Liabilities (12 page)

There, he’d done it. He’d said what I’d been unable too. It seemed like it was harder now, to be so open with him. I think it was the guilt I felt for leaving him so long ago. Could he ever trust me?

“Look,” he said, “I have a lot of things I need to do before I finish for the day. I’ll pick you up at Vi’s at sunset.”

He didn’t give me time to answer. He pressed his lips to mine and strolled out the door. The sounds from the other room filling the brief silence before the door closed again. I peeked in the basket he’d brought and smiled. Talk about non-traditional roles. Wasn’t I the one supposed to bring him lunch?

Needing Lizzy, I picked up the phone and dialed her number.

“Hello,” she said cautiously.

“Lizzy,” I said, my glee might have been a bit too loud. The room next door seemed to quiet just a bit.

“Bails,” she called out over the phone. “God, I missed you.”

“Me too,” I said a lot softer.

“Bails,” she said again and the timbre in her voice was full of apology. I understood immediately what she was going to say next. “I’m not sure if you—.”

“I saw.” I cut her off. “What about you? How is Chicago?”

“It’s great.” But it was Lizzy who was great. She wouldn’t press me. “You know, Mike wants you to come for a visit.”

“I just bet he does.” I laughed.

“Ewww, that’s serious gross the two of you.” She paused. “He’s a great guy though.”

“I know. I think I have my fill of guys.” I told her everything that had happened in excruciating detail.

“Turner, he sounds delicious.”

“Is that your expert advice?”

She sighed. “Do you want me to say that it sucks being you? I can’t exactly say that. It’s like you have a ton of hot guys sniffing around.”

“One guy, Turner,” I corrected.

“I don’t care what the tabloids say about Mr. Jeremy Kalen Brinner Glenn. Did you see that picture? The expression on his face was frosty.”

“I seriously doubted he liked all the flashes of cameras going off in his face. He’s a private guy.”

“Tell that to yourself.”

“What about you and Hans?” I redirected.

“Hans? Did I ever tell you the size of his penis?”

I shook my head. I missed her so much. “Um, yeah.”

“He gives awesome oral. Must be a skill he learned to make up for his short comings.” She laughed. “Get it, short cummings.”

I couldn’t help but laugh when she laughed. But then I remembered that this was a long distance call and not my cell phone. The community would be billed per minute for this call. “Lizzy, I have to go. But I miss you terribly.”

“Tell me where you are and I’ll come.”

Lizzy roughing it wasn’t something I’d want to see. I loved her, but she loved things like a flushable toilet, down comforters and other conveniences not found here. “I’m not sure how long I’ll stay. I call you soon though.”

Humming a tune lost to most of the world, something I heard often growing up, Violet continued to play with my hair.

“How much longer?” I complained.

“Hold your horses,” she chided. “You can’t go with your hair pulled back in a bun.”

“Why not?” I could feel my brows crease in a frown.

“He’s seen you every day like that. I’m giving you an elegant French twist.”

Violet was worse than Lizzy. If Violet had Lizzy’s stuff, I’d be used like a doll.

“Done,” she said before coming around to look at me.

My frown deepened. Reaching up with both hands I pulled at the wisps of hair hanging loose on either side of my face. “Why not just let all my hair hang free?”

She gave me a motherly look that said I should know better. “Yeah, and the old biddies will have a harvest day telling Mother about her wayward daughter.”

Sometimes home reminded me of the dark ages. We weren’t allowed to wear our hair loose in public. It was silly.

Lost in my thoughts, I missed an opportunity to stop Violet’s hands before she pinched my cheeks. “Press your lips together,” she dictated.

“Why?”

“Just do it,” she replied. “And hurry about it.”

Not wanting her to pinch my cheeks again, I did. When I looked into her eyes, her cheeks glowed with a brilliant smile. “Ready then?”

“What was that all about?” I complained.

“Nature’s makeup.” We weren’t allowed to wear makeup. This apparently was the next best thing.

A knock came at the door interrupting anything I might have said.

“How did you know he was here?” Was she a seer like some of the old women talked about when we were kids? I always brushed it off as stories told to keep the kids in line.

“I saw him through the window when I walked around you.” She shook her head as if she knew what I’d been thinking.

The window had been to the side of me. She’d been using it for natural light to get me ready. I stood and smoothed down the skirt of my dress. My sister headed to open the door.

Turner stood and his mouth opened. He looked shocked to see me, but why? I looked the same. “You look beautiful.”

I smiled brightly and began to head out the door with him when my sister whispered, “You’ve got that
I just had sex look
. You’re glowing and rosy cheeked.”

A scowl crossed my expression, which I happily gave to her. How would looking as if I already had sex benefit me in any way with a guy?

By the time we arrived in front of the town’s all-purpose building, most of the families had arrived. Torches were set and the hometown band was playing. I recognized many of them, although time had changed a few faces along with the happy life that included extra food for some. My brothers stood with my parents and the girls. I waved and Jake looked relieved. My father said something and turned to walk away after a friendly wave back. My mother gave me a delighted smile and noticed that Turner held my hand. She winked and walked towards home with Emma’s hand held in hers, and Lora a few paces behind.

The band, which had been playing for the family affair that preceded the dance, decided a mood change of music was in order. A slow number hummed out, and Turner twirled me to land solidly against his chest. “You know, I remember our first kiss.”

My cheeks flamed in remembrance. I’d barely been a teenager. “I remember,” I said fondly.

