Eye of the Storm

by Hannah Alexander

  Megan winced at the sharpness in his tone. He and Nora both had hard-charging temperaments, and they had struck sparks off one another for as long as Megan had known him.

  He sighed and shook his head. “Sorry. I need to take the edge off my temper, don’t I?”

  He could still read her. “I didn’t say that.”

  “She plays a good mommy role,” he said.

  “Oldest sibling syndrome, Alec. Being an only, you wouldn’t understand.”

  “She tries to carry the world on her shoulders,” he said. “No one is Atlas. People who try will break beneath the strain.”

  “Some people are just wired to protect and help others.”

  Alec held her gaze in silence for a moment. “Your expression still gives you away, Megan. You’re talking about your latest crush? Your former boss is the mommy type?”

  “Crush? Really? I’m not a teenager anymore.”

  “Okay, then, the former boss who raced from southern Texas to see you? Mommy type?”

  “Gerard’s more patriarchal than matriarchal.” She thought about all the talks she’d had with Gerard. Standing in the hallways…discussing patients in the clinic, welcoming his help when there wasn’t enough staff to keep up with the onrush of patients…in the kitchen, helping prepare a community meal when not enough helpers showed up—which, granted, wasn’t a typical incident. The local churches had able and willing volunteers who helped support the mission with their time and finances.

  “Strong man.” Was there a hint of mockery in Alec’s voice?

  Megan felt her lips curve up. “You wouldn’t tease about that if you’d seen him break up fights and toss troublemakers back out onto the street.”

  “Good with people, huh?”

  “He is.”

  “And you admire him.”

  “I do. He’s kind of a mix between a preacher and a bouncer, if you can imagine.”

  “A praying man, then?” The mockery in Alec’s eyes disappeared.

  “He prays. He reads the Bible. He talks about God’s love to the people who must have more trouble than anyone believing in the existence of a god of any kind in their worlds.”

  “Do they listen?”

  “He has a way of getting to them.” He’d almost gotten to her. Probably would have if a killer hadn’t come between her and God.

  And why was she talking to Alec about Gerard? Alec had obviously given him a bad time. Megan broke off another piece of cookie. Nora was always experimenting with new ingredients. The chocolate chip oat nut was Megan’s second favorite. This was her favorite.

  “So maybe he’s one of those people who doesn’t take on the weight of the world, they hand it over to their Source of strength.”

  Megan paused, unable to mask her surprise at the words she’d have never expected to come from Alec’s mouth. “You sound as if you’ve had some experience with that.”

  “A guy’s belief system is tested when he thinks he might die at any moment, when death waits behind every rock and around the corner of every shack or building in a country that is foreign in all possible ways.”

  “How did you do it?”

  He shrugged. “I’m my mother’s son in some ways. I gritted my teeth and bore it, did what I was told. But I also prayed.”

  Megan blinked. Sure he did.

  “Come on, Megan, the same church van took us both to Sunday school. We do know how to pray.”

  She walked to the window and stared out at Nora’s garden just below the windowsill. The woman loved beauty, and she loved to share it with others. Maybe she was an overindulgent mother, and her overcompensation had taught Alec to expect everyone to meet his demands. Odd to hear him talking about spiritual things. But he seemed to have changed a great deal from the macho jock she once thought she loved.

  Years ago, the night of graduation, for the final time, she refused to give in to his pressure and he broke up with her. If only she’d realized at the time that he’d done her a favor. They’d been great friends, but they weren’t suited for more than that.

  “You don’t believe I could ever be a praying man.” Alec had stepped up behind Megan in his silent way.

  “I guess your prayers were answered. You’re home safely.”

  “What do you call safe?”

  Megan glanced over her shoulder at him, glad he wasn’t invading her space. Glad he’d learned that valuable lesson.

  “I wasn’t wounded physically.” His voice had gone quiet. “But then, I lost half my heart.”

  “Nora told me your wife left you soon after you were deployed. I’m sorry.”

  His attention switched to the garden, and in the morning light Megan could see for the first time how the past few years had caught him in their unforgiving jaws. He hadn’t aged much in the face, but there was bleakness in his eyes that she’d never seen.

  “I thought she loved me enough to wait for me to come home. Word reached me overseas that she was partying in LA less than a month after I left.”

  “It’s an awful thing to happen to a person protecting our country. Are you expecting her to come back?”

  He shook his head, still staring into the garden. “You never met her. She wasn’t as…” He glanced at Megan, then away. “She wasn’t as considerate as you are, but then, who is? She’s always liked the city. I guess she had second thoughts after the ceremony when she realized she’d be stuck here in Jolly Mill forever.”

  “She moved away with another man?” Megan had heard Lynley talking about it.

  He nodded.

  “Let me guess…he had money.”

  Alec winced visibly, and Megan felt a stab of anger at the woman. She recalled Tess telling her about Gerard’s fiancé breaking their engagement when she discovered she wouldn’t be living a life of lavish spending on his family’s money, that he was using his wealth for more important things. But he’d been a member of the Corpus Christi police force when he was engaged. That should have given the woman some clue that he wasn’t just engaged to her, he was engaged in life, in helping others.

