by Linda Wisdom
“Worry about me. I’ve taken care of myself for some time now, Mark.”
“You’ve had a lot going on lately. Your immune system was probably low.”
Not to you.
She kept a bland smile pasted on her lips.
“Oh good!” she said cheerfully when a large platter filled with potato skins, onion rings, garlic bread and fried zucchini was placed in the middle of the table.
“And a special appetizer for you, Brumby,” Cyn said, bending down and offering him a dog biscuit. The bulldog took it from her and plopped down to enjoy his treat.
“Hey, Cyn, you might want to bring a second platter for me. The way Nora’s looking at it, I might not get any food,” Mark kidded, watching Nora pile her plate high with some of everything. “Handsome guy like me needs to keep my strength up.”
“As if you’d run fast if a woman was chasing you,” Cyn teased.
“I’d have to run some, so she wouldn’t think I was easy.” He grinned.
Nora’s stomach took a nosedive as she watched and listened to Mark’s banter with Cyn. Logically, she knew he was just being himself, but memories of nights spent huddled in her bed hearing raised voices from another room were too strong.
“Why do you have to humiliate me?” her mother would cry.
“How did I humiliate you this time?” Her father always made it seem as if their arguments were more her mother’s fault. That what she saw was nothing more than a figment of her imagination.
“You know very well what you did! The cocktail waitress was practically sitting in your lap because you were flirting with her. She gave you her phone number, didn’t she?”
“You’re talking nonsense, Jan, like you always do.”
“It’s not nonsense. We can’t go anywhere without you flirting with a waitress or the hostess or even the tour guide the day we took Nora to the aquarium. Why do you have to make a mockery of our marriage?”
“Tell me something, Jan? How can you make a mockery of something that’s already a big joke?”
“That’s not fair! Don’t you know how much I love you?”
“And there’s the problem, because I sure don’t love you. In fact, I don’t think I ever have.”
By then, young Nora would pull her pillow over her head so she wouldn’t have to hear her mother’s voice grow more strident, almost hysterical, and her father’s voice turn colder and uncaring. Those nights, she’d always fallen asleep with tears making their way down her cheeks. She’d grown to hate when her parents went out, because their return meant arguments. Until the night her father left and didn’t bother coming back.
“Nora? Do you know what you want, or would you like Cyn to come back in a few minutes?”
She pulled herself back to the present and looked at Mark. Judging by the expression on his face, he’d asked her the question more than once. She dredged up a smile that she hoped looked convincing.
“Sorry, I guess I was off in another world,” she murmured. She handed Cyn her menu. “I think I’ll have seasoned popcorn shrimp, zesty seasoned fries and salad with blue cheese dressing. Brumby will have the canine burger.”
“I’ll have the five-alarm chili and corn bread,” he told Cyn. The minute the waitress left them, Mark turned back to Nora. “Are you sure you’re all right? We don’t have to stay if you’re not feeling good.”
Oh, I’m feeling fine considering I found out I’m pregnant by you. She swallowed the bit of hysterical laughter that threatened to crawl up her throat. “I’m feeling fine.” To give credence to her lie, she picked up a potato skin and brought it to her lips. Each bite felt like a stone going down her throat, but she was determined to carry it off. The way her mother had all those times.
Mark watched Nora take dainty nibbles out of her appetizer. He could feel a tug down deep. For a moment he felt as if she were nibbling on his skin the way she had that night six weeks ago. All he had to do was touch his shoulder and he could recall her mouth on his skin, her teeth biting down gently then her tongue soothing the area. He imagined he could feel her apricot-glossed mouth on him again. He picked up his iced tea and almost drained the glass. He looked up and smiled his thanks when Cyn stopped by the table to refill it.
He put down his feelings to the sunset highlighting Nora’s delicate skin, giving her an extra glow as if she’d been washed with gold and copper. Her shoulder-length copper-penny hair was swept up in loose curls and secured on top of her head with a tortoiseshell comb. Tiny stars hung from her ears, winking gold in the waning light. Her pendant matched her earrings.
