The Superstitious Romance

by Anastasia Alexander

  * * *

  Jackson concentrated on taking inventory of what would be in his picture: the bear, splashing water, purple mountains, and the ducks flying into the horizon. Perfect. His editor would throw in a bonus. Why had he stayed behind the desk for so long? Maybe Maggie had done a good thing for him when she’d left. Now if he could just arrange for her to find him in the company of Camille. That would be perfect.

  Camille possessed self-confidence, charm, and a natural beauty that would ignite a spark of jealousy in Maggie. And meanwhile, Camille was fun to be around now that she’d loosened up a bit. A huge flash of guilt overcame Jackson. Camille was too nice a lady to use. Was that what he was doing?

  Austin walked up to him. “Did you get the picture?”

  Jackson nodded, spotting Camille and Darlene hiking up the slope.

  “Dad!” Austin whispered.

  “What?”

  “Let’s dump the girls. We could suggest going on a fifteen-mile hike, and I bet they’d wimp-out.”

  “You underestimate Darlene. She’s a trooper.”

  “She’s a pain. She’s always bossing me around. She won’t listen to an ounce of logic.”

  “Better get used to it, boy.” Jackson patted his son’s shoulder. “All women are like that.”

  “But Dad, let’s get away from—”

  Jackson hastened his pace to catch up to the ladies. “I got the best shots,” he called out. “I’ll develop them tonight and mail them to my editor. He’s going to be excited, especially with the bear running through the water. I can’t wait to see how they turned out.”

  “Mail them?” Darlene looked shocked. “I thought everyone used digital these days.”

  Jackson smiled. “I actually use both, but I prefer the old method.” He took big strides up the mountain, and the women fell in behind. “Let’s go to Old Faithful for lunch,” he said.

  “But what about visiting Cody?” Darlene asked.

  “Ah, yes. There’s too much to do in one day. I say we make several trips here and plan them better so we can see more of the sights.”

  “Sounds great,” Camille responded. Then smiling up at Jackson, she asked, “Would you mind helping with the research for my book and class? You seem to know a lot about this place. With your input, and Austin’s, I could make this a really interactive and useful course. I promised my bosses I’d teach important issues about the environment and animal habitat.”

  “There’s a crusade both Austin and I would be glad to join. We’re a bit of environmentalists ourselves. Aren’t we, Austin?”

  His son grunted.

  Jackson offered his hand to pull Camille up the last of the incline. “Tell you what, little lady, why don’t you choose where we go for lunch, since it’s your research?”

  “Please don’t call me little lady,” Camille protested, though his offer was thoughtful. “Well, I really need to hit some stores to find hands-on material. I was planning a whole section on the geysers, hot springs, hot pools, and fumaroles. The more information I collect, and the more I see, the better off I’ll be.”

  “Sounds like Old Faithful country to me. Come on, troops. Darlene, why don’t you go with Austin so I can tell your mom the information she needs? I’m sure the more work she gets done the better she’ll feel, especially since the park will be closing in a couple of weeks.”

  “Closing!” Camille said.

  “Yeah. The roads will be covered with snow, and the only way in or out will be by snowmobile. We can plan one of those trips when you have most of your work done. I promised my editor a whole bunch of winter scenes.”

  “I didn’t know the park closed.” Desperation filled Camille. She really needed to get busy. She waved to Darlene and Austin. “See you two at Old Faithful.”

  “Actually we’ll be stopping at a couple places along the way,” Jackson said. “You won’t want to miss the West Thumb Geyser Basin.”

  Camille saluted. “You heard what the boss said.”

  Once on their way, Camille and Jackson became heavily involved in planning her course. She watched his beard-shadowed face as he talked and drove. A surprisingly helpful man.

  “It’s surprising—you sure know a lot for being a . . .” her voice trailed off because she wasn’t able to think of an inoffensive word for hick.

  “Being a what?” Jackson asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  Camille sighed. “You have this annoying habit of persistence.”

  “Isn’t that great? I didn’t ask such a difficult question, did I?”

  “I’m sorry. Your question led to reflection.”

  “Tell me.”

  “I shouldn’t.”

  “Do.”

  She put down the pen. “I really don’t want you to take it wrong.”

  “Give me a try.”

  “It’s nice that you’re dependable. I’m learning that I can count on you wanting to know everything, good or bad.”

  His face reddened. “You’re saying that I’m predictable.”

  “Oh, no, no.” Her hand rested on his arm as if to comfort him. “Don’t get me wrong. You have very fine qualities. I can’t understand why your ex-wife would use ‘predictability’ as a reason for divorce. I find dependability comforting. A person knows where they stand. I know if I make a mistake and don’t finish my statement, you’re going to jump on my case and pester me until I do. When I was with my husband, he always changed the rules. If I didn’t finish my sentence one day, he wouldn’t notice. The next he’d laugh at my inability to think before I spoke, and the following day he’d be angry at my lack of consideration for his time. I bet if I were a baseball player and you were the pitcher and I went to bat, a thousand times you’d throw a strike. You’re consistent. You’d always make me finish my sentence. Am I right?”

