“What’s that?” asked Mallory, also halting.
“I found out I’m going to be moving for work.”
Mallory’s eyes widened in alarm. Was she remembering the last time he had “moved for work,” departing from Kabul on a flight taking him halfway around the world from her, seemingly out of her life forever?
“I thought Kruptos only had the one office in Alpharetta,” she said, her voice wavering. “How can they move you?”
“We’re opening a second office.”
“Alton…Sweetie, do you have to move?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Where are they sending you?” asked Mallory, her eyes beginning to glisten.
Observing her mounting concern, Alton could in good conscience keep his secret no longer. He took his beloved in his arms. “Right here—to Washington.”
“What! How? Kruptos is building a new office here?”
“That’s right. Mr. Hines wants to open a satellite office along the Beltway to focus on selling to the federal government, and he wants me to head it up.”
Mallory threw her arms around Alton’s neck and squeezed him with all her might. “Are you serious? You are serious, right?”
Alton nodded and laughed. “As serious as I’ve ever been.”
“I’m…speechless. That’s so awesome! I can’t wait to tell Mom. Does your family know?”
“No, you’re the first person I’ve told.” He laid a hand aside her face, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “And now when I tell you I love you, it won’t be over the phone five nights a week. I’ll be right here with you, every day, to tell you in person.”
After embracing him, Mallory squeezed Alton’s right forearm in delight, much as she had long ago in Kabul, at a time when neither had understood the true feelings of the other. While the action back then had inspired in Alton only a hopeless longing for a love he considered unobtainable, it now inspired the promise of a better, brighter future with the ethereal beauty at his side.
Sensing their excitement, Buster barked and raised his front paws onto the couple, wagging his tail furiously. To Alton, it seemed the perfect conclusion to the happy news.
After returning to the apartment, Mallory headed back to her bedroom, turning her head over her shoulder to announce, “I’m gonna call my mom.” The squeals of excitement emanating from the bedroom minutes later couldn’t help but put a smile on Alton’s face.
In fact, the pleasure with which Mallory greeted the news encouraged in Alton a more profound contemplation of his future. With this rise in his fortunes—a better location, and a better job to boot—he decided the time was right to make another, more important improvement in his life. That is, if Mallory agreed.
CHAPTER 57
Nancy Goins swept through the imposing double doors of Ana Maria’s. Her all-black ensemble—dress, shoes, stockings, complemented by white pearls—produced a striking effect, judging from the series of masculine stares she caught from the corner of her eye.
But what about Dennis? When he had invited her to the Italian restaurant for dinner, his voice had seemed…different, somehow—more somber. They had spoken little since the day of her journey to the FBI building, mutually deciding to let the dust settle. Remarkably, the truth of her relationship with Dennis hadn’t come out during the FBI gathering. She didn’t know how she had escaped that disaster and wasn’t about to press her luck by inquiring further.
Nancy approached the hostess desk. Here she was…back where her personal journey with Dennis had begun. Would this be where it ended?
She saw Dennis seated on one of the stools at the bar. Catching her eye, he rose and approached. Khaki slacks, a tasteful navy dress shirt, a casual sweep of the hair…he looked perfect. The strange tone she had earlier noted in his voice, however, seemed to be matched by the distracted look in his eyes. He smiled, but there was an unnatural strain in his countenance. He embraced Nancy with one arm and kissed her on the forehead, again exhibiting minor and probably unconscious deviations from his normal routine.
The hostess led Nancy and Dennis to an elegant table for two. The high-backed chairs and flicker of candlelight produced a calming effect that was strangely at odds with Dennis’s worrisome behavior.
After ordering their drinks, Dennis asked, “So, how have you been?”
“Okay, I guess.”
Dennis waited in silence for her to continue.
“It’s been so weird being in the house by myself. I know Ken being gone…it’s what we wanted, but of all the ways I thought you and I might be together, this wasn’t on my list. Even though Ken was a jerk, I didn’t want him dead. I just wanted him out of my life.”
