Ruth’s husband got to his feet. He was a tall man with a nasty scar down the side of his jaw and throat. “We haven’t met yet. I’m Drew Stevens.”
Lacey shook his outstretched hand. “I’m Lacey West. How do you do?”
He kept on holding it and gave her a warm smile before his gaze flicked to Carlos. “I’d say we’re doing just fine. What do you think about our place?”
“It’s incredible. Fascinating. I still can’t believe I’m here.”
“Ruth and I know exactly what you mean,” he said kindly, and let go of her hand. “We came out here thirty-six years ago and have never left. Have a seat. Ruth has cooked a special chicken dinner in your honor.”
Lacey needed no further inducement and took her place next to Drew. Dinner was a lively affair with the Stevenses and Carlos entertaining everyone’s questions. But when eight o’clock rolled around, Max announced it was time for bed. Night fell quickly in the Glades, and they’d begin filming at six the next morning. The crew needed to get their sleep.
“I’ll walk you to your hut,” Max asserted just as Carlos urged Lacey to stay and talk for a while. “There’s a slight change in the script I need to discuss with you before we begin tomorrow’s shoot.”
Lacey’s eyes closed involuntarily at the dreaded inquisition she’d have to face once she was alone with Max. With a murmur of regret to Carlos, and a sincere thank you to the Stevenses for everything, she followed Max and the others out of the lounge.
To her astonishment, he didn’t say a word about Carlos as he used a flashlight to guide them to her hut. Once there, he flicked on the electricity.
“This afternoon we scouted around for possible spots to begin shooting, and felt the pool is the best place to start. The melaleuca trees overhead are filled with black wingers and kites. We also discovered a family of snowy egrets. The setting is exotic and the light is right. It gave me an idea for the opening. I’ve done a rough draft and have left it on your dresser. I want you to study it before you go to bed.”
Right now Max was the total professional. All his pent-up anger seemed to be missing. When he was like this, she ached for the closeness and intimacy they’d once shared. When he turned to leave, she caught hold of his arm. Immediately, his whole demeanor altered.
Pained by his reaction, she quickly let go. “Max—I wouldn’t presume to tell you how to do your work, but this afternoon when Dr. Rivera was showing me the sick monkeys in the lab, he gave me some new insights into the reason why the monkeys are so expensive.
“It occurred to me you might want to feature him in the film, using the lab for a backdrop. It was an enlightening two hours.”
Max was silent so long, she thought he hadn’t heard her. Or worse, that he’d mock the idea because she’d suggested using the only eligible, available male around.
Again he surprised her by saying, “Why don’t you reconstruct your conversation for me right now and I’ll work on a draft tonight. No doubt Rivera will bend over backward to oblige as long as you’re the co-star. I’ll get my notebook.”
She stared at his retreating back with despair. Every time she thought she was making progress, Max attacked with some cutting remark that knocked the foundations out from under her. She was fast losing hope he’d ever fall in love with her.
Momentarily he returned and pulled a chair close to the cot. His lithe movements drew her gaze as he stretched his muscular legs in front of him. The dim light from the ceiling threw his rugged features into stark relief. This close, she craved his touch, his smile, one tender look.
At his bidding, she sat down on the bed and tried to remember exactly what had been said back in the lab. But as he wrote, her attention fastened on his luxuriant hair. The humidity caused it to curl around his forehead and neck. She had an irresistible urge to play with it.
Her eyes drifted over his intelligent face and dwelled on the firm mouth which had lit a fire the first time he’d kissed her. No matter how horribly he treated her, she wanted to be in his arms again, kissed into oblivion.
Caught off guard by his question, she asked him to repeat it, but couldn’t form a coherent answer if her life had depended on it.
“You sound tired, and you still need to look over the changes for tomorrow. We can work on the rest of this another time.”
His genial tone was deceiving. When he rose to his feet, she begged in a voice husky with longing, “Don’t go.”
