Growing up, Erika had always had a cook. While in college, meals were provided by her sorority mother. Later, she found it most convenient to eat meals out. Occasionally she popped in the frozen dinner. She was quite good at that. Domesticity hadn't been taught in her circles.
Erika picked her way from row to row finally accumulating items like: breakfast bars, fresh fruit, bread, eggs, milk, dehydrated chicken soup and chips. She was unsatisfied with her choices yet felt helpless to do more.
While Erika was reading the fat content on the back of a cereal box, T.J. silently slipped up behind her. He rolled his eyes as he scanned the contents of her cart. It amused him to think that she probably couldn't cook.
"Eggs and milk?" he questioned in her left ear.
Erika jerked at the familiar voice so close to her head. Her reaction was so strong that she instantly dropped the cereal box.
"Honestly," she huffed, "was that necessary!"
Bending to retrieve the fallen box, T.J. eyed her behind appreciatively. When she straightened and realized where his eyes had been, her cheeks grew pink with anger. Erika sharply grabbed her cart and began pushing it down the aisle away from T.J. as fast as she could. To her humiliation, the faster she pushed the louder the clicking sound and the more her wayward wheel spun out of control.
As she felt his eyes bore through her back, Erika gathered every ounce of energy to direct the cart in a straight path. It wouldn't obey. As a fitting end to a horrible trip, Erika turned the cart too sharply at the corner. The cart had a mind of its own and careened into a tuna display at the end of the isle.
She caught her breath as the display began to vibrate in slow motion then rumble and finally divide somewhere near the middle. Her reflexes returned as she frantically tried to right the seven-foot display. Only, her interruption created more of a disturbance. Tuna cans seven feet in the air came raining on her head. One flying tuna can clobbered her sharply above the eyebrow. As Erika placed a palm over the throbbing forehead, another section took its turn. Now tuna cans were pouring through her legs. She tried to step back but her foot slipped and Erika landed in a heap on top of a sea of tuna cans. She felt like the King Salmon.
After the roar and explosion of falling tuna cans had ceased, a deafening quiet descended on the market. It was broken by a can that broke loose from the others and continued rolling off in an unknown direction. Then it was quiet again. As Erika lifted her eyes, she encountered two grocery clerks. Each standing stock-still like statues. Other shoppers began appearing around the corner of other isles as well.
Erika's neck began to burn a fire so white hot it quickly spread to her face and then up above her hairline. In fact, she was sure she could feel steam venting from the top of her head. Still the clerks and shoppers gaped at her open-mouthed.
By that time, T.J.'s shock turned into hilarious laughter. As he picked his way through tuna cans he attempted to ask if she was okay. But, he didn't get that far. One glance at her red face and his fragile composure shattered. Slightly bent at the waist with palms resting on his knees T.J. broke the silence with hoots of laughter. Erika thought the rafters framing the old market roof would surely collapse over the roar.
Slowly her embarrassment gave way to a simmering anger. It was the second time in twenty-four hours Tim had created a humiliating situation for her. Gingerly she searched for a foothold amidst the mountain of tuna cans. Slowly she stood while absently brushing the legs of her jeans. T.J.'s outstretched arm was fiercely batted away. The action ignited his uncontrolled roaring laughter once again.
After sending T.J. a searing glare, Erika turned to face the clerks. One glance at their dumbstruck expressions and she too felt a bubbling hysteria rise. Trying desperately to swallow her now apparent giggles, she tried to make amends for the display she had ruined.
The older clerk sporting a nametag that read Harvey cleared his throat magnanimously. "Young lady, do you know how long it took me to build that Tuna Castle?" he asked in a condescending tone.
"Tuna Castle? I didn't realize. I'm terribly sorry, sir," she got out between giggles. "I didn't intentionally ruin your castle ...” Finally, her voice cracked rendering her speechless. Tears of laughter were pouring down her face while mascara was stinging her eyes.
"Here ... here ..." Erika stuttered between gulps of laughter, "let me pay ... for the . . . damage ..."
Her hysteria and stinging eyes made it impossible to find her wallet. With her giggles threatening to render her speechless, Harvey interrupted again.
