Eva's Deadline

by Linda Hope Lee

  “Come on,” Mark said. “I’ll take you around, make sure you know everybody. How about Dora’s husband, Josh?” He led her to a white-haired man who was unwrapping hot dogs for the grill.

  “Sure, I remember Josh,” Eva said.

  “Good you could come today,” Josh said with a smile and a nod.

  The Winters had brought Dora’s niece and her husband, who lived in a neighboring town. Cody Jarvis had invited his roommate, Mike, who worked for the post office. Cody was busy photographing the event, but stopped long enough to nod at Eva. A couple of the paper’s freelance writers were there, as were a woman who had a pet-sitting service and a retired man whose specialty was gardening.

  “Hey, Mark.” From her post at the grill, April called out, “The coals are ready. Better get the chicken on.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  “Anything I can do?” Eva asked.

  “Just make yourself comfortable,” Mark said as he headed for the barbecue. “And help yourself to a soda.”

  The rest of the men had moved off to watch a horseshoe game. Eva opened one of the ice chests and took out a bottle of water. She gazed around, trying to decide what to do next. Everyone was busy. A few people glanced her way, but no one invited her to join them. She perched on a picnic bench and pasted a smile on her face. This was going to be a long day.

  Just as she was about to get up and walk around the park, Sasha and Bella, accompanied by Goldie, danced over.

  Sasha smiled up at Eva. “Come for a walk with us.”

  “That’s just what I was thinking of doing,” Eva said. “Where are you going?”

  “Over there.” Sasha pointed to a bandstand in the distance, half hidden by evergreens. “My dad said it’s okay.”

  “All right.” Anything was better than sitting alone. Besides, she liked Sasha. She was cute and lively. And unlike her father, she didn’t pass judgment on Eva about what she did—or didn’t do—for the Herald.

  Sasha grasped one of Eva’s hands, and Bella grabbed the other. As they walked along, the girls chattered about kids they knew, games they played and the upcoming fireworks display. The dog stopped here and there to sniff around and then scampered to catch up.

  They reached the bandstand. Streamers of red, white and blue decorated the structure, and small flags lined the railing. Three men and a woman dressed in patriotic colors were setting up their instruments.

  “There’s a dance later,” Sasha said. “You can dance with my dad.”

  The thought of being in Mark’s arms brought sudden warmth to Eva’s cheeks. “I won’t be staying that long.”

  “You have to stay for the fireworks.” Sasha jumped up and down.

  “We brought Goldie’s carrier,” Bella said, patting the dog. “’Cause she might get scared and run away.”

  “That was a good idea,” Eva said, still dealing with the idea of her and Mark dancing.

  “Do you have a dog?” Sasha asked.

  “Not now. I used to, though.”

  Eva thought of Billy, the family’s wire-haired fox terrier. She’d begged her parents for a dog. Her mother had said yes, but Seb had said no, and his word was always final. Then Brett decided he wanted a dog, and one day Seb brought Billy home. Although her brother soon lost interest, Eva and Billy had bonded immediately. He followed her everywhere. She taught him to sit and stay and to fetch balls and sticks. They’d had a great relationship until Billy passed away at the age of twelve.

  “You could get another one.”

  Sasha’s voice interrupted Eva’s musings. She shook her head to clear the memories. Now was not the time to dwell on the past. Yet, here in Willow Beach, the past was sometimes more real than the present.

  “We’re going to let Goldie have babies,” Bella put in. “You could have one.”

  Eva smiled at the little girl. “Thanks, but having a pet now is not a good idea. I need to wait until I get settled.”

  “What does ‘get settled’ mean?” Sasha’s brow wrinkled.

  “That I won’t be living here always. Next year at this time, I’ll be leaving Willow Beach and returning to Seattle.”

  Sasha put a finger to her lips. “Oh, I ’member. That’s what Daddy said.”

  Eva wondered what else Sasha’s daddy might have said about her.

  “My auntie Sofie left,” Bella said. “And my momma cried.”

  “Will you cry when you leave?” Sasha asked Eva.

