He was staring at her mouth and Mairie licked the corners of her lips, sure that she must have missed something.
Jack seemed to recover and said, "More like being in the right place at the right time with a chair leg in my hand. You know, this might be the best thing I have ever tasted, Mairie."
Since she had just done it, she recognized when the subject was changed again.
Yes… Jack Delaney was quite a man.
Visions of a prim and proper teacher were nowhere within her mind.
She buried her lips into the ice cream and tasted it deeply. So what if it was oral gratification? She needed something.
Chapter 14
"Here," she said, holding out her hand. "Take it."
She watched him react like a twelve-year-old boy and withdraw. Mairie stuck out her hand further.
"What is it?"
She couldn't help it any longer. She started laughing. It was a terrible habit she had when confronted with a semi-serious situation. She had the irresistible urge to giggle. "Oh, come on," she managed to say, trying so hard to be serious. "It's only Alka Seltzer … a bromide thing."
"Thing?" He held his stomach and took a step back. "Until you have a better explanation, I'm not putting them down my throat!"
Geez, he looked so cute in those jeans and white T-shirt, she thought, while biting the inside of her cheek to distract her. She must remember he had eaten the entire sundae in one sitting and was in some discomfort. It was funny, because he'd refused to listen to her advice and she had warned him five times this might happen. She bit down harder, as she needed her wits now to explain this.
"It's like… like a bromide. Seltzer. Didn't you ever take anything for an upset stomach?"
"Yeah… I threw up."
That did it. She couldn't hold it any longer. Bursting out laughing again, she covered her mouth and shook her head, trying to stop it. "Okay, okay…" she finally said and then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. Really sorry. I'm not laughing at you. Exactly."
"Don't you dare say I told you so again."
He was looking less and less like a funny kid and more like himself. She saw his mouth twitch, just a tiny bit. Even he seemed to be amused.
"All right," she said, with as much compassion as she could gather. "Well, you may very well have that… that previous option if you don't take this. It will help. It's like medicine."
"It's like medicine?" His words held more of a hint of laughter. "Either it is, or it isn't."
She closed her eyes and tried not to giggle. "It is medicine." Opening her lids, she captured his vision with her own. Her voice became more thoughtful. "Why don't you trust me?"
He immediately stopped rubbing his stomach and stared back at her. "I do trust you," he said in a serious voice.
"Then take the pills," she answered with a smile of affection. "Drop them in water and drink it down."
He held out his hand to her.
In that moment, Mairie felt her fondness for him, not the intense yearning for his touch or his attention, but the genuine affection she held for Jack Delaney. He was real… he was faithful to his own set of beliefs. He had honor. He could be trusted. Plus he was funny, compassionate, and handsome. She liked him, and that shocked her because she liked him as well as she had liked her best female friends.
Maybe a little more.
Where had all her bitterness against males gone?
She picked up the glass of water and said, "Okay, partner. Drop 'em in and watch 'em fizz."
He dropped the big white tablets into the water and watched.
She chuckled as she saw his expression change. "You have to wait till it stops before you drink it."
Relief spread over his face. "Oh, it stops? I thought the damn thing was alive! It's busier than that Jacuzzi thing in the convenience… just look at it!"
"I am. I know what it is." Nodding to the glass, she added, "See, it's slowing down now."
He looked skeptically at the glass. "This is some future kind of aid for a queasy stomach?"
"Yes, that's it exactly," she reassured him. "Now drink it."
He brought the glass to his lips and hesitated a few seconds before taking a deep breath. "I trust you," he repeated, not precisely with the same confidence of earlier.
She watched him gulp the liquid and whispered, "All of it."
He was gasping when he finished.
"There you go. Soon you'll feel much better." She took the glass and placed it back on the night table between the beds. Pulling the bedspread down enough to expose the pillows, she fluffed and placed two of them against the headboard. "Now, lie down. Or sit up a little, if it's more comfortable."
"Why do I have to get off my feet? What is this going to do to me?" He was looking worried and Mairie held his shoulders and gently pressed him down on the edge of the mattress.
"It's not going to do anything, except make you burp."
"Oh, wonderful. I'm stuck in a room with a beautiful woman and I'm going to be belching all night?" He started laughing. "How I wish the Cornells could witness this night. After all that tutoring to be such a gentleman." He rubbed his stomach and grinned. "I am sure continual belching would be frowned upon."
Mairie chuckled. "Yeah, well under ordinary circumstances I'd agree with the Cornells. Witnessing a belching marathon is not my idea of a swell evening, but this isn't an ordinary circumstance, sir. This is your first ice cream sundae."
"And what memories," Jack muttered, trying not to laugh.
"Ahh, you loved it, Jack. Admit it. This is only because you ate the entire thing. I told you—"
"Don't! Do not remind me again." He held his stomach and curled onto the bed away from her.
She heard a long burp and laughed. "See?"
He groaned. "I see that I'm making a pathetic impression."
She stopped laughing and smiled. "Hey, Delaney? You made your impression a long time ago. In 1877. Don't worry about it, okay? Let's watch some TV. Maybe it'll get your mind off it. By the way, thank you for saying I'm beautiful."
