She’d asked him for time when Angela knew more time was an excuse, a ploy to delay the inevitable. Since reuniting with Lee she’d asked herself why she always looked for or called him when things didn’t go right in her life.
Angela did not want to use Lee. He deserved loyalty, honesty and above all, love. Smiling, she closed her eyes. And he made it so easy for her to love him. Her cell phone vibrated and she opened her eyes and picked it up.
“How did you know I was thinking about you?”
Lee’s chuckle caressed her ear. “That’s because I have super powers and can send vibes through the airwaves.”
“Please don’t tell me you believe the hype about being a superhero.”
“Of course. You heard the dudes call me Batman, and the Dark Knight is the most popular of all the comic book superheroes.”
“How about the Black Panther?”
“I’m definitely not in his league. What’s on your schedule today?”
Angela sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I need to put in a load of laundry, and I promised Viviana that I’d help her dust and vacuum.”
“Did she tell you we plan to reopen as a bed-and-breakfast?”
“No. She told me she closed down the boardinghouse because she wanted to restructure the business.” Angela listened intently as Lee outlined the plan for the new business. Wickham Falls usually attracted tourists in the late spring and summer and in the fall for hunting season. “Do you have a projected opening date?”
“Nothing that’s definitive because there’s work that has to be done. We’ll probably have to update the plumbing and electricity, and make it Wi-Fi-accessible.”
Viviana had given her a tour of the mansion, and Angela had concluded the suites in the wing of the house designated for lodgers required more refurbishing than the family wing. Her favorite space was the solarium, where floor-to-ceiling French doors bathed the space in light for the profusion of potted plants, ferns and trees growing in cultivated abandon.
“I’m certain once it’s restored the house will once again become a spectacular showplace.”
“You’re probably right.”
“I know I’m right, Lee. I’m certain you’ll have a ribbon-cutting ceremony and folks will line up just to take a tour of what was and will become again the grandest house in The Falls.”
“Why does it sound as if you’re auditioning for the position as tour guide for the B and B?” Lee teased.
Angela smiled. “Perhaps I am.”
“You know that can be arranged.”
“Sign me up.”
“You’re hired.”
“Thanks. I’m going to ring off now. I’ll call you during the week to bring you up to date if I have any success finding a house.”
“Good luck. I wanted to ask you if don’t have anything planned for next Friday or Saturday night. I’d like to take you to the movies. And before you say anything, yes, I’m asking you out on a date.”
“I thought when we went to the fair together that it was a date.”
“It wasn’t what I’d call an actual date.”
Angela was curious as to what Lee considered a real date. “I’ll make certain not to schedule anything for Friday night.”
“Good. Is there a movie you’d like to see?”
“I like anything with a lot of action.”
Lee laughed. “I’ll see what I can come up with.”
“Talk to you later.”
“Later, princess.”
Angela ended the call, wondering what had possessed her to leave her table in the school cafeteria and sit with Lee after watching him for nearly two weeks, and whether they were destined for their lives to be inexorably entwined after fifteen years of friendship.
Angela had stopping questioning the whys in her life and decided to let events unfold naturally. And if fate deemed it, then Lee would become a part of her life and future with her children.
* * *
Angela unlocked the rear door to the medical office, disengaged the security system and locked the door behind her. As the office manager, she made it a point to get there earlier than the rest of the staff. She turned on the air-conditioning unit, flicked on lights and booted up the computer in the reception, before powering on the television in the waiting area.
Drs. Franklin and Hawkins had given her a lot more responsibility when they promoted her from receptionist to office manager. Natalia had married newly-elected sheriff Seth Collier on May 1 in an outdoor fairy-tale ceremony.
She scrolled through the scheduled appointments. There were fewer than expected, which she attributed to families going on vacation. May was their busy month, with parents filling out forms for summer camp and college students updating immunizations.
Angela walked into the break room and filled the single-brew coffee maker and electric kettle with water before taking an inventory of coffee pods and tea bags. Maintaining the office in order to keep it running without a hitch was like taking care of her personal household—if she had one. She made certain to replenish medical supplies and equipment and keep track of the smocks and lab coats for the staff. Angela had also taken over accounts receivable, payable and patient billing—duties Dr. Franklin performed after visiting hours. The elderly doctor, with nearly forty years of practicing medicine, had hinted that he was ready to hang up his stethoscope in another year or two and transfer the practice to Natalia.
Angela had always wanted to be a school guidance counselor, but that dream was temporarily deferred when her modeling career took off. It was delayed again when she married Justin and got pregnant. She hadn’t told anyone, but once Zoe and Malcolm were enrolled in school, she planned to apply to the University of Charleston at Beckley for a degree in Elementary Studies and Child Development.
The bell echoed throughout the office and she walked to the front door. Smiling, she unlocked it for the receptionist. “Good morning.”
Maylis Roston, an empty nester who’d decided to reenter the workforce after raising her two sons, returned her smile. “Good morning to you, too. How was your vacation?”
