Still Waters...

by Crysal V. Rhodes

  Bev thanked God this and every other day for her family and their support. She didn’t know what she would do without them. She prayed hard that Dana would pull through this experience and that the two of them would be given a second chance to bond. She also sent up another prayer of thanks for someone else whose presence was proving to be invaluable—Ray Wilson.

  She watched him as he sat talking to Thad. He appeared to be as comfortable among the Stillwaters family as if he were one of them. It was clear that everyone in the room liked him, and why not? He was affable, considerate, and kind. Not only had he acquired the room for the benefit of Thad and Darnell and arranged transportation to the hospital for everyone there, but he had ordered a sumptuous buffet that had been set up for their convenience. Earlier, before Dana’s operation began, he had greeted Ginny and offered her comfort. Ginny and Ray had huddled together for some time talking like old friends, but Bev was not included in their conversation.

  Her cousin Gerry had taken an instant liking to Ray, just as his father had done. They made plans at some point to meet at Pebble Beach Golf Course for a few rounds of golf. Bev had to admit that the more that she was around Ray the more she found to like about him. It was becoming difficult to recall the negatives that she had amassed against him over the years.

  It was eleven o’clock in the evening when the doctor came to the family with the results of Dana’s operation. What they were told turned out to be encouraging. It had gone well. Dana was in recovery. As requested, Ginny was being allowed to stay at the hospital with her daughter. Everyone else was advised to leave.

  Gerry had business in San Diego, and his father was flying him down there. Bev wanted to stay with Ginny, but her mother insisted that she leave, get some rest, and come back tomorrow. Bev didn’t argue and was preparing to leave when she realized that she had made no arrangements for a place to stay. Thad and Darnell no longer owned a home in L.A. She turned to her cousins.

  “Where are you two staying?”

  “With me.” Ray stepped forward. “I don’t live far from here.”

  “Oh.” Bev’s brow furrowed. “Okay, so I’ll call one of the Come Right Inns and have them send a car for me.”

  “For what?” Ginny interrupted the conversation. “Isn’t she staying with you?” Looking baffled, Ginny turned to Ray.

  “That was the plan,” he answered.

  The furrows between Bev’s eyes deepened. “What plan?”

  “Ours,” Ginny and Ray spoke simultaneously.

  “Ray invited us to stay at his place,” Ginny continued, unaffected by the look of shock on Bev’s face.

  “I’ve got four bedrooms,” Ray added a little too quickly.

  Bev wasn’t happy. How dare they determine where she was going to sleep tonight, and without even consulting her! The rest of the conversation was a blur as alarm bells began ringing in her head. Every instinct that she possessed told her not to accept Ray’s invitation. Yet how could she do so without looking foolish, especially when her own mother had contributed to the planning?

  Everyone was tired, including her. If she insisted on staying at her family’s establishment she would have to wait for transportation, and she knew that someone in the family would insist on waiting with her or take the time and effort to drive her there. It was simpler to accept his hospitality.

  Ray drove ahead to his home to ready it for his guests. Bev rode with Darnell and Thad. By the time they arrived at Ray’s beautiful glass home high above Los Angeles, Bev was exhausted. She vaguely remembered being shown to her room, taking a shower, and slipping into bed. The last thing that she did recall thinking was that the bed into which she had so gratefully crawled belonged to Ray.

  * * *

  Bev was still battling the remnants of exhaustion when she awakened the next morning. Between the flight to L.A. and Dana’s operation, yesterday had been among the longest days in her life. As she snuggled between the soft, cotton sheets she was reluctant to leave her cozy bed. She peeked at the clock on the nightstand. It was ten o’clock. How she wished that she were back in Stillwaters, where peace and tranquility had reigned. Here in L.A., not only did she have to deal with Dana being ill, but she also knew that she would have to deal with the feelings that she was aware that Ray still held for her. That was a dilemma that she would rather not face.

