by Bess McBride
“I’ll call you,” he said quietly. He waited at the door, but Penny still made no move toward him.
“Sure, sounds good,” she murmured with downcast eyes.
“It’s really good to see you again, Penny.”
“You too, Matt. Thanks for everything.” She raised her eyes and flashed him a bright smile.
“Good night. Lock the door.” And then he was gone.
Penny stood in the middle of the living room floor and stared at the closed door for a moment before she jumped into action and crossed the room to lock it. The ringing of her cell phone startled her.
Chapter Four
She reluctantly dragged the phone from her purse and studied the caller ID with anxious eyes. The phone number brought a grin to her face, and she dropped onto the soft couch.
“Hi, Travis!”
“Hi, Mom. What have you been doing?”
“Oh, nothing. What’s going on? What time is it there?” Penny squinted at her watch. The sound of her son’s voice lifted her spirits as no other voice could.
“About ten. I just dropped Trish off. We had dinner.”
“How is she?”
“Good. She’s good. You know. School’s starting again in a few days, so...back to the grindstone, I guess.”
“What did you say she was studying? I don’t remember.”
“Mom, you’ve got the shortest memory. I swear. She’s a graphic arts major.”
“Oh, that’s right. Sorry. So how’s your dad?”
“He’s fine, Mom. You know Dad.”
“And Lyla?”
“She’s fine, too, Mom. She and Dad just got back from Mexico. They went to Cabo for a few days.”
“Are you kidding? Leaving you there alone? Why didn’t you go? I didn’t know they were going to Mexico.”
“Mom, I’m twenty one! Way old enough to be on my own. You know? Twenty one?” Travis chuckled. “I didn’t want to go. Trish had to work, and I didn’t want to go without her, so I stayed.”
“Oh,” Penny replied, imagining warmer sunny beaches on the Mexican Riviera, her tall, handsome, blonde ex-husband and his equally tall, beautiful and blonde wife. They’d been such a mismatch. He’d seemed so self-assured, so confident...the complete opposite of her young, immature and confused self. Why had he ever married her, she wondered.
“At any rate, all my parents seem to be running off to beaches and abandoning me,” Travis said over a chuckle. “How is it down there?”
“Here?” Penny fought her way out of the mists of memory. “Fine...you know. It’s really very beautiful here. You would not believe today though.” Against her better judgment, she told her son about the menacing phone call, the bank robbery and meeting Matt.
“Do you remember him?” she asked.
“Not really, Mom. I was only...what? Maybe five or six?”
“Oh,” she replied nonplussed. It seemed inconceivable that someone could forget Matt, but that was probably her own rose-colored memory at work. Matt taught Travis how to ride his bike for the first time. Travis once adored Matt, but that had been long ago.
“Mom, tell me about him later. I’m worried about the phone call. That doesn’t sound good.”
“I think it was just a prank, and not a very nice one. I’m going to try to forget about it.”
“You don’t think it has anything to do with...”
“With?” Penny prompted with a knot in her stomach.
“I’m sorry, Mom... Anything to do with your client?”
“No, absolutely not! That’s not possible...as far as I know. Who would do such a thing?”
“Calm down, Mom. Calm down. I’m just asking. Did you happen to tell the police about that?”
“No, it has nothing to do with this. I can’t believe that.”
“Okay, okay,” he said soothingly. “Well, take care of yourself. How long have you been there now?”
“Two months,” she sniffed.
“Well, you’re picking up an accent. I thought you should know.”
“Really?” she squeaked.
“Yup! I can hear it. You’ve developed quite the genteel Southern drawl.”
“Oh, stop,” she murmured, her cheeks turning pink. “I have not.”
“Yes you have. They’ll never understand you when you get back to Michigan.”
“Michigan. It seems far away right now. At any rate, I think half the state has come down here for the winter.”
“Is that where they went? I always wondered where everybody went when it got cold. And I thought they all came out to Southern California.”
Penny laughed, putting the past behind her and feeling comforted by the sound of family. She vowed to call her mother the following day.
“So, tell me about this Chief Williams guy.”
Penny shrugged. “Oh, there’s not much to tell. We went to college together. Since we were both a little older than the average student, I guess we bonded. He was in criminal justice, and I was working on my teaching certificate. You and I spent a lot of time with him. He took us rafting on the Missouri River, golfing...though you were too little to enjoy that. We went to Glacier National Park and Yellowstone. It was great.”
“So what happened?”
“Oh, nothing.” Penny slumped further into the sofa. “I got that teaching job in Belgium at the American military base, and that was the end of it.”
“Really... Just like that, huh?”
“Yeah, you know. You grow up, move on.”
“No, I don’t know.”
Penny shrugged again though Travis couldn’t see her. “We lost touch. Three years was a long time to be gone.”
“Didn’t you try to keep in touch?”
“I wrote a few times. I didn’t hear back from him.”
“I’m sorry, Mom.”
The ever ready tears sprang to Penny’s eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was cry on her son’s shoulder.
“Oh, it wasn’t that big of a deal, Travis. I got over it.”