  “Yep.” His eyes seemed to light up. “Every single time, like I’m going to do now. You went on a great verbal excursion. I have to give you credit for that. Now tell me what you were going to say?”

  “I forgot.”

  “That’s a good one.” Jackson winked. “I’ll play along with your game this once. You said I knew a lot for being a . . . Please fill in the blank and be honest.”

  “I dug myself in deep this time.” She shook her head. “I’ll have to learn to keep my mouth shut.”

  “Out with it.”

  “I’m going to prove myself the educated snob you accused me of being. I was going to say you knew a lot for being a hick.”

  “Hick? Is that what you think?”

  “Well, you do live in the mountains, and your English isn’t always proper, and you like to hunt, and frankly, you don’t seem to have any city in you. You appear to belong here, and it seems that cars, people, and stores would be a hindrance to your happiness.”

  Jackson drove in silence, not responding to her observations. She’d probably offended him.

  “Well?” she pressed.

  “I see.”

  “Aren’t you going to say anything else?”

  “Nope.”

  “You’re not going to prove me wrong or zap me with a comment on my hypocrisy?”

  “Nope. You might have snobby outlooks, but at least you’re honest. That’s more than I can say for a lot of people.”

  “I’m glad you find it refreshing,” she mumbled, feeling as if there had been a seven point six earthquake and she’d fallen in to a newly made crack. Every time she tried to do anything, the earth shifted and she sunk in deeper.

  “Do you like your photography job now?” she ventured.

  “Yes. It’s different than anything I’ve ever done. At times, when it’s cold and I’m dead tired, I think about a more comfortable job. But then I remember all this beauty.”

  “So you think your divorce was a positive thing in your life?” Camille asked.

  “I don’t know if I’d say that. Divorce is painful and horrible. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but I also believe we h
ave to make the best of what happens.”

  “My oldest boy thinks I’m running from my problems by coming out here,” Camille said.

  “Are you?”

  “Hard to say. Are you?”

  Jackson laughed. “No, just getting on with my life and doing some things I dreamed about but was too tied down to do. And of course, living my life as a hick.”

  “I bet I’ll never hear the end of that comment.”

  Jackson just smiled.

  * * *

  Darlene slammed the truck door. Austin didn’t look at her as his stomach tightened. “You’re doing a lousy job keeping them apart,” he said. “My dad won’t listen to me because your mom’s so busy distracting him.”

  “It’s your father who is leading her on,” Darlene snapped. A thin line of red marred her skin at the top of her cheekbones.

  “He’s not.” Austin steered the car onto the blacktop.

  “Then exactly what do you call it? According to you, he plans to get back with your mom.”

  “It’s your mom who’s flirting, acting all interested in his job and sneaking him those looks.”

  “That’s not flirting. That’s conversation. Hasn’t anyone ever flirted with you?”

  Austin straightened his shoulders. “Tons of girls.”

  Darlene rolled her eyes. “Then you should know what flirting is. Girls don’t do what you say. They stare long and hard and wait for the guy to glance back. When he does, they act embarrassed and get this stupid grin, then they sneak a sly glimpse when they know they have the guy’s attention. They also run up to him, touch him and laugh this silly high-pitched giggle, and bat their eyes. That’s flirting.”

  “There’s more than one way to flirt. Your mother likes my father. She’s making it clear through internal waves.”

  “Internal what?”

  “Internal waves.” He waved his hand like it was one of those jagged lines on a heart monitor. “You know. You send messages to others by not saying anything. Body language.”

  “Like how?” Darlene asked.

  “I haven’t studied enough to say exactly,” he said, rubbing the dark stubble on his chin, “but she’s communicating it.”

  “You have no proof,” Darlene said.

  “I’ll get evidence.”

  “I already have evidence that your father is guilty.” Darlene wore an amused smile. Her delicate features gave the feeling of a strong determination underneath.

  “What?” He watched her determined facial expression become even more solid.

  “He ran off to take a picture of the bear down the slope, didn’t he?”

  “Yeah.”

  “When he came back, didn’t he jog to my mom and me?”

  “That doesn’t—”

  “Who did he come up to? Me or my mother?”

  “That’s just—”

  “Me or my mother?”

  “Your mother. But that’s just circumstantial.”

  “Okay then. What crafty person arranged for our parents to drive together?” Darlene paused, enjoying the moment before the trap sprung down. “Your father. Your sneaky, lying father, who’s preying on a vulnerable woman.”

  “Just a minute,” he said. “Your mother isn’t perfect. She did give him several seductive smiles, luring him on.”

  “Did not.” Her voice rose.

  “My father isn’t the jerk you make him out to be.”

  “I didn’t say he was.”

  “Did.”

  “I said he was that way with my mother. I didn’t say with every female.”

  He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, breathing deeply before this got really nasty. “This is getting us nowhere.”

  The statement seemed to calm Darlene enough that she didn’t say any more. She looked out the window. Austin continued to drive as his heart thumped hard against his chest. Neither one of them liked being stuck together. Silence was the best thing. And that was the way it stayed until Darlene broke out into a loud laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” Austin snapped.

  “It dawned on me that we’re playing out the living version of Romeo and Juliet.”

