Beck assured her they’d be safe at his place. Even though the repairs weren’t completed, he’d ordered outdoor security lights installed on all corners of the cabin, so no one could sneak up, unnoticed.
She rolled over. The bed next to her was empty except for a note on the pillow secured with a paper clip.
Good morning, sleepyhead. When you decide to get up, I’ll start breakfast.
She smiled. Breakfast would consist of frozen pancakes, orange juice, and eggs purchased the evening before at a nearby grocery. At the same store, they’d also picked up the ingredients for the potato salad, which they’d dropped off at GrammaU’s before heading to Beck’s cabin.
What time was it? She glanced at the clock. A few minutes after eight. She had time for a quick shower, which she took without delay. After the shower, she hurried back into the bedroom for shorts and a cotton shirt.
A noise from the other side of the cabin where the fire had been stopped her dead in her tracks and chilled her blood. Her stomach did a fast fall. Would this fear ever end? Would whoever had it in for her stop only after she was out of the way? And why? What exactly had she done?
Beck’s whistling of a tune from the soft listening station warmed her blood. She considered briefly what her life would be like for the next two months, away from Louisiana and away from the fear. Away from Beck. The thought saddened her.
Now that the local police had been filled in on all the frightening deeds, she had to believe the culprit would be caught. Maybe by the time she returned to Baton Rouge, her life would be back to normal. Or at least back to what normal was before all the scary things happened at the site. As for saying good-bye to Beck, she couldn’t think about that now. She had breakfast to eat, and later, potato salad to make with GrammaU.
She entered the kitchen, and after a long, passionate kiss, Beck ushered her to a chair and ordered her to stay put while he prepared breakfast. As expected, he warmed the pancakes in the oven while he scrambled eggs.
They ate in relative silence, and when breakfast was over and the kitchen cleaned, Beck guided them both to the nearest chair and lowered her onto his lap. He slipped his arms around her waist and tilted her forward until her head rested on his shoulder. His breath was warm at her ear.
“I want you to know these past few weeks have been the happiest of my entire life. I wish you didn’t have to leave, but I know you do. Now, more than ever.”
She didn’t answer him. She would have burst into tears if she tried to speak one word. He must have known the reason for her silence, because he just held her and stroked her back for what seemed like half the morning. But what also seemed like only a second.
Finally, she drew back and brushed her lips across his forehead, breathing in the scent of him for what may well be the last time. She fought back tears and smiled. “I’ve had the best weeks of my life, too.” Except for the danger that now seemed very real.
Later, she enjoyed every minute of her time with Beck’s grandmother, doing most of the peeling and chopping despite the old lady’s insistence she could do more of the work herself.
Beck’s father stopped by around noon. His excuse was having to make certain he could navigate his truck with the limited use of his broken arm before he attempted the longer distance to Beck’s cabin.
She had a feeling at least part of the reason he stopped by was so she could observe his sober state. She hoped Beck was as proud of his father as she was that he’d kept his resolve to stay clean and that he would let his father know how he felt.
They’d set dinner time at five, after checking with Stanley Hodges, the new director, to see if he could release everyone an hour early. At four o’clock, she and GrammaU headed over to Beck’s cabin with two huge bowls of potato salad and a bonus of two banana cream pies GrammaU baked the night before.
The crew beat them to Beck’s cabin, and Kent hailed her as soon as she stepped from the car. “Don’t forget I’m riding home with you tonight.”
He’d reminded her at least half a dozen times since Sunday he’d driven in with Karen because his car was being repaired. “I haven’t forgotten. I’ll be glad for the company.” Looking forward to driving back with Kent was something of an untruth. She wasn’t in the mood for his usual chatter, but then again, maybe it would keep her from brooding about leaving Beck behind.
