Time for Raine

by C. Barry Denham

  “You mean protect, don’t you?”

  “Let’s think of it as extra insurance. As far as the agent goes, you won’t ever see him or her. But know they’re around. Our men and women are the finest anywhere, so you can rest assured you will be safe.”

  Sean thought about this, but the agent’s reassurances did little to ease his mind.

  “Mr. Sampson, again we have no credible intelligence of a threat to your daughter. This is a precaution only, and I would appreciate if you keep this under your hat.”

  “How long will we be in Washington?”

  “You might want to pack some extra clothes. Your presence there could, of course, be brief, but better safe than sorry. The department will provide for you any needs you might not anticipate.”

  He ended the call, turned, and found Raine standing behind him. He replayed the conversation in his mind and wondered how much she had heard. If he had said anything that might alarm his daughter, it was now water under the bridge. He smiled and touched her cheek. “Well, sweetie, looks like we get to go to Washington, once again.”

  She seemed to think about this for a moment. “When?”

  “On Wednesday.”

  “For how long?”

  “A few days, I would assume.”

  “Why?”

  He thought carefully about his response. “Honey, I think they want to hear it again about how you figured out the appropriation scheme.”

  She seemed to chew on this comment for a moment, and then took a deep breath and smiled. “Do you think I could get a snack on the plane?”

  He stifled a smile. It was like her to worry about food, first and foremost.

  “Of course, sweetie.” He knelt. “I would imagine you can have anything you want. They’re sending one of their planes to take us there. I’m sure there will be lots of food on board.”

  With this, her eyes grew big, and her smile widened. “Wow,” she mouthed, silently.

  “Yeah, wow,” he agreed. “Are you ready for all this?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  He drew her close, lifted her into his arms, and headed for their favorite chair in the den. He sat and positioned her on his lap, so he could clearly see her face. Based on the wisdom she possessed, he could be more frank with her than someone might normally be with a child her age. “Are you sure you’re okay with this meeting? I really don’t know what to expect. Maybe you do, maybe you don’t; I don’t want you to be nervous or anxious. But let me tell you, if they start acting ugly, the meeting’s over.”

  “It’s okay, Daddy. I’m not nervous. I’m glad we’re going. There are so many questions I want to ask them. And so many things I want to tell them.”

  His pulse quickened. “Such as?”

  “Things I think might help them with their jobs.”

  “Forgive me, sweetie, I don’t understand.”

  “I don’t either, Daddy. But I think…I think I will, when I get there.”

  “I know you’ve been looking at a lot of things on the Internet. Anything else you and I might need to prepare for?”

  “I don’t know, Daddy.” Her nose wrinkled. “Just be there for me.”

  “Always.” He hugged her. “I will always be there for you.”

  She held out her little finger. “Pinkie promise?”

  He wrapped his finger around hers. “Pinkie promise.”

  She smiled and made no attempt to leave his arms. Neither moved for a long while.

  ****

  Noelle walked onto the plane, and Sean’s mouth flew open. He glanced at Raine, surprised she hadn’t seen the doctor first. The child was absorbed in a Washington for Dummies book he had bought for her.

  He stood. “What?” Words eluded him. Was it the shock of seeing her then and there, or the shock of seeing her at all?

  She looked incredible. No matter where or when he saw her, his heart reacted with a flutter. She was such a beautiful woman, in every way.

  The attendant brought luggage in behind her and lifted it into a storage bin.

  “So you didn’t ask that I come?” Noelle asked.

  “No. I mean yes. I mean no. I mean I wanted you to come, but I had no idea you would consider it.”

  “If it’s any consolation, I didn’t ask to come either. The NSA showed up at my office. Again.”

  It took Raine no more than a few seconds to jump from her seat and run to Noelle. “Miss Noelle!”

  Noelle knelt and embraced her. She squeezed his daughter tightly. “Oh, look at you.” She made no attempt to let Raine go. “You look so pretty, and your hair is so beautiful and long.”

  “Just like yours, Miss Noelle. I missed you.”

