PassionsPoison

by Lexi Post

  The crowd settled to a dull roar and Craig tried again to explain the carving’s story. Bea continued to admire it when she caught sight of an indentation on the left side. Not wanting to stand in the way of the audience, she slipped around the back and stood next to Zach.

  She gasped. Craig hesitated in his speech and looked at her. She waved him on before turning back to the carving. Zach had included a heart, much like she had drawn in grammar school, only this one was special. Inside the carved heart were the initials BR + ZW, TLA.

  Bea’s heart swelled. True love always. A phrase as a child that seemed mushy and dramatic, but today it took her breath away. Pure joy flooded her veins even as fear pestered her spine. She turned to Zach.

  He mouthed the words she’d just read as he placed a hand over his heart. She gave him a tremulous smile and whispered, “Always.”

  He pulled her against his side as they waited for the ceremony to finish. When people started to head inside for refreshments, she faced Zach. “Can you stay for a while? I could find us a room and we could test Josh’s cure.”

  His face lit, but as he opened his mouth to answer, his dad joined them and clapped him on the shoulder. “Zach, this is brilliant!”

  Bea stepped away as others crowded around Zach, praising his work, asking for his card or giving him theirs. She could envision every business in town with a Zach Woodman carving on their threshold. The town might even become known as the town with the great wooden carvings, which could increase tourist traffic. Her education must have stayed with her for her to be thinking in that vein. Maybe a chat with her dad Mathew couldn’t hurt.

  Zach looked at her over the heads of those gathered around him and shrugged.

  She chuckled. As the most humble man she knew, he seemed lost among the accolades. She pointed inside and he nodded in understanding. As she walked away, she had the sinking feeling that time together would not happen for another night.

  Her frustration grew. Instead of fearing the result of their lovemaking, now she wanted to know, desperately needed to know. Today she had committed to being with Zach always. Now she had to know what that future would be like and somehow, some way, come to terms with it.

  * * * * *

  Bea threw the pen onto the desk. What the hell was wrong with her? She should be excited, thrilled, elated, to see Zach tonight. Instead she couldn’t concentrate and the blasted columns wouldn’t add up.

  She stood and walked around her desk to stare out the window. It had been five days since the supposed cure took place. Now anticipation warred with anxiousness, causing her to reach for the Tums again, though it was only eleven in the morning. Chewing a couple of the chalky tablets, she crossed her arms over her stomach. Great, at this rate she’d arrive at Zach’s crippled with stomach pain.

  She turned and leaned against the sill. When Zach had called a couple hours ago to let her know his parents had left, she’d been excited, but her mind wouldn’t stop thinking about tomorrow morning. Then they would know what the rest of their lives would be like. She brought her finger to her mouth and chewed on her nail. Pulling her hand away, she swore. “Damn it.”

  If only she could focus on the night ahead instead of the morning after. She would be arriving naked and that thought alone should have had her blood heating, but the fear returned and turned her blood colder than the depths of the lake in spring. Maybe if she checked on the caterer for the evening’s—

  “Bea, you have visitors.” Kayla leaned against the doorway, a pile of receipts in her hand and a frown on her face. It appeared her own irritation had become contagious.

  “Who is it?”

  Kayla pushed away from the door and sat at the side counter. “It’s your dad and that cop.”

  Bea tensed. Chris was here? Why? She’d left him a message letting him know they’d discovered the letter writer. And her dad? “Kayla, which dad?”

  She sighed. “Tony.”

  Bea squeezed behind Kayla and rested her hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry I’m such a bear today. Gary has the front. Why don’t you take a break from the receipt work and find us both a cup of coffee? After I’m done, maybe we can talk about Josh.”

  Kayla’s shoulders fell. “Yeah, I could use some more caffeine and the chat. Thanks.”

  Bea strode into the lobby to find Tony talking to Chris, in his uniform this time. They stood to the side of the front doors, away from the front desk. “Dad?”

