The microwave beeped, and Eli swept up the mug and plopped a teabag in it. “Here you are, love. I bought some of the tea you like. Oh, and you like honey, too, don’t you?”
Mari held her hands in the steam and looked back to Beth. “Yes, it’s cozy, but I really like it.” She gave a little laugh and kept talking. “Of course, the disposal was a wreck, but Joe so graciously fixed it for me.”
Beth’s smile was fading.
“And then, he left his toolbox at my house, and like a klutz, I tripped over it and broke my toe, so he carted me to Prompt Care the next day for an x-ray. Carried me around a lot that day.” She paused and sipped her tea. “He even scooped my walk for me yesterday, so you can imagine my puzzlement at him leaving me lying in the snow this morning.”
Eli had no idea what was going on with Mari. She almost seemed to be trying to goad Beth. He set the honey beside her mug and tried his best to divert the conversation. “So, Mari, what are you doing out so early? Taking more snow pictures? You should see her photos, Beth. She’s very good at capturing a mood.”
Beth gave a slight smile. “Really?”
He looked back at Mari, a look of anticipation on his face.
She took her hands away from the steaming cup briefly then wrapped them around it again. “I was going to drive to the college to enroll.”
“Can you drive yet?” Eli looked under the table. “You got your toe in a regular boot?”
“Yeah, it hurts a little, but not too bad.”
He slid his hand under her hair to her neck. “I can drive you, sweetheart.”
Mari glanced at Beth before looking at Eli. “You all have driven me around all week. I really wanted to do this myself.”
Beth held her mug close to her lips. “So why didn’t you?” She took a sip, still looking at Mari.
“Well, I had to get through a three foot snow drift in front of my door then fell down, and the snow is like hard ice shards this morning. Then I had to go back through the mess to close my door. By that time, I was losing the feeling in my fingers.”
Beth merely nodded.
Eli didn’t pretend to understand all the ins and outs of the female mind, but he’d never witnessed the kind of tension that emanated from these two who hardly knew each other. He was looking at Mari’s hands, hoping they were warmed up enough to get her out of the house, when she threw another log on the conversational fire.
“Speaking of early, you seem to be here quite early for someone who lives in Denver. You must be a very early riser.”
Beth seemed to be deliberating her answer. Eli jumped in, throwing water on Mari’s insinuations. “Beth got caught in last night’s ground blizzard and had to spend the night.”
He rose and pulled her up with him, dragging her toward the door. “Come on, I’ll drive you to campus.” She had never taken off her coat and scarf, so Eli scooped her mittens off the stair rail and handed them to her as he reached for his coat. He called back to Beth. “Stay as long as you like, Beth. It was nice to talk to you again.”
“Thanks, I’ll be heading out soon, though.” Her voice slipped in sincerity. “It was nice to meet you, Mari.”
“You, too.”
Eli escorted her out, hardly able to contain himself before getting the door closed. “What the hell was all that, Mari?” He trotted down the steps that Joe must have sprinkled with salt, the snow mostly melted.
Mari stopped at the top of the porch, wondering at Eli’s tone. “What do you mean?”
He looked back at her incredulously. “Are you going to tell me you didn’t do that on purpose?”
She stepped down slowly, and Eli came back to offer his hand. She was starting to feel guilty but wasn’t ready to admit it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He looked at her with eyebrows raised. “I think you do. For some reason you were trying to make Beth jealous—trying to make her think Joe was spending a lot of time with you.” He opened the garage door then his car door for her. “Why would you want to do that?”
Mari blinked back tears as she sat on the cold black upholstery. Her toe was starting to throb and her heart was aching with the weight of her bad behavior. She got back out of the car before Eli had a chance to get in. “I’ll go later, Eli. I’m... I’m just going home for now.”
She started carefully across the crunchy yard, and Eli caught up with her, taking hold of her elbow. He took her key and crunched through the drift to open the door then carried her over it. Closing the door with his foot, he carried her to the love seat before putting her down. Squatting, he unzipped her boots and slipped them off. Mari winced when he pulled on the right one, and he looked up at her. “Sorry.”
