Mari waved a hand toward him. “Are you kidding? After five boys, there isn’t much my mom minds at all. She always said that she was pretty uptight when she had her first baby, but by the time she had me, she was ‘as loose as a goose’—absolutely nothing ruffles her feathers anymore.”
Joe slid two eggs and half the hashbrowns onto a plate and handed it to Mari. “Toast is about to pop, and” —the tea kettle started to whistle— “and there’s the water for your tea, although I haven’t found the tea yet.”
Mari laughed and got up. “I think you’ve thought of everything.” She rounded the table and maneuvered past Joe to open a cupboard. “Well, it used to be in here.” She spotted it on an upper shelf and stood on tiptoe but couldn’t reach it. Joe snagged it easily and handed it to her with a smile. Mari took the box, opened it, and pulled out a teabag. “You’d be a pretty handy thing to have around, tall man.”
Joe looked down at her with a mischievous sparkle she’d never seen in his eyes. “God gives little women what they need.” He winked and snatched the toast out of the toaster, spreading the butter on before they had a chance to cool.
Mari blushed and returned to her breakfast, only to realize that she had never gotten a cup or the hot water for the tea bag clutched in her hand. Joe’s eyes were positively twinkling as he poured her a steaming mug from the kettle and slid it over to her before sitting down on the other side of the table.
What’s gotten into him today?
Mari looked at the toast stacked on the edge of his plate. “Do I get one of those, or do I need to make my own?”
Joe swallowed his bite of eggs and gave her a teasing smile. “Come and get it.”
Mari’s eyes widened at the low, sexy way he said it. She paused a second then reached across the table, but Joe pulled his plate back.
“Ah, ah, ah. Didn’t your mother teach you that it’s impolite to reach.” Joe’s lips twitched as he tried to look serious.
Mari blinked. Heaven help me, what kind of game is he playing?
Rising, she slowly made her way around the table as Joe went on eating. She reached a hand toward the toast, hardly able to contain a smile, herself, and he allowed her to take it without hindrance. As she started to move away, however, he caught her hand, and there it was—the caress of his thumb. Mari turned back, her breathing shallow, and she knew there had to be questions on her face.
“Mari, there’s something I need to tell you.”
The doorbell rang, and Mari jumped. She pulled out of his grasp and started for the door, setting the toast on her plate on the way. “Excuse me just a minute, Joe.”
Mari scurried to the door and opened it to find her oldest brother. He had a thick head of hair almost the color of Mari’s but with gray setting in at the temples. He had the look of a banker, with a long black wool topcoat and gray scarf. “Jerry, is everything all right? Is Daddy—”
“He’s fine, Mari.” She opened the door wider, and he stepped in. “Well, if not ‘fine’ then at least about the same.” He took a small breath and took her hand. “The tests show that Dad needs a stent put in where there’s some blockage in an artery. They plan on doing that today.” Mari felt suddenly weak in the knees but managed to stay upright. Her worry must have shown on her face as Jerry hurried to reassure her. “It’s a very standard procedure these days. Nothing to worry about.”
She nodded, trying to hold back tears and squeezed his hand before pulling away. “I’ll go tell Joe and get ready.”
Joe met her at the kitchen door. “Joe, Daddy’s having a stent put in this morning. I need to get there right away.”
She turned toward the hallway, but Joe caught her arm. “I’m sure you’ve got time to eat first, doesn’t she...”
“Jerry,” her oldest brother supplied, stepping forward, “and yes, the procedure isn’t due to start for a couple of hours.”
She looked from one to the other feeling irritated. “But I want to see him first.”
Jerry mussed her hair as if she were five. “You will. Now go eat your breakfast.” He turned to leave. “Thanks for taking care of her, Joe.”
Joe nodded, and Mari felt five. “I don’t need someone taking care of me. If I didn’t have a broken toe and a broken car heater, I could have driven here myself.”
Jerry gave her a smile. “Sure you would have, sweetheart.” His smile disappeared. “Now go eat.”
Infuriated, Mari breezed past Joe on her way to the kitchen, feeling irritated right down to that recovering big toe.
