Flying in Shadows (The Black Creek Series, Book 2)

by R. T. Wolfe

  At that, she pulled his shoulders down and slid under him. He lay on top of her while tucking her hair around her ear. He set his lips just underneath, then clicked off her flashlight.

  * * *

  Miniature flags stood in rows lining the fronts of the landscaping plots in the Reeds' lush backyard. A steady stream of relatives covering four generations came and went between the Reed home, their guesthouse and over the bridge to Brie's sister's home. Each bedroom, guest room and couch was claimed for the weekend.

  The scene played out like a small town. With the scent of freshly cut grass and blooming lavender lofting around them, young parents chased their toddlers away from the creek. Parents of older children encouraged their kids to go in the creek. Grandparents manned the grill and organized a pick up game of baseball for all. The rest enjoyed time lounging in one of the many lawn chairs. Eight-foot folding tables were scattered along one side of the yard while the other side was covered with a maze of metal croquet hoops.

  Andy sat with Rose inside the house at opposite ends of the double-leaf kitchen table among a small army of friends and family. Everyone reminisced, shared their most recent news and made plans for future get-togethers. Around them, a beehive of organized chaos worked to prepare food while supervising children.

  Rose updated Brie on Charcoal's progress in his intermediate training class. "He knows the boundaries of the yard. Well, unless something small and furry is within eyesight."

  Brie set her hand on top of Rose's, patting it twice. "Remember not to scold him when he returns. No matter how frustrated you are. Dogs are simple. If you scold them when they come home, they won't be so quick to come home."

  Rose shook her head as she leaned around Brie, checking on Charcoal. He was on the deck with Macey and Goldie, who lay so still someone might think they had moved on to a better place if not for the rise and fall of their backs. Running around the two of them, the pup switched back and forth between sniffing his surroundings and nudging the two geezers. It was a gamble, she noticed. He would either break one down enough to play with him or earn a quick nip from experienced jaws.

  "It is frustrating, but I'll keep at him. Sit and stay are all but mastered, again unless there is something furry to distract him, or his tail comes into view." Rose lit up a broad smile.

  Andy noted the contrast of his home to her quiet house of four. Rose had the ability to seamlessly flip between settings. She wasn't the type that needed constant attention. But instead, fell into the antics of reunions, joining in on the practical jokes and chiding that seemed to be expected.

  She caught his glance for a fraction of a second. Just long enough. She laughed with his aunt, tossing her head back in response to something he couldn't hear. He watched from his peripheral vision as she casually made her way out the front door, pausing to actively listen to whoever stopped her on the way. The blood drained from his head, but he worked to make small talk with passersby.

  After an acceptable amount of time had passed, he pushed off from the table and slinked to the front door well aware of exactly where she would be waiting. He closed the door behind him as she pulled him to her, smashing mouths and twining limbs as closely as their upright, fully clothed bodies would allow.

  When would this fade? After all the years, how could there be so much that was new? The little sounds she made when he touched her. They could always communicate with a look or a gesture. That grew along with the way they worked as a team in everything they did.

  Then why was she suddenly pushing him away with both hands?

  The look on her face made him sigh, long and heavy. "Hannah," he said.

  Rose nodded half smiling, half sorrowful.

  Squinting, he slowly pivoted to face his cousin.

  Crossed arms, she looked smug with a hip cocked so far to the side she could have been double jointed. A cat with a canary. "You're making out with Rosemarie."

  "Yes, I know that." Turning his head away from her slightly, he kept his eyes on hers. "How much?"

  Hannah held out a hand, palm up. "Five bucks ought to do it."

  He dipped his head and looked at her through his lashes as he dug in his pocket. He slapped the bill in her hand but didn't let go. "Swear to it." He felt a little pride in the canning of his younger cousin.

  He and Rose watched until Hannah finished strutting around the side of the house toward the back.

  "She had her arm wrenched behind her." Rose leaned a shoulder against the front of the house with one ankle crossing the other. "Likely had her fingers crossed."

