She took Renee’s hand but looked over at Willie. “There’s plenty of room. It’s really late. You’ve already driven a long way, and I don’t want you to have to drive any farther. Stay here and rest.”
“Don’t worry about me,” he told her with a toothy smile. “First, I’m a night owl, and second, I’m gonna stop at my cousin’s house. It’s all good.”
“Thank you, Willie. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.” Renee stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek.
He winked at Lorna over Renee’s head. “That’s what friends are for. Nice meeting you. Take care of my little girlfriend here. She’s a special one, my pretty Renee.”
“Yes, she is and I promise to look after her. Thank you, Willie.” Like Renee, she gave him a kiss and a hug. She hoped she’d get the chance to see him again. Sober next time. As he drove off, she slung an arm around Renee’s shoulders and headed for the house.
Renee leaned into her. “Nice guy, huh?”
“Really nice guy. Can’t believe he drove us all the way out here.”
Then the obvious occurred to her. At some point, they were going to have to head back to Seattle to retrieve Renee’s car. They’d left it in a parking garage not far from the brewery.
“Your car. We have to go back tomorrow and get your car. I can’t believe we just left it.”
“No, we don’t. I left the keys with Willie along with the parking fees. He’s going to grab it tomorrow and take it to his place. I’ll pick it up next time I go into the city.”
Relief made her relax. The idea of turning around and heading back to Seattle was not very appealing at the moment. “Again, what a great guy.”
“Yes, he’s been like a brother to me and I love him a ton. Now, however, I’m too tired to worry about anything else. I don’t know about you, but I really need to make a date with my pillow.”
“I am totally with you on that one.”
The effect of the too much beer was wearing off, and exhaustion replaced the earlier euphoria. They made their way in the darkness to their respective bedrooms. At the door to Renee’s room, they both paused. Renee’s head tipped up until she was gazing into Lorna’s eyes.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
Again it struck her how lovely Renee’s eyes were. “You’re welcome. It was a nice day.” She meant it, even if there might be a touch of hangover in her future.
“I mean for everything, not just today.”
A lump formed in her throat. Renee was thanking her for opening her home to someone in need? It was the kind of thing she was raised to do. What was right was right. “No big deal.”
Renee reached up and touched Lorna’s cheek. “Yes, big deal. You have no idea how big.”
Without giving herself a chance to think about it, she lowered her head and touched her lips to Renee’s. The kiss started out as a quick thank you, but in a flash it changed into something far different. It was as if a spark flew between them to ignite a fire already laid and waiting.
Her heart was pounding when she pulled away. “I’m sorry,” she muttered, though honestly, she didn’t feel very sorry. Not sorry at all. In fact, she wanted much, much more.
A smile curved Renee’s lips, and her eyes sparkled. A slight flush in her cheeks made her even prettier than she already was. “I’m not. Good night, sweet Lorna.” She kissed her quick on the cheek and then she was gone, the door to her room closing softly, and leaving Lorna standing in the dark hallway wondering what the hell had just happened.
*
“Damn it.” Jeremy threw back the covers and shoved up to his feet. He was trying to get some sleep, and there they were, at it again. Their hushed whispers and soft laughs came through the walls almost if they were right here in the room with him, though he knew they thought no one would hear them. That’s what they did night after night as soon as they thought he was asleep. They believed they were discreet enough with their sneaking around not to get caught by him.
Well, he heard them just as he had so many times before, and he’d had enough. He had told her and told her to stop her foolish behavior. Actually, it was beyond foolish. It was indecent and sinful. It wasn’t God’s will, and yet she defied him over and over. How she could act against all that was good and right was a mystery. What was wrong with her? He’d raised her better than that.
The blood that ran between them was strong. Pure. What she was doing tainted that perfection, and she was going to have to make it right. He could turn a cheek to what she had done already as long as it stopped tonight. She had to come back into the circle of righteousness before it tainted her so completely there would be no way to save her good name or her soul. His patience with her had come to an abrupt end.
His footsteps were sure and steady in the room so dark he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face. The path was well known to him, and he didn’t need light to find his way. Tonight this would be finished once and for all. He reached for the doorknob and wrenched open the bedroom door with a decisive snap.
In the hallway, he started in the direction of her room and stopped. The silence from that direction told a story. No one was there. He stood in the middle of the hallway listening. Where did they go? He squared his shoulders and peered into the blackness knowing he would have to find them. His fingers curled, his hands clenching into fists. The sound of voices, low and happy, came from outside; he was sure of it. He turned and walked with purpose down the long hallway.
Jeremy shook his head and stared. How the hell…he was standing on the large expanse of grass behind the house. Cold wind whipped at his body, and he shivered. His bare feet were ice-cold and damp, his chest bare. How in the world did he end up out here? Last thing he remembered, he’d been in bed, Merry warm and beautiful at his side. He’d fallen asleep happier than he’d been in weeks, his arm draped around her soft body.