“I did wonder how you’ve been processing Ken’s passing. You’ve seemed kind of in shock the past few days.”
“I have been. I know you must think I’m crazy for being sad about his death.”
“No, I don’t think you’re crazy. It just means you have a heart. You can feel sorry for someone, even a person who’s been cruel to you.”
Nancy smiled and looked at the tabletop. Of course Dennis would understand.
Dennis exhaled a deep breath. “Nancy, I was going to wait until the end of the meal to talk to you about this, but I…I don’t think I can wait.” He looked her in the face.
Within the duration of his sentence, Nancy’s heart rate had doubled. The course of her future happiness—or lack thereof—rested with his next words.
“Maybe the path that led us to this point in our lives isn’t what we imagined it would be,” he said, “but now that we are here, it’d be a shame to let the opportunity pass us by, right?
“I don’t know if the tragedy of Ken’s death has changed how you feel about…us, but my feelings haven’t changed. If anything, they’ve grown stronger as I’ve had to sit in the shadows watching you suffer through Ken’s passing and then several rounds of police questioning. I don’t want you to have to struggle on your own anymore.
“Marry me.”
Nancy’s pulse accelerated again. She took a deep breath and released it slowly, trying to calm the emotions that threatened to send her mind reeling. She felt far too thunderstruck to reply.
Lacking a response, Dennis pressed ahead. “I know as far as the rest of the world is concerned, we have to wait. It would look too strange for us to start dating, let alone get married, just yet. But between the two of us, I don’t need to wait anymore. As long as you promise me your heart, I’ll wait as long as you want before we tie the knot.”
Nancy’s breathing accelerated to a pretty fair imitation of the patients she had observed during her rotation into the hospital’s labor and delivery unit. Finally, she blurted out, “Dennis…yes, of course. I thought…I mean, I didn’t know you felt…” She took another deep breath.
Dennis’s tentative grin widened into an irrepressible smile. “I heard a ‘yes’ in there somewhere. That’s enough for me.”
He removed a small, velvet box from the interior pocket of his jacket. “This was my mom’s. Whenever we’re ready to tell the rest of the world what you and I already know, it’s waiting for you.” He passed her the jewel, a brilliant solitaire. Leaning towards one another, they embraced. Dennis used both arms this time.
After separating, Nancy addressed her new fiancée. “Dennis Trimble, you had me so worried! You were so serious, I thought…” She trailed off, shaking her head.
“Thought what?”
“It doesn’t matter. I now know everything I need to know. You love me, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life with the man I love more than anyone in this world.”
At that moment, a waiter arrived, and Dennis ordered champagne. The waiter returned with a bottle and poured two flutes, prompting the couple to toast their happy, future lives together.
“I wish there were some way I could take my emotions right now—which are about to split me open, by the way—and turn them into words that could even come close to conveying the strength of
my feelings for you,” said Dennis. “I can’t do it. You’ll just have to take my word that I’m the happiest man alive.”
And I’m the happiest woman. After years of enduring a barren marriage and months of hiding a forbidden desire, the life that awaited Nancy—one of pure, fervent love, out of the shadows and on display for the world to see and envy—seemed almost too good to be true.
CHAPTER 58
After sharing the news of Alton’s impending move with her mother, Mallory emerged from the back bedroom of her apartment. She and Alton ensconced themselves on the couch in a state of near-perfect bliss. Needing an outlet for her joyous energy, Mallory rubbed Alton’s arm as if trying to build a static charge, a habit Alton knew to indicate her supreme delight.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself, having you around all the time,” said Mallory. A look of mock concern flitted across her face. “But it might be tough for you. So much for your wild, late-night Atlanta parties with the ladies of Kruptos. How are you going to manage?”
“I don’t know. It’s going to be quite a transition. I guess I’ll just have to start acting like a respectable gent.”