She was the opposite of his sister, yet the two women were the best of friends.
While Ginna was tall and willowy, with the Walker trademark brilliant-blue eyes and dark brown hair, Nora was petite with hair the color of fire and eyes like rare emeralds. She was like a woodland nymph. He mentally gave himself a shake. He’d had no idea there was even one poetic word in his vocabulary.
She looked at him with those emerald-colored eyes wide and questioning. Just as she hadn’t heard him earlier, he hadn’t heard her this time.
“Sorry.” He smiled. “Guess I wandered into that world you were visiting before.”
“The way you were holding your onion ring, I thought something might have been wrong with it.”
He shook his head. He looked down at his hand. He’d been so engrossed in admiring Nora, he hadn’t realized he’d picked up the food. He ate it before he lost himself in memories again.
He’d only planned to stop by her house to make sure she was okay. When he’d seen Ginna a couple of days ago for a haircut, she’d mentioned that Nora had been keeping a short schedule lately. That she hadn’t been feeling well. He didn’t think Nora had mentioned their nights together or Ginna would surely have mentioned it. At the very least, he would have been missing an ear. Ginna took her friendships seriously. If anyone hurt one of her friends, she was ready to defend that person. If she knew Mark and Nora had made love, she would have automatically branded Mark the villain and taken action in a way that would have hurt. A lot.
There was an excellent reason why he intended to make sure his sister never found out he’d spent the night with Nora. Twice.
He liked living.
Chapter Six
“That was wonderful.” Nora sighed, mopping up the last bit of chocolate-fudge cake, French-vanilla ice cream and rich hot-fudge sauce.
“Are you sure you don’t want a second dessert?” Mark asked. He looked a little stunned. While Nora drooled over the dessert tray, he’d asked for a coffee for himself.
She glanced toward the dessert tray. “I admit the white-chocolate raspberry cheesecake is calling my name, but I don’t think there’s any room.”
“For a little thing, you can sure pack it away.” Mark dug out his wallet and laid his credit card on the tray.
“I think I’m making up for lost time. I haven’t eaten too much the past few days. I guess my appetite decided to return tonight. Thank you for dinner.” She smiled. “Brumby also thanks you.”
“Yeah, he cleaned his plate too.” He looked down at the bulldog who was happily chewing on a rawhide stick Cyn had given him for his dessert. He was glad to see Nora relaxed. Before dinner, he would have sworn she’d actually looked sad. It wasn’t until their meal arrived that he could see color return to her cheeks and the lost expression leave her eyes. It didn’t stop him from wondering what had brought it about. He also found himself reluctant to end the evening. “Feel like taking a walk to work off dinner?”
“I probably would have to be rolled out of here.” She laughed. “But I’m game.”
Mark kept hold of Brumby’s leash in one hand and Nora’s hand in the other as they made their way down a set of wooden stairs that led to the beach.
“Wait a second.” Nora tugged on his hand to bring him to a stop. She braced herself against his arm as she slipped off her tennis shoes. “Nothing worse than sand in my shoes.”
“Good idea.” He qu
ickly took off his own socks and shoes.
As they walked, he gazed toward the pier lit up like a Christmas tree. Laughter and screams could be heard from the carnival-style rides and arcade games set along the pier.
“Want to check out the midway?”
Nora followed the direction of his gaze. “After all I ate, I’d be afraid the pier would collapse if I stepped foot on it.”
“I guess Brumby wouldn’t like the Tilt-A-Whirl, would he?”
“His stomach wouldn’t like it and I can imagine you wouldn’t like the results.”
A woof from the object of their discussion reminded them they weren’t moving. Mark chuckled and started off again.
“Demanding, isn’t he?”
“Always.”
“Tell me something, why the name Brumby? Why did you choose a bulldog?” he asked. “I’d think you’d want something cute and fluffy.”
