"It's getting late. What do you say Tiffany, about turning in? Long day." As Capri's mother stood, Bud clapped Thall on the back. "Thanks for all your help today. Couldn't have done it so fast without you."
"Glad to help. And just so you know, bribing me with beer works every time."
Tiffany slipped her arm around her husband's waist. "Let's go and leave these two some privacy."
"What privacy?" Bud snorted. "Half the lake heard them last night." Chuckling, he turned and escorted his wife to their cottage.
Thall sat in the unoccupied seat.
"Having fun?" Capri finished the last of her wine and placed the glass on the dock.
"Yes. I like your dad. Nice guy."
"He's got a bromance on you."
He squinted. "Do I want to know?"
"He likes you. He'd never get my brothers, Pat or Steve, to help paint anything. They don't do renovation jobs. I think they're both allergic to hammers. And Dad can't get me to go out in the boat. But you did both today, and you let him teach you how to cook the perfect steak."
"He was surprised I'd never BBQ'd before. Told him I grew up in a big apartment complex. Never had a chance to learn."
Capri studied his profile. It was just visible in the dim light. "You're getting pretty good at coming up with excuses and explanations. The apartment and your supposed déjà vu moment."
He rubbed his face. "Big football match today. Oh, you call it soccer. Lots of players and fans invoking us. Busy day. Hard to be in two places at once."
"I thought you said Fates couldn't lie."
"No, I said we weren't good at it. But we're great at bending the truth."
"I told my mother about you."
He raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"She took it pretty well. Mind you, she said that was because of all the alcohol she'd drunk today. Tomorrow might be a different matter."
"You know." Thall pointed at the boat. "The padded seats on that thing are way more comfy than here."
Capri jumped up. "You have the most perfect ideas. I can snuggle up next to you, wrapped up in your arms. "
Thall stood and followed. "You do know it's a boat. On water."
"Tied to a dock." She stepped onto the deck. "It's not going anywhere. And besides, I have my own Superman captain. I know I'll be safe."
She patted the bench seat. Thall sat on the bench and held out his arms. Capri sat, leaned back against him and stretched her legs out on the seat. "Mmmm, perfect. A lovely summer's evening. And just you and me."
"It can be like this forever."
"How? I'm human. You're…Thall."
He chuckled. "Apt description. While you were flying here, I went back and—"
Capri turned. "What's it like where you live?"
"Live is the wrong word. Exist is a better choice. And it's difficult to explain to you…human."
She rolled her eyes and settled back. "Give it your best shot."
"I exist in three planes. All, or at least most other Fates, only have two. I don't know if there are any others like me, who can become human."
"Okay, first off you are that beautiful shimmery glitter that I saw you and your sister as. And third, you are human, like now. What's in the middle?"
"A combination of the two. When I am shimmery glitter, to use your description, that's my true self. And we don't live anywhere. We just are." He waved his hand around. "Think of it like your air. It's just here."
"Do you eat? Sleep?"
"Not in that form. As I said, we're like the air."
Capri intertwined her fingers with his. "Kind of sad. You can't touch anything. Or do anything wonderful, like eat chocolate."
Thall leaned his head forward and breathed across her ear. "Or make love."
"So what is the combination version of you? Thall 1.1."
"When Xyno appeared in your kitchen and shifted to her corporeal form, she looked human to you, correct?"
Capri nodded.
"To you, she would've been like a ghost. You can see her but can't touch her."
"I could have put my hand through her?"
"Right."
Capri sighed and listened to the boat knock against the dock. The lights from the cottages bobbed on the surface of the water. "What were you going to say about when you went back?"
"I talked with Lachesis and she said there could be a way for us to be together. We need a link. Something to bind us."
"You mean something metaphorical, right? Not an actual something, like say a rope."
Thall snorted. "Of all the things on the planet, you thought of a rope?"
Capri pointed. "I was looking at the line tying the boat to the dock." She pressed her elbow into his ribs. "What did you think I meant?"
"The line. Tying the boat to the dock."