He captured my gaze. “Do you? You were six.” Puzzled, I paused for a second before he got me moving again. “My parents came over to your house. Everyone cool was heading to the creek, but you clung on to me and my parents told me to stay or take you with me. I wasn’t yet enamored with you. You were a nuisance.”

“You weren’t used to a younger sister.”

“No, I wasn’t.” We spun for a second until I was lost completely in the memory. “My older brother, god rest his soul, had to put up with me.” He too was caught up in things long since passed. “You wanted to play house. Which is funny now if you think about it. I guess you have a domestic streak in you.”

My eyes rolled. He continued. “I thought, well I’ll show her.”

“And you kissed me,” I said, it all coming back to me.

“Yes… I did.” His eyes got all dreamy. “Something happened in that second our lips connected.” It had been extremely short barely a peck on the lips. I remembered the shock I got. I thought it was static.

“You were nicer to me after that.”

“I was,” he answered. “I may not have known then what happened. I was only eight. But I think somehow I knew then you were my destiny. Fate put us together for a reason.”

He licked his lips, and I could feel the connection between us build. He leaned in.

A tap at my shoulder made my head turn to see who was interrupting. Turner’s lips met my cheek as I saw Beth standing there. “Can I cut in?”

The vixen in me wanted to say
Back off Bitch
. But this was the community, not a New York club. “Sure,” I said taking a step back when Turner reluctantly let go of me.

I walked to the corner and found a place to stand where I wouldn’t see Turner and Beth. No doubt she’d put on a show to try and piss me off. I knew and trusted him. So I didn’t have to see what she’d do.

Another tap came, this time to my left, and I nearly yelled, “What?” It wasn’t as loud as a yell, but it was certainly rude.

Violet’s blue eyes looked stunned.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, unable to not be upset with Beth’s bothersome presence. “I didn’t think you were coming.”

“Mike didn’t come home.” She shrugged as if his not showing up was okay or common. No individual house had a phone and cell phones were banned. According to my father people lived thousands of years just fine without new technology. Thus, Mike had no way of letting her know he’d be late. I hated to give him the benefit of the doubt, but there it was.

“Where’s Turner?”

I angled my head in his general direction, wishing I had a drink for the first time I’d come back home. We’d drunk the other night, but that wasn’t my idea.

“Oh,” she said. “I’ll go get us some tea.” She walked off, and I made the mistake of catching the smile of Turner’s face.

A mild rage washed over me for a few seconds. I walked farther around the perimeter looking for my brothers for whom I should have been watching.  The music changed, and I told myself it was okay if he was still dancing with her.

Jake was easy to spot. He was chatting up the blonde girl I’d seen him smiling at days before. She too had that smile that sparkled of first love. I remembered that smile and my first kiss. While it was true that Turner and I had kissed when I was six, the first kiss that actually mattered came much, much later.

I spotted John on the fringes and began to make my way through the dancers to reach him, when a tiny girl who was little more than half his height came over to him. My brothers were tall for their age. Jake carried it like he was born that tall. But John was shyer. His broad smile brought one of my own to my lips.

“Can I have this dance?”

The request came from a very unlikely source. I turned to find Mike behind me. If I walked away, I suspected he would make a scene. It was best to be gracious and courteous as I’d been taught and give him one dance, praying that Turner would find his way to me and cut in.

Against my subtle push away, Mike held me close. Too close for a brother and sister-in-law if anyone paid any attention to us. My eyes swept the crowd, hoping that we were ignored, and I would find friendly eyes that would see my pleas.

“My sister was looking for you,” I said by way of conversation.

“You know, you don’t fit against me like your sister,” he said without answering my question.

Duh, I thought, gritting my teeth. My fear was that anything I did would backlash onto her. I found Beth who was watching me intently. Turner was no longer with her. I closed my eyes a second hoping because she was Mary’s friend she might have a heart and come and cut in. I opened them and found her gone. I would bet my life savings she was going to find Turner and tattle on me. I was okay with that.

“That’s one thing I like about being here,” Mike said.

It was an offhanded remark that had no response other than, “And what’s that?”

“Women are women here. And men are men. That’s something missing in America these days. Here, women know their place, know how to take care of a man, and do what they’re told.”

Actually, I wasn’t at all surprised by his answer. He probably got off on how my sister followed his every whim. It may have been the reason he liked living here, but it was at the top of my list why I couldn’t stay here forever. I did what I was told to further the community. But I would never do whatever a man like Mike asked me to do.

His face was a canvas of wickedness. “I think you like being held this way. I think you like to be told what to do. I saw how you responded to me the other night.”

“What?” I asked, perplexed at what he was talking about. I arched my back away from him while he held me in a vice grip around my waist. I didn’t smell any alcohol wafting off him. What was he getting at?

“Beg me like a dog to let you go.”

As much as I didn’t want him to do anything against my sister because of my actions, I couldn’t stop my next words. “You are a vile man,” I said, seething.

“Admit that you want me.”

His face was so close; I raised my hand to slap him.

“Let go of the lass.”

We both froze for different reasons. I looked to the side of Mike and saw Turner in the distance talking to my father.

“I said, let go of the lass,” the voice commanded.

Mike let go of me but said, “And who do you think you are?”

This was starting to sound like a bad movie script. Spinning around I faced the man I’d left behind—Kalen. He stood in a Henley tee and jeans that reminded me what lay beneath. He hadn’t even touched me standing about three feet away. My body responded as if we were alone and naked. My center clenched and the inappropriate time seemed pointless. His lips moved and I didn’t hear a word. I remembered how those lips felt against my hot skin, my heated nub, my tightened nibbles. I nearly panted.