Accidental Surprises

by Tia Wylder

  “Well?” Lisa cocked her head to the side and smiled. “I think you do like him.”

  “But I can’t like him,” I said stubbornly as I flopped down into a kitchen chair. I reached down and unfastened the clasps of my boots, pulling them off one by one.

  “Why not?” Lisa narrowed her eyes. “He’s a guy. He obviously likes you.”

  “But…but…”

  “He’s unethical?” Lisa snorted. “Honey, if you wait around for a man who agrees with everything you have to say, I’m not sure you’re ever going to find one. I say fuck it – just date him, and be happy about it. Jack seems like a good guy.”

  I sighed. “Sometimes he does,” I replied. “That’s the problem, you know. It’s like sometimes he’s so charming that I feel like my pants are going to fall off. And then sometimes, he seems so selfish and pigheaded that I’m not sure what to think. It’s like, he cares about his company more than anything else on the planet.”

  “Well, he is the CEO of a huge luxury company,” Lisa said drily. “That’s not impossible to imagine. What, are you worried you’re going to come second?”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head and easing my socks off. The radiator next to the table was warm and dry, and I sighed softly as I put my bare feet on top. “I’m worried that I’m going to compromise my own values because of him. I’m worried that I’m going to fall in love with him and that will somehow make me stop caring about the environment.”

  Lisa frowned. “But you haven’t even given him much of a chance, have you? You always run away.”

  “How do you know that?” I squinted at her.

  Lisa flushed. “I don’t,” she said. “Well, I mean, I guess I do now. But I was just guessing. You’ve been acting so strangely the past few weeks that I’m not quite sure what to think.”

  I frowned. “Yeah,” I muttered. “I guess so.”

  “Well, you know you can always do whatever you want, and I won’t judge you,” Lisa said. She finished the last of her beer and set the empty bottle down on the table. “I just want you to be happy.”

  “I…” I trailed off, gnawing on my lip until the bitter, iron-like taste of blood seeped into my mouth. “I don’t know what I want.”

  Lisa snorted. “Adele, you sound like a guy,” she said. “Just make up your mind. Why not try something with him, and see where it goes?”

  “One thing at a time,” I said grimly. “We have to take down Franchot – that’s what’s important right now.”

  Lisa rolled her eyes and got to her feet. She yawned again and balled her hands into fists, rubbing at her eyes and pushing her glasses to the top of her head.

  “I’m going to bed,” Lisa said. “I’ve been up all night. What are you doing today?”

  I glanced outside. It was sunny and bright, deceptively warm-looking for such a cold day.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I should get to the library and work.” I yawned. “But maybe I’ll lie down for a little while, too.”

  Lisa shrugged again. “If you go out later, we’re out of milk,” she said.

  I nodded. “I’ll pick some up later.”

  I went into my room and stripped down to my panties before climbing into bed. The sheets were cold against my skin, but after a few moments of burrowing under the covers, I felt much better. But now that I was lying down, I felt more awake than ever. Jack was still occupying my mind, and I wondered if I’d ever been able to forget him. Was Lisa right, when she said that I was too standoffish?

  Should I really try to let something develop naturally between me and Jack?

  Or should I stay away – far away – until I forgot all about him?

  I shivered as I buried my face under the pillow. My bed was warm and comfortable, but now that I’d begun thinking about Jack, I realized that I wished I hadn’t left his luxurious condo after all. Maybe right now, we’d be waking up together.

  Stop it, Adele, I told myself sternly as I shifted and put a wedge of blankets between my knees. You’re turning into a sex-crazed maniac!

  Jack was the last thought in my mind before I drifted off into a light, restless sleep.

  When I woke up, hours later, the sun was high in the sky, but clouds had begun to appear, and cold hail was falling from the sky. I groaned when I remembered I’d promised to run out and buy milk – the last thing I felt like doing was leaving the warm cocoon of my bed. But I knew a little fresh air would be good for me, and I forced myself out of bed. I pulled on a pair of thermal leggings and a hoodie before tugging on my still-wet snow boots and coat. Outside, the air smelled fresh and crisp, but the sidewalks were icy and slushy. I had to walk carefully down the street as I made my way to the bodega in search of milk and maybe a packet of ramen or two.

  After I bought some milk, chocolate bars, another six-pack of beer, and a frozen pizza, I started the short trek home. The sun was almost completely gone by now, and I shivered as I waited for the traffic light to change.

  “Hey!” I cried out as someone rudely bumped into me. I skidded and slipped and very nearly dropped my paper bag of groceries. “Watch where you’re going!”

  To my surprise, the man stopped and gave me a strange look. “Adele?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Yeah? What?”

  The man cleared his throat. There was a nervous look in his eyes. “I need to speak with you,” he said in a low, urgent voice. “I was just on my way to your apartment.”

  “What?” I blinked. “Who are you? What do you want?”