  "Do you care?" He walked up and placed his hands on her hips, closing the distance between them.

  Rose shrugged. "It's handy."

  "Annoying."

  "Play it by ear?"

  "Mmm." He covered her mouth with his and quickly forgot what they were talking about.

  * * *

  A small army formed. Sides were aligned, and arsenals of squirt guns and water balloons were chosen. Others picked up a last game of baseball out in the field behind the completed Reed guesthouse. Together, Rose and Andy taught a handful of the younger kids how to catch crawfish from the warm creek. When it was too dark to see the water any longer, they rinsed black mud from several sets of small toes.

  "They liked getting their feet washed and dried nearly as much as squishing the mud between their toes." She let Andy collapse first in the hammock that stretched under the tall deck.

  Crawling in next to him much like she'd done for years, she kept as much of a platonic distance between them as she could in a hammock. "True. It reminds me of when we were that age." She yawned quietly. "I feel like I haven't had a full night's sleep in weeks. Oh, yeah, I haven't had a full night's sleep in weeks."

  Andy clasped his hands as a pillow behind his head.

  Around them, parents covered snack food while the pyros from the group organized tubs of Black Cats and sparklers. Duncan was, as always, ringmaster of the larger fireworks.

  Rocking in the hammock, she and Andy discussed their next weekend trip and decided on a change of pace to Binghamton rather than climbing at Catskills. She let out the air from her lungs. "Questions will come up if we run off to spend the weekend together there. It won't just be a climbing trip."

  Her body tensed as Andy slipped an arm under her head and the other around her waist. "I'm pretty sure Brie already knows." He rotated her body, tucking her back close to him.

  "Well, hell. I thought we were going to play it by ear."

  Andy nipped her lobe and twined their legs. "Wake me up when Duncan is ready to start the boomers."

  Shivering from the feel of Andy's teeth, she let her head lay limp on his arm. She snuggled against him, trying to ignore the dozens of pairs of eyes that would certainly be glued to them. Never had she dreamed this would happen. Andy. She'd been in love with him longer than she could remember. Had always expected they would be there for each other. As best friends. Now, he was in love with her. With her. She would tell him. She would tell him of her feelings soon. And of her... idea.

  * * *

  The next few weeks felt like a well-oiled machine for Andy. Days building houses. Stolen evenings with his best friend and lover. Although part of him wanted to kick himself for missing the fact that she had been right under his nose all along. Another part, the more sensible part, knew any time before now would have been too soon.

  It was a rare night when they would have more than just stolen moments on a blanket in front of the lake or at the guesthouse. Since the rain would have made either option uncomfortable, it worked out well that tonight was dinner out and the rest of the evening to spend together without being rushed or exhausted at a late hour.

  But when he reached her house, she wasn't there. Neither was her mom or sister, or even the pup. It might not have been so unsettling, except her stepdad made it sound like he didn't know when she was coming back. Stepping away from the door, Dave silently invited him in. Holy shit, he was a big man. Getting a closer
look, Andy added really pissed off to the description.

  Dave said just two words, "Sit down."

  A magnet seemed to pull Andy to the nearest chair. He sat upright, on the edge, trying hard to assess Dave's expression.

  Towering, Dave slowly paced back and forth across the living room floor, fingers threaded through the belt loops on the back of his detective slacks.

  Possibilities raced through Andy's head. "Is... Rose all right, sir?"

  Dave stopped and looked him in the eyes. "Cut the sir shit." Then, leaned back against the middle shelf of their entertainment center.

  Andy didn't know what to say. Claim ignorance? That would be sincere. He had no frigging clue what Dave was so mad about. Looking at his forever-intimidating gun holster, Andy decided on reverent silence. He watched Dave's eyes and movements carefully. Dave leaned over and pulled a short stack of papers from the shelf behind him.

  His face reddened as he passed the pile to Andy. "What game are you playing, son?"

  "Sir? ... I mean... Dave?" He took the papers but felt defensive at the accusation.