Max said nothing, but she sensed the change in him, a rigidity in his stance that made her wish she’d cut out her tongue.
“Dr. Rivera’s hut is across the compound. It seems you’re in need of his services. Judging from his behavior, he was panting for you throughout dinner. Shall I tell him to make a house call before I turn in?”
She gasped from the cruelty of his remark. “I hate you, Max Jarvis.”
There was an ominous silence before he said, “You’re no more capable of hating, than you are loving. There’s only one thing you’re good for. Pray your beauty lasts a long time, because when it fades, you’ll have nothing.”
The bleakness of his tone revealed a depth of pain she’d only guessed at. Long after he left the hut, Lacey lay convulsed on the cot, listening to the strange, eerie sounds of the Glades. It was a place full of living things out hunting, and being hunted.
Just then a piercing scream rent the air. It could have been her own death cry.
At the earliest possible moment, she’d go back to Salt Lake and move out of her sister’s condo. Valerie would have to find someone else to house-sit. Once Lacey left Florida, she never wanted to see Max again.
CHAPTER TEN
“MOVE in closer, Lacey. That’s it. There’s the same monkey who’s been watching you for the last week. He’s above your right shoulder. Hand him the carrot. Terrific. Now pull another one from your pocket and pat your shoulder. I want to see if he’ll swing from the branch and land on you.”
Nick’s well-modulated voice seemed to have no adverse effect on the monkey who kept scratching his head in contemplation. The other members of the crew had positioned themselves near the water to make suggestions and observe.
Suddenly Lacey got the inspiration to make a low hooting sound, mimicking George. Like magic, the monkey leaped onto her shoulder to get the other carrot.
“That’s beautiful, Lacey. Whatever you’re doing, keep it up.”
She felt like a fool, but continued to make funny noises. The monkey stayed put long enough for Nick to get some amazing shots.
“See if he’ll cling to you while you walk over to the pool.”
Lacey carefully worked her way through the lush undergrowth to the edge of the blue lagoon, a place large and deep enough to accommodate a dozen people. Where the river water ran into it, a fence had been erected to keep out the alligators, making it safe for swimming.
Already Lacey had learned that the crew demanded perfection, often shooting the same scene a dozen times to get the exact shot they wanted. The work was grueling, and the sweltering heat, the insects, made conditions almost unbearable some days.
She gained a new respect for actors and models, but had no desire to become one in spite of the crew’s insistence that she was a natural.
“Go over by that resurrection fern and see if the monkey will stay with you.”
Lacey obeyed Nick’s directive and gingerly sat down so her feet dangled in the water, afraid that any second now, the monkey would run off.
As she feared, he scrambled into some bordering mangroves. To her delight, however, he lingered nearby as if watching to see what she’d do next. On a whim, she slipped off her tennis shoes and began wading into the pool, hoping he’d follow.
All of a sudden the monkey grabbed one of her shoes and scurried to a nearby tree with his prize.
“Oh, no!” she cried, so startled by what had happened she lost her footing and fell headfirst into the water.
The guys roared with laughter, urging Nick to keep shooting. When Lacey surfac
ed she was laughing, as well, her sparkling eyes reflecting the primeval green of the Glades.
But Max’s smile faded as she emerged from the pool, her safari outfit faithfully following every line and curve of her body. From the look in his eyes, she might as well have not been wearing anything.
Her cheeks went scarlet. She knew how his mind worked. He thought she’d planned this on purpose. No doubt he could hardly wait to castigate her.
“Let’s call it a day,” he said tersely.
“I’m all for that,” Jeff shouted. He stripped down to his swim trunks and dove in the pool. In short order, Milo followed suit. Nick, always the joker, kicked off his shoes, and, screaming like a banshee, made a running leap into the lagoon, taking Lacey with him.
Her shrieks of laughter incited pandemonium and a huge water fight ensued. Lacey gave as good as she got, ignoring Max’s thunderous glances. After a thorough dunking by Nick, she tossed her head back and discovered he’d gone.
