A Ghost of a Chance (9 page)

Of course, it was all unfolding now. Deliberately, Jack did not shake the hand extended. He was no hypocrite, at least not today. “I never shake the hand of a rival.”

Samory smiled and bared a glimpse of his abnormally white teeth. He nodded, “Understood, but I believe you’ve already been claimed tonight by the adoring Ms. Quimby.”

Monica took the cue and squeezed his arm a little too tightly with half of her body. He aggressively detangled himself from the embrace, “Yes, a little too adoringly. Now where is Hallie?”

Samory smiled again, his dark eyes looking secure and triumphant already. “Why of course.” And then he stepped away so that Jack could finally see the other occupant at the table.

He opened his mouth to speak but was struck dumb by the spectacle before him. It was Hallie all right, but she was dressed only in the old, well-worn, orange bathrobe that he’d seen her wander around the house in, with her hair completely done up in big round spongy curlers. Her face was completely devoid of make-up, actually looking a little splotchy as though she’d just woken up. “Why don’t you say hello to Monica’s date Hallie?”

Looking completely befuddled, Hallie got to her feet quickly knocking over the half-drunken strawberry margarita in front of her. Out of nowhere, a tall skinny Mexican waiter appeared and yelled loudly across the restaurant, “Another accident at table five, third one tonight.”

Jack saw Hallie visibly turn red. “Sorry, it’s just not my night. Nice to meet you Jack.” And then noting his impeccable appearance, that he sorely regretted now, she added, “Monica didn’t really tell me to dress up.”

Samory put his arm around her protectively and chimed in, no doubt for everyone’s benefit, “That’s all right Hallie. I worship you just as you are.”

Jack felt an anger rush in. They were banking on him being shallow, and damn it he wasn’t that shallow anymore.

He reached out and abruptly grasped Hallie’s hand that for some reason he found a little sticky, and put it to his lips, speaking only to her. “I have always found natural beauty much more compelling than that which is manufactured.” Then suddenly, Hallie’s face squenched up and she let out a loud, “ACHOOO.”

He felt the spray hit targets all over his designer suit and regretfully realized what the stickiness had been.

Samory chuckled beside him, “Looks like you’re going to need a napkin old boy.”

Hallie added, her voice now having a definite nasal quality to it, “Sorry, I have a little bit of a cold.”

Monica whispered in his ear, “Sure you don’t want to leave now lover, before little Miss drippy over there ruins anything else?”

Jack smiled forcefully and patted his suit with the napkin he’d taken from the table. “Not at all,” he said sitting down, “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” He noticed Samory’s swarthy face perceptively frown and that delighted him immensely.

They all had half-eaten plates of Mexican food in front of them, all except Hallie. It seemed that the cold had not dulled her appetite in the least. In fact, she was the only one of the four who was really putting away the tasteless fare. He tried hard not to watch her eat. It was obvious to him now that someone was working overtime tonight to present her in the most unattractive light. “Oh, this just is such wonderful food,” and then another spoonful and that awful noise that she made because her nose was all stuffed up so much like the snort of a . . .

“
Gosh Hallie, you’re eating like a pig tonight,” Monica giggled.

She shook her head, “I don’t know why I’m so hungry.” And then she stopped suddenly, becoming aware that everyone’s eyes were on her. Her spoon froze in midair and she looked around sheepishly, slowly letting the utensil descend back to her plate.

“
You know what Jack,” Monica cooed next to him. “I would love a dance.”

“
Dance? I don’t remember there being a dance floor here.”

She smiled, “Right over there.”

He followed her gaze and saw that the wall that had been on the other side of the room when he entered was now gone, revealing a small bandstand filled with Mexican gentlemen playing soft Spanish music. “Come on Jack,” she was nuzzling him with abandon in front of everyone, “Monica wants to dance.”

He frowned, and then Samory chimed in, “Yes Hallie, I would love to hold you close on the dance floor and move to sweet mariachi music.”

Hallie turned red, “Uh, I’m too stuffed Samory.”

“
Me too Samory,” Jack jumped in. “Why don’t you take Monica. She’s more than ready. “

Monica opened her mouth to decline but then Hallie added, “Go ahead Samory. Monica’s a wonderful dancer.”

Monica grimaced looking trapped, and Samory grumbled in his foreign accent, “All right one dance. But I can’t bear being away from you too long Hallie.” Hallie smiled tentatively and then sneezed in her food, wiping her already red nose aggressively with her napkin. Samory added without conviction, “I’ll be back soon my darling.” Hallie nodded, still miserably wiping her nose.

With desperate flourish Monica threw out the parting line of, “Now don’t you try to steal my boyfriend Hallie.” Hallie just looked up at her with apparent confusion and a little irritation. As the pair made their way to the dance floor, Jack wasted no time in moving into Samory’s chair next to Hallie. He grabbed the unused napkin in front of him and handed it to her.

“
Oh thanks, I should have brought some tissues but for some reason I didn’t plan this evening very well.” She rubbed her nose hard. “Gosh my nose itches.”

He smiled, trying desperately to be charming. “That means someone wants to kiss you.”

She shook her head missing his intended hint completely. “Oh well, I guess its Samory, but I don’t know why. I wouldn’t want to kiss me right now.” He grinned. It was still Hallie. Under all the subterfuge, beneath the curlers, the old bathrobe, the cold, it was still Hallie, “ACHOOOO,” as unappealing as she might be at this moment.

