Reining In (The Network) (5 page)

“Khallie!!” he yelled into the house, “That’s not fair!”

“I’m calling her Mack. It should be me, you know. She might not come if you ask her. She might feel intimidated. If I invite her to my house, insist, she might feel obligated. You know?”

“Great, guilt her into it. That’s a nice way to start out,” he grumbled.

“Doesn’t matter how I do it,” I teased. “Once she’s here, she’ll have no choice but to fall in love with our deranged little family!”

He laughed, easing up a little. “I suppose you’re right. Ok, fine.”

It took very little convincing on my part. Marlene was more than happy to spend time with Mack, especially when it didn’t require them to hide their relationship. Apparently Mack had told her that they no longer had to keep it under wraps. I gave her directions and hung up the phone, grinning like the Cheshire cat. Mack only shook his head and walked back out to the patio. I smiled to myself. Mack was going to be happy whether he liked it or not, damn it.

Over the next half hour, I wandered around, talking to my guests and catching up on their lives. It was nice having them here. I missed them all so much. Flitting from person to person, I did my best to talk to everyone. I remembered to mention to everyone that we would be having a guest from outside the network, and that they needed to refrain from mentioning that I was a vampire. I had no doubt that there would be no issues.

She was so quiet when she finally walked through the gate into the yard, that I almost didn’t notice her. She looked nervous and quite intimidated! Poor girl! I saw Mack walking toward her, but decided I needed to welcome her first. If she was going to get comfortable with me, I better get started now. It wasn’t like I was going to have time later. I had no idea how long I was going to be gone.

I ran up and hugged her, which caught her off guard, but almost instantly, I could feel her relax.

“I’m so glad you decided to come,” I purred as I locked my arm in hers and started walking her towards everyone else. “Mack wasn’t sure if you would, but just knew I could convince you.”

Marlene was taken aback, not sure what to make of my warm welcome. It made me wonder what Mack had told her about me. I gave him a quick warning glance as he approached, letting him know we would have a talk later. I herded her over to the table, handing her a plate, babbling on about the wonderful food everyone had brought. Mack caught up to us and took her hand in his.

Her reaction was immediate. The girl must’ve been head over heels in love with him. He could’ve walked her into a lion’s den, and she wouldn’t have so much as blinked. Of course, that was what he was doing, in a sense. But she didn’t know that.

She filled up her plate and we walked around while I introduced her to everyone. She seemed to be right at home with all of them. The rest of the evening was uneventful; peaceful. For the first time since Raymond died, I felt hope. It seemed like maybe I could finally accept that life happened, people around me were going to get old; they were going to die. There was nothing I could do about that. But I could enjoy their lives while they were a part of mine. Of course, I still had to get through next week. That would be the real test.

Chapter Five

Over the next couple of days, my guests dwindled down, until there was no one left. I spend a lot of time getting to know Marlene during that time. The more I got to know her, the more I thought she would make a good addition to our family; if, of course, Mack ever decided to tell her the truth.

She was much younger than Mack, but that didn’t seem to bother her at all. But then again, I had seen women much younger than her fall all over themselves over Mack, so that didn’t surprise me at all. But Marlene was attracted to more than just his good looks and charm. There was something special there. I could tell even this early in their relationship, that she loved him.

I could see, too, why Mack liked her. She was beautiful. But not in a way that made her unapproachable. She was charming, funny and genuine. I could tell that when she told you something, she meant it. Best of all, she didn’t seem bothered by the fact that Mack had her spending so much time with me lately. She seemed to fit right in, not just with me, but with the rest of the family. By the time they had all left, she had them making promises of future visits.

A few days before I was to leave for Mississippi, the three of us were spending an afternoon at Mack’s house. When Mack got a call that he had to take care of right away, Marlene and I were left alone to chat amongst ourselves. I decided to make us some tea, one of the few human things I could still enjoy.

“You seem to know your way around Mack’s house quite well,” she observed, not sounding suspicious, but just curious.