  For over thirty years she had been content with the memory of having loved only one man—Colton Cameron. Their love affair had been a young girl’s dream come true. After his death, she had poured all of the love that she’d felt for him into their daughter and held onto her dream of the past. Over the years there had been other men in her life, but none that she took seriously. They had failed to awaken that special something within her heart that her husband had aroused, but she had begun to realize that with Ray she was beginning to feel a stirring of something familiar. That’s why she kept her distance. It bothered her. It frightened her.

  Bev sat up in the bed. Her heart escalated at the very thought of how her world would change if her dream was threatened. She couldn’t let that happen. If she took a chance and opened her heart to any possibility with Ray, then—

  Her mind went blank. Then what? Would her insulated world come to an end? Not likely. She would survive. That was a tempting thought, and one that might be worth exploring.

  Ray was standing in the kitchen at the burner in the center island when Bev breezed in with her cell phone pressed to her ear. She nodded an acknowledgement as Ray mouthed a “good morning.”

  He watched her surreptitiously as she continued talking. As usual, she looked good. Dressed in stylish designer jeans that hugged the curves of her shapely body and a starched white shirt accented with several strands of gold chains, she wore soft leather sandals on her feet. Ray noticed that her toenails were polished a deep, wine red that matched the polish on her manicured nails. He liked that. As he moved around the kitchen he caught snatches of her telephone conversation.

  “Mama, I doubt if Dana will need a nightgown for a while so…” She looked frustrated as she paced the length of the kitchen. “But…but…”

  As Ray scooped the fluffy eggs that he had scrambled into a dish, he noticed Bev deflate. Whatever Ginny was saying on the other end, her daughter had relented.

  “All right, I’ll see if Darnell knows where it is. If so, then I’ll go.” She disconnected and slipped the phone into her pocket.

  Ray picked up on her distress. “Is everything okay?” He moved to the kitchen nook and put the dish of eggs on the table.

  “Yes.” Bev wandered to the table and took a seat. “It’s just that my mother can be so difficult at times.” She ran her hand across her short hair. “Is Darnell still here?”

  Ray walked to the refrigerator to retrieve a pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice. “No, she and Thad ate earlier and left. They’re going to her music studio and then on to the hospital.”

  “Oh.” Bev sounded disappointed as she pressed speed dial on her cell phone. There was a pause as she waited for her daughter to answer. “Hi, baby. Are you somewhere that you can talk?”

  As Ray moved the other breakfast foods to the table, he heard her ask Darnell if she knew where she could get a key to Dana’s house. The answer must have been in the affirmative as Bev explained the reason for the inquiry.

  “Mama wants me to go there and get her nightgown, robe, and slippers.”

  Darnell must have made some comment, because whatever was said Bev heartily agreed. They said their farewells and Bev slouched in her chair. She looked resigned.

  “Are you ready to eat?” Ray placed the last bowl on the table and took a seat opposite her.

  She looked up at him as if noting his presence for the first time. Her eyes shifted to the food spread out before her. “What’s this?”

  Ray indicated the bounty. “It’s breakfast. I was waiting until you came down.” He began to fill his plate. “Eat.”

  She obeyed, spearing a fork into a slice of bacon o
n the platter and putting it on her plate. “Where’s your housekeeper? I’d like to thank her for cooking all of this.”

  “I don’t have one. A cleaning service and a gardener are the only help I have around here. You’re looking at the chief cook and bottle washer.”

  Bev looked taken aback. “My, aren’t you full of surprises.”

  Ray grinned. “I try to be, but actually my mother taught me to take care of myself.” With a comical wiggle of his brows he popped a spoonful of eggs into his mouth. “Hmmm, good, just like Mama used to make.”

  Bev shook her head at his antics. “Nut.” She dug into her food with relish.

  Ray couldn’t deny the pleasure he felt at her being here in his home. In his wildest dreams he’d never thought that this would happen, and she seemed so comfortable. She had barely reacted when she was told that they were here alone, and he wanted to please her.

