Elizabeth's Choice

by Lyle, Linda;

  “Hello.”

  “Hello, Elizabeth. Are you awake?” The sound of Alex’s voice jerked her into reality.

  “I am now. What time is it?”

  “It’s about four-thirty.”

  “Four-thirty? Is something wrong?” Elizabeth’s mind quickly jumped to a worst-case scenario. “Is something wrong with your father?”

  “No. Relax. I just need a favor.” Alex laughed. His obvious lack of regret for waking her up did nothing for her attitude.

  “What do you want, Alex?”

  “Remember the research you did for the senator?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Where did you put it? I brought it home to finish over the weekend because you said you needed it today.”

  “I do need it today. I have a nine o’clock flight to Chicago for a meeting with the senator.”

  “Oh.” Elizabeth put her hand to her forehead as if it would help solve the delimma.

  “Oh, is right. Is there anyway you could bring it over to my house in the next hour?”

  “Yes. It’ll take me a few minutes to get ready.”

  “Good. Then, I’ll see you within the hour.” He hung up the telephone before she could say good-bye. She mumbled about how ungrateful he was and how inconsiderate he was as she made her way to the shower. She was slow in getting started and when she glanced at her Bible on the nightstand she shook her head. She didn’t have time this morning. Her new resolution for daily Bible study would have to wait for another morning. She jerked on some jeans and a T-shirt and brushed her hair. She would have to come back to finish getting ready for work. She grabbed her briefcase, checking to make sure the information was inside before she rushed out the door.

  ❧

  Alex hung up the phone with a smile. Everything was going as planned. Elizabeth should arrive within the hour and park in front. Scott would arrive not long after that and park around at the garage. It was perfect.

  ❧

  Scott pulled his car in behind Alex’s in the rear driveway. He tried the back door, but it was locked. As he started around the corner, the front door opened. Scott slipped into the shadow of the oak tree. His throat constricted. Coming out of Alex’s house at 5:15 a.m. was a rather disheveled Elizabeth. He watched as she hurried to her car. He waited until her car was well out of sight and Alex had gone in before he moved from his hiding place.

  Alex’s housekeeper answered the door and ushered him into the sitting room. He perched on the Queen Anne sofa and tried to sort out what he had just seen. A few minutes later he was still sitting in a daze when Alex came in with suitcase in hand.

  “Perfect timing, Golden Boy.” Scott jerked at the sound of Alex’s voice and then scrambled to act normal.

  “I try.”

  “Did you park in front of the garage?”

  “Of course. I always park in front of the garage.”

  “Just checking.” Alex smiled, making Scott feel uneasy. “Well, let’s go.”

  Scott followed Alex to an expensive uptown garage where they left Alex’s Mercedes. Then they drove to the Baltimore Washington International Airport. Neither brother spoke until they arrived.

  “Thanks for the lift, Golden Boy.” Alex retrieved his luggage from the back seat.

  “Stop calling me that.”

  “What?”

  “You know what.”

  “It’s just a nickname, little brother. Ease up.”

  “Well, I don’t like it.”

  “I’ll try to remember that.”

  “See that you do.”

  Alex inclined his head to the right and shrugged his shoulders before heading in the direction of departures. Scott moved toward the sign marked arrivals. There was no need to hurry. Claire Bowden’s flight didn’t arrive until ten. He checked the screen to make sure it was on time and then headed for the coffee vendor.

  ❧

  Alex whistled as he waited in line and greeted the counter clerk with his most charming smile.

  “Can I help you, sir?”

  “I just need to checkin.” Alex handed her his ticket and watched her pull up the information. She smiled up at him as she worked. He made a mental note of her name, and she handed him his boarding pass.

  “Thanks, Carly.”

  “You’re welcome, Mr. McClintock.” She gave him a knowing look.

  “Call me Alex.”

  “Okay, Alex. Your flight is boarding now. Let me know if I can be of any assistance at all.” She slid a business card over the counter. Alex picked it up. Her home phone number had been written in ink on the back.

