Zeke rolled his eyes as he rubbed the spot she’d poked. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Look, I gotta go. I have an interview in an hour on the other side of town.” He gave her a wicked wink followed by an equally wicked grin. “Believe me, my next blog is gonna be a scorcher!”
“Yeah? Dixie gonna be okay with that?”
“Hey – what she don’t know -”
“Won’t hurt you?” Leah asked drily.
“Exactly.”
~~~~~
Zeke smiled at the woman behind him as he waited for Dixie to answer the phone. “I don’t know how I let my phone run down,” he said, then turned away when he heard Dixie’s questioning “hello”.
“Hey, babe, it’s me. I’m running a bit later than planned tonight, doing research for tomorrow’s blog. I should be home in about an hour, maybe two.”
“Research, huh?” Dixie said skeptically.
“Yeah. Don’t be mad, sweetheart. I’ll make it up to you when I get home.”
“I’ll bet. Fine.”
“See you later, babe.” He hung up the phone and handed it back to the attractive blonde holding a glass of wine and smiling charmingly at him. He grinned back. “Thanks for that. Now, where were we?”
Two hours later, Zeke pulled in the driveway at the back of the house and headed towards the front door, whistling cheerfully. He grinned to himself as he tried to decide what would be the best way to make it up to Dixie for him getting home late. He frowned as he came around the corner and saw the boxes piled on the front porch. He took a close look at them and his eyes widened when he saw his name written in black felt pen on them, with a white envelope taped to the top one. He hesitated, swallowed hard, then picked up the envelope and slowly opened it.
The message was printed in block letters and simply said, ‘NEXT TIME USE YOUR OWN DAMN PHONE.’
~~~~~
Zeke sat slumped at TJ and Leah’s kitchen table, playing with the glass in front of him. TJ and Leah watched him, concerned, taking sips from their own drinks as they listened to his story.
“How she managed to get the locks changed at this time of night -” he shook his head, staring down at his glass.
“I’m sorry, man,” TJ said.
“Me, too,” Leah said. “I really liked Dixie.”
Zeke nodded and sighed. “Yeah. Me, too. You know the sad part? I was really trying this time. I mean, I wasn’t cheating. For the first time since...in a long time, I felt...She’s...she’s sweet, you know what I mean? I thought we really had something.”
“If you feel like that,” TJ said, “then go back tomorrow and try to work it out. Explain to her what you were doing.”
Zeke shook his head. “I told her I was working. She obviously didn’t believe me.” He paused, running a finger around the rim of his glass. He glanced up at Leah.
“Is that offer to leave town still open?”
* * * * *
Minus Six Days
I’m getting worried.
Manny glanced over at Harvey, who was currently painting her living room dressed only in a pair of low-riding jeans. She took a moment to admire the impossibly well-defined muscles of his torso as they moved beneath the skin of his back and sighed. Who else, she thought, would happily help her paint her living room and not mind that she herself was sweating up a storm, tendrils of hair escaping from its tight bun to plaster themselves to her cheeks and forehead, all while she was wearing the only pair of sloppy sweats and t-shirt Rebecca and Daisy had left behind after they cleaned out her closets? Anyone other than a fantasy man would run screaming for the hills, she thought ruefully, and who could blame them?
What are you worried about?
We only ever seem to talk anymore – or else I’m helping you work. You haven’t had me rescuing you from pirates in months.
Hey – you’re the one who complained about the breeches!
I’m just wondering if the romance has gone out of our relationship.
Sadly, the only fantasy I want right now is somebody helping me paint who looks as good as you do with his shirt off.
I aim to please.
I should hope so – you’re my fantasy after all.
The doorbell startled her, and she glanced at her watch as she headed to the door. She opened it to find Rebecca on the other side, dressed in old jeans and a t-shirt and yet somehow still looking gorgeous, a sparkle in her bright blue eyes, her auburn hair adding a glow to her smooth cheeks.
