Traces

by Betty Bolte

  Max and Jeremy accepted the acclaim, bowing to acknowledge and thank the audience for their praise. Then Jeremy invited the band to stand, and the audience erupted into louder applause. Minutes elapsed before the conductor motioned for Jeremy to lead the band backstage, signaling the end of the concert.

  “Wow, I didn’t know high school concerts were so wonderful.” Paulette gathered her purse and wrap, slipping it around her shoulders effortlessly.

  “I want that piece in my life soundtrack.” Meredith slid her purse strap onto her shoulder and tried to stiffen her ankles to keep from twisting or, worse, breaking the joint. “They were fabulous. Especially Jeremy and Max. I’d never guess he could play like that.”

  “Jeremy?” Paulette winked at her. “Or Max?”

  “Max, of course.” Meredith shook her head, a grin forming on her lips. “I told him I’d meet him at the music room, so I should go.”

  “Are you ready for this?” Paulette asked.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be, thanks to you.” Meredith tapped her with a fist. “You bullied me into not canceling and dressed me up to boot.”

  Paulette smirked. “What are sisters for?”

  Brock touched Meredith’s arm. “Max is giving you a ride home after dinner, right? If not, call and I’ll come pick you up.”

  “Thanks, Dad. He’s supposed to bring me, but I’ll let you know if I need you. Mom looks dead on her feet. Why don’t you all go on? I’ll be fine.”

  “If you’re sure?” Brock asked.

  Once her father herded her mother and sister out of the auditorium, Meredith waited a minute longer for the crowd around her to disperse. Her ankles throbbed. She didn’t want to take anyone else out if she tripped. She made her way from the auditorium and down the hall to the band room, careful to dodge the rambunctious and boisterous teens as they laughed and hurried around her.

  Stopping out of sight of anyone inside the room, she jerked and tugged until the formfitting black dress settled in the right places. She should’ve never let Paulette, with her slimmer figure, persuade her to wear this snug-fitting dress. And the shoes. She hated wearing stilettos, but how could she wear the ubiquitous “little black dress” without them? Still, the rhinestones edging the sole sparkled with each movement of her feet. She did love shiny things. She’d have sighed, but she couldn’t draw in a deep enough breath.

  Despite her reservations, she entered the music room. After a moment she spotted Max at the back, standing with the conductor in conversation. He smiled and nodded at something the man said before noticing her. His intent gaze snagged hers and wouldn’t let go. From across the large, stepped room, his essence connected with hers, informing her they breathed the same air. He said something to the man at his side. A quick nod and he walked toward her, each step bringing him and all he represented closer to her.

  They were going out. On a date. Her first date since Willy died. Her heart thudded in her chest, echoing in her ears. Max drew nearer, larger as he approached. She wanted this. She really needed to face the music, pun intended, and move on. Besides, she deserved to find some kind of happiness again. Why not with Max? She forced a deep breath and then a smile to her lips.

  When he stopped in front of her, he grasped her hand and led her from the room. “Jeremy’s technique has improved immensely this year.”

  “Who?” That was not what she expected him to say. She let him lead her down the hall, though she struggled to walk without wobbling. The hem of the dress slowly inched up her thighs with each step.

  “Sue’s grandson, the trumpet solo tonight.” Max squeezed her hand. “I’m glad you and your family chose to come.”

  “I enjoyed all of it, but your duet drew the most applause.” She used her free hand to tug the hem back down as they turned and walked toward the exit doors.

  “You’re too kind.” Max stopped inside the glass doors, the neon red from the exit sign above their heads casting an unearthly glow on his cheekbones and nose. He smiled, his gaze roaming her face for a long moment. “You’re so beautiful and smart and talented, all rolled into one lovely package.”

  “No, I—”

  “You shouldn’t argue the point. I know what I see when I look at you.” He placed a finger on her lips and then followed it with a long, searching kiss.

  An explosion of sensation flooded her body from her mouth, sizzling through her veins like a sparkler on the Fourth of July. Leaning into the kiss, she closed her eyes and moved her hands up his arms until they wrapped around his neck. God, he tasted wonderful. His tongue moved inside her mouth, teasing hers, sparking forgotten needs in her core.

  When he ended the kiss, he followed it with a series of light pecks on her lips, reminders of the main event they’d shared. She opened her eyes, and the usual vibrant blue of his eyes had deepened. “I’ve been waiting to do that all night.”

  “Why is that?” Meredith moistened her tender lips, and his gaze zeroed in on her mouth. A giddy sense of power flushed through her. She’d experienced that kind of rush with Willy, and the return of the power made her fuzzy inside, unsure of the present, let alone the future.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Max took one of her hands, wrapped his strong fingers around hers, and lifted her fingers to his kiss. “I’m glad you’re here. Shall we go eat?”

  She nodded, mesmerized by his gallant act. He pushed open the door and stepped out into the cooler spring air. He paused on the sidewalk. “Ready? I’m parked over there.”