“It was very nice.” Angela did not want to tell Maylis that she didn’t spend all of her two weeks in Florida.
“You took out your braids.”
“Yes. But only for the summer.”
Maylis ran a hand over her cropped hair. “I decided the day I turned forty I didn’t want to bother sitting under a dryer or have some stylist burn my scalp when blow-drying my hair. I go to the barber every four weeks and they give me a buzz cut.”
“You’re lucky because you have the face for short hair.”
“I’d wear it short even if I didn’t have the face. I said if it’s good enough for Judi Dench, then it’s good enough for Maylis Roston.” Maylis liked to mention the award-winning actress’s name because people would remark how much Maylis resembled her. “I’m going to get some coffee before anyone gets here.”
“I didn’t check the refrigerator to see if there’s milk,” Angela said to her retreating back. “If you need some then let me know and I’ll stop at the supermarket.” It was her first day back and she had to go through the inventory of every item in the office to ascertain what was on hand and what needed to be replenished.
The back door chimed and a minute later Natalia walked into the reception area. When she’d returned from her Caribbean honeymoon her face was a rich mahogany-brown from the tropical sun. The petite former ER physician had left her position with a Philadelphia trauma center to move to Wickham Falls because she was experiencing burnout. She had let her hair grow, chemically relaxed it and had affected a sleek, sophisticated style.
“How was your vacation?”
“It was nice.” Angela knew she would be asked the same question by everyone at the office. “I only spent a week in Florida because my parents took
my kids to LA to visit my brother.” She’d decided to tell Natalia the circumstances of her return to The Falls because she was certain her husband had seen her at the Wolf Den, and then during the military challenge.
“Seth told me he saw you at the Wolf Den. He wanted me to come with him, but I had to make a couple of house calls, so I decided to pass. He claims everyone had a good time welcoming a local boy home.”
“Leland Remington and I were friends in high school. He was also a pallbearer at my husband’s funeral.”
Natalia shook her head. “I don’t know why I keep forgetting that you’re a widow. Maybe it’s because you still wear your wedding rings.”
Angela glanced at her left hand. She’d asked herself over and over why she didn’t take off her rings and the answer was she didn’t know. Perhaps, besides her children, it was her only link to Justin. Or maybe she did not want to explain to people that she had two babies and no husband.
“I’m so used to wearing them that I forget to take them off.”
“The only time I wear my wedding band is on the weekend or when Seth and I go out together.” Natalia glanced at the wall clock. “Henry’s not coming in today, so it’s just me.”
“Is he all right?” Angela asked.
“He called me last night and said he needed a mental health day, so I told him I would cover his patients.”
“Does Maylis know to give you his patients?”
“She should because I sent her an email.”
“I’ll double-check with her to make sure she knows.” Angela and Natalia had devised a system where they electronically transferred the patient records to the respective doctor’s computer to review before seeing them. “Fortunately we don’t have too many scheduled for today.”
Natalia nodded. “Hopefully we’ll be able to close up on time.”
“I’m going to keep my fingers crossed we don’t get walk-ins.”
The week went by quickly for Angela. The office opened and closed on time, and there was only one emergency. A little boy had fallen and cut the palm of his hand, and Dr. Franklin closed the cut with a few sutures before administering a tetanus shot.
Milly Riley showed Angela two more properties. They were an improvement over the others but still required updates to the kitchen and bathroom, and extensive landscaping. She had reached the point where she felt she would never find a house she liked. The owners who’d bought her parents’ house had expanded the rear for entertaining and had no intention of selling it back to her.
Viviana came to her bedroom the night before and revealed she’d met with her lawyer who was in the process of forming a new corporation. She and Lee had contacted an engineer to inspect the property to ascertain it was structurally sound before restoring the house to its former state. Her disclosure made Angela even more anxious to find a place to live before her children returned home.
On Friday, her phone’s ringtone indicated a text message. It was Lee and he was waiting outside the house for her. When she asked Viviana why her brother had elected to check in at the extended stay when he had a home, she mumbled something about Lee having beef with their father.
She picked her shawl and cross-body off the chair and walked out of the bedroom. Angela didn’t want to get too involved with the Remington family feud when she still hadn’t resolved her own issues with Justin’s mother.
Lee was leaning against the bumper of the jeep when she emerged from the house. He stood straight and smiled. It was apparent he was glad to see her, and she him. He was casually dressed in a pair of tan slacks, an untucked white shirt and cognac-colored oxfords. He’d cut his hair and brushed the thick waves off his forehead.
“You look very handsome.”
Lee kissed her cheek. “Thank you. I thought I’d clean up a bit for our first official date.”
“I must say you clean up nicely.”
He cupped her elbow and led her around to the SUV’s passenger side. “I have to step up my game in order to keep up with you.”
Angela waited until he’d sat next to her and said, “There’s nothing to keep up with.”
