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The knocking on the door startled her out of nap.
“Hold on,” she called grumpily, stepping around the prone form of Luna who was sound asleep on the floor.
Some guard dog, she thought wryly.
She opened the door and was surprised to see John standing on the step. “John!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”
“Can I come in and talk for a few minutes?” he asked.
She nodded and moved aside as he strode into her living room, looking around curiously. Rain realized that he had never visited her before in the six weeks they’d been dating.
She usually met him outside if they were going somewhere, and when they hung out they always ended up at his place. She wondered if that meant anything, then brushed the thought aside. She wasn’t one to analyze nuance in relationships.
“You want something to drink?” she asked, moving to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. John shook his head. She pointed to the couch. “Shall we sit?”
He seemed oddly stiff, almost nervous. She wondered if he was here to tell her they couldn’t see each other anymore. Maybe his daughter said something? The thought bothered her more than she would have thought.
They sat at opposite ends of the couch and Rain waited patiently for John to speak. Where she was prone to think and speak at the same time, he sometimes seemed to need to gather his thoughts. One of the many ways they were different.
“Where is this relationship going?” he finally asked, gesturing between them. “What am I to you?”
Rain couldn’t help it, she laughed. “You know I’m not one to subscribe to stereotypical gender roles,” she said. “But isn’t the girl’s line?”
John gave her one of his glowery frowns. She was sure he thought they were intimidating but she found them adorable. Not that she would tell him that.
“You told Angelica that you weren’t my girlfriend,” he reminded her, a touch of petulance in his tone.
“Yeah, so?” she asked in confusion.
“I thought we were on the same page, but I guess we haven’t talked about where this is going,” he glowered at her again as her eyebrow quirked up in. “I like you a lot Rain. I want you to be my girlfriend.”
“What does that even mean John?” she asked. “We’re not in high school. I’m not going to wear your class ring.”
He smirked. “I don’t think the kids do that anymore,” he responded. “I mean I want us to be exclusive. While we’re together, we’re only with each other. I thought it went without saying, but maybe it doesn’t. I don’t want you dating other guys.”
Rain shook her head. “Jesus John, I’m running a very busy business and we’ve been together every night you weren’t operating on someone,” she reminded him. “We talk every day. When do you think I have time to see someone else?”
“So, you’ll be my girlfriend?” he asked hopefully.
“I hate labels,” she rejoined quickly. For some reason this conversation was making her feel uncomfortable. Why was this so important to him?
“I want you to be mine,” he said stubbornly, his blue eyes stormy. “Exclusively.”
She sighed in exasperation. “Fine,” she huffed. “I won’t see any of these other imaginary men, and you won’t see other women. Happy?”
John moved forward, leaping across the couch like a lion jumping on his prey. She was flat on her back underneath him before she even knew what was happening. He rested his weight on her, crushing her into the cushions, his arms braced on either side of her head.
“Yes, I am happy, girlfriend,” he said, stressing the word. “Now how about we seal the deal?”
And they did. Thoroughly.
***
A few hours later Rain strolled into Carlotta’s, a small Italian restaurant hidden in the residential section of Diamond Bay. She smiled and greeted several locals as she headed towards the booth in the back, where she could already see John and Angelica seated.
He slid out when he saw her, standing to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. He gestured for her to slide in next to him, then scooted in close so he could put his arm around her.
“Angelica,” he said to his daughter. “I would like you to officially meet my girlfriend Rain.”
Rain laughed at his not so subtle emphasis on the word “girlfriend”.
“Nice to see you again Angelica,” she said. “I’m so glad to meet my boyfriend’s daughter.” She put her own emphasis on the word and shot him a wink. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
The trio fell into easy conversation. Rain wasn’t a person prone to nerves, but she had been a little weirded out by the idea of having dinner with Angelica. It seemed too momentous, especially with the conversation about being exclusive so fresh in her mind. She had tried to beg off, but John had insisted. She hadn’t really dated any men with kids before and even though Angelica was an adult, it still seemed a little foreign.
Angelica was a great young woman, interesting, warm, and friendly. She seemed genuinely happy that her dad was dating someone. That made it a lot easier.
Rain had spent the hours between their quickie on the couch and dinner stressing about the whole “girlfriend” conversation. She had been honestly surprised by John’s insistence that they label their relationship. They were such different people, she had just assumed it was all about sex for him. In retrospect, given how much time they were spending together, she shouldn’t have been surprised.
Rain wasn’t totally sure how she felt about having an official relationship, but she knew her feelings for John ran deep.
Usually with guys she dated she needed to carve out alone time, lots of space to keep her independence intact. John was different. She actually liked being with him more than she liked being alone, and that said a lot. His hours at the hospital fluctuated, which also left her with time to do her own thing. She’d never caught even a glimpse of jealous possessiveness with him, and unlike a lot of guys he had never pouted or acted put out when she told him she was too busy to see him or had other plans.
Even though they disagreed on many, if not most, issues, he mostly respected her opinion. They both seemed to enjoy their verbal sparring. And the sex, well that was off the charts good.
It’s because it’s not just sex, her conscience told her. There are feelings there too. Rain ruthlessly pushed that thought aside. Being exclusive was one thing, falling in love? That was for other people, not her.
“My dad tells me you practice natural medicine,” Angelica began as she tucked into her lasagna with a look of interest. “What modalities do you use?”
Rain smiled. “I’m a certified herbalist,” she told John’s daughter. “And a reiki master. I’ve also had training in essential oils and nutritional healing.”
“Nutritional healing?” Angelica asked curiously.
“Yes,” she confirmed. “For example, I hope you don’t mind me mentioning it, but I see you’ve got psoriasis.” She pointed at the roughened patch on Angelica’s elbow.
Angelica rubbed it self-consciously. “Yeah, the steroid creams don’t work very well for me. I’ve got several painful patches on my body. My doctor is talking about me going on immunosuppressants to see if that knocks it out.”
“That seems pretty extreme sweetheart,” John inserted, his voice concerned. “You’ll have no resistance to germs and viruses.”
Rain patted his thigh under the table. “For once we agree,” she murmured before turning her attention back to Rain. “If you were my client, I would try some other interventions first.”
“Like what?” Angelica asked curiously, leaning forward in her seat.
“Well, we would do a full health history first, but many people with psoriasis find improvement when they adopt a gluten-free diet,” Rain began. “Some people respond to adding apple cider vinegar, turmeric, or Omega 3s to their diet. Infrared saunas can also help.”
She glanced over at John, waiting for his censure, but he seemed as interested at Angelica.
“Maybe you should try dietary changes before you go with the hardcore drugs,” John suggested to his daughter. “Try Rain’s ideas.”
She almost fell off her seat.
“Who are you, and what have you done with my boyfriend?” Rain asked curiously. He just smirked and continued wrapping spaghetti around his fork.
“I could send you some resources if you’re interested,” she said, turning her attention back to Angelica. “No pressure.”
The younger woman nodded eagerly, reaching into her purse for her phone. “What’s your cell phone number?” she asked. “I’ll text you my email, then we’ll have each other’s phone number too. We can gossip about my dad.”