by Linda Palmer
Looking at me as if I'd completely lost it, Neecy took the call. Theo of course—at least that's what I concluded based on her side of the conversation.
"Are you already home?" Pause. "Oh it does, does it? Well, you might've told us." Pause. "Honestly, honey, you worry too much. We just went to a movie and the mall." Pause. "Then maybe you should've passed on your cards and stayed home to entertain us." Neecy abruptly ended the call and jammed her phone in her jacket pocket. "He can check the stupid security camera remotely. Just now realized we sneaked out."
"Oops." I gave the shadows a swift glance but saw nothing. Even so, I grabbed Neecy's arm, and began walking again—very fast.
She barely kept up. "Slow down! What's good for the husband is good for the wife."
"You got that right." Could she hear the tremor in my voice?
Make that a yes. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Good. To quote a dear cousin: 'It was just a movie.'"
I hung my head. "I know."
Neecy laughed with me. "And all this time I've thought I was the wuss."
*****
As the weeks leading up to Christmas flew by, the house took shape and my client list grew. I gratefully scheduled at least one person a day—sometimes more—for a return visit in January. Yet I felt uncharacteristically dissatisfied and oddly restless. Whether I should blame that on the season or the mystery of Cade, I just didn't know. He'd certainly given me plenty to think about before vanishing forever into the night.
The week of Christmas, I drove to the woods again to give Elise her second massage. Since this was part of my job, I didn't give Theo's edict a single thought. A girl had to earn a living. I did not see the "wolf" as my car bumped and lurched down the neglected drive to Elise's home. How cool was it to live among the trees in that amazing house?
After her massage, we visited for a while. She had baked a fresh batch of sugar cookies and decorated them with sprinkles. I took one because it was the polite thing to do.
Yeah, right.
One cookie would've been polite. Five were nothing but a big ol' oink!
I soon realized that she seemed a little lost, which is why I hung around for a bit longer than I meant to. I asked what kind of work she'd done. She told me that she'd never held down a normal job, thanks to her parents' wealth. Her biggest regret was that she hadn't married and had children. Now she depended on relatives to hire help when she needed something done. And even though she paid them, it was an imposition in her eyes. All I could do was assure her that Patsy didn't seem to mind at all.
When I got up to leave, Elise asked if I'd fill up the bird feeder. I took the bag of seed and headed out the back door to do it. The cleared area that was her yard was bigger than I'd expected, and she had a garage I hadn't seen from the front of the house. On a metal shepherd's hook a few yards from the porch, two cedar and glass feeders gently rocked in the chilly breeze. I filled up one and reached for the other, only then noticing I had a witness—her beautiful wolf.
At such close range, I couldn't doubt or deny what he was. I held my breath and watched as he crept ever closer, clearly as curious about me as I was about him. Suddenly sure he was the "dog" who'd sniffed out the house the other night, I concluded that I'd seen him three times so far. Coincidence? I didn't really believe in them. That meant he was coming around for a reason. Was it really Elise's cooking? My heart fluttered. I finally exhaled, but softly. Would that scare him away?
No.
He continued to creep forward.
Was I scared?
No.
I'd never seen any animal so magnificent. A little larger than I'd realized, he had thick fur that ranged in color from charcoal to white, with black on his tail and parts of his face. I saw that he had a patch of lighter fur near his eye in the shape of a crescent moon. But it was the eyes that captured me. In my mind, I tried to put a name to their hue. Cyan? Azure? Navy? None fit. Then the words ice blue popped into my head.
"Hello, handsome." I resumed my task with a minimum of movement, taking down the second feeder, setting it on the ground so I could loosen the top, and pouring seed into it. Intent on my work, I stood to re-hang the feeder, only then realizing that Elise's wolf now stood very damn close. So close, I could touch him if I wanted.