“Really? It doesn’t sound like it. Are you going to be seeing him again?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure he’s busy. So, how is school going anyway?”
“Changing the subject, huh?” Travis chuckled again. “Pretty good. I’m in for the long haul. I have...what? One more year to finish my bachelor degree, another for my master’s and another two for the PhD?”
“You’re the one who wanted to be a psychologist. I settled as a mere therapist. And I can see you’ve been practicing on me.”
“But you give me so much material to work with, Mom.” Travis laughed, a hearty laugh that reminded her of the little boy he’d once been though his voice had deepened.
“I’m pleased to be able to help, Travis,” she said dryly, stifling her own chuckle.
“Aw, Mom, you know I love you. Listen, I’ve got to get going. Take care and let me know how things go...if you get any more calls.”
Penny shrugged off the chill that ran up her spine.
”I’m sure it was a one-time thing.”
“I hope so,” he said as he said good night.
Penny hung up the phone, feeling better for having talked to family. She crossed over to the balcony sliding door, unlocked it and pulled it open. The night sea breeze assaulted her once again, and she welcomed the cool air. She stepped out onto the balcony and bypassed the lounge chairs to rest her hands on the railing. The crescent-shaped moon cast a small silvery path across the sea toward the beach. She allowed the salt-tinged wind to blow through her hair, seeming to wash away the fears and tears of the hectic day, and she felt refreshed and calmed.
The sea always made her feel better...without fail. She contemplated the universal appeal of the beach, wondering why humans were prey to the hypnotic effects of riotous waves on silky white sand, sparkling water under a bright sun, the elusive never ending search for a perfect seashell when walking the beach.
She scanned the shoreline. The hour was late. No moving figures walked
hand in hand under the faint sliver of the young moon. She sighed. Perhaps all the lovers were safely in their rooms, tucked in bed, lying next to the person they loved. She began to turn away, but a movement caught her eye.
She’d been wrong. Someone was out on the beach tonight. A lone figure stood on the beach directly in front of her condominium. She squinted. The figure appeared human. She didn’t think it was one of the two tall blue herons who frequented the beach. The figure didn’t move. Did someone fish at this late hour? She couldn’t see a fishing pole, but the night was dark, and he or she was too far away to get a clear view. Perhaps it was just a lonely soul, someone who couldn’t sleep.
Penny turned away and reentered the living room, locking the door behind her. She left the balcony curtains open so she could wake up to sunshine. No one down below on the beach could see inside the condominium at this elevation. She undressed, showered and crawled into bed, wondering how late Matt would be up, wondering where he lived and what his life had been like over the years.
****
He stared up at the balcony. Though the back lighting from inside the condominium outlined her body, he couldn’t see her face clearly. Still, he knew it was her. He’d watched her long enough to know her shape.
So, she was on the third floor. He scanned the outside of the smooth concrete building. This wasn’t one of these wooden beach houses where someone could get a toehold.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and contemplated his options. He had no clear plan yet. He needed to see if she had what he wanted. She was going to die. Either way. But not just yet.
The cool night wind blew against his back as he watched her lean on the railing. He stiffened and dropped his head to stare at the ghostly white sand at his feet. She seemed to be looking directly at him. She couldn’t see him in the dark, could she? He held up a hand and studied it, barely able to see it in the dark himself. The lights of the building did not reach out this far onto the beach. If she could see him, it would only be his outline.
He looked up again and watched her go back inside her apartment. The living room went dark, and lights came on in the next room.
He needed to think up something special for tomorrow.
Or better yet, why not tonight? Why wait?
****
Penny nuzzled her cheek against the silky dark hair on Matt’s chest as she lay in his arms. She lovingly inhaled the familiar smell of his skin--a combination of a lightly scented soap, talc deodorant and his own uniquely masculine scent.
“I love you, Penny,” Matt whispered sleepily as he brushed his lips across the top of her head and wrapped his arms more tightly around her.
“I love you too, Matt. I’ve missed you so much.” She reached up to kiss the bottom of his stubbled chin.
“I missed you too, babe. Nothing was the same after you left. You broke my heart.” A husky note in his voice brought an ache to her throat. She lifted her head to look at him. Sadness stole the smile from his face.
“I’m sorry. I had to go. I had a contract. What was I going to do?” Even now, Penny could remember the agony of leaving him, though she never suspected it would be forever.
Matt cupped her face in his hand and stared into her eyes. “I don’t know why I didn’t go with you, honey. I thought I had to get a job here in the States, but now...it doesn’t seem to matter. I should have gone with you. We wasted so many years.”
“Don’t say wasted,” Penny murmured as she buried her face into his neck. “Don’t say wasted. It hurts too much. We’re together now, aren’t we? We have the rest of our lives to be together.”
Matt turned his face toward her and brought his mouth down on hers in a hard, passionate kiss that belied his easy going nature. He pulled her tightly against him, so tightly she couldn’t breathe, but she didn’t care. After all these years, she was finally in the arms of the man she would love for the rest of her life.
****
Penny shot up in the dark. A loud rapping sound made her heart jump to her throat. The door! Someone was at the front door. She looked at her bedside clock. Two thirty in the morning. Who would come to her door in the middle of the night?
