He told her he would, and she sat down on the couch, hugging her arms to her sides. Twenty minutes later, when he came back in, she was still in that same position. He locked the front door and went down the hall to the bathroom to wash his hands. "Why don't you go to bed," he called to her. "I'll sleep on the couch."
"You don't have to stay."
"I can't leave," he said, coming back into the living room. "Not after that."
Lydia looked up at him, then lowered her eyes to the floor. "Don't you have somewhere else you'd rather be?"
Tony sat down next to her and started taking his shoes off. "No, I don't. And I'm not leaving."
Lydia smiled sadly and, wrapping her arms around his, leaned against his shoulder.
"Just don't make me sleep sitting up like this," Tony teased. "Or I won't be able to walk tomorrow."
Lydia laughed a little. "I'll get some blankets and pillows."
Tony watched her walk down the hall, then got up to turn the television on and was just sitting back down when she returned. She handed him a pillow without saying a word. He tucked it under his arm while watching her spread out a blanket next to him. Then, taking the other blanket and pillow she'd brought out, she went over and made a bed for herself in the lounge chair.
"I usually sleep out here," she said, feeling a need to explain.
"Why?"
"I don't know," she said, yawning. "The main room used to be my mom and dad's. And sometimes when I was little, I'd nap in there with my mom." She hesitated. "It seems funny now when I'm all alone."
"What about the other one?"
"Well, that one's mine, but I only dress in there now. I think if I sleep in there, it will feel like everything's the same, and nothing is."
"What do you mean?" Tony asked softly, as she burrowed down into her blanket.
"My mom's not here anymore," she said. "She’s gone.... She had cancer."
"When did she die?"
"Eighteen months ago," Lydia said. "Almost to the day." Without another word then, she turned out the light and closed her eyes, drifting off within minutes. It wasn't long before Tony fell asleep as well.
Lydia woke to The Star-Spangled Banner with bombs bursting in air and got up quietly to turn them off, then walked over to the patio doors and stared out into the night.
The silence woke Tony, and for a moment, he just watched her.
"Lydia, are you all right?"
She turned, shaking her head as she walked over to the couch, and Tony moved back to make room so she could sit down.
She looked into his eyes. "I just keep remembering...."
"Come here," he said, pulling his blanket back. "Sleep here with me."
Lydia lay down next to him, without hesitating. He tucked her in close. With his breath warm on the back of her neck and feeling safe in his arms, this time when she fell asleep, she slept through the night.
Chapter Twenty
The first to wake in the morning, Lydia carefully slipped out from under Tony's arm to put on some coffee. Tony sleepily took advantage of having the couch to himself and stretched out on his back. On her way to the bathroom, Lydia stopped and gazed at him for a moment, remembering the time she'd found him asleep in the conference room, and walked down the hall, smiling.
Tony was awake when she came back out, sitting up, with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.
"What do you take in your coffee?" Lydia asked, astute enough not to say good morning to someone who was obviously not a morning person.
Tony cleared his throat and looked up, dragging his fingers through his hair. "Cream and one sugar."
Lydia poured them both a cup. Tony mumbled something that sounded like thanks, and she sat down next to him. "Do you want some breakfast?"
Tony shook his head. "I don't eat breakfast," he said, clearing his throat again and sipping his coffee. "Do you have any aspirin?"
"Yes, they're in the medicine cabinet. You want me to get you a couple?"
Tony appeared to give the offer some thought, then shook his head and stood up slowly. Lydia watched his every move. Halfway down the hall, he stopped and looked back.
"I don't suppose you have a spare toothbrush?"
Lydia nodded. "They're in the medicine cabinet, too. You'll see them."
Tony stared at her for a second, his expression hardening, looking mean as hell with those eyes of his and his hair mussed, not to mention the beard. "Kept in there for occasions like this?" he asked sarcastically.
"Sort of," Lydia said, playing him for the implication. "This was also our guest house."
Tony shook his head, figuring he pretty much deserved that as he walked down the hall. Lydia went for another cup of coffee, taking it with her out to the railing overlooking the beach.
