A Touch of Passion (boxed set romance bundle)

by Uvi Poznansky

  “Maybe you shouldn’t be driving when I tell you. It’s not pretty.”

  A convenience store loomed ahead, the kind that sells blow-up rafts and beach chairs that survive a week, conveniently falling apart on the last day of vacation. Pulling into the parking lot, he parked and shut the engine off. “You have my full attention.”

  “It’s not that,” she said.

  He frowned, thinking how dramatic can it be?

  “I was raped. I got pregnant with Laura. The man is in jail now, for a long time. That’s the story. You can see why it’s not something I talk about.”

  Stunned, Jason was speechless. The idea that she lived through a pregnancy by a man who raped her, and then delivered a baby with Downs syndrome was unfathomable. “Did you know him?”

  “No. I left work at three in the morning and didn’t wait for the security guard to walk me to my car. It was a chance I took.”

  “How awful,” Jason said, knowing it was a pat response. “I have no words.”

  “I know,” she said, patting his hand. “What can you say? It’s just a thing that happened. But Laura is the silver lining.” Those words answered the question he wondered: Why didn’t she have an abortion?

  “She was?”

  “Oh yes,” Kathy replied smiling. “I mean, look at her. You see how special she is. Laura is always happy. We went through about a year when I was ready to pull my hair out, but then I heard other parents say their regular children had the same behavior.

  “I believe that abortion should be available for women. I did consider it right up until the last second. Then I wondered if this would be my only chance to have a baby. When I say I don’t date, I’m being truthful. I never have dated much. I never thought marriage was in my future.

  “When she was born, she was so cute, I just loved her immediately. My mother was appalled. Betsy’s a tough one. Practical I guess you might say. When I discovered I was pregnant, she asked me if I was going to keep it. She didn’t try to pressure me or anything. ‘It’s going to be tough,’ she said. ‘The kid will be a reminder, every second of the day.’

  “But my mother was wrong. I never think of the conception. I asked Harley if she thought of the conception of each girl and she said she didn’t. Harley was a great comfort to me. She validated me in so many ways.”

  “Harley knew?”

  “Oh yes. The minute I made the decision I was going to go through with her plan, I wanted her to have the truth.”

  “But why did you cancel it then? She used it to bring me down a notch. ‘Kathy isn’t attracted to you.’”

  Kathy laughed out loud. “She must have been trying to put you in your place about something else. I don’t think those were my exact words. Plus, how can you tell if you’re attracted to someone if you don’t know them?”

  “Exactly,” Jason agreed, thinking of his own revelation earlier in the day.

  “I’m learning so much about myself through this whole process. I think I was worried about the deceitfulness of thinking I could join up with Harley and try to manipulate you. Your suggestion that you would treat it like an arranged marriage was great! I wish Harley knew how easy you’ve been.”

  “Oh yeah, I’m easy,” he said, laughing.

  “I just felt uncomfortable because of Harley. I didn’t feel like I could be around too much with the motive of snatching her husband the second she died. I even told my mother, if it’s meant to be, it will be. And us running into each other at the casino was all it took for me. I knew I wanted to see you again, but not too soon. The summer was too soon. I think you knew that, too.”

  “We came close to not seeing each other again,” he said. “That would have been terrible.”

  He shuddered for effect, and they laughed again. It was effectively pushing the conversation about Laura’s father out of their minds. “Do you want lunch?” he glanced at his watch.

  “I can wait until we get to your folk’s place. My mother made macaroni and cheese.”

  “I’ll wait, too,” he replied, starting the car.

  Maneuvering through the parking lot, when he got back on the parkway, Jason reached for her hand. “This is intense,” he said.

  “It sure is.”

  The words I love you were on the tip of his tongue but he didn’t say them, not sure the emotion of their conversation wasn’t responsible. He did love that she was so strong, that she loved her daughter, and that her mother’s macaroni and cheese was preferable to a deli sandwich. Because it was so early, he’d be sure to qualify what he loved about her and tell her exactly that.