She turned to look at the empty pillow beside her, unable to believe she had been dreaming once again. It seemed so real! The dreams had grown more vivid and poignant since she’d come to the Gulf Coast. And now that she’d seen Matt once again...
She tiptoed into the darkened living room and listened. Several sharp knocks on the door made her jump back. Who was it?
“Penny! Are you there?”
Matt’s voice. She would recognize it anywhere. It held an urgency that galvanized her into action. She ran for the door, twisted the lock on the knob and yanked it open. A very tired-looking Matt stood at the door with a short, blonde male uniformed officer behind him. At the sight of the young man with Matt, Penny hastily retreated behind the door to hide the fact she wore only a short cotton nightgown. She peered around the corner and met Matt’s unsmiling eyes, her face burning at the recent memory of her sensual dream in which he played a starring role.
“What’s going on?”
“I’m sorry to wake you, Penny, but your car has been broken into. Sam here needs your keys.”
She forgot her state of undress and yanked open the door.
“What!”
“Your car alarm went off and someone called it in to the station. Sam responded and found the passenger side window of your car had been shattered. You probably didn’t hear the alarm up here, did you?”
Penny looked past him to the diffident blonde youth standing behind him.
“No,” she mumbled. “I was...asleep.” She blushed and looked away.
Matt tilted his head in a sympathetic gesture. “I’m sorry, Penny. It’s definitely your car. No chance it’s a rental, is it?” He looked at her hopefully.
Penny shook her head. “No, it’s mine. Let me get some clothes on and my keys, and I’ll come downstairs.”
“We’ll wait out here.”
Penny left the door open and ran to the bedroom to pull on a pair of jeans. She stuffed her nightgown into the jeans and grabbed a heavy sweatshirt. Slipping into some flip flops, she grabbed her purse and opened the door.
Sam, a quiet young man, led the way down the stairs followed by Penny and then Matt. She fervently hoped it was someone else’s car.
“Are you sure it’s my car?” She twisted around to look at Matt.
“Yes, it’s yours.”
Penny’s shoulders slumped. Several small lights cast a faint glow over the cars. They approached her car which had been parked nearest the stairs. Fragments of glass lay everywhere--on the ground beside the car, inside on the passenger’s and driver’s seats.
At the sight of the destruction, Penny started to shake. She’d never been a victim of vandalism or theft before.
She gave Sam her keys, and he moved around to the driver’s side. She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly cold though the night air seemed unseasonably balmy for January.
“Who would do this? Do you think they were trying to steal the car?”
Matt shook his head and clicked his tongue. “I don’t know. They didn’t take the car, so... They’re not real hard to hot wire. Are you missing anything?”
“No, I didn’t leave anything in it. The stereo is still there.” She peered into the car. “Could they even get it out? It looks like it’s in there pretty tight.”
A corner of Matt’s lips lifted, albeit with a tired tilt. “Sure, thieves can disconnect anything if they want it bad enough. Looks like whoever did this wasn’t into stereos. I’m wondering...” He glanced at her quickly and bit his lip.
Penny knew what he was wondering. She’d wondered the same thing herself but didn’t want to tie the two incidents together. It would be much better for her if each were random.
“You’re wondering if it’s tied to that phone call yesterday,” she said as she hunched into her crossed arms once again.
“Yeah,” he said ruefully. “I am.”
“I hope not,” Penny said. “I can’t imagine who would do this.” She swallowed hard and distracted herself by watching Sam. “What’s he doing?” She watched the young officer put the key in the ignition and turn on the engine.
“He’s getting your odometer reading and stuff. You’re going to need it for the insurance. And he’s going to check your trunk.”
She eyed him curiously. “Why are you here, Matt? I mean...I’m glad you are, but you don’t respond to every single call in this town, do you?”
Matt threw her a quick glance and then dropped his eyes to the glass at their feet.
“No, I don’t. I was just on my way home, heard the call and the address on the radio and came over to see what happened.”
“Well, I’m finished here, Chief. If you would just read and sign this, ma’am.”
For the second time that day, Penny signed an official statement. Sam said his goodbyes and got into his cruiser parked near the driveway entrance and pulled out.
Penny turned to survey the mess once again and sighed. “I’d better go get a broom and get this cleaned up.”
“I’ll help,” Matt said softly.
She turned to him. He seemed about ready to drop.
“Oh, Matt, you don’t have to. You look exhausted. Why don’t you go home and get some sleep?”
He nodded. “I will, but I’ll just help with this.” He walked toward the stairwell.
Penny followed, admiring the view as he ascended the stairs. Her lips curved in a tickled smile. He still had the same curves she’d always admired. Age hadn’t flattened any of his assets.
They retrieved broom, dust pan and plastic garbage can from her apartment and returned to sweep up the glass from the surrounding area and inside the car. Matt carried the garbage can over to the dumpster and tossed in the contents.
“You’re going to have to call your insurance company first thing in the morning. You’ll want to get that window replaced as soon as possible.” Matt nodded in the direction of the car as they turned and headed back up the stairs.
