Boardwalk Cottage

by Barbara Cool Lee

  She knew that little voice inside her was right, and pulled away from Kyle, but he grasped one of her hands.

  With a little smile, he lifted her hand up to brush his lips against her scarred palm. She wanted to pull away, to hide the ugliness of her hand. But she found herself leaning closer, drawn to him.

  "Hallie," he murmured. He bent his head down to hers, and their lips touched. Hallie was shocked. This felt nothing like the way her ex-husband had kissed her—possessively claiming her mouth, taking more than she'd wanted to give. This was different. Kyle's lips barely brushed against hers, and yet she felt a tingling awareness of him—the touch of his mouth, the sound of his breathing, the warmth of his body so close.

  In spite of herself, Hallie felt her mouth reach for his, wanting more than that light touch.

  "Hey! What do you think you're doing up there?"

  Kyle and Hallie both jumped. They turned around to see a man in a ride operator's uniform glaring at them.

  "Whoops," Kyle said with a chuckle. He swung Hallie down to the floor, and stepped down after her.

  "How did you get in here?" the man asked. He looked suspiciously at Kyle. "You look kinda familiar...."

  "Sorry," Kyle said contritely. He winked at Hallie. "We're just in from Albuquerque for the week, you see"—

  —"Albuquerque?" Hallie asked.

  "Look, I don't care where you're from. This ride isn't open yet. You're going to have to wait outside."

  "I told you the park was still closed, dear," Kyle said to Hallie with a shake of his head. "But you just couldn't wait, could you?"

  "Uh, I'm sorry, honey," Hallie said as sheepishly as she could.

  "She's always like this," Kyle confided to the ride operator. He steered Hallie toward the door. "I just can't keep her out of trouble."

  "Albuquerque?" Hallie said when they were out of earshot.

  "Best I could come up with on the spur of the moment. So, troublemaker, let's see if we can get you to the Boardwalk Cottage without any more incidents." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her out of the building into the foggy morning.

  That little voice inside Hallie's head was still there, shouting to her that one kiss didn't mean anything, that she was getting carried away, that there was no place for Kyle Aidan Madrigal in her safe, practical plans for the future.

  Hallie pulled away from Kyle and walked a few steps ahead of him down the promenade. Her heart gradually slowed its pounding in her chest, and she was able to put her temporary insanity behind her and pay attention to her surroundings.

  They were alone as they walked along the paved promenade, except for a few employees busy in the various rides and concession booths nestled in the shadow of the roller coaster up ahead.

  When they got closer to the roller coaster, the walkway under their feet changed from paving to a wooden boardwalk.

  "It really is a boardwalk!" Hallie said. "I thought that was just a name."

  "It all used to look like this," Kyle said. He nodded to the cluster of concessions under the coaster. "See, everything under the roller coaster is original. The part we were in before," he pointed back toward the carousel, "that's all new and plastic. This is the part I remember from when I was a kid." He looked toward a tall gray building that punctuated the north end of the park. "Everything from where the paving changes to that end of the park was built in the 1920s."

  Hallie heard a roar overhead and instinctively ducked her head.

  "Look up," Kyle said, and she did.

  Right next to where they walked the roller coaster track dipped down to almost touch the roof of the building below it. The coaster whizzed by on the track, with a lone man in overalls sitting in front. The man waved to them, then the car climbed up the next hill to disappear once again into the fog, though they could still hear the click-click of the car on the tracks from somewhere high above them.

  "That's Scotty," Kyle explained. "He's been here since I was a kid. Every morning he rides the coaster before it's open, and then all day, he and two other guys walk along the track, checking for loose boards."

  "The ride's that dangerous?" She felt a shiver walking in its shadow, as if it would come crashing down on them at any moment.

  "It's not dangerous at all, not as long as the maintenance guys do their jobs." He caught her skeptical expression. "Really, it's designed to look like it's going to fall down—that adds to the thrill."

  "Some thrill." It looked rickety to her, like a giant tottering treehouse nailed together from scrap lumber by some manic kid.

