Eagle's Destiny (26 page)

“Yes, I got the impression that you were very sweet in your youth.  She showed me your prom picture with Nicki.  Did she stay as beautiful?”

Michael’s voice became quiet, “Yes, she is still very attractive.”

I could hear the change in Michael’s voice but couldn’t understand why.  It was so like me not to pick up hints and I continued to barrel through the conversation. 

“Your grandmother said something happened between the two of you and you broke up.  The family was hoping for a marriage.”

Michael sighed heavily.  “Elizabeth our breakup was a very long time ago.  I’ll tell you what happened, but I don’t want to tell you over the phone.  Is that okay?”

“Michael, you don’t have to tell me at all.  I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have pried into your past.”  I said apologetically.

“No.”  He said.  “I want you to know, because it might make you understand me more.”

“Okay,” I said.  “You let me know when you want to talk.”

He tried to lighten up the conversation again, “Let’s go back to talking about you being naked.”

I could tell he was smiling again.  After we finished the call, I had that warm satisfied feeling come over me again.  The feelings I had for Michael were weird and wonderful.  Kevin certainly never made me feel this way.

CHAPTER TWENTY

I was not looking forward to the book tour, I never did, but I did look forward to seeing my family and friends.  Nancy honked and pulled up in her bright red Mercedes convertible outside the terminal at the Los Angeles airport.  She helped me put my two suitcases on the small back seat, next to the surfboards.  The surfboards made me grin.

Nancy kissed and hugged me.  She was a dark haired beauty.  Her hair length alternated between shoulder length and a pixie cut.  Today her hair was short.  Nancy had a very fair complexion not the usual olive skin from her Italian heritage, but she did have the classic Roman nose.  Italian descent gave her curves and a medium height.  She always had enough energy for the both of us, and it always seemed to be bubbling over the top as if she could not contain it.  A natural byproduct of this oomph was her vivacious personality, and as a result, she was like a flame to moths.  I had never met anyone with the ability to attract more men. 

“I stopped at your house and picked up your board and suit.  I figured with all the writing you’ve been doing you needed some downtime.”  Nancy said as she hopped into the car.

I frowned, “I haven’t been doing that much writing.

“Ssshhh,” she cautioned, “don’t tell that to Robin.  We’re having dinner with her tomorrow night.  I hope you have something to show her, you know how she gets if she thinks you’re taking too long to write.”

This made me laugh.  Robin was my editor and Nancy had described her perfectly.  Robin sent me one-word emails that simply read
MORE
.  “I think Robin will like this new one, it’s going in a different direction this time, there’s more intrigue.”

“Elizabeth, you don’t need more intrigue, you need more sex.  I’m telling you that’s what sells now.”  She winked and headed toward the freeway.

“Michael has read the latest one and he was just fine about the sex in the book.”  I grinned at Nancy like the Cheshire cat.

“Oh yes, Mr. Michael.  Now I want to hear everything you’ve been up to.”  Nancy winked again while laughing, “And don’t leave out anything!”

I filled Nancy in on the last few days including telling her again about the episode with Kevin.  She had heard most of the story before, but we rehashed the details as only friends can do.  When describing the episode with Kevin she was properly horrified and peppered her words with a few expletives.  Nancy was another friend who had never liked him.  Every time he saw her, he made sexual overtures and it became so bad that she would not come to the house.  Early on in my marriage, it had embarrassed me, and then later on it had disgusted me.  His behavior toward my friends made the divorce easier.  When I accused him, he repeatedly denied the accusations, but all my women friends had been through his abuse. 

Nancy and I ended up at our favorite beach, which was only five minutes away from my house.  After surfing through the morning, we stopped at our favorite sandwich shop, bought sandwiches to go, and drove over to my house.

I purchased the little house after my divorce.  Kevin kept the house that we had shared as part of his settlement.  Both houses were in the same neighborhood of my parent’s and sister’s houses.  Mine was a cute little California style bungalow house, and when I said little, I meant little.  It was two bedrooms and one bathroom, but I considered myself lucky that I was able to purchase it on my own.

My father had offered a bedroom in his house to me after my divorce, but I managed to scrape enough money together.  The court rewarded
Kevin
richly in our divorce settlement since he had worked sporadically after I started writing and did not show much income.  My alimony payments would finish in November and I counted the days.  His meal ticket was evaporating and I wondered if that was the real reason for his recent visit to me.