I put a hand out. The wolf actually bumped his snout against my fingers. Swallowing hard, I let him sniff them. I turned my hand palm down. He slipped his head under it, a clear invitation to pet him. I stroked his fur in disbelief, and very gingerly. Wolves had fangs. Sharp ones. Wanting me for lunch might be the reason for his hanging around. But he simply rubbed his face against my hand again. Impulse made me drop to my knees in front of him. Temporary insanity made me plant a kiss on his cold nose. His pink tongue washed it off.
"Oh my God." The words were an awed whisper. "You must've been raised in captivity." I was now petting him as I would a dog. "Did you escape? Is someone looking for you?"
With a sneeze that startled a squeal out of me, he backed away. I stood. He turned and loped into the woods. I watched until I couldn't see him anymore. Back indoors, I found Elise in her chair, covered with a blanket and half asleep. The evening news played out on her flat screen. After stirring the flames in her stone fireplace, I left with a kiss and a wave. If Elise had seen me with her wolf, she'd surely have commented on it. Since she didn't, I assumed she hadn't and, for some reason, didn't give her the details.
Chapter Twelve
Cade
I couldn't get Lily out of my head.
Was she even thinking about me?
Didn't matter if she was, not with all the stuff I couldn't tell anyone, especially a girl. I'd have to be very, very sure I meant enough to her that she could look past my secret line of work—and I didn't mean the respectable day job. So far, asking questions had gotten me nowhere. That left observation as my only tool. Mike, our leader, appeared to be calling the shots, but I didn't think he had the long-term vision for it. Yet no one questioned his orders, which left me little choice but mimicking the others so I wouldn't stand out.
Some days, it was hard to do what I had to do. Others, I could close off the part of me that craved normalcy. I'd get my life back, just no time soon. If Lily was still around then, I'd go to her and explain everything. Well, almost everything. We'd take it from there.
Maybe.
Chapter Thirteen
Lily
As Christmas loomed, I managed to finish up my shopping in one of the picturesque stores downtown. Every time I strolled the streets, I felt eyes on me. That led to the conclusion that I was a paranoid nut job badly in need of familial grounding. Luckily that wouldn't be a problem much longer.
Mara's December massage was just like her first except for one thing—her mood. I let her do the talking, so our one-sided conversation focused mainly on her Christmas travel plans, which were apparently new. She and Akita—she never called him anything else—were flying to New York for a holiday visit with her family and friends. "We leave tomorrow and won't be home until January seventh."
"So you and JT won't have Christmas or New Year's together?"
"Actually, we never have. Business comes first. What are your plans?"
"I'll be driving to Little Rock."
"Do you have brothers and sisters?"
"One of each."
"I have two of each. I took a chance and asked JT about inviting them all down for the holiday this year, but, as usual, he needs the house for a very important 'summit'—" She drew quotation marks in the air "—with all his managers."
"Wait. He's coming home for Christmas, but sending you away?" Seeing her expression, I immediately wished I could take that back. "Sorry. It's just…a meeting during the holidays seems so…inconvenient."
"You must think I'm the most naïve girl you've ever met."
I hedged. "I'm not sure what you mean."
"I know you think JT's got other women in his life."
"I'd never—"<
br />
"It's okay. You don't have to lie. I think that, too. In fact, his refusing to have Christmas or New Year's with me again is the last straw. I'm leaving him as soon as I get a job. With luck I'll get some leads when I go home."
That shocked the hell out of me. "Will Akita tell on you?"
"He's actually on my side." She made an obvious effort to perk up. "I guess I should be glad I won't be around for JT's meeting on New Year's Eve. I've heard enough one-sided cell phone conversations to know he doesn't respect anyone working for him. I'm afraid it's not going to be pretty."
Wow. "Will you be decorating your house?"
"Not even a fake candle."
What a life she led. The best of everything, but nothing that a wife really needed to be happy.
*****
On Christmas Eve eve, Neecy and I rounded up all the girls and headed to Tooly's for a little party she'd announced a few days earlier, at least to us. Theo got the news right before we left for the pub, giving him little choice but to agree. There was strength in numbers, she assured him, and the pub was so out in the open.