"You are. Surely you know that."
"It's been awhile, but I appreciate the compliment. Now, for the TV…" She felt ridiculously pleased that Jack thought she was beautiful, and stifled a wide grin.
"No food stories, okay?"
Picking up the remote, Mairie nodded. "Okay, but they aren't really food stories. They're commercials for food, or cooking shows. I guess technically a cooking show could be a food story, but I told you, it's all to get you to buy something. You don't even have to look. You can change the channel any time."
"Do you have one of these devices in your home?" He was sitting up against the pillows as if he felt a little better.
"I have one, though it's in storage right now. I left everything when my brother got sick." Scanning through the channels, she selected a nature show for the middle of the afternoon. Seemed safe. He certainly wasn't ready for a soap opera or Jerry Springer yet.
"Now I am impressed. Imagine to own one of these. One would never be lonely or bored."
"Don't be impressed," she answered, and fell onto her bed. She propped her pillows behind her and sat Indian style. "Almost everyone has one, in every country. It's kind of like that telephone, a communication device. You can see and hear what's happening in say England right now… almost anywhere, by the news. I'll show you later. Hey, look…"
Except for Jack's occasional burps, they sat in silence for the next twenty minutes, watching the life cycle of the salmon. Finally Jack said, "Will you tell me about your brother, Mairie? Will I meet him?"
She turned her head and saw that he wasn't interested in the program either. "I can see if there's anything else on that you might like."
Shaking his head, he smiled. "I'd really rather talk, if you don't mind. I would like to hear about this person you risked everything to help. He must be quite a man."
"He is," she answered, and smiled as a mental picture of Bryan filled her mind. "He's one of the best people I've ever known,
the kind you want to be your friend. He's honorable. Loving. Strong. Humorous. Adventurous." Embarrassed, she added, "I guess you can tell I love him."
"I can." He burped and excused himself.
Mairie grinned. "And he's another man who can burp in front of me and I don't seem to mind. I think you might like him."
"Then I will get to meet him?"
"Yes. We're flying back to Philly as soon as Marc sends us new identification so we can travel."
"But we're traveling within the United States. Why would we need identification papers? If we're stopped?"
She sighed, not knowing if she could make him understand what had taken place in the last hundred years. "You can't travel on an airplane without proper identification because of… it's for our safety, Jack."
He sat up straighter. "Wait. We're traveling on one of those air-planes?"
"Ahh, yeah. Did I forget to mention that?" It was like telling a child that he had to get a tooth pulled.
He shook his head and waved his hand in dismissal. "I don't think so, Mairie. I got in those vehicles to get us here and to the arcade of shops, but this is out of the question. Surely, there are trains, horses even."
She tried not to lose patience. "Jack, we can leave Las Vegas and be in Philadelphia in less than five hours. How long would a horse take?"
Looking shocked, he said, "You must not be serious. You can't get to Philadelphia from here in five hours. Try five months. Hell, it took me years to get back here to the desert."
"I would imagine you stopped along the way." Okay, so some sarcasm was creeping into the conversation. Being the teacher wasn't easy. How was she supposed to explain everything he found curious or different? She couldn't. Soon, he would need a more advanced teacher, someone who could answer his technical questions. Someone who understood the logical, mechanical, left brain. Like Marc.
Sure. How was she supposed to explain Marc to him?
"Yes, I stopped. I stopped and worked. I didn't have any plan, except to find my brothers, but still … Mairie, to travel across this country in five hours is… is unbelievable."
"Well, believe it, Jack. In a couple of days you're getting on a plane with me and you'll see for yourself."
"We need to discuss this. Explain how these airplanes stay in the sky."
"I can't!" she said with frustration. "Look, even though I sold computers, I never went on a sales call without a tech… a technical representative, with me. He did the intricate, scientific presentation. The mechanical stuff that explains how it all works. Not me. I don't know how a plane stays in the air, Jack. I've told you all I know. It's about thrust and how the wind hits the wings. There are engines, like in a train, only really powerful."
Jack could see that she was getting upset. Wanting to end the subject, he said, "So again, I'll have to trust you."
He was pleased to see her smile.
"Are the pills working?"
He sat for a moment and realized he did feel better. "I think they are."
"Oh, goody," she said, and ran her hands down her thighs. "So tonight we can go to the cabaret show? I know how much you want to see it."
He didn't miss the teasing note to her words. "I don't feel that good. We can see it tomorrow."
"Whatever you want. So what would you like to know now?" She grinned. "Sorry if I got a little carried away there with the plane thing. I know all this is frustrating and scary. I just wish I could explain everything better."
Jack smiled. "You're a good teacher, Mairie. I can't imagine how I would explain the train engine to my Paiute brothers. Now you never finished telling me about Bryan. You said yesterday that Marc is your brother's partner. What business are they in together?"
She just stared at him for a prolonged moment, and then burst into laughter. "Oh, Jack. Love. Their business together is based in love."
Now he stared at her. "Marc is a male, correct?"
"Correct." She sighed. "Look, I know this may seem odd to you, maybe even shocking, considering the time you just left… but my brother and Marc are life partners. They live together."