"I fail to see what is so funny here," he sniffed while pushing his spectacles up to the bridge of his nose with an index finger. "This isn't a dime store where you pay for broken glass when the sign says Don’t Touch. This store is celebrating Hawaiian Days tomorrow and now you've ruined it. Do you know how long it took me to build that Castle? Do you, Miss? Well, I'll tell you," he replied when she soberly shook her head, "Five hours, Miss. Five long hours. And it was perfect. So perfect, in fact, I was going to take a Polaroid and send it to the marketing department of the manufacturer. Now, you've ruined it."
"I'm terribly sorry, Harvey. Can ... can I help you gather the cans?" she asked forcing down the habitual smile.
"Yes, you can. And ...," he replied after a dramatic pause, "you can do more than that. You can help me rebuild my Tuna Castle," he finished sternly.
"Now just wait a minute, Harv. The lady's with me and I'm not going to stand around waiting for her to stack tuna. We've got to get back ..."
"You are absolutely correct. You are not going to stand around and watch me ... you are going to help me," Erika replied haughtily. "It was, after all, your fault. If you hadn't done what ... what you did ... Well, you're the one to blame for ruining his castle. Now, we're both going to help rebuild it." Erika turned away quickly. The humorous glint in T.J.'s eye threatened again a rising wave of hilarity.
"That's right, Tim Morgan. It’s high time you had to work off one of your foolish pranks. It will give me great pleasure ..."
"Okay, Harv. That was a long time ago. I'm warning you ... and you too," he said to Erika, "I'll stack the tuna and then I'm leaving. If you want to ride with me, you'll do the same."
Erika quickly hid a smile at his muttering, "Hawaiian Days in October. Who ever heard of such a thing?"
Harvey left them alone to stack tuna. He had to go home and retrieve his prototype for the castle.
"So, why is it high time you pay the price for a prank, Tim? Were you a bad little boy?" Erika asked innocently.
"Hardly a prank," T.J. answered sarcastically. "He had his eye on some girl, can't even remember her name."
"And you usurped his rights?" she asked softly.
"Well, she didn't even like him,” he said defensively. “He was such a nerd back then, still is for that matter. I can't believe he even remembers it after all these years. The girl was only at the lake for a week! Harvey daydreamed about her until finally, at the end of the week; he got the nerve to ask her out to the weekend movie at Hill's."
Every summer Friday night, Hill's Resort, a couple of bays to the south, shows an outdoor movie. We don't have any cinemas around here so George nailed a white board to a large pine tree and presto we have a theater. Everyone goes."
"Anyway," T.J. continued without interrupting his pace of stacking tuna, "Harvey picked her up in his father's aluminum fishing boat. We always knew when he was coming because the motor had a terrible hum. They gravitated to a few friends and me. We all knew each other. At that time, there were only a few permanent lake residents. By the end of the evening, she asked me if I would please take her back to her family's campsite. Harvey was embarrassing her. So," he finished with a smile that could have easily been that of a cat that caught an especially juicy mouse, "I complied. Harvey's obviously never forgiven it." T.J. shrugged.
Erika mentally compared the two and smiled. Boys were so obtuse when it came to the games girls play. Obviously, the girl in question had hoped to get a movie
invitation from the handsome Tim. When it hadn't worked, she accepted one from Harvey, hoping Tim would be there as well. Erika could almost envision that summer evening and the conversation between the nameless girl and Tim. I'll bet he knocked her socks off, Erika thought. He is most alluring.
"So, you know Harvey from up at the lake? He seems much older than you."
"I'm not sure that's a compliment." T.J. stated while glancing out of the corner of his eye. "But yes, his family has been around for a long time."
"Do you have family at the lake?" Erika asked tentatively.
T.J. realized he was getting into dangerous territory and attempted to turn the conversation back to Marie.
"You know, I have been racking my brain for an Anderson that was about your age." At Erika's look of alarm, T.J. continued. "Like I said, the lake is so small, really. Most everyone knows each other. But I cannot remember an Anderson girl. What did you say her name was?"
"Do you know any of the Anderson's?" she asked quietly.
