Finding Home

by Marianne Evans

  Peter moved in close to get a better look while Alexa brought the page forward. The camera focused on…he almost let out a whoop.

  “You know,” he said in a smooth, steady voice, “that looks suspiciously like a travel itinerary, Lexie. And I see the words London printed upon it a few times. Are you telling me you did it? You’re coming?”

  She pulled the paper away, and her face came back into view once more. She looked into the camera with those luminous, almond-shaped eyes and fluttered her lashes, wearing a playful smile that swept straight through his heart. He hadn’t been joking about her eyes, and the camera did nothing to diminish her impact.

  “I leave in a week, and I’ll be there for nearly a fortnight.” In emphasis, the last three words were spoken with a British accent that stirred Peter’s laughter.

  “Fantastic! Wait ‘til I tell Vannie.”

  “Oh…let me! I want to do it.”

  “Of course.” Peter ducked his head, chagrined by his rather blatant enthusiasm.

  Alexa’s gaze flitted to a corner of her screen. “Actually, it looks like she’s on right now.”

  “Of course she is.” He harrumphed. “You know, I realize my sister is a much-sought-after personal shopper—a stylist to the stars and all that—but she really shouldn’t be using her time at Harrods to surf the ’net.”

  Alexa was distracted by typing out a message, but she snorted. “You’re one to talk. You’re online, and you’re at work. Besides, she’s probably just keying customers in to the hottest trends and styles.”

  “You’re only defending her in the hope of a massive discount when you get here and go shopping.” Alexa kept typing, but she nodded emphatically. Peter chuckled. “And here’s the difference in rules and governing regulations. I own this company—in conjunction with my father, of course. Therefore, I’m allowed latitude. Vannie, on the other hand, doesn’t own Harrods. Although, she sometimes thinks she does.”

  Alexa froze, stared ahead in dreamy wonder then emitted a sigh rife with longing. “Oh, if only she did. Talk about bliss…” Their eyes tagged when she looked into the camera. “We have to plan an afternoon there, OK?”

  “Consider it done. I can’t wait to see you.”

  Alexa tilted her head and her smile dawned all over again. He wondered. Had she always been so transfixing?

  “I can’t wait to see you, either. I’ve been gone too long, and seeing the two of you will be the best pick-me-up ever. Thanks for letting me crash with you. I hope it’s OK…I’m not usually so spontaneous.”

  “I fully intend to help you overcome that problem.” She laughed again; the sound played like a melody against his heart. Seeing her, even in electronic form, made it plain how much he had missed her.

  “Seriously. Are you being this nice to me because you mean it, or because you know how much I need to hear sweet nothings right now?”

  “Yes to both.” He left it at that, smiling wide, which made her huff with put-on exasperation. “Keep us updated on your schedule.” She clicked a few more keys, likely finished with alerting Vanessa to her plans. She leaned back a bit. “Oh, and Lexie?”

  “Yeah?”

  He moved a bit closer to the monitor. “Don’t forget my quid. Cheers.”

  “Cheers, Peter.”

  The sound of her laughter is what took her to black on his monitor, and it lingered in his mind. He couldn’t wait until she was back in England.

  2

  Peter’s quid rested in Alexa’s palm—cool and weighty for so small a piece. She studied the golden coin beneath the light above her seat on the plane. Her mind drifted as the miles flew by.

  “Here. Take this.”

  “What is it?”

  Peter transferred a small, heavy coin, from his hand to hers. “A quid.”

  “What?”

  “Quid.”

  “Come again?” She knew precisely what it was. After all, she had been in Britain for an entire study term. Thing is, she couldn’t resist the opportunity to needle him for using British colloquialisms on an American.

  With exaggerated superiority, Peter sighed. “It’s a pound. There. Is that term easier for you to grasp, you Yank?”

  “Much. I understand the term pound. PS? You guys lost the war. Get over it already.”

  They burst into mutual laughter, but Peter’s grin lingered—and she took note of his intent regard. Then, following a habit Alexa had come to expect, he trailed his fingertips beneath the chin-length swing of her straight blonde hair. The motion caused his touch to glance lightly against her neck, and nerve endings tingled in response.

