NOT What I Was Expecting

by Tallulah Anne Scott

  “He’s so smug. He thinks he’s so smart,” I said through gritted teeth with my arms crossed across my chest.

  “Yeah,” CeCe agreed as she nodded and smiled, still staring where Luke used to be standing.

  “CECE!” I barked.

  “What? I’m listening to you,” she said looking at me now but still smiling. “I just think you guys make such a cute couple. But okay sorry, you were going to tell me why you want me to sleep in your room.”

  I stood there with my arms folded, my toe tapping, and a little burst of steam probably coming out of my ears. I had nothing. I had to say it.

  “I don’t want him going through my drawers. There! I said it! Can we please just get on with our lives now?” I was feeling more than a little childish, but I was also convinced I’d NEVER get to sleep if Luke was alone in my bedroom.

  CeCe had turned her back to me as she was getting something out of the refrigerator. I started to say goodnight and leave but noticed her shoulders jiggle. Oh, no she better not.

  “CeCe,” I asked, inching my way around to get a side view of her face, “are you laughing at me?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Mags,” CeCe tried to enunciate between guffaws of laughter. I guess since she’d been caught she saw no point in trying to hold it in. “It’s just – it’s just – you guys are so perfect for each other. Please tell me you still see that. I know you were all infatuated with him when you left, and I know you’ve both had a rough few days, but I have never, EVER, met anyone I feel would – ah, work harder on that sunroom than he would. Oh, hey, Luke. Here, let me help you with those bags. I was telling Mags I have a friend who wants a sunroom addition, if you have some guys to send to her place, you know, when everything gets straightened out.”

  “Uh, that’s okay, CeCe, I’ve got these, but you can take the bag with Peso’s gear if you want,” Luke insisted, without relinquishing either his duffel or my overnight bag. “I’ll just stick Maggie’s bag in her room. Look, CeCe, why don’t you stay in your room, and Maggie can stay in hers. I’m fine crashing on the sofa. I’m not sure I can sleep anyway, so this way I’m close to the kitchen in case I need another pot of coffee,” Luke concluded with a tired smile.

  I don’t think he saw me watching him from the kitchen, but I still found it difficult not to study him when he wasn’t aware he was being observed. As much easier as it would make my life if it weren’t true, CeCe was right. I was still convinced he was wonderful, although maybe it was buried a little deeper down inside him than I originally suspected. To tell the truth, I wasn’t always that easy to get along with either, so if he was slightly difficult at times, maybe he did deserve me. That thought made me smile.

  CHAPTER 20

  I woke up Tuesday morning to the sound of muffled voices and the smell of something sweet. What is that, I wondered – maple syrup? Whatever it was it smelled good. I was glad to be back in my own bed.

  The warm and fuzzies I was feeling didn’t last long, as yesterday’s events came back so fast they took my breath away. Fry. We had to get Fry back. I sat up, looked at the clock which read 7:08 a.m. and jumped out of bed. I dashed into the bathroom, took a quick shower, did the hair and makeup thing, pulled on jeans and a pink hoodie t-shirt, and made my way to the kitchen.

  If I expected to be ahead of those early birds, at least in the clean and dressed department, I was sadly mistaken. CeCe and Luke sat at the table, both already showered and dressed, and CeCe’s hair and makeup looked spectacular. Their plates indicated they had already eaten what looked like pancakes with syrup.

  “What time did you people get up?” I asked as I looked around for Peso and found him sleeping under the kitchen table at CeCe’s feet.

  “Well, I woke up around 5:30, and I couldn’t go back to sleep because I was thinking about Fry. I decided to get up and get some coffee started, but I was too late,” CeCe informed me with a big smile. “Luke and Peso were already up. At least Luke was up, and Peso was out here with him,” CeCe explained as she glanced under the table at the sleeping Peso.

  “What time did you get up?” I asked Luke.

  “Let’s just say it was early,” he answered with a strained smile.

  “Yeah, he wouldn’t tell me either,” CeCe said with her smile still set at full wattage.

  Something was up with her, but I would have to give that a thought later. Right now I needed coffee.

