Lucky 13

by Jillian Dagg

  Ignore the bud of attraction, snap it from the stem before it flowered.

  Karl grinned. “Now she's trying to find a way to tell me why it isn't true."

  "No,” Cally said. “Okay. So I drove down to Minneapolis with him, and he happened to be somewhere I was on the weekend. That's it. That's all. It's nothing. So cool it, Karl."

  "You'll go out with me then?"

  Dating Karl might be the way to show Luke and Karl she was free of entanglement with any one man.

  But she didn't want to date him. Why subject herself to such craziness and maybe more problems?

  "To prove that you don't have anything going with Luke come to a movie with me on Monday evening,”

  Karl said. “Otherwise,” he winked at Stacey who served their plates of food, “Otherwise,” he continued when she left, “I'll believe there is something going on with you and Luke."

  What harm could a movie do? Cally thought. Also, it might make Luke see that she wasn't interested in him, and he might leave her alone. “All right,” she said, feeling as if she were diving into icy cold water.

  “Just a movie, but I won't make it a habit."

  Karl looked pleased with himself as he began to eat his lunch. “That's great. Now relax Creighton and we'll have a fantastic lunch together."

  Relax! Cally didn't know the meaning of the word anymore. After she finished her lunch she managed to escape Karl and go for a walk in the rain that had turned to drizzle. When she returned to the motel, the only two vehicles remaining belonged to Luke. His car. His truck. It pointed out to her that she was going to be alone here with him this weekend. Somehow she would have to avoid him.

  Chapter Seven

  All Friday night Cally tossed and turned. Stupid move, she chided herself. You didn't have to accept Karl's date. Now he's gone home for the weekend and you can't tell him no until Monday and he's going to be really mad at you. It was Luke she liked. Not Karl. It was Luke she wanted. Not Karl. Then why had she agreed to date Karl?

  Saturday began with drizzle. Cally rushed to the restaurant for breakfast expecting to find Luke, but her only companions were a few disgruntled tourists. She returned to her unit and read until noon. By that time the sun was shining and she noticed Luke's truck was gone from the parking lot. She purchased a sandwich and pop and walked to one of the picnic tables by the lake. As she ate, she decided she was avoiding Luke without trying. Unless he was avoiding her. She wouldn't be surprised if Karl had let some rumor fly and Luke either knew about her impending date with Karl, or had decided he was going to have to cool it himself. Whatever. She wasn't running into him at every turn which was a relief. Even if she did want to see him badly. Confusion at her feelings ate at her and she poked half the sandwich back in its pack. She was losing her appetite over that man.

  She returned to her unit realizing how completely alone she was. For the first time on one of her weekends here by herself she felt left out and lonely. Incredibly she wanted to cry with the loneliness. Her stomach felt hollow inside. Her throat ached with unshed tears. Only another day and one half and the crew would return, she said aloud into the silent room. But it didn't help the passing of time. She decided to go out once more. The strong sunshine was drying up the landscape and the air smelled fresh.

  Gone were the humidity and the sizzling heat. Next week will be pleasant to work through if the weather remains like this, she thought. And she might have to work some weekends. She'd promised Luke that.

  She had no reason to be lonely. She should treat this weekend as a rest.

  Then next week she would stay away from Luke. Remind herself that gossip was being spread about their liaison, however innocent. Remind herself that he might not be around for too long anyway, so avoiding him was the perfect solution to not being hurt.

  Even though she already felt hurt.

  Restlessly Cally returned to her room, settled on the bed, and idly punched the remote control. But there was nothing to watch on TV. Instead, she fell asleep and awoke to a rap at the door. Stumbling from the bed, she tugged on the handle and opened up.

  Luke stood there holding the paperback he'd promised to lend her when he'd finished reading it.

  "My contribution,” he said with a slight tip to his mouth that creased the sides and made him very desirable to Cally.

  "Oh,” she said, pushing back her tumbled hair. Her eyes felt heavy with sleep.

  He raised an eyebrow. “I'm keeping you up?"

  "TV was so boring I dozed off.” She ran her hand through her hair again. “Come in. I'm sorry."

  He walked in and closed the door behind him. “Here's the book I promised you.” He placed the book on the table by the window and thrust his hands into his back pockets. “Have you read mine?"

  Cally glanced at the rumpled bed and the paperback that was spread spine open on a pillow. “No.

  Sorry. I've read quite a bit, but I'm not quite finished. Give me until tomorrow."