“If I didn’t love you like a second sister, I’d hate your breathing guts,” Manny said and stepped aside to let Rebecca into the house.
Rebecca laughed. “Well, that’s good to know...I think. What brought that on?”
“The fact you look gorgeous in anything you wear and I always manage to look like a schlub.”
Rebecca laughed again. “Well, thanks,” she smirked, “but even I couldn’t pull that look off.” She gestured at Manny’s sad outfit then critically assessed the progress Manny had made in painting the room. “I’ll start on the opposite wall?”
“Good a place as any,” Manny agreed. She watched as Rebecca poured paint into the pan and took up a roller. “I really appreciate this, you know.”
Rebecca shrugged. “That’s what friends are for – to help you out even when you’re losing your ever-loving mind.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence there, Rebecca.”
“Hey – I have a very real worry that this guy – what’s his name again?”
“Zeke.”
“Right – Zeke. Look, besides the fact he might turn out to be a serial killer, have you thought about what you’re going to do when this road trip is over? You still need to work, and you’re selling this place, so you’ll need somewhere to live, and just where do you think you’re going to find another job that paid as much as that one?”
Manny determinedly shook her head. “I’m not thinking that far ahead.”
“See? This is what I’m talking about! That’s not like you! You’ve got things planned years in advance! Sometimes to the very hour!”
“That’s because nothing – and I mean nothing – ever changes for me! That’s the point! That’s why I need to do this! I’m almost positive I didn’t used to be like this. I don’t remember worrying or planning years in advance when I was in my early twenties. I used to...I don’t know...just live.”
Rebecca painted in silence for a moment then slowly said, “You were still reeling from the deaths of your parents. You and Daisy both. I think your early twenties were – well, you’d had it proven to you when you were seventeen that there’s no such thing as a guaranteed future. You both lived life in the moment for a while there.”
Manny bit her lip. “It was...hard,” she acknowledged softly. “For all of us,” she added, glancing at Rebecca.
“It’s still hard,” Rebecca sighed, “and it’s been almost thirty years.”
They worked in somber silence for a few minutes, then Manny shook off her melancholy mood.
“Regardless of the reasons why I was different in my early twenties, I don’t want to be this...this...person anymore. I want to know who I could be – or who I want to be – or...”
“Or?”
“Or who I am. I’ve been my job for so long, I can’t remember who I am without it.” She stared at Rebecca, stricken. “I don’t want to die as this person.”
Rebecca put down her roller, walked to Manny and pulled her into a tight, comforting hug. “I’d prefer it if you’d say you want to live as a different person,” she said gently.
Manny gave a choked laugh and nodded.
Rebecca stood back, her hands on Manny’s shoulders. She searched Manny’s eyes then nodded briskly. “Okay. I won’t argue or try to talk you out of this. Just...be careful, okay? And if you run into trouble, you call, okay? I’ll be there.”
“I know,” Manny nodded. “And I’ll be careful.”
They went back to painting and worked in silence for several minutes then Rebecca asked, “
So, when’s this guy getting here?”
Manny glanced at her watch. “In about fifteen minutes or so – if he’s on time.” She glanced slyly at Rebecca. “Don’t worry – you’ll like him.”
“Oh?”
Manny nodded. “Tall, dark and handsome – just the way you like ‘em.”
Rebecca laughed. “Well, in that case I’d better not tell Jackson about him.”
Manny laughed as well. “I’m not sure he’s in Jackson’s league – but he’s pretty darn close.”
“Now I’m intrigued...and possibly a little jealous.”
Manny grimaced. “Don’t be – Zeke likes younger women.”
“Him and every other straight man on the planet.”
Zeke was exactly on time. Manny led him in to the living room and was rewarded and amused by Rebecca’s reaction to him and his reaction to her. She struggled not to laugh out loud at the appreciative gleam in his eyes and charming smile that curved his mouth. He might like younger women, Manny thought as she watched them greet each other, but he also appreciated beauty when he saw it. In an odd way, it was a mark in his favour.