  “I missed you too, sweetie.” Tears filled Noelle’s eyes. She quickly wiped them away.

  He stood silently, dumbstruck. Until Raine’s comment, he had not realized his daughter had wanted to grow her hair out because of Noelle. Although the thought touched him, he remained cautious. He didn’t want to read too much into this reunion. Raine’s show of affection reminded him of the scene at the Crab Trap but with much more emotion. He kept reminding himself of what Derek had said, about being patient. Just because the two were peas in a pod didn’t mean anything more than they were fond of each other. A crew member joined them from the cockpit and removed his cap.

  “Folks, I’m Captain Greer. I wanted you to know we’ll be shoving off in a few minutes. If I could get you all to take a seat and buckle up?” He turned his attention to Raine, reached into his pocket, produced a shiny plastic wings pin, and handed it to her. “All except you, little miss. How would you like to come with me up front to the cockpit for a couple of minutes?” Then to Sean, “Agent Sanders will be along in a few minutes.”

  Raine looked to Sean, and he nodded his approval. She took the pilot’s hand and walked forward. The flight attendant disappeared aft. He was alone with Noelle. She moved toward a seat across the aisle, sat and buckled up.

  “Sean, I want you to know I won’t be discussing anything about Raine with Sanders, or anyone else without talking with you first or without you in attendance.”

  He shook his head, before she finished her statement. “It’s all right. I was wrong to react the way I did before. I’ve thought about it a thousand times. You did nothing I wouldn’t have done myself. I am so sorry for the way I reacted.”

  He thought he detected a slight smile as she looked away. “I’m not sure I can process an apology without a bouquet of flowers, or some sort of extravagant gift I’ve grown so accustomed to. Your apology doesn’t seem as sincere, somehow.”

  Sean returned the smile.

  “You are crazy, you know?” She gave him a look that melted his heart. “And for the record—thank you for all those gifts. You really shouldn’t have.”

  “It didn’t seem the gifts worked very well.”

  She took a deep breath and looked at him. Her smile was gone, replaced by an expression he couldn’t read. “I think you should know I really meant it about your taking Raine to another doctor. The one I had in mind was Dr. Barton. He’s excellent with cases similar to hers, although I’m not quite sure if there are any cases exactly like Raine’s. But…well, he’s better equipped to deal with her situation than I am.”

  “I’m not buying that,” he said. “Raine wants you, not anyone else. And so do I.”

  ****

  Noelle unbuckled and loosened her seatbelt and fought the urge to run. Her heart beat wildly as he continued to look at her as if he might devour her at any moment. Was there hidden meaning in what he had said? Should she believe he had meant much more than just wanting her there for Raine in the plane at the moment?

  He looked so handsome in khakis, white golf shirt, and navy blazer—larger than life and sexy as hell. She felt a familiar warmth, so easily triggered in his presence. What control he had over her! All he had to do was look at her. Or speak to her. Memories from the intimate night haunted her. She had to look away.

  “I�
�m—I’m flattered, but nonetheless I believe strongly that I won’t be able to deliver the treatment and advice my colleague will.”

  “Then why are you here?” His question was steadfast, unyielding. This served to turn her on more, and she fought a desire to give in to him.

  “I’m here because Sanders told me you hadn’t secured another doctor. I’m here because he thought Raine might need me.” He looked deflated and lost, as if he wanted to hear something else.

  He nodded, smiled, and looked away as Raine emerged from the cockpit. He ignored the approach of his daughter and turned to look at Noelle. “For Raine’s sake, thank you for being here.”

  This only added to her confusion, and she was thrown off balance once again. With Raine back, the discussion would have to wait.

  The captain, who followed closely behind Raine, looked as though he had lost some of the swagger he had shown earlier. In fact, Noelle was concerned about the expression on his face. He seemed to snap out of a trance as he watched Raine buckle up.

  “Mr. Sampson, I must admit I don’t recall ever talking with anyone—of any age, for that matter—who knows more about this aircraft and, well, aerodynamics, in general.” He glanced at Raine. “Young lady, how do you know so much about flying? And where did you learn so much about this aircraft?”