“I wasn’t even looking for a dog when I got Brumby. Although, I guess you’d have to say he chose me,” she said simply. “The people who had him didn’t want him anymore. They wanted the typical cute and cuddly puppy instead of a bulldog that had his own agenda most of the time. I took one look at him, saw my college psychology instructor’s face, and from then on he was Brumby and I was his.” At the sound of his name, the bulldog skidded to a stop and looked up.
“I didn’t know that,” he murmured, realizing it was something he should have known. They had dated for some time and it wasn’t as if he didn’t already know the dog.
“When you were around Brumby, you were too busy trying to keep him away from your legs,” she reminded him with laughter coloring her voice.
“How could I forget? Persistent devil that he is.”
“Brumby might have a face only a boxer’s mother would love. The fighter, not the dog, but he has lots of love to give and I can’t imagine having anyone else around,” Nora said.
As if guessing he was the object of their conversation, the bulldog looked up with an adoring gaze. He uttered a soft woof and started waddling off, giving Mark no choice but to follow.
It wasn’t long before they passed the brightly lit pier and the night’s darkness enveloped them. Only the faint sounds from the pier’s midway and the sounds of the waves brushing the sand reached them. They stopped when they reached a small outcropping of rocks. Nora sat down on a rock and pulled her knees up to her chest.
“I came down here for the first time when I was in college,” she said in a soft voice. “It was spring break and three of us decided we didn’t want to spend it in Seattle. We drove down here, found the beach and just soaked up the sun. And boys.” A faint smile touched her lips. “After spring break, my friends went back to Seattle, but I stayed here. I worked as a waitress while trying to figure out what to do with my life. I saw an ad for a cosmetology school and saw it as a way to be in business for myself. I thought I could cut hair a couple of days a week and spend the rest of the time on the beach.”
“Isn’t that what you do now?” he teased her.
She shook her head. “Not even close. I discovered it was more than a means to a end, CeCe hired me and the rest is history.” She threw her arms out for dramatic effect.
At the moment she threw out her arms, Mark stepped into them and kissed her.
Without thinking, she circled her arms around his neck and kissed him back. His lips were firm as they molded themselves to her mouth. When her lips parted, his tongue slid inside and curled around her tongue. She tasted the rich flavor from the coffee he drank and the darker flavor that was all Mark. With her eyes closed, mental pictures of what they could be doing turned sensuous and downright hot.
It would be so easy to melt into his embrace. To allow it go a little further. She ached for his touch. She hungered for his hands to reach under her sweater and find her bare skin. All she would have to do is say the right words or make the right motions and she knew he would do just that.
Wait a minute. Isn’t that how she had gotten in the situation she was presently in?
Sanity hit like an ice-cold shower.
Stunned by the thought, Nora reared back. She moved so quickly, she overbalanced and would have fallen sideways if Mark hadn’t held on to her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, stunned by her sudden rebuff.
“This is so wrong!” she blurted out, batting at his hands.
He still stood close enough to her that she could see the tightening in his features.
“Don’t worry, I get the message.” He dropped his hands.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” she insisted, sliding her butt back up the rock.
“You sure acted like we should be doing this and more.” She wasn’t sure if he was angry or just plain frustrated.
She pushed him away from her as she climbed off the rock. She started to stalk away then remembered he had brought her there. She kept her back to him, her arms wrapped around herself as if she was cold.
“I’m sorry if you thought I was asking you to kiss me.”
Mark walked over to her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. He almost flinched when he felt her tense up under his touch.
“No, I should be the one to apologize. I guess I thought we were doing the romantic angle. You know what I mean. Moonlight, the beach, romantic music in the air.”
“Romantic music?” She cocked an eyebrow. “You call that romantic music?” She gestured behind them.
“Maybe you don’t think it’s romantic, but I bet there’s someone out there who thinks ‘Oops, I Did It Again’ is romantic,” he defended his description.