  Tony switched his gaze to her and she glimpsed a melting in his dark-brown eyes before he distanced himself and resumed his usual professional aura. “Bea, I understand you called Chris about the letters Phillip wrote you.”

  She stared at Chris, who appeared uncomfortable, as well he should be. He’d contacted Tony behind her back. She turned to her dad. “Yes. I didn’t know Phillip had sent them and asked Chris for help. But when we discovered they were from Phillip, I let him know he didn’t need to waste his time.”

  She caught Tony’s glance toward Chris. Her dad already realized he may have been used for other than clearly revealed purposes. “I see.” He paused.

  That’s what she liked about Tony. He didn’t ruffle easily. He took his time to think through his options.

  He locked gazes with her. “Since Philip’s machinations did no harm, we don’t have anything concrete we can charge him with.”

  She agreed. In other words, they couldn’t reveal Phillip had tried to kill her with an antivenom.

  Tony continued. “However, I do believe Phillip is a threat to you. Would you agree, Bea? Based on the letters you received and your last conversations with him, would you say he may be dangerous? I would venture to say he’s showing signs of insanity, but that is between the three of us. I’m no expert in that area.”

  Tony faced Chris. “Would it be possible to obtain a restraining order against Phillip?”

  Chris hesitated. “I’m not sure. Since Phillip didn’t actually cause Bea any physical harm…”

  Bea had to agree. “I do believe Phillip is a threat, but, Dad, didn’t Mom tell him I died when I went into the hospital?”

  “She did, but you know your mother is not the best liar. I’d feel more comfortable if we could do something legally.”

  Chris jumped in. “I agree, Bea. You need to be protected.”

  Her irritation climbed another notch and she couldn’t let the comment go. “I am protected, Chris. I have Zach.” She ignored Chris’ fallen face and returned her attention to her father. “Maybe you could have a chat with Phillip’s employer, professional to professional. I understand Phillip has been using their lab for personal reasons. The company also sends him to Maine a lot. Perhaps his boss could keep him closer to home in Massachusetts. It’s not a guarantee, but it would limit his opportunities to bother me.”

  Tony seemed pleased. “I agree it’s no guarantee, but it’s another hurdle in his path to you. And in the meantime, Chris, if you could check into a restraining order and see what we need, I’d like to pursue that as well.”

  “Yes sir. I’d be happy to help with that.”

  Chris was so anxious to do what he could. She shouldn’t have thrown Zach in his face. Chris couldn’t help it if he was a little overzealous. She laid a hand on his arm. “Thank you. I appreciate it.” She spoke to her dad. “If worst came to worst, we could always ask Gerry to pay Phillip a visit. Gerry would—”

  Chris interrupted. “I don’t want to hear this. Maybe talk about that option privately?”

  Bea sighed. “If only Phillip would find someone else to fall in love with. Someone who could return his feelings, then we could all go back to having normal lives without strange letters and weird potions, and being followed, and—”

  Tony put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s all right, Bea. Chris and I will handle this. You stay close to Zach until we see how Philip reacts, okay?”

  She nodded, too wound up to speak.

  Tony shook hands with Chris. “Thank you for your help. I appreciate it.”
<
br />   Chris stood a little straighter. “My pleasure. Anything I can do. Take care, Bea. Call if you need anything.”

  As Chris walked out the lobby doors, Tony took her hand and led her to the couch by the great window and sat her down. His business façade evaporated and revealed the warm man beneath. “Beatrice, you’re preoccupied. What’s wrong?”

  She fiddled with the button on her sleeve, debating what she could tell him. Of anyone in the family, he could keep a secret from her mom the best. Her insides knotted up and she instinctually reached in her pocket for her Tums.

  Tony caught her wrist. “Tell me before you land in the hospital with bleeding ulcers.”

  She looked at his hand on her arm, the exact same skin color as hers and wondered for the hundredth time if he was her biological father. But then again, she and Jim had the same skin color, as did many of Grandma Beatrice’s lovers.

  Unable to handle any more stress, feeling the love and concern emanating from him, she caved. “Zach has asked me to marry him.”

