Fighting Fate

by Louise Clark

  “He’s courting Mary Elizabeth.” Faith washed lettuce, then tore the leaves into pieces she dumped into a pottery bowl. “This is it. He’s found—although he may not realize it yet—the love of his life. He’ll want to impress her. He’ll want to use the bathroom.”

  “So let him use the bathroom. Just ask him to use it earlier in the evening, like around five o’clock, after you’re back from work and before Cody shows up.”

  Faith sliced up tomato. “Could work.”

  “Okay, we’re done,” Elizabeth said. “If the salad is ready, Faith, rinse the pasta while I put the sauce into a bowl.”

  Together they laid the table. Faith thoughtfully set a third place for Andrew, then she opened a bottle of wine and poured three glasses.

  Liz was ladling sauce into a bowl when Andrew arrived without fanfare, sauntering into the kitchen with the ease of one who assumes he is welcome. She smiled and indicated the full glass of wine. “Hi, Andrew. We’ve already started, so help yourself.”

  Faith glowered at him.

  Andrew picked up the glass. “My thanks, Miss Elizabeth.” He glanced at Faith. “Is there something wrong, Faith, my girl? Did your evening with your young man go wrong, then?”

  “No.” Faith brought the salad bowl over to the table. She thumped it down in front of Andrew, who was standing with one hand on a chair back, sipping his wine. “I like him, Andrew.”

  He looked from the bowl to Faith, a cautious expression on his face. “Well, that would be perfectly fine. Would it not?”

  Liz brought serving bowls of pasta and sauce over to the table. “It is and it isn’t, Andrew.”

  Andrew was frowning now. “You speak in riddles, both of you. Pray say what you must plainly so that I may understand.”

  Liz patted him on the shoulder. “I love the way you talk when you’re upset, Andrew. Have a seat. Dinner is served.”

  Looking grim, Andrew sat down at the round table. Liz sat beside him, while Faith settled opposite. Food was passed, wineglasses refilled. “Let us be frank—”

  “Let’s,” Faith said. She had to swallow hard to ensure she had enough nerve to get the words out. “Andrew, you have to stop visiting me. For the next few weeks anyway.”

  She caught him just at the moment when he’d filled his mouth with salad. His eyes narrowed as he crunched the lettuce without any sign of enjoyment. “Why?”

  There was no gentle way to phrase this. Faith picked up her wineglass and saw that her hand was trembling. She put the goblet down with a thump. “I don’t want people to know that I’m a Beacon.”

  Andrew stared at her, his eyes narrowed. “You live in an enlightened age. It cannot be that you fear for your safety if the world should come to know of your skill.”

  “No.”

  “Then it must be some particular person who is the cause of this sudden decision. Is it the man you spent last evening with?”

  Faith fiddled with her pasta, pushing the noodles around on her plate with as much concentration as if she was counting her lifesavings. Finally she looked up. “Yes.”

  Andrew picked up his wineglass then leaned back in his chair. Raising the glass to his lips, he observed Faith over it. “I believe you feel the same way about this man—what is his name?”

  “Cody.”

  “Of course. The same way about this Cody as I do about Mary Elizabeth.”

  “I don’t know. How do you feel about Mary Elizabeth?”

  Andrew smiled. “She intrigues me. I desire to understand her, to know what she thinks, to spend my time with her.” He paused to sip again, then captured Faith’s gaze with his own over the rim of the glass. “Does that describe your feelings for this Cody?”

  Faith pushed her plate away. “Andrew, I’m not sure what I feel for Cody. All I know is that I want to be with him so I can learn more about him. I can’t do that while I’m worried that you might suddenly appear out of nowhere.”

  He stared at her for an endless time, then he looked down at his plate. He lowered the wineglass to the table, fiddling with it to make sure it was in the correct position. “I had not realized my visits to you were a burden, Mistress Hamilton. I will come to you no more, then.”

  “Andrew!” Liz reached out to him, pleading silently. “If you stop visiting there is no way Faith can contact you when she changes her mind.”

  “And when would that be? When she has no more use for this Cody fellow?”

