by S S Bazinet
He adopted a penitent attitude as he approached the railing. Avoiding William’s censuring gaze, he stared out at the cityscape. “It’s nice to have you here again.”
“Annabel and I are leaving in the morning.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I hoped you’d stay for a few days.”
“Definitely not. You can deal with Arel yourself this time.”
Rolphe stole a quick glance in William’s direction. He hadn’t expected William to bring Arel into the conversation. “What do you mean? He and Claire seem to be—”
“Don’t be a fool. Look a little deeper, Rolphe. This match you’ve arranged is going to backfire.”
Rolphe almost let William’s warning derail him from his purpose. He quickly realized that William’s outlook was probably compromised by his negativity. “I appreciate your concern, but before we talk about Arel, I have something to show you. I want your opinion on a canvas I’ve been working on.”
William gave him a more forgiving look. “By the way, if I haven’t thanked you properly, I want you to know that I appreciate the painting that you sent me. It must have taken you quite some time to complete.”
Rolphe gave him a dismissive wave and started inside. “Good, I hoped you’d like it. Come with me and inspect my latest endeavor.”
When he got to his studio, Rolphe flipped on the light and went directly to one of his easels. It was a heavy duty unit, made for large canvases. The one that it held was covered. He looked at William who stood in the doorway. “Would you help me take the cover off?”
William approached the easel with an expectant look. “That canvas must be one of your largest.”
Rolphe took hold of a upper corner of cloth and began to lift it. “Yes, I usually work on smaller pieces, but this one is about seventy inches wide.”
William grabbed the opposite corner and helped Rolphe put the cloth aside. When he turned back to the canvas, he let out a small gasp of surprise.
Rolphe watched with anticipation as William inspected the painting. An army of angelic warriors was displayed on a battlefield. Their golden radiance overpowered the darkness that surrounded them. “What do you think?”
William didn’t reply, but Rolphe smiled anyway. For the first time that evening, William’s energy had shifted. His face had brightened. “I wanted to capture what took place on that field. The painting I gave you depicted a smaller portion of the battle. This piece is a bigger, more detailed version.”
William stepped back and continued to stare at the canvas. “You’ve done a remarkable job.”
Rolphe pointed to one of the most impressive angels. “And look at you on your great, white horse. You’re so gallant and brave. You’re as bright or brighter than any angel on the field.”
William’s face turned dark again. “Arel said the same thing, but I’m not one of . . . them.”
Rolphe frowned. “That’s not true. When I caught a glimpse of you that day, you glowed with light. I was afraid I’d be blinded when I gazed at you.”
William laughed. “That’s because you were viewing a world that Arel created. But none of it was real, not in terms of the reality I live in now.”
“Please, don’t say that. Arel’s world or not, you are that brilliant angel. I’m sure of it.”
William’s jaw tightened as he turned away. “You’re delusional, Rolphe. That’s your problem.”
As William started for the door, Rolphe trailed after him. “But what about everything you’ve witnessed, all the miracles?”
William swiveled round, glaring back. “So what have those miracles done for me in the long run? I’m married to an ex-angel who tells me life should be quiet and uneventful. I’m supposed to be planting posies and watching movies on a big screen television.”
Rolphe paused, silenced by the bitterness in William’s voice. For a long moment, he studied his hands. He’d tried to get all the paint off, but there were still bits of it around his nails. “William, I’m sorry if I’ve offended you.”
William started for the door again. “Paint whatever you like, Rolphe. But here’s a piece of advice. Don’t make the mistake of thinking any of your visions are going to free you.”
“Free me from what?”
“From the worst and cruelest of fates, from the chains that bind you to an ordinary life.”
Rolphe hurried after him. “Wait, please. You said something about Arel earlier. Is there something I should know?”
William continued down the hallway. “Other than being headed for another disaster, Arel is fine.”
Seven
PEGGY BROUGHT OVER a tea pot and poured a generous amount of liquid in Carol’s cup. “Hope you like this jasmine tea. The tea shop was out of the kind I usually buy.”
Carol took a sip and smiled. “It’s wonderful.”
Peggy held out a bakery box of scones. “It’s also wonderful having our guys take the babies to swim class every Saturday.”
“Yes, I love little Ariel like crazy, but sometimes I feel like I need a break.”
“Speaking of breaks, can you believe Arel has met someone who sounds like she’s exactly what he’s looking for?”
“And beautiful too.” Carol frowned. “Kevin’s eyes were glued to her photo.”
“Tim’s too. I’ve never heard him use the word, stunning, until he saw this Claire person.”
“I’m thrilled for Arel, especially after the rough time he had with Elise.”
Peggy grimaced. “Don’t get me started with Elise.”
Carol giggled. “So you’ve been seeing quite a lot of her?”
“Ever since Tim and I helped her out that rainy night, she’s tried to be nice. First, she brought over flowers as a thank you. Then she stopped by with a present for Sara. I also ran into her at the mall, and she insisted on buying me coffee and a dessert.”
Carol took a pastry and placed it on her plate. “It sounds like she’s changed completely.”
“I thought it was bad when she acted like a shrew. It’s even worse when she forces herself to be sweet.”