  Once again Tony held his silence as he mulled over the ramifications of her statement, but it wasn’t long before he spoke. “I’m guessing you’d prefer if I didn’t tell your mother.”

  She snapped her gaze to his to find him smiling and took a deep, calming breath. She gave him a halfhearted grin. “That would be an understatement. I think I’d need a restraining order on her if she discovered I turned him down.”

  Tony’s eyes widened. “Oh, that I didn’t expect. What is it? Are you afraid?”

  She nodded. “We still don’t know if Dr. Josh’s cure has worked, and I’m afraid of what our lives would be like if I’m not cured. I don’t want to tie him to me when he deserves so much more.”

  Tony opened his arms. “Come here.”

  She leaned into her dad and he held her. “Beatrice, you have to understand, Zach made that decision when he asked you to marry him. Just as I made the decision to stay with your mom despite having to share her. I could have found someone else, much like Jim and Charlie did, but I chose her and you over a ‘normal’ life. I’ve never regretted it. Not once. You can’t protect Zach. He has all the facts and he still wants you, flaws and all. That’s called true love.”

  True love always. She squeezed him to let him know she heard because to speak would cause her to cry, and technically, she was still at work.

  Tony sat her back. “It’s not as if Zach doesn’t know exactly what he’s getting himself into, right?”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “And you do love him, right?”

  She swallowed the lump in her throat. “More than I thought I could ever love.”

  Tony took her hand. “Then I think you should give his proposal serious consideration. I would give you my blessing because I know he would take care of my little girl.”

  She was hardly little. Heck, she should have made this man a grandfather by now and given him a real little girl to spoil.

  Tony pulled away and stood. “I’m sorry, Beatrice, but I have to go back to work now, and I think you do too.” He lifted her chin. “Are you going to be all right?”

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  He bent and gave her a kiss on the forehead before striding across the lobby and out the hotel doors.

  Bea sat for a moment. Tony could be right. Zach knew what his life would be like with her as a wife. Well, not exactly. They wouldn’t know that until tomorrow. And tonight she could show him how much she loved him. She needed to focus on that. Whatever happened afterward, they would face together.

  Feeling better, she strolled toward the front desk. As she passed it, she noticed the trash can with a large printout hovering across the top. Sticking her hand in her pocket, she pulled out her bottle of Tums and dropped it into the garbage, taking the paper down with it.

  Now maybe she could be the friend Kayla needed.

  * * * * *

  Bea slowed her car at the blue police lights flashing behind her. Oh, this wouldn’t be good if they pulled her over. She wore nothing but her robe and a pair of black leather high-heeled boots per Zach’s request. As she pulled to the side of the road, her heartbeat increased to match the rhythm of the blue flashes.

  When the policeman raced by, she dropped her head onto the steering wheel. What had she been thinking? Wiping her sweaty hands off on her robe, she sat back and turned the car onto the road. Now that the surprise snowstorms had stopped, the roads were clear. She loved that the days were becoming longer and warmer. Soon the brown of the scenery would give way to the full green of already budding trees. She couldn’t wait to see Zach’s valley come alive.

  As she rounded a bend in the road, she depressed the breaks. The flashing blue lights had stopped in front of her, but had been joined by red ones as well. Traffic came to a stop on the two-way road. Was there a back way she could go if she turned around? Had she passed the side street next to the Tamwick post office yet or was it farther up the road? She didn’t want to see the crushed vehicles of the accident four cars ahead of her. More cars stopped behind her, blocking her in. She was stuck. Stuck and almost naked.

  She hoped no one was seriously injured. She tried to see ahead at what might be happening. Was someone being moved on a stretcher? In the dim light of dusk, she couldn’t be sure. A police officer walked back toward the line of cars. The first driver opened his window and spoke with the cop. Then the police officer came to the next car.

  “Oh no.”

  She examined her back seat to see if she’d left a bag of clothes there from changing at the inn, but no such luck. “Damn it.” She quickly crossed the robe over herself as tightly as possible and tied it hard. As he strode toward her vehicle, her stomach dropped another notch. It was Chris, of course. She rolled down her window.

