[Charlie Rhodes 06.0] The Incubus Impasse

by Amanda M. Lee

  I waited because I knew he wasn’t finished.

  “It is quite the coincidence,” he admitted, leaning back in his seat. He placed his feet so they were on either side of mine. It was an unobtrusive way to touch me during the meal and I found comfort in it even as I tried to wrap my head around what we were dealing with. “Have you ever watched the show? The one he mentioned, I mean.”

  For some reason I found the question insulting. “Do I look like the type of woman who sits around watching shows about women who just want to find a man because then their lives will be complete? I’m a Stranger Things girl ... or The 100 ... or even The Walking Dead. I don’t watch reality television unless it involves documentaries on serial killers.”

  He stared at me for a long moment and then broke into a hearty guffaw. “Is it any wonder that it was basically you from the second I saw you?” He shook his head and snickered. “Geez. You’re never going to be normal. I love that about you.”

  The tone in his simple sentiment caused heat to rush to my cheeks. “Most people think that I talk too much, that I speak before I think, and that’s not a good thing.”

  “I won’t pretend that you always say the exact right thing at the right time, but you speak your truth and you’re not a liar.”

  I lifted my eyes. There was something about the declaration that set me off. “I did lie to you, though.” That was true. I lied about who I was and what I could do from the beginning. I’d planned to tell him the truth, but he found out in the middle of a fight. He hadn’t really lambasted me for being a liar since. While I was grateful, I was also eager for him to get it out of his system. “You haven’t really said anything about that.”

  He leaned back in his chair and crossed his feet at the ankles as he regarded me. He was about to open his mouth and say something when the waitress arrived to take our orders.

  “I’ll have the she-crab soup and the signature burger, medium, ketchup on the side. I’ll have an iced tea, too.”

  The waitress nodded, flashing him a flirty smile, and then focused on me. “And you?”

  “I’ll have the soup, too.” I quickly scanned the sandwiches. I’d been paying more attention to talking than selecting. “I’ll also have the fried green tomato BLT. I’ll just have water to drink.”

  “Sure.” The waitress collected our menus and disappeared back into the restaurant. We were early for lunch, so we were pretty much alone on the outdoor deck. That was probably good given the conversation I’d kicked off.

  “We haven’t really talked about it,” Jack hedged when he spoke again. “I’m sorry for that. It’s on me. I wasn’t sure what to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. I just thought you would feel something more about the situation.”

  “I have a lot of feelings,” he said. “The thing is ... after it happened, I was in shock. So were you. I could tell. I didn’t know what to say to make you feel better, so I did the only thing I could do and not make you feel worse. I had questions, but ... you were really upset.”

  “I was afraid,” I corrected. “I let the fear consume me.”

  “You were afraid I would tell Chris,” he surmised, frowning. “I never would’ve done that.”

  I couldn’t hide my surprise. “I never thought you would tell Chris. That’s not who you are. You would’ve let me go right then and there if I felt the need to run and requested silence from you. You’re the protective sort, and I appreciate that.”

  His eyebrows drew together. “Then what were you afraid of?”

  “That it would be too much for you and ... you would just pull away.” I felt like an idiot giving voice to my fears. Only a high-schooler would worry about her boyfriend breaking up with her despite the things we were dealing with.

  “Were you honestly worried about that?” Jack’s expression was hard to read.

  I nodded. “You don’t believe. Up until then, you just didn’t want to see it. I figured you would think I was a freak and walk away. I was going to tell you because I knew you needed to know, but I was certain you would break my heart in the end. I’m sorry about that, too. I should’ve had more faith in you.”

  “You should’ve,” he agreed, rubbing his cheek. Something that looked like anger flashed in his eyes. “But I get it. You’ve kept this to yourself for a really long time. Have you ever told anyone?”

  It seemed like a weird setting to get the nitty-gritty out of the way, but I was so relieved it was finally happening I didn’t argue. “My parents knew. My adopted parents, I mean. When I was a kid I managed to do a few things that set off alarm bells at school.”

  “Well, that sucks, but you were a kid. I’m sure they stood with you.”

  “No, I mean I literally set off alarm bells. I once got in a fight with a kid and I was so annoyed my anger set off the sprinkler system. I was standing next to it but didn’t touch it and it just went off. The kid I was fighting said I pulled it, but when I told my parents what really happened they said I had to make sure nobody ever found out about what I could do.

  “I was confused because I was young and didn’t know what was happening,” I continued. “Then one day there was a fire down the street and I knew about it without looking through the windows. I knew one of our neighbors was in trouble. That’s when my parents really started taking notice.”

  Jack was calm as he regarded me. “What did they do?”

  “They wanted to take me to specialists. They figured I might be mentally disturbed though they never came right out and said it. They were afraid to do it in case I was deemed dangerous. They’d wanted a child for so long ... and then they got me. I was an inferior model, but they didn’t want to disappoint me or risk losing me because they might not get a second chance.”

  “Don’t say that!” Jack’s eyes flashed. “You’re not an inferior model. I don’t want you thinking that.”