In nothing but a pair of boxers, he began to shiver. “Jesus,” he muttered as he turned and raced back to the house, slipping several times in the grass made wet by the latest rainstorm to have passed through. The last time he had done any sleepwalking he’d been about seven and he’d gotten only as far as the kitchen.
He’d been a bit of a sleepwalker in those days, along with having the craziest dreams night after night. It got so bad at one point the folks had taken him to several doctors who assured them he was fine and would probably grow out of it. He did, and like the sleepwalking, the dreams faded too. He rarely dreamt at all anymore. Until he came here that is.
A vague sense of dread came over him as he caught flashes of feelings brought up by uneasy sleep. Tinges of fury caught at his mind, and that was disturbing. He wasn’t that kind of guy, and the intensity of the emotion was messed up. When he was a kid, even when the dreams were at their worst, as soon as he woke up, he was back to being himself. Light always banished the demons.
Inside the house, he returned quietly to his room. Merry still slept peacefully, and from all appearances, so did the rest of the household. He didn’t recall hearing Lorna and Renee return home though he somehow knew they were here. He always knew when his sister was around.
He lay back against the pillow. The anger suffused in the dream lingered even as he tried to concentrate on happier thoughts. After several minutes of tossing and turning, he put one hand on Merry’s arm. The feeling of her body, warm and solid, helped quiet his mind and body. Still, he lay staring at the shadows dancing on the ceiling for a long time.
*
The face of the man who charged out the back door wasn’t that of the man who visited this house in this time and place. The Watcher recognized the hard lines and cold eyes, and his heart fell. He was gaining too much strength far too quickly, and if she didn’t act soon, he would triumph once again. It could not be allowed to happen, for he was dangerous. Death had not destroyed that part of him.
Weariness and discouragement bent his shoulders. Would this ever end, or would he be destined to live it over and over again? He’d
made the promise so many years ago to set them free, and yet no matter who came or how hard he tried, he failed every time.
It wasn’t fair and it wasn’t right. In his fall, the fault lay on him. He’d made his mistakes, and the high cost was his alone to bear. He had reconciled with that truth a very long time ago. This was different. The injustice visited upon the two women wasn’t just tragic; it was unforgiveable. They had done nothing wrong and deserved to be brought home. The task had been laid at his feet, and in the beginning he had been so full of his own bluster that he’d believed his path to redemption would be easy. Perhaps that’s why it had been entrusted to him. In the intervening years, he’d come to understand humility. Now he wondered if he would ever be able to make it happen.
Tonight, as the man tromped angrily across the grass, he concentrated intensely. His own despair could not be allowed to deter him. Even if he failed yet again, he had to at least try. With every ounce of effort he possessed, he pushed. At first, he thought it was a useless effort, then the man stopped and stilled so completely it was almost as if he died on his feet. He waited, watching from his place in the shadows.
In the moonlight, the man’s face changed. The angry, bitter façade that a moment before defined his facial features disappeared, and the gentle face of the younger man reappeared. The lines that spoke of age and anger smoothed out, and dark eyes turned blue once more. A middle-aged man had confronted the night. A young man awoke to it.
He silently watched as the man, his expression confused, turned toward the house and hurried inside. Once the door had shut and he was once again alone, he tipped his head up. Above him, the sky began to lose some of its darkness. Soon the stars would fade, the moon would set, and his time would be at an end. For now, he’d done all he could.
Chapter Fourteen
Renee woke up with a mouth full of cotton and a pounding at the back of her eyes so intense it was like someone was hitting them with a sledgehammer. What in the world possessed her to drink that much? Oh my, she remembered now. It was coffee chocolate beer recommended by the friendly server. It had sounded hideous and took some convincing to get her to try it. As it turned out, the brew tasted heavenly. Toss in Lorna’s company, and it was a recipe for…well, this.
All things considered, she’d do it again. The trip to Seattle had started out crappy. How could it not, considering she had to spend several hours with an insurance adjuster at her charred up property? Not only were her worldly possessions for the most part burned, melted, or charred, but fighting with the insurance company about their value was a given. Didn’t matter that she’d spent years faithfully paying her insurance premiums on time, battling for every dollar of benefits when it came time to actually use said insurance was on her upcoming agenda. It was one messed up system.
Thank the gods for Lorna. She was a calming influence during the whole day. The meeting with the adjuster turned out to be far more pleasant than she anticipated, and the trip to the library, pretty darned fun. By the time Lorna suggested beer, she was on board. It was her idea to swing into the neighborhood microbrewery. Her friend, Cliff Mason, not only owned it, he was the master brewer as well. Seemed like a good idea to wind down a little before they headed back. It had been a really full day.
Oh, she wound down all right. All the way down. The last time she remembered drinking that much was the day of her wedding, and that was a whole other story. She was drinking for a different reason that night, and it didn’t involve a good time.
Truth was that last night turned out to be one of the best evenings she could recall. She laughed and talked as though she and Lorna had been lifelong best friends. The whole day had been comfortable camaraderie, and she didn’t realize how much she needed it until it happened.