The house was stuffy when we entered.  It was a hot September afternoon, but after we opened all the windows, the ocean breezes quickly cooled the interior.  Nancy and I sat at the miniscule dining room table to eat our sandwiches. 

“So,” she said waving her arms around, “you’re going to sell and give this all up to live in your little cabin?”

I looked around and nodded.  After my encounter with Kevin last weekend, I had decided to sell the house.  Realizing that this house never held any part of me, it became a place for me to rest my head and work on my books.  The location had become too convenient for Kevin to drop by for a visit, which he had done frequently.  Living in Mintock made it more difficult for a drop by to see how I was doing.  Dating Michael allowed me
to begin to understand what happiness was and my need to gravitate to that feeling was compelling.  I would miss seeing my dad and sister, but it would give them an excuse to get away from their everyday lives to visit me.

“Yes.”  I replied simply.  “I’m giving this all up.”

Nancy looked pointedly at me, “This Michael person really has thrown you for a loop.  I have to meet this man.”

I frowned back at her, “No he has not thrown me for a loop.  Yes, I do enjoy his company, he is fun to be with, but I also enjoy my little cabin.  The dogs love running with me in the morning.  Down here, the beach doesn’t allow dogs.  I love going out on the lake.  The lifestyle is slower paced, and you know I never liked the fast lane.”

She looked at me with doubt on her face and shook her head, “Un uh, I don’t think so.  This is so definitely about Michael.”  Nancy looked at me closer and then laughed, “Oh my god!”  She exclaimed, “You are in love!”

I blushed from the roots of my hair all the way down to my toes and looked away, “No I’m not.”  I said with as much indignation as I could muster.

“The ‘
I am never going to fall in love girl’
is in love.  I don’t believe it.  How long have you known him?  Four weeks?  And you just slept with him last weekend for the first time?”  Nancy looked at me closely again, this time without the laughter.  “You are head over heels in love.”

I bit my lip and could feel my impatience rise.  “Nancy, I am not in love with Michael.  Now knock it off.”

Nancy let the laughter go again and held up her hands, “Okay girlfriend.  I won’t tease you anymore.”  She giggled and under her breath, “Head over heels.”

“Nancy I’m going to smack you.”  I frowned. 

She smiled, “If it makes you feel any better, I’m jealous.”

I was surprised.  “Jealous?  Why would you ever be jealous with all the men that flock around you?”

“That’s just it you know, there is no one special in my life.”  She said.

“Do you want there to be?”  I asked.

Nancy smiled, nodded, and then sighed, “Isn’t that what we’re all looking for?”

I took her hand and squeezed it, “You know you should have been a romance writer.”

Nancy laughed again and I could feel the energy in her bubble over again, “No, I just represent them and make sure they get a lot of money!”

We finished our lunch and she left me to finish the chapter I was writing.  We would be having dinner with Robin on Friday night.  I wanted Robin to have the first part of the book before we met so she could give me feedback during dinner.

The afternoon grew increasingly warmer as it progressed.  By five
o’clock, I had all the fans on in the house and I was still hot.  My sister invited me over for dinner.  I quickly sent off my email to Robin and decided to arrive at my sister’s house early.  Lisa’s pool would cool me off and it would give me an opportunity to spend time with my niece and nephew.  Lisa had let it slip several weeks ago that she and Bill were pregnant again.  I was delighted with the news but had to admit I was envious too.

I walked the three short blocks to her house and rang the doorbell at the front door.  The house was similar to mine, California ranch style, but with one extra bedroom and bathroom, and of course the cool pool in the backyard.  The homes in the area
were
built right after World War II, when all aerospace companies in the area were beginning to thrive.  Five-year-old Marybeth was at the door in a second and jumping into my arms the next.

“Mommy, Mommy, Aunty Bess is here.”  Marybeth called to her mother.

I carried Marybeth into the house and heard Lisa calling from the backyard.  “Bess, back here.  I’m in the pool with Jonathan.”  My family always had called me Bess.  It went back to Lisa, as a child she could not pronounce my full name and it had stuck.  As we grew up it became Queen Bess as in Elizabeth the First.