  His vehemence took me by surprise ... and warmed me all over. It was something I needed to hear even though I was mostly comfortable in my own skin. “Thanks, but I didn’t mean that the way it came out. I’m not feeling sorry for myself as much as ... they were good people. I loved them. They took care of me. They just wanted a normal kid, but I was pretty freaking far from normal.”

  “You’re special,” he countered, unruffled. “Every parent wants a special child. They got you and I guarantee they were happy about it. On the flip side, I’m betting there was fear there, too. If you were discovered ... .”

  “I might’ve been taken away,” I finished. “They warned me to be very careful. I wasn’t allowed to have sleepovers until I was old enough to understand the ramifications if I manifested in front of someone. They were careful to keep me out of sports – except for track when I was in high school – because I’m so competitive they thought I might do something to draw attention to myself. They loved me, but were terrified of the things I might do.”

  He picked up my hand and flipped it over to trace lines on my palm with his fingers. “I don’t want you to be afraid.” His voice was low. “I want you to be mindful and careful ... and it’s probably best if we keep this to ourselves for a bit. You don’t have to be anything other than what you are with me. I like you the way you are and I don’t want you to change.

  “But I need you to be careful,” he continued. “Because you’re special, you’re going to draw attention from certain individuals if you’re too overt with what you can do. I’ll protect you to the best of my ability, but I won’t always be with you ... .”

  I understood what he was saying. “I’ve been keeping this secret for a long time,” I offered. “I was going to tell you because I thought it was important for us going forward. I didn’t want everything we have to be based on a lie. Millie found out because I didn’t have a choice if I wanted to save us during that whole Chupacabra thing. As for the rest ... I have no intention of telling any of them what I can do.”

  “Good.” He lifted my hand and pressed a kiss to the palm, causing my heart to stut
ter. “We’ll figure this out.”

  There was his mantra again. It made me smile. “I know. If you have questions, though, I want you to ask them. It’s okay to be curious.”

  “I have questions, but I don’t think this is the right place to ask them.” He glanced around the patio. It was starting to fill up with people. “We have plenty of time to go over all of this. I want to see what you can do. I want to hear the stories. It doesn’t all have to be in one night.

  “It wasn’t that I wasn’t interested in that stuff,” he continued. “I just didn’t want to push you. There was a fragility about you that made me want to wrap you in bubble wrap to keep you safe, shut out the rest of the world. That was probably a mistake, but I can’t help wanting to protect you.

  “From the moment I met you, I felt this overwhelming need to take care of you.” He was earnest as he held my gaze. “I get that you’re an adult and can take care of yourself. I won’t try to take your independence from you. I’m hoping that you’ll see there’s a benefit in us taking care of each other. That’s what I want.”

  Emotions I didn’t even know I felt bubbled up and grabbed me by the throat. “I want that, too. I just ... I don’t want you getting overwhelmed. I couldn’t help but feel you were getting frustrated last night with the ghost deal. I don’t want that.”

  “I don’t want that either. And for the record, I wasn’t getting frustrated with you. I wanted to see what you were seeing. You can help. I just need to figure out how.”

  “I’m telling you the kayaks are the way to go.”

  “And I will consider it.” He flashed a smile that made me go weak in the knees. “For now, let’s enjoy our lunch. I need to figure out if there’s a way to tie those other four women to the ones who served as volunteers at the aquarium.”

  “I think it’s unlikely that they all volunteered at the exact same place. That would limit their options and creature competition,” I offered. “I think it’s far more likely that they volunteered at different places. That doesn’t mean they didn’t meet up at the same place. I think that’s the location we need to suss out.”

  “That’s a good idea.” He squeezed my hand extra hard. “Just one more thing and then we’ll take a break from this. No matter what happens, I need you to promise me you’ll always trust that I’m doing my absolute best for you. You don’t have to hide things from me. I want to know, and even if I don’t understand I promise that we’ll figure it out.”

  Tears pricked the back of my eyes. That was exactly what I needed to hear.

  “We’ll figure it out,” I agreed, swiping at my cheeks as I lowered my eyes in embarrassment. “Thanks for that.”

  “Oh, you make me want to buy you ice cream when you act all stiff-upper-lippy like that. Don’t cry, baby.” He moved his thumbs to my cheeks and attacked the tears. “We’re in this together. You’re not alone, not ever again.”

  I nodded through a watery smile. “You have no way of knowing how much that means to me.”

  “It’s only going to get better. I promise you that.”

  THE CRAB SOUP WAS SO GOOD I figured I would be talking about it for weeks. I’d already done ten minutes on it when Jack led me away from the restaurant and toward the docks.

  “What are we doing here?” I asked, pulling up short.

  “Brock said that his volunteers were going on wine-tasting cruises to meet men,” Jack replied, firmly tugging on my hand to drag me forward. “One of the boats is down this way, and I want to grab a flier in case we want to arrange an outing.”

  “Oh.” That made sense. “I forgot he’d mentioned that part.”

  “Yes, that’s why I’m the brains of this operation and you’re the looks,” he teased, tapping the side of his head with his free hand.

  “I think you might be the looks and the brains.”