The doorbell rang again, and Zeke looked at her with raised eyebrows.
“That’ll be Daisy,” she said and hurried to answer the door.
While Rebecca’s reaction to Zeke amused her, Daisy’s reaction sent her off into a fit of giggles she couldn’t seem to stop. Daisy’s wide-eyed, mesmerized stare and breathless “hel-lo” made Manny laugh even harder. Zeke was somewhat nonplussed by her amusement, while Daisy just gave her a disgusted look. However, Manny’s laughter seemed to snap Daisy out of her dazed fascination, and she became once again a mature woman instead of a teenager.
“Okay, okay,” she sighed as Manny got herself under control. She turned to Zeke. “Thanks for sending me all the information I asked for, Zeke.” She waved the envelope she carried in her hand at Manny and Rebecca.
“He’s definitely who he says he is. Ezekiel ‘Zeke’ Powell, freelance multimedia developer. Born in New Zealand, and been in this country for the last fourteen years. No criminal record, no bad debts, no court orders or restraining orders against him in either country. He also has a healthy bank account and an excellent professional reputation.”
“Good lord – are you a cop?” Zeke asked incredulously.
“I work for a very good private investigator, actually.” She turned to Manny. “As far as Max can tell, he’s as safe as anybody else.”
“Well, that’s a bit lukewarm, don’t you think?” Zeke protested.
The women ignored him.
“Great!” Manny said. “Thanks, Daisy. Tell Max I owe him one.”
“He’s already eager to collect,” Daisy replied drily. “He mentioned something about a roast duck dinner when you get back.”
“He’s got it,” Manny said. She turned to Zeke who still looked slightly insulted. “Okay, here’s the deal. I’m leaving a week from today. I bought a small travel van – bed, stove, a mini-fridge, and a little bit of storage.”
Zeke looked alarmed and opened his mouth, but she forestalled him.
“Don’t worry – your virtue is safe with me. We’ll be staying in hotels and motels most of the time. The van is just in case we get stranded or if the passenger wants to have a nap, or we don’t want to stop to eat – or we need a little space away from each other.”
“Just one question,” Zeke said. He gestured at Rebecca and Daisy. “Why aren’t the two of you going instead?”
“I can’t be away for six months,” Rebecca replied, “that’s an eternity in the real estate business. Besides, my daughter’s going through a divorce right now and I need to be here for her and my granddaughter.”
“And my husband and kids might have something to say about it if I were to leave for six months,” Daisy said drily.
“Ah. Okay. Then a week it is.”
Manny nodded, satisfied.
Daisy stepped up close to Zeke, getting into his personal space. Her face was set, blue eyes steely.
“Just for the record, Zeke – Max and I didn’t find anything on you, but I’m telling you something right now: this is my baby sister you’re traipsing off with. Anything happens to her that she doesn’t want or like – and I’ll hunt you down like the dog you are. Got it?”
Zeke stared at her for a moment, then, “Traipsing?”
Daisy took a step back but didn’t break eye contact. “Just remember that.”
He nodded quickly, his eyes wide.
Manny cleared her throat uncomfortably. “Well,” she said, her voice a bit higher than usual, “now that that’s settled – let’s get back to work.”
“Work?” Zeke asked incredulously.
“You don’t have to, of course, but we,” Manny indicated Rebecca and Daisy, “have a house to paint.”
Zeke hesitated, then shrugged and smiled. “Why not? I have nothing better to do today.”
He took off his jacket and ignored Rebecca and Daisy’s appreciative sighs, although he shared a surprisingly comfortable and amused glance with Manny before getting a pan and a roller.
I’ll bet he’d look almost as good as me if he took his shirt off, Harvey murmured.
Go away.