If the others noticed, they didn’t say anything. Lacey floated on her back for a while as one by one Nick and Jeff got out of the pool and started gathering their equipment. Milo was still doing laps.
“Lacey? The monkey dropped your shoe. I’ve put it with the other one on the side of the pool,” Jeff shouted as he and Nick walked away.
“Thank goodness!” Still laughing, she tread water for a few minutes, then let out a cry which alerted Milo. He swam over to her.
“What’s the matter?”
“What is it?” She pointed to something creeping through the vegetation at the other end of the pool.
“That’s a panther. It’s the one Ruth and Drew have tamed. He won’t hurt us. This is a water hole for all the animals and bird life in the game preserve.”
True to Milo’s prediction, the graceful animal made a hissing sound, then disappeared.
“I think I’m going back to the hut.” She scrambled out of the water and climbed up on the grassy bank to put on her shoes.
“What’s happened between you and Max?” He came straight to the point as they walked along the forest floor where the trees and vines overhead formed a cathedral-like canopy.
Her steps slowed. “I’m afraid you’d have to ask Max,” she said on a choked whisper.
Milo grimaced. “We’ve worked together five years, but in all that time, I’ve never seen him in this kind of shape. For what it’s worth, none of us likes the way he’s been treating you, and I’m about ready to say something.”
“Please don’t,” she pleaded. “He’ll think—”
“What?” Milo demanded, sounding as imperious as Max.
Hot tears filled her eyes and splashed down her face. Her pain was so intense, she had to say something or break down completely.
“For some reason, he thinks I’m a totally promiscuous woman who could never remain faithful to one man. He despises me.” Her voice shook.
Milo’s eyebrows furrowed. “Is that the reason you keep your distance with me and the crew? Because Max warned you off?”
“Let’s just say he manages to put a negative connotation on every move I make.”
“He’s a fool.” Milo sounded angry.
“If you get involved, he’ll only think the worst of both of us.”
“Max knows I don’t play around. I love my wife very much, even though we’re having problems right now.”
“But he’s accused me of being a temptation no one can resist,” she interjected bitterly.
“He’s in love with you.”
“Oh, no.” She shook her head furiously.
“He is, but something happened in his past. Something he can’t talk about, and he’s letting it get in the way.”
“He told me. It was a woman. She did something that made it impossible for him to love anyone. He hates me.”
“You’ve got that wrong. He’d like to hate you.”
She swallowed a sob. “It amounts to the same thing.” After a pause she said, “Milo, as soon as we’re through shooting, I’m going back to Salt Lake on the first available flight.
“Since you helped Jeff make all the arrangements, I wanted you to know my plans and not wonder what happened when I’m suddenly not here anymore. I trust you not to say anything to Max.”
“I won’t say a word.” He eyed her gravely. “To quote the rest of the crew, you’re one terrific lady.”
Once more her face was awash with tears. “Thank you. If it weren’t for the situation with Max, I’d be having the time of my life.”
He put a comforting arm around her shoulder and walked her the short distance to her hut. As luck would have it, Max was outside his hut talking to Jeff as they approached. He flashed them a venomous glance.
Lacey prayed Milo would remove his arm, but to her dismay, he tightened it as if to flaunt their relationship. She understood why he did it, but he didn’t have the faintest conception of what Max’s anger did to her.
“Thanks for the swim,” he said loud enough for Max to hear. “Let’s do it again.” After kissing her forehead, he strolled off. Lacey ducked inside her hut, not wanting to witness Max’s reaction.
Later, while everyone ate dinner, Lacey showered and washed her hair, then hurried back to the hut in a clean pair of shorts and top, deciding to make do with fruit and crackers she kept in her room. Under no circumstances could she tolerate eating at the same table with Max.
“At last;” a male voice grated as she closed the door, causing her to gasp in fright. She whirled around in anger.