  “Keep that coin in your pocket, Lexie-love. Bring it back to me one day.”

  It was her time of leaving, they both knew, and tears stung her eyes. “That’s a promise.”

  Alexa closed her eyes against the memory, breathing deep. Peter had always possessed the most wonderful means by which to make her feel special—unlike…

  Nope. No dice, she thought. I refuse to give Derrick the Destroyer that kind of power. He won’t infringe on this trip whatsoever.

  For the first time in months, she felt untethered. Sure, this trip was impetuous, but no one would understand that behavior better than Vanessa and Peter. Besides, arrangements had come together so effortlessly, there was no doubt she was meant to go. These were two friends she had treasured ever since her study abroad experience at the University of Manchester when she was part of a senior-level curriculum at USC’s Marshall School of Business.

  A flight attendant passed, delivering packaged snacks and an iced cola that Alexa settled on the table in front of her along with her pound coin.

  Three years had passed so quickly…

  Back then, she and Vannie had shared dorm space and instant friendship. As time progressed and bonds deepened, Vanessa invited Alexa along on weekend trips to London where they visited Vanessa’s parents, and her younger-than-her-by-two-minutes-and-don’t-you-ever-forget-it twin brother.

  Alexa was driven by her aptitude in the world of international finance and the management of investment portfolios. Peter, meanwhile, apprenticed at his father’s computer firm located in the heart of London. The senior Colby had lit the pathway to IT, troubleshooting throughout Britain, and had spread his company’s reach throughout central Europe at the start of the computer explosion. Peter not only possessed the necessary technology skills to maintain his father’s company, he had inherited a passion for it as well. Now, Colby Intellilink Worldwide had grown to prominence throughout Europe.

  Pride filled her heart. The Colbys were such wonderful people. This trip would be a return to her heart in a way, because leaving England at the end of her semester, flying back home to complete the final session of her senior year, had been incredibly difficult.

  Alexa laid her head back and closed her eyes for a moment as another snippet of memory played out.

  “You guys are so lucky.” Linked arm and arm with Peter and Vanessa, Alexa cut a path through Trafalgar Square, and they made their way to the underground station.

  Alexa’s gaze swept across the flashing neon signs, the statues, the black cabs swerving like mad around compact cars, vibrant red double-decker busses, and a mass of humanity in motion. Her eyes were wide, her entire spirit taking it all in. “My point is, do you appreciate all this?” She trotted lightly down the set of cement steps, releasing her hold on her friends. “Do you know how incredible this place is?”

  “You should stay.” Vanessa issued her verdict succinctly and with a familiar display of gusto.

  “You do seem happy here.”

  Peter’s words drifted to her from just ahead as they joined a press of people who assembled on an escalator that seemed to shoot straight down into the ground at a horrendously steep angle. Tingles lit her tummy, and she held tight to the rubber handrail.

  Peter glanced at her over his shoulder. Vanessa was perched just ahead of him. “And I have to say, I appreciate London now, more than I ever have.”

&
nbsp; “You do? Why’s that?”

  He shrugged. “I love seeing it through your eyes.”

  What a compliment. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Yes, really. Which is why I let him cling to us like this.”

  Vanessa’s riposte dissolved them into an onslaught of three-way laughter.

  Alexa opened her eyes, thinking. She had retrieved a number of keepsakes to bring with her. There was the pound coin, of course, plucked from a cherry wood box on her dresser. Briefly, she studied a sterling charm bracelet that skimmed against her wrist, the one she had created at the end of her trip which included such icons as Big Ben, the coronation crown, a double-decker bus, and royal carriage.

  She smiled, transfixed by the endless sea of stars that drifted past the oval portal to her right. Anticipation climbed when she picked up the coin once more—turning it over and over. Alexa was determined to make this the trip of a lifetime. At this point, she had nothing left to lose. After long months spent in a desert of heartache and self-doubt, it was time to get back in touch with her heart, and her soul.

