Forbidden Knight (5 page)

Eva smiled, but wondered to herself, why he cared what she thought.

They drove along the roads, some familiar, some not. There had been a lot of development since she had been here, but the main architecture of the place was the same. The same village green, same gazebo for bands and events, the fountain was still there, with benches for people eating lunch or watching their kids.

It was a real hometown place, people knew each other in the grocery store, kept an eye on each other's kids and generally were friendly. Sometimes a little too friendly she thought wryly, having been the subject of some gossip now and then over the years. The problem was everyone knew your business, but usually they knew it
 
just a little bit wrong.

Justus drove outside of town a few miles and then turned up a long winding driveway. The house perched at the end of the drive was small and neatly kept. It had a pool out back, but it wasn't anywhere near the McMansion she had expected to see. The sign out front said, 'The Hideout'.

"I'm impressed," Eva said, turning to him as he shut the car off, "this is nice, homey. Although it seems you've named your house, that's kind of weird. "
 

"This place is just for me. No real room for anyone to stop by and encroach, and after the bus and the games and the travel, that's what I need, time to myself. C'mon I'll show you around."

He slid out of the SUV and grabbed his bags, fumbling with the keys as he approached the front door.
 

Eva didn't know what she had expected, but this wasn't it. Decorated in bachelor chic maybe, or early attic, but not this. It was tasteful, stylish even. Leather sofas, a fireplace, an expansive kitchen that made her hands itch to set some sauce simmering on the stove. There were Indian inspired blankets and gleaming wooden floors.

"Wow!" she breathed, "this is beautiful."
 

"Thanks," Justus smiled. "I'm glad you like it. Follow me."
 

He led her to the back of the house, past the kitchen to a guest room tucked away at the end of the house. It had its own bathroom and a slider to the patio and pool area. She turned around and studied him, "You are a man who is full of surprises. This is lovely." The room was done in pale peach and gray with accents of green. There were flowers waiting on the table, she nodded at them "Ok, how'd you do that?"

"I do have a housekeeper. She's the brains of the operation to tell you the truth. I don't know what I'd do without her. She isn't here every day, but you'll meet Rosie tomorrow."

Eva thought again just how surprised she was by this guy. She had expected him to fight her at every turn, but he'd been surprisingly agreeable. His home was small and lovely and tasteful, he had a housekeeper. He was being nice to her. She couldn't help but be suspicious.
 

Eva awoke early to the delicious smell of coffee and bacon and followed her nose out to the kitchen. Cinching her robe, she saw someone who must be Rosie, standing at the stove cooking breakfast. Rosie glanced up.

"Hi, sweetie, what can I get you?"

"Oh, no I'll do it, thanks, just some coffee to start."

"I'm gonna make you a dish of bacon and eggs. How do you like your eggs?"

"I hate to put you to any trouble."

"No trouble, it's why I'm here. What can I get you?"

Eva was hungry, she had to admit.
 

"Ummm, ok, I'll take scrambled."

Justus ambled into the kitchen and walked over to Rosie and gave her a pat on the head and a kiss on the cheek. Rosie was about 4'11" to his 6'4" and they looked like something out of a cartoon with the enormous height difference.

"Sit, she gestured with the spatula, yours is ready too." Justus didn't say anything, he just sat.

"That's a pretty good trick you have there," Eva smiled.

"Oh, yeah, he thinks he's tough but he doesn't give me any guff."

"I let her think she's the boss lady, it makes my life easier."

Eva tasted her eggs, they were delicious, smooth, creamy, just the right amount of salt.

"Wow, these are spectacular!"

"Thank you, sweetheart, I'm glad you like them. You must be Eva, Justus told me you'd be staying for a few days."

"Thanks for giving her notice."

"Well, I wanted the guest room to be ready. No sense you getting any ideas about sleeping in with me."

"I did think about it. You didn't leave last night, did you?"