"Liar."
"Pulling the conversation back onto the correct track, yes the link must be a physical item if it is to couple us into eternity. If it is broken, we will both cease to exist."
Capri lowered her voice and glanced sideways at Thall. "When I…you know, will I be like you in the realm of the Fates?"
"You will exist with us. I have fixed it to be so."
"For eternity?"
He nodded.
"That's a long time."
"Yup."
Capri let the implications of that settle into her brain. "What did your mother give
our father?"
Thall rested his head against hers. "Other way around, my father offered a ring of intertwined yellow and white daisies."
"Ah, that's so sweet. Did she get to be with your father until he…" Capri glanced at the boat deck.
"No. As he was bringing the flowers to Lachesis, Atropos snipped his lifeline."
Capri gasped. "How horrible."
"You have to choose what links us. And you have to get it right on the first try because there won't be a second."
"Because…because, if I choose wrong Atropos might—"
"She holds your lifeline in ransom."
Capri clasped her hand to her mouth.
"She despises my existence. I did not know this. She called the union of Lachesis and my father a perversion. She wants us to fail in choosing the right link between us."
Capri shifted around to face him. "I don't know what to choose."
"I cannot help you choose this link. If Atropos suspects I have assisted you, she could…" He lowered his head and paused. "The thought of spending eternity without you." He shuddered. "Darkness will fill me. I will exist and yet, I will not."
Sadness filled Capri and a tear tricked down her cheek. "I won't fail. I've screwed up a lot of things in my life, but I won't this time." She bit back a sob. "I can't."
She stood and paced the deck. "A few months ago I was just me, Capri, clawing my way to the top of the corporate ladder. Now, I'm facing death at the whim of a prejudicial Fate."
Thall reached for her hand and pulled her back to the bench.
She placed a hand on his cheek. "I say, bring it on, bitch. You're worth the risk." Pressing her lips on his mouth, she expressed her desire for him.
Her head swam with thoughts and emotions. A hunger to be with Thall forever. An overpowering fear of death. Confusion as to what to choose to link them. Joy that Thall wanted to be with her. Lust at the thought of an eternity of nights like last night.
Capri broke off the kiss and rested against his chest. She listened to his heartbeat and pondered choices. The link wouldn't be something obvious, such as a wedding band. It would be bizarrely unusual, like the fur off the back of a polar bear. A book? A pebble? What? She would figure it out. She had to. Loving Thall and being with him was the most important thing in her life.
She blinked. He was more important to her than her work. But work was her life. She glanced up. Thall's eyes were closed. Should she tell him she loved him?
She placed a hand on his chest. "Thall."
He sniffed, but didn't waken.
Since we have forever,
I guess it can wait until tomorrow.
Chapter Twenty-Six
"Wakey. Wakey. Eggs and bakey." Bud's voice and his fist hammering on the side of the boat ripped them from their sleep. "Come on, breakfast's on. We're having French toast with maple syrup."
Thall yawned. "What is that saying? Some sort of familial torture."
"It was Mom's way of getting us all up in the morning, although usually it was a box of Cheerios waiting for us rather than, mmmm, my favorite, French toast with maple syrup."
"I never got around to pouring syrup all over your body and licking it off."
Chuckling, Capri stood, tapped her pockets and glanced around the boat deck. "We'll pick some up on the way home."
"What are you looking for?"
"My cell. But I'm thinking, maybe, I left it up at the cottage."
Thall stepped onto the dock, held out his hand, helped Capri off the boat and together they walked back to the cabin.
When they stepped inside, Tiffany looked up and smiled. "Good morning, you two. You know, you have a perfectly good bed here you can sleep on." She pointed to the table and everyone settled down to enjoy breakfast.
"It was such a glorious evening. We were chatting and the next thing I knew, Dad was pounding on the side of the boat."
"Pass the syrup, please." Her mother held out her hand, waiting for the bottle.
As Thall passed it to her, Capri glanced around the kitchen. "Have either of you seen my cell?"