  “Uh, maybe.” Eva hedged. “Look, they’ve turned on the lights. Aren’t they pretty?” She pointed to the bandstand, where one of the musicians had switched on the red, white and blue lights attached to the railing.

  By the time they returned from their walk, the food was ready. Eva spied her pasta salad among the other dishes lined up on one of the tables.

  April rushed up to Sasha. “I’ll help you with your food.”

  “I want to do it myself,” Sasha said.

  April frowned. “You can’t reach everything.”

  “Then Eva can help me. Can’t you, Eva?” Sasha’s blue eyes were pleading.

  Eva was considering how she would respond when Mark appeared.

  “I’ve got your food ready, Sasha.” He held out a plate with a hot dog, potato salad and a few carrot sticks.

  That settled that. Eva walked over to the buffet. Everything looked appetizing, and her stomach rumbled in anticipation. She dished up barbecued chicken, baked beans and fresh veggies and dip. Now for some of her salad.

  Bernie peered into her bowl and wrinkled his nose. “What’s this?”

  “That’s mine,” Eva said with a touch of pride. “It’s penne pasta.”

  “Penny pasta? You mean it costs one cent?”

  Eva laughed politely. “It’s a recipe from a Seattle chef who’s a friend of mine.”

  “Seattle, huh? That explains it—the fancy name anyway.” Bernie dug his spoon into the dish and came up with a glob of stuck-together pasta, cheese and bits of lettuce garnish. He tapped the spoon on his plate several times before the mixture fell off.

  Eva’s spirits hit a new low. Still, when her turn came, she loaded her plate with a generous serving.

  Mark waved her over to the table where he and Sasha and April—of course—had claimed seats. When Eva tasted her salad, the strong tang of vinegar almost made her cough. Yuck. She must have misread the recipe.

  “You don’t have to eat my salad,” she whispered to Mark.

  “Sure I do.” He took a bite—and almost choked.

  April smirked.

  After dinner, the games resumed. Horseshoes were out for Eva because she’d ruin her sandals in the dirt. The children ran races, and some of the adults headed off to the volleyball court. No one invited her to join them. She offered to help the women clean up, but they had their own system of who did what and waved her away.

  She grabbed her salad, now a congealed mass of pasta, lettuce and dressing, marched over to the garbage can and dumped out the mess. So much for her efforts.

  Now would be a good time to make her escape. No one would miss her for the rest of the evening. If she wanted to see the fireworks, she could watch from her apartment.

  She was about to leave when the strains of “Stars and Stripes Forever” floated on the air, and Sasha and Bella ran to her side.

  Sasha grabbed Eva’s hand. “The music’s started. Come listen.”

  “I should be getting back to my apartment,” Eva said.

  “No, no, stay.” Sasha’s brow puckered. “Please?”

  Who could resist those big blue eyes? “Well…all right. Not for long, though. I need to go soon.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m tired. It’s been a long day.”

  “I’m not tired,” Bella said. “We could dance all night, huh, Sasha?”

  “Yeah, we could.” Sasha skipped ahead, tugging Eva along.

  Eva had to laugh at the girls’ enthusiasm. “Okay, let me get my purse and we’ll go.”

  In the shu
ffle to grab a seat on the metal folding chairs, Eva ended up with Mark on one side and Sasha and Bella on the other. April claimed the seat on Mark’s other side. For a while they listened to the music and watched couples swirl around the dance floor. Then Sasha jumped up and grabbed Bella’s hand. “C’mon, Bella, let’s dance.”

  The two girls raced up the steps to the gazebo. April nudged Mark. “Why don’t we dance?”

  “Uh, sure, April.” Mark turned to Eva. “Will you excuse us?”

  “Of course. Go.” She flapped her hands at them.

  Mark and April soon joined the other dancers and disappeared into the crowd. Eva caught occasional glimpses of Sasha and Bella, holding hands and prancing around the floor.

  Her thoughts drifted back to the Fourth of July party she’d attended last year. The event was held in Medina, an exclusive residential area bordering Lake Washington. After an elegant salmon barbecue, the guests boarded their hosts’ yacht and cruised out on the lake to witness the fireworks display.