"No ma'am," he saluted. "I have errands to do today, though. I'll behave, I swear. I'll take you to the mall and drop you there so you can pick up more clothes, and then I'll pick you up."

Eva narrowed her eyes suspiciously and raised one brow, "You don't actually think I'm going to fall for that do you?"

"Fall for what?" he asked, all wide-eyed innocence.
 

"Letting me shop to get you some alone time."

"Eva it's the middle of the day, what am I going to do?"
 

"My mom used to say you can do anything at noon you can do at midnight. I'm certain you can find something if you try hard enough. We'll be spending the day together, and sorry to say, you can just watch me shop."

"Is that really necessary? Really? I mean, I am an adult, and I know I have a job to do, and I'm going to do it. I don't need you by my side all day and all night."

"Really? Because that's where I was hired to be, Justus. Don't murder the messenger, buddy, I'm just here doing my job," she said, crunching down on a piece of bacon for emphasis.

"Right, your job. I'm sure that's all it is."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I know you had a crush on me then, and I think you have one on me now."

"And what, I called your insurance company and insisted they hire me? You're just being ridiculous now."

"Wait, what?" Rosie interjected. "Crush on him when""

"We knew each other back in the day," Justus said. It wasn't exactly a lie, it was just not all of the truth.
 

"Knew each other when? Like when you were kids?"

"High school," Eva mumbled through a bite of toast.
 

"I was almost graduated, she was a few years behind. It doesn't matter."

Rosie glared at each of them in turn, "You're not telling me the whole story, I can tell. There's more here than meets the eye."

"There usually is when there's a woman involved, that was my point!"

"Look, I'm not leaving you alone, so, let me know when we're leaving, and I'll be ready."

Justus looked at his watch, "Give me half an hour, meet me out front," he said checking his watch then gesturing toward the door with his head. "We'll do my errands and then throw in a little shopping for you."

"OK, meet you there. Rosie, it was wonderful to meet you. I don't see a halo, but I'm sure you have one from taking care of this guy. I'll see you later I'm sure." Eva left to dress, and Justus retired to his room as well.

Moments later he reappeared, finger to his lips to indicate Rosie shouldn't say a word. Quietly he slipped out the front door and slid into the drivers side of his car. He would have some time on his own today if it was the last damn thing he did, he thought as he turned the key in the ignition.

Back in her room, she heard the SUV start, and before Eva could be at the front door, he was off and gone.

"Damn it! I thought this was too easy." Eva said turning to Rosie.

"He doesn't mean to play you, honey, he's just got to get some man time. You know how it is?"

"Yes, I do, but after he wins the championship he can have his man time all alone in his man-cave, with his man-friends, but until then his ass is mine! Excuse my French." Eva stormed to her room to think this through.
 

Renting a car was her only choice she figured. Her phone told her there were several nearby options, damn him anyway for making this harder than it had to be.

She called the best-reviewed place that showed up on Yelp, and arranged for a car to be delivered. Then she wandered back out to the kitchen. Rosie was done out there and was working somewhere else, Eva could hear her but not see her. She felt weird about giving herself a tour of his house, but what the hell, he was the one who left, right?

She went back to the kitchen intending to tour the house, but Rosie was back. She pointed out the keys on the bulletin board by the back door, winked and tiptoed quietly around the corner. So, what did these go to? Almost without thinking Eva grabbed the keys and headed out to the garage.
 

The garage was huge, with three doors, each of which would easily accommodate a full sized RV. One of the keys fitted the side door and she opened it to find not one, not two, but three cars. One was a sweet little red Mustang convertible. Classic. The second was a more sedate Lexus, and the third was a utilitarian Camry.
 

As much as she wanted to grab the Mustang and dash with it, she chose the Camry, these silver cars were a dime a dozen and she'd be less obvious.
 

Sifting through the keys she found the fob to the Camry and easily opened the door and started it. Even if she couldn't find him, she needed clothes and she could get the shopping out of the way. And she was his fiancée, right? So she was entitled to the use of his car.
 