  “I’ll be sure to do that.” He smiled and pocketed the card. He whistled his way to the plane. Things were definitely going better than planned.

  ❧

  Scott drank his coffee. He still had thirty minutes to kill. He made his way through the metal detectors and took a chair in the waiting area, where he twisted and turned in his chair, unable to get comfortable. Finally, he stood near the exit door, leaning against the wall.

  When the passengers began to file out, he had no trouble spotting Claire Bowden. She was model-tall and thin, with blond hair cut in a short, modern style. She waved and he nodded, and for the first time that morning, he smiled.

  “Hi, Scott.”

  “Hello, Claire. How was your flight?”

  “Long. I hope I didn’t cause any inconvenience.”

  “Of course not. I had to drop my brother off anyway. Now, let’s get your luggage and get out of here.”

  “I’m right behind you.”

  Fifteen minutes later the luggage was stowed and they were on their way to the hotel. He carried her bags in and stood beside her as she signed her name and address. She picked up the key as the bell-hop picked up her luggage.

  “I’ll let you get settled in, and then I’ll come by and take you to lunch around noon. How’s that sound?”

  “That sounds great. I’ll see you then.” Scott snapped his fingers and turned back.

  “Before I forget, would you like to come to church with me on Wednesday night. We’re having a Bible study and then the singles are having a get together of sorts.”

  “Sounds like fun. I’d love to.”

  “Great. I’ll see you at lunch.” Scott waved and then headed for his car. He pointed the car toward his office and got his mind back on business where it was supposed to be. He wouldn’t think about Elizabeth.

  ❧

  Elizabeth left Alex’s house at 5:15 and hurried back to her apartment. She would have just enough time to get ready, eat breakfast, and get to work on time. Alex had a way of making her life too complicated.

  She made it to what should have been her desk just before eight. What she found was a stack of papers in the general shape of a desk. Her shoulders dropped as she surveyed the mess. But She didn’t stand there long. Soon, she was organizing and prioritizing the pool of papers into neat stacks. The next two days went by in a blur of work and hastily eaten dinners. There was no time for thoughts of Alex or Scott.

  ten

  “Call for you on line five, Elizabeth,” Joan called down the hall. Elizabeth headed for the phone on the conference table. She groaned in frustration. She would never get all this work done if people didn’t stop calling to see if she was done yet. She yanked the receiver from its holder.

  “This is Elizabeth.” Her voice was more brusque than professional.

  “Hi, Elizabeth. This is Melanie from Cedar Heights Community Church. Did I call at a bad time?” Elizabeth could hear the hesitation in the other woman’s voice, and a twinge of guilt pricked at her heart.

  “No. It’s okay. I thought you were my boss calling to check on my progress. Thanks to them I make very little progress. It’s nice to hear from you.” Elizabeth emphasized the word you, hoping to make up for her rude behavior.

  “I know what you mean. My boss does that to me sometimes. But let me get to the point. I don’t want to keep you too long. I called because we’re having a singles’ f
ellowship after Bible study tonight, and we wanted to invite you.”

  “Oh. That sounds great. I really enjoyed Sunday.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. Can you come?”

  “Sure. Can I bring anything?”

  “No. Everything’s taken care of. Just bring yourself and a friend, if you want.”

  “It’ll just be me.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll see you tonight. Have a good day, Elizabeth.”

  “Thanks, I believe I will now. Bye.” Elizabeth hung up the phone and felt a surge of new energy. She set about her work with a new attitude. Four hours later, she glanced at the clock and was surprised to see it was almost time to leave. She looked at the stack of finished work on her desk with satisfaction. It didn’t take long for her to clean up and put things away. Ten minutes later, she was in her car and headed for home. There was enough time for her to grab a bite to eat, freshen up, and get her Bible before she left for church.