  “I love what a good mother you are to Laura,” he said. And then he was surprised at how emotional it made him to think of Laura.

  “She’s easy to love,” Kathy said. “You’ll see.”

  “I want to get to know her,” he replied. “The girls love her.”

  “Yes, our daughters won’t be a problem. It was a worry Harley had. I wish I could tell her.”

  “Harley, the girls love each other,” Jason said out loud, glancing at Kathy with a smile.

  By the time they pulled up to the cottage, they were holding hands, laughing again, the darker confessions forgotten for the moment.

  It would have been like any other weekend at the shore if one incident could have been deleted. Lunch was over, and the sky darkened, a raindrop or two pinging the window over the kitchen sink. Joe stood looking out. “I was just going to suggest we put the boat in now that Jason is here, and look. Rain.”

  “There was no rain in the forecast,” Fran said. But he pointed at the window which looked toward the water, at the darkening sky and darker sea. The adults sat around the table, chatting. The grandchildren were piled onto the big couch, a Disney video playing while Bea stood with a cup of coffee, thinking, when she saw a car pull up.

  “Are we expecting anyone else?” she called out. The others got up and joined her, gaping out the window. A familiar female opened the car door, her presence instigating a bolus of heat which spread through Bea’s body, settling in the pit of her stomach. “Oh no.”

  “Who is it?”

  She was a large woman, tall and broad shouldered, wearing a very short tight skirt and ankle boots. “Whoever she is, I love her cha cha boots,” Tina said.

  With a huge bust, her button up cardigan straining to pop open, she unfolded herself out of the car. Fran looked at Bea and repeated, “Who is it?”

  “Dave’s girlfriend,” she said.

  “Mom, he said they’re just friends,” Sally said, snickering.

  “Where’s Dave?”

  Candace Baker knocked on the door, and the women hung back to let Joe answer. “Can I help you?” he asked, trying not to stare at her bosom.

  “Is Bea Jones here? I gotta speak with her,” she said.

  The caricature was complete with chewing gum and a blond bouffant hair do. Joe opened the screen door for her, but she refused. “No, I just need to see Bea right away.”

  Thinking that maybe Dave had taken ill or had an accident, Bea came to her senses and rushed to the door. “Candace, what’s wrong?”

  She nodded to the car. “Come with me.”

  Bea’s stomach knots grew worse. “Oh God.”

  “Yes. I said the same thing.” She opened the back door and there was Dave, drunk and a mess.”

  “What happened?”

  “You tell me,” she replied, exasperated. “I have to work for a living and Saturday is my day to run errands. Dave here shows up on my doorstep in this condition, I might add. I tried to take him home but your neighbors said you were down here. I didn’t want to leave him there because I was afraid he might barf and choke to death.”

  “How’d you even know about this place?” Bea asked, looking at her intently.

  “I just know, okay? Get those strong men in there to haul this guy out of my car. I have to drive another two hours back home. I don’t appreciate it.”

  “Why didn’t you just let him stay at your place?�
� Bea asked.

  “Whatever you think of me, I’m not a home wrecker,” she said. “I’ve already told Dave to get a divorce or leave me alone.”

  Bea hooted, slapping her knee. “Gosh, what a gal,” she said. “Thanks a hell of a lot.”

  “It’s not my fault your husband is unhappy,” Candace said.

  “It’s not mine, either. Trust me, if you stick around long enough, he’ll be blaming you for his misery soon, too.”

  That seemed to shut Candace up. “I’ll get my father-in-law to help.” Bea walked back to the house, thinking how sad it was that her children were privy to it. A parent wanted to protect their children and all they’d done for the past year is expose them to heartache, misery and death. Only the girls were interested in Candace’s car, the movie enough of a distraction for Michael.

  “Pop, can you help? Dave’s passed out,” she whispered.

  “Tell her to drive her car around back. You can bring him in through the laundry room door.”

  “I’ll wait there,” Jason said.

  Joe nodded and he walked out with Bea. “Sorry about this, dear,” he said.