“So you think it’s just an act?”
Peggy broke off a piece of her scone and chewed it thoughtfully. “I suppose she tries, but I don’t think she’s capable of being a truly, nice person. She has too much pent up anger.”
“What’s strange is that she writes romance novels. I’ve read a couple of them. They’re good. You’d never suspect that a person like Elise wrote them.”
“People like that live in an imaginary world when they write. They never deal with their real life.”
“That’s kind of sad.”
Peggy’s brows narrowed. “Tell me about it. While we were having coffee, she opened up, and I got a glimpse of her background. She was with a jerk named Jack for quite a while.”
“What did he do to her?”
“I guess he was very manipulative, and Elise was the perfect patsy. Like a lot of unwary women, she wanted someone to love her. She did whatever it took to get that love. She even quit college so that this guy could pursue an acting career. By the time their relationship ended, she was working two jobs and supporting both of them.”
“How long were they together?”
“Five years. Then she found out he’d been cheating on her most of the time they were together.”
“No wonder she’s bitter, but like you said, why hasn’t she moved on?”
“She did admit that she’s a slow learner. After Jack, she let other men take advantage of her.”
Carol leaned back and smoothed out her napkin. “What I don’t understand is why she treated Arel like she did? I know he tried his best to be understanding and kind when he was with her.”
“Unconsciously, she might have been comparing him to the jerk she’d been with. Seems Jack was very handsome too, and at first, he was nice.”
“Wow, Peggy, you really do know a lot about it all.”
“I know too much.”
Carol laughed. “You have a very n
urturing side. It makes people feel safe to tell you stuff.”
“I’m just happy that she’s moving soon.”
“Oh, you’re right. I saw the ‘For Lease’ sign on her lawn today.”
“Yep, once she’s gone, I won’t have to worry about going to the mailbox and running into her.”
* * * * *
Elise snuck out of the front door, looked towards Peggy’s house, and sprinted down her driveway. Her mission was to collect her mail. She prayed that she wouldn’t see her neighbor. Every time they met, Elise felt like a total idiot. It started when she’d tried to make amends. Peggy and Tim were so thoughtful when she was ill. Afterwards, she felt a debt of gratitude. None of her attempts to express that gratitude went well.
Whenever she was around Peggy, she became a bundle of nerves. She said ridiculous stuff and embarrassed herself. On one occasion, she had dominated their conversation with her bleak story of Jack, trying in some way to justify why she was what she was. She babbled on and on, sounding like the most pathetic loser ever. She only stopped when Peggy’s eyes lost focus. Taking stock of their exchanges, she realized how unable she was to interact with people. She’d become an eccentric writer who had hidden herself away for too long.
Between the Arel fiasco and the awkward times with Peggy, Elise decided to move, to slip away quietly and start over. But for the moment, the best she could do was avoid neighborly contact. Her tight shoulders relaxed a little when she got to her mailbox without being seen. Her relief was somewhat diluted by the state of her mail. Circulars, junk mail and bills filled the box to capacity. As she tried to remove some of the excess, several pieces dropped to the ground. She was bending over to pick them up when someone jogged up to her.
“Hi, Elise!”
Her hand tightened on a utility bill. She recognized the male voice. It belonged to the young man who lived with Arel. She pasted on a smile and stood up. Trying to be pleasant was her penance for being so horrible to everyone when she was dating Arel. “Oh, hi Carey.”
“Let me help you with that,” he said as he crouched down. “By the way, one of your pieces of mail got mixed up with Arel’s. I tried to return it to you yesterday, but you didn’t answer the door.”
Elise’s brows automatically tightened into a scowl. Of course she didn’t answer her door. She didn’t want to see anyone. “Sometimes I have the music blasting when I’m working, and I don’t hear the bell.”
Hurriedly, she snatched more of her mail from the box, and more pieces fell to the ground. Carey picked up those letters too.
“Hand stuff to me,” he suggested as she continued with her task.
She glanced at him and noticed how his eyes glowed. In fact, she’d never seen anyone who could look so enthusiastic. In spite of trying to stay in her usual serious mode, she laughed. “How’d you get so cheerful?”
Carey shrugged. “I have a great life. Arel has been really nice. He took me in when I was kind of homeless.”
Elise winced. She’d stopped spying on Arel’s house, but she still thought about him more than she wanted. “I haven’t seen him around.”
“He went to London. Now, he’s in Paris.”
Elise’s chest took a hit. A sinking feeling grabbed hold, making it difficult to get air. But she’d started down a road called “I’m going to be nice no matter what.” She couldn’t turn back now. “I hope he’s having a good time.”
“He’s having a great time. He even met a beautiful woman who—” Carey hesitated as his face flushed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say—”
Elise spoke up at once in spite of a lump in her throat. “Carey, please, it’s okay. Arel and I have nothing to do with each other. If he’s met someone—”
Carey didn’t answer. Instead, he quietly turned away and began to take the remainder of the mail from Elise’s mailbox.
As Elise watched Carey diligently completing his task, she thought about his take on Arel. Carey thought of Arel as a very kind person, not at all like the scoundrel, Jack.