Lee draped his arm over the back of her seat. “You’re not some girl from a small town boasting two stop lights and a population that’s struggling to stay above four thousand. You’ve experienced places and things people in The Falls never get to see or do in their lifetime. By the time you were sixteen you’d traveled to major European cities folks here only see in movies or on television. And once you graduated you lived abroad for years like an ex-pat. I’m talking about your maturity and your sophistication that is so much a part of you that you take it for granted. I may be what people think of as an elite soldier, but that’s all I am. I eat, sleep and breathe military as if my next breath depended on my survival.”
Angela touched his clean-shaven jaw. “You’re wrong, Lee. You’re more than just a soldier. You’re a brother, a son, and you are loyal and selfless almost to a fault. And before we graduated you swore you would never come back to The Falls to live, but you have. Viviana told me that you put in for a discharge to come back and help her with her business.” She pressed her mouth to his. “Self-deprecation doesn’t suit you.”
“I guess you told me.”
Angela nodded. “Yes, I did.”
“I’d like to ask you one thing before we leave.”
“What’s that.”
“May I kiss you?”
She stared into eyes that appeared more blue than gray. “Yes, you may.”
Lee’s moist breath feathered over her mouth before he kissed her with a tenderness she hadn’t thought possible. It was as if she were fragile crystal and he feared she would break if he applied too much pressure. The kiss ended in seconds, leaving her mouth on fire and wanting more. So much more.
“That was very nice for the first course.”
“Oh! Now I’m a meal?” she said, teasingly.
“No. You’re an entire smorgasbord, and one of these days I’m going to sample every course from your head to your toes and not stop until I’ve had dessert and an aperitif.”
Pinpoints of heat stung her face with his passionate description of lovemaking. Angela wanted to beg him to make love to her but a silent voice said no. She was more than aware that once they made love neither of them or their lives would ever be the same. She stared out the side window as Lee maneuvered the circular driveway.
“What movie are we going to see?”
“You said you wanted action and I found a little movie house outside of Beckley showing films that are at least six months old. Did you ever see Sicario?”
Angela’s pensive mood changed as she became more animated. Her smile was dazzling. “Yes. Even though it was a tad violent, I still loved it.”
“Only a tad, princess? It was very violent.”
“That’s because of the storyline. I gave it a pass because Benicio Del Toro is my favorite actor.”
“Well, you’re about to see your favorite actor again in the sequel: Sicario: Day of the Soldado.”
“Have you seen it?”
Lee gave her a quick glance. “But of course.”
“And you don’t mind seeing it again?”
“Anytime someone makes a movie about good guys and villains fighting I’m all in.”
“My designated movies are PG until the kids are older, then I’ll graduate to PG-13.”
“You can always get a babysitter to watch the kids whenever you have a date night.”
“Justin and I never had what you would consider a normal relationship. He was in college while I was modeling, and even when I came back we rarely got together because he had gone to medical school. Then he dropped out and enlisted and we still didn’t get to see that much of each other.” A pregnant silence filled the vehicle, swelling until it became deafening. Angela realized Lee rarely had a comeback whenever she
mentioned her late husband’s name. “Does it bother you when I talk about Justin?”
“Why should it bother me?” He’d answered her question with one of his own. “Justin was my friend, your husband and the father of your children.”
“And he wasn’t perfect.”
Lee accelerated into the flow of interstate traffic. “None of us are perfect, Angie. We all have flaws.”
“I know, but Justin had flaws that I chose to overlook. I forgave him for a lot of things. When I used to come to you whenever Justin and I stopped speaking it was because...”
“No, babe,” he interrupted, shaking his head. “I didn’t want to know why you and Justin broke up back in the day and I still don’t want to know the details now. We’re different people than we were in high school. And that means I’ve moved on, Angela.”
“And I need to move on, too, beginning with our first date night.”
Lee’s smile was dazzling. “That’s my girl. Do you want to eat before or after the movie?”
“After.”
* * *
Lee sat across the table from Angela in a tiny restaurant that specialized in authentic Asian-fusion cuisine. He’d ordered tom yum goong, spicy and sour Thai soup with shrimp, lemongrass and mushrooms, and a Chinese style entrée shrimp and broccoli with basil fried rice. Angela had selected spring rolls with Thai sweet and sour sauce, and chicken pad Thai for her entrée.
Over dinner they became reviewers, dissecting every scene in the film. “Did you enjoy the sequel more than the original?” he asked her.
Angela rested her elbow on the cloth-covered table and cupped her chin on her hand. “It’s a toss-up. I probably need to see them again back-to-back to make an unbiased decision.”
“Would it help if I buy the DVDs and plan for a Sicario marathon?”
She smiled. “That’ll work. By the way, how did you find this place? The food is phenomenal.”
A mysterious smile played at the corners of Lee’s mouth. “I googled restaurants in the area and it came up with a number of excellent reviews.”
Twins for the Soldier Page 11