  Sadness engulfed Eva. Seattle was her home. She’d worked hard to make a place for herself there, far away from Willow Beach and the painful memories. Tears burned her eyes. Seeing the girls approach, she hastily brushed them away.

  While Bella joined her parents, Sasha approached Eva. “Will you dance with me?”

  “I, uh, I should be heading to my apartment.”

  “Oh, not yet. Please.” Sasha’s eyes sparkled. “It’ll be fun.”

  Eva had to smile. Once again, Sasha’s wide blue eyes begged in a way that was impossible to refuse. “Okay, okay.”

  She followed the little girl onto the dance floor. Over the heads of the crowd, Eva glimpsed Mark dancing with April. Before she could look away, he caught her eye. His smile appeared genuine and made her feel suddenly warm inside. Eva smiled back. Then she clasped Sasha’s hands, and they began their dance. Her shoulder purse bounced clumsily against her side, but no way would she leave it unattended or ask someone to watch it while she danced.

  When the song ended, Mark, with April close behind, wove his way through the crowd toward them. He gazed down at his daughter. “So, Sasha, is Eva a good dancer?”

  Sasha nodded. “She is. You dance with her, Daddy.”

  Eva took a step backward. “Oh, no, I—” But Sasha—and Bella, who had suddenly appeared—jumped behind Mark and pushed him toward Eva.

  “Hey, kids.” Mark threw up his hands.

  Eva raised her arms, too, intending to create a distance between them. They both miscalculated. His arms flailed, then settled on her waist. Her hands came to rest on his shoulders.

  Her purse landed between their chests.

  Mark looked down and then back up at Eva. “Do you ever go anywhere without this…this appendage?”

  “Not many places, no. If you want to dance with me, it’s part of the package.”

  “Let’s get it out of the way, at least.” He pushed the purse to one side, took her in his arms and swung them into the flow of the other dancers.

  Eva gazed at the band, the festive streamers and the lights, bright now in the soft twilight—anywhere but at Mark.

  Yet she was all too aware of him. His masculine scent, his muscular shoulders, his hand firmly planted around her waist.

  More couples trooped onto the floor, pressing in on them. Mark drew her closer. She should have pulled away, but she didn’t. Instead, she thought about laying her head on his shoulder and, if she moved her hand only an inch or so, running her fingers through the fringe of thick hair brushing his collar.

  After a while, Mark stopped dancing. Eva looked around and realized they were in a dark corner of the bandstand, in a little pocket of space all their own.

  “Eva…”

  His voice was low and husky. She looked up, met his gaze. Even in the dim light she could see the gleam in his eyes. Then his eyelids lowered and his lips parted. Again, she knew she should pull away. And again, she didn’t. She stayed where she was and let Mark kiss her.

  The kiss was warm and sweet. She closed her eyes and gave herself up to it as time and place faded from her awareness. For all she knew—or cared—they could have been spinning in space.

  The end of the song jolted Eva to her senses. She opened her eyes and blinked, bringing the world into focus again. Had she really just kissed Mark Townson? Was she out of her mind?

  She stepped back and pushed him away. “What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded.

  He shook his head, as though coming back to awareness. “That shouldn’t have happened.”

  “You’re darn right it shouldn’t.” She ran her fingers over her lips, still tingling from the kiss.

  Mark spread his hands. “It won’t happen again, I promise you. I’ll take you back now.” He reached out to grasp her elbow.

  She jumped out of his reach. “I don’t want to go back with the others. I’m quite ready to leave.”

  “Then I’ll walk you to your car.”

  “No. I’ll go by myself.” She had to get away from him.

  “Eva, I feel terrible about this—”

  “Just forget it ever happened.”

  Luckily, the gazebo’s back stairs were nearby. Gripping the railing, she hurried down the steps. Glad for the cover of darkness, she sped along the maze of paths, past pavilions lit by lanterns, where the scents of barbecue and roasted corn lingered in the air, past all the talking and the laughter, until she reached the parking lot. She jumped into her car, drove out of the lot and didn’t stop until she reached her apartment.

  A while later, Eva stood at her front window, watching the fireworks explode with bursts of color into the night sky. Mark was watching the display with Sasha and, of course, April. She pictured him sitting between them, an arm around each of them.