“I spend a lot of time here,” I replied. “Mack and I have known each other for a very long time.” Hesitating, I looked back over at her and smiled, politely. I wasn’t sure how much I should tell her, or what Mack had already told her. I didn’t have long to think, though, as she continued the conversation.

“Your family started Valdis, then, right?” she asked.

“My father’s family did. Before my parents were killed. I inherited the business, although Mack is really the one who ran it. At least until I was old enough.” That seemed to satisfy her curiosity, for now.

“So Mack says you are going on a vacation? Where are you going, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“I’m going to see an old friend.” My voice faltered a little, as I said the words. He was more than an old friend. Marlene noticed my hesitation on the word friend.

“An old boyfriend.” She said it with such an understanding tone. I almost spilled my entire heart out to her right then. I would have to remember to be more careful around her. She was damn observant, and I didn’t want to piss Mack off by saying something I shouldn’t. Not until he gave me the green light.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that. It ended…. badly, I guess.”

“But you’re going to see him? Why?”

“I owe it to him. I broke it off without explanation. I broke his heart. If nothing else, I need to apologize to him. And I miss him. If anyone could make me feel better about everything that’s happened with Ray… um, Grandpa, I know Jake could.”

Marlene cocked her head, as I corrected myself. Damn it. She caught that, too! Ok, stupid, talk your way out of that one.

“Sorry, it’s just that I hardly ever called him Grandpa. We were very close. He raised me, you know. He was more like a father to me. He insisted I not make him feel old by calling him Grandpa, and well, Dad just wasn’t the right word. I just called him by his name.”

OK, shut up now. If you keep going on, she really is going to get suspicious. She seemed to shrug it off, though, or pretended that it was nothing, because she just continued asking about Jake.

“Hmm. You think it’s the right thing? Going to him, I mean. He might be angry or upset. You might just make things worse.” I could see how she would think that, not knowing the circumstances of the entire situation. I guess I would see it that way, too, looking in from the outside.

“Mack tells me he isn’t angry. Hurt, but not angry. He tried contacting me several times, but I didn’t take his calls.” I hated admitting that to her. It was not something I was proud of.

“So why the sudden change of heart?” she asked. I noticed she just sounded curious, not judgmental.

“Because Raymond was right. I’ve hurt people, trying to protect myself and trying to protect them. I’ve done neither. I mean, being here hasn’t kept my heart from breaking, and taking care of Raymond certainly didn’t keep him alive. All I’ve done is hurt the people I love.”

I paused. I was getting a little too emotional, and it wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have with Marlene today. Answer the question. Don’t elaborate. Got it.

“I don’t know if Mack told you, but Raymond was one of Jake’s biggest fans. He wanted very badly to see us together again before he died.” Guilt ran through me like an electric shock. Too late for that, wasn’t it Khallie? I sighed and turned back to finish the tea, and carried it over to the table where Marlene sat. She took a sip and started at me thoughtfully.

“Why did you stop seeing him?” she asked, finally. Damn, I knew she would ask that.

“It’s, um, complicated.” It’s all I could think of. I didn’t know what to say. Fortunately, I didn’t have to.

“She came to take care of Raymond,” Mack interrupted. “He was her first priority. Of course that’s not everything, but that’s the main reason. Right Khalida?”

Khalida. He was not happy with me. He only called me that when he thought I did something wrong.

“Yes, of course. I pretty much put my entire life on hold after Raymond had his heart attack. I needed to be here to take care of him. I was so afraid of losing him, I just put the rest of my life on the back burner. Including my love life.” I looked up at Mack. There, I fixed it, ok. He relaxed a little as he read the look, but I could tell he was still on edge. Perhaps not over me, though. I would corner him later.

“Well that’s understandable.” Marlene spoke up again. “I’m sure he would be hurt, but who can blame you. Raymond was family, and you loved him.” If only she knew the truth.

True, it was Raymond’s heart attack that made the decision for me. But not for the reasons Mack and I just gave. It was more complicated. I didn’t want to see someone else I loved grow old without me. I didn’t want to get that close again. So I walked away. I left him to live his life; a normal life. Problem was, he didn’t do that, and I was already too close. I realized that now.

