commenting on something. They would simply strike people as a young couple in love.

Once inside the park, Reece and Jess braved the weather, and decided to explore it without a planned strategy, simply following the posted signs and their whim. Jess was leading the way, when she suddenly drew to a halt. Reece, following close on her heels, almost stumbled over her, and had to grab her shoulders to regain his balance. Some unidentified object had knocked full force against her shins, interrupting her progress.

Before Jess could understand what was happening, or her mind had time to register the dull pain, she saw a woman in her mid-twenties run in her direction, leaving a stroller unattended a few yards away. Instinctively, she tried to avoid impact with the running woman, and took a step back. But something was keeping her from moving.

Looking down at her feet to investigate what that was, she came eye to eye with a small, chubby face who guilelessly smiled up at her, showing two tiny front teeth. Smiling back at the cute toddler with blond, curly hair and cherub red cheeks, Jess bent down and scooped up the small pink bundle in her arms. It was then that the mother reached them.

“Brittany!” she called short of breath, extending her arms towards Jess. Anguish for her daughter’s escapades showed in the hatched lines of her pretty face.

“You made Mommy very worried. Don’t ever run away from me like that again,” the young woman scolded, hugging her daughter tightly to her after Jess promptly passed her the toddler.

“I hope she’s alright,” Jess said.

“She is perfectly alright. Aren’t you, pumpkin?” the young mother answered, turning her attention back to the smiling child. The lines on her face had relaxed considerably, but she frowned as another thought crossed her mind. “Are you okay? Did Brittany hurt you?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“I’m sorry that happened. I’d just taken her out of the stroller when she sped away like lightning, and I was helpless to stop her.”

“There’s no need for you to apologize. It could have happened to anyone.” Jess smiled reassuringly at the mother, only then starting to feel a dull ache in her shins.

“Well, thank you then. Thank you very much,” the other woman said before turning back towards the stroller, tightening her hold on Brittany, struggling to keep her from twisting her small, sturdy body around. The toddler clearly wished to walk on her own two chubby legs, but the young mother, having had all the excitement she could stand for that day, was having none of it.

Jess smiled at their retiring backs.

“Would you treat our baby with the same consideration?” Reece’s deep voice inquired from behind her.

Jess’s smile froze on her lips. Her spine tensed. Was he serious? Of course he was. When he used that calm, well grounded tone of voice, he was always deadly serious.

She didn’t know what to say and staunchly refused to turn and look at Reece, determined not to give credit to his inconsiderate words. The twinges of a hysterical laugh bubbled in her throat. Their baby? Was Reece out of his mind, perhaps? Did he realize what he was saying? How could he be thinking about a baby when they were not even sure of what would be of them tonight? What future could they possibly guarantee to a child while things were still so messy between them?

Needing to put some physical distance between them, Jess started to walk towards the Pioneers’ Museum. Luckily, the disturbing moment didn’t last long, and by the time they reached the building hosting the exhibition, it had already been replaced by the easy camaraderie they had shared during breakfast. Once they’d worked up an appetite, and had decided it was time to try the renowned Alaska Salmon Bake, the whole episode had been pushed safely far back in their minds, and were both behaving like it had never occurred.

Now, sitting around a table for two, Jess and Reece faced each other, eating with gusto food that was warm, filling, and tasted like home. Jess had opted for the grilled wild Alaskan salmon. Reece instead was fighting his way through a plate of slow-roasted prime rib. Both had selected a chocolate ‘Moose’ –one of Alaska Salmon Bake’s signature desserts, served with freshly whipped cream and were washing everything down with a bottle of red wine.

“It must have been tough to live in this area back in those days. Particularly since the first settlers had to fight against the cold weather every day. I wonder what motivated them to move this far off the beaten track in the first place,” Jess thought introspectively, not really expecting Reece to answer. Since entering the restaurant they’d been exchanging opinions on what they’d seen so far.

“Apart from the gold?”

“Apart from the gold.”

“Maybe the same things that prompted the early American settlers to explore the forests and the lands surrounding their colonies, until they reached the west coast –curiosity for the unknown, thirst for adventure, the need to escape tricky situations back on the old continent. Why did you decide to buy a cabin up here?”

Had her attention been fully centered on their conversation, had her eyes stopped wandering to a nearby table and remained focused on Reece instead, Jess would’ve detected the teasing tone in his voice.

“My parents bought the cabin from one of my dad’s friends who lived up here for twenty years before moving to North Carolina to be near to his grandchildren.”

“Interesting, but you haven’t answered my question.” Following her eyes, Reece saw what was distracting Jess from their conversation.

“I like the peace and quiet. The open spaces surrounding Fairbanks. The friendly attitude of the people, but I would’ve never dared living here back in those days, without all the amenities we have now,” Jess told him, transfixed by the couple necking two tables away from them on her right.

Not caring about what people would make of her staring, Jess looked with increasing yearning to the way the man gently grazed the woman’s temple, covering it with tiny, considerate kisses. The naked, sexual desire smoldering in their gaze caused shivers to run down her spine. A whimper escaped her lips. Reece cataloged each of her reactions, and a surge of anger rose to his chest. Undoubtedly, Jess was comparing themselves to the other lovers, and judging by the longing he saw in her eyes, they fell short in her estimation. Reece clenched his fists. He might not have ever bought her flowers, or treated her like a rare china figurine, but he’d widely compensated for his shortcomings by giving her his body to worship, worshipping hers in return.

“So different from Chicago.”

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