Tony joined her a few minutes later, his hair wet and slicked back, which made his eyelashes and eyebrows seem even darker. Although he smiled as he came closer, Lydia couldn't help but notice how stiffly he walked.
She sipped her coffee, pretending not to notice, and pointed to a ship far out in the ocean. It looked like a cruise ship. As Tony stared at it for a moment, she found herself gazing up at him and thinking about last night, remembering how it felt to be in his arms, the way he'd kissed her...
Tony turned and smiled. "Okay, what's that look for?"
Lydia shrugged. How could she tell him what was going through her mind? "I don't know. I guess I was just thinking about how wrong I had you figured."
Tony turned to stare out at the ocean again. "Don't let last night fool you," he said. "I'm no altar boy."
Lydia smiled. "I didn't mean just that. I meant all of it. How you are...."
Tony drank some of his coffee. He too was thinking about last night. "Why don't you go in and get dressed? I'll stay out here."
Lydia took the fastest shower of her life, dried her hair, put on some makeup, dressed quickly, and was fastening her gold necklace as she came down the hall.
Tony was waiting for her on the patio, as promised, having just returned from walking the grounds to check for any recurrences of last night. He'd even gone so far as to look underneath the hood of his car.
"Don't you look nice," he said, taking her in entirely as she walked toward him.
Lydia blushed. What woman wouldn't, the way he was looking at her. "Thank you."
"You were wearing this the first day you came to the shop," he said, as he reached for her and pulled her close.
"You have a good memory," Lydia said, gazing up into his eyes.
"And on the second day, you wore a brown and white sweater and white pants."
Lydia began to tremble inside. She smiled faintly. "And here I thought you just noticed me yesterday."
"Hardly," Tony said softly, sliding his hands down over her hips.
Lydia leaned into him at first, but then caught herself and pulled back, shaking her head. Tony took his hands off her just as quickly, but this time without the understanding smile. After locking all the doors, they walked to the car in complete silence.
Lydia couldn't stand it. She reached for his hand. "Tony, I…."
Tony turned to her, still frustrated, and was about to say, "Would you just get in the car," but one look in her eyes, and he shook his head and smiled. "Oh sure! Give me that look now that we're outside and you're safe."
Lydia laughed, relieved he wasn't angry with her anymore. In the car, she asked if they could stop for something to eat.
"Take out?" Tony teased, glancing at his watch.
"Anything. I'm starved. Take out's fine."
Tony smiled. "Good, it's going to have to be, seeing as I can't cash my paycheck this week."
Lydia chuckled. "Oh come on. You sound like you're taking that personally."
"Sorry," Tony said. "But when it comes to you, and your yes's, no's, and wait's...personally is the only way."
Lydia laughed, and for a moment, so did Tony. Then his expression changed, a dead serious look washing over his fa
ce.
Lydia swallowed. She looked around, but they weren't being followed again, there wasn't another car anywhere near them. It was something on his mind. Something he was struggling with. "Tony…?"
He glanced at her, but only barely, and then shook his head. "Just don't mess with me, Lydia, if this isn't for real. Okay?"
For real? Lydia just sat there. She wanted to tell him that she loved him. But what if he wasn't talking about love? Hadn't Reed said....
Tony pulled off the highway and into the drive-thru at McDonald's right after that.
"What do you want?" he asked, turning to her.
What do I want? she thought. You, Tony. I want you.
"Lydia?"
"Uh…." She looked past him to the posted menu. "A muffin. Yeah, a muffin."
Tony smiled. "Come on. I was kidding about the paycheck. What do you really want?"
Lydia' s expression grew serious now, as serious as his had been. When she touched the side of his face, he leaned over and kissed her. Lightly at first, with his hand in her hair. Then again, with his mouth all over hers. And again.
"Welcome to McDonald's!" the loudspeaker interrupted. "May I take your order please?"
Tony reluctantly pulled away to respond. When he turned back, Lydia had her hand to her face. His beard was too rough to have been kissing her like that, and realizing that now, he apologized and then kissed her very gently.