When they arrived at the cabin, Beck was already barbecuing. As soon as he saw them, he started their way, calling for someone to take his place at the grill. He had set up a large barrel-type barbeque pit in the back yard as well as a picnic table and a half dozen folding chairs a respectable distance from the barbeque pit. Piled on one of the chairs were two army style blankets to be used on the grass for the more adventurous.
A couple of the students beat Beck to the new arrivals and relieved Alex of a bowl of potato salad and GrammaU of her pie.
“A bowl of salad and another pie are in the back of the car on the floor,” Alex told Beck when he reached them.
Beck leaned over to give his grandmother a kiss on the cheek and then looked at Alex. “Get GrammaU settled in one of those chairs, would you?”
When his father pulled up next to Alex’s car, Beck signaled Kent. “Would you get the baked beans from the old man’s truck, please?”
After settling GrammaU in a comfortable chair with a tall glass of ice water, Alex walked to the pit where Beck had taken up duty again after he’d carried the rest of the food from her car. “Need any help?”
Beck wiped a bead of perspiration from his brow with the back of his forearm. “Nope. You’re the guest of honor. This get-together is my going away present. I want you to just relax until dinner is ready.”
She didn’t know what to say. Or do. He’d pretty much taken control of everything. After all, this gathering was his show. She walked to where GrammaU sat and made sure she was comfortable and then joined Stanley and a couple of the students setting up to play horseshoes. Wistfully, she glanced back at Beck, who seemed oblivious to anything except his self-appointed job as chief cook. A huge lump formed in her throat, and she tried to swallow it, but to no avail.
Still, she couldn’t stop looking. In his denim cut-offs and grey sleeveless sweatshirt, he was the handsomest and sexiest she had ever seen him. She wanted so badly to wrap her arms around him and tell him she’d come back when she finished in Arkansas, if he still wanted her. Or maybe, just maybe, she’d even stay if that’s what he wanted. But they made a deal. No long-term commitment. They were an item only as long as their relationship lasted. And the relationship had lasted as long as it could.
The group coerced Beck into throwing a couple of rounds of horseshoes while several of the students took turns tending the pit.
Before long Beck was back at his job and she was left to spend the remainder of their time together with people she cared deeply about, his grandmother and his father, but no one she loved as much as him.
That admission cut like a hot blade. She loved the one man she finally found that she could spend the rest of her life with. Beck wasn’t the kind of guy who wanted to spend a major part of his life with one woman.
Her throat tightened. Long-term commitment or not, they had slept together. Their being intimate should mean something. Sex was supposed to change a relationship. Change it for better or worse. Theirs had definitely become better. So, how could he just let her go so easily? Fortunately, before she could dwell on Beck’s seeming indifference to her leaving, he announced the ribs and chicken were ready.
She made a plate of food for GrammaU and ate with her and Beck’s father, while Beck kept himself conveniently busy playing cook, waiter, and premier host. When they finished eating, Kent, as spokesman for the students, presented her with a silver pen and pencil set.
“To make up for the one you lost.” Karen, the older of the female students referred to the pen Alex confessed to losing sometime during the past few weeks.
She wasn’t prepared for the rush of sadness that overcame
her at the thought of leaving this bright group of students who shared in her brief moment of glory. The tears she’d held in check flowed freely. At least, she consoled herself, no one would know she wept not only for the loss of her comrades but for the loss of her lover as well.
Beck approached her when she went to the table to dish up slices of pie for GrammaU and his father. He touched her elbow lightly, and she turned to face him.
“You’ll be missed a lot. I hope you know that,” he said.
Standing over the barbecue grill for hours could have accounted for both the huskiness in his voice and the mistiness in his eyes. She didn’t want to think of the other possibility. She didn’t want to think her leaving was affecting him so deeply. Still, he was letting her go without a fight. She was doing the same. They had made a deal.
Beck looked away. “What time will you be leaving in the morning?”
“By seven, I hope.”
He reached across the table and picked up a few empty cups, stacked them one inside the other and then looked at her. “Will you call me before you leave? A last good-bye?”