  "Fine. Tonight we won't have time anyway. Let's go for dinner into Echo Bay. There's a great restaurant on the river. You can dress up. We can go to a movie after."

  "I haven't got anything real fancy to wear,” Cally said, wanting to go so badly, but knowing she really couldn't if she were to nip her attraction for him in the bud. Except the way she felt right now, gazing at him, seeing how great he looked in his white trainers, snug jeans, and black T-shirt, his hair unruly from the wind, she had the feeling that her attraction for him was no longer a bud. It was a full-blown flower.

  "It doesn't have to be that fancy,” Luke said. “Don't turn me down, Carolyn."

  "I'm not, but I'm considering...” She walked away from him and smoothed her hair once again. “I'm considering what we're doing. We're establishing a relationship. And that's not what you want between the female crew and the male crew, and ... What we're doing Luke is what you informed me not to do right at the beginning. It's a double standard.” Now she sounded like Karl. But he was right on this one.

  Luke removed his hands from his pockets and moved forward. The sun creases by his eyes and mouth made him look haggard. “I know. But I like you, Carolyn. I know what I've said about fraternization on the crew, but I don't see why we can't be companions to one another when we're alone here."

  "Friends like,” she said, knowing she might be his friend on the surface but her heart would eventually betray her.

  "Friends.” He seemed anxious she acknowledge this.

  "All right,” she agreed. “I'll find something decent to wear tonight."

  "Great.” He grinned. “Meet me by the car about five thirty. We'll have dinner, then go to the movie. It's an offbeat comedy I really want to see."

  "Great. Sounds fun."

  He backed out of her unit. “See you later."

  Luke closed the door and Cally raised her eyes to the wooden ceiling. She was getting into a mess here.

  Dinner and movie with Luke this evening. A movie with Karl on Monday.

  They sat outside at picnic tables to eat their dinner by the Echo River. Cally told herself to forget her worries and enjoy herself. Luke was an intelligent companion with a sense of humor on the same plane as her own, which tended to touch cerebral. They were compatible. There was no other word to describe their companionship.

  Hand in hand they walked along to the movie theater in a building that had somehow defied remodeling or demolition. Cally felt the fifties atmosphere added a credibility to the movie, turning it into a real fantasy. Even so, the movie was uproariously funny to both of them and there was much to discuss on the return journey to the motel.

  A lamp shone over Cally's door. Bugs, drawn to the light, swirled in circles. She knew at night she had to shut the door quickly to stop them buzzing into the room. When she turned to say goodnight to Luke he was watching her with a careful expression on his face. He lifted his hand to her hair and stroked it down her back.

  "That was fun,” he said softly, easing her toward him with his hand on her back.
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  "It was,” she agreed, sensing fun was over, this was serious. Luke's eyes were serious.

  His mouth was also serious. The first touch made Cally's lips tremble and when he increased the pressure her lips parted. For a second she felt as if she were one of the flying moths. Then Luke eased the feeling by letting her go and stepping away.

  "Goodnight,” he said.

  "Goodnight,” she echoed in a wobbly voice.

  "Don't get bitten. Quick."

  She moved into the unit so fast she didn't see him walk to his unit but she heard his feet on the wooden deck.

  Sunday was hot. Aware that Luke was her only other companion at the motel, Cally kept expecting to bump into him. But again he wasn't at the restaurant when she ate breakfast. His car was gone when she went outside. Some of the guests were swimming in the lake and sunning on the beach, so she changed into her swimsuit and went down to the lakeshore. She set herself up at a picnic table, read her book until she only had one chapter left before she could pass it on to Luke. Then with Luke's kiss from last night on her mind, she went into the water. The lake was surprisingly warm and the sandy bottom soft on her feet. She swam for a long time in the sparkling lake and when she came out she felt refreshed and ready for battle once more.

  Battle of the men, she told herself as she shrugged a sweatshirt over her wet suit and trudged back to her room to change. When she was dressed in shorts and top, she dried her hair, finished the chapter of the book. Pushing the book into her deep pocket, she went to the store and bought herself a can of pop.

  Luke's car was back, so she walked to his unit and knocked on the door.

  He opened it immediately.

  "Finished,” she said, holding up the book.

  He took the book. “Great. Come in for a second. Maybe we can go for a walk."

  She walked in, closed the door. It was similar to her own room with two double beds, table and comfortable chairs by the window, and the bathroom. Except the clothes hanging in the alcove closet were Luke's.