"I'm not sure I understand this," he said, certain he didn't want to head into this discussion with a lady. "I suppose I'll understand better when I meet them. Now, tell me of your family. Are they there in Philadelphia?"
"Everyone's gone now. It's just me and Bryan."
"No wonder you are so close to him. And what about your divorced husband? Does he live there also?"
"I don't know and don't really care. The last I heard he was in Philadelphia and was planning to remarry."
He watched as her expression became pensive. She pulled her knees up to her chin and turned her face to the wall. He paused, allowing her a moment of reflection. She suddenly inhaled deeply and turned back to him with a smile.
"That was a long, long time ago, Jack. I don't think about him anymore. He came into my life for a period of time, and it… it just wasn't meant to be forever. We drifted apart. He was engrossed with work and I was busy with mine. We didn't spend enough time together… I guess our interests grew in other directions. I believe everything happens for a reason, even if you can't see it at the time. Alan and I served each other for a time, but it just wasn't forever—"
"You don't have to say any more, Mairie. I'm sorry if I pried."
"Actually, Jack, I don't mind at all. The truth is, one day my ex-husband admitted to me he was having an affair and he asked me for a divorce."
"Oh Mairie, it must have hurt you deeply to hear that." He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her the man had been a fool.
"Well, at first, it hit me from out of left field. I mean, I had no idea. Things weren't perfect, I knew that. We were so busy with trying to make ends meet, but I thought we were working on a life together. I guess we were working on a life apart. At least that's how it went."
Her pause gave him a thoughtful moment. He looked down to the floor, avoiding her stare, and rubbed his hands together. "It's a shame to see the future has produced men who no longer believe that a man's word is his honor."
She inhaled and looked to the ceiling. "Come on, Jack. Men have been unfaithful since… Adam. It wasn't the fact my husband cheated on me that hurt so much. It was the betrayal of my best friend, or who I believed was my best friend. I once thought all men were like that, without honor in their words. But I don't think that anymore. Surprisingly, I find myself not bitter toward Alan. He served a purpose for me. He was part of a lesson in life I had to learn. There is still decency in this world, Jack. It may be harder to find, but it exists." She added with another smile, "At least, I hope it does."
In the silence after her words he thought of how similar they were. Mairie had been through her war, and he his. Both had emerged scarred but intact. She had walked away from her battle and didn't appear to harbor bitterness. She still believed. She still had hope. He looked up at her with a great tenderness in his eyes.
"By virtue of her emotions. Balzac was certainly correct. Mairie Callahan, once again I am drawn to say, you are an incredible woman and are deserving of admiration."
"Well, this is a recent revelation to me, this… this healing." She was looking at him with such warmth. "But I do thank you, kind sir."
Their gazes locked. He felt a pull in his chest so deeply he was sure his body rocked toward her with the ache. She remained still, her arms wrapped around her legs, her head resting on her knees. He couldn't be sure if her eyes said more.
"Did the Alka Seltzer work?"
"Quite well. I'm actually feeling much better."
"Good." She sat up quickly, slapping her knees with both hands. "We need to get busy and do something. This is Las Vegas! We should be out on the town. Here—" She tossed his sweater to him.
He jerked with the interruption and tore his eyes away.
"Perhaps you're right. It might be best to get out of this hotel room and get some air… and a drink." He was most relieved she had ended the intensity of that moment. He slapped hi
s legs in agreement and rose from his bed.
"I've got an invitation to a burleyque, madam. I would be honored if you would accompany me." In a theatrical gesture, he put his arm out for her.
"I would be delighted to attend with you, Jack Delaney." She looked up at him, smiled grandly, and touched his arm. "But first, I must don my disguise. Let me get my wig. We're traveling incognito."
It was so strange to see her with blond hair. It was a complete transformation. He preferred her long, straight black hair falling over her shoulders.
"Mairie, your appearance has altered so much with that light hair. If it were not for your dazzling blue eyes, I might not recognize you tonight." With a grin he added, "Your carriage awaits, dear lady." He again offered his arm and she took it.
Quietly he shut the door behind them.
Mairie loved walking next to him, her hand resting on his strong arm. She felt happy, secure, and protected, and thought about what she'd said to him minutes ago in the room. The bitterness really was gone. Six years she had carried it like a stone around her heart. She actually felt… lighter, she thought as the elevator doors opened.
"Jack, wait a second. Let me help you." In the elevator Mairie stood before him and raised her arms to the back of his head. "Your hair. It's got static from pulling on your sweater."
"Oh, what's that?"
He leaned slightly toward her with an ease which surprised her. It was as though they had been married for years. Yet she knew she went flush when she saw him caressing every detail of her face with his eyes. That same flush was creeping down her body, inflaming her senses. She wondered if he was searching for the familiarity under the blond wig and if he could pick up on her desire.
"There. That's better." She slid her fingers down the length of his hair and patted his chest to confirm he was now presentable. Her hands lingered briefly and she had to use every ounce of willpower not to caress him.
She watched him stand erect, never taking his eyes from hers and she was sure he trembled. An ache grew so intense within her when the beating of his heart pounded against her palms that Mairie almost moaned.
Anywhere You Are Page 23