Mallory followed a punch to his arm with a quick hug. “That’s right, buddy.” She paused and eyed him knowingly. “So, the next question is, where are you going to live up here?”
Alton snickered, feeling reasonably confident he could guess Mallory’s thoughts. “I know I use one of your spare bedrooms when I’m in town visiting, but I’m not sure that would be a great idea on a full-time basis.”
What was the expression in Mallory’s eyes? Disappointment? Relief? Both? Their resolution to remain abstinent had remained intact, barely, but Alton felt the walls of his willpower crumble a little each day. Had he not continued to worry about the impact his injury would have on his ability to meet Mallory’s carnal expectations, he suspected he would have already broken their pact.
“Oh, so you can’t live here?” said Mallory. “And why is that?”
“Honestly? I’m not sure I trust myself.”
“Really? I thought you were a rock—nothing would break your resolve.”
Alton snickered again. “Even the most determined dieter will succumb to a gourmet meal if exposed to it long enough.”
“Oh, really?” she replied with a wide grin. “So I’m a meal now, am I?”
“You know what I mean. Every hour I’m around you requires a bit more self-control. I’m afraid living here would make it too easy to give in.”
“I’m glad to know I’m not the only one fighting that battle,” said Mallory. She eyed him in silence for a moment. “You’re something, you know that?”
Feeling a little embarrassed, Alton dropped his gaze, only to find himself admiring the athletic curves of her legs. After running his eyes across the length of her thigh, he raised his gaze, only to encounter Mallory’s merry laugh. “Want to take a picture, or would that overtax your self-control, too?”
Busted. He grinned and shrugged in confession.
“You know, sometimes a dieter will have an appetizer in lieu of a full meal,” said Mallory, snuggling closer.
Remaining silent, Alton grasped Mallory’s face in his hands, drawing her closer. He kissed her slowly, leisurely at first, then with growing passion.
Throughout his final year in Afghanistan, Alton had yearned to win Mallory’s affections but had not imagined such an enterprise possible. Yet somewhere along the way, he had somehow, miraculously, managed to possess her heart. As he embraced her now, Alton’s mind reeled with the intensity of his love. Yet the current moment’s passion was but a weak foreshadowing of the complete unity he hoped to eventually achieve with his beloved.
Eventually they separated, their foreheads touching. “You’re amazing, you know that?” said Alton as he gently rubbed her cheek with the back of his hand.
A shiver ran down Mallory’s spine. “I think I’m going to like your living here in town.”
EIGHT WEEKS LATER
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
CHAPTER 59
After a flurry of transitional activity at the Alpharetta Kruptos office, Alton managed to move to Washington with only days to spare before his scheduled vacation with Mallory. Driving into town with a rental van containing all his worldly possessions, Alton had enlisted the aid of David and Fahima—and Mallory, of course—to move his belongings into an apartment two doors down from Mallory’s.
“Convenient, but still a different unit,” he had told her.
After a long day of moving and stacking boxes, the four friends enjoyed dinner and a round of beers at El Nopal, Mallory’s favorite local Mexican restaurant.
“My treat,” Alton told David and Fahima as they settled into a booth.
“You mean all I gotta do is unload a moving van for four hours and I get a free meal?” asked David. “I should do this every weekend.”
Fahima smiled while rolling her eyes. “I am glad you are living in town with us now. I hope we can all meet like this regularly.”
“You bet,” said Alton. “It’s one of the perks of living in the neighborhood.”
After the meal, Mallory returned to Alton’s new apartment to help him unpack his kitchen supplies. Alton ran a hand through his chestnut hair, examining the mountain of boxes piled before him. “I guess I can always use your kitchen until mine is ready.”
“You and your ulterior motives,” teased Mallory. “You just want an excuse to come over.”
Alton smiled and turned back to the boxes.
After several minutes of unpacking in silence, Mallory spoke up. “I’m so excited for our beach trip—just three more days!”
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that,” said Alton.
