“She died? I’m sorry, I assumed divorce.”
“That’s often what it is. People live longer; marriages last shorter.”
“It happens.”
“Luke divorced a long time ago. It was difficult at the time, but he’s moved on. No one likes divorce. It’s hard on everyone.” He was quiet for a moment. “Given time and purpose, people are resilient. It’s faith that gets us through the bad times.”
A flip remark was coming on and she curbed it. Instead, she asked, “What about Luke? Faith didn’t work for him?”
Ben sighed. “Luke fell away. When he needed faith in God and his church community the most, he turned his back.” He shook his head. “But it’s still in him, that seed of faith, and one day he’ll understand it.” Ben groaned. “And, I’m ashamed to say this is Luke’s business. I shouldn’t be talking about him like this.”
“No worries. I won’t say anything.”
The wide concrete drive curved around attractive landscaping. The house was tan-colored brick with red trim. It was low and wide, seeming to sprawl across the top of a rise of land. The ground sloped down to Bogue Sound on the backside and Juli expected the house was much larger than it appeared from the front.
They parked in the circular drive near the front door and near a wine-colored Toyota. Ben stared at the car. He didn’t move to get out.
“Whose car is it? Luke’s?”
“No, it’s probably a rental. My guess is Adela’s here.” Ben stared at the car.
“Adela? Your sister? From Ohio, right?”
“My older sister. Only sister, I mean.”
“You look concerned, Ben.”
“She can be difficult.” He turned to face Juli. “But it’s because she cares so much. It’s hard for her that I’m…ill.”
“Ben, I promise I’ll be nice. No matter what.”
“She’ll love you once she gets to know you.”
If Luke was anything to go by, and Adela was even more ‘caring,’ then Juli doubted Adela would ever like her. She did, however, expect courtesy and Juli knew how to hold her tongue and temper when she had to, no matter how provoked. Hadn’t she done that for years in every job she’d held?
“Luke probably thought it would be easier for us all to get to know each other in a private setting rather than a restaurant.”
She didn’t hear conviction in Ben’s voice.
They stood on the front porch and she brushed a speck of something from Ben’s shirt sleeve. Ben knocked lightly on the door. It swung open as if someone had been standing just on the other side.
Adela had short brown hair. Her body was thick through the middle, but she was dressed smartly, casually. Juli was certain the garments came with a price tag that would’ve made her faint dead away.
Adela extended her hand. “You must be Juli.”
Shaking her hand was like gripping a block of jagged ice. Juli nodded, but the cordial smile on her face stiffened. Adela pretended to be nice and Juli hoped there was some truth behind it because she wanted it to work, but she saw no friendliness in Adela’s eyes or posture.
Adela hugged Ben and looked teary.
“Hey, sis, I’m good, okay? Let’s enjoy our evening.”
She dropped her arms, releasing him, and he moved to Juli’s side. He placed his hand on Juli’s back. “I want to show you Luke’s view. It’s the best thing about this house.”
Big sister’s eyes turned hard. “Go ahead. I’ll help Luke.”
The aromas coming from the kitchen almost made up for the chilly reception, but Juli didn’t relish sharing a meal in this company.
They stopped in the kitchen doorway. Luke was sprinkling something on a roast and returning it to the oven.
“It smells wonderful,” Ben said.
Luke closed the oven door and stood, removing his oven mitt. He smiled at Ben. Juli was ready to give him a bright smile, but he conspicuously avoided looking at her. He said, “London Broil. It’s Esther’s cooking, her recipe with her secret marinade. She got it started. I’m merely the finisher.”
“I’m going to give Juli a tour. Call us if you need help.”
Ben guided her to a railing that overlooked part of a room below, with two-story floor to ceiling windows. The green of the back lawn sloping down to the water, was tipped with gold from the late day sun. The water picked up the light and seemed to pass it along from wavelet to wavelet, shimmering. Down slope to the left, was a dock and boathouse.
In the room immediately below them, the furnishings were all burnished leather and deeply grained wood.