Bud grimaced. "Hid the damn thing. It's been going off every hour since midnight."
Capri's gaze widened. "Uh oh. Must be something important. Where is it?"
"Sideboard behind you. Second drawer at the back under the tablecloths." He watched her pull open the correct drawer then he turned to Thall. "I thought about throwing it into the lake. Damn thing."
Thall swallowed a mouthful of French toast. "I'd have paid you to do it. It goes off at the most annoying moments. And she just has to answer it."
Capri groaned and stumbled forward against her chair. Her hand covered her mouth and her pulse pounded in her ears as she plopped onto her seat. Fighting to control the nausea, she reached with a trembling hand, for her coffee cup. It tipped and coffee sloshed over the side. She grabbed it with both hands.
Confusion etched her mother's face. "Honey, what’s the matter?"
Capri stared at the puddle of java.
Thall tapped her arm. "What's wrong?"
She snapped her face toward him. "We have to go back. Now."
"Okay." He stood and pushed back his chair.
"Why?" Her father placed his mug on the table.
Capri blinked. "Terrence, my assistant called. I'm…I'm suspected of corporate espionage. Men went into my office yesterday and took my computer."
Tears filled her eyes. "I never…" She placed her arms on the table, dropped her forehead onto them and sobbed.
Thall turned to Tiffany. "Stay with her. I'll pack her stuff. Be back in a moment." He walked to the doorway.
Capri popped her head up. Her eyes darkened with anger. "Did you do this? Is this your fault?"
Thall blinked and held up his hands. "I haven't done anything."
"What about your cousins? Your mother? You all powerful Fates go around meddling in normal people's lives."
"Did you invoke us?"
"No." She resisted the urge to throw her coffee mug at him.
"Then we did nothing." He scooted out of the room.
Within minutes, he returned with the luggage, raced to the car and deposited the bags into the trunk. With a brief hug to both her parents, Capri stomped down the stairs and walked to the car.
Thall returned to the cabin, but her father waved him off. "No time to say good bye. Get in the car or she'll leave without you. Nice meeting you."
"See you next time." Capri's mother waved.
Thall waved, turned and jumped into the car. He shut the door as Capri pressed her foot on the gas petal. Fumbling with the seat belt he managed to click it shut before she turned onto the main road.
"Swear to me you had nothing to do with this. That this isn't some sick game."
Thall closed his eyes, but spoke aloud. "Lachesis. Did you have anything to do with this fucking mess?"
"Temper my son. I have done nothing. I believe this is human folly."
Capri focused on the road. When she rounded the corner to connect to the main highway, the glare of the sun momentarily blinded them. She dug her sunglasses out of the console and slammed them onto her face. Angry tension filled the air.
Gripping the steering wheel, she drove in silence. Thall watched the blur of trees and signs whip past. He had no words of comfort to offer her.
A large sign near the intersection advertised, Visit Michigan's newest covered bridge.
Thall rubbed his nose. "Why would you cover a bridge?"
"What?" Capri turned her face toward him. Instead of her beautiful brown eyes, the large black plastic lens stared unblinkingly at him, blinding him to the mood of the woman he loved.
He pointed to the fast approaching billboard. "Where's that? The covered bridge."
She released her hand from the death grip she had on the steering wheel and waved her finger to the left. "Over there?"
Thall leaned forward. "I don't see it."
Capri sighed. "There. Look to the left. Just past the—"
The squeal of brakes reverberated, followed by the crunch of metal on metal. Capri screamed and fought the wheel, trying to keep the car on the road. She glanced into her rear view mirror. Her stomach tightened in a hundred knots.
The transport behind bore down on them. The hiss of air brakes filled the air. Flung forward, the car spun.
One revolution. Two revolutions. Capri moaned in pain as her body jerked right to left. The edge of the bridge stopped the third spin. Glass cracked. Metal crunched. Yelps of pain engulfed them.
The car's motion stopped, but the world still spun like a roller coaster ride gone wrong. Capri's heart pounded and her chest heaved with small pants. She looked around her then turned to Thall.