  “I heard you talking to Darnell about going to Dana’s house to get some things for her.”

  “Yes.” Bev cut into her bacon daintily. “She told me that Dana hides a key outside of her house and that will get me in. What’s the name of the car service you use? I’ve got to call and have one sent to take me there.”

  “I’ll take you.” Ray kept eating.

  “No, you don’t have to do that.” She was touched by his thoughtfulness. “You’ve done enough—the phone call, the waiting room, the limos to the hospital, even opening your own house to us. I can’t let you do one more thing. I’ll call a service…”

  “I said that I’ll take you.”

  Bev knew by the finality in his voice that further resistance was not an option. She didn’t argue.

  “All right, but I’ll pay for the gas.”

  The look that he gave her said that wasn’t going to happen. He resumed eating.

  From across the table, Bev studied Ray. She hadn’t been wrong when she described him to Grandy as a good man. The more she got to know him the warmer her feelings toward him grew. He had gone out of his way to accommodate everyone in her family and for that she was grateful, but, like old habits, old suspicions die hard.

  “Why are you doing all of this for us?” She grabbed a slice of toast and began buttering it. “I know that you and Dana were out of sorts when you left town. Do you feel guilty about what happened in Stillwaters? Is that why you’re doing so much? Or is it because of your relationship with Thad and Darnell?”

  “It’s pretty simple. I’m just a nice guy.” Reaching across the table he took Bev’s empty dishes, stacked them on top of his, and got up from the table. Then he looked down at her. “And I want to impress you.” He walked away.

  Bev took a bite of her toast. If she hadn’t asked he wouldn’t have answered. She bet that she would keep her mouth shut from now on.

  CHAPTER 10

  The drive to Dana’s condo was a quiet one. Bev didn’t want to hear another one of Ray’s declarations. She hadn’t decided how to handle the last one. What was so unnerving was how unaffected he seemed to be about it. Ray had simply continued doing what he was doing. He cleaned up the kitchen, grabbed his car keys, and they headed for the Valley. Bev didn’t quite know how she wanted to handle the situation, and there was an air of anticipation in the car. It was clear that each of them expected the other to say something, but when Bev did break the silence she was sure that what she said wasn’t exactly what he had expected to hear.

  “After you left town, some of the family told me that Dana was going around asking people about the last times they were in L.A. They thought that she was trying to see if anybody came to town and didn’t contact her.”

  “Oh, really?” Ray was noncommittal. He was glad that she had broken the impasse between them, but he had an idea where the conversation was heading.

  “I thought that it was kind of strange.” Bev slid a sideward glance his way, but Ray kept his eyes on the road. She continued, “I asked her what was going on and she told me that when she found out I’d be the first to know.” She paused and looked out the window. “That was the last thing that she said to me.”

  Ray heard the question that lay beneath the surface of Bev’s words. He wasn’t one for subtleties.

  “Don’t beat around the bush with me, Bev. You still want to know why Dana came home, and like I said to you before, that was for her to tell you, not me.”

  Bev wasn’t offended by his straightforwardness. She liked it. He wasn’t a man to play games.

  “You’re right, and what I’m hearing you say indirectly is that it won’t benefit me to know. Correct?”

  Ray shook his head. “I don’t think it will.”

  Bev understood. Her sister was fighting for her life. It was the present that mattered, not the past. She let the matter drop, for now.

  Dana’s two story condo was located on a cul-de-sac in a complex of one hundred stucco buildings which all looked alike—painted yellow with red tile roofs. Shrubbery was planted on either side of every entrance. The only thing distinguishing each structure was the address. Ray pulled into the driveway of 4468 Lion Road. He got out of the car and opened Bev’s door. Exiting, she looked around the deserted streets cautiously before bending down next to the shrubbery and digging in the dirt. A second later she rose with a key in her hand.

  Ray followed her up the stairs and she let them inside. The interior of Dana’s house was dark and cool. The air conditioner was running and the vertical blinds at the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room were drawn. Bev pulled them open and sunshine flooded the room, revealing expensive furnishing placed carefully by someone with an eye for decorating.