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “He’s my son. Some of the blame has to be mine.”

  He asked Candace to move her car and they walked behind it, the exhaust visible in the rain.

  Jason was waiting at the door as he said. They got Dave out and smuggled him into the house, into the room he shared with Bea. She stood off and let the men deal with him. If she was a tougher woman, she’d leave for home. The weekend was ruined in her opinion.

  “I didn’t know what else to do.” It was Candace, standing in the doorway. Her hair was sparkling with rain mist, and Bea knew she should invite her in, but it was her fault for flirting with Dave in the first place.

  “You knew he was married. You came to my baby shower, for God’s sake. Why flirt with a man who is obviously in trouble? I don’t get it.”

  Candace’s defenses were clearly stirred up, and Bea didn’t want to listen to her, the temptation to push her off the porch powerful. “He’s a grown man.”

  “And you took advantage of him,” Bea said.

  “He isn’t happy at home.”

  “So I hear,” Bea replied. “Thanks for bringing him down.”

  Bea couldn’t decipher Candace’s look for moment, and then suddenly she thought the woman expected to be invited in. Offered a cup of coffee or even a meal. But that wasn’t happening. “Can I give you gas money?” Bea asked.

  “That would be nice,” she answered.

  “I’ll be right back,” Bea said, closing the door. She wasn’t allowing her to get a foot in. They might never get rid of her.

  Coming back with two twenties; that had to be enough. She opened the door and handed the bills to Candace. “Thanks again,” Bea said, closing the door without giving her a chance to say anything else.

  From the bathroom window, she watched Candace get into her car and drive off.

  Now the dilemma was what to do. The weekend was ruined and they obviously couldn’t stay once Dave sobered up. She was sure Jason and Kathy would pick up the slack for her, take the kids home, allow the girls to spend the night with their cousins.

  A man who was so miserable that he’d get angry at his family for no reason and flee the house, get drunk and end up at another woman’s place was a tough man to deal with. Bea didn’t know what to do.

  A tap at the door interrupted her reverie. “Are you okay?” Kathy whispered. “No of course, you’re not okay.”

  “I know. What can you say? My husband is acting like an eighteen year old.” Bea walked into the hallway, the bathroom suddenly claustrophobic. “Will you and Jason help take care of my son? I think once he sobers up we have to get out of here and allow the rest of you to have a decent weekend. Or is it too late?”

  “It’s not too late,” Kathy said. “I just feel badly for you to have to go through this. Jason and the folks are worried for you, too. They feel responsible.”

  “Well they need to stop it. I don’t have the energy to try to make them feel better.”

  Dreading going out to the public rooms and having to face everyone, Bea headed to their bedroom. “Give my regards,” she said. “I’m going back to do damage control.”

  Kathy nodded and turned away, giving Bea the space she was longing for. It wasn’t such a big deal, but she felt like she was suffocating. The pressure from everything was suddenly too much. Harley would have had just the right words for her. Looking up at the hallway ceiling, Bea mumbled a little prayer. What should I do, Harl?

  As clearly as if the words were spoken, the thought one foot in front of the other floated through her mind. “Always the simplest things,” Bea said. Smiling, she reached for the bedroom door knob and turned it. The smell of whiskey and sweat hit her in the face as she entered. The sounds of the door opening woke Dave up. He groaned, rolling over to his back.

  “I guess you can’t be that drunk,” she said.

  “What time is it?”

  “Almost four,” Bea said, looking at her watch.

  “Oh God, how did I get here?”

  “I’ll give you one guess,” Bea said. “Don’t waste it now, think hard.”

  “Smart ass,” he moaned. “Is she still here?”

  “No! Why would she be?”

  He struggled to sit up, holding his head. “Is everyone here?”

  “Everyone, including your children.”

  “Make me feel worse, why don’t you,” he hissed.

  “It is worse, Dave. Get up. I’ll drive home and you can decide what you want to do. We are not going to go on this way for one more minute. It looks to me like you aren’t committed to our marriage, so leave.”