  ****

  “There she is!” Vanessa launched from her seat and jogged her head like one of those crazy bobble-head dolls while she stretched up on tip toe.

  Terminal Three at Heathrow buzzed with activity as the freshly arrived flight from Los Angeles landed and its passengers slogged through customs. Assembled within the throngs of those who were hemmed into the waiting area for international flights, Peter had caught sight of Alexa the instant she passed through the entry doors. She wheeled a large suitcase behind her; the strap of a small duffle rested against her shoulder.

  And she wasn’t alone.

  Vanessa registered that fact at the same time Peter did. Peering ahead, his sister hummed out a questioning sound. “Seems she made a friend on her flight. Good for you, Alexa.”

  That wasn’t precisely the way Peter would have expressed his emotions at the moment, but, to each his own.

  Peter pushed away from the wall where he had propped himself. The melody of Alexa’s laughter carried to him while he watched a man stroll attentively at her side. They carried on a conversation as Alexa’s eyes began to rove the crowd, searching.

  “Hmm.” His brows puckered.

  Vanessa angled her head and gifted him with an arched brow stare. “You a bit miffed by that?”

  “Oh, hush.”

  “Not likely.”

  The man appeared close to Alexa’s age, perhaps a bit older, with dark features. Fairly average, to be brutally honest…but Alexa seemed charmed and engaged. He saw the man reach into the breast pocket of his suit coat and pull out what looked like a business card. After handing it over, he gave Alexa’s fingertips a squeeze that left Peter’s stomach to clench. Protectiveness. The reaction stemmed from pure protectiveness, that’s all.

  Alexa spotted them, waved, and began a zigzagging dash through the crowds. That’s when the most wonderful thing happened—she left that average mannered bloke in the dust. She waved goodbye, and she seemed to wish him well, but then, she was theirs.

  Peter stepped to the fore, welcoming her with a beaming smile.

  “Hello, Lexie-love.”

  She didn’t speak straight away. Instead, she dropped her luggage at her feet and hurtled into his waiting arms. She didn’t let him go—which was perfectly OK, since Peter clung to her just as tight, his arms a strong band around her waist. Her subtle, flowery perfume blended into the air, intoxicating. He pecked both her cheeks and smiled into her eyes, lingering over being face-to-face once again.

  “A hug like that is something you just don’t get when you dwell in the land of electronic communication.”

  Peter’s quip broke the spell, and Vanessa’s patience. His twin stepped forward, wearing a playful scowl. “Peter, step off already. She’s mine, too.”

  A ripple of easy laughter rounded their gathering and diluted the intensity completely. Alexa enveloped Vanessa in a hug.

  “It’s so fantastic to see you! You look gorgeous! That’s a stunning coat. Truly. I want it.” Vanessa’s ebullient compliments rode the air while she snagged Alexa’s duffle.

  “Why, thank you.” Alexa brushed the woolen fibers of a hip-length piece. “I went cold-weather shopping with my sister before I left California and thought of you when I bought it. Vivid red speaks to me of all things British. Besides, I had to invest in something warm before I left SoCal. Just wait until you see the matching cap. It’s such a Vanessa accessory.”

  Peter took custody of the suitcase handle just as Alexa made a grab for it. Once again their eyes connected, and a ping shot through his system as he won the battle for her luggage.

  “You made it through customs without arrest.” Peter blinked free of his reaction. “I’m impressed.”

  “I was on my best behavior.”

  “Well, your almost best behavior.” Vanessa gave her shoulder a nudge. “You’ve got to tell us all about the gentleman who walked out with you. Do I need to run a background check? Set up formal meetings to initiate the approval process? You scamp—a man magnet while hopping the pond!”

  Vanessa positioned Alexa next to Peter, and they all linked arms, just like old times, striding as one toward the parking structure. Alexa gave her head a shake and released her hold on Peter’s arm just long enough to tuck the golden strands of her still chin-length bob behind her ear. He loved the style, the way it danced around her heart-shaped face. “Oh, stop it! He’s just a nice guy. His name is Ray Callahan. He works in the investments department at the Bank of England, thank you very much. We got to talking is all.”

