THE FALL

by Marie Force

He went next door to Chip and Elise's room, and the hair on the back of his neck tingled when he turned on the light to find the windows covered only by sheer curtains that billowed softly in the breeze.

  Chapter 12

  Smitty let himself into the dark house. In the bedroom he dropped his wallet and the car keys on the dresser. Leaning over the bed, he kissed Caroline's forehead and smoothed his hand over her sleek blond hair, relieved as always to see her after being away from her.

  He'd had to acknowledge some time ago that he had broken his cardinal rule when he allowed her into his heart. Around the same time he had begun preparing himself to lose her. She would leave one day. They always did. But for now she was his, and he was holding on with everything he had.

  He left her to sleep and went into the kitchen for a beer. Twisting the top off on his way outside, he stepped onto the back deck where Parker sat in one of the rocking chairs.

  "How's it going?"

  Startled, Parker looked up at him. "Oh, hi. I didn't hear you come in."

  Smitty gazed out over the placid pond and then up at a sky littered with stars. "Peaceful out here, isn't it?"

  "Sure is."

  Smitty took a long swig of his beer and slid into one of the other rockers. "Something wrong, Parker?"

  After a long pause Parker said, "Nope. Did Chip and Elise come back, too?"

  "She ran into a college friend at Nick's, so Chip's stuck having girl talk with them."

  Parker chuckled.

  "Was that place always such a meat market? It was unreal tonight. They were even trying to pick me up."

  "Desperate times…"

  "Hey," Smitty said with mock indignation. "What I lack in movie star looks, I more than make up for in portfolio power."

  "Too bad you couldn't have had that line put on a T-shirt when you were working the singles scene."

  Smitty howled. "Can you imagine?"

  Parker shook his head with amusement.

  "Well, those days are over now that I've got Caroline."

  "Yes, I suppose they are."

  "You suppose?"

  "They are," Parker clarified.

  "What about you? Any good prospects?"

  "I've got my eye on someone," Parker said, seeming to surprise himself with the confession.

  Smitty pounced. "Really? Who? Do we know her?"

  Parker grinned as he put up his hand to deflect the onslaught. "No. No one you know."

  "How'd you meet her?"

  "Through work."

  "You're not going to give me anything else, are you?"

  "Not now but soon I hope."

  Smitty studied Parker for a quiet moment. "Then in the meantime, I'm going to hope that my very good friend gets whatever it is he wants from this woman he has his eye on."

  "Thank you." Parker saluted Smitty with his empty beer bottle.

  "I'm going to turn in," Smitty said with a big yawn and a stretch.

  "Me, too."

  They walked inside together to put the empty bottles in the kitchen trash.

  "Night," Smitty said, turning toward the master bedroom.

  "Smitty."

  Smitty turned back. "Yeah?"

  Parker chewed on the inside of his cheek as he glanced past Smitty to the closed door to the master bedroom. "Nothing. Never mind. I'll see you in the morning."

  "Okay."

  Smitty went into the room thinking that something was up with Parker. First, he had come home early, and then he had acted so odd, almost from the moment Smitty had stepped onto the deck. Maybe it's the woman he's got on his mind, Smitty thought, as he shed his clothes into a pile on the floor. It wasn't like Parker to be secretive or serious about women, so that was odd in and of itself. I'll have to ask Duff what he knows about it.

  He got in bed next to Caroline, who was turned away from him. Smitty snuggled up to her and ran his hand down her back until he encountered smooth leg. Just the feel of her skin and the scent of her hair was enough to turn him on.

  "Caroline," he whispered as he nibbled on her ear.

  "Hmm."

  "I want you." He reached under her nightgown to fondle her breast.

  She rolled onto her back and seemed to come awake all at once. "Smitty?" She pushed his hand away. "What are you doing?"

  He captured her hand and pressed it against his erection. "A good boner is a terrible thing to waste," he joked, using a line that had made her laugh in the past. But not tonight.

  She tugged her hand free. "Don't."

  He took his tongue on a journey along her neck. "Why not?"

