The Spinster's Club

CASS: Nine

It was well past five and Urs was starting to wonder if Cass had stood him up. He swapped the spare motor cycle helmet to his other hand as he checked his watch again. Now it was 5:17. Was he even waiting in the right spot? Surely this was the main exit for the hospital.

He narrowed his eyes as he saw a figure slowly approaching the exit. Was that her? The walk was right but the clothes were different. But of course she wouldn't be wearing scrubs home, would she?

Still he hesitated. Whoever this person was seemed to be intent on her phone and was likely to walk straight past him. He felt a flush of annoyance. He valued punctuality over just about everything. Rudeness came a close second.
A few steps closer and he was sure it was Cass. He stepped forward on an intercept course.
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Cass' attention was totally on her phone screen. Her text message to the girls was only half composed. Sorry no can do tonight. Tough day at work. Talk soon. She hit the send button just as she became aware that there was someone standing in her path. She went to sidestep but the obstruction remained. She looked up briefly to apologise and the words froze on her lips. "I'm sor... Oh, it's you!"
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She looked so surprised at the sight of him that Urs forgot his irritation. "Did you forget?"

"Nuh. I mean... what?" she looked up at him in confusion.

"You agreed to go out for a drink with me after work... remember? I brought along my sister's helmet for you. I thought we could ride."

She seemed to notice the helmet for the first time and collected herself with an effort. "Oh of course. Gosh I'm sorry. It honestly did slip my mind."

"Nice to know that I'm so memorable."

Her lips quirked into a twisted looking smile as she regarded his snug fitting jeans and leather boots and jacket. "Impossible to ignore, I should say."

"Yet here you are, about to walk straight past me. A guy could get a complex getting passed over like that, you know," and he put his hand on his injured heart.

Cass frowned. Was he even joking? She sighed and slipped her phone into her purse and slung it over her shoulder. "It's not that. Honestly. I'm not really in the mood to socialise. I was in the middle of cancelling a night out with my friends tonight. And that's not something I would do lightly, let me tell you." She tried to smile at her own joke.

Urs was about to return her smile when he noticed the tension bracketing her mouth. Something had clearly upset her since they'd last spoken. What a difference two hours could make. In that time he'd been able to return to his sister's place, borrowed her motor bike helmet, tidied up loaded up a mini-feast into the bike's side panniers.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I was looking forward to spending some time with you." He tried to hide his disappointment.

Cass took pity on him. "Look, can I take a raincheck? I honestly don't think I'd be very good company right now." She looked longingly at the exit.

"I think you'd be just fine company...."

"It's nice of you to say that," and with that her voice broke and her chin quivered. Urs stepped back in alarm. The other thing he hated almost as much as tardiness and rudeness, was female tears - and Cass, as a fully paid up member of that gender seemed to be perilously close to crying AND making a scene.

He took her gently by the arm and led her out of the door. "...and I don't think you should be on your own this afternoon."

All the fight seemed to leave her and she unprotestingly walked out with him. He talked quickly – as if by keeping the words flowing he could halt a flood of tears, only stopping near the motor cycle parked at the kerb.

"Now I'm not saying that this will fix whatever is bugging you, but whenever I'm feeling low, I head out for a ride and I come back feeling a hundred times better. It always helps me when I've got a problem to solve.

"Really?" she said in a small voice, regarding the vintage black bike with interest. "I've never ridden a bike like that before."

"Well why don't we take her out for a spin. And I guarantee that if you don't feel 10 times better after we get there, I'll bring you straight back here."

She blinked at him. "You'd do that all for a cup of coffee?"

He tugged her hand so she had to step closer to him and she stared up into his face. "Just imagine the wind in your hair, the throb of the engine between your thighs. Out on the open road. Just the two of us racing the wind."

"Oh..." was all she could say.

He flushed. "I'm sorry, I don't normally get that carried away."

"Riding a big black motor bike has kinda been on my bucket list for a while." she said, a gleam coming into her eyes.

"I've got a thermos of good coffee on board."

"Good coffee? Promise?" her interest had definitely been captured now.

"Not to mention the loaf of bread and fresh pate ...". He was pulling her along the footpath now and although her steps were slow, she was following willingly."
"Come along Cass. Let me show you what it can be like....

Cass felt almost hypnotised. There was something oh so persuading about his gently lilting voice. In her trancelike state, she felt as though she was floating along behind him. "OK" she whispered.

He pulled her so close now that his lips touched her hair. "Come with me,Cass. Let me show you ..." he murmured and he rubbed her back persuasively. She shut her eyes and nodded mutely – and he handed her the helmet.

Cass was glad that she was sitting behind Urs on the bike. The wind would have cut her to shreds if not for his leather jacket. As it was, her jeans, windbreaker and the borrowed helmet kept the worst of the cold wind out. She clung to his waist, too excited about the ride to be thinking about where she was holding him or the fact that her breasts were pressed up hard against his broad leather-clad back. He was built just right to fuel her fantasies.

He tapped her clasped hands at his waist and swivelled in his seat to give her some last minute instructions. "Hang on tight and lean into the corners when I do. And whatever you do, don't let go!"

"Where are you taking me?"