  Luke placed the book on the table beside one of the beds, and disappeared into the bathroom. When he reappeared, he wore a fresh gray T-shirt over his jeans. He slipped his feet into his trainers and knelt to lace them.

  Cally sipped from her can of pop, watching his bowed dark head. She could feel that they had developed an intimacy between them. Each meeting placed another stamp of reality on that intimacy. The kiss had begun another stage.

  He arose and he caught her smoothing her lips with her tongue.

  "Good soda?” he asked with a smile.

  "Yes. It is. Do you want a drink?"

  "No. I've just finished one of those large plastic bottles of Cola.” He indicated a supply of bottles on his dresser next to the water glasses and ice container.

  "Were you out at the site?"

  "Just for a while. I checked the equipment, everything's wet but fine. The forecast is for warm sunny weather for all next week. Then I stopped by Echo Bay and picked up the drinks. What did you do this morning?"

  "I finished that book. I went for a swim."

  "How was the water?"

  "It's great. Nice and warm."

  "Maybe after our walk I'll take a swim then. Come on. Let's hike."

  Luke knew an extended route around the lake and soon they were surrounded by lapping water against high rocks and the smell of damp pine. They climbed the rocks and surveyed the scenery.

  "There's our motel at the end of the lake,” he pointed out to Cally.

  "I didn't know the pathway went this far,” she said.

  "I wouldn't suggest you come here alone at night. Best to stick to the path that everyone uses."

  "Who could get me but a bear?"

  "Exactly.” Luke grinned.

  He took hold of her hand and they jumped down to the path. They kept their hands entwined as they walked back. Cally thought, if this moment could be forever, then I'd capture it.

  Back at the motel, Luke went to change into his swim gear. Cally put on a different swimsuit—she had three—placed a T-shirt overtop, and met him down by the lake. They had the entire swimming area to themselves. They swam, splashed, and laughed. Another moment Cally wanted to capture. She was going to take hoards of memories back with her from this summer and it might take a while to get over them.

  "Are you really going to the Middle East?” she asked Luke as they dried off at a picnic table and drank pop from one of his bottles out of motel glasses.

  "If I get accepted."

  "When will you know?” She tried to keep her voice upbeat, as if she really wanted him to go.

  "End of August, before this project ends."

  "Your brother won't mind?"

  "No. He can run Stanford Construction without me for a year. We have other employees."

  "That's okay then."

  "For sure,” Luke said and drained his glass. “Well, I think we should go eat dinner and get an early night.

  I want to read that book."

  "And I have yours to read,” Cally said.

  "Yep.” He touched the back of her hand with his big fingers and traced the veins. “This has been a good weekend, Carolyn."

  She met his gaze and let her eyes linger on his. “Yes. It has."

  He squeezed her hand, let go, gathered the glasses, the pop bottle and his towel, and they strolled back to their units. An hour later they met in the restaurant for dinner, but Cally could hardly eat. The sliced roast beef stuck in her throat and no amount of iced water or iced tea would sluice it down easily. The food was like a sludge in her stomach for the rest of the evening and she couldn't concentrate on the mystery Luke had lent her. She wondered if he could concentrate on her book. At about seven she heard the trucks and cars arriving as the crew returned. Soon Loretta banged in the door to tell her enthusiastically about her weekend at home.

  * * * *

  Stop.

  Slow

  Crunch of tires.

  Roar of equipment.

  Mens voices yelling.

  Smell of hot tar.

  Blazing heat from scorching sun.

  Cally felt nauseous as the day began to decline. She'd eaten little today, which was so unlike her. She was usually starving all of the time when she was out in the fresh air all day. Essie never understood how Cally stayed so thin. Now she would.

  Cally heard Loretta's instructions and reversed her sign to Stop. Three transport trucks piled up behind the sign. Her main problem to solve today was how to get out of going to the movie with Karl. After her weekend with Luke she knew where her loyalty lay. Luke might be the boss she shouldn't fraternize with, he might be going away for a year, but he was the man she felt she should support. She liked him. More than liked him. His kiss on Saturday night had left a resounding falling in love sensation inside her. She rubbed her stomach. Was this the meaning of lovesick? she wondered.

  A truck pulled up near her on the newly paved side of the road. “Hi,” Karl yelled. “Ready for tonight?"

  "I'm not sure."

  "No backing out now Creighton."