Joe had learned a thing or two from Beth, and he knew better than to continue trying to talk to Mari in her current state of mind. Instead, he went back in the kitchen and massaged Mari’s shoulders while she practically inhaled her breakfast. There was a warning about choking on the tip of his tongue, but he held it in check. I guess if she chokes, I’m in the perfect position to do the Heimlich.
The massage didn’t seem to be helping her relax, however, and finally she actually swatted his hands away. “Joe,” she growled without looking at him. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I just can’t... you... Daddy...” Her words were coming out in no real order that Joe could decipher, but the emotion behind them was loud and clear. Back off.
Joe stepped back. “Sure, I understand. You’ve got a lot on your mind.” He wanted to stroke her hair, lose himself in her pillow-mussed curls, but he moved around the table instead. “If you’re finished, I’ll wash the dishes while you take a quick shower.”
Mari put her elbows on the table and her head in her hands. “I’m sorry, Joe.”
He started running water in the sink. “No need to apologize.” He smiled at her over his shoulder. “Now go on, so you can see your dad.”
Joe ate the last couple of bites of toast on his plate and downed the rest of his coffee then slid the dishes into the hot sudsy water. Well, that didn’t go as planned. Not that what happened before Jerry arrived had really been planned. He had been determined to tell her how he felt about her, but something devilish had gotten into him when he saw her in her robe and PJs, looking more beautiful than any woman ought to after just getting out of bed, and he had slipped into a mood and a mode he probably hadn’t employed since his college days. He could tell he was surprising her, but what he hadn’t had time to ascertain was if she liked it or not.
He rinsed the dishes in the drainer then grabbed a dishtowel hanging on the oven door. He was disappointed to have to wait yet again to talk with her about the state of his heart, but Mari had enough to deal with right now. Joe placed the dried dishes back in the cupboard then raised his eyes. The time was obviously not right, eh, Lord? He felt a “soon” in his spirit, but he didn’t know if it came from God.
Or if it was just wishful thinking.
***
Mari called Joe after her dad was back in the ICU to tell him the outcome of the stent procedure and to find out about his meeting with the Rabbi concerning the synagogue. He had wanted to postpone his meeting, so he could sit at the hospital with her, but she insisted he go. She knew she would latch onto him, and her heart was in twists already.
“The doctor says everything went according to plan, so now he just needs rest and recovery time.”
“That’s good to hear. How’s your mom holding up?”
“She’s great. I wish I had her faith.”
“You’ll get there, Mari. She’s had more time to develop it.”
“I guess so. Anyway, how did your meeting go?”
“Good. Rabbi Yelson was going to take me to see the site right after lunch, but some parishioner emergency came up, so I’m just hanging out a while to see if his schedule clears or not. You didn’t happen to bring your camera, did you?”
“No. I was too distracted to think about packing it.”
“Oh well, I have a camera in my phone. That will do.” He paused. “I’m in no rush, but when were you thinking of going back to Colorado?”
“Oh, I haven’t really thought about it.
When do you need to be back?”
“Like I said, I’m in no rush. We’re on your time table.”
“Okay, how about we stay until May?” she teased.
“Hmm, well, I’ll need to buy some clothes or do laundry every five days.”
Mari laughed. “Classes start next Tuesday, so if everything goes okay with Daddy’s recovery, I suppose I should try to be there.”
“You might want a day of recovery yourself. How about driving Sunday? If your dad’s okay, that is.”
“If Daddy’s okay.” She found she was reluctant to commit to going back. Going back meant a long, maybe weird and uncomfortable, emotional, heart wrenching drive with Joe followed by a weird and uncomfortable, emotional, heart wrenching reunion with Eli. How could she keep kissing him when she knew she was falling in love with Joe? Maybe moving to Colorado Springs was the biggest mistake of my one-wrong-turn-after-another life.
“Mari, are you still there?”
“Yes, sorry, sooo... you’re hanging out...”
“Yeah, I’m near a shopping mall, so I guess I’ll walk around and get a bit of exercise.”