  The man sighed. “You don’t remember me?”

  “Obviously not,” I said irritably. “And excuse me, I have to get going. It’s freezing outside.”

  “I’ll walk with you,” the man said. “We met before – Jack Nathan introduced us. I’m his lawyer, Barnes.”

  “Oh,” I said. “You look different when you’re not wearing a suit.”

  Barnes laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “Look, Jack is in trouble,” he said. “And he’d kill me if I told you, but we need to help him.”

  “What?” I squinted. “That can’t be true. I just saw him last night.”

  “Well, this morning he got on a plane to Nassau,” Barnes said. He groaned. “And it was my fault – I told him it would be a good idea to go and check on his property.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “There’s another tropical storm coming,” I said slowly. “I saw it on the news earlier.” Panic began to fill my body, and I felt my heart beating frantically in my chest.

  “Yeah,” Barnes said shortly. “He’s in grave danger. His plane went down.”

  The bag of groceries fell from my hands to the wet pavement and split open, but I barely noticed. I felt like someone had just punched me in the gut.

  “His plane went down?” My voice was a pathetic squeak. Tears came to my eyes, and I blinked them away, desperately hoping that I was in the middle of some sick dream.

  “Yes,” Barnes said tersely. “And I have no idea whether Jack survived.”

  My eyes rolled back in my head, and I passed out, crumpling to the cold, wet pavement as Jack’s face flashed at the front of my mind.

  --

  When I came to, Barnes was standing over me with a worried look on his face. I gasped when I realized I was in my own bed, at home in my apartment.

  “Don’t worry,” Barnes said quickly, holding up a hand. “I didn’t do anything, I swear.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “I wouldn’t have jumped to that,” I said. “How did you find out about Jack?”

  Barnes sighed. He was sitting in a chair that he’d dragged in from the kitchen, and suddenly I was self-conscious about my cluttered room.

  “I mean, not that it matters,” I said quickly. I felt dazed and drowsy, but the knot in my stomach was making it hard to breathe. “How are we going to find out if he’s okay?”

  Barnes swallowed. He looked at me for a long moment before putting his face in his hands and moaning.

  “It’s all my fault,” Barnes said. �
��If I hadn’t told him – none of this would have happened, and he would be okay.”

  “We can’t sit around and say things like that,” I said as I pushed the covers away from my body and got to my feet. “Talking like this isn’t going to help Jack. We need to find him – we need to go to Nassau right now.”

  Barnes looked at me as if I’d lost my mind. “There aren’t any flights,” he said. “There’s no way you’re going to make it out there – no one would take you!”

  “Well, then I’ll fly to Miami and get a boat,” I said, swallowing hard and steeling myself for the inevitable, horrific journey ahead. I pulled on a sweater over my thin shirt and went to my closet where I began pulling clothes left and right. I grabbed a suitcase and threw it on top of the bed before loading it with random clothes, shoes, and underwear.

  “You’re crazy if you think you can fly to Miami in this weather,” Barnes said. He glanced outside. I followed suit and saw that it was snowing heavily. The wind was gusting, sending blasts of snow up against the windows of my room, and I shivered.

  Immediately, I knew Barnes was right.

  “Well, then I’ll need to rent a car,” I said, hoping that my voice wouldn’t give away how terrified I felt at the prospect of a long drive from a snowy Boston to a rainy, hurricane-filled Miami.

  “You can take mine,” Barnes said. He got to his feet and put his hands together. I saw the desperation in his eyes as he spoke – he looked like a lost man, a man with neither safe harbor nor port in this hellish storm.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  Barnes nodded. “I’ll have my driver take you.” He glanced down at his watch. “It’s a long drive, but you should make it in a day or so.”

  “A day?” My jaw dropped. It seemed unfathomable that crossing the country would take so long – especially considering how small the country looked on a map. A mere pinch of my fingers would take over twenty hours! The thought was chilling: it made me realize, as if for the first time, how far Jack and Nassau were away.

  If it would take me days to reach him, how could he possibly survive on his own?

  “And I’ll make sure you have rations,” Barnes continued. “We’ll load the car with whatever you need. And some medical stuff – Jack could be hurt, and I have no idea about his pilot.”

  I shivered again. Was this really happening? Was I, Adele Parker, lowly grad student, really going to try to rescue Jack Nathan?

  It seemed impossible.

  “Okay,” I said numbly. Barnes kept talking about everything I’d need, and how I was going to have to rush if I wanted to find someone who could take me out to Nassau in a smaller private plane or a boat, but I tuned the words out. My heart was thudding in my chest, and my palms were clammy with sweat.

  “So, you’ve got everything?” Barnes turned to me with a strange look on his face.

  “I think so,” I said. “Although to be honest, I’m not really paying attention.” I bit my lip. “This is all really scary.” I swallowed hard. It felt strange to be confiding in Barnes – a man I’d only met once before. Before, I’d thought he was just as much of a jerk as Jack Nathan…but I saw very clearly that he had a heart after all, and that he was deeply worried about his friend.

