Falling Angel (12 page)

The phone rang five times at her apartment before the voicemail picked up. Cara hung up. Ann was probably still out. She didn’t want to leave a message telling Ann what had happened. It would only alarm her or make her mad. And Cara was pretty sure she’d never get to use the car again, either. Instead, she used the last of her change to call David’s cell phone. Hopefully he hadn’t gotten too far, and could come back and help her. He seemed like such an organized, prepared person. Surely he would have a set of jumper cables in his trunk.

He answered on the first ring.

“David? It’s Cara.”

“Hey, what’s up?”

“I have a problem. You see, I borrowed my roommate’s car tonight, and forgot to turn the lights off when I parked. Now the battery’s dead.”

There was a pause.

“David?”

“I’m here, just pulling into my driveway.” Another pause. “So, don’t you have Triple A?”

Cara tried hard to keep the irritation from her voice. After all, it wasn’t David’s fault that she had killed the car battery. Still, she’d expected him to be a little more sympathetic. “No, I don’t have Triple A. Like I said, it’s not my car. I don’t even own a car.”

David digested this for a moment, and then tried another tack. “The parking attendants probably deal with forgetful motorists and their dead batteries all the time. I’m sure they have jumper cables. Why not check with them?”

So now she was a forgetful motorist? “I guess I could.”

“I’d be happy to come over there. It’s just that it’s two minutes to show time. But if you really need me to . . . “

“Never mind. You’re right, I’ll check with the parking guys.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, his tone doubtful but relieved.

“Of course. It doesn’t make sense for you to drive all the way back here.”

“Now I feel bad. You know what? I’ll come over. It’s not far from my condo.”

“No, you don’t have to.” Cara didn’t want to feel indebted to David. If she told him to come over now, he’d miss his show, and end up resenting her for it. Who knew? Maybe he’d miss some hot stock tip that would have made him a millionaire. “Really, David, it’s OK.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“All right then. I’ll see you Monday.”

Cara hung up and reentered the parking garage. She spent a few minutes walking around the deserted lot, looking for a security guard or ticket taker, but found no one. She had no desire to return to the car and try again. If the teenage boys were still down there, they’d know for sure she was having car trouble. It was better to leave now, and come back in the morning. Cara headed for the bus stop at 6
^th
and Pike. The night had turned cold, and she shivered in her thin cardigan and open-toed shoes.

She waited fifteen minutes before the bus came, and it was close to midnight by the time it stopped a block from her apartment. Wearily, she slid her ticket into the cash box, thanked the driver and exited the bus.

The red message light on the answering machine was the first thing she saw as she entered the dark apartment. She pressed it, and for the first time in a week heard the deep sound of Ben’s voice fill the room.

“Me again. Have you been abducted, or should I be taking the hint here? I promise this will be my last call. If you want to call I’ll be up ‘til 12.” Click.

Cara couldn’t believe her ears. She played the message over to make sure she had heard it right. Me again? What did he mean by that? He hadn’t called all week. She knew, because she’d been checking the machine obsessively.

It was a little after midnight, but she had to call back. Please, let him still be awake, she prayed as she dialed his number.

He answered on the third ring.

“It’s me,” Cara said. “Calling you back.”

“Cara?” His voice registered surprise. There was a pause, and then he spoke slowly. “Frankly, I didn’t expect to hear from you.”

“But I’ve been waiting for you to call all week!” Cara blurted out, too confused to be anything but honest.

“This is the third time I’ve called. One time I spoke to your roommate, who said you were out. And I left a message on Thursday.”

“But you couldn’t have called on Thursday! I didn’t have any messages. I checked as soon as I got home.”

“Look, this is getting us nowhere,” Ben sounded irritated. “Do you think I’m lying?”

“No!” Cara cried. She took a deep breath and tried to speak calmly. “No. I don’t know what happened, but I didn’t get your messages until the one you left tonight.”

“That’s too bad. I had a fun day planned for us.” His voice was flat, neutral, as though all plans were now in the past.

“Well, couldn’t we try again?” Cara asked.

There was another pause, as if Ben were considering the question. “Sure,” he said at last. Cara let out the breath she’d been holding.

“But let’s set the day and time now,” Ben continued. “Just in case we encounter more technical difficulties down the road. How about next Saturday?”

“I can’t. I have a wedding to do that afternoon.”

“Well then, what about tomorrow?”

“I’d love to, but unfortunately I have to deal with some car troubles first thing in the morning.”

“What’s the problem?”

Cara thought quickly. She had no intention of telling Ben about her date with David. That would only complicate matters.

“I went out with a friend tonight, and borrowed my roommate’s car,” she began.