It was a hard thing for me, dealing with this. Until I had met Raymond, and started putting together the network, I had not allowed myself to get that close to anyone. I did once, but that was a long time ago. It was something I didn’t like to think about.

“Jake will be thrilled to see Khallie again,” Mack said bluntly, in response to Marlene’s comment. “He would wait an eternity for her. She knows that.”

Ha, it’s back to Khallie. I’m in the clear. I wondered what was still bugging him, though.

“We’ll see.” I shrugged. I wish I was as confident as he was. I wasn’t so sure Jake would want to see me again.

“So when do you leave?” Marlene asked, as she picked up a cracker and started to nibble on it. I smiled as she leaned over and gave Mack a bite. They were so damn cute together. I wondered how long they had really been seeing each other before I figured it out. Must’ve been a while.

“I’m leaving the day after tomorrow.” I replied.

“Oh.” She sounded disappointed. I looked up at her, puzzled. Mack cast her a questioned look as well.

“Oh, it’s nothing, really. It’s just that I was kind of enjoying getting to know you. You’re so different than I imagined. I mean, and I hope you don’t get mad at me for saying this, but you seemed so arrogant before. I’ve never seen you interact with very many people at the office. But now that I know you better, you are so nice. And the three of us, we seem to be having so much fun, aren’t we?”

Mack and I laughed at the same time.

“I suppose I deserved that. I do come off poorly at the office. Too focused, I think. I’ll work on it! And yes, we are having a great time. And will continue to do so when I get back, I promise! Besides, I’m sure you and Mack would like some time alone. I’ve been intruding on you guys all week. I’m sure you could use a break from me.” The sparkle in both their eyes told me I was right.

The next two days, however, neither let me out of their sight. I suspected that Mack had voiced his concerns over me changing my mind, and Marlene had teamed up with him to make sure I didn’t. She even talked me into a shopping trip to buy some things I would need to take with, coercing me into buying a black lace negligee that she was sure I would need. I was pretty sure it would never leave the suitcase, but I conceded. Her energy was contagious, and I couldn’t help but have a good time with her.

We spent that day there walking through the mall, talking and giggling like we were old friends. We talked more about my relationship with Jake, my friendship with Mack and my life with Raymond.

It was nice to have a girlfriend to talk to, and it suddenly occurred to me why I liked Marlene so much. I had never been friends with anyone like her before. Sure I was friends with everyone in the network, and we were close, but it was different. They knew what I was and treated me differently. They cared about me, but they were cautious with me, never truly letting their guard down. Sure there was Mack, but he wasn’t exactly the girly type.

Marlene realized I had stopped. “What’s wrong?” Her eyes were wide, as she waited for me to answer. Slowly a big smile spread across my face.

“Nothing,” I told her. “It’s just that I’m having a really good time.”

“And?” she asked, looking confused.

“Well, that doesn’t happen very often. I guess it just kind of surprised me!”

“You are a little strange, sometimes, you know that?” We both laughed and continued on.

Both she and Mack came over to my house that night for dinner. Marlene helped me pack my suitcase while Mack cleared the table and started the dishes. She made sure I packed the black negligee. Lord knows that was important. I laughed to myself.

When it started getting late, they said their goodbyes. Mack walked Marlene to the car, then headed back to say one last goodbye. He hugged me tight, kissing the top of my head.

“It will be fine,” he whispered. “If you need anything at all, you call me, you hear?” I nodded, and hugged him back.

Then he turned away and headed towards his car. I watched as they drove off into the night. I didn’t turn back towards the house until I could no longer see his taillights in the distance. I sighed and went back in. The house was suddenly so quiet.

I decided to load my things into my car. No need to wait until the morning. Besides, I knew I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. Not now. So I might as well find something to keep me preoccupied. It didn’t take nearly as long as I had hoped to load up my things. So finally, I curled up on my couch, turned on an old movie, hoping to distract myself. After about the third movie, I finally fell asleep.