The somber tone of his voice halted Mallory in her tracks. She set down the toaster she had just removed from a box and turned to face him with a look of concern.
“Mallory,” said Alton, “I don’t think the Myrtle Beach trip is going to work out. I’m sorry.”
“What?” She was clearly crestfallen yet attempted to put on a brave face. “Okay, Sweetie. I know you must have a good reason. Is everything okay?” She walked up to Alton to study him at close range.
“Yes, it’s just…well here,” he said, removing an envelope from his pocket and handing it to her. “It’ll be easier to explain if I just show you. Read this.”
Mallory removed a printed sheet of paper from the envelope. “Flight itinerary?” Mumbling under her breath, she read, “Departing from Washington on September twenty-second. Arriving in Rome…” Her gaze shot to Alton’s face. “Wait—what?”
Alton slid an arm over her shoulder. “If I may,” he said, removing the paper from her grasp. “Note this first row has my name on it. And whose name appears on the second row?”
“Mallory Wilson…,” she read. Mallory shot another incredulous look at his face, studying his eyes for confirmation. “Alton, are you serious?”
Alton felt sure he could not have possibly grinned wider, had all the riches of the earth been offered as an inducement. He wrapped his arms around her waist and gazed into her dark eyes, which now brimmed with tears. “I said Myrtle Beach wouldn’t work out. I didn’t say anything about Italy.”
“Italy!” exclaimed Mallory. She looked at him with suspicion. “Wait—are we going somewhere else besides Rome?”
“Yes, but nowhere important,” said Alton in his best innocent voice, “just Florence and Naples.”
“Oh…my…gosh!” said Mallory, her eyes tearing up even more. “I’ve always wanted to go there.”
“I know.”
Once again, Mallory stared at Alton with a look of incredulity. Her capacity for surprise seemed to be reaching its limit. Alton was not exactly sure what would occur if it were exceeded.
“And how would you know that?” interrogated Mallory. “I’ve never mentioned Italy to you before. I knew it would be crazy expensive, and I didn’t want you to feel bad that we couldn’t go.”
<
br /> Smiling, Alton pointed a hand at his chest. “Kruptos guy, remember? When you didn’t tell me what travel destinations you were checking out on Pinterest, I did a little research on my own…on your search activity, to be exact.”
Mallory hit Alton’s arm in mock anger. “You tracked my Pinterest searches? You bad boy.” Her ear-to-ear grin and continued tears of joy, however, belied the wrath of her words. “How long are we going? Surely not for the whole three weeks we blocked off for Myrtle Beach?”
“Yes, we are, so pack wisely. We’ll be there for a while.”
Mallory cried outright and allowed herself to be enveloped in his arms. Slowly rocking from side to side, they seemed to merge into a single entity, partly from the strength of Alton’s embrace, and partly from the yielding to it by Mallory. As they separated, the glittering tears in Mallory’s eyes—despite being a product of joy rather than sorrow—couldn’t help but smite Alton’s heart a little, yet he nonetheless thought them prettier in his sight than any jewels in the world. The vacation package hadn’t come cheap, it was true, but who could assign a value to the elation he had conferred today?
“I have to tell Mom—again,” exclaimed Mallory, disentangling herself and switching on her phone. As he listened to the ecstatic dialog with which Mallory shared the surprise with her mother, Alton breathed a sigh of satisfaction. This moment had to be one of the highlights of his life.
Concluding the call, Mallory wrapped Alton in another hug, a gesture he was happy to return.
“So who else knows about this?” she asked.
“Just David and Fahima.”
“So those stinkers were eating tacos and drinking Millers, knowing I was about to have the shock of my life. Did they know you were going to tell me tonight?”
“I told them I’d let you know either today or tomorrow. I couldn’t wait much longer or you wouldn’t have had time to pack the right clothes.”
“Clothes! I’ve got to think about what outfits to bring. Three weeks…holy smokes. Will we be able to get our laundry done while we’re there? And what about…”
T Wave Page 20