“What’s her name again?”

Cara’s heart lurched. He’s on to me, she thought. He knows I was out with another guy.

“My friend’s name?” she asked, stalling for time as a series of names went through her head. Tiffany sounded too ditsy, Britney too tarty. Amy would be good, or better yet, something staid and comforting, with an English flair, like Jane or Helen.

“Your roommate’s name,” Ben said.

“Oh.” Cara felt weak with relief. “That’s Ann. Anyway, I forgot to turn the lights off, and . . .” Cara heard a stifled snort on the other end of the line. “Are you laughing at me?”

“No, no. Please, go on.”

Cara cleared her throat. “As I was saying, the lights were still on, and the battery died.”

“Is it still there?”

“Yes. I’m planning to take the bus down first thing tomorrow and get it jump-started. My only worry is that it may get impounded or vandalized before then. Not that it’s such a fancy car or anything, but Ann would be really pissed off.”

“Forget waiting,” Ben said. “I’ve got cables in my truck. Give me your address and I’ll come over. We’ll go deal with it now.”

“You don’t have to do that!”

“I want to. It’ll take two minutes to get it up and running again. And I’d hate for you to suffer the wrath of your roommate.”

“She can be pretty scary when she’s mad,” Cara admitted. “But I hate to put you out. It’s so late.”

“So I’ll sleep in tomorrow.”

Cara was waiting in the vestibule when she saw the headlights outside and heard the purring of the engine. She ran out. Ben jumped out of a tan Ford pick-up with a covered cab and opened the passenger door.

“Thanks so much for doing this,” Cara said as she climbed in. The outside of the truck was dinged and rusty, but the interior was clean. The front seats were covered in colorful kente cloth, and the back was full of canvases and tools.

“It’s no problem.” Ben slammed her door closed and climbed into the driver’s seat. “When I’m working on a deadline I’m kind of a night owl anyway.” He pulled carefully out onto the deserted street.

“Are you on deadline right now?”

“Actually, yes. One of my former instructors at the Academy in Paris invited me to participate in a mixed media exhibit showcasing the work of 17 contemporary American artists. It opens in July at the Musee Maillol.”

“How exciting! How did they know about you?”

“I met the curator, Bernadette D’Autry, when I lived in Paris. She was interested in my work, and we’ve stayed in touch. They’re showing eight of my paintings and two sculptures from the past five years. Only problem is, I only have six paintings that are appropriate for this show. I’m in the middle of one, and have an idea for the next, but there’s only another month before I need to ship them off. Sometimes I work better under deadline, but this time it’s cutting it pretty close.” He sighed, and glanced over at her. “How’re you holding up there, kiddo? You look kinda wiped out.”

“It’s been a long day,” Cara admitted.

He touched her cheek gently. “Hang in there.”

Once they entered the parking lot, Ben parked bumper to bumper with Ann’s car. He pulled a set of jumper cables from the back of his truck. Cara got into the bug as he popped the hood and connected the cables.

After charging the battery for a few minutes he signaled for her to turn on the ignition. She did, and the engine sputtered, then roared into life.

“Thank goodness!” Cara exclaimed. Ben came to the window and crouched down to look in at her. It was cold in the garage, and their breath came out in puffs of steam.

“I’ll follow you home. Make sure it doesn’t stall on the way.”

Cara opened her mouth to protest, but he put a finger to her lips. “Yes, I want to,” he said. “Silly girl.” He leaned his head through the window and kissed her.

All the way home, Cara felt his kiss warming her from the inside out. She was grateful for the steady beam of his headlights in her rearview mirror. She felt giddy, like a schoolgirl with a crush. The truth was, this dreary chore had actually been more fun than her entire evening with David.

They parted at the door to her apartment, agreeing to meet the next day in the late morning.

“What about your work and your deadlines?” Cara asked him. “I don’t want to get in the way.”

Ben laughed. “Trust me, I’d much rather spend all day Sunday cooped up in my studio breathing paint fumes, but for you I’ll make an exception.”

He got into his truck and waited until she had opened the door and let herself in. She turned and waved as he drove away.

I can’t believe I kissed two men in one night! Cara thought giddily as she brushed her teeth. What a change after the past six months of utter celibacy. She smiled. Springtime in Seattle was turning out to be a lot livelier than she’d expected.

Chapter Eleven

Cara slept until 10 and woke up feeling refreshed. The day looked promising. Although the wind shook the birch tree branches outside her window, patches of blue showed through the white clouds, and the air, though cool, had lost its frigid tinge. The cloudy spring mornings often gave way to sunny afternoons, and the day didn’t hit its stride until 3 or 4. She hoped it was one of those days.