  She followed the motion of his free hand and saw his pickup, obviously recently washed and waxed, gleaming in the parking lot lights. She nodded, afraid if she spoke, she’d ask him to take her home with him instead of to a restaurant. She was hungry, all right, but not for food. Her body sang from his kiss, her emotions abuzz inside. Before she knew it, she was ensconced in the passenger seat of the truck, seat belt in place, as he shut the door and made his way to slide into the driver’s seat. He grinned at her as he reached to secure his own belt. After lowering the windows to allow the cooler air into the stuffy interior, he laid a hand on hers and squeezed.

  “It’s been quite a few days, hasn’t it? First finding the body and now the concert, I mean.”

  “Yes. I appreciate all you’ve done to help figure all this out. I don’t know what I’d have done without your expertise.”

  “We make a good team.” Max studied her expression. “You have the technical skills and experience, and I have the legal covered.”

  “Right. We could rule the world,” Meredith said. He laughed along with her.

  “I’m glad you agreed to see me after the concert, Meredith.” He kissed her lightly. “I hope you’ll let me get to know you better.”

  “Paulette told me this afternoon that it’s time for me to try to move on from the past, to start looking to the future.” She searched his eyes, looking for understanding. “I’m trying, in my own way.”

  “Let me help.” He traced her jaw with a finger, pulling her chin around so he could lift it to his kiss. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers for a long, lingering moment. “It’ll be my pleasure, my lady.”

  The close confines of the cab lent a sense of security to the entire experience. Meredith allowed herself to respond, even closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation of his lips, and then his tongue playing with the tip of her own. A low moan began at the base of her throat and worked its way up and out into the night. She’d missed this more than she’d ever admitted to herself. The interplay between a man and a woman. If bones really could melt, then hers were doing so. Max’s grip on her chin increased, and the kiss deepened.

  “Hey!”

  Meredith jerked back at the deep voice yelling through the darkened window. Echoes of a night years before reverberated in her memory. A yell. A demand. A gunshot. Panic swelled in her chest. Not again. The silhouette of a man appeared at the open window, the parking lights framing his outline and casting his face and features into deep shadow. A glint of metal shone in his han
d. Terror, sharp and clear and white-hot, lanced through Meredith. A scream tore from her throat as the man raised his hand, metal poking closer to the open window. Max turned to the stranger to say something, but the metal flashed in the light as the stranger raised his hand. Spots formed before her eyes as another scream seared her throat, and then the night descended upon her.

  * * * *

  “Meredith? Meredith, honey…”

  Blinking awake, her eyes were blinded by the high parking lot lights above. She squeezed them closed against the intrusion and then slowly opened them. Max hovered above her, one arm supporting her shoulders while his other hand cradled her jaw.

  “What happened?”

  “You fainted.” Max kissed her lightly. “Jeremy startled you, I think.”

  “I don’t faint.” Meredith pushed herself upright in the seat. Jeremy stood outside her open window, the light illuminating his worried expression.

  “Seems to me I’ve heard that before.” Max chuckled. “But if you say so. You must have needed a catnap, then.”

  “I’m sorry, Miss Reed. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Jeremy leaned in closer to the window, and Meredith zeroed in on his trumpet tucked under his arm. What she’d thought was a gun was the mouthpiece of the instrument. Great, scared by a horn.

  “I—I’m sorry I freaked out.” She shook her head. She obviously hadn’t put the past behind her as far as she’d like. The terrible memory lingered too close to the surface for comfort. “I didn’t mean to scare you, either.”

  Max leaned closer to Meredith, reminding her of Willy’s dead weight falling onto her. She pulled away, biting her lip to refrain from crying out.

  “What did you need, Jeremy?” Max asked across Meredith.

  “I came to th-thank you again for accompanying me.” Jeremy smiled, unaware of the tension inside the car. “You rocked the keyboard in there. And got me noticed by the scout from Juilliard. A full scholarship!”

  “Fantastic news.” Max high-fived Jeremy in front of Meredith’s nose.

  Jeremy noticed Meredith flinch and backed up a step. “Anyway, I wanted to tell you that. I’ll see you next week. G’night.” He touched a finger to an imaginary hat brim and then disappeared into the pools of light and shadow.

  Max peered at Meredith. His eyes gleamed in the dark, reflecting the sodium lights’ glare. “Ready for that steak?”

  Was she? Traces of fear drifted in her soul. Her heart beat against her chest. She swallowed, but the lump of terror remained lodged in her throat. She couldn’t do this. What if someone attacked Max and he died in her lap? What if she attracted bad luck, leaving a string of dead lovers behind her? A shudder pulsed through her. She couldn’t handle continual grieving as her future. Couldn’t do that to Max, or anyone else.

  “Hey, what’s the matter?” Max tightened his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. “You’re chilled.”

  She stiffened, knowing this couldn’t go on. She must make him see this simply would not work. “Max, don’t.”

  He looked at her, stricken. “What?”

  “This.” She pointed to his arm and then leaned forward, indicating for him to remove it. “I’m sorry, but this can’t happen.”

  He slowly withdrew his arm, reaching for her fingers. She shook her head, and he gripped the steering wheel with both hands instead. “Talk to me. I thought we had the beginning of something between us. I thought…”

  His words trailed off as he looked away, staring across the now empty parking lot.