“Only if you’re fourteen.” She tried taking Brumby’s leash from him, but Mark held on tight. The dog looked up. His head swiveled from one to the other as if to say, “Make up your mind!”
“Come on, I’ll take you home.” He reached for her hand, but she sidestepped him. After what had happened, it wasn’t surprising that their walk back to the stairs by Syd’s Place didn’t take as long as their walk out to the rocks.
Once he was in the truck, Brumby stretched out across the back seat and promptly fell asleep. His rumbling snores soon filled the interior.
“I wasn’t trying to be difficult,” Nora said after Mark pulled into her driveway and stopped. She unbuckled her seat belt and half turned to face him. “It’s just…” She paused. “Just that things have changed between us.”
“Sex does that,” he agreed.
She gave a quick nod of the head.
“Mom and Dad are having a barbecue for Ginna and Zach in a couple of weeks. They’re hoping you’ll come,” he said.
“I’ll see,” was all she said. She climbed out of the truck and opened the back door for Brumby, easily lifting him down to the ground. “You don’t need to get down,” she told Mark.
“And risk Mom’s wrath because I didn’t do the gentlemanly thing?” He opened his door and climbed out.
“I promise not to tell her.” She leaned down and gathered the end of Brumby’s leash. The dog strained at his lead as he investigated shrubbery planted along the side of the driveway.
“Trust me, she’ll know. She knows everything.” Mark walked up to the door with her. “She can just look at me and know I wasn’t a gentleman. Then I get the sad motherly smile of disappointment that’s a hell of a lot more traumatic than any lecture she can deliver. Growing up, we were always more scared of her than Dad. Dad might lay down the law, but Mom knew how to make us feel as if we’d really let her down.” He waited as she unlocked the door and stepped inside. “Will you at least think about coming? You know Ginna will want you there.”
She hesitated before slowly nodding. “I’ll think about it. Again, thank you for dinner.” She held on to the door, ready to close it.
“You’re welcome.” He smiled. “Good night, Nora. Now let me hear your dead bolt click and then I’ll get out of your hair.” The minute he heard the sound of the dead bolt, he stepped down and walked back to his truck.
Nora st
ood near the front window and watched Mark drive away.
If she hadn’t accepted his dinner invitation then the walk on the beach that smacked of romance, he wouldn’t have tried to kiss her. If he hadn’t tried to kiss her, she wouldn’t have nearly fallen off the rock in an attempt to avoid it. If he hadn’t been his charming self in the restaurant, she wouldn’t have been reminded of the two people she tried so hard to keep in a small box locked deep within her mind. And be reminded of exactly why she broke up with Mark.
The minute his truck disappeared down the street, Nora moved away from the window. She suddenly felt very tired. While the hour wasn’t late, she felt as if she’d been up for days. As she walked toward the kitchen, Brumby walked ahead of her and squeezed himself through the doggie door that led to the backyard.
Nora rummaged through the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of lime-flavored sparkling water.
“No caffeine for a while.” She mentally bid adieu to the morning coffee that she considered the magic potion guaranteed to turn her human. She sadly realized she would have to tough it out for the next seven and a half months. “At least the doctor didn’t say I had to give up chocolate, too,” she murmured, pouring the sparkling water into an ice-filled glass.
Nora stood at the sink and looked out the window, watching Brumby wander around the backyard. He wanted to make sure no one had intruded on his territory while he was gone.
For a brief moment, it wasn’t dark outside, with the bulldog barely visible. Instead, it was a bright sunny day, flowers blooming everywhere. On the edge of the patio was a playpen with a brown-haired baby boy working his way up the side to hold on to the bars so he could reach out to Brumby who looked as if he wasn’t sure just what he was supposed to do with the tiny human. What disconcerted Nora was the figure standing next to the baby. Mark looked all too comfortable in the picture, as if he’d been there all along.
The picture before her mind’s eye was so sharp it took a minute for her to realize it wasn’t real. She blinked and shook her head to clear her head of the vision. A clacking noise alerted her to Brumby coming back into the house.