Looking at his apologetic expression, Mari was overcome with shame for what she had just done right in front of him. I was trying to make her jealous. What is wrong with me?
She unbuttoned her coat, and Eli helped her out of it. Then she flopped over and curled up on the love seat, feeling like a scoundrel. Eli sat on the floor beside her and slid his hand over the sleeve of her blue cotton shirt, over her shoulder, and into her hair. “Do you want to talk?”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“For what, love?”
Mari suddenly realized he’d been calling her that all morning. She sat up. “Am I your love, Eli? Do you love me, or is that just a new pet name that means no more than honey or sweetheart?”
Eli looked thoughtful. “I suppose it would be premature to tell you that I love you. We really haven’t known each other very long, but I will tell you that I care about you more than I have cared about any woman.” He got on his knees in front of her and ran his hands up the sides of her legs to her hips. “You’re very dear to me, so” —he leaned in and gave her a tender kiss— “it concerns me when you try to make Joe’s girlfriend jealous. I have to wonder why you would do that.”
Mari swallowed, her throat suddenly feeling like it was full of paste. “I don’t know,” she squeaked. “I think I was just so ticked off with him... It was really petty of me, and I’m more sorry than I can say.” Tears were rolling down her cheeks, and for the second time in so many days, Eli wiped them away.
***
Joe had eaten exactly three bites of his pizza slice before pushing it aside. Cycles of guilt, sorrow, and righteous anger had been churning in his gut all morning leaving him feeling more nauseated than hungry. His office trailer had been moved from the Denver location to the site of the Marshall apartments, and while Joe had planned to spend the day lining up contractors to break ground, he had gotten very little accomplished.
Every time he picked up the phone, he had to talk himself out of calling Mari to apologize for driving away without seeing if she was okay. He’d then feel sad for the loss of her friendship before moving on to anger at her vindictive words to him through Ben. He’d pick up the phone to call a contractor and start all over again.
Joe got up and crossed to the window. All the snow made thinking about the apartments seem a bit premature, but he wanted to be first on his favorite contractors lists for the spring. The ground blizzard had blown the snow every which way, leaving some patches of ground almost bare while drifts formed against nearly every bush, tree, and man-made structure. He looked at a big one and saw Mari struggling through it. He closed his eyes, and the guilt hit him again.
It had been hard to watch her contending with that drift, and he nearly ran to her when she fell, but he’d gripped the steering wheel even as his anger gripped his heart, and when she’d gotten to her feet, he told himself to just drive. She can’t verbally slap somebody one minute and expect their help the next, he told himself yet again.
Shoving Mari from his mind, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Dan Carver, one of the best stone masons in the city, to get the current prices.
Chapter 17
Mari was lying in bed, cuddling Tawny to her chest, and trying to find a place of peace on this Sabbath morning.
Joe
hadn’t spoken to her all week, except for polite pleasantries in passing, which upset her more than it should have. She seemed to cry at the drop of a hat. Eli was very understanding of her moods; she was pretty sure he thought she was P.M.S.ing.
According to Eli, Joe and Beth were fighting, because Joe refused to help her move on the Sabbath. He wanted to move her on Sunday, but she had insisted she needed two days to get moved and settled before starting her new job on Monday. Joe had held his ground, however, which had annoyed Eli, who then volunteered to help her. When Mari had reminded him that he had promised to attend services with her, he had gotten mad at her for “putting rituals ahead of people.”
Only Ben seemed to be in good spirits the last three days. He had started volunteering at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and couldn’t wait for his new field of study to get underway. Mari was pretty impatient as well, but classes didn’t start for another nine days, and even though she was excited about photography classes, she couldn’t shake the feeling that it still wasn’t the right path.