Walking with the girls, I believed I'd found my niche at Ah Spa. I liked all of them, especially Angie, who did her best to grow my numbers. Just over my height, she had a head full of honey blond curls that fell halfway down her back. I couldn't help but think of the flower children of the sixties and could easily picture her with blossoms in her hair and some kind of gauzy dress that reached her ankles. As it was, she wore a blousy peasant top, leggings, UGGs, and some kind of shawl with a hood.
We chose a corner booth with a circle of seating that put us elbow to elbow. I liked listening more than talking since it resulted in my learning about each of them. But fatigue made my attention wander, and a guy I didn't know materialized at our table without me noticing his approach.
He ignored everyone but Angie. "Hel-lo, beautiful."
His voice sounded way too familiar. I zoned in on him and belatedly realized he was one of the men with Cade that horrible night a few weeks back. The one who'd tried to help Choco rope me in.
"Hello, Rocky." She replied without enthusiasm, not meeting his gaze.
"Heard you were leaving town."
"I did, but I'm back now."
"So I see. Want to hang out?"
"I am hanging out." Her sweeping gaze included us girls.
Rocky smirked as if we were nothing to him. "I meant with somebody worth your time. I have a new ride." He pulled keys out of his pocket and dangled them in front of her face.
"Good for you. How about driving away in it?"
"Hey! Aren't you happy to see your man?"
She spewed her drink. "You've never been my man."
"But I could be now that Squelch is done with you." He grimaced. "Not that I'm in the habit of settling for leftovers, but you are one hot bitch." His gaze raked her.
She never blinked. "Beat it, ass wipe."
I held my breath, something the other girls might've done, too. At any rate, no one moved a muscle as we waited for a reaction that was bound to be volatile.
"Is there a problem?" A man even bigger than the bartender joined us.
"No," said Angela. "He's leaving."
"Then let me walk you out." The big guy laid a heavy hand on Rocky's shoulder and propelled him to the exit. We burst out laughing, but mine wasn't completely wholehearted.
Had Tooly's hired a bouncer since my last visit? Just the thought made me a little sick to my stomach. What if my experience there had been a last straw? That could only mean Cade and his friends had caused enough trouble in the past to warrant it. Suddenly reminded of the rash of petty crime in our area, I could only hope Cade had no part in it. I silently promised myself I'd talk with Angie about this the first moment we were alone. But that moment wasn't tonight, nor would it be anytime soon since she'd be visiting her parents in St. Louis until New Year's.
After some delicious appetizers eaten as a meal, we exchanged presents that had to meet one criteria: only re-gifts. The result was more hilarity, especially when Neecy opened mine to her, a pair of edible underwear I'd won at a bridal shower.
She was in a good mood on the way home thanks the margarita she'd drunk. I let her do all the talking and concentrated on the winding road. "That new bouncer was kind of cute, wasn't he? I'm surprised Tooly hired someone. There's never been a need that I know of, and he's notoriously tight with his money." She stared out the window for a moment, seeing the only thing there was to see, multicolored lights. With Elvis singing "Blue Christmas," it was easy to relax and settle into the moment. This holiday was my favorite, after all. So far, I'd stumbled through it, letting every little thing distract me.
Not that Cade was "little" or "a thing." But his mystery was still on a list of annoyances that began with Theo's unexplained edicts and ended with a hot check one of my customers had given me. She'd booked for January, too, which left me in the awkward position of having to ask for December payment before we moved on.
*****
I drove to my parents' house first thing the following morning, a trip of three or so hours on a scenic highway. Neecy and Theo planned to leave later in the day, the reason we didn't carpool. He'd been estranged from his dad for several years, so always spent the entire holiday with the Vincents. Under a cloudy sky on dry roads, I made good time.
Wendy greeted me dressed as Tinkerbell, right down to the wings. I guessed her outfit was leftover from Halloween and worn every day. It looked that bedraggled. Her sweet kiss warmed my heart. I realized how glad I was to be home. Charly came running, too, her sock feet sliding on the polished hardwood floor. Ted caught her before she fell.