  “That’s unfair, Andrew! I didn’t say forever. I just said for a while. Until I get to know Cody well enough to figure out if he’ll understand the Beacon. If he’ll accept that I’m different.”

  Andrew stood and pushed his chair back against the table. “What you are asking is insulting to our friendship.” There was anger in his voice, carefully restrained, but there nonetheless.

  “I’m asking for a compromise, Andrew,” Faith said, feeling a bit angry herself. “Friends compromise. They accept each other’s differences.”

  “And yet, you do not expect this Cody to accept you.”

  Faith opened her mouth to protest, but when Andrew bowed, very formally, she felt a despairing knot in her stomach. He wouldn’t listen.

  “I will miss you both.”

  Liz whirled on her sister. “Faith, do something. Say something. Stop this!”

  The knot in Faith’s stomach tightened. She didn’t know how to keep Andrew from doing exactly what she’d hoped he’d do.

  Andrew smiled sadly. “Miss Elizabeth, can you not see? She is ashamed.”

  “There’s no reason for Faith to be ashamed of you, Andrew!”

  “It is not me, she is ashamed of, Miss Elizabeth,” he said gently. “It is herself.”

  “I don’t know why I’m here, Faith.” Elizabeth sat on Faith’s bed, watching as her sister dragged a brush through her hair.

  “You’re here,” Faith said, tossing her head to add a little element of muss to the hair she’d just brushed into sleek submission, “in case Andrew shows up.”

  “He won’t come.”

  “Ha!” Faith stared in the mirror. Behind her own image she could see Liz’s head and shoulders, hovering there, reminding her of the immensity of what she’d done. Liz believed Andrew would never return to this time period. Liz was wrong. She had to be wrong. Andrew would show up, if not today then another day. She had not sent him away forever. She wasn’t going to feel guilty about that and she certainly wasn’t going to accept his parting shot that she was ashamed of what she was.

  “I should leave before Cody gets here.”

  If anything, Liz was more upset by Andrew’s banishment than Faith was. Faith tossed the brush on the bureau and went over to sit beside her sister. “Liz, Andrew will be back tonight or another night to wash his hair or get his clothes dry cleaned or because another cow calved and he’s a mess. You don’t have to worry about him. Trust me on this. I know the guy. He likes our century. He’ll be back, no matter what he said.”

  “He doesn’t come forward just for the cleaning facilities, Faith!” Liz said fiercely. “Don’t you get it? He’s family! He comes because he loves us and he knows that whatever happens we’ll be there for him.” She crossed her arms over her breasts and glowered at Faith. “Or at least he used to know that. Now I’m not so sure.”

  “You’re making way more of this than there is.”

  Liz bounced to her feet. “Am I? If I was the one who was a Beacon would you cut me out of your life because you’d met a guy who wouldn’t believe or accept what I did?”

  “Liz, you’re my sister!” The doorbell rang. “Shoot, there’s Cody now.” She put her hands on Elizabeth’s shoulders and gave them a quick squeeze. “We can talk about this later, if you want, but I think we’re arguing over nothing. Andrew will be back.”

  Liz shook her head. Faith fled the room and raced down the stairs to grab the door, leaving her sister to follow more slowly.

  At the door Faith greeted Cody with a big, cheerful smile she wasn’t really feeli
ng. He looked great. Like Faith, he was casually dressed, but she loved the way his jeans hugged his slim hips. A lock of his dark hair fell over his forehead, adding a disheveled charm to the warm smile of appreciation in his eyes and on his lips.

  “Ready?”

  Faith nodded, then she remembered Liz. As annoyed as she was with her sister, she couldn’t walk out without saying good-by. Liz had started down the stairs when Faith called, “Liz, we’re off! Let yourself out when you’re done. We can talk later.”

  Liz leaned against the banister, crossing one leg in front of the other in a casual stance. “You can bet on that.”

  Before Faith could close the door, Cody smiled over her shoulder and said, “Hi, I’m Cody.”