“
It really is nice to meet you Jack. I mean Monica has told me how crazy in love she is with you. You know, I don’t why she told me not to steal you,” she rambled on almost to herself. It was obvious to him that this whole convoluted situation completely befuddled her. “I mean first of all I know how close the two of you are. I mean she didn’t tell me, well she told me some, but I mean I’d never do that to a friend. You know you don’t do that kind of thing to a friend. I mean not that I could. Good grief, look at her and look at me. She’s so together and I’m,” she paused reflectively. “Well, I’m not.”

He frowned. Monica had certainly covered the bases here. No telling what she’d put in her head. This would take a little strategizing, and he didn’t have much time. “Well, um Hallie you seem like a very honest kind of person.”

She looked at him with those soft, brown, guileless eyes. “Uh yeah, I suppose.”

“
Well that’s why I really feel like it’s only fair to tell you that Monica, . . . well she hasn’t been completely truthful with you.”

The eyes got wider. “She hasn’t?”

“
No,” he lowered his voice in a grave and confidential tone, “she was too ashamed to tell you the truth, but it has been torturing her. And well I can see how much you care about her.”

She looked a little panicked. She was buying into it. “I do care. I guess.”

“
I don’t know if I should say anymore.”

“
Please. What is it?”

“
Really, I would be betraying a confidence.”

“
You must tell me.”

“
I don’t know.”

Her eyes were like saucers, “PLEASE!”

He took a deep breath and put on his most pained expression. “It’s not me that Monica is crazy about. It’s Samory. She’s fallen in love with him.”

“
What?” it came out in a whimper.

“
She’s afraid to tell you. They both are. They don’t want to hurt you.”

“
Both?” Even softer.

“
I’m sorry Hallie. I felt you should know.”

“
Oh no,” and then “ What should I do?” almost directed to the cosmos.

Perfect, “Well, if you want to know what I think.”

The eyes came back to him imploringly. He almost felt a bit guilty, almost. “Yes, what do you think Jack?”

How he liked the sound of his name on her lips. “There is a way you could spare them and yourself,” and then he paused dramatically wondering if this was going to thud like a lead balloon. “You could let me kiss you.”

She straightened up, looking suspicious, “What?”

“
Yes, when they come over let me kiss you. That would make both of them think that you’ve moved on.”

With much skepticism, “Don’t you think that’s kind of quick?”

“
No time like the present.”

“
I don’t know.” There was hesitancy, maybe confusion.

All he had to do was push like crazy.

He glanced over at the dance floor. The music had paused. “It’s so important Hallie. But you have to make up your mind quick,” he added with urgency.

“
I have a cold.”

He looked at her intensely. “Hallie, I don’t care.”

“
It might be catching.”

He glanced back over his shoulder. Samory was heading toward the table his face animated by a broad smile. He turned back to Hallie. “I’ll risk it. Come on, be bold Hallie.”

She looked at him with a touch of skepticism, and then a new expression, one of curiosity, passed over her features. It sort of made his heart stop for a moment, and then miraculously she nodded. He reached over to her and softly touched the sides of her face with his hands.

Her skin was warm – maybe a fever from the cold. Gently, but passionately, he began to kiss her. Merely an instant after the first contact his plan was forgotten. He forgot about Samory and Monica and the whole ridiculous situation. All that existed was the sweet sensation of her lips, her breath – the rich breath of life. The kiss deepened and his arms went around her, pulling her more closely. The feeling was the sweetest, most intense one he could ever remember. He was home with her, really home and damn everything else.

And then he was back home, Hallie’s home, in front of the fireplace in her house. She was awake, sitting straight up in the chair, rubbing her eyes. She looked completely disoriented. “I have the weirdest dreams,” she murmured.

It was evident that whatever had instigated the dream had ended it rather clumsily.

He looked around triumphantly. Standing up, he walked toward her. The icy wall had vanished. It had retreated for the moment.

For him, the experience had at minimum been extremely informative. He knew now that Samory was not really his adversary. He had seen him twice now, but whatever was lurking around this house had deliberately avoided making an appearance.

And secondly, whoever it was had misjudged him — throwing Monica at him as though he would abandon Hallie for, well for whatever the dream Monica was offering. Clearly “it” was not all that bright and that was comforting to him. He wasn’t outmatched. This was winnable.

Hallie was walking around the room now, lost in thought looking extremely bothered. She was thinking about him now. He could feel it on his skin, or what felt like his skin. He smiled. “It” had done him a favor. He was becoming real to her now, not Jacob Mcfarin, not Sir Jacoby but plain old Jack who had kissed her tonight. He desperately wanted to reach out and kiss her again, but he knew that she wouldn’t feel it this time. And that crushing reality markedly tempered his triumph.

CHAPTER SIX

She stood on the terrace of her father’s villa overlooking the starless sky of the Paris night. It was as though the light had gone from the world everywhere. She felt desperate, trapped, but was not sure why.

It had to be this man, this new presence in her life. It couldn’t possibly be Samory, not her love. She heard the heavy step of his boots behind her and knew that once again he was taking the opportunity to invade her private thoughts. “What is it Gabriella? Why do you seem so sad?”

She spun around boldly to face the man who had against her will insinuated himself into her life. There were still the remnants of tears running down the alabaster white of her cheeks, but her soft eyes leaped out with fiery sparks of anger. “You certainly worked hard to win over my father tonight Captain Mcfarin with the grand tales of your seafaring voyages. He is an old man and it is unkind of you to use him as a pawn in this game you are playing.”