“Okay, well, I guess I’ll see ya when I see ya.”
“I won’t be too late. If he doesn’t call me by 4:00, I’ll just reschedule for tomorrow.”
“Okay, see you later, then. Bye.” Mari had no sooner hung up the call when it vibrated in her hand. Eli’s name was on the screen, and she wondered if her feelings of guilt had somehow summoned him.
***
Joe had been strolling around the three story mall long enough to know he was tired of walking. Sitting on a bench, he stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed them at the ankles. He yawned and resisted the urge to grab a coffee from the nearby kiosk that smelled like a little bit of heaven. If I want to sleep tonight...
He looked up at the two stories above him. I don’t think I’ve even made it around one floor. He brought his eyes back to ground level and looked in the direction he’d been heading when his feet had given out. A blue dress on display caught his eye. The flared skirt and bodice were all one piece, cut to flatter the female figure in a silky fabric that criss-crossed over the bustline in a halter style. Joe got up to take a closer look. That would look amazing on Mari. He remembered how the blue sweater dress she’d worn on the last Sabbath complemented her deep brown eyes.
He knew he shouldn’t buy it for her. He knew it was too soon—he didn’t even know whether she returned his feelings—but something wouldn’t let him go without it. He stood staring at it for so long, picturing her spinning around and making the skirt flare out, a clerk came to ask if she could help. Joe made the decision on the spot. “I want that in a small size.”
The woman gave him a condescending smile. “How small, sir?”
Joe realized he was out of his element. He tried to use his hands to indicate her size, putting one level with his shoulder. “She only comes up to here on me, and she’s... petite.” Joe looked up to see a smallish woman passing by the window and pointed. “About her size.”
The woman went to a rack and looked through the dresses, finally pulling one out. “What do you think about this?”
Joe scowled. It was hard to tell on a hanger. “I don’t know. If it doesn’t fit, can I exchange it?” He knew he’d be making frequent trips to Oklahoma City if he got the synagogue construction job.
The woman nodded. “Of course.”
As he left with his purchase, he noted that he had probably never spent so much on any single item of clothing in his life. It had blown his budget and was completely impractical.
And he didn’t care.
***
Eli sat scowling at his design plans, but it wasn’t the designs he was scowling about. He had been waiting half the day for Mari to call, and when he finally decided to call her, she had seemed distant. He supposed it could be from all the stress surrounding her father, but he couldn’t lay aside the notion that something had changed.
Rising, he decided he needed a break and closed his laptop. He’d like to go to the gym, but he was afraid he’d run into Sheri. Flipping the light off on his way out of his office, he couldn’t help thinking about his dream of the previous night. Sheri had figured prominently, teasing him until he had given in and kissed her. And that was only the beginning. The dreams he’d had about Mari had never been that steamy.
Few of his dreams had ever been that steamy.
It was a difficult thing to dislodge from his mind, but he knew he had to try. And then out of nowhere, an inner voice said, Why?
Eli shook his head and blinked as he walked to the kitchen to get a beer. Why? Because I promised Mari I’d be true to her. He pulled out a bottle and opened it.
The voice continued. But what do you have in common with Mari, anyway? She’s super religious when you are not. She doesn’t like the same music you do, and while you love horror films, she watches the Lifetime channel.
He took a long pull on his beer, not wanting to continue this conversation with himself. He was thankful when Ben walked in to distract his thoughts. “Benjamin! How goes the zoo?”
Ben came to the kitchen carrying a soda from 7-eleven. “Do you really want to know, or are you just being a jerk?”
Eli was stung. “Well, I did want to know, but you seem to be in no mood to tell me.”
Ben slipped into a chair, still in his coat. “Sorry, volunteering most of the day and bowling every evening is starting to wear me down. I can’t wait for this tournament to be over.”
Eli thought he looked like he was about to drop. “Do you have time for a nap? I can make you something to eat.”