I put Marybeth down, and she pulled me through the living room into the backyard.  Lisa was sitting on the first step on the pool with her arm around three year old Jonathan who was kicking his legs in the water and giggling up a storm.  Jon saw me and immediately he put his arms in the air and yelled, “Uppy, uppy.”  That was my cue to pick him up and twirl him in the air.

Lisa stood up, she wore a two-piece bathing suit, and her pregnancy had not start
ed
to show yet.  Her features matched my father.  Her hair was darker than mine was, worn shoulder length and tucked behind her ears.  Lisa usually had it dyed blond, but with the pregnancy, she would let it go dark again.  We hugged and kissed as she threw on her cover up. 

“Thanks for coming early.  I appreciate it, now I can get dinner going, Bill should be home soon.  Do you want to come in or stay out here?”

I grinned and handed Jon back to her.  I pulled my long cover up off.  “Let me jump into the pool and cool down.  I am hot!  I’ll be right with you.” 

The pool felt wonderfully cool and I swam a few laps.  When I got out, Lisa handed a towel to me.  As soon as my cover-up was back on Jon was back in my arms.

“What’s for dinner?”  I followed Lisa into the house.  Marybeth ran to get her Barbie dolls so we could play before dinner.

“As soon as Bill gets home, he’ll get the barbeque going.  I made Mom’s potato salad, corn on the cob, hamburger for the kids and steaks for us.” 
She replied pulling
the food
out of refrigerator.

Her husband, Bill walked through the front door.  The kids screamed and ran to him.  He picked up both of them and spun around.  After he put them down, he wrapped his arms around Lisa, and squeezed her.  “Hello my love.”  His English accent was smooth to my ears.  “Good Queen Bess, it is good to see you.”  He gave me a hug and a quick peck on the mouth.  Bill was my height, dark haired and lanky.  No matter what Lisa cooked, he never gained weight.

“How’s the law firm?”  I asked.

“Oh splendid,” he grinned, “lots of people for us to sue.  Let me change my clothes my love,” he looked at Lisa, “and I’ll start the grill, shall I?”

A sharp knock on the front door
twenty minutes later
announced the arrival of our father.  The kids beat me to the door and both of them greeted him as they greeted everyone with shrieks of delight.  Dad hugged everyone and left me for last. 

He gave me a hard hug, “How is my Sweet Pea?”

I smiled at his very special nickname for me.  “I’m doing good Dad.  You look great.”

“I feel good.”  Dad picked up Jon and put him up on his shoulder.  “What do you say we go outside and give your mother some room to maneuver in her kitchen?  Bess, would you grab a couple of beers.  I’m sure Bill can use one.”

I nodded and went to the refrigerator.  “Why don’t you go out and join them Bess, I don’t need your help in here.”  Lisa said.

“Are you sure I can’t be of some help?”  I asked.

“Oh, god no!”  Lisa laughed.  “You know you’re worthless in the kitchen.”

I took three beers from the refrigerator and headed for the back patio.  I handed Bill and my dad their beers and sat in the chair next to my dad.

“Good news about Lisa and Bill, isn’t it?”  I said.

Dad smiled, “Very good news.  I’m glad you’re not stopping at two.”

Bill laughed, “It was a surprise to me too.  We had been talking about only having two children, but I guess Lisa beat me to the gate.”

I raised my eyebrow and looked at him, “Bill you know where babies come from, it wasn’t all Lisa.”

Bill took a drink of beer, “Sometimes when you are in the midst of a conversation, you don’t expect any surprises.”

Okay then, I was not going to touch any more of this conversation.  Something was going on between Lisa and him and I did not want to know more information. 

My brain told me to change the subject.  “Dad, are you still riding your bike?  You look great.”

“Yeah,” He stretched, “I beat Bill last weekend in a race.”

Bill laughed, “Bob, I didn’t know we were racing, or I would have participated in the race.”

Dad laughed, “Didn’t I tell you I do undercover racing?”  They both laughed.  “Bess, what is this I hear about you selling your house?  When did this happen?”

“You know I’ve been thinking about it.  I really love Aunt Ruth’s cabin and now since I finished remodeling it, I decided that I don’t need two homes.”  I explained.

Bill turned from the barbeque to look at me, “That and I heard that you have a new boyfriend, who lives next door.”  He winked at me.