  He laughed. "We've never had any accidents here—wait, that's not true. There was a guy back in '73 who unbuckled the safety belt and climbed out of his seat to ride on the outside of the car."

  "What happened to him?"

  "I imagine it was a closed-casket funeral. Here we are."

  They finally came to the end of the park, farthest from their starting point back at the office.

  He stopped in front of a large gray building with a gabled roof. It looked like one of the colorful little cottages she'd glimpsed in the town. It had the signature peaked roof, the stucco siding, the crooked little windows, overhanging eaves, and the lopsided stone chimney on one side like the real cottages in the village.

  But this building was the size of a warehouse, and dressed all in gray. The windows looked clouded over, blocking the view of inside, but an eerie greenish light shone through from behind the glass. And she saw cobwebs—ughh, and giant fuzzy spiders—hanging under the eaves.

  The ground in front of the house was made of cobblestones, again like the ones she'd seen downtown, but these were painted on the wooden boardwalk itself, creating a faux-finished cottage walkway leading up to the entrance.

  Cute, except that there appeared to be eyes staring back at her from between some of the paving stones.

  A small track with two-seater cars on it made a half-circle in front of the cottage, entering through one cobweb-covered opening and exiting on the far side.

  Hallie stopped in front of a sign that spelled out Beware of Ghosts in clam shells. She raised her eyebrows at Kyle. "Seriously?"

  Kyle shrugged. "Okay, so it's a little bit cheesy."

  "A little bit cheesy?"

  He smiled guilelessly. "Okay, very cheesy. I'm sure you could switch to the roller coaster if you'd rather climb up the track a hundred feet above the ground."

  "I like cheesy," she said. "Cheesy's just fine with me."

  He laughed as he handed her the vest and sun visor.

  While she put them on, he waved to the employee working there, a young woman with hair an unbelievable burgundy color. She sat filing her nails on a stool at the entrance to the ride. He walked up to her and put out his hand. "Hi there, I'm Kyle Madrigal."

  The woman jumped up. "Oh, Mr. Madrigal, oh." The nail file disappeared into a pocket, and she brushed off her vest.

  "It's okay," he said. "It's not a surprise inspection. I'm just showing a friend around. This is Hallie Reed, a friend of Windy's—do you know my kid sister Windy?"

  "I don't think so. I haven't been here that long." The woman rubbed her hands against her uniform. "I'm really not sure, Mr. Madrigal."

  "It's okay. It's not a job requirement." Kyle flashed that trademark smile at the woman, and Hallie could see her visibly relax. "So, Ms.—?"

  "Greer. Charlie—I mean Charlotte—Greer."

  "Well, Charlie, do you mind if I show Hallie around the ride? She's going to be working with you today."

  "Whatever you want, Mr. Madrigal—"

  "—Kyle." He flashed the smile again, and Charlie smiled back tentatively.

  "Okay, Kyle," Charlie said, sinking back onto her stool.

  He sure knew how to turn on the charm. Hallie reminded herself that the warmth he showed toward her wasn't any different, and that she needed to stop taking it personally. He was the richest guy in town, and used to the effect he had on people, she was sure.

  Kyle put out his hand to Halli
e. She put her hands in her pockets and followed him to one of the cars. "This is one of the original rides, so it's kind of lame," he explained. "It's mostly for kids." He put his lips close to her ear. "And for people who like to kiss in the dark...."

  "Come on. I'll show you," he said loudly.

  He sat down in the car.

  She stood outside the car with her arms folded.

  "Okay, no more jokes," he said when he saw her expression.

  She got in and sat next to him.

  "Shall I start the ride, Mr. Madrigal—Kyle?" Charlie asked, grinning away at him.

  "Sure," he said.

  Charlie pushed a couple of buttons on a panel next to her stool. They could hear a faint buzz from somewhere inside. "You always buzz when you start the ride, to let the person working in the back knows that a car is coming," Charlie explained.

  "Is there somebody in there now?" Hallie asked.

  "Oh, no," she said. "It'll just be you and me today. I'm just showing you how it works. Next you press the button to start the ride." Hallie felt the car move.