  Liz pushed away from the banister and ran lightly down the worn treads. Reaching the door she looked at Faith then back to Cody. “Apologies for Faith. Introducing family isn’t one of her stronger skills.” She held out her hand. “I’m Faith’s sister, Liz. Nice to meet you, Cody.”

  Strangling her sister would be too easy a death. “Liz!”

  Liz showed her teeth in a wolfish smile. “Can’t leave Cody with the impression that family isn’t important to you.”

  Faith shot her a lethal look. “We have to go.” She took Cody’s hand then turned her back on her sister.

  “Nice meeting you, Cody,” Liz said.

  Stiff with fury, Faith tugged at Cody’s hand as she crossed the porch and headed down the stairs. Liz was being a total jerk. Sure she had a grievance, but there was no reason to take it outside the family. What if Cody started asking questions she couldn’t answer, all because of Liz’s snark?

  “You guys have a good time tonight.” The front door closed with an annoyed clunk. Faith relaxed.

  Once in the car Cody laughed and said, “I don’t have much experience in this, but I think you and your sister bicker really well.”

  Dragged out of her brooding, Faith smiled at him. “You don’t have any siblings, Cody?”

  He shook his head. “The only child of workaholic parents.” He changed the subject quickly. “So, are you ready for an evening of Mountain Madness?”

  Faith laughed. She pushed away the memory of Liz’s words and the expression in Andrew’s eyes. Tonight she was going to have fun, if it killed her.

  The Mountain Madness Music Festival was one of Cody’s favorite events. Held annually in a small town in the Berkshire Mountains, the festival took place over three nights, with the big night being Saturday. Because the event featured alternative music mixed with upcoming bands, you never knew what you were going to get.

  “I asked Mel to pack us a picnic supper that we could eat while we were waiting for the concert to begin,” he said with a quick smile in her direction. “They usually start late, but you never know. You’ve got to be prepared for anything at Mountain Madness.”

  “You certainly do,” Faith said, laughing. “Including the weather. A couple of years ago I went with my Mom and sister. There was a monumental rainstorm. The stage was covered, so the musicians were okay, but we were soaked. We came home looking and feeling like we’d spent the evening swimming in our clothes, not at a concert.”

  He negotiated the exit to the Interstate. “You could have left early.”

  She made a good-natured, rude sound. “No way! So we got a little wet. It was a warm evening.”

  A part of him relaxed. Faith was so organized at work, so composed and controlled, that he had to know if that was all there was to her. Was she the kind of woman who would be flexible enough to enjoy an evening spent in the outdoors with mosquitoes, black flies and thousands of people?

  He admitted to himself that he’d chosen tonight and this event deliberately. He wanted to see how Faith responded to the beat of the music, if she could lose herself in the sound. Above all he needed to know if she could adapt to the planned chaos that was the Mountain Madness Music Festival.

  Faith had passed the first hurdle—she was excited about going. That lifted Cody’s spirits and gave him hope for the rest of the evening, and beyond. His ex-wife would never go to Mountain Madness. She’d said, more than once, that mud and music that sounded like angry cats or loud bands that relied on energy, not talent, were not her thing. She preferred a piano bar and the intimacy of a small, select audience. Those kinds of evenings had bored Cody silly, particularly when they included kissing up to your boss or his wife. Gillian, his ex, never seemed to mind though.

  “I’m glad you suggested I wear jeans tonight,” Faith said, breaking into thoughts that were darkening nastily.

  His mood lifted at the sound of her voice. “Yeah. I didn’t think you’d want to wear heels if we were going to be tromping through a field.”

  She laughed again and he sneaked a glance her way. Her long blond hair spilled over the faded blue jean jacket she wore over a scooped neck knit shirt. His gaze drifted lower, noting with approval the black jeans that hugged her hips and legs. She looked very different from the uptight, put-together office manager he saw during the day.

  It took them an hour to reach their destination and another twenty minutes to walk from the enormous parking lot that had been carved out of a farmer’s field to the hillside where the stage had been set up. Most of the distance was uphill. Cody carried the picnic basket in one hand while Faith tucked her hand into the other in a spontaneous action that had Cody’s heart lurching with pleasure.