"Oh, yes. Everyone knows the Anderson's. They are very rich, as you know. That is why it strikes me as odd. What did you say her name was?" he asked again. T.J. wanted to see if she even remembered her made up fairytale.
"Well, my friend Elizabeth, wasn't at the lake much. She was always ill and weak. Her parents thought the lake might make her worse," Erika lied. "Leukemia is an insidious disease. There are times when the afflicted seems almost well, almost normal. And then suddenly, they've become an invalid, or they even die.” Erika's was so caught up in remembering the real Elizabeth and the story Uncle Lawrence had told her that she failed to notice T.J.'s eyes studying her.
"Diseases are terrible things," he said quietly.
His comment broke through Erika's mental journey. His sympathetic concern chinked away another brick from the fortress she had built. With slightly lowered eyes, she watched his unbroken pace at the task at hand, the concentration. Erika, not for the first time, wondered who Tim really was and despised herself for her continued deceit and the reason for it in the first place.
"Did you grow up at the lake?" Erika asked.
"Mostly," T.J. replied, feeling more comfortable with the previous silence.
"Mostly?"
"Well, I have spent a great deal of time there."
"So, does that mean ... you were there summers? I mean did you have another home, too?"
"Hey! If you keep gabbing, we will be here for another few hours. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of this tuna thing. Keep stacking, honey!"
Erika's lips formed a soft smile. "Actually, you are the one who must continue working. My part is done. Seven feet is a tad beyond my reach."
"Not if I find you a step ladder," T.J. teased.
Before either had noticed, the first sprouts of friendship had taken root. T.J. dismissed Erika's lies for those few moments. Erika had forgiven T.J.'s earlier rudeness, attributing it to male arrogance, or something. The easy bantering continued as each grew more fascinated by the other. Harvey and his Tuna Castle ceased to exist. As the minutes ticked by, Newport General Store faded into a hazy backdrop that silhouetted Erika and T.J. The sounds made by other shoppers went unnoticed as each recognized the desire to discover the hidden secrets of their former advisory. And as the sun set in the distant horizon, each set aside voices that hailed caution.
Two hours later, T.J. and Erika left Newport General Store empty-handed but in good spirits. For the first time, they were comfortable with each other. The brisk air caught Erika by surprise. It stung her cheeks and rejuvenated her spirits.
"Maime's going to be worried about us," Erika breathed as she vigorously rubbed her chilled hands together.
"Oh, I don't think so," T.J. replied, knowing things had turned out exactly as Maime had hoped.
"Why is that?"
"She knows that at this time of year, anything can happen."
Confused, Erika silently pondered his statement.
"Are you sure you won't need any groceries before tomorrow?" T.J. asked.
"No, I'll be fine."
"Well, we will make sure you have some by tomorrow. I'll take you to the Leonard Paul store in Coolin," T.J. pronounced as he helped Erika climb up to her seat in the old delivery truck.
Erika smothered a smile as she anticipated a happy tomorrow. It seemed like a lifetime ago since she had anticipated a tomorrow. Life was good.
Later that evening, Erika and T.J. rolled up to her cozy cottage. It was interesting to Erika that what had seemed devastating the evening before now seemed inviting. The night was black as ink. There were still terrible foreign noises coming from the forest surrounding her cottage. But tonight, with Tim walking her to the small-framed door, it was home.
T.J. and Erika said a chaste goodnight at her door. As they gazed into each other's eyes, with only an owl hooting in the distance and the lapping of water on the shoreline to break the silence, mesmerizing messages were sent from smoky blue eyes to eyes the color of the Mediterranean. Secret messages that each knew was best left encoded. With a promise to pick her up tomorrow at 10 a.m., T.J. took his leave.
Erika softly closed the door behind him and pulled the shade. She crossed her arms over her heart attempting to memorize and keep all those fluttering feelings inside. That is where they must stay, she reminded herself. To let them out would be to sign my own death warrant, she knew. But, hard as Erika might try, the temptation was almost overwhelming.