  “Luke, are you worried about the plan to get Fry back?” I asked as I poured my coffee. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “Thanks a lot, Maggie,” CeCe said in mock disgust. “I’ve spent the last hour steering his mind away from that subject. He and I talked it out when I first got up, and although he’s worried about Fry’s safety, he has a wonderful plan. It’s going to work, and we’re going to get Fry back. Then we’ll all be able to concentrate on other important things,” CeCe concluded with a giggle.

  “Yeah, CeCe, high five – uh, have you been drinking this morning?” I asked carefully.

  “No!” she replied. With that shocked declaration, her smile did leave her for about five seconds. Then it was back as she stood, walked to the counter where I was doctoring my coffee, and threw her arms around me. “I just love you so much.”

  When she noticed the puzzled look on my face, she brought it down a notch or two. “And I’m just really glad you and Luke are here with me while I navigate this emotional roller coaster I’ve found myself stuck on since Fry was abducted right in front of me.”

  If the emphasis she placed on the last part of her explanation was intended as a subject closer, it worked.

  Luke fixed me some pancakes, and then we all sat around talking while I ate.

  When CeCe announced she was going to take Peso out for a quick spin around the yard since he just woke up (again), Luke and I were alone.

  “What,” I asked as soon as CeCe was out the door, “is up with CeCe this morning?

  Luke smiled at me but didn’t say anything for a minute.

  “What?” I demanded.

  “I think she just wants to be encouraged about our prospects of getting Fry back. She’s kind of overwhelmed by how things are going with Ben, but doesn’t feel like she can really be happy, or excited about anything until Fry is safe.” When I raised one eyebrow to question that statement, Luke continued, “She was telling me how wonderful Ben’s treated her the over last few days, and she’s all — didn’t she tell you any of this?” he asked me with a devilish grin.

  “No,” I kind of pouted, although I didn’t mean for it to come out that way. “So she filled you in on where she stands in her relationship, and that’s all you two talked about, huh?”

  He tried to stop grinning at me and look serious but failed. “Uh, I think there might have been something else, but I’m having trouble remembering . . . ,” Luke faked concentration, but it was obvious it wasn’t something he did often, because he looked more constipated than contemplative.

  “You’re leaving something out,” I accused suspiciously. “You know it, and I know it, so spill.”

  “Let’s see,” Luke still pretended to be in deep concentration mode. “We did talk about you for a while after that, and she told me several amusing anecdotes starring Maggie as the goddess of love and every man’s dream.”

  “Oh, no she didn’t. Did she?” I asked, but even before Luke was busy trying to hide his guilty grin I knew the answer to that question. I’m sure CeCe felt she was helping my cause and pushing Luke closer to me, but sometimes I wish everyone would just stop helping me. This was one of those times. As I reached out and turned his watch face toward me, so I could see what I might possibly have time to squeeze in before we had to go, Luke apparently looked at his watch at the same time.

  “Oops, we’ll have to discuss this later,” Luke announced as he looked at his watch and stood to take his dishes to the sink. “Time to hit the road.” When he turned away from the sink, he said, “Be right back.”

  Although the t
one of his voice was light, the strain on his face indicated he wasn’t taking this lightly at all. Since CeCe, with Peso in tow, was coming in the door just before he headed down the hall, I assumed his cavalier attitude was for our benefit.

  “Are you ready, CeCe?” I asked as I rinsed out my coffee cup. “Luke’s about ready to head to his house for the call.”

  “Correction,” Luke said so forcefully that his tone made me jump when he came in behind me. “I am ready, and I’m heading out. Wish me luck.”

  “What do you mean wish you luck?” I asked grabbing his arm so he couldn’t take another step until we cleared up this confusion. “CeCe and I are coming with.”

  “Oh, no you don’t.” While he chuckled, he shook his head. “You are not pulling that on me again. I’m just going to run to my place, take the phone call from Fry’s thugs, and come right back here to finalize the plan. You and CeCe do not need to be there for that. I already told your mother you would not be anywhere near that phone call. End of discussion.”