  She pushed him away and got out of bed.

  Smitty lifted himself up on one elbow. "Sweetheart, what's the matter?"

  "I just don't want to, okay?" Before he could answer she fled into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

  What the hell? Smitty wondered as he flopped onto his back.

  Ten minutes later she got back in bed but stayed as far away from him as she could get and still be in the same bed.

  "I'm sorry, sweetheart." He rolled over to put his arm around her and found her rigid with tension. "Are you crying?"

  She didn't answer.

  "Caroline?" A jolt of fear went through him. "What is it?"

  "I'm just really tired, okay?" she said softly.

  "Sure it is. I shouldn't have bothered you."

  She grasped the hand he had rested on her hip. "Sorry."

  "No, I'm sorry." He raised himself up and kissed her cheek. "Go back to sleep." She relaxed against him, and soon the cadence of her breathing told him she was asleep. Smitty lay awake next to her for a long time trying to figure out why everyone was acting so weird.

  * * *

  Ted arose early the next morning to run before anyone else was up. He didn't want to be around to watch Smitty and Caroline emerge from the room they were sharing. Imagining the two of them in bed together had been enough to keep him awake half the night as it was. Full of pent up energy and anxiety, he pushed himself harder than usual on the run during which all his thoughts were of Caroline.

  No matter how he looked at the situation, all he saw was the end of his friendship with Smitty, and most likely Parker and Chip, too. Am I seriously considering that kind of sacrifice? Does it really have to be such a terrible choice? He couldn't imagine his life without the three of them, but since he met her, he couldn't imagine life without her, either.

  More conflicted than ever after an hour's run, Ted returned to the house where Parker sat on the front steps with a cup of coffee.

  Ted's stomach dropped when he realized Parker was waiting for him.

  "Hey," Ted panted as he bent in half to catch his breath and stretch out his aching muscles.

  "Good run?"

  "Yeah."

  Ted stood upright, stretched some more, and wiped the sweat off his face with the bottom of his T-shirt. "Where is everyone?" He glanced into the house, hoping for a glimpse of Caroline.

  "On the back deck." Parker put down his mug and got up. "Take a walk with me."

  "What's going on?" Ted hoped his friend hadn't noticed that he had trouble getting the words out.

  "I'm not really sure."

  They walked to the end of the crushed shell driveway where Parker turned to him and told him about the odd encounter he'd had with Caroline the night before.

  Ted fought to keep his distress from showing.

  "Why do you think she would lie to me like that? It was so bizarre."

  "I don't know. Did you talk to Smitty about it?" His heart all but stopped while he waited for Parker to answer.

  "No, but I wanted to. I'd hate to start something over nothing, and I don't want Caroline to think I'm a big-mouthed jerk."

  "Probably a good call," Ted said, relieved. The lawyer in Parker was having a hard time letting this go, which made Ted extremely nervous.

  "So you didn't hear anything? I mean you were the only two in the house."

  "No," Ted said, looking his friend in the eye. "I
didn't hear a thing."

  * * *

  Parker went back to the guesthouse while Ted walked his heavy heart over to see his parents and grandparents. This whole thing became a bigger nightmare with every passing day. He couldn't recall ever lying so blatantly to anyone before, let alone to one of his closest friends.

  The main house bustled with activity as caterers, florists, and other workers set up for the party.

  "Morning," Ted said when he came upon his parents and grandparents enjoying a quiet breakfast in the kitchen, oblivious to the chaos.

  "Good morning," Mitzi said, jumping up to kiss his cheek and pour him a cup of coffee. Today she wore a yellow sundress that made her look closer to forty than sixty. "Now, Ted, honey, why do you still look so tired?"

  "Stop harping on the boy, Mitzi," his grandfather said with a wink for Ted. "He's on vacation."

  "He's running himself ragged," Lillian said, disapproval written all over her still-pretty face.

  "Just like we used to," Ted's father, Ed, said. "It's good for him. It keeps him out of trouble."

  "Hello." Ted waved his hand to get their attention—not that he needed any more of their attention. "I'm in the room, people."