The information made Elise swallow hard. She’d made a terrible mistake and pushed away someone who was genuine. But she still had feelings for Arel. They were the kind that made her heart speed up when she let herself think about being with him. It didn’t matter. Carey’s slip of the tongue made it clear that it was too late for regret.
On the other hand, Elise had to find out more about what was going on. When Carey tried to hand her the mail, she didn’t take it. She started for the house and glanced back at him. “Would you please bring that in for me? And by the way, I just bought a chocolate cake. Maybe you’d like a slice.”
Carey quickened his pace and caught up with her. “Chocolate cake? How can I refuse?”
Once Elise had the young man seated at her kitchen table, she quickly served him a generous slice of cake and a large glass of iced tea. Strangely enough, her ravenous hunger, a hunger that had added five unwanted pounds, was absent. How could she think of food when there were important questions to be asked. She sat down opposite Carey and smiled. “So tell me more about Paris and Arel. How long is he planning on staying?
Carey had just forked in a large bite of cake and blinked back. “Don’t know,” he sputtered. He took a swallow of tea and used his napkin to swipe his mouth. “Sorry, but this cake is delicious.”
Elise didn’t need a critique of the cake. She needed more facts about Arel. She forced herself to smile patiently. “So you said that Arel met someone.”
Carey took another bite of cake and nodded.
“Did you know that I write books about people falling in love? I’m always curious about what it is that attracts one person to another.”
Carey swallowed his second bite and smiled. “That one’s easy in Arel’s case.” He took his phone out of his pocket and did a quick search. He handed the phone to Elise. “Take a look at the two of them. Don’t they look great together?”
Elise tried to maintain a pleasant expression as she gripped the phone. Arel’s handsome face stared back at her, but she was more interested in the woman he was with. Everything about her was gorgeous. Her features, her amazing hair, her thin, sexy body. She was something out of a glamour magazine. With Arel next to her, they looked like a movie star couple.
Elise handed the phone back to Carey as he was getting up from his seat. That’s when she noticed he’d finished his cake. He was folding his napkin, ready to leave. She panicked. She still had questions, and she needed answers. “Let me get you another piece.”
Carey rubbed his stomach. “Thanks, but I better not. I have to get back. I’m cleaning up the garage. I try to keep the place the way Arel likes it.”
When they were dating, Elise had noticed that Arel was very tidy. Maybe he was also a bully when it came to house guests. “So, is he some kind of tyrant? Does he have you doing all the chores?”
Carey laughed. “No, it’s more like me being a slob. He’s always cleaning up after me.”
Elise felt her temper getting ready to unload. She didn’t want to see pictures of Arel with some Parisian goddess. She didn’t want to hear about how tolerant he was. But she clenched her jaw and kept herself in check. She couldn’t afford to alienate Carey. He seemed to be a great source of information that she wanted and needed. “Thank you again for helping me with my mail.”
Carey smiled and started out of the kitchen. “Thanks for the cake.” He stopped short before he got to the door and pointed to the laundry room. “Elise, there’s some water on the floor—”
Elise pushed Carey aside. “Oh no, I’m storing some boxes in the laundry room! Quick, help me move them!”
Carey rushed forward and threw open the door. The source of the problem was immediately evident. The washing machine was overflowing. Carey grabbed his phone, tapped the screen a number of times and gave it to Elise. “Tell Michael to come over as fast as he can! He knows a lot more than I do about these things. In the meantime, I’ll move the boxes.”
* * * * *
/> Elise sat back on the living room sofa and looked at the piles of books and papers sitting on the rug. Some of the books had towels under them. They were the ones that got slightly water damaged in the laundry mishap. Her gaze traveled over to the two men who had saved them from a worse fate.
Michael and Carey were seated across from her. She sat up and broke the silence that had settled over the room. “Thanks for all your help. I don’t have much experience with washing machines going haywire. Because of your fast rescue, my papers and books survived without much damage.”
Michael returned a friendly smile. “If you ever need anything else, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Michael had declined Elise’s offer of an award in the form of dessert, but Carey was finishing off his piece of cake. He looked up as he was taking a bite and nodded. “Like Michael said, we like helping out.”
Their offers made Elise sit up attentively. At the end of the month, when she packed up and moved away, she wanted to know how she’d gone so wrong in her interaction with Arel. Michael and Carey were his friends. Perhaps they could shed some light on the subject.
There was something else that made her want to see the pair again. When they were helping her, taking care of her run-away washer and cleaning up the aftermath, she’d never felt safer around anyone. That was something very new for her. Looking at Michael’s kind eyes and feeling Carey’s boyish enthusiasm, she felt a deep down sense of security. This pair was different. They weren’t there to get something from her.
Now, they were offering their services again. As she pondered their thoughtfulness, an interesting idea surfaced. “Michael, Carey, do you think you could help me with a book I’m writing? I need a new perspective, a man’s take on romance.”
Eight
AREL TURNED AND put a hand under his head, propping it up at just the right angle to admire the woman lying next to him in bed. He’d heard about people dying and going to heaven. They were thought to be the lucky ones. But he was even luckier. He’d found heaven on earth.