He grinned. "You told me to surprise you, so that's what I'm going to do," and he winked." Cass nodded then let him lower the visor on her helmet. He lowered his own visor, started the motor then kicked the bike into gear.

He took her to a place just out of the city, up a winding hill that took them to a park that had glorious views of the mountain range that lay far to the west. Cass couldn't remember the last time she'd been to this park – and never so close to sunset. The sky was showing tinges of orange and purple in the west, hinting at the spectacular show in store for them this evening.

Urs stopped at a clearing with several picnic tables and an unimpaired view of the mountains and busied himself with the side panniers. Cass was feeling too invigorated to feel the cold, until she felt Urs' jacket being draped over her shoulders. Then she realised how cold her hands were and she tucked them under her armpits.

"I'm sorry, I should have borrowed my sister's jacket too."

"Is this her helmet?"

He nodded at the helmet on the table.

"I doubt if her jacket would have fitted me anyway."

Regarding Cass' voluptuous curves, Urs silently agreed, but wisely said nothing. He handed over a paper cup full of steaming coffee and she accepted it gratefully, clutching it with both hands.

It was as good as he'd said it was. She sighed and turned to regard the majestic view. After the afternoon she'd just had, this kind of made up for it.
Urs leaned back against the picnic table to watch the vivid colours swirl over the peaks in the setting sun, and they watched in companionable silence.

It had been too long since Cass had really looked at the mountains. They'd always been part of her life. Perhaps this was another thing she'd been taking for granted. When she was a child, she'd loved going to the mountains on holidays, clambering over rocks and reaching for the sky. In a funny way the mountains had helped her become a physiotherapist. If she'd not had that fall in the scree that Summer and broken her leg, she might never have learned what physiotherapy could do.

So she'd studied hard, gone to college to train then come back here and worked at a job she'd thought she'd loved. But was it enough now?

The silence was broken by the rustling in the undergrowth and the sound of a bird stirring. Cass let out another long sigh.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"I can't make you out," she said finally. "As soon as I think I've got you figured, you do or say something completely unexpected..."

"Such as?"

"Bringing me here for one thing. How did you know this is one of my favourite places?"

"I didn't. But being Swiss, mountains are special for me too. I always make time to come here when I visit Jools. I'm glad I could share it with you today."

Cass smiled; his quaintly formal words seemed so at odds with his shaggy appearance.

He caught the smile. "What's so funny?'

She shook her head. "Nothing."

He didn't push. She seemed less brittle up here. He liked this softer Cass almost as much as the feisty one.

They stood and watched the sky darken and the vivid palette fade to soft streaks. The last rays of the setting sun bathing the city in golden light were fast disappearing, and the street lights flicked on. It would be dark soon.

"It's times like this that I miss Switzerland the most."

"Mmm. When did you leave there?"

"A long time ago now."

"Did you come out with your family?"

"Oh no. Our parents are still back there. I came out first and Jools came a few years later to visit me. She met Pete and never went back. The rest is – as you say - history."

"I expect your parents still miss you though. Mine would if I ventured so far away."

He shrugged. "We see them from time to time. It's ok."

"There you go again, being obtuse and vague."

"No, I'm an open book. You can ask me anything you like."

"What really brought you here?"
"My father had um certain expectations of me and since I wasn't interested in going into the family business, I left to make my own way in life."

"Ahhh. And how did that work out for you?"

He smiled enigmatically. "I have no complaints."

"Grrrr" she half laughed and finished off her coffee. "Where's that pate? Get it out before it's too dark for us to see it."

He went back to the bike and produced several baguettes, pate and a little pate knife. "We can tear off the bread and spread it with this." And he demonstrated with some gusto, popping in a liberally spread chunk.

"Mmm good," said Cass wiping her lips with the back of her hand. "I think I needed that - and this" she said, pointing to the mountains. "Trust mountains to give you a reality check. They make me realise how insignificant my problems really are."

"That doesn't mean you can't share them." Cass looked at him in surprise, but his attention was on another chunk of bread and pate.

Cass felt a huge weight shift in her chest. Would it hurt to confide in this near stranger? She could vent and never have to worry about seeing him again. Somehow it seemed easier than waiting to share with Amy and Romy. She felt the need for some impartial ears.

"OK. Shove up then," and she sat down before him on the picnic bench and lay her hands neatly on the bench in front of her. "I can give you the short version or the long version."

"Better make it the short. It's starting to get cold up here. I guess I'm more used to the coastal temperatures now."

Cass immediately started to remove his jacket but he said. "No, we can share." He slipped it on, then straddled the bench, inviting her to back up against his chest and he pulled the jacket around them both. She immediately felt his warmth and strength along her back and the security of his arms around her. His cologne wafted stronger and she wondered again, why he smelled so expensive. She could feel his jaw move across the top of her head as he spoke.

"OK shoot. I'm all ears."

Something about the way his chin moved against her hair gave her pause and she swiveled around and peered up at his face. "You shaved?" and reached up to touch his jaw. It was smooth under her fingertips and she pulled back before she brushed them against his well-shaped lips.

His jaw clenched at her touch, but he didn't pull back. He smiled sheepishly. "I thought it was about time..."

She regarded him solemnly. "It looks nice," she said and turned back around to tell her story.

His heart gave a little kick.