“You have no right to be in here, Max.”
He lounged against the dresser with his hands in his pockets, looking remote. “An unlocked door is an open invitation. I’m afraid Milo won’t be making it tonight. I thought I’d offer myself instead.”
The dangerous glint in his eyes caused the adrenaline to surge through her veins. At any other time in their relationship she would have been overjoyed to hear him say those words. She would have gone willingly into his arms.
But her heart had died since coming to the Glades and she wanted nothing more to do with him.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to turn down your offer. Intimacy with a man who hates women as much as you do would be sacrilege.”
“Sacrilege?” She could feel his rage boiling beneath the surface.
“Would profane be a better word?” she cried angrily. “You know nothing about me, only what your twisted mind keeps imagining. For your information, I’ve never been to bed with a man in my life. After getting to know you, I’m not sure the day will come that I’ll ever be interested. You make me so angry. I wish to heaven I’d never met you!”
His face was a colorless mask. “You couldn’t possibly wish it as much as I do. Just so you know, we’re going outside the village tomorrow to shoot some scenes in the park. Your presence won’t be required.”
He strode from the room like an avenging prince, leaving Lacey weak and trembling.
For a minute she had to cling to the chair, too devastated by pain to move. She had no idea how long she stood there, but at some point Max’s pronouncement that the crew would be away from the village the following day galvanized her into action.
She pulled things out of the dresser and started packing her bags. Every day the hospital received deliveries from Miami. She’d grab a ride into the city. From there, she would take the first flight home.
Lacey returned to the furnished attic apartment at the base of Memory Grove in downtown Salt. Lake, but after living there two weeks, she still hadn’t grown to like it. In fact, she had the awful premonition that no place would ever feel like home again without Max.
It had been in desperation that she had moved out of her sister’s condo. She’d chosen this apartment not only because the walls and ceilings of the living room were one continuous window, giving her a breathtaking view of the city’s skyline, but because of its proximity to the majority of businesses and law firms she frequented as a CPA.
Determined to cut all ties with
Max, she’d bought an answering machine so that when the phone rang, she knew exactly who was calling and why. The only problem was, she hadn’t yet answered the personal calls, particularly Lorraine’s and Valerie’s, which had been left day after day and were piling up, making her feel guilty and childish. And if she were really being honest, heartbroken.
Her new phone number was unlisted. Aside from Valerie and Lorraine, she’d only given it out to her clients, making it impossible for Max to reach her even if he’d wanted to. Which of course, he didn’t!
Feeling wretched, she warmed some soup and turned on her little portable TV. Since returning from Florida, she’d refused to listen to Radio Talk. To turn on the station would be like walking through a second Gethsemane.
But it was torture not to listen to his show even though she knew it wasn’t good for her. Tonight she’d sell her soul for the opportunity to hear his fascinating voice one more time. It was eight o’clock on a Saturday night. All she had to do was turn on the radio and Max would invade her kitchen.
Angry with herself for even considering it, she turned off the TV, opened her briefcase and started to work. But after staring at the same ledger for ten minutes, she realized it was no use, she couldn’t concentrate.
A glance at the clock told her Max’s show would be over in forty-five minutes. As if her hand had a will of its own, she reached for the radio which was sitting on the counter and turned it on.
“And it never occurred to me that she wouldn’t be there. Do you know how it feels to finally be ready to pour out your soul to someone, only to discover that you can’t find them anywhere?”
Lacey blinked in shock because she could hear Max’s voice shaking.
“So you still haven’t had any luck finding Lorraine yet?”
It was a good thing Lacey was holding on to the counter with both hands.
“No. But I’m never giving up. I love her, Patsy, and I have to find her or my life’s not worth living.”
“That’s what I said to you last month when my husband went off on another drinking binge, and you told me not to ever say that. It sounds like you need to take your own advice. Everyone has disappointments in life.”
No Wife Required! Page 13