Maybe that’s why she’d felt the irresistible urge to kiss Lorna once they’d gotten back here. Or maybe it was the lingering effects of the alcohol? She didn’t think so. No, she kissed her because she wanted to. Lorna was intelligent, attractive, and sexy as all get-out. She’d thought so the minute she’d gotten here, but after their enjoyable evening together that almost felt like a date, her feelings ratcheted up a bunch.
The real question was did Lorna feel the same way about her? Renee had no illusions about herself. She was pretty in a run-of-the-mill kind of way. Most people seemed to like her well enough even after she bailed on her marriage and came out. Unlike Lorna, though, she had very little to call her own. Her home and her livelihood were gone. She had her car, a few clothes, and her dog. Lorna was a toned and accomplished athlete, only about a hundred and eighty degrees from Renee.
From what she observed, Lorna had it all. A successful career, a gorgeous home, family, and friends. If those weren’t enough, she was training for Ironman, the pinnacle in the triathlon arena. She was amazing.
Renee didn’t see that she had much to offer someone like Lorna, not that it changed much as far as her feelings were concerned. Reality had little to do with emotion. If she was attracted to her before their trip to the city, after last night, she was hot for her. She just didn’t exactly know what to do about it.
Right now, the only thing she was going to do about anything was take a shower, swallow a couple of ibuprofen, and then hunt down a really big, hot cup of coffee. The rest, she’d sort out later. Easier to think when the hammer behind her eyes stopped pounding.
In the kitchen, her mother was pouring coffee into a go cup. Her head tilted and she studied Renee. “Not to be a harping mother, but, honey, you look like something the cat dragged in.”
She sidled up next to her and poured a cup for herself. No puny little go cup for her, she went for the big ceramic mug. “Feel like it too. Where you going?” She pointed to the mug with the screw-on lid.
“Heading to town for groceries and to see the doc,” she explained as she kissed Renee on the cheek.
Her heart thudded, and the beer-induced lethargy disappeared. “The doctor? What’s wrong?” Her mother was the only family she had. Her father died when she was barely two, and she had no memories of him to fall back on. All she possessed to remind her she even had a father were the pictures her mother shared with her. Any hint of trouble where her mother was concerned made her insides roil. Not a great thing to happen, particularly after last night.
Her mother smiled, her eyes clear and honest. “Routine yearly checkup, worrywart. Not a single thing for you to be concerned about.”
“You’re sure?” Renee studied her face intently.
Her mother patted her cheek. “One hundred percent.”
The confident words eased her worry at least a little, and she gave her mother a hug, thinking as she did so how thin she felt. Had she always been such a twig and she was just now noticing? Or was her mother’s reassurance of good health a façade put on for her benefit? Mom would do something like that.
Then again, as Renee watched her through the window, energetic steps taking her to the car, she had to think, with relief, it was the former. Probably nothing more than overreaction on her part. She was tired, a tad hung over, and way out of her normal element. That’s all it was, she hoped. Mom was fine, just like she said.
“Hey, sunshine.”
Lorna’s bright voice made her smile, and once again, she was acutely aware of her growing attraction. Each time she saw Lorna it seemed as though she was drawn to her a little more. How could she help it? She was such a unique and interesting person.
“Sleep well?” Kind of lame, but it was the best she could come up with under her rather foggy circumstances. With hands shaking a tiny bit, she poured a mug of the coffee and held it out. “Cup of coffee sound good?”
“Oh my God, you’re an angel.” Lorna now stood so close to Renee she could smell the fresh scent of soap on her skin.
Her hands shook a little more as she handed it to Lorna. Their fingers touched, and she’d swear there were sparks, something she didn’t think she could ever tire of. Nobody else had affected her that way. She liked it.
No sense in trying for a lame denial. She felt it all the way to her toes. Instead of answering, though, she simply nodded. She couldn’t say anything because she didn’t trust herself to say something that wasn’t dorky.
Lorna let out a long breath and then smiled. “To tell you the truth, Renee, I thought it was just me. I mean, after all, you were married to a guy so I figured I’m the last person you’d be interested in.”
It was her turn to smile. “Obviously, Mom didn’t share with you the reason why I got divorced. You’re going to love it.”
Lorna shook her head. “No, she didn’t say a word and I didn’t ask. Besides, what business is it of mine to pry into something as personal as the reason behind your divorce?”
Renee took her coffee and went to the table. She sat and looked up at Lorna. “Usually, that sentiment would be dead-on. In this case, I think you need to know that I left my husband for two reasons. First, because even though I loved him, it was the love between friends. The kind of love you share with a good buddy. Not exactly how you should feel about your spouse.”
Lorna grimaced as she joined Renee at the table. “Ouch.”
“Indeed. Now, the second reason for the divorce is more important, and it explains reason number one.” She took a sip of her coffee and then looked up to meet Lorna’s eyes. “I left my husband because I had to quit lying to everyone, including myself.”
Twisted Echoes Page 13