  As Bev went up the stairway to her sister’s bedroom, Ray waited in the living room with her on his mind. He sure hoped that her comfort level with him continued because he was really into this graceful, intelligent woman. Bev was very special. He respected her and he wanted—no, he needed—a woman like that in his life.

  Ray started to walk to the window to look out when a glint from something on the floor caught his eye. He bent to retrieve the item. It was a diamond earring, heart shaped and very expensive. Dana had certainly been careless. He wondered if she had even missed it.

  He turned to head upstairs to give the earring to Bev so that she could put it with Dana’s other jewelry when an agonizing yelp from above had him taking the stairs two at a time. There at the top he found Bev sprawled on the floor, an open briefcase at her feet. Papers from its interior were scattered about.

  “Are you all right?” He bent to examine the sandal-clad foot that she was holding.

  “No, it hurts,” Bev confessed from between clenched teeth. “That briefcase was sitting at the top of the stairs and I tripped over it. No wonder Dana fell down the…Heeey!”

  Bev squealed as Ray swept her up into his arms. “What are you doing?” She was mortified. “Put me down!”

  Ray ignored her. “Where’s the bedroom?”

  “The bedroom?” Bev croaked. “What do you want the bedroom for?” At the moment she could think of only one reason. Thankfully Ray’s mind wasn’t in the same place.

  “I need to put you on something softer than the floor so that I can get a closer look at that foot.”

  A few steps took him into Dana’s bedroom. Bev was stiff as a board. She wasn’t comfortable, and neither was he. The fragrance she wore was different from the one she’d worn the night that they danced together, but it was just as lethal. He felt a sense of relief when he deposited her on the bed. So did Bev.

  Being in Ray’s arms made her aware of the chemistry between them. She was happy to be released.

  Ray exhaled sharply in order to gather himself as he gently took Bev’s sandal off. He began to feel her foot for broken bones and examine it for bruises.

  “It feels much better now,” Bev lied as his probing intensified the heat spreading throughout her body.

  “Really?” Ray pressed on the area near her ankle. She winced. He looked at her. “Uh-uh.”

  “I didn�
�t break anything,” she retorted, wishing that he would just leave her alone. “I’m okay.”

  Ray rose and looked down at her. Her mouth was set. Her arms were crossed. She didn’t look pleased at all.

  “I’ll tell you what. You relax here for a while, and if you don’t mind I’m going to get that briefcase you tripped over and put it in the car.”

  “Why?” Bev’s interest seemed minimal as she massaged her ankle.

  “I noticed the initials on the top. The case belonged to Mitch, and I’d like to go through some of the legal papers in it.” Ray tried to sound nonchalant.

  Bev shrugged. “It’s okay, I don’t think Dana would mind.”

  Ray stepped into the hallway and gathered the papers on the floor. He stuffed them into the leather case, closed it, and headed downstairs. He would go through Mitch’s papers and see if he could find a clue as to what Dana’s last words to him might mean.

  When he returned upstairs he found Bev on her feet. It was apparent that she was in pain.

  “What are you doing?”

  Bev jumped, startled by Ray’s unexpected reappearance. She had been determined to be mobile before his return. She didn’t want him picking her up again.

  “I can walk,” she insisted as she tried to limp slowly across the room. She didn’t get far before Ray swept her up into his arms a second time.

  “Raaaay!” Bev kicked her feet in protest. “Put me down!”

  “Noooo,” Ray mocked her as he carried her downstairs and toward the door. She had opened her mouth to continue her protest when he covered it with his mouth. Bev tried to resist, but the kiss deepened. Her eyelids fluttered shut. The heat within intensified and her world began to whirl. Then it all came to a screeching halt. The kiss ended. Ray drew back. Bev’s eyes popped open.

  “I guess that’ll shut you up.” Shifting her in his arms, Ray continued walking.

  * * *