  Lillian giggled. "So no one told us Smitty has a new girlfriend. She's lovely."

  "Uh huh," Ted agreed, accepting a cup of coffee from his mother.

  "Do you think he's serious about her?" Mitzi asked.

  Ted wanted to groan, but all he did was shrug. "Hard telling."

  "Smitty doesn't know the meaning of the word serious," Ed said. "She'll be history in no time, just like all the others."

  "I wouldn't be so sure about that," Mitzi said as she sat next to her husband. "I saw the way he looked at her last night. Maybe this one will stick."

  "What do you think, Third?" his grandfather asked.

  Lillian shot a pointed look at her husband.

  "Oh, I mean Ted. Sorry."

  "I really have no idea," Ted said, already wishing he had just stayed in bed today. Once again he noticed his grandmother's wise old eyes trained on him, and for the briefest of instants he felt like she saw everything he was trying so hard to hide. Desperate to shed the feeling and change the subject, he said, "So what can I do to help for the party?"

  "Not a thing, darling," Mitzi said with a breezy wave of her hand. "We've got everything under control. Why don't you and the kids hit the beach today?"

  "I'll see what they want to do."

  * * *

  After spending another half hour with his parents and grandparents, Ted walked back to the guesthouse like a condemned man heading for the gallows. He couldn't bear the idea of having to hide all he felt for Caroline, even for two short days. For the first time in his career, he wished for an emergency at the hospital that would demand his immediate attention. Anything to get him out of here. But that wasn't going to happen. He was signed out for the weekend, and Roger wouldn't think of calling him back to work. Besides it would take him hours to get there anyway, and he wouldn't do that to his parents and grandparents on their big day.

  Marooned.

  The word took on a whole new meaning as he trudged up the back stairs of the guesthouse where Elise and Caroline sat at the dining room table doing their nails.

  Caroline looked up at him, and he was instantly held captive by her green-gold eyes. In that one endless, silent second she managed to use those magnificent eyes to remind him of the magnitude of the emotions ricocheting back and forth between them. Then he remembered they weren't alone.

  "How's it going?" he asked. His voice sounded all wrong to him, and he wondered if they would notice.

  But Elise just held up her hand to show off her manicure. "What do you think?"

  Ted tried to act like he cared. "Looks good."

  "Smitty left some breakfast for you," Caroline said. "It's in the oven."

  "Thanks," Ted said. "Where are they?"

  "They went into town." Elise blew on her nails. "They said they'd be back in an hour."

  Absorbing a stab of guilt that was almost painful, Ted retrieved the plate of omelet and bacon Smitty had made for him. As he stood in the kitchen and took the first bite of crispy bacon, he was swamped with an overwhelming sense of foreboding and couldn't get anything past the huge lump that formed in his throat. Tipping the plate over the sink, he dumped the food into the garbage disposal. He watched his breakfast go down the drain and wondered if his friendship with Smitty would end up there too.

  "Ted?"

  He straightened his hunched shoulders and turned to Caroline. "Where's Elise?"

  "Outside. Did you eat?"

  "Couldn't. Couldn't eat. Couldn't sleep."

  She gazed up at him with those potent eyes. "Me either."

  They startled when the whack of the screen door warned them that Elise was coming back inside.

  "We have to go to the beach today," Elise said, oblivious to the tension in the room. "It's a perfect day for it. I'm going to start getting ready so we can go when the guys get back."

  "I'll help you," Caroline said.

  "I'm going to grab a quick shower," Ted said, anxious to get out of there so he could be alone with his thoughts and away from temptation.

  * * *

  After a long and tedious afternoon at the beach that included the torture of Caroline's bikini, Ted stood under his second shower of the day. This time he also ran a razor over his face in preparation for the party. He stayed under the beating pulse of the water for much longer than necessary as he thought about the conversation he'd had with Chip at the beach.