  He was standing, holding on to his head. “Where are my shoes?” Bea looked around the floor, and then remembered that the men led him in with stocking feet.

  “Probably in the back of Candace Baker’s car.”

  Pointing to the door, he waved her away. “Go. Get your purse or whatever you need and let’s leave.”

  “Go out the way you came in, through the laundry room. I’ll say goodbye.”

  Leaving the way she’d instructed him, Dave had one goal and that was to get back to Candace’s house with his clothes before the day was over. Bea’s car was unlocked and he got into the passenger side.

  Going to Kathy who was emptying the dishwasher, Bea had to breathe deeply to keep from crying. Her own predicament bad enough, seeing Kathy there doing Harley’s job made her sad. “We’re going home,” she whispered. “Are you sure you don’t mind taking charge of my kids?”

  “Not at all. We’ll be fine. You have to take care of you,” she said. “I’ll let them know you had to go.”

  She pulled Bea to her chest and hugged her. “I’ll be praying for you.” Once the words were out her mouth, she couldn’t take them back. She would throw a few words on Bea’s behalf up to the sky. It was unclear if her prayers were heard. Maybe Harley would intervene.

  “Pray he just leaves me. I can’t take much more,” Bea said, struggling to stay in control.

  Dave was looking out the opposite window when she got in the car. His apathy toward her was the worst thing that had happened to their marriage. Not looking at her, ignoring her unless it was in anger, she could see how some women would manage a relationship like that by picking fights, just to get the attention.

  “Put your seatbelt on, please,” she said, glancing at him.

  Doing as she asked, Dave was miserable. Somewhere along the line, he stopped loving Bea. Stopped even liking her. Candace fit him perfectly; she mirrored the feelings he had about himself; not to be taken seriously, a buffoon. Lowering his head suddenly, he burst into tears. “I’m sorry Bea. Please forgive me. But this time, I’ll leave like I should have done before Harley died. I knew then to be fair to everyone I should just go away.”

  “Your salary can’t support two households,” she said, unable to keep the derisi
on out of her voice.

  “I’m moving in with Candace.”

  Wishing she had the courage to drive the car into a tree, it was taking every bit of self-control for Bea to stay calm.

  “I love Candace,” he said, reaching for Bea’s hand.

  “Don’t touch me,” she said, keeping her eyes on the road.

  “You have always been too good for me,” Dave said. “You know how everyone used to ask how did you get a looker like Bea?”

  “No Dave, I don’t remember that. You’re delusional.”

  “Even my folks said it. You’re educated, beautiful, kind. Perfect. Then there’s me.”

  “So this is all because you’re feeling sorry for yourself,” she said. “That’s a great reason to wreck a family.”

  “I guess I am, a little. Candace is more my type. She didn’t go to college, so she can’t hang that over my head.”

  “When did I ever do that?”

  “Every time you tell our kids there’s no other option but college, I feel like you’re slinging shit at me.”

  “I see,” Bea said, her temper creeping up. “Would you rather they didn’t go?”

  “Of course not. But you must know what it does to me since I didn’t go.”

  “And why didn’t you? You’re smart and your parents wanted you to. You didn’t go because you wanted to party,” she said. “You were too lazy.”

  “Nice,” he said. “That was real nice.”

  “Let’s keep it real. So you’re moving out. When is this going to take place?” She was hoping he say immediately.

  “When we get home I’ll pack up my stuff.”

  “How are we going to manage the shore?” Of all the issues in their relationship, going to the shore was one she would fight for.

  “They’re my parents,” he said.

  “I bet they’d want me to come around no matter what. Ha! Me and Candace in the same room for a weekend,” Bea said. “Not pretty.”

  “How about opposing weekends?”

  It was the first rational thing he’d said, and although she wanted to tell him to drop dead, she’d try to be rational, too. “Okay, every other weekend, every other holiday. If we’re amicable, we can be there at the same time. I doubt I’ll be single for long so you can get used to me being with another man just like I’ll get used to you and Candace.”