“It’s beautiful,” she told Ben. And it was, but it also looked lonely. Maybe he entertained a lot. For all she knew, he had lots of girlfriends.
They walked out to the screened porch, and beyond it to the deck. It was peaceful—almost like a time out—a chance to prepare herself for what was to come.
“Ben?” She put her arm through his, their elbows on the rail as they leaned forward together. She detected tension. But these were people who loved Ben, no matter what they thought of her. She should be nervous, not him. And she was. Definitely.
“Yes?” He clasped her hand in his.
“We’re good together, aren’t we? You don’t regret—”
“Don’t worry, Juli. It’ll be fine.” He reached up and touched her hair. He ran his fingers down its length, smoothing the tresses over her shoulder until his hand reached her back. He leaned toward her and placed a tender kiss on her cheek.
Their first kiss. A friend’s kiss, except for the insistent pressure on her back. Instinctively, she moved closer and his arm tightened.
Adela was behind them. She cleared her throat. Juli turned, startled.
“Dinner’s ready. Come to the table.”
Adela gazed at her with her lips pursed into a tortured-looking fake smile. Without a word, they followed Adela back inside the house.
Ben held her chair as she sat. Juli smoothed her skirt before taking the cloth napkin from beside the plate. She situated the napkin in her lap and straightened the forks beside her plate, but there was a limit to the mechanics she could use to hide her fear before finally, she had to look up and risk the unfriendly faces.
Trapped at the table and inappropriate—she wanted to climb out of her skin and be anywhere, but here. She should’ve purchased the expensive silk blouse she’d fingered at the boutique, instead of this knit top. The skirt she’d bought was too cheaply made. No wonder it had been on clearance.
She tried to pretend she was as good as them, but it was difficult with Adela seated directly opposite her at the table.
Adela helped herself to the London Broil, then passed the dish.
“Luke is more like a brother to us than a cousin. We’re all family here, Juli. Simple people. Did Ben tell you we grew up in the same neighborhood as Luke? When we lost our parents—we were already adults at the time—but when we lost our parents, we still had Aunt Susannah and Uncle Matt, Luke’s parents. Have you met them? No, I suppose not.”
She paused in buttering her roll and nodded toward Luke and then Ben. “We’re proud of our family’s accomplishments. Did you know both of them were honor graduates at Duke? That was before they pursued advanced degrees and went on to open a number of businesses.”
Ben said, “Adela. Please. Enough. Let’s enjoy our meal.”
“We are enjoying this delicious meal and I know Juli will agree you are very special.”
Juli nodded, but her smile felt as false as Adela’s good manners.
“They are both very successful businessmen.” Adela paused again. With her knife held dramatically aloft, she said, “Where did you go to school, Juli?”
Juli was tempted to lie, but she couldn’t because Luke and Ben knew the truth. She looked at Ben beside her, then at Luke across the table. She could tell Luke was angry by the set of his mouth. She took a cleansing breath and said, “Nowhere special.”
“Oh. Well, I understand you work in a market? Interest
ing work. And for a caterer?”
Juli watched Ben. He looked tired—as if he’d checked out. Luke watched him, too, and when Ben’s shoulders sagged, Luke interrupted.
“Juli is an artist, Adela. Isn’t that so, Ben?”
Ben perked up. “She is.”
Adela opened her mouth to reply and Ben said kindly, but firmly, “Enough. If you want to get to know her better, invite her to lunch.” He leaned toward Juli. “I guess I’m not the only Bradshaw who interrogates over a good meal.”
Juli laughed with him, but it was forced. Their amusement was surface only, just enough to cover the damage and let them escape with some dignity. She noticed Luke seemed more relaxed now, but she couldn’t begin to read his face and didn’t care to try. This wasn’t even about her. This was a battle for possession of Ben, and Adela had the finesse of an out-of-control sledgehammer.
“Ben, I have a headache. Do you mind?”
Adela spoke, “There’s still dessert.”