  Chip had told him about a patient of his who had been coming to him for acne treatment for years. "Then, the other day, she says, 'Dr. Taggert, can you look at this mole on my shoulder?' So she pulls her shirt down and shows me a melanoma. I didn't have to even biopsy it to know what I was looking at. She's sixteen years old!" Chip had shaken his head with dismay. "Don't get me wrong, I see my share of melanoma, but it's usually on people who've been sun worshipers for years. This was my first kid. All I could think about was you and how you deal with that and so much worse every day. I just can't imagine how you stand it."

  Ted had shrugged. "I hate to say it because it sounds so callous, but you do get used to it after a while. The first year was the worst. I can still remember that feeling of being totally numb, but after a while you start to build up some defenses."

  "Still, it has to do a number on you."

  "I guess it does. That's why I keep up my gig in the pediatrics clinic once a month, just so I can see kids with hair to remind myself they're not all sick."

  "I admire you so much, Duff. We're both doctors, but what you do is so much more important."

  I wonder if he would still admire me if he knew I had fallen for Smitty's girlfriend, Ted thought, as he stepped out of the shower. He used his towel to wipe the steam off the mirror and studied his reflection. She's not going to be Smitty's girlfriend for much longer. Even so, you can't start something with her the minute they break up. But what if no one knew? What if we kept it quiet for a few months?

  "Duff!" Elise hollered as she knocked on the bathroom door. "What's taking so long?"

  Ted gave his weary face one last long look before he wrapped the towel around his waist and pulled open the door. "Sorry. I had to shave."

  "You know I count on you to be quick," she said as she brushed past him into the bathroom. "Chip and Parker are the metrosexuals. I expect better from you."

  Ted chuckled. "It isn't easy being the only girl in this group, is it?"

  "You have no idea," she said as she closed the door in his face.

  Ted loved Elise. She was perfect for his friend because she let Chip be Chip, even if at times he drove her nuts. The top photographer at New York Style magazine, Elise was tall and leggy with long dark hair and big gray eyes. Ted had no doubt she could have been on the other side of the camera if she'd had that urge. But she loved taking the pictures, and her work had won her wide acclaim in
the fashion industry.

  She had met Chip six years earlier, and from the very beginning, she had fit in effortlessly with their gang of four confirmed bachelors.

  Ted shrugged into his tuxedo jacket and thanked the heavens for the ocean breeze that was keeping the humidity to a minimum. Without it, the jacket wouldn't have lasted long. He took one last look in the mirror to make sure his bow tie was straight, dabbed on a hint of cologne, and headed for the stairs.

  He was halfway down when he spotted Caroline on the back porch. She wore a floor-length red halter dress that left her back and arms bare. A half-dozen glittering clips had captured her long blond hair into a casual, sexy style that stopped his heart.

  As if she sensed him, she turned and their eyes met. The front of her dress hugged her full breasts, and the hand she rested over her heart told him what she thought of him in a tuxedo.

  Smitty broke the spell when he burst out of the master bedroom. "Sweetheart, can you help me with these cufflinks?"

  Caroline cleared her throat. "Out here."

  "Looking good, Duff," Smitty said as Ted reached the bottom of the stairs. "Are you going over now?"

  "Yeah."

  "We're right behind you."

  Chapter 13

  Ted went in the back door of the main house where Tish was helping Lillian put on the pearls Theo had given her on their wedding day. Lillian wore a lilac chiffon dress with sheer sleeves and satin cuffs.

  "Hey, baby." Ted kissed her cheek. "Wanna run away with me?"

  She rested her hands on his lapels, her eyes twinkling with mirth. "What time do we leave?"

  "Are you trying to steal my woman?" Theo boomed as he came into the room, looking jaunty in his tuxedo. What was left of his white hair had been tamed for the occasion.

  "She's coming willingly. Told me she couldn't wait to be free of the old guy."

  Theo hooked an arm around his grandson's neck. "I'll fight you for her."

  Tish giggled. "That I'd like to see."

  "I'll make you a deal," Ted said. "If you let me dance with her, you can take her home."

  Theo's eyes narrowed as he appeared to give Ted's offer some serious thought. "I can live with that."

  "Shucks," Lillian said with a pout. "He ruins all my fun."