Or not, either way she had shit to do.

Eva backed out and headed to town to hunt down Justus and make sure he hadn't already violated the rules.

***************

Justus strapped on his skates and stepped out onto the quiet ice of the rink. He had learned to skate here, had practiced here, been trained here, and had played here countless times.
 

He turned when he heard a noise and the next thing he knew a very small boy on some very big skates was hurling himself right at Justus and yelling his name.
 

"Justuuuuuus!!, you're back, I missed you!!"

"Danny! Hey, little guy, I missed you too, have you been practicing?" Justus held him at arms length.

The little boy nodded solemnly, "Yes, I've practiced evvy day, just like you told me."

"Evvy day, huh?" Justus laughed and ruffled the little boy's hair. "Show me what you've got then kid." And with that the little boy took off, skating forward and back, while Justus set up orange cones for drills.
 

He loved this part of his life. It was completely secret, no one knew about it except the guy he paid to rent the rink, and Danny's mom.
 

"Hey Lilly, how's it going?' he said skating to the boards at the edge of the rink and greeting Danny's mother.

"Oh, good. You know, he misses his dad, but he's trying to do his best to be brave. Same as all of us I guess. Skating definitely keeps his mind on other things."

Justus nodded, "Yep, we all miss him. It's too much to think about," Justus blinked back the emotion. Chad had been his best friend and helping Danny learn to skate was the least he could do while Chad served overseas.

Justus watched Danny skate in and out of the cones, then he began some drills, backward, forward, dodging the puck. Danny's joy was obvious. Justus loved to see it because it brought back to him his own love of skating. It was like flying, and Danny didn't have to worry about points, or assists, or rules, or bad calls. All he had to do was skate, no wonder he was having fun.

While Justus skated, Eva drove around the little town, recalling her childhood. Some things were still the same, the old crooked cemetery, the elementary school where Mrs. Sawyer had drummed her times tables into her. In other places, there were signs of change, which Eva wasn't sure could be called progress.

She was headed out of town when she drove past the old rink. She blinked as she saw Justus's car there. Could he really be practicing now? Is that why he had dodged her this morning? Only one way to find out, she thought as she parked in the stone filled lot.

The doors to the arena looked exactly as she had remembered them, and she slipped in quietly. There was no one around, but she could see some activity on the ice. Not wanting to disturb anyone, in case it wasn't him, she tiptoed up the side stairs and out into the seating area.

There on the ice was Justus, he really was breathtaking. So sure of himself, so at home on those blades. And with him was a small blond bundle of little boy energy. Justus went down on one knee in front of him and was explaining something, then the little boy skated away, turned, skated backwards, then skated forwards again showering Justus in a spray of ice as he practiced his hockey stop.

They both laughed and Justus patted him on the helmet, then sent him off to do it again.

Well, this was a shocker. Justus with a kid. Whatever the hell? He was really a surprise a minute.
 
So, who's kid was it, she wondered. It couldn't be his, right? Or could it. Scanning the seats she spotted a young woman at the boards, near the penalty box. Must be the mom.
 

And what? His girlfriend? Did he have a secret wife and child? Shit, she wished she had done more homework on him other than attending one game. Well, if they were married she didn't blame the chick. He was just...delicious.

But damn, it looked like he must be taken. She shrunk down in her seat, trying to be invisible while the lesson continued. Finally, the little boy was clearly tired, and Justus called it a day. he skated over to the mom and reached out for a hug. They held tightly for a few moments, and then he kissed her cheek.

Eva needed time to think. What the hell was going on here? As long as she knew he was safe she decided to slip outside and make her getaway before he knew she'd been spying on him. She imagined that wouldn't be a fun conversation.

She walked to the doors and slipped out of them again, closing them quietly behind her. She could hear the little boy and his mom as they left, and she waited until the echoes of his excited voice had died down. Then she slipped down the stairs and out the door.