She slid Tawny off her person, threw off the blankets, and stepped gingerly to the cold floor. She winced and reprimanded herself again for trying to force her toe into a real boot too soon. She had paid for it with renewed inflammation and pain that still hadn’t completely gone away four days later.
She thought about going to services with Joe and Ben as she slipped on her pig slippers. Of course, they’d seat her between them in the truck and probably in the pew. That’s just what guys do. Her heart raced at the thought, and she knew this day of rest was going to be anything but. Limping to the bathroom, she prayed that the Biderman’s wouldn’t have extra guests to fill up the pew today.
***
Joe woke up with a headache after a night filled with tense, conflict-filled dreams. He’d given just about everyone he knew a piece of his mind at some time during the night, including his sweet mother for not baking his birthday cake to his liking. He rolled over and looked at the clock. Joe groaned and flung his blankets off with ferocity. The gloom outside disguised the lateness of the hour, and while he felt almost as tired as he had when he went to bed, he had no more time to lie around.
He sat up, rubbed the heels of his hands in his eyes, and stood. Going to Sabbath services was just about the last thing on his want-to-do list this morning, but he could hardly stay home after the fuss he had made to Beth about making it a priority. And he refused to believe that he had been wrong. He stumbled to the bathroom to find something to take for his pounding head.
***
Mari felt as if she were about to jump out of her skin. Even though Joe was sitting at least a foot away from her in the pew and talking to Mr. Biderman, she felt the tension between them like a thick fog.
Thankfully, they had taken Ben’s car, saving her from having to sit so snugly between them in Joe’s pickup, and she and Ben had discussed his latest zoo experiences while Joe seemed to sulk in the back, never saying a word. And as soon as they had parked the car, Joe was out and heading toward the synagogue. As she walked with Ben, Mari had felt tears forming as she wondered once again what she had done to make him furious with her.
Waiting for the service to begin, she looked down at the deep blue sweater dress she was wearing underneath her prayer shawl. Ben had told her she looked beautiful in it, but Joe had just given her a polite, disconnected nod as she went past him into the pew. She was sure that had Eli been there, he wouldn’t have taken his eyes off of her. So what does it matter what Joe thinks?
She wondered if Eli was right. Are we putting rituals over people by not helping Beth move today? She knew Eli didn’t expect her to help with her hurt foot, but she had a feeling this was going to be a point of contention in the Rhodes household for awhile.
Mari’s attention went to the front as the cantor announced the first song. They stood, and Joe handed her the open song book. Her fingers brushed his in the hand-off, sending a charge straight to her belly. She did her best to disguise the catch in her breath with a fake sneeze before joining in the song.
Zing. That’s what Ben called it. God damn it. Sorry Lord, but God damn it. Why do I feel that with her and not Beth?
Mari’s light soprano and Ben’s tenor started to filter through Joe’s senses, bringing him back to the moment. Focusing on the pages Mari held, he found the spot and added his baritone. He sang quietly at first, but the sweet sound was intoxicating, and by the last verse, he was leaning in and matching their volume.
The second song was even easier to harmonize with, and a couple of people in the rows ahead of them actually turned around and smiled. When the song ended, Joe realized that he had his hand on her lower back. He dropped it quickly, and when they sat, he made sure to sit with a good space between them. He caught Mari’s nervous glance his way as she sat and chided himself for the action, as innocent as it may have been.
The Rabbi began to speak, but Joe wasn’t hearing a word. All the disagreements of the last week kept going round and round in his head— Ben, Mari, Beth, and finally, Eli. He rubbed his temple.
He believed with his whole heart that he was right about not skipping the Sabbath services to load a truck. Putting God’s agenda before your own is the only way to find His blessings, but would God frown on helping Beth in the afternoon? Was it right to let her, Sheri, and Eli bear that load alone?
Then there was his argument with Ben over his change of study. He had to admit, the kid had not stopped talking about volunteering at the zoo for three days straight, and even though he had jumped into the business classes like a trooper, he had never been excited about them. I think I’m going to have to eat crow on that one.