  If only she’d gone to Seattle, she and Mark wouldn’t have danced tonight, wouldn’t have kissed.

  Maybe she shouldn’t have run away. Mark might take her sudden flight as an indication their kiss had meant something.

  Did it?

  Of course not. The kiss meant nothing. As fireworks continued to blaze across the sky, Eva kept shaking her head. No, no, no. Nothing.

  *

  “EARTH TO MARK.”

  April’s voice penetrated Mark’s beleaguered brain as he drove her and Sasha home from the picnic. He’d been thinking about Eva. He took his gaze from the road long enough to shoot April a glance. A passing streetlight revealed a suspicious glint in her eyes. Could she have seen him and Eva sharing that kiss on the dance floor? He didn’t think so because they’d been in a dark corner, away from the crowd. Still, April had been his shadow all evening. What he’d said about there being no “us” seemed not to have sunk in.

  “Sorry. What did you say?”

  April leaned over the console, sending a whiff of her perfume in his direction.

  “I asked what you thought of the fireworks display.”

  “Spectacular. The committee went all-out this year, didn’t they?”

  If he were to tell April the truth, he’d have to admit the fireworks in the sky tonight paled in comparison to those that exploded inside him when he kissed Eva. Holding her in his arms, hovering only inches away from her sweet mouth, had been more than he could take. He’d had to kiss her.

  Even though she’d brought him down to earth with a jolt, he’d climbed right back on that cloud her kiss had put him on. He hoped she’d arrived home okay. Despite her protests, he should have walked her to her car.

  “Sasha liked them.”

  April again. “Huh?”

  “The fireworks. Mark, what’s wrong with you?”

  “Nothing, nothing.” Mark peered through the windshield, looking for the turn for April’s street.

  “You’ve been kind of goofy ever since Eva left the picnic. What happened between you two?”

  “Nothing!”

  April jerked back. “Okay, you don’t have to jump all over me. Besides, if you keep yelling, you’ll wake Sasha.” Sh
e nodded over her shoulder to where Sasha slept in the backseat.

  “Sorry, April. I’m just tired. Been a long day.”

  “We had a nice time, though, didn’t we?” Her voice softened.

  “Sure.”

  “I appreciate your giving me a ride home.”

  She’d told Mark her housemate, Heather, had brought her to the party but couldn’t take her home. Mark suspected she’d planned to get stuck, hoping he’d offer his services. Sure enough, when they reached the house the two young women shared, Heather’s car was parked in the driveway.

  April touched her fingers to her lips. “I guess Heather’s plans changed. Oh, well, I’d rather have ridden with you anyway.” She leaned toward him, her long hair swinging forward to graze his arm.

  He flinched, and his foot hit the gas pedal, gunning the motor. “See you Monday.”

  Her mouth tightened. Then she fluttered her eyelids and, in honeyed tones, said, “Right. I always look forward to work, Mark.”

  “Good to know, April.”

  Finally on his way again, Mark sucked in a deep breath, but the back of his neck ached from tension. When Eva had arrived at the picnic, he was glad because her presence would help to bridge the gap between her and the rest of the staff.

  But he knew his feelings went deeper than that. He sensed Eva’s did, too. She couldn’t have responded to his kiss the way she had tonight and not be attracted to him.

  What would happen if they followed their feelings?

  He huffed a breath. Was he insane? He and Eva had no business messing around with kisses or any other kind of personal interaction. The only business they had together was newspaper business.

  There was another, more important reason to not become involved with Eva. Sasha. He glanced in the rearview mirror. She was fast asleep, her chin resting on her chest, blond curls feathering one cheek.

  Sasha was taken with Eva, and Eva seemed to like Sasha, too, but a bond between them would be dangerous. Sasha had already lost one important woman in her life. He didn’t want to risk her losing another.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  EVA SAT AT her desk reviewing an article by one of their freelancers, an elderly woman who chronicled her experiences as a grandmother in a weekly column. Not the kind of thing Eva would read by choice and certainly not what she was used to editing, but the writing had a clever humor that made her smile.