  “Hey,” CeCe said calmly, “you two can do whatever you want about Maggie going, but I’m the one who just stood by and allowed Fry to be grabbed. I’m definitely there.”

  Luke took a deep breath and lost the chuckle. “Look,” he began slowly and calmly. “This is what I need you both to do. STAY HERE.”

  Okay, that last part was a little louder than necessary.

  “Please,” Luke continued more gently. “I can’t concentrate on what these guys tell me if I have to worry about making sure you’re both safe. Maggie, just let me do this my way, okay?” His eyes might have pleaded with me, but his tone sort of repeated his earlier end of discussion comment.

  I genuinely did not want to make this harder for him than it already was, and he obviously felt strongly about it, so I said, “Okay. CeCe and I will stay here, but you come straight back and tell us what they said. Deal?”

  Luke looked shocked for only a moment before he adopted his controlled expression once more. “Deal,” he agreed, turned and bolted for the door before anyone else had any other objections. When he was almost to the front door, he smiled at me over his shoulder and yelled, “Peso, you’re in charge until I get back.”

  “Be careful,” I whispered, but he was already gone.

  “So what do we do to pass the time until he gets back?” CeCe asked as she looked around for ideas.

  “Oh, I have a great idea,” I told her as I headed for the foyer to retrieve my car keys from the basket on the table. After I grabbed them, I dangled them to show CeCe what I had.

  “Uh-oh,” CeCe said so quietly I almost didn’t hear her. “Maggie, what are you doing?”

  “My car hasn’t been run for days. I think it would be best if we took it for a spin, don’t you?” I asked CeCe innocently.

  “Um, that depends, Mags,” CeCe answered slowly. “In which direction you feel your car might be spinning.”

  “Well, probably in a direction that would prevent someone from having to face an ambush alone should a couple of murdering kidnappers show up at a location they are supposed to phone. Come on, CeCe,” I encouraged, “we have to make sure Luke is okay. With us around, it’s three to two in our favor.”

  “I’m not so sure you and I would count as two whole people, but when you put it that way, I’m in,” CeCe caved.

  I slowly brought my car to a stop on the street behind Uncle Barney’s house. “Okay, let’s go,” I said and grabbed the door handle.

  “Wait a minute,” CeCe said nervously, “We need a plan. How are we going to sneak around the house without Luke seeing us?”

  “Easy,” I said. “The houses are so far apart that there are no fences in this neighborhood. We’ll just cut straight through this yard into Uncle Barney’s backyard. Then we just have to get under that broken window you told me about. That way, we can hear the phone call and keep an eye out for the kidnappers.”

  CeCe stared at me for a moment. “When you say it like that it almost sounds like we could do it.”

  I started to get out of the car, but CeCe grabbed my arm.

  “Almost,” she emphasized.

  “Luke is going to have all his attention focused on the phone,” I pointed out, “We could probably have a party in the back yard, and he wouldn’t notice. We can’t let him do this alone. We don’t want him outnumbered if they show up, remember?” I pleaded.

  “You’re right. I know you’re right,” CeCe said, and took a deep cleansing breath. “Let’s move out.” We quickly tiptoed across the neighbor’s lawn. When we reached the edge of Uncle Barney’s yard, we decided to try scooting along the perimeter where there was a line of hedges for cover. We tried to move quickly as we hugged the hedges, but the darn things kept grabbing onto our clothes and snagging our hair.

  “Oh, no,” CeCe screeched in a strangled whisper.

  “What’s the matter?” I asked quickly.

  “I ripped my sweater on this stupid bush!” she exclaimed.

  It was one of her favorite sweaters, and the look on her face told me she intended to make that bush pay dearly for its crime. She grabbed the top of its skinny trunk, gave it a few shakes, and finished with four or five swift kicks to the bottom of its trunk. She was muttering something about seeing the Karate Kid movie 50 times and it had better watch out, as she inspected the hole in her sweater.

  “Are you done, because I think we might as well just ring the doorbell at this point,” I said bitterly.