~~~~~
Later that night, Daisy sat at a slot machine in her local casino, playing without paying too much attention to what she was doing. She was thinking of Manny’s road trip and trying to keep calm about it. Zeke seemed like a nice guy although...unhappy. She’d asked Manny about it while they were making coffee in the kitchen, and Manny told her Zeke had recently had some issues with his girlfriend. Daisy wondered if that meant Zeke would cut his trip short – or back out entirely – if things changed with his girlfriend. She didn’t know which would be worse: Manny leaving for six months with a stranger, or Manny leaving for six months alone.
Both options made her shiver with apprehension. Daisy had her family, her husband and kids, and, of course, Rebecca, but Manny – Manny was her sister, a different kind of bond than any of the others, and her only true link to the parents they’d lost so long ago. They had history that even Rebecca didn’t share.
“Why the hell am I not surprised?”
Daisy started with a little screech, and stared, wide-eyed at her husband.
“Jesus, Hub – you scared me!”
“Yeah, because you can’t see anything but that damn machine! As usual!”
Daisy gave an exasperated sigh. “Don’t start. Have you tracked me down just to give me hell, or do you need me for something? For a change,” she added sarcastically.
“Don’t you start. Did you forget? Jakob played soccer tonight and Janika had a volleyball game.”
Daisy sighed tiredly. “No, I didn’t forget.”
“Then – look at me!” Hub hissed furiously. She turned a bland face towards him but kept playing her machine. “Then why are you sitting here, instead of going to their games?”
Daisy stopped playing and turned to face him fully.
“Because they’re your children, too,” she snarled, “and you haven’t been to a single game for either of them this year!”
“You could have just asked instead of – of – of taking a runner to the fucking casino! Again!”
“I have asked you! I’ve also told you and begged you and even tried forcing you! Shockingly, you’re always busy!”
She smacked the cash out button with more force than necessary and walked rapidly to the ticket-cashing machine, Hub hard on her heels.
“So you come here – abandon your children -”
“Oh my God – I’ve been gone for two hours! You’ve been emotionally gone for the last five years!”
Hub growled, “I don’t appreciate being pulled away from work -”
“Yeah? Well, I don’t appreciate being a single parent while I’m still married! It’s time you picked your head up from your work and started paying attention to your children! And while you’re at it, you’d better start paying attention to me
, too! Before it’s too late.”
* * * * *
Minus One Day
TJ and Leah anxiously waited for the doctor to arrive. TJ glanced at Leah as he took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
“No matter what he tells us, we’ll find a way to have a baby,” he told her softly.
She smiled although she remained tense and alert.
“I know we will,” she said and squeezed back.
TJ shifted his chair closer to hers and kept a firm, warm grip on her hand, their fingers laced together, as the door opened and the doctor walked in carrying a file.
He greeted them with a gentle smile as he sat at his desk. He opened the file, then met their anxious stares.
“As you know, the test results have come back.” His gaze shifted to TJ. “I’m sorry. Your sperm count is very low. Which means Leah’s chances of getting naturally pregnant by you aren’t good.”
TJ and Leah’s faces fell, devastation in their eyes. The doctor gave them a reassuring smile.
“There are, of course, many other options you can explore. A donor, perhaps IVF, fertility treatments, adoption. There’s no need to decide immediately, of course. I’ll pull together some information on the options for you to review, if you’d like. Please. Take your time, think things over. There’s still a very slim possibility you could conceive naturally, but – I’m sorry - the odds are extremely low.”
TJ glanced at Leah. She looked as sick as he felt. He gave her a twisted smile.
“I...I guess you can’t call me Stud anymore,” he joked weakly.
Leah stared blankly at him before she half-chuckled then burst into tears. TJ pulled her to him and held her as she sobbed into his shoulder.
~~~~~
Zeke sat in the spare room at TJ and Leah’s house, his laptop open in front of him. He stared at the blank screen, the blinking cursor, for a few moments and thought about everything that had happened in the last two weeks leading up to tomorrow’s departure. He thought about Manny, Daisy and Rebecca; about TJ and Leah’s disappointment; about Dixie’s decision. He took a sip of his beer, drew in a deep breath, and began to type.
A Life Less Ordinary Page 4