  "Remember seeing King Kong in Tom's office?" Kyle asked as the doorway arched overhead and they were plunged into darkness. "His big brother's coming up, so don't be scared."

  "Very funny, Mister Madrigal," Hallie said. "I'm hardly child."

  She heard him chuckle next to her. "No, you're definitely a grown woman. I'm convinced of that."

  King Kong made his grand entrance with a roar, bending the bars of his cage to "almost" reach into the car and grab them, and after that the displays went by rapidly: a medieval dungeon, a creepy axe murderer, aliens exiting a flying saucer and shooting green laser beams at them.

  "The best seat in the house is behind that guy," Kyle shouted in her ear over the sound of the space battle. He pointed to a bald alien who rose from behind a styrofoam rock to shoot at them. "Behind the rock on the left there's a good spot where you can see the whole back half of the ride."

  "See? I can't see anything," Hallie yelled back.

  "Your eyes adjust to the dark in a few minutes," he explained when they exited the ride and found themselves blinking at the morning light outside. "Then you can see everything. You can actually walk around in there without tripping on anything once you get used to it."

  He hopped out as the car came to a stop, and Hallie followed. "I warned you it was really lame," he said. "This is one of the rides we really need to update. Once you spend a shift sitting back there you'll have every scream and axe murder memorized."

  "Why does somebody have to sit back there anyway?"

  "You just need to make sure the kids stay in their seats and don't get out and start wrecking stuff. The little darlings spray painted the axe murderer with pink hearts last summer. They had to replace the original mannequin with a surfer from another exhibit. He's still wearing his board shorts under that suit they put on him."

  She shook her head. "Too weird."

  "Just buzz twice from the back and the person out front stops the ride and turns on the lights."

  She leaned in close to him. "What do I do about the couples kissing in the dark?" she asked innocently.

  He laughed out loud. "If you see anything interesting, take notes. I'll quiz you later."

  Had he cast a spell on her? she wondered. If she had any intention of keeping her life on a safe, even keel, she'd better get herself under control before she got emotionally involved.

  "Excuse me?" she said, realizing he'd been talking to her.

  "I was just thinking out loud," he said. "It's a bad habit of mine—talking to myself."

  She grinned sheepishly. "Really?"

  "Anyway, I said I'm gonna swing by and see if Zac and Brandon need a ride to work, then I've gotta get the Little Guy out of that field, and figure out what parts I'm gonna need to fix him. That should take all morning. I'll see you when I pick you up after work."

  "See you then," she said. She walked over to the stool where Charlie sat. She heard his footsteps coming back, and turned around.

  "The chart said your lunch hour's at one," he said. "Could we, maybe, do lunch . . . ?"

  "I'd like that."

  He grinned. "See you at one, then." He strode away and Hallie watched until he disappeared around a corner.

  Charlie sighed. "He's your boyfriend, huh?"

  Hallie shook her head. "He's just a friend of a friend. He's kinda nice though."

  "What a cutie," Charlie said wistfully.

  "They all are. It's a Madrigal thing, I think."

  The nail file came out again, and Charlie started popping her gum again. "Sorry about the gum. I know it's annoying, but I can't smoke on the job, see, and it's driving me nuts. Want a piece?"

  Hallie nodded. Charlie handed her one, and Hallie saw her trying not to react when Hallie's scarred hand took the gum from her.

  "Anyway," the woman continued. "Somebody burned the whole place down a long time ago and they're super paranoid about fires." She raised her hands, busily filing. "It's a nasty habit, but I can't seem to break it. I need to chew on some gum, or file my nails, or I go nuts for a cigarette."

  She looked up from her hands. "Oh. Here's our first customer. You can work the front. It's real easy. You take the tickets and push the button to start the car on the track out here." Charlie pointed to the panel next to the stool.

  Hallie sat down on the stool Charlie vacated.

  "I'll be in the back," Charlie said. "Just ring the buzzer three times if you need me to come out and help you. I'm sure you won't have any problem. It's not exactly brain surgery."

  Hallie laughed.