"When we get to the shop, I'll drop you off and go home and shower and shave."
Lydia smiled. "You do look a little...." He reminded her of how he'd looked the night she'd bailed him out of jail.
"Shabby?" Tony said, running his hand over his chin as he glanced in the mirror.
Lydia shook her head. "No, that's not the word I was looking for." Definitely not. Not then. Not now.
Tony pulled ahead, reaching into his pocket for some change and, after paying, handed Lydia her muffin and drove on for what was to be a quiet ride. As they arrived at the plant, Lydia suddenly remembered the time she and Reed were eating on the picnic table and saw Tony with that woman in his car. Having such a vivid memory could be aggravating at times. She kissed Tony quickly and got out.
"I'll see you later," she said.
Tony shook his head in amazement.
She never even looked back.
Stopping first for coffee, Lydia went to maintenance to see Bill. He was at his desk.
"Good morning!" she said.
He looked up and smiled.
"What's new?"
"Not much," Bill replied warmly. No sooner had he said this than Ponytail came around the corner, singing, "Tony got lucky with the bitch upstairrrrssssss..."
And oh, the look on his face when he saw Lydia standing there. "Uh…."
It got worse when she motioned for him to continue. "You were saying?"
"Uh….nothing," he stammered, backing up. "It was nothing."
Lydia stopped him. "Wait a minute," she said, in her most condescending tone. "Don't run off. I’ve been meaning to talk to you. It's about your hair."
Ponytail gulped. "My hair?"
Bill stared down at his desk to keep from laughing.
"Yes, your hair," Lydia said, in that same condescending voice. "I'm wondering if it's safe, what with you working around the machines and all." She looked at Bill, who wanted to laugh even more now. "How do you feel about this?"
He cleared his throat to compose himself. "Well, he does keep it pulled back."
"'Yeah, but still." Lydia walked to the door, prolonging Ponytail's agony before turning back around to add, "I think it's dangerous. So here's how it's gonna be. Have it in a hairnet tomorrow, or have it cut off. One or the other. Or don't bother coming in."
"What?!" Ponytail gasped. "You can't...."
Lydia walked away, leaving him sputtering, living up to her bitch nickname, and after stopping for another cup of coffee, she went up to the conference room. A little while later she phoned Reed and asked him to come down and fill her in on what Bob Miller had to say. As she waited, her mind wandered.
She imagined Tony showering, picturing him with his body lathered and then rinsed. His muscles tight. A towel around his waist as he shaved. His hair wet and combed back. His eyes...Reed entered virtually unacknowledged. "Anybody home?"
Lydia looked up. "I'm sorry. I guess I was daydreaming."
"Figures," Reed said, sitting down across from her.
Lydia frowned. "What?"
"That you'd be day dreaming, seeing as you probably didn't get too much sleep last night."
Lydia sat back, shaking her head. "I'm gonna cut that guy's hair myself."
Reed laughed. "I heard all about that too."
"What? Was it on the morning news?"
"It might as well have been. This place thrives on gossip, you know."
"Yeah, well who cares? Tell me about Bob."
Reed hedged here and persisted, dying to know himself if the rumor was true. "Everybody down there's buzzing about it. They've had a pool going for some time now. Odds, bonus points, double or nothing. The whole bit."
Lydia sighed. "Very funny. Now come on, tell me about Bob. How did it go?"
Reed smiled. "Well, first of all, you were right. He does have a thing about boobs."
Lydia laughed.
"Our waitress...like this!" Reed cupped his hands. "You should've seen him. His tongue was on the table."
Lydia rolled her eyes. "I think I’ve seen him do that before, so get on with the rest."
Reed smiled. "Well, now that you mention it, the rest of her wasn't all that bad either."
Lydia shook her head and laughed. "I can just see you two."
"No you can't. I was very discreet. You wouldn't have been able to tell even if you were there."
"I'll bet," Lydia said, and they both laughed. "What do men see in big boobs anyway? Seriously..."