Ben got up. “Maybe. Don’t let me sleep past 6:00.” He started out of the kitchen then turned back. “Oh, you know Beth’s roommate, Sheri? She was at the zoo today. I thought it was a pretty cold day to be wandering around at the zoo, but she said she was bored waiting for classes to start, and the cold doesn’t bother her. She talked to me while I cleaned the pony stables.” He gave Eli a pointed look. “She asked a few questions about you. I think she likes you.”
No shit. “What kind of questions? She knows I’m dating someone.” Sheri was starting to feel like a stalker.
A beautiful, sexy stalker.
Ben gave him a wry grin. “Yeah, she wanted to know if I thought you were really serious about Mari, and how long it would last.”
Eli’s glare could have penetrated steel. “And what did you tell her?”
Ben laughed. “Don’t worry, I know better than to be a go-between. I told her she’d have to ask you that question.”
He turned to head upstairs, and Eli was back where he started—with Sheri on his mind.
***
“Now, Daddy, you know I love to write, but it’s just not going to make me any money. I really think photography is going to be the way to go. I already have a nice camera, and Eli says I have a good eye for it, and he is very good with design.”
“That’s just about all you’ve told us about Eli—what a good designer he is.” Mal looked tired but seemed in good spirits. “What else can you tell us?”
Valerie nodded from where she sat on the other side of the bed. “What about character? Is he as devout as you say that Joe is? Does he sing with you, too? You’ve told us much more about Joe than Eli.”
Mari didn’t know what to say. I can’t tell them he’s a really good kisser, and I just like to have his arm around me while we watch movies. “Eli has good qualities, too. All the Rhodes men do. Did I tell you that Ben helped me move in, took me on a tour of two campuses, and sat with me all afternoon when I broke my toe?”
Mal smiled indulgently. “Yes, dear, Ben sounds like a marvelous young man.”
“But too young,” Val interrupted.
“Yes, probably too young,” commented Mal.
Mari nodded, her exasperation starting to show. “Yes, he’s a dear, but too young for me. Eli is...” Her frustration was evident. She didn’t even know what Eli was to her any
more, and until she could figure Joe out, she didn’t want to confuse her parents further. “Eli and I are dating, but we’re not engaged or anything. We just enjoy each other’s company.”
“Okay, dear,” conceded Val. “Where have you gone on your dates? What did you do?”
Mari opened her mouth to speak, but closed it, wondering if shopping could be considered a date. Until her mom had voiced it, she hadn’t realized that with Eli, “dating” might be a stretch of the definition. “Well, with my broken toe, we couldn’t exactly go dancing.”
“Well,” began Mal to Val, “we know he is a hard worker as he was too busy to drive our pumpkin clear to Oklahoma City.”
Mari had no idea if that was a compliment or a dig, but no matter what, she wouldn’t run down Eli’s character. “He truly wanted to bring me, but when Joe offered, that seemed like the most sensible plan since he needed to come this way sometime anyway.”
Val nodded, smiling. “I know, dear, you told us that, but it seems to me—”
“Let’s talk about something else, please,” interrupted Mari in frustration. She suddenly remembered why living ten hours away had seemed appealing.
Her dad extended a hand to her, and Mari leaned forward to grasp it. “We’re sorry, pumpkin. We just want to see you settled and happy.”
She sighed. “I know, Daddy. But I can’t make it happen. It just has to... to happen.”
The door opened, and Joe popped his head in. Mari’s heart seemed to float to the ceiling at the sight of him. “I hope I’m not interrupting—just didn’t see anyone I knew out in the waiting room.”
Val rose. “Come on in, Joe. I was just heading out to stretch my legs.”
He entered, and Val patted his arm on the way out. “Thanks again for taking care of Mari.”
Joe nodded, and Mari rolled her eyes. He tried but couldn’t contain a grin. Mari knew she should be irritated, but she was too glad to see him for that.
Joe didn’t want to sit in the recliner across the room; he pulled up a light weight chair next to Mari. After some general chit chat about the construction business and Joe’s possible synagogue building project in the city, he could see that Mal was tiring. As his eyes slid closed, Joe and Mari exchanged glances and started to quietly rise from their chairs.
Rocky Mountain Angels Page 24