  “Oh, he didn’t see us or he’d be out here by now. Come on,” she said still cranky about the sweater. We actually managed a little stealth as we reached the left side of the house and flattened ourselves gently against the outside wall. We slithered along the wall a few feet, and then needed to make our way around the extra tall bird feeder pole Uncle Barney had set up at one of his kitchen windows. I looked up to make sure I was not shaking anything, when a very inconsiderate bird kicked down a rain of birdseed on my head. Of course my mouth was open when I looked up – I mean, it’s me. I automatically coughed, hacked, and spit a little before I looked up into CeCe’s horrified face.

  “How loud was that?” I whispered. The back door creaked open in answer to my question. “Run!” I whispered. As we both turned to dash back to the hedges my nose bumped the end of a long gun barrel or at least it looked really long from my angle.

  “Maggie,” Luke said it like a curse word.

  “I . . . ,” I began, but Luke stopped me with an upheld hand. He turned away from us and swore at the ground for a minute. He looked at me for a second, but then returned to swearing at the ground. CeCe and I both waited patiently for him to finish, appreciating his restraint.

  Finally, he said, “Inside.”

  “I think I’d like to stay out here where there are witnesses,” I said. Instead of arguing with me, he took me by the arm and firmly led me inside.

  CeCe followed us as she explained, “This was all my idea. Maggie did not want to come. She wanted to do what you asked.”

  Good ol’ CeCe. She didn’t want Luke to be mad at me. Unfortunately, he didn’t buy it for a second. He pulled me quickly through the kitchen and plopped me on the sofa in the living room.

  “Sit,” he commanded CeCe as he pointed at the sofa. He laid the gun on the coffee table as he started pacing. “You do realize I was pointing a loaded gun at you two, right?”

  We both nodded.

  “I got that out of Uncle Barney’s gun cabinet on the off chance the kidnappers decided to show up in person. When I heard someone outside, I was fully prepared to use it.” He stopped pacing. “When I shoot, I don’t miss. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  We nodded.

  His anger drained away, and he replaced it with concern. “Do you two even – don’t you think . . . .” He stopped short when the phone rang.

  He quickly picked up the phone next to the recliner. “Luke Becnel,” he answered. He listened for a moment and then said, “Yes, I have it. I understand.” I heard a deep v
oice talking on the other end and saw Luke’s eyes tense. “I was thinking more along the lines of a drop. Once I see Fry is free, I’ll leave it somewhere for you.” Luke listened again. “I am not trying to find a way to keep the painting,” Luke asserted calmly. “I have zero interest in it. It’s yours. I just need a guarantee that my friend will be returned unharmed.”

  More from the deep voice on the other end.

  “That doesn’t work for me,” Luke said with an authority in his voice I’d never heard before. “It’ll have to be some place more public,” Luke continued. “There’s a loading dock at the Build-N-Fix-It that’s for contractors only. I use it all the time. There are people around, but it’s not crowded. How about there?”

  The deep voice’s answer seemed to go on forever. Luke’s face was hard and unreadable.

  “Where I can see him,” Luke said. “And I need to talk to Fry before we hang up.” There was a long pause. Finally, Luke said, “Just sit tight, man. We’ve got it covered.”

  CeCe whimpered and tears spilled out of my eyes before I could stop them. The urge to reach right through the phone line and hug Fry tight overwhelmed me. CeCe sobbed into her hands and leaned against me.

  “Noon,” Luke said and hung up the phone.

  “What did they say?” I asked.

  “They didn’t go for a drop. They want to check out the painting before they let Fry go,” Luke said solemnly.

  “Oh no!” CeCe said sounding panicky.

  “No worries,” Luke said smiling an almost convincing smile. “Now that I’ve spoken with them, I can tell it won’t be too difficult to outsmart those brain surgeons. I’m just going to need a little help, that’s all.”

  “We can help,” CeCe and I said in unison. Luke’s smile was genuine this time.

  “Thanks but you aren’t exactly what I had in mind,” he informed us.

  “What did you have in mind?” I asked offended.

  “Someone who can easily take down a 200 pound man,” Luke clarified.

  Oh, yeah, okay then. That’s not us.