  Raine shrugged.

  “She does a lot of reading, Captain,” Sean said.

  Noelle smiled. The captain took off his cap and scratched a bald spot on the crown of his head.

  You have no idea, Captain. Not a clue. Noelle settled into her seat and buckled up again. It was shaping up to be a long flight.

  And a longer day.

  Once airborne, and in spite of Raine’s constant banter, the calming drone of the engines did little to abate the uneasiness that hung in the air of the cabin. Noelle managed a few quick glances toward Sean, who stared out the window. She wondered where his head was, what he was thinking, and where she fit in to any of it.

  “Did you know that the Washington Monument is closed?”

  “No, honey, I didn’t,” Noelle answered, uncomfortable. Was it Sean’s silence or flying in general?

  “I think they need to check it out after they got the baby earthquake.”

  Noelle ventured a look once again at Sean, but he still gazed out the window. “Where did you hear that, sweetie?”

  “I don’t know.” The child retreated, again deep in thought. Noelle suspected it might have to do with her gift. It had to be difficult trying to decipher what was fact and what was intuition. She hadn’t heard about any earthquakes in the area and wondered if this was something that had happened or was going to happen. The very train of her thought did little to ease the mixture of emotions surrounding her.

  “Honey, you know it’s perfectly okay to be confused sometimes,” Noelle said and put her arm around her. “When grown-ups ask questions, it doesn’t mean they’re upset with you.”

  “I know.” She snuggled up. “It’s hard.”

  In spite of the admission she had heard from Raine, she smiled. This was a big step—talking about her tendency to shut down.

  As she glanced across the aisle, she could see Sean’s smile as he continued to look away.

  ****

  Raine monopolized most of Noelle’s time during the flight. The ladies had no trouble mending the relationship severed by several weeks and the incident during the last trip to DC. Sean spent most of the time in his seat across the aisle, looking out the window and contemplating Noelle’s words. As much as he would like to think he could shrug her cool demeanor off, he knew better. Too much water had flowed under the bridge now, and he was in too deep. It was becoming clear to him now that the situation had changed since he first met Noelle, and he had passed a point of no return. He had no idea where their volatile relationship was headed, and he couldn’t gain clarity at the moment concerning it, given the situation with Raine. He resolved to table the issue and focus on his daughter, as Noelle seemed to be doing.

  As Sean stepped from the aircraft onto the tarmac, the temperature and humidity seemed higher than in Pensacola. The heavy air was stifling. He held tight to Raine’s hand as he helped Noelle down the steps. A black SUV waited, steps from the aircraft. An agent in a dark suit and shades was positioned at the bottom of the steps. Another was at a rear door of the SUV. Both spoke into their wrists. In spite of the unsettling feeling that gripped him, Sean couldn’t help but find humor in the scene. It played out like a movie, the kind he had pictured in his mind when plotting his stories. The first agent nodded as they passed, and Sean found it strange that he looked totally in control, as cool as a cucumber. Not one bead of sweat was visible anywhere on his face, in spite of the heat. Void of expression, he lifted an arm, indicating the door to the SUV.

  Once they were inside the vehicle and their luggage was loaded into the back, the driver wasted no time in departing. The vehicle sped along the Potomac River. Raine was the first to see the Washington Monument, which stood tall in the hazy distance across the river. That sight was the one and only hint of the locale before the vehicle pulled up to a suburban motel. Sean was paying more attention to the ladies in the rear seat next to him than the route, so he had no idea where the vehicle had taken them. The agent in the front passenger seat asked them to wait in the vehicle while he checked them in. The NSA certainly seemed to be making good their promise concerning taking care of the details.

