Jingle All the Way

by Debbie Macomber

  “There’s always danger in the Amazon, although not all animals are to be feared. For example, the capybara.”

  A photo of the rodent was shown on the screen.

  “The capybara is the largest rodent in the world,” Asher explained. “They can weigh as much as one hundred forty pounds. They enjoy the water, so it won’t be difficult for us to spot one or even several. They live in groups of ten to thirty, and it isn’t uncommon to see larger groupings. On the last cruise we came upon a hundred of them.”

  “I’ve never heard of the capybara,” one of the other passengers said.

  “I wouldn’t expect you had unless you’ve spent time in South America. They are fascinating creatures. And while you’re looking for the capybara you might be lucky enough to see the Amazon River pink dolphin.”

  “There are dolphins in the Amazon?”

  “Did you say pink?” someone else asked.

  “Yes, pink, but they don’t resemble their more familiar cousins. They have a rather long snout that looks something like a beak and a rounded head. Unfortunately, they have been threatened in recent years by pollution. Many of the local tribes view them as magical creatures.”

  “Do you think we’ll have the chance to see one?”

  “If we’re fortunate,” Asher said.

  The talk was interesting and informative, as all of Asher’s lectures had been. Listening to him, she couldn’t help hearing the passion in his voice as he spoke about nature. She could tell how eager he was to share his love of all things having to do with nature.

  Asher did more than lecture about the wildlife they might encounter; his talks included his feelings and his opinions when it came to preserving, restoring, and maintaining natural habitats. Being that she wasn’t much of an outdoors person, especially in recent years, Everly hadn’t given much thought to the environment other than on Earth Day. She recycled her garbage and brought her own grocery shopping bags on the rare occasion she went into a supermarket. However, when it came to preserving the natural environment, especially those areas designated as wilderness, she was completely ignorant.

  In the question-and-answer time, one of the men asked, “What’s the most dangerous fish in the Amazon River?”

  Asher grinned. “Funny you should ask. It’s the red-bellied piranha, which you might be surprised to learn is good eating.”

  “People eat piranha?”

  “They do, and if luck is with us, we’ll have an opportunity ourselves to enjoy a taste in the next day or two.”

  A murmur rose from the crowd. “How’s that?”

  Again, Asher was all smiles. “We’ll be taking the Zodiacs out on a fishing expedition.”

  “For piranha?”

  “Or whatever else we can hook, although the area where I’ll be taking you is mostly known for the piranha.”

  “What about snakes?” asked an older gray-haired woman. “I’m not going if there’s a chance we might see any snakes. I’m deathly afraid of them.”

  Everly was happy someone else brought up the question of snakes.

  “Rest assured,” Asher said, “most of the snakes that inhabit the rainforest are nonvenomous. Naturally, there are a few we would want to avoid. The pit viper being one of the most dangerous. And of course there’s the boa constrictor and the bushmaster, the South American rattlesnake, and the green anaconda.”

  “Enough.” The same woman who’d asked the question held up her hand. “I’ve heard more than I care to know.”

  Everly agreed. If she was going to die, she didn’t want it to be from a snakebite. The mosquito was bad enough.

  They took a short break for coffee and snacks before Larry, the professional photographer, gave his presentation. Seeing how Asher had ignored her all morning, she didn’t seek him out. He’d made it clear that he wasn’t interested in talking to her. Several of the group surrounded him with questions they hadn’t had a chance to ask during the lecture.

  Everly hung back, holding a cup of coffee in her hand. When it was time for Larry to give his presentation, Asher left the meeting area and walked directly past Everly without acknowledging her.

  A sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. She supposed this was his way of saying he regretted kissing her. A numb feeling settled over her. This was why she didn’t get involved in relationships. She didn’t know what she could have possibly done that had changed in a matter of hours. One thing he needed to know was that she wasn’t into playing these sorts of games. If he wanted to avoid her, then so be it. She was a big girl and could accept his decision with grace.

  Larry gave his presentation, and even with effort, Everly doubted that she heard a single word. The screen was filled with a variety of pictures. From the sounds of appreciation coming from the audience, they must have been breathtaking. Everly barely noticed.

  Following the two lectures was lunch. Everly got in line with the others and chose an empty table after she got her food. A couple she hadn’t spoken with before joined her. It shouldn’t have surprised her that they were full of questions about her adventures from the day before. She assured them it had been a rather exciting experience once she learned the warriors were looking out for her best interest.

  With her back to the entrance, she sensed immediately when Asher entered the dining room. He collected his plate and came into view. He glanced around the room and seemed to briefly notice that there was an empty space at her table before pointedly moving on and taking a seat elsewhere.

  Everly felt her heart trip over the slight and made a determined effort to smile and pretend she hadn’t noticed. She finished her lunch and enjoyed her conversation with the couple, who delighted in reliving their adventures from their trip to Egypt. Their enthusiasm was contagious and Everly asked several questions, determined to make the trip one day herself.