She turned her head. She didn’t want him to see her cry at the thought of parting. “Yes, of course.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I think your grandmother is finished with her pie, and she might be getting tired. I hate to be the first to leave my own party, but I really should take her home.”
Beck cocked his head to the side. “I could drive her home so you don’t have to.”
She shook her head. “No. I want to.” She wanted to tell his grandmother good-bye in private because the tears would flow again when she did. She also knew she would miss the old lady and Beck’s father very much.
“When do classes start again?”
Was he trying to find out when she expected to return without asking her outright? If so, for what reason? “I need to be back by the middle of August.” She swallowed and looked down at the ground. “Of course, if something happens to…to…Cassie, I’ll be here sooner. If she took the slightest turn for the worse, Bill promised to call immediately so I could catch the next plane out.”
“I’ll keep my fingers crossed things go well.” She swallowed again and was about to tell him if the worse did happen, she’d get in touch when she came back.
Stanley walked over. “I have a few things to catch up on so I’ll be leaving now. He told her he would also be taking those students that rode with him. The rest of the students arrived in Karen’s car, and she walked up to the group, put her arms around Alex, and gave her a hug. “We’ll be leaving now, too,” she said.
After Beck had been thanked for his hospitality and the wonderful meal, they all piled into their respective vehicles.
Alex waved them off, a tightness forming in her chest.
Beck’s father approached as she turned to make her way back to GrammaU. He put his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek. She felt his tears mix with her own.
“I don’t know how to thank you,” he whispered. “Meeting you turned around my life.”
“Please,” she whispered, her voice as shaky as his, “I’ve done nothing but show you a way to something you were already prepared to do. I was happy to be here for you. If you ever need me, no matter where I am, just call.”
“If my son lets you go, he’s a bigger fool than I took him for,” the old man said.
“Beck and I have different agendas. But maybe we’ll see each other again when I return from Arkansas. Even if we don’t though”—she stepped back and looked into the old man’s watery eyes—”you and I will always be friends. Deal?” She gave him her hand.
Beck’s father took her hand and clasped it tight, leaned over, and kissed her cheek again before he walked in the direction of Beck and GrammaU.
The old lady straightened Beck’s collar as Alex approached the group.
“Don’t argue, Becker. I been watchin’ you. You ain’t eaten a thing.”
Beck chucked his grandmother playfully under the chin. “I have, too, eaten. I had a slice of that delicious banana pie you made.”
“That’s not enough for a growin’ boy like you. I’m not leavin’ ’til I see you put some food in your mouth.” She turned to Alex. “Tell him I’m right. Tell him he needs to eat.”
“She’s right,” Kent piped up. “You’ve been so busy taking care of everyone else, you haven’t stopped more than five minutes. Let me fix you a plate.” He looked down at Beck’s grandmother. “He could eat it after we leave.”
Beck clapped Kent on the back. “Thanks, pal.”
What a change, Alex thought, as Kent hurried to the table to fill a plate with beans and salad before he rushed over to the pit to add ribs and chicken. Mortal enemies just weeks ago and now bosom buddies. Would miracles never cease?
Kent handed Beck the plate of food.
“You eat every last scrap, you hear?” GrammaU quickly spoke up.
Beck gave the old lady a weak smile, held the plate in one hand and crossed his heart with the other. “I promise.” He set the plate on the empty chair next to hers, helped her out of her chair, and stayed by her side until she was steady on her feet.
Beck’s father walked to where his son and his mother-in-law stood. He turned to the old lady. “Let me get you settled in the car.”
Figuring Beck’s father wanted to give her and Beck a few private moments together, Alex surrendered when Beck guided her away from the guests exchanging good-byes.
Once they were alone, Beck drew her gently into his arms. She let herself rest against him, memorizing every plane of his body, every muscle and every hard, sexy part of him, breathing him in like the last oxygen left on the planet. Her pulse raced.