  Alec’s glance swept over Megan as he turned from the window. “I’d have thought you would feel avenged.”

  “What? No. I’m thirty-two, Alec, not seven.”

  His eyes closed, and his square jaw clenched as sorrow etched him. “I didn’t mean it to sound like that.” He picked up a cookie and handed it to her. “What I meant was that it’s probably what I deserved after the way I treated you.”

  “No.”

  “How can I make the past up to you?”

  She didn’t take the cookie. “You gave me a job. That’s enough. Let the past stay where it belongs.”

  “I was worse than a jerk to you.”

  “You were a teenager with raging hormones. You’re a different person now. Give yourself the break your wife never seemed to give you.”

  “I thought she would file for divorce, but since the marriage contract doesn’t mean anything to her, obviously she doesn’t see a good reason to dissolve it.”

  “Is she waiting around for you to inherit?”

  Alec gave her a genuine smile. “Probably. Thing is, because the Thompson empire isn’t mine yet and because Mom’s young and healthy, and I don’t earn a large salary, that won’t work. When we had to lay off people at the casket factory I took a cut in pay.”

  Good. If the woman married Alec for his money, she must have discovered Nora’s firm hold on the businesses after the ceremony. “You still love her?”

  “Maybe I do. If so, that makes two lovesick men in this town right now. Vance must want you back pretty badly to come all the way here.”

  “That’s what he told you?” Megan reconsidered the cookie. She picked it up and took a bite.


  “Oh, no. He wouldn’t show his hand like that.”

  “He told me you weren’t in favor of the homeless rehab plan.”

  “I’m not. I don’t want Jolly Mill to be a different town when more of our soldiers return home.”

  “I’m sorry you see it that way. This plan of Gerard’s could help a lot of people.”

  “Maybe. But his first thought is for you. He’s a man willing to do whatever it takes to follow the woman he loves.”

  Megan snatched another cookie for later and turned to walk from the break room. “You might want to try that yourself,” she said over her shoulder.

  “Why? Because it worked on you?” he called after her.

  A grin blossomed. She didn’t reply aloud. It was time to put Gerard out of her mind, difficult as that seemed right now. She wanted to recheck the exam room where she’d treated Kirstie and make sure everything was cleared away and no evidence was left of the blood tests she’d taken.

  But as she entered the empty room she heard Alec’s footsteps behind her. “Did he tell you about all the things he’s planning to do to Jolly Mill?”

  Okay, now he was invading time Megan couldn’t afford to lose. “I don’t think he was sure it would be Jolly Mill, but of course I know what he’s planning. He’s spoken of it often. It’s been in the works for some time.”

  There were no signs of the recent activity that had taken place in the room. The tubes of blood had been concealed on Kirstie’s person. The order form was filled out and ready for the lab, and Kirstie could call ahead to the doctor’s office in Springfield for her medical records. Nothing here gave away their quietly constructed strategy.

  Megan spotted an alcohol swab on the corner of the counter, covered with Kirstie’s blood. “I think you may want to do a little more research before you make any decisions.”

  “I don’t like what I’ve heard so far.”

  “Because?”

  “I want Jolly Mill to remain Jolly Mill.”

  “Of course you do.” Her words were sharp, and she took a couple of seconds to curb her tongue. “No one wants change,” she said more gently. “But you traveled to the other side of the world to risk your life for people who weren’t even your countrymen. Now Gerard’s offering our town a chance to make a difference in countless lives, to return them to productivity. Trust me—he does things right.” She paused as she thought of Joni, but even Gerard couldn’t control everything. It occurred to Megan that it seemed a whole lot easier to forgive Gerard than herself.

  “I don’t want to let our own people down either,” Alec said.

  “Just think about it, and while you’re doing that, where’s a good place to eat dinner out these days?”

  He seemed relieved by the subject change. “You still like Cajun food?”

  “Only if it will melt my tongue.”

  “You could try The Bayou in Monett, if you think Gerard could handle it.”

  “He’s from southern Texas. They all like it hot down there.” She gave the exam room a final look and then turned to leave.

  Alec placed a hand on her arm. “Wait. Megan.” His voice was soft enough to not reach Nora, Lynley or Carmen, who had their heads together in the front office. She caught the scent of his bergamot soap—she knew he used it because Nora gave him a year’s supply of the stuff every Christmas. He either liked the scent himself, or didn’t care enough about it to change. Megan used to love that scent, but she’d forgotten it over the years. It did nothing for her now.

  “I know we never talk about the past,” he said. “Small talk seems more our style this time around.”

  “This time around?” She looked up at him.

  “What I’m trying to say is I know there was something between you and Vance, but you came home, right? Obviously, that story hasn’t ended happily, no matter how he seems to feel about you.”

  Megan sighed. “That story hasn’t ended yet.”

  “Your choice or his?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You pretty much told me you’re still in love with your wife. Why do you care about my relationship with another man?”

  He took a deep breath, put his arms behind his neck, stretched and exhaled. “Did you stop to think that maybe the reason one man would follow his beloved halfway across the country and another man won’t isn’t because of the quality of the men, but of the women? You’d have never abandoned your vows.”