  By the time they reached the staging area dusk was on the way. They found a place close to the stage and settled into their spot, Cody laying a blanket over the cool ground, Faith unpacking the picnic basket.

  They ate while a band consisting of an electric violin, guitar, organ, and a torch singer performed, then swayed along with another group featuring an energetic drummer. As the evening went on the rhythms intensified as the musicians responded to the enthusiasm of the crowd. Cody watched with delight as Faith came out of herself, singing along, clapping and hooting. Her enthusiasm intoxicated him far more than the wine they’d had with dinner. He wanted her—in his arms, in his life—wild and passionate, uptight and businesslike.

  He caught her hand, turning it so he could kiss the throbbing vein at her wrist. Her eyes opened wide with surprise. The music flowed around them, exotic and rhythmic. Her lips parted. He took advantage of the moment to bend his head and cover her mouth with his.

  Faith stood still. Her eyes slid closed as, tentatively, she responded to his touch. His heart stopped then slammed into overdrive. He let go of her wrist so he could catch her around the waist and pull her close. Then he kissed her with all the feelings that had been growing in him through the evening. Her body quivered, then eased closer.

  Elation grabbed him when she stroked his lips with the tip of her tongue. He opened his mouth to deepen the kiss. Her body melted into his, relying on him to keep her steady. He was throbbing now, desire licking through him. He touched her tongue with his, reveling in the stab of pleasure that resulted. Faith made a breathy sound in her throat that wasn’t quite a groan, but more a purr of pure pleasure.

  The mood of the music changed and along with it the rhythm of their kiss. The singer was a woman, her voice dark and sensual, but the sound was in the background now, no longer the focus of their evening together. With their mouths still hungrily tasting, Cody was lost in desire for Faith. He wanted to lower her down to the blanket that protected their little patch of ground and make love to her right there. But he couldn’t—wouldn’t—do that. If he was going to make love to her it would be in a place where they could be private, where they could savor the feelings they were rousing in each other.

  He lifted his head and took a deep breath. Unable to keep himself from touching her, he stroked her hair away from her face as he said, “You’re so beautiful.”

  Faith blushed. “Wow, Cody. Where did you ever learn to kiss like that?” she said breathlessly.

  He laughed and kissed her again, this time grazing with little nibbling kisses along the sensitive skin
on her neck.

  “Oh man,” Faith said as he pushed her jacket and top off her shoulder. She made that little purring sound again as she turned her head so their lips would meet.

  This time when they kissed Cody allowed himself to slip his hand under her top. Her skin was smooth and warm, an enticement to explore further.

  Faith groaned. She pulled her mouth away from his. “Cody, what you are doing to me.” She moistened her lips.

  He couldn’t resist. He touched where her tongue had been with his.

  She whimpered. “Oh my.”

  “I want to make love to you.”

  She went still. “Cody, I—”

  He put a finger over her mouth. “Not here. Later. When we get home.”

  “I’m not sure. This is only the second time we’ve been out together.”

  “Don’t say no.” He kissed her fiercely, hungrily, his mouth hard on hers, showing her his passion, demanding hers in return. She gave it to him, her tongue clashing with his, her body moving sensuously against him. He was on fire, lost in her, lost in his own desire.

  He had to come up for air. Faith put her head on his shoulder. She was trembling, her body still soft and warm against his. The woman singer finished her set. The crowd cheered and clapped.

  The lights came up. The concert was over.

  “Well?” he said.

  Chapter 13

  Faith could still hear the music in her head when she took Cody’s hand as she climbed out of the car. She danced a little as they walked to her door. The evening had been wonderful and it was about to get even better.

  They were on her front porch now and she knew Cody was going to kiss her again. She still hadn’t consciously acknowledged that she was going to invite him in, but she knew, deep in her heart, that she would. Normally she wouldn’t even think about making love on the second date, but with Cody everything was different. Quicker, more intense. All that was keeping her from allowing desire to overcome caution was commitment. Commitment to the new path she had chosen. Commitment to the real world and the man who was so much a part of it. She was alone with Cody, her bedroom within easy reach. They could let the kiss take them to where they both wanted to go.