“Have a wonderful summer, Alex. When you get back, if you have time, give me a call. In any event, I’ll be expecting to hear great things about you. Tell Jeremy hello for me when you see him.” He brushed his lips across her cheek and found her lips. Their kiss was bittersweet. It held every promise they ever wanted to make and every one they never would.
She ended the kiss. Their parting was too painful to prolong. Saying good-bye to Beck was more than just parting from a lover. She was saying good-bye forever to a dream that would never become a reality. To a lifetime of happiness that less than a month ago she would never have thought possible.
Beck walked her to her car.
Kent was in the passenger seat since he didn’t know the way to Beck’s grandmother’s house.
Alex got behind the wheel and waited while Beck made sure GrammaU’s seat belt was adjusted properly. After a last goodbye, she allowed herself only one, brief glance in the rearview mirror as she drove away.
Her heart felt heavy, like she was leaving behind the rest of her life.
****
With a heavy heart, Beck dropped down in the chair his grandmother just left and reached for the plate of food. He’d pretend this gathering was an ordinary summer barbeque he’d held for friends, eat some of the damned food like he’d promised GrammU, clean up the mess and then head for The Outpost. Maybe he’d give Cheryl a call. Maybe she’d be happy to hear from him.
Yes, she would. And, sure he’d call her. Like hell. He couldn’t even remember what she looked like. Crap. He took a bite of the rib, shoveled in a forkful of potato salad, and followed it with beans. Determined to put Alex Kingsley behind him and get on with his life, he took another bite from the rib. He had a difficult time swallowing the damn stuff. The meat didn’t taste right. Nothing would ever taste right again. He gave up after another forkful and pitched the plate as hard as he could across the yard.
Great, now he’d have more mess to clean up or else he’d have every animal and rodent within ten miles coming to a picnic in his backyard. He grabbed a beer from the ice chest, opened the can, and took three big gulps. Setting the beer on the table, he started making the rounds of the area that had been used. Surprisingly, very little trash remained. Everyone seemed to have pretty much cleaned up after themselves.
W
hen the outside was as clean as before his guests arrived, the uneaten food was all that remained. The leftovers needed to be stored in the ice chest, since the refrigerator wasn’t on a line with the generator. Lately, he hadn’t had much need to keep food in the house. He reached for the last slice of banana cream pie and immediately thought of Alex.
Oh, Jesus, what had he done? How had he let her go so easily? How had she left without a fight? Spewing every curse he could think of, he paced. What would she do if he went after her? But he couldn’t. They’d made a deal. Sure, the idea was his, but she’d jumped on it pretty damn quick. She didn’t want any ties either. Besides, she had her future to think about. Her career would probably blossom even more after being involved in something as significant as that archaeological dig.
Once again, he cursed the day he met her. Cursed the damned Indians for dying where they did. Cursed the damn State of Mississippi for cooperating with the damn State of Louisiana. Cursed Ned for starting all the shit that drove him to Alex and forced him to be her bodyguard. Cursed himself.
When the outburst was over, he bent his head and covered his face with his hands. Jesus, he loved her so much his gut hurt just from the thought.
Suddenly, he doubled over, wrapped his arms around his middle against a wave of pain, and groaned aloud. Something was wrong. Not even losing the only woman who had ever made him want to cleave to her like the Bible said, should hurt this bad.
Pain clawed at his insides. A wave of nausea rolled over him so swiftly and keenly, he reeled. Another sharp pain stabbed him, subsided, and came back with even more vengeance. Perspiration popped out on his forehead and on the nape of his neck. He felt chilled, and his head throbbed. Jesus, what was wrong? Had he gotten food poisoning that fast? From the banana cream pie? Had it sat in the heat too long?
Another wrenching spasm raced through his insides, and he felt faint. But before he could even give in to the mercy of blackness, a giant fist deep in his gut pushed up the contents of his stomach. He retched, but nothing left him.
Unearthed Page 25