And then there was Mari.
He and Mari hadn’t even fought, but they had been at odds most of the week anyway. Or have I just been at odds with her? I’ve just been taking Ben’s word for what she said. Maybe he exaggerated or took it out of context or something. Joe peeked at her out of the corner of his eye. Maybe she has no idea why I’ve been giving her the silent treatment. She had on the prettiest blue dress—kind of a long sweater—and a matching hair clip on the side of her head, gathering some of her curls together. She’s gorgeous.
He saw that her fingers were slipped under her thighs, and as he watched, she pulled the ghostly white digits out and began to rub them together.
Watching her, Joe finally tuned in to the sermon. “Leviticus 19:18 tells us, ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.’”
Scooting closer, he reached over and took the hand closest to him, enclosing her fingers between his two palms. Ben grabbed the other one and followed suit. Mari smiled at each in turn, and Joe realized that his headache was gone.
***
Eli was thankful for three things on this Sabbath morning. One, the weather wasn’t half bad. The snow had melted and the temperature was actually in the upper forties. He was also relieved that Beth and Sheri didn’t “live large” when it came to furniture, and lastly, that they lived on the ground floor.
They had struck out in finding anyone else to help them load their truck, so Eli generally carried one side of everything with the gals together hefting the other. He had cursed Joe, Ben, and their blasted religion more than once when the women had to set their end down “for just a sec.” He knew he’d promised Mari he’d go to services with her, but at the moment, he couldn’t see it happening. If he went, he didn’t know what might come out of his mouth.
After all the furniture was loaded, they took a break, and Beth ordered a pizza. Sitting on the floor of their apartment that was still littered with boxes, Eli found himself enjoying the company of these two artists. Beth hadn’t really been herself, he realized, at his family’s Thanksgiving dinner. She had probably been overwhelmed by the large Rhodes clan and maybe Joe, himself, who kept introducing her in the same breath with the words “accounting major.” Art is obviously at the heart of who she is, and Joe had effective
ly closed the door on that as a topic of conversation.
Sheri was a bubbly red head, not as tall as Beth, not as short as Mari. She had one of those asymmetrical hair styles and multiple piercings on one ear, as well as a small jewel on the side of her nose. Both women were wearing long sleeves and jeans, but if Eli had to venture a guess, he’d wager Sheri had several tattoos. She laughed a lot, and when she and Beth started talking about their high school pranking days, their laughter was contagious.
When the pizza was gone, Sheri grabbed a small box and headed out to the truck. Beth gathered up their lunch trash, and Eli held open a trash bag for her. She grew suddenly serious. “I don’t know how to thank you, Eli. I’m so mad at Joe right now... it almost makes me wonder why I’m moving to the Springs to be near him.”
Eli tied up the bag and thought carefully about his response. Even if he didn’t think they were particularly a good match, he didn’t want to fuel their feuding fire. “Joe is a man of convictions, and generally that’s admirable, but sometimes he lets those convictions get in the way of real life.” He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. “I have no doubt you can loosen him up.” He tossed the bag over by the door and picked up his jacket lying nearby. After slipping it on over his black t-shirt, he moved to pick up a heavy box marked “kitchen.” “I mean, who would have thought that he’d let you into his bed last week.” He hefted it up and grinned at Beth’s surprised expression. “You have persistence, too.”
She put a hand to her open mouth, her cheeks turning red. “Oh my gosh, did you hear us arguing?”
“It’s an old house.” He started for the door. “The walls are a bit thin.” Eli smiled as Beth held the door open for him, a look of mortification on her face.
Sheri was waiting by the truck. “I’m feeling pretty paranoid about just leaving this open without someone watching it.”
Eli nodded. “Yeah, this isn’t exactly a rich neighborhood.” He walked up the ramp to place the box close to the furniture then turned back to her. “You stay, I’ll load.”
Rocky Mountain Angels Page 17