His side of the car was crumpled inward, and his body pressed against the center console. "Thall?"
He opened his eyes.
"You okay?" She tried to unlock her seatbelt, but couldn't steady her fingers enough to press the button.
Thall wiped at his face then stared at his blood-covered hand. He glanced at Capri and looked down to see what she was staring at. A red spot spread down his white t-shirt.
"Damn. This isn't supposed to happen. This can't happen. I lov—" His eyes closed and his head fell forward. A light shimmered and Thall faded into a mist.
"Thall? Oh my God. No!"
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Breaths coming in small hiccups, Capri stared at the vacant seat where Thall had existed a split second ago. Her hand shook as she reached out to touch the emptiness. With hope beyond faith, she curled her fingers, but grasped nothing.
Heart pounding, she opened her mouth to scream. A mournful hiccup escaped her. She inhaled and released a sob. "You can't go, Thall. I never told you I love you."
"Lady? Lady!" A hand pounded on the driver's side window. "Are you all right?"
She turned her head and focused her gaze. An unshaven man peered into her car as her door opened. The man knelt next to her. "Are you hurt? I called 9-1-1. I tried not to hit you. I couldn't stop in time."
She blinked twice and cleared her throat. "You're the transport driver?"
He nodded. "The other car is over there. The guy who was behind me is with him."
Licking her dry lips, Capri frowned. "What other driver?"
"The guy who hit you."
"Oh. Okay." She put the car in park, turned the key and pulled it from the ignition. "Purse? Where's my…" Her gaze darted from the man to the crumpled mess that used to be the passenger door.
Her left hand flew to her mouth as she fought the overwhelming urge to throw up. Her nostrils flared as her
chest heaved with her rapid panting. She twisted her head left and right then shifted to exit the car. "Out. Out. I have to get—" The locked seat belt held her in place.
The vibration started in the core of her belly and grew until her body shuddered. Tears filled her eyes as her fingers fumbled for the lock. Her muscles tensed. Panic threatened to explode inside her. "Get this off me. Get it off!"
The man pressed his hand on her shoulder, pushing her back against her seat. "I'm Nathan Millar." He leaned past her and unclicked the stubborn seatbelt. "What's your name?"
"Cap—Capricious G—Gray."
"Pretty name. Capricious. Maybe you should stay there until the paramedics check you."
Trembling, Capri clenched her fists and shook her head. "No. No. I have to get out of here."
"Let me help." The man held out his hand then pulled her from the car. Assisting Capri, he walked her to a patch of grass on the edge of the ditch. "Why don't you just sit there a minute? I think I hear the sirens."
Capri smiled a weak thank you and settled herself onto the grass. Her gaze lifted from the gravel on the side of the road, to the pavement to her right rear bumper, to the mutilated passenger door crushed against the bridge railing.
Unable to stop them, she felt her eyelids flutter shut and a moment of pain as her cheek smacked against the gravel.
~ * * ~
After dealing with the rental company, flying back home and being unable to outwardly grieve for Thall, Capri sat at the end of a long conference table at Felkins Global Energy and Resources and rubbed her forehead. She wore her dark blue power suit, her Chanel No. 5 perfume, and her lucky underwear. A heavy darkness filled her, but she could explain it to no one. She had to pretend everything was normal. Pretend Thall hadn't disappeared from existence without even leaving a body for her to grieve over. Pain gripped her heart. She swallowed, squeezed her fingers around the pen, trying to obliterate the horrific memory.
Last evening, with Kat, she cried until she was tearless. She'd talked about the looming threat of corporate espionage and the soul-destroying loss of Thall. The replay sped through her mind.
Through sobs, sniffles and a half a box of tissues, she'd babbled out her frustrated confusion. "I don't know why they'd suspect me of anything. I've always been the perfect businessperson. That's why I chased Thall away. I thought I had to be practical. Focus on my work. I can't hang around a non-existent human. But doing so, made my soul hurt. "
Capri's Fate Page 20