  “Oh, my…sounds positively bone melting.” Vanessa arched a brow and yawned hugely, which cracked them all up.

  “Don’t be snide. I enjoyed it, but he was so interested in my job at Price Waterhouse, I ended up talking shop for most of the trip…when I wasn’t sleeping that is.” She frowned. “Although…he did say he was impressed with me, and that I should feel free to call him any time. Maybe I missed a romantic cue in there somewhere? Wouldn’t be the first time.”

  “You are delightfully oblivious when it comes to interested men.”

  The comments were all in good fun, but Peter found he had to tamp down a rumbling, possessive growl.

  He didn’t want to see her get hurt again. That’s all there was to it.

  ****

  The drive from the airport into central London worked on Alexa like a sleeping pill. She drifted and dozed, unable to keep up with the conversations taking place. There were jokes about Alexa being relegated to the backseat of Peter’s car, but given Peter and Vanessa’s height, and Alexa’s lack thereof, the battle became no contest, and she tumbled into the back before further argument could ensue about seating arrangements. Besides, the adrenaline rush of being in Peter and Vanessa’s company had sapped what little was left of her energy, and if she rode in the back, grabbing a catnap wouldn’t be quite as obvious, right? Everything around her kept melting into a dizzy swirl, and it felt heavenly to simply close her eyes, just for a moment or two, and drift away.

  “Are you tired, Lexie-love?”

  Peter had always called her Lexie-love, a title that warmed her through, but being roused and convicted zapped her nerve endings and sent her blood into a rush that banished all those delicious foggy wisps of rest…blast it all.

  “Ah…a little, I guess.”

  “Ah…a lot, I’d guess.” Peter’s tender admonishment came as their eyes tagged in the rearview mirror. “We’ll get you tucked in straight away.”

  Alexa smiled sheepishly, thinking about how much she loved his accent. She would have gladly listened to him talk for hours and hours. Once again she felt that wild sizzle of connection and remnants of the joy she had experienced when she leaped into his arms upon arrival. Puzzled, Alexa thought about that reaction for a moment as warm air from the car vents pulsed against her cheeks and smooth motion sent her world floating again.

  “Peter, step
off already...”

  Vanessa’s teasing hadn’t been without touches of truth. Alexa had held on to him an instant longer than necessary. She had always harbored such a fond spot for Peter. She was broken spirited, that’s all. She had simply wanted to savor how wonderful it felt to be held, and treasured. Loneliness spurred her, a natural yearning for affirmation following a heart-blow that still echoed.

  She lowered her gaze from his reflection, absurdly shy because the innocent connection struck at a sensitive spot deep in her tummy. Self-aware, she cleared her throat. “I suppose it’s fairly obvious I’ve just endured a trans-Atlantic flight.”

  “Not in the least.” Peter’s rebuttal came fast. “You’re gorgeous as ever.”

  Zing.

  Before long, they turned onto a curving stretch of road lined on each side by four-story apartments. Peter parked and switched off the engine while Vanessa unfolded from the car. Alexa climbed out as well, looking at the old, stately buildings. “Your new digs? I’m beyond impressed. This is amazing.”

  Peter nodded. “Vannie and I let the space around a year ago. It’s fantastic. You’re going to love it.”

  “I do already. I feel like I’ve stepped into the pages of an Austen novel.”

  “Can I be Mr. Darcy? Please?”

  Vanessa sputtered with exasperation. “Peter you unconscionable brat. Stop going on.”

  “Depends,” Alexa chimed. “Are you proud or are you prejudiced?”

  Peter unlocked the trunk of the car and paused to ponder. “I like to think I’m both.”

  Alexa went into an overly-tired laughing fit. Vanessa groaned—loudly.

  Moving forward, Alexa reached for her duffle. Her body brushed against Peter’s when he stopped her short, saying, “I’ve got it.”

  Rocking back on her heels, Alexa allowed for a measure of distance while he shifted his focus to her luggage, and they trounced a steep flight of stairs leading to the front entrance.