  The afternoon sped by quickly. The Zodiacs were lowered for a river ride, as they were most days. She purposely chose to board the one without Asher. No need to make it uncomfortable for them both. Alex did an excellent job of pointing out the highlights along the waterway, and the beauty and her fascination with what she saw thankfully distracted her a bit. Everly would always remember when they happened upon a family of capybaras. She was amazed at how large the rodents were, and delighted in watching them interact with one another.

  When they returned, she washed her face and hands before joining everyone for the social hour before dinner. Asher was decidedly absent, and when Alex asked if she’d mind playing the piano again, she readily agreed, providing musical entertainment before they went in for dinner. A Christmas tree had been set up and there were boughs strung up along the windows. A wreath had been added to the door of her stateroom. Christmas was definitely in the air.

  At the meal she sat with Professor Kotz and his wife, Miriam. The two were quite the world travelers. She enjoyed learning about their trips to all seven continents. This was their fourth trip to South America. Hearing about all there was to see and do in the world, both from the Kotzes and the couple from lunch, whet her appetite to explore and learn from different cultures herself.

  Asher did make a showing for dinner. It came as no surprise that he sat elsewhere. After the meal, tired from the day’s activities, Everly returned to her stateroom, determined to remain alone for the rest of the evening.

  She read for an hour, and by nine-thirty she yawned and decided to make it an early night and readied for bed. As she walked toward her tiny bathroom, she noticed that someone had slipped an envelope under her door. For a long minute all she did was stare at it. Finally overcome by curiosity, she reached down and grabbed hold of it. Inside, in slanting cursive handwriting that could belong only to Asher, he’d written:

  Meet me at midnight in the alcove.

  CHAPTER NINE

  One character trait in Everly’s life that was in abunda
nt supply was pride. After the way Asher had blatantly ignored her all day, now out of the blue he wanted a clandestine meeting? Not happening. As far as she was concerned, he could sit in the dark and wait all by his lonesome self. Since he’d seen fit to pretend she didn’t exist, she would do the same when it came to him. That seemed fair to her.

  Her decision made, she threw back the covers and climbed into bed. Ideally, she would instantly fall asleep and wake refreshed in the morning. By all rights, that’s exactly what should have happened, especially since she’d been nearly sleepless the night before. Instead, she found herself glancing at the clock every fifteen minutes and cursing under her breath, angry when she found it impossible to sleep. She squeezed her eyes shut, determined to push Asher Adams out of her mind. Of course, exactly the opposite happened. To her dismay, he was all she could think about.

  Midnight came and went. At twelve-fifteen she heard a soft knock against her door. “Daisy.”

  Uncertain if she was hearing things, she rolled over so she faced the door.

  Another knock, a bit louder this time. “Daisy.”

  Sitting up in bed, Everly crossed her arms. Asher could pound the door down if he liked; no way was she going to open it for him.

  An entire minute passed, and she heard a thud against her door as if he’d braced his head there. “Please, Daisy.”

  His plea made her weak. Her shoulders slumped and she grudgingly tossed aside the covers and walked across the room. He stood on one side of the door and she was on the other. “What do you want?” she whispered, wondering if he could hear her.

  “To talk to you.”

  “Just leave, Asher.” She wasn’t up to this game he seemed to want to play.

  “I can’t.”

  “Yes, you can. All you have to do is turn around and walk away.”

  “Let me explain,” he pleaded.

  “No explanation needed. I got your message.”

  “Give me five minutes. That’s all I ask.”

  As tempting as it was to turn him down, the urgency in his voice held her transfixed. Her shoulders sagged as she sighed. “Oh, all right,” she grumbled ungraciously. “Let me get dressed and I’ll meet you in the alcove.”

  “Thank you.” His words were heavy with relief.

  She listened as he walked away. Taking her own sweet time, she pulled on pants and a light sweater, and then slowly made her way to where she knew Asher would be waiting. When she arrived, she saw him pacing. He must have heard her soft footsteps because he turned and started toward her.

  She stretched out her arm, stopping him from getting any closer. “You have five minutes, and you’re down to four and a half, so I suggest you say whatever it is you have to say and be done with it. I’m tired and I want to go back to bed.”

  “I wanted to apologize.”

  The reason he sought her out was because he felt guilty. “Apology accepted.” She started to leave.

  “I have four minutes left,” he reminded her.

  “Asher, listen, you don’t need to say anything more. I get it; it’s fine. I’m a big girl. One thing you should know about me is that I don’t play games. You regret what happened between us last night. I understand. Don’t worry. It wasn’t anything more than a few kisses.”

  “But that’s it, Daisy. I don’t regret it.”

  He certainly had her fooled. She crossed her arms and resisted tapping her foot, growing impatient. From the way he fidgeted, she could tell he was struggling to find the right words. Looking confused, he stabbed his hands through his hair. She resisted reminding him time was ticking away.

  “I don’t regret kissing you,” he said again. “For the rest of the night, you were all I could think about. This happiness, this sense of wonder, kept bubbling up inside of me, but then it hit me.” He paused pacing long enough to hold her gaze for several pulsating seconds.