Crossing the room, Erika suddenly started as the musical tones of her cell phone filled the silent cottage. With a deep sigh, she prepared herself to enter the Crawford world again.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Erika, it's me, Ellie. Where have you been? It's late!"
"Hi, Ellie," she sighed, "What's up?" Erika questioned purposefully ignoring the earlier question that was punctuated by a distinct yawn.
"What's up? I have the information you so desperately wanted earlier today. Sorry to bother you if you are busy."
"No, no, I'm not busy. I guess it’s this ... mountain air, it makes me sleepy. Now, what did you find out?"
"Well," Ellie began somewhat mollified. After all, she reminded herself, it was after ten o'clock and she was still working. "I found out who was in your uncle's office this afternoon."
"And ..."
"I can't quite figure it out. Although, I will. It's just the combination was as different as I've ever seen it."
"Ellie ... who?"
"Oh, sorry. This is the lineup: Mark Hillston, Steve Caslin, Lester Smith - the attorney, Bradley Passerlli - the accountant and shareholders; Tom Watkins, Wesley Allen and Howard Croft." Ellie paused to let the names sink in.
"Wow," Erika whistled under her breath. "That was some meeting. I'll bet Mark and Steve felt a little out of their element."
"It did appear that way. You should have seen their faces - white as ghosts."
"So, you were there when they came out of Lawrence's office?"
"You bet I was. I was talking old Earlene into making a pass for your uncle."
"You what," Erika exclaimed.
"Yes, I was. Who knows? It might just work."
"I doubt it; she is not his type, Ellie."
"Well, you never know. Anyway, what do you think? I have spent the last several hours trying to come up with a plausible reason for such a meeting. So far, I've come up empty," Ellie said waiting with baited breath.
"I ... I don't know. I’ll have to spend some time on that one. Obviously, the common denominator between Mark and Steve is the patent. That could possibly involve Lester and Bradley although to my knowledge we aren’t at that point yet. Well, Ellie, I'm going to talk to Uncle Lawrence and see what I can find out. Thank you for the information. You're such a great help! I don't know what I would do without your loyalty and friendship."
Ellie stuttered on the last line. "Erika, I appreciate your friendship … and loyalty as well. You're not only a great boss, but also a great friend. Now enough of this fuzzy stuff. I'm goi
ng to call it quits for the night. I suggest you do the same. Oh, and be careful of letting unwanted bugs bite too hard up there.”
"What!" Erika exclaimed to the dial tone. What was that supposed to mean? She couldn't possibly ... Shaking her head, Erika quickly dialed her uncle's private line at his stately mansion overlooking the San Fernando Valley. After several seconds, the line connected to a busy signal, obviously, he had a couple of calls going at the same time. Checking her watch, Erika returned the phone to its charger and stretched out on the cushioned sofa, consciously slipping back into the world of Marie Bancroft.
Meanwhile, several hundred yards away T.J. slowly picked his way back to the Big House. He was thankful Bear Creek Lodge was hidden from view. He didn't want Marie to know just yet who he was, if ever. Tonight, it would have been so easy to lean over and taste her perfect lips. But, he knew he couldn't. When he was with her, the life of Tim Morgan was a reality. Like at the store earlier, he had deceptively let her believe he was something he wasn’t.
Entering through the hand-carved double doors of the immense log structure, T.J. swept loving eyes over the expanse of rustic luxury that was his ancestral home. Of all the properties he owned, Bear Creek Lodge was what he considered home. Of the villa and the mansion cottages by the sea and the penthouses in the largest cities in the US and even the world, it was Priest Lake that beckoned him home.
Suddenly the raw ring of his telephone jarred him back to the present. He glanced at the grandfather clock carved in the shape of a grizzly bear near the entrance. "T.J. Morgan," he boomed into the receiver.
"Lawrence Bancroft. Sorry to call so late, but I couldn't reach you earlier. I got your number from your secretary in New York."
"Lawrence, it’s no bother at all. It's been ages since I heard from you. How are things?"
"Business is booming in every aspect. However, I do have a problem spot. I hate to ask you but ... I think I need your help."
"You have helped me out of a bind or two. I owe you. What's up?"
Whispers of the Heart Page 8