  “I wanted it to work, even hoped I had managed to do like you wanted and put the past, including my husband and child, to rest so I could move on the way I know Willy would have wanted.”

  Max whipped around, stared at her, his mouth a thin line. “Child?”

  “I don’t talk about him.” She explored the anguish on his face. “It’s too painful.”

  Max’s grip on the wheel eased, though it didn’t release entirely. His fingers flexed and tightened rhythmically, reminiscent of his earlier performance, as he stared at the brick building before them. “Should I feel honored by your secret?”

  “Perhaps. I’m telling you because you need to understand why I can’t see you again.” She waved a hand in front of her helplessly. “Not like this.”

  He regarded her then, his attitude hard and a touch angry. “I don’t understand. Explain.”

  “I wanted to try to be a couple with you, but this little fiasco proves that won’t work. Wanting something and being able to have it are two entirely different things.” She laid a hand on his arm, feeling the tension in the knotted muscles beneath the long-sleeved cotton shirt. “You’ve helped me realize I must stick with the program, follow the score, and not start improvising midway.”

  A frown appeared between his brows, his eyes quizzical. His fingers drummed the steering wheel, the sound humming between them. “What exactly does that mean?”

  She took a deep breath and held it before slowly exhaling. “Take me to Twin Oaks. Tomorrow I’ll pull out my to-do list and begin checking off items.”

  “But I thought—”

  “It doesn’t matter, Max. I won’t live in Roseville or anywhere nearby. I don’t belong here and never will. It’s time for me to wise up and take care of what I came here to do.”

  Max slapped the heel of his hand onto the steering wheel. “No, Meredith, you cannot go through with demolishing Twin Oaks.”

  “I have to; it’s the only way.” She stared out the window instead of at Max. Knowing how deeply he cared about historic properties made her path all the more difficult to navigate.

  “I’m going to stop you. You’ve obviously lost your mind and can’t be relied upon to make a rational decision.” His glare pummeled the back of her head. “Look at me.”

  When she turned to face him, she gasped at the anger etched into every line of his face. “You can’t stop me, Max. It’s my property to do with as I choose.” She folded her arms, as much to quell the tremors his expression induced in her as to raise a protective barrier.

  “I’ve moved up the county councilman’s vote to Monday, and then we’ll see who can do what.”

  “You’re going to sic the law on me? How? You said the draft hasn’t even been read, let alone be ready to go up for a vote. Get real.”

  “I am. You’re a fraud, you know. You sell yourself as an architect, a lover of building and creating things, when in fact you’re nothing but a conniving destroyer of all things precious, including your own family and your family’s heritage. If I weren’t such a gentleman, I’d leave you here to fend for yourself.” He turned the key, and the engine roared to life. “As I am a gentleman, I’m taking you home.”

  Meredith popped open the door and scrambled as quickly as she could from the truck, reaching back in to snatch her purse off the seat. “No, thanks. I’ll walk if I have to.”

  She wobbled in her high heels and then marched as best she could to the sidewalk. She stepped up carefully to turn and glare back at him. Except he wasn’t in the truck but stomping across the parking spaces toward her, the driver’s-side door ajar. She dug into her bag and withdrew her key chain with its dangling canister of pepper spray. Clutching the tiny can infused her with a sense of control over the situation. But Max’s demeanor and glare challenged that notion as well. She wished for flat shoes and better self-defense training as he drew nearer.

  “I’d never leave anyone, including you, stranded at this time of night. Now get back in the damn truck, and I’ll drive you home.”

  “No. I’ll call my dad.”

  “And have him think I’d treat his daughter like a hitchhiker to be left alongside the road? No thanks.” He grabbed her hand and tugged. “Come on, don’t make me carry you.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.” She yanked on the skirt, the image of being slung over his shoulder like his cavewoman in a bad movie playing in her head. If so, her lack of pantyhose could prove embarrassing indeed. Not that anyone else was around to
see. In fact, she was alone with this irate man looming over her. So strong and tall, with killer eyes. Unease worked through her at the intense gaze he levied upon her.

  “Wouldn’t I?” He stepped closer, his fingers flexing in preparation for whatever he had in mind. “Don’t push me, Meredith.”

  “You’re not seriously going to drag me into your truck and force me to ride with you? You’re not that Neanderthal.” She readied the spray nozzle, only to fumble both her purse and the canister to the ground when he took another step. Never mind the purse, he acted as though he seriously would haul her up and carry her off. “You wouldn’t.”

  A growl emitted from somewhere deep in his throat. “Watch me.”

  His powerful hands grabbed her waist and hoisted her onto his shoulder. The air whooshed from her lungs when her solar plexus hit his shoulder bone. Meredith soon stared in surprise at the pavement passing beneath his black leather shoes as he strode back to the truck, cursing the entire way. He kept one arm clasped between her waist and her derriere, pressing her stomach tight against him in the most annoying manner.

  “Put me down!” She kicked out, trying to force him to comply or drop her.

  In response he tightened his grip on her waist and trapped one leg with his strong hand. “No. I’m taking you home whether you like it or not.”

  She struggled more, pushing at his back with both hands to no avail. “You monster. I can’t believe you’d do this.”