  “Good.” Barnes nodded once, a solemn gesture. “Are you ready to go?”

  I nodded.

  “I’ll call my driver and have him pick you up from here,” Barnes said. He reached down and grabbed his briefcase. “And please, stay in touch with me whenever you can.”

  “Why can’t you come?” The prospect of going alone was growing more frightening by the minute.

  Barnes gave me a wry, odd smile. “Someone has to stay home and take care of things here,” he said. “Besides, if I know anything about that bastard Franchot, he’s there too.”

  “What?” My jaw dropped. “What are you talking about?”

  “Franchot is probably going to try to use this very storm to take out Jack’s property, and ruin him for good,” Barnes said. “That’s why Jack flew down – I wanted him to make sure that his development would be safe.”

  I blinked, feeling stupid.

  “Franchot is evil,” Barnes continued. “And he’s not above doing things like this. I know it sounds ludicrous, but you have to believe me. And if you want to take him down and save Jack, this is your chance. Because if you don’t, you’ll never get another chance again.”

  I knew he was right, but the knowledge didn’t exactly fill me with much comfort.

  “Right,” I said. “I’m ready.”

  Barnes nodded. “My driver will be here soon. I’m going to go.”

  I stared as he walked out of my bedroom and down the hall. Part of me felt that I had to pull him back, to ask him why I was the one charged with this madness? Why not the Coast Guard?

  I knew there had to be a reason. But I also knew that Barnes wouldn’t tell me, even if I asked.

  Lisa was in the kitchen, sitting at the table with a worried look on her face. When she saw my stuffed suitcase, her jaw dropped.

  “Adele, you can’t possibly be serious right now,” Lisa said. “You’re not going – it’s not going to happen. It’s a stupid fucking idea, and you’ll probably die!”

  Tears came to my eyes, and I tried to blink them away before Lisa could see, but the effort was useless. When she saw my expression, she leaped from her chair and put her arms around me.

  “Adele, please,” Lisa whispered in my ear. “Please, don’t do this. It’s suicidal, and you know it.” She pulled back and put her hands on my shoulders, looking deeply into my eyes.

  “That’s what you said last time,” I joked.

  “And last time, you nearly died,” Lisa replied tartly. “It was lucky that you survived.”

  I sighed. “Lisa, I have to go. Jack is in danger.”

  “So?” Lisa narrowed her eyebrows and looked angry. “Just because that jerk was stupid enough to get himself in trouble doesn’t mean you have to go running to his rescue! If he’s going to be dumb enough to let himself get killed doesn’t mean he has to drag you down with him!”

  “Lisa, it’s not—“

  “Adele, you’re not being rational,” Lisa said in a firm voice. “Look at yourself, rushing off into mortal danger over a guy!”

  “But I’m the only one who—“

  “Just shut up, for one second, and listen to me,” Lisa said sharply. “Adele, you’re making a huge mistake.” She swallowed and closed her eyes, taking a deep sigh. “And I feel like I don’t even know you anymore! When we first met, the Adele I knew never would have done something like this, running off after some man and putting herself at risk.”

  “Well, I’ve changed,” I said slowly. Lisa’s words hurt because I knew they were true. I knew that years ago, or even six months ago, I never would have agreed to do something so stupid. I’d always been so cautious, so careful.

  “Obviously,” Lisa said in a tart voice. “I barely even recognize you!”

  “Lisa, Franchot is down in Nassau, too,” I said. “And that’s why I’m going. It’s not for Jack – it’s because I want to catch this bastard in the act, and finally, have reason to put him behind bars forever.”

  Lisa narrowed her eyes. “That’s not the only reason you’re going,” she said. “And I’m sorry, Adele, but you can’t convince me otherwise.”

  “You’re right,” I shot back. “It’s not the only reason. But it’s the main reason. Barnes said if I don’t take this chance to try to get footage of Franchot destroying something and blaming it on the storm, I never will.”

  Lisa crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t even think it’s the main reason,” she said softly.

  “That stung,” I replied, narrowing my eyes. “And I have to go. Barnes is giving me his driver.”

  “You won’t get a flight out of the city,” Lisa said. “And I bet you won’t get one in New York, either.”

  “We’re driving to Miami,” I said softly, trying to keep my voice ne
utral.

  Lisa stepped forward and put her hand on my arm. “Jesus, you’re really serious, aren’t you?”

  I nodded. As I looked into Lisa’s eyes, I felt the last of my newfound-bravery drain. All I wanted to do was go back to bed and hide under the covers forever.

  But Jack was in danger. And I had to save him – I couldn’t abandon him and wait to hear of his death. And I had to destroy Franchot.

  And if this was my only change – dying in a Nassau tropical storm – then I’d do it.