  "Have you or have you not been sneaking around with my daughter?"

  Sneaking around? What the hell? They were both legal adults, but... shit. Andy decided on the truth. This was Dave's daughter. "Well, yes, sort of, but it's not like that." Yes it is. "...it's new and confusing... I'm in with love her."

  Dave shoved off from where he was propped and started back with the pacing, shoving his hands through the sides of his hair. "Have you thought about what this will do to her?"

  Andy was definitely missing something. Sitting back in the chair, not just a little pissed off himself, he started leafing through the stack of papers. And his world crumbled beneath him.

  Chapter 13

  The first several papers were polite and articulate letters declining one NYU scholarship after another. The last was a class schedule for a junior college near Purdue University.

  Her future, her dreams.

  He dropped the papers in his lap, felt panic, confusion, and... betrayal. How could she keep this from him? They didn't keep anything from each other. Never had.

  He crushed the papers in his fists as the palms of his hands dug in his eyes. Trying to make sense of this. Keeping his eyes closed, he dropped his hands listlessly onto his lap, letting the papers fall to the floor. Standing, he instinctively folded his hands on the top of his head. It was his turn to pace, to stutter. What was she thinking? He collapsed on the edge of the couch with his elbows on knees and face in his hands. Unconsciously, he rocked back and forth as he tried to think.

  "You didn't know?" Dave sounded almost as shocked as Andy.

  Andy's thoughts and feelings became a dense fog as fix-it mode took over. He sat up trying to shake his head clear. "I'll fix this. I can fix this. Let me talk to her. Where is she?"

  "You really didn't know," Dave repeated.

  "Of course I didn't know. Do you think I would let her do this?" He raised his voice. "Where is she?"

  "We already tried talking to her. You know how she gets. Don't tell me what I am supposed to do. Ran out of the house slamming doors."

  Hadn't she said those exact words to Andy a few shorts weeks before? Of course she didn't tell him. She'd already made up that damned stubborn mind of hers. That damned beautiful stubborn mind. This wasn't enough time. He'd just found her, found them.

  "She made it sound like you were in it together. About being a grown woman. That she wasn't throwing away her future but following it."

  "I'll fix it," Andy whispered and slowly let his lids drop.

  * * *

  Rain drizzled on her windshield. Rose decided to do what she always did. Swim instead of sink. It wasn't her fault her parents didn't agree with her. Life was more than following some beaten path. It was about following what you knew was right. Following your heart. You can't help who you love or when that love presents itself.

  She wanted to be respectful to them. Realized that she'd ignored them as much as she did the wipers waving in front of her. She knew they were trying to do what they thought parents should do, but they simply didn't understand.

  She wasn't throwing her life away. She was changing the direction. She could still work with animals. She'd mapped all this out. Veterinarian assistant, animal shelter supervisor. As she pulled back into her driveway, she decided to be fair, apologize to her parents and politely reiterate that she was old enough to make her own decisions about her future.

  So, then why hadn't she told Andy about her plans, her... decisions? She sighed, admitting to herself a simple, basic fear. She hadn't even told him she was in love with him. He was just so... Andy. She would. Soon. No sinking.

  When she walked into her home, it was eerily quiet. She found her mom and Dave sitting at the kitchen table. Not eating or speaking. Just sitting. The dog didn't even do more than beat his tail on the floor when she entered the room. Her sister was nowhere to be found. "Did Andy come by?" She tried for normal, but it came out as needy.

  Her mom's bloodshot eyes turned to her. "Came and left."

  Sweat began to form around the hairline behind her neck. Surely they wouldn't have told him about the letters. That was personal. "What did... you say to him?"

  Dave answered, "I said you were gone."

  Relief seeped partially back into her body. This she could handle. She could apologize for being late and make it up to him. Then why were her hands shaking?

  "I'm sorry for getting carried away, raising my voice to you. He loves me. We want to be together."

  Jittery, her mom responded, "We've said our piece. Now, you need to make your own decisions, your own mistakes."