  The morning went quickly. Like Charlie said, it wasn't exactly brain surgery. Even when the sun came out and the crowd started to pick up Hallie found that she only had to use half her mind to do her job. The other half of her mind was thoroughly occupied with thoughts of a certain green-eyed rancher.

  Where was Kyle? Hallie looked at her watch again: 1:35 p.m., one minute later than it had been the last time she'd looked.

  She had only 25 minutes of her lunch hour left. It was time to stop hovering around and go get something to eat. He must have gotten held up somewhere.

  There were refreshment stands all along the promenade, so she made her way through the crowd toward the nearest one.

  A souvenir booth caught her eye, and she stopped to leaf through a rack of postcards. She smiled at one: a card colored a solid fog gray, with the caption Summer In Pajaro Bay.

  She finally chose a card with a picture of a lighthouse on it. "Oh, that's a nice one," the freckle-faced girl behind the counter said when she rang it up on the cash register. "They're gonna have tours of the lighthouse next summer after they get it remodeled. You want a brochure?"

  Hallie shook her head. She wouldn't be around next summer. The picture was pretty. She didn't have anyone to send it to, but she could prop it up on the shelf in her room. She didn't like to have too many possessions, but a postcard wouldn't weigh her down too much.

  She looked back toward the haunted cottage ride. Still no sign of Kyle.

  A guy in a purple tie-dyed jumpsuit manned the counter at the nearest refreshment booth.

  "'Mama Thu's All-Natural Veggie Hot dogs'?" Hallie read aloud from the sign behind him.

  "A real taste of California," the guy said. "You want one? We've also got a good Banh Mi Trung today—a sausage and egg sandwich."

  She thought about comparing the Vietnamese version of an egg sandwich to the Spanish version she'd eaten for breakfast, but decided her stomach probably wouldn't appreciate it.

  She looked up to see the guy watching her with an intense interest. He smiled at her. "New here?" he asked. "I'm JJ. I could show you around…."

  She shook her head, saying no to the obvious flirtation in his smile. "The veggie hot dog sounds good," she said firmly. "I'll take one."

  She sat on a bench to eat. When she was almost finished, something made her glance up once more at the crowd, and she felt a ridiculous lu
mp in her throat when she recognized the lanky figure striding toward her.

  She smiled and waved, and he quickly made his way to the bench where she sat.

  "Hey, I thought you weren't going to make it," she said when he was within earshot. She looked down at what was left of her lunch. "I thought this hot dog would taste like boiled cardboard, but it's not too bad. And the hot chili sauce has my eyes watering." She motioned to the bench next to her. "Have a seat."

  He didn't move. Finally, she looked up.

  Kyle looked like someone had just slugged him in the stomach. All the color had washed out of his normally ruddy complexion, and his ever-present grin was gone, replaced by a look of grim self-control.

  "What's the matter? Are you hurt?" She jumped to her feet. "What is it? What's wrong?" She gripped his arm. "Kyle, please tell me what's the matter."

  He appeared, with some great effort, to get control of whatever powerful emotion had gripped him. He cleared his throat and straightened up, shrugging off her hand.

  "Windy and Zac are both missing."

  Chapter Four

  "I'm really sorry, Zac," Windy said.

  "I know," he mumbled.

  "Does your shoulder hurt a lot?"

  "Not too much. But remind me never to get on your bad side."

  "I didn't mean to hit you with the chair. I was trying to get that guy."

  "I know. Forget it."

  They were tied up again, this time on the floor with the zip-ties wrapped around some heavy pipe coming out of the wall. No chance of breaking free now. The man had learned not to underestimate them after her last stunt.

  Her little brother was right next to her, his injured shoulder resting against hers. She felt the warmth of him, and a surge of anger washed through her. She was the big sister. She should be able to save them. She wished Kyle was here. He would know what to do.

  "Did you get a good look at the guy, Zac?"

  "Sure. I think I've seen him somewhere before. Don't know who he is, though."

  Windy leaned back, resting her head against the cold pipe. There had to be a reason for all this, but she couldn't figure it out. And she was pretty sure their lives depended on figuring it out, and soon. "But why did he bring us to this place?"