  “What?”

  “It’s role reversal. Our parents could be falling in love with each other and we’re the ones feuding.”

  “So they’re going to kill themselves because we’re denying them a relationship?” he asked.

  “No. We’re worried about them getting hurt. I know my mom isn’t thinking clearly and will be devastated if your father doesn’t put an end to this.”

  “But—”

  “But like Romeo and Juliet, the more we try to push them away, the closer they’ll get.”

  “Maybe.”

  Darlene smiled. “Thanks for admitting to my brilliance.”

  “So, Miss Brilliant One, what are we going to do?”

  “What’s your idea?”

  “I don’t have one.”

  Darlene flung a strand of hair off her shoulder. “So we’re back to square one. Let’s forget about our parents for a while.” She switched the radio to a twangy song. A man singing about drinking and wishing his lady was still in his life. “I want to know more about the Yellowstone classes. Can I take one while I’m here?” Darlene yelled over the song.

  Austin turned down the volume. “You could take several and get credits. Are you in college?”

  “I was supposed to start this term. But I don’t know.” She shifted in her seat.

  “Why not? Hate studying?”

  “I hate being told what to do and when to do it, and then tested on what the teacher thinks is important. They miss the boat a lot.”

  “But you have to pay the price to get the degree—a passport to go places in this world. That’s the rules.”

  “I hate rules.”

  “So does my mom.”

  “What’s she like?”

  The song stopped and a string of commercials came on. Austin paused to give the question due respect. Finally he spoke up in the middle of a car advertisement. “Gorgeous. I mean, drop dead stunning. She used to be a model but gave it up for me.”

  “Wow!”

  “Tell you the truth, I don’t know how she ever did it. Not that she couldn’t smile and pose. I’m sure she was great at that, but the idea of my mom following a schedule? I still can’t see it. She never stuck to anything for more than two days, and she never keeps her appointments.” He glanced at her, a half-cocked smile on his face. “You remind me of her. She hated rules. Santa came two weeks early or two weeks late, but never on Christmas day because she hated celebrating a holiday on the day the calendar said. Sometimes my mom would come and wake me up at three in the morning, saying it was lunch time.”

  “I’m not that bad. I’d hate that,” Darlene said.

  “What could I do?”

  “Go back to sleep.”

  Austin laughed. “There’s no ignoring my mom. Even if you tried, you couldn’t.”

  “Sounds interesting.”

  “She is. The best kind to have around. Life’s dull when she’s gone. What’s your father like?”

  “My father?”

  “I told you about my mom. It’s only fair.”

  “He’s charming,” Darlene said. “If I managed to pull him away from the computer, he told funny stories about his work. He’d be funny, but in a serious way—like he never knew he was being funny. And he wasn’t happy that I’d stolen him away from his work. You could always tell he was bugged if he wasn’t working. He’s one of those geeks who plays with his computer for hours to figure out the different things it can do.”

  “What kind of work does he do?”

  “I don’t know. Something with stocks and bonds.”

  “Do you have a brother or sister?”

  “Older brother. He’s married now, with a kid. How about you? Any siblings to torture your existence?”

  “None.”

  “Ah, that explains it.”

  “What?” He looked at
the playful expression she wore so innocently. She brushed at a strand of her long hair before saying, “The fact that you’re spoiled.”

  “Am not.”

  “If you say so,” she said.

  Austin rolled his eyes. “You really like to get under my skin.” She broke into a fantastic smile, which made it so he couldn’t keep from smiling back, amused at her poke. “I have to admit you’re fun,” he added.

  “Yeah, you too.”

  “Anything for you, babe,” Austin said with his eyebrows going up and down.

  She laughed. “It looks like you have some of your mom in you.”

  “A speck of both parents and a little of just me.”

  “You’ve really gotten me curious about your mom. I’d like to meet her someday.”

  “You will. She promised she’d come. That’s when Dad will fix things between them. If I know him, he’s already got a plan.”

  The time passed quickly. Soon the group stopped and left the cars to see the sights. Austin looked over the landscape at the looming blue mountains, the white puffy clouds topping them, and the hot springs like scattered paint pots bubbling and steaming in a polka dot pattern on the ground. West Thumb Geyser Basin.

  “I got the challenge,” he said, talking behind Darlene’s shoulder.

  “What?” She turned to face him.

  “The new challenge. What you have to do is see how close to the edge of the wooden bridge you can walk.”

  “You mean,” her voice cracked, “the bridge over there leading above the boiling pots?”

  “Exactly.”

  “What happens if you fall in?”

  “People die every year doing that.”

  Darlene stared at him, and he felt smug with victory. He didn’t think she had the nerve to do something like that. Her next words surprised him. “You’re on.”

  They raced through the parking lot, and then onto the wooden bridge, the crosswalk bouncing under the weight of their steps. Austin pulled ahead and made it over the guardrail. He balanced himself on the thin ledge of wood, and Darlene followed. Over her head, he could see her mom charging toward them. She looked like a panicked bird whose young was about to be eaten.

  “No fair holding onto the handrail,” Darlene said at the same time her mom screeched. Austin let go of the handrail, holding his hands high above him.