  Sean glanced toward Noelle as they were escorted into the hotel elevator. A penny for your thoughts. He wanted to say it aloud during the short ride up. Noelle seemed so uncomfortable. Was she feeling closed in by the confined space in the elevator, or by him? He’d had time to think it through. It might be dangerous putting all his cards on the table, but so be it. He wanted to explore the true extent of his feelings for her and more importantly, what she felt for him. That wasn’t going to happen unless he made the first move. He planned to do just that at the first opportunity. Like it or not, Noelle was going to hear him out.

  “Daddy, my head hurts.” Raine tugged on his hand. Her face looked flushed. Was it because of the weather?

  “I’m not surprised, little one. You haven’t slowed down all day long.”

  “And I’m hot.”

  “Well, I think it’s going to be dinner, a quick cool bath, and bedtime for you. You’ve got at least a couple of long days ahead of you.”

  “But I want to stay up with you and Miss Noelle.”

  “I don’t think so, sweetie.” He immediately felt guilty. His true motive for putting her to bed early was more than concern for her rest. “Eight o’clock is lights out for you, little lady.”

  “Ahhhh.” She gave him that heart-wrenching pout that always tugged at his conscience. But this time it wasn’t going to work.

  ****

  Noelle fought to control her nerves. The ride in the elevator seemed endless. She wondered what sort of accommodations awaited them. She had posed this question to Sanders earlier. His response was short and to the point, assuring her of adequate privacy. In spite of the promise, she remained uneasy. Her uneasiness came not from lack of trust concerning Sean, but from wondering if she could trust herself. Why did he have so much power over her? He wasn’t a pushy man; he had never done anything to bully her. Yet she was very much aware of the old adage, “The closer to the flame, the hotter it gets.” The question wasn’t when, it was if she could get Sean out of her heart. His very presence made the task formidable.

  A loud ding made her flinch, as the elevator reached the top floor. She stepped out, and her heart leapt, in anticipation of reaching the rooms. All these thoughts about control—giving it up, keeping it—were playing on her nerves. She stood on the precipice of where she most feared to be. Falling into an unknown abyss with him couldn’t be that bad, could it? Was being close to him again even possible now? Had she ruined it all with her aloofness? Had she seemed ungrateful for his efforts to reach her and for all the gifts?

  Had
she gone too far and shut him out of her life for good?

  She was relieved to see that the room layout was more conducive to privacy. The three rooms were interconnected, with Raine’s in the center. Sean unpacked in his and Raine’s rooms, and Noelle offered to help Raine with the room service.

  “And what would you like, little missy?” In spite of everything on her mind, it was always fun to witness Raine’s enthusiasm for food.

  “I don’t know, Miss Noelle,” she said, and her little shoulders slumped as she sat on the edge of her bed.

  “Wow, they have a lot of good-looking items on the room service menu. Wanna take a look?”

  “Okay,” she said and took the menu as Noelle handed it to her. “Can I have a hamburger and fries?”

  “You can have anything you want.” Noelle waited for additional items, but they did not come. “Is that all? No dessert? No fruit? What would you like to drink?”

  “Coke, I guess.” She laid the menu down and yawned.

  She ate with little enthusiasm. To Noelle’s surprise, the tired little girl couldn’t finish her burger.

  True to his word, as Noelle unpacked after dinner with the door open to Raine’s room, she could hear Sean getting her ready for bed at precisely eight o’clock. She stepped into the room and blew the little girl a good night kiss.

  “You sleep tight, missy,” Sean said and looked toward Noelle as his daughter smiled and blew a kiss back. He kissed her forehead and hesitated. “Are you still hot, sweetie? Will you turn the thermostat down, Miss Noelle? I guess maybe I got her bath water too warm, considering the weather.”

  As fate would have it, the thermostat was next to the door to Sean’s room. Noelle walked cautiously around him. She quickly adjusted the thermostat, as he tucked Raine in and then turned off the small lamp by her bed. Noelle smiled politely as she walked past him on the way to her room.

  “Good night,” she whispered and turned away.

  “Can I talk to you for a minute?” It wasn’t really a question; it sounded like a command.

  She had almost made it. “I’m kind of tired—”

  “This won’t take but a minute.” He indicated his room. “Please.”