Luke said, “I can wrap it up for you to take home.”
They left with a few quick goodbyes. It was such a short distance home neither of them spoke, digesting both meal and the dinner conversation in silence. The silence continued up the stairs. Ben preceded her into the house, but Juli walked past him and straight out the front door onto the porch and into the night.
Air. She needed air.
Juli was partway down the crossover, half-running by the light of the moon, before she heard Ben calling her name. The ocean sounded louder at night was less noise to compete. She continued for a few steps more, pretending she hadn’t heard him over the crashing surf.
She put her hand on the rail. The wood was damp with sea spray and grainy with sand. She held the rail to steady herself and waited for Ben.
“Juli, what’s wrong? Why are you out here?”
She shook her head, the jumbled thoughts and emotions stayed topsy-turvy and senseless. “We missed our sunset walk.”
Ben frowned and leaned closer. “What? Our walk?”
She raised her voice, “Our walk, Ben. We missed our walk.”
He put his arms around her. He pulled her close. She rested her face against his shoulder and shivered. How could she explain they should never have gone to Luke’s? That he should’ve stopped Adela? Once it was gone, you couldn’t get it back—whether it was lost innocence, special moments, or peace of mind.
“I don’t understand. I’m sorry we missed our walk, but there’ll be more.” He relaxed his hug and put his hand beneath her chin and lifted her face. “Come with me.”
He pulled her to the end of the crossover and led her down the steps. When they reached the deep, dry sand her shoes bogged down and she stumbled. He stopped to kick off his shoes and she did the same. Juli was barely steady again when he tugged her hand and led her forward, near to where the tide was going out and the sand was wet and firm.
He kept hold of her hand, but slid his other arm around her back, near her waist, and pulled her close.
“What—?”
“Shhh. Be still. Close your eyes and listen.”
He shut his eyes, head up and listening. After a moment of uncertainty, she did the same.
“Do you hear it?”
“What?” She felt the beat of his heart against her chest, echoing her own.
“The ocean. Do you hear its pulse?”
Juli closed her eyes again. “Yes,” she breathed. “I do.”
He moved, ever so slightly, one leg sliding outward and forward, then the other. She followed his lead and they began to move slowly to the timing of the waves. Juli folded her body into his and they moved in unison, round and round in slow and graceful rhythm.
It would never be performed in a ballroom—this dance belonged to the ocean, the sand and the moon, temporarily lent to a starlit couple in need of a little magic.
Chapter Ten
Ben slept late the next morning. Juli was out early hoping to greet the sunrise and to watch the smooth, controlled flight of pelicans skimming the waves in search of breakfast. The pelicans were, indeed, feeding, but no sun broke through the cloud cover. As darker, lower clouds pushed onshore, she turned back. She was almost to their crossover when she saw Frankie leaning against the steps.
Despite herself, her stride faltered. What was he doing here? How did he find her? She’d never been afraid of Frankie, but his unexpected appearance promised no good.
No good at all.
Frankie’s wrinkled khaki shorts hung low on his hips. His loose-fitting, untucked polo shirt was stretched out of shape giving him a slovenly look. As she approached, he pushed away from the post he’d been leaning against. Juli tried to smooth the suspicion from her face.
“Surprise, surprise,” she said.
“Ouch. I was sure you’d be impressed I found you.”
“It’s eight a.m. A little early to drop by.”
“You’ve been gone a month. Like, vanished. I was worried. I had a friend check the license plate.”
Ben’s car, of course. “And now you’re here, unannounced.”
“Would your friend have minded if I’d called and asked for you? Or how about if I’d just shown up and knocked on the door? Not knowing what you’ve got going here, well, I didn’t want to screw it up.”
“The only thing going on here is a friend doing a favor for a friend. That’s all.”
“Cool. Glad to hear it. You never had the face for larceny. It shows everything you’re thinking. So, are you going to invite me in?”
“What?”
“Invite me in. I’m housebroken. Your friend won’t mind if you have another friend, right?”