  “No, we’re equal partners.” He was in no mood to listen to me wax poetic about my feelings of inadequacy … even if they only popped up in weak moments. “Here are the fliers.”

  While he selected the ones he wanted from a kiosk, I turned my attention to the end of the dock. There, two scantily-clad women — they wore bikini tops and short-shorts — waved and flirted with anyone who passed in their direction. Even the women weren’t off limits.

  “Are they going to be on a cruise with us if we go this route?” I found the idea annoyed me.

  Jack followed my gaze and grinned. “Probably. I think they look fun. You don’t like them?”

  “I think they look ... cold.”

  He snorted. “They’re there to keep the men happy because it’s assumed the men have the money. Notice that Savannah and the others weren’t looking for true love. They were looking for rich guys. They didn’t even pretend to be looking for the real deal, which makes them unbelievably pathetic in my book.”

  My gaze was weighted when it landed on him. “Tell me how you really feel.”

  “That is how I really feel. I’m not interested in anything superficial. I want the real deal or nothing at all. Why do you think I couldn’t stay away from you even though I tried ... really hard?”

  I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. “We’re quite the pair. I yelled at you for getting territorial about Liam and now I’m judging those women because I know they’re going to be all over you if we head out on that boat. I’m a hypocrite.”

  “We’ll worry about that if it comes to it. We’re not there yet.” He slid a brochure into his pocket and grabbed my hand again. “I want to see if I can get us out to see that ghost. It seems to me that’s our best play right now. We’ll worry about the wine cruise later.”

  “Did I mention how good the bisque was? I might want to reward you for suggesting that later if we have time for a break. Just food for thought.”

  His eyes gleamed. “I like the way your mind works.”

  “Right back at you.”

  Nine

  Jack made some calls about securing a boat — something he wanted to do without Chris finding out — and while we were waiting to hear back he phoned the Charleston Police Department. He expected to run into a dead end. Instead, the detective in charge agreed to meet with us. He was at the Charleston City Market, which was close to our location, so Jack set up a meeting and we were on our way.

  We had forty-five minutes to burn so Jack suggested checking out the booths at the market. I’d never seen anything quite like it. Sure, I’d been to open-air markets a time or two, but this one had personality, and I had a great time wandering around.

  It constituted four city blocks and included area crafts, maps, restaurants and even sweetgrass baskets, which were being woven directly on the premises.

  “That’s kind of neat,” I enthused as I watched the women work. Their deft fingers almost became a blur. “They’re really good.”

  Jack shook his head. “Leave it to you to be excited over basket weaving.”

  “It’s a skill. I’ve always wanted a skill.”

  “You don’t think what you do is a skill?”

  “I was born this way.”

  “And you work hard to control what you do. You have a gift that you’ve honed. That’s a skill, baby.”

  I couldn’t hide my smile. “That’s possibly the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

  “That makes me sad, but I can get sweeter. Later, when it’s just the two of us, I’ll whisper sweet nothings until your toes tingle.”

  This time I rolled my eyes. “That’s not sweet. That’s sexy. They’re entirely different things.”

  He stilled. “Which one do you prefer?”

  “It depends on my mood. Right now, I like when you’re sweet.”

  “Fair enough.” He took me by surprise and swept me close, hugging me tight. “You’re the prettiest girl here,” he whispered, causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end. “I like spending time with you and I want to go for a romantic walk on the beach with you later because I like the way the wind blows your hair and how the moo
n illuminates your smile. How’s that for sweet?”

  I thought my heart might pound out of my chest. “That’s pretty good, but now I’m feeling sexy.”

  He laughed and gave me a quick kiss before pulling back. “Do you want one of the baskets?”

  The question caught me off guard. “Oh, well ... .” I wasn’t sure how much they cost and didn’t want to admit that would inform my choice.

  As if reading my mind, he arched an eyebrow. “I’m buying one for you.”

  “I don’t need one.” The sentence slipped off my lips before I thought better of it. “They’re very cool, but it will be difficult to get home.”

  “We have a private plane. You’re not limited to how many bags you can bring, and all you have to do is keep it separate so it doesn’t get crushed.”

  He had a point. “Um ... .”

  “Yeah, you’re getting one.” He gripped my hand and pulled me closer to the selection. “Tell me which one you like, and it better not be the smallest one because that will tick me off.”

  I heaved out a sigh. He was adamant when he wanted to be. Still, it was a sweet sentiment. A sweet sentiment with sweetgrass. The concept made me smile. “I like that one.” I pointed. “You really don’t have to do this, though.”

  “I’m doing it. Don’t give me grief.”

  “Thank you.” I pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I really appreciate it.”

  He slid his eyes to me. “The fact that you get legitimately touched over a basket is one of the many reasons I adore you.”

  “Really? What are some of the others?”

  His lips spread into a sly grin. “Are you fishing for a compliment?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Okay, I like the way you eat.”

  It wasn’t the answer I was expecting. “Really? Why?”

  “Because you do it with enthusiasm. You’re not one of those women who spend all their time counting calories and checking the nutritional value of certain foods online. You made yummy noises every time you had a spoonful of soup over lunch. How is that not awesome?”