  “It will just be a moment, ma’am. We need to…” He looked inside her car. “Bea?”

  “Hi, Chris. Is someone hurt?”

  He hesitated.

  Oh no, now what? “Chris? Tell me.”

  He put both hands on the door. “No, no one is badly injured, but the damage to the cars has blocked traffic.”

  She let out her breath in relief. “Oh, thank goodness.”

  His tone became stern. “It’s not all good news.”

  Surprised by what sounded like anger in his voice, she studied him through the shadow of the closing day. Oh boy, his eyes glittered like gunmetal as they took in her robe. “What’s wrong?”

  “Your mother caused the accident. She’s high again.”

  “Oh geez.”

  He backed away. “You might want to come down to the station and bail her out. I’d suggest you go home and change first.”

  Ouch, that hurt. She watched as he went to the car behind her before another policemen came by with a flashlight. He used it to motion for her to turn around. She reversed into the shoulder and drove back onto the road, heading in the wrong direction, away from Zach.

  Embarrassment at Chris seeing her behind the wheel in her robe combined with her frustration at needing to make love to Zach. She banged her hand on the steering wheel. “Thanks, Mom.”

  When she arrived home, she called Zach.

  “Hey, beautiful. Where are you?”

  “I’m at my apartment. Mom’s been arrested. She was high and caused an accident. Looks as if I’ll be bailing her out.” She sighed.

  Zach chuckled. “You have to bail her out? Did she call you?”

  How could he think her situation funny? “No, as a matter of fact, I was stuck in the line of traffic waiting to go around the accident my mom caused when Officer Chris came to my car and found me driving in nothing but a robe. He happily told me I would need to rescue her.”

  The silence on the other end of the phone had Bea reeling in her temper. “I’m sorry, I need you so much and it seems as if we’ll never find out if we can have a normal life.”

  “Listen, Bea. I don’t want you going to the station alone. I’m on my way. Stay there and if your mom calls, tell her
we’ll be right there.”

  She plopped on her couch and loosened her robe. “Zach, you don’t have to do that. She’s my responsibility.”

  “Uh-huh. She has four men who can take care of her. And I don’t want you going to the police station by yourself. Besides, I’ve already left Tamwick and I’m entering Wrenborough, just stay where you are.”

  A feeling of comfort began in her stomach, releasing the constant tension there. He would take care of her? The idea had her smiling. “Okay. I’ll stay right here, exactly as I am.”

  “Good. Wait. Exactly how are you?”

  “I’m sitting on my couch in only my robe and my high-heeled, black leather boots.”

  She swore she heard him swallow. “You won’t start without me, will you?”

  She opened her robe to free a breast. “I guess that depends on how long it takes you. Bye.”

  She chuckled to herself. What fun would starting without him be? She could do that any evening. She wanted him. Her fear for their future returned, but she pushed it aside. She had Zach now. He would take care of her and she would take care of him, in so many ways.

  Bea tied her robe closed and strode into her master bathroom to pull out extra towels for Zach. Tonight they would spend together. In the morning they would discover their fate.

  Sashaying back into the kitchen, she checked the fridge. A six-pack of Bud Light sat on the top shelf. She had decided to keep it in stock in case Zach stopped by. But she hadn’t remembered to buy any whip cream or strawberries. She pulled out a new bottle of Bailey’s Irish Cream and poured it over ice. She’d just closed the refrigerator when a knock sounded at her door. He must have sped all the way.

  She left her drink on the counter and opened the door.

  Chris stood in the doorway. And he hadn’t cooled off in the last half hour either.

  Bea pulled the robe tighter around her. “Chris, what are you doing here?”

  He moved forward, forcing her to back away. “I thought you were coming down to the station to bail out your mother.”

  Who did he think he was, ordering her what to do? “I decided that if Mom called me, I would go. But Mom can call Andy, or Mathew or Gerry or—”