Mom witnessed it all. "Slow down, sweetie. You'll give Ted Jr. a jolt."
"We don't know it's a junior yet," Charly said.
I squealed. "Are you knocked up again?"
"I was going to wait until Roger got here, but…" Charly raised her arms in a victory V. "Yesss! Merry Christmas, everyone!"
Joyful chaos followed and lasted through the arrival of our paternal grandparents, their youngest daughter Marcia, twenty-six, and her beautiful life partner, Shelly. Luckily our house sprawled over a huge lawn with plenty of spare bedrooms and lots of parking.
We did traditional Vincent family things that night—bake and ice cookies, prep for lunch tomorrow, watch A Christmas Carol, and open one present apiece. I chose a huge one from my parents and became the proud owner of a portable massage table. That vote of confidence from my folks meant the world to me. And when I finally retired to my old bedroom, I still had a smile on my face.
Wendy woke us Christmas morning around five, but nobody minded. Just as we gathered in the den, where a warm fire already crackled and popped, the front door flew open. In came Roger with a young woman I'd never seen before. She wasn't drop-dead gorgeous with a model's slender frame, but the moment she stepped into the den, she had us all in her pocket for several reasons. First, we'd never seen Roger so goofy in love. Second, she clearly loved him back. And third, she'd let him drag her to the Vincent house, a trip from Memphis that had to have begun in the wee hours of the morning. An impulsive glance at her second finger, left hand revealed why, but I didn't steal their thunder.
"Everyone, this is Becca Edwards, my fiancée. Becca, meet my family."
Dead silence followed his startling intro. Then the room exploded with noisy happiness. Becca good naturedly endured hugs from everyone. I watched Gramps double back and sneak in an extra one.
"Trust Rog to steal my thunder." Charly spoke right in my ear. "So where's yours?
I startled and twisted around to look her in the eye. "My what?"
"Your other."
"Other what?"
"Anything. Boyfriend, best friend, lover, fiancé. Why are you here alone, Lils? You've had a whole month to find yourself a man."
"Give me a break, would you? Moonrise Ridge isn't exactly teeming with eligible bachelors."
"But there's a college there, and you're
doing the socializing thing…aren't you?" Before I moved out, Charly had worried aloud about my living with Neecy and Theo. She'd advised apartment living, preferably one in a complex near Winchester Tech. "Sis?"
"Right now, I'm working all the time to build up my clientele."
She exhaled her frustration in a long whoosh and slowly shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?"
"Geeze, Charly. I'm only nineteen. What's the rush?"
Just as she opened her mouth to answer, the doorbell rang. We all exchanged puzzled glances. My Aunt Hannah and Uncle Clive weren't bringing their crew over for another hour or two, when we'd exchange a few more presents and shamelessly snack until our mid-afternoon lunch was ready. Besides, they most definitely wouldn't ring the bell or even knock.
Roger, who was closest to the front door, got up and left us to see who'd come to call. Conversations immediately resumed, which meant we were all talking over each other. So it took us a second to realize my brother now stood in the den doorway. His gaze instantly locked with mine. I saw his grin and the twinkle in his eye that usually meant he was up to no good.
"What?" I asked.
Chapter Fourteen
Cade
Lily's brother, who'd just introduced himself as Roger, led the way into the room, motioning for me to do the same.
I stepped through the door, highly conscious of my black leather jacket, black jeans, and biker boots, poor choices for a guy hoping to make a good first impression. I definitely should've gone for preppy instead.
Everyone heard Lily's gasp. She leapt to her feet and shot across the room to grab my wrist and drag me back into the foyer. "What are you doing here?"
"I have your Christmas present." I pointed to a wrapped box on the nearby table.
"You got me a gift?"
I kept things light with a shrug. "Normally I wouldn't have, but then I saw this online—" I transferred the present from the table to Lily.
She just stared at it in shock.