Frankie was definitely not getting an invite into the Glory. Better to be blunt.
“Go home, Frankie. This has nothing to do with you.”
“That’s harsh, Jules. You sure this is how you want it? These people aren’t your friends.”
Frankie wasn’t visiting because they were buddies. Frankie was fishing to see what he might catch. Juli took the next logical step on the rude road, “You and I are neighbors who do favors for each other once in a while. No more than that. If you want to discuss it, we can talk when I come back to the apartment.”
She moved closer to him. “Am I wrong? If you were here because you’re worried about me, then it might be different, but that’s not it, not at all. You think I have some kind of scam going on here and you want a piece of it. You couldn’t be more wrong, Frankie. Plain wrong. Go away and let me help my friend.”
“Sure.” He tugged at his shirt and swaggered a few steps. “Whatever you say.” He stopped and turned back. “Might be a time where you need me as a friend again.” He spit on the sand. “I wasn’t alone in that coatroom, Jules. You were there, too. Remember that.”
Frankie sauntered up the beach away from Juli and the Glory. Had he come from up the beach?
He wouldn’t have gone to the house first. He wouldn’t risk messing up whatever dishonest game he thought she was perpetrating—not as long as he had a ghost of a hope of profiting, too. A few houses further up, he turned right and used someone else’s crossover to leave the beach.
Uneasy in her heart, she turned toward the house. Luke stood on the porch, looking her way.
What was he doing here? Had Ben gotten sick? Had he called Luke because she wasn’t there to help him? Juli ran the length of the crossover. “What’s up? Is he sick?”
Luke was icy. “Ben left some medication over at the house last night. I brought it by. Was that the man from the party? The one you were with inside the coatroom?”
“Coatroom. What’s the deal with the coatroom? I was there long enough to get my backpack. That’s it. End of story. Is Ben up?”
She didn’t wait for his answer, but brushed past on her way to the door. He grabbed her arm and stopped her dead.
He spoke in a low voice, “Don’t bring him around here. Tell your boyfriend to stay away. You owe Ben that. If you think I don’t mean it, test me. I’
ll give you up to the police in a heartbeat and you can explain it to them. Ben will be disappointed, but I’ll do it if I have to.”
He was holding her arm and his face was in her face. The anger in her body surged into the arm not being held and perhaps some of the hurt from the evening before was still simmering. She swung with all her might. Her open palm hit his face with as much force as she could put into it. He released her like a hot potato, shock on his fine, high cheekbones, one of which was now bright red.
“Don’t talk to me like that, don’t threaten me and never manhandle me.” Juli’s voice shook. “I suppose I should thank you for a lovely dinner yesterday. Consider yourself thanked.” She pushed him aside as she swept past and into the house.
No one was in the living room. “Ben?” She saw the prescription bottle on the counter and picked it up. It was pain medication. “Ben?” She was halfway up the stairs before he answered.
“I’m up here.” He descended to the landing. “What’s up?”
Sweet relief. “Luke brought your medication. You left it at his house.”
“I know. He was up here. Is he still around?”
“I think he’s gone now.” He’d better be gone.
“Do you mind if we have a quiet day? Just stay in?”
“Good idea. It looks a little rainy, anyway.”
Juli cooked breakfast and was pleasantly surprised at her growing skill. Ben said he wasn’t hungry, yet again, but after a few listless bites, he ate. First, she thought, he ate to please her and then because he enjoyed the food.
Ben settled at the table by the front window with his cup of coffee. Jigsaw puzzle pieces were scattered across the tabletop. He picked them up, piece by piece, but did nothing except to put them down again. Juli wasn’t in the mood to work a puzzle either. She needed to work off the negative energy from the early morning.
She pulled out the sketchbook and pencils from a drawer in the entertainment center. “Don’t say no,” she said.
“Oh—” he groaned.
“You don’t have to do anything but sit. You wouldn’t want to stifle an artist, would you?”
Beach Rental Page 8