Reed furrowed his brow, pretending to ponder the question. "I don't know. Not really, I mean. I just know that we do. Maybe it has something to do with being bottle babies, or maybe being weaned too early."
"Right," Lydia said. She shook her head, the two of them laughing again. "Now please, enough. Tell me about Bob."
Reed drew a breath and sighed. "Well...." He grew serious. "According to him the word's out, it's just a matter of time before we close down."
"Gee, did he tell you anything we don't know?"
"No, not really. In fact, he spent most of the night pumping me about you."
Lydia wasn't flattered.
"Then he offered me a job."
Lydia leaned forward. "He what?"
"He offered me a job. He says when we close here..."
"When? Not if?"
"When," Reed said, emphatically.
"Hmph." Lydia sat back. "Now that's interesting. He tells me he's going to help me out, and then...."
"Maybe he was just making conversation."
"I doubt it," Lydia said. "Or it wouldn't have left such an impression. The subconscious picks up on things like that. All you have to do is pay attention."
Reed grinned. More psychic talk. "How?" After all, how does one pay attention to their subconscious?
Lydia hesitated. Who could explain? "You just listen. And at the same time, you don't. And what you don't hear, but fee, that gut feeling. That's what really should have been said, and that's what you go with."
Reed shook his head, smiling. Somehow that made sense. "I did get the feeling he was trying to make a point. I just don't know what it was."
Lydia nodded sympathetically.
Tony came in then, laughing as he walked over. "Having the kid cut his hair is a bit drastic, don't you think?" he said.
Lydia smiled. "No."
Tony turned a chair sideways and sat down next to her. "Lydia, come on."
Reed glanced from one to the other during this exchange, and no longer wondered. It was obvious Tony had gotten lucky. Not that he should have been surprised. He'd never known him to miss.<
br />
"He can wear a hairnet," Lydia said stubbornly.
"But he doesn't even go near the machines. So why? What for? What's the point?"
"Because I said so, " Lydia answered.
Tony laughed. "Come on. If you'd walked through the shop unprovoked and said something, I could see it. But not like this."
"It isn't just this. He had it coming from before. And besides, his hair's too thin for a ponytail. It looks terrible that way."
"Yeah, but he likes it," Tony said.
Lydia crossed her arms and shook her head, not about to budge. Then Tony touched her hair gently, smiling as he looked into her eyes. "What if he wears a hat and tucks it up underneath?" he suggested softly.
She melted, just like that. "All right, fine. Tell him to wear a hat."
"I already did," Tony said, and with that, he turned to Reed. "Some more of those parts just showed up."
Lydia stared at him, wishing she hadn't given in so easily now. Who does he think he is? "I already did." Had his second comment not outweighed the first....
"Where?" Reed asked.
"Out on the line. They were being reworked."
"The ones you think are from Forrester?" Lydia asked.
Tony nodded. "Yeah, only I'm not so sure about this batch."
Lydia and Reed both looked puzzled, but the intercom buzzed, interrupting them before Tony could explain.
It was Jan, sounding like she'd been crying. "Are you busy?"
"Well, Reed and Tony are here, why? What's wrong?"
"I'll be right down." Her voice cracked. "I'll tell you then."
Lydia hung up and sat back, suddenly wishing she had a cigarette. "Uh...Jan's coming down. There's something wrong."
Jan had received a phone call that morning. "Right as I arrived," she told them, out of breath and red in the face when she came in. "It was a man. And he said...he said…."
Lydia insisted she sit down, and she did, trying to compose herself. But it was no use, she was much too upset." At first I thought it was just an obscene call. Breathing and sounds. But then he said your name. He said you didn't belong here. He said you didn't belong here and that you were going to die."
Lydia just looked at her for a second or two upon hearing this, which was odd, considering. Reed's reaction was odd as well. He'd turned to Tony, with a panicked look in his eyes, something Tony didn't see for watching Lydia. Now Reed looked as if he wanted to say something, but didn't.
Call Me Lydia Page 31