  Her excitement rose with each passing mile. Her heart was singing because she knew Scott would be there tonight. She had finally met someone she could really talk to about… well, about everything. She sensed his attraction to her as well. It was going to be a great night. Pulling into the parking lot, she chose a space near the end of the building. As she entered the education building, she pushed down the nervous feeling that threatened to overcome her and send her running for home.

  “Elizabeth. It’s great to see you again.” Elizabeth jumped and looked around. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” It was another member of the class.

  “I didn’t hear you come in. I guess I’m a little jumpy tonight.”

  “Hard day at work.”

  “Yeah. You could say three hard days.”

  “I know what you mean. I don’t know what I would do without these refuelings on Wednesday nights. I don’t think I would make it until Sunday without them.”

  Together they entered the classroom, and Elizabeth didn’t feel so overwhelmed. Looking around, she noticed several familiar faces, but she still wasn’t sure about some of the names. She was pulled into the group and, to her relief, reintroduced to several people. They were all friendly and she chatted, but kept one eye on the door. Just as everyone was about to take a seat, a beautiful blond walked in followed by Scott. He put his hand on her back and guided her to a chair. Elizabeth’s heart stopped for a moment and then began to beat unsteadily.

  “Everyone, I’d like you to meet Claire Bowden.”

  There was a general round of greetings. The whole scene was like a replay of Sunday, except Scott had another woman on his arm. A knot started to form in her stomach as she realized that he was just being friendly last weekend, trying to make her feel at home. She tried to compose her face into a relaxed smile.

  She spent the entire Bible study trying to look engrossed in the study. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she caught Scott’s profile and her heart jumped in her chest, but he seemed not to even notice that she was there. After the closing prayer, everyone was invited to the dining hall for snacks and fellowship. Elizabeth followed the group, and Melanie dropped into line beside her.

  “How’s it going?” Elizabeth smiled in relief to see a friendly face.

  “It’s okay. I’m just a little tired.”

  “This morning it sounded like you were having a tough day.” Melanie’s eyes crinkled with concern.

  “You know how it goes. When it rains, it pours.”

  They got in line at the snack table, and Elizabeth had to force herself not to turn and stare at Scott. As the night went on, she decided that it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. He couldn’t see the forest for the trees or should she say tree—all of his attentions were focused on Claire. Elizabeth knew a sharp pang of jealousy. She swallowed it like a pill. Why would he want her when he could have someone as beautiful as Claire?

  “Why don’t we go over and introduce ourselves to our visitor?” Melanie asked.

  “I don’t know. I’m still a visitor myself.”

  “Well that’s another good reason to make her feel welcome. Besides, you’re not a visitor. Like the pastor says, if you’ve been here once, you’re no longer a visitor.”

  Elizabeth felt herself being propelled across the room and knew what it must be like to walk to her own execution. She pasted a smile on her face and pulled her shoulders up. If she was going to die, she would do it with grace.

  “Hi, Scott. What was your friend’s name again?” Melanie’s smile was one of genuine welcome.

  “Hi, Melanie. This is Claire Bowden. Claire, this is Melanie, an old friend.” He smiled and touched Melanie’s arm.

  “Nice to meet you.” Even Claire’s voice was beautiful to Elizabeth’s ears.

  “Nice to meet you, Claire. As for you, Mister,” Melanie said, pointing her finger at his nose, “you just watch who you’re calling old.”

  They all laughed, but Elizabeth felt as if she were standing outside looking in a window. Then Melanie pulled her forward.

  “Claire, this is one of our new members, Elizabeth Jordan.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “Hello,” was all Elizabeth could manage to push past the lump in her throat. Scott nodded, his only recognition of her presence. Melanie kept the conversation going, asking all the right questions while Elizabeth stood by mute, until Melanie led Claire away on the pretense of showing her the new bride’s room, leaving Elizabeth and Scott alone. They stood there for what seemed an eternity until Scott finally broke the silence.

  “Did you have a nice weekend?”