  "Andy is not a..." No, she wasn't starting that all over again. She placed one hand on top of her mom's, one on her stepfather's, then finished, "Thank you for always being there. I love you." As she left the silence of her kitchen, Rose thought of how warm Dave's hand felt. Her mother's cool and clammy.

  Deciding to walk to Andy's, she took the time to soundly stuff the argument with her folks securely in her subconscious, right next to her reluctance to tell Andy her feelings and plans.

  When she saw the Mustang in his drive, she felt reassured. She'd decided on dressy boots for the night. Not spiky heeled, but enough of a boost that she didn't look like a shrimp. A cream-colored, buttoned-down blouse lay just over her snug, light brown pants. Knowing she would still look out of place next to him, at least she would look prettier than when in her Chuck Taylors.

  He came out before she reached the door without as much as a hello. All right, she thought. Opening the car door for her, he asked if she had a place in mind for dinner.

  She shook her head as he shut the door and was sure he couldn't have seen her response. Driving awhile in silence, she felt uneasiness creep between them. It was the first time in her life she could remember silence with Andy as uncomfortable. "I'm sorry for being late. Where would you like to go?"

  "Azulo's."

  She looked intently into his face as he drove but could get nothing from his expression. Why wasn't he talking? Why wasn't she talking? Knots began to form in the back of her shoulders.

  She didn't feel hungry anymore. She assumed he didn't either as they sat in the Italian restaurant with him mostly moving his food around on his plate.

  He asked her how her day went and what her schedule was like for the next week. Hell, she could have been out to dinner with one of her teachers. The uneasiness changed to a cold that made her skin crawl.

  The evening continued much the same all the way to her front porch. "Would you like to meet later tonight?" As they stood together, she played with one of the buttons on his shirt to make sure he didn't misunderstand.

  "Maybe tomorrow." He looked in her eyes for an unsettling length of time.

  "Okay." She shuddered as if she was cold in the hot, humid night. "Um... talk to you tomorrow then." She reached in her purse for her keys, thinking how unbearably different this was from th
eir first embrace on her porch.

  Taking them in her hand, she looked up to say goodnight. He took the sides of her face. Kissed her urgently. It wasn't sweet. He didn't touch her, other than her face. Just kissed her long and hard.

  A cold chill crept down her spine like life was being pulled from it. He parted as she gasped, nearly losing her balance, mixing the uneasiness and cold into a solid fear.

  * * *

  Rose bounced out of bed at the sight of the buckets of early morning rain down her window. Feeling like she could smell it through the walls, she smiled and reached down to scratch Charcoal's belly. This much rain meant no landscaping today and no Greenberg Construction. She would work with Charcoal for a while on the signal to lie from across a room. She might try heeling up stairs and around corners. Then, she would drive to Andy's and see if he was able to sleep off his horrific mood.

  Casually, she went through her regular morning ritual, waiting for an appropriate time to call.

  "Good morning, Brie." Rose tapped her fingers on her thigh as she held the phone. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

  "No, no. What can I do for you?"

  Hmm. Formal. "Is Andy up and around?"

  The pause was long enough to unsettle her.

  "No... he left for the Greenberg central office, I believe he said."

  "Oh." No offer to leave a message? She chided herself for being ridiculous. Andy loves her. How many times had he said it now? How many plans had they made? How many talks of the future? "Well, thank you. I'll try him later."

  * * *

  Don Greenberg was a middle-aged man with the beginnings of a pouch bulging over his belt. Average height and balding, he still held an air of confidence and efficiency Andy respected. He also knew everyone and everything about running a general contracting business. "Come on in, son. Tell me what ails you."

  Nearing retirement, Don was easygoing and Andy recognized how much he enjoyed on-the-spot meetings. That would make this easier since the numbness had yet to subside. Andy was simply a machine going through the motions. "Things are going well on the job, honestly, thanks. I do think I might be able to save you near fifty grand, sir. Something I noticed on a site this week."