  “What hit you?” she asked.

  He gestured toward her. “Don’t you see? We might as well live in different worlds. Nothing is ever going to come of this. I know it and you must, too. I’m strongly attracted to you; I have been since the first day you arrived and announced you’d die without access to the Internet.

  “After we kissed and I had time to think, I realized if I let it happen, I could lose my very heart to you. I know I’m putting too much credence on a few kisses, but there’s something you need to understand…” He hesitated, as if he wasn’t sure he should continue.

  “Go on,” she said, needing to know.

  He ran his hand over his face before he spoke. “You might think I’m the kind of man who floats easily from one relationship to another. You know, a girl in every port, that sort of thing. Well, I’m not like that. I’ve had a couple relationships over the years, and when they ended, I was devastated. It took months to feel like myself again. I want to avoid that kind of pain, and I could see that happening with you.”

  Her resolve to maintain an emotional distance was melting faster than ice cream in a Chicago heat wave.

  “I know what you mean.” Everly had a few of her own relationships that had gone south. They’d left her huddled in bed in a fetal position with the covers over her head, wrapped up in self-pity. If there was one thing she hated, it was crying, and she cried ugly. Her first lost love had been in college, and Lance had broken if off with her after he’d graduated, dumping her while she still had another year of school left as he went about his merry way. Then there was Dave. They’d been together almost a year, and Everly was beginning to think he might be the one. He broke it off, claiming she was married to her job. In retrospect, he wasn’t all that wrong.

  “It would be way too easy to give you my heart, Daisy.”

  That didn’t sound so bad to her. She’d been attracted to Asher from the first day of the cruise as well. He had been the best of caregivers while she’d been sick. They’d spent countless hours together, getting to know each other, laughing once she was better. It had been intimate and special in ways unlike any other relationship she’d had.

  Lowering her gaze, she soaked in his words. “I’m not sure what you’re saying in light of today.”

  “Don’t you understand?”

  “Apparently not. Explain it to me.”

  “If we continued the way we were headed, knowing myself, when the time came, I was going to have a difficult time letting you go. I’d be miserable, missing you, wondering if there was a way for us to make something of this. And I have to accept that there isn’t.”

  “In other words, quit before you start? Sounds rather pessimistic to me.”

  “Be reasonable, Daisy. More than once you’ve told me how much energy you get from living in Chicago. You’ve talked endlessly about all the things you love about being part of the city. Your company means the world to you. You’ve dedicated everything to making it a success. That’s the way I feel about what I do. Sharing my passion for nature is what excites me most.”

  He had a valid point.

  “So explaining all this is why you wanted to see me tonight?” She had to admit he looked utterly miserable.

  “I thought if I ignored you it’d be easier for us to part. It didn’t work. It didn’t come close to working. I’ve felt wretched all day and I knew I couldn’t continue this charade. It was much harder than I imagined, and I realized I’d gone about this all wrong. You deserved to know my reasoning.”

  He held her gaze, waiting for she knew not what. Everly took a step in his direction. “Thank you for explaining.”

  He nodded. “It’s not working, Daisy. Try as I might, I can’t make myself ignore you.”

  “Do you feel better for clearing the air?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I’m having an extremely difficult time not kissing you again.”

  She edged a bit closer. “If you were to kiss me, y
ou should know I wouldn’t object.”

  Asher’s face broke into a huge grim. He slipped his arms around her, embracing her as if she was the rip cord that would open his parachute. A deep, lengthy sigh moved through him as if this was the first deep breath he’d taken that day.

  When they broke apart, Everly looked into his beautiful eyes. “Where do we go from here?” she asked in a husky whisper.

  Asher pressed his forehead against hers. “Heaven help me, I don’t have a clue.”

  Everly didn’t, either. They sat together, Asher’s arm around her as she leaned against him, her head on his shoulder.

  “Three questions?” he asked, kissing the side of her face.

  “How about you tell me three things I don’t know about you?” she suggested.

  “Okay.” She sensed his smile. “One. My brother is ten years older than I and we’ve always been close.”

  “Ten years?” For whatever reason, she’d assumed they were closer in age.

  “I believe I was something of a surprise to my parents,” he said.

  “A very good one, no doubt.”

  He chuckled. “That I don’t know. Here’s something else you don’t know about me. I read a lot of science fiction. Alien worlds excite me. I’ve been known to stay up all night reading, unable to put the book down.”

  “How genre-oriented of you! And you had the nerve to tease me about my romance novels.”

  “And three. I got a blue ribbon at the county fair for the pet rabbit I raised. I named her Honey Bunny.”

  Everly laughed. “You’re not much for originality, are you?”

  “I have no defense. Honey Bunny was the sweetest rabbit, all white and fluffy.”

  She grinned. “I think you must have a romantic heart yourself but are unwilling to admit it.”

  Asher wiggled his eyebrows, teasing her. “Okay, your turn. Three things that I don’t know about you.”