  “Of course, you should know.” She was taken aback by the question, considering she had spent most of the weekend with him.

  “Have you seen my brother lately?”

  “No. He’s on a business trip to Chicago.” He looked angry at her reply, but she couldn’t think why. He stood there for a few seconds. “I’d better go check on Claire.” He strode away, leaving Elizabeth alone in the middle of the room. Feeling conspicuous, she looked around for some means of escape, but everyone seemed involved in their own conversations. She picked up her purse and slipped quietly out the side door.

  All the way home, she went over and over the evening in her mind. Her stomach lurched, and her chest felt like lead. She had obviously been mistaken about Scott. He was obviously trying to get rid of her unwanted attentions. Tears threatened to fall, but she held them back. It was her own fault for jumping to conclusions. She must have been crazy to think that he would be interested in her.

  Her townhouse seemed lonelier than usual, and she turned on some music to fill the quiet, but nothing sounded right. She flipped through all of her tapes and CDs, but she could still hear and see the whole evening replaying in her mind. Every memory brought a fresh wave of humiliation and pain. It was just like the prom all over again—standing alone in the crowd, looking for somewhere to belong. She had thought she had found it at Cedar Heights but she must have been wrong. She didn’t belong anywhere. She tried to push the thoughts aside as she got ready for bed, but the minute she lay down in the darkness, the tears began to flow.

  “Oh, God, help me,” she whispered. Then the darkness settled.

  eleven

  Thursday morning Elizabeth looked in the mirror and groaned. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying herself to sleep. She spent an extra ten minutes and an extra layer of makeup trying to cover up her distress. A last look in the mirror told her that the effect was minimal, but she didn’t have time to try anything else. When she got to work, she went straight to her office, avoiding the usual morning pleasantries over coffee in the breakroom. She spent the entire morning with her head bent over her work. Thankfully, she was left to herself all morning. But the reprieve was not to last long—just before high noon trouble arrived.

  “Hello, Elizabeth.”

  She didn’t have to raise her head to recognize the voice. She kept her head down as she worked. “Hello, Alex.”

  “Busy?” He sat on the edge of her desk.


  “Yes.”

  “Well, everyone has to take a break for lunch. Boss’ orders.”

  “Which boss?” Elizabeth continued to look at her desk.

  “Me. By the way, when the boss speaks you’re supposed to pay attention.”

  “I am paying attention.”

  “Then stop working and look at me.” He reached down and pulled her chin up so that she was looking him in the eye. “Elizabeth, what’s wrong?” His voice was filled with a concern that took her by surprise.

  “Nothing.” She pulled her face away from his hand.

  “It looks like something to me, but I won’t push. Whatever it is, why don’t you come to lunch with me and forget all about it for a while.”

  “There’s nothing to forget. It’s just allergies.”

  “Whatever you say. Let’s go to lunch.” Alex stood as if to go.

  “I’ll just order in later.” She looked up, her mouth drawn in a firm line.

  “Whatever you say.” He held his hands palms out and left as quietly as he came.

  Elizabeth was surprised that he took the hint so quickly. Maybe she had gotten her point across after all. She was still bent over her work twenty minutes later when Alex’s secretary stopped in front of her desk with a take out box.

  “What’s this?”

  “Mr. McClintock told me to bring this to you.” She shrugged her shoulders and left.

  She opened the box and a delicious aroma filled the office. Sweet ’n’ Sour pork and oriental rice with an eggroll, her favorite. Her stomach growled in appreciation. She smiled in spite of her promise never to have anything to do with Alex. Though, it was thoughtful of him.

  ❧

  Back in his office, Alex knew a moment of triumph. From the look on her face, he could tell that Scott had given her the brush off. He sat down in his chair, hands pressed together as if in prayer, but prayer was the last thing on his mind. What would be his next step? He contemplated the question for a few moments. A smile spread across his face as the answer came. He knew exactly what to do.

  ❧