  “No. I wouldn’t.” And she’d have never married a man for his money either. “Neither of us has called off the relationship.” She hesitated, realizing the words she was about to say were true and that they frightened her. “There’s still a story between Gerard and me.”

  NINE

  Kirstie slept on the drive home from Springfield, her seat back nearly horizontal, Gerard’s sweatshirt serving as a pillow beneath her neck. Gerard envied her. Though he’d never in his life fallen asleep at the wheel, he felt his eyelids growing heavier the closer they drew to Kirstie’s house. How had Megan made it through residency with so little sleep? How did any doctor live through residency?

  He pulled into Kirstie’s drive and studied the large house of pale gray brick with insets of dark brown stone. Shaded by mature oaks, maples and cedars, the house was built into the cool cliff overlooking Capps Creek. At Kirstie’s urging, Gerard had already carried his suitcase to the guest suite upstairs before they left for Springfield. He would have free reign of the upstairs and full use of the upper deck that overlooked the creek. From there one could see most of the town, and he could also use the outside stairway so he could come and go without intruding on Kirstie and Lynley.

  When he switched off the engine, Kirstie awakened as if on silent alert. She adjusted the seat into an upright position. “I love your car. It rides like a dream. Literally.”

  “Thank you. Why don’t you continue your nap while I make some calls and plan some meetings? I appreciate the opportunity to meet Lawson today. That was a nice surprise.” He could tell Kirstie was grieving heavily for her dying uncle, and now, after an opportunity to get to know the man, he could see why.

  “I thought you two should meet, Gerard, and I think you gave him hope.” She unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door. Twice Gerard had attempted to get the door for her when they were in Springfield, and twice she had gently told him he did not have to coddle her as if she were an elderly woman.

  Data—her black-and-white cat with eyes the color of gold foil—and the two calicos, Poppy and Prissy, came trotting out from beneath the trees to greet their mistress, tails held high. Data once more leapt onto the hood of the car as easily as a helium balloon. Ears perked forward, he sniffed toward Gerard and then sniffed at the car. Kirstie obviously had a way with animals, just as she had with people.

  She yawned and plucked Data from the hood. “Sorry. You may have to put up with this nosey boy while you’re here. He’ll also perch at your upstairs windows and talk to you. He always likes to be higher than anyone else, and these kitties are all three voyeurs.” The cat nuzzled her face and cuddled against her shoulder, and Gerard could hear him purr.

  “I live on a ranch with horses, dogs, cats and ranch hands,” he said. “A few cat tracks will keep me from being homesick.”

  “Oh? And I figured you came up here because when you’re with Megan, you are home.”

  He grinned. “I feel kind of pulled apart right now, but things always feel that way when they’re about to change.”

  “What did Uncle Lawson say about your plans for the rehab center?”

  “He asked a lot of questions about the mission in Corpus Christi.”

  “To get a feel for your ability to manage such a feat. I’m sure he was impressed.”

  “He isn’t an easy person to read, but when I explained what I
was trying to do with the rehab center—resettle the families and working people who’d lost their homes in the economic crisis—he seemed engaged.”

  “You want to separate those who are innocent and vulnerable from the more hard-core street inhabitants.”

  “You must have eavesdropped again.” On the drive to Springfield, Gerard’s conversation with Kirstie had been about her discussion with Megan in the exam room this morning. He’d mentioned very little about his plans for the rehab center because Kirstie’s was the more pressing need.

  “No, I stayed out in the garden with Aunt Lydia, but Megan’s told me about it in detail.”

  “She has?”

  Kirstie gazed up at him with gentle eyes. “You really don’t know, do you? That girl is crazy about you even if she hasn’t been able to admit it lately.”

  The woman’s words were a soothing balm to him. “We’ve talked about it a lot. In fact, Megan has shown a great deal of wisdom with her ideas on how to go about making the change, sending a few job hopefuls at a time to Vance Manufacturing to shadow the workers there—which we’ve already begun to do—bringing house staff to learn about operating the living quarters and kitchen services for the trainees as we build the new plant near the rehab center.”

  “These were all Megan’s ideas?”

  “She wouldn’t admit it, of course, but I’m not sure I’d have come up with as workable a plan without her input.”

  “In other words, you two have a symbiotic relationship.”

  He thought about the murder. Would that tragedy continue to hover in the way of the new hope he believed they could find here? Would it destroy the symbiosis?

  “So this company your family started so many years ago, it’s like a creator of giant Lego?” Kirstie asked.

  Gerard chuckled. “Our detractors accused my father of that when he first began the business years ago. It took quite a bit of explaining to make the public understand that our home-building materials weren’t just giant building blocks but the possible wave of a future designed by an architect who understands the financial challenges a safe and sturdy home can be on a growing family. With so much bad weather blowing away mobile homes in our area of the country, folks want something safer that doesn’t cost more than they can pay. We applaud their fiscal conservatism, and so our recycled materials are built strong to endure bad weather and are designed in a way that when the family needs more room, the home they already own can be expanded easily with the simple plans that would connect to the initial house.”