Dreams of Fire (Maple Hill Chronicles Book 1) (36 page)

“Well, I didn’t think I could manage it alone, so Sarah came over. You know she handles things like that?”

“Yeah. She has—“

“Marianne! What a wonderful surprise to see you here!” A garishly bright man’s voice interrupted them.

Marianne stiffened in her seat. She’d forgotten to keep an eye on the street, and Geoffrey had snuck up on her like he had so many times in the last several months. Immediately she cringed, feeling guilty for no reason at all. Her carefully gained sense of independence and confidence evaporated in the flash powder flare of his voice. The bite of roll suddenly tasted like ashes in her mouth, and she choked a little swallowing it. She took a sip of tea to clear her throat and coughed as a little went down the wrong way.

By the time she turned to look at him, Geoffrey was grinning delightedly at her discomfort. He was dressed in a white polo shirt with crisp khaki slacks that set off his classic good looks and expensive tan. His designer sunglasses were resting jauntily atop his perfect haircut. He was alone for the moment, and Sandra was nowhere in sight.

“How unexpected to see you here!” he said again, coming closer to the table where they sat. “Who’s your little friend?”

Marianne sat, paralyzed with fear and agony. He’d found her. There was nowhere left to hide. In spite of the warnings she’d received, she found herself falling back into old habits, and all she could reply was, “Um…”
 

Ruari rose to his feet and held out his hand and said guardedly, “Hi, nice to meet you.” Geoffrey automatically clasped the proffered hand and did a double take when he realized the other man was taller than him. The momentary distraction allowed her to rally a little.

Geoffrey then invited himself to sit down in the unoccupied seat at their table. Ruari resumed his seat but remained watchful.

Marianne, hunched in her chair, said miserably, “Why are you here?”

He gave her an exaggerated look of hurt and said, “I’m just up here for a weekend in the country with Sandra. I’m upset that you never return my calls or emails anymore.”

Marianne tried to pull herself together. “We’re divorced, Geoffrey. I don’t have to talk to you.”

“Well, that’s rude. I thought we could at least remain friends.” He looked her over again, his gaze falling on her bandaged wrist. “What happened to you?” He said without much sympathy. “You always were such a klutz.”
 

He was wallowing in her suffering, and she knew it. She looked in his eyes and was reminded forcefully of George Rutherford. His Uncle George who was now gone. Something in her stood up straighter, shaking off the habits of the last ten years with some effort. She heard her grandmother’s voice again, “Singletons are strong people.”

She lifted her head, ignored his question, and said more clearly, “Geoffrey, if you’re looking for me, you found me. Is there something you want to say? If there is, just say it.”
 

“Well, the little mouse has some backbone left,” he said quietly, his eyes hardening. He leaned forward in his seat, putting his hands firmly on the table. “All right. The message is this,” he glanced at Ruari before fixing his gaze on her again, “whatever you know about me, know this: you can’t ever hide from me. I will always find you, so you’d better watch it.”

The veiled threat was clear, but it took Marianne a moment to understand the reference. It dawned on her that he thought she would expose his bad behavior at work and perhaps take away all he had achieved. Sarah and Kelly had been right.
 

She took a chance and came out swinging. She took a deep breath, looked into his dark eyes and said, “You’re right. I do know how you got your promotion, and it wasn’t because you were the best candidate. I
could
call your boss and tell him everything, but I won’t. You know why? Because we are divorced, and I don’t give a damn what you do anymore.”

A bitter look twisted his handsome face. “You little bitch. I should have gotten rid of you years ago,” he snarled, hoping to hurt her again, but Marianne was past that.

Ruari made a noise and moved in his seat, but Marianne reached out and touched him on the arm, silently asking him to wait.

Just then, a buxom, beautiful blonde woman called brightly from the sidewalk, “Hi, Geoffy, there you are!” and approached the threesome. Sandra was dressed to show a lot of cleavage and long, elegant legs. “Oh, hi, Marianne! Fancy meeting you here!” Her big smile was a little guarded but seemed to be innocent of guile.

Geoffrey ignored Sandra and sneered, “Your boyfriend doesn’t know what a little freak you are. When he finds out, he’ll dump you, and you’ll be sorry you ever left me.”

“Geoff, honey? What’s going on?” Sandra’s smile faded and she looked confused.

“Nothing, baby,” he said, his eyes still staring at Marianne, lip curled. “My ex here saw me passing by and called me over.” Sandra put her hands possessively on his shoulders and looked defiantly at Marianne.

Something inside Marianne snapped. She surged to her feet, scraping her chair across the cement, and deliberately closed the distance between them, her gaze locked on his face. She was shorter than he was, but he was pinned to his chair by his new girlfriend. “Geoffrey,” she said coldly and precisely, “we are done. I don’t give a rat’s ass what you do anymore. You can lie, cheat, and steal to your heart’s content. We are divorced. Sandra is the woman in your life now and has been for over a year. If she isn’t enough for you, that’s between you and her. From now on leave me alone. Stop following me, texting me, emailing, and phoning me. If you don’t, I can and will get a Restraining Order against you.”

Geoffrey involuntarily leaned back in his chair, his sneer melting into uncertainty. She had never stood up to him like this before, and he was taken aback. “You wouldn’t dare,” he said.

Marianne, now vibrating with anger and adrenalin, looked at him as if he were a roach in the kitchen and said softly, “Try me. I would make sure it was delivered to your office.” Her stare bored into him like a laser beam. “Geoffrey, go away and stay away from my town.”
 

With a visible effort she turned to Sandra, softened her expression, and said pleasantly. “Sandra, just for the record: he’s lying. He approached me. If you don’t believe me, you can ask anyone here.” She gestured to the crowd in general. Sandra stood openmouthed, shocked at being addressed, and Marianne continued almost gently, “Remember
this
man. This is the
real
Geoffrey. I hope he never aims this at you. I hope you are both happy together for a very long time. I really do.”

Turning back to her ex, her eyes narrowed as she said with finality, “We. Are. Done. Walk away from here.” And she stared at him, bristling with such steel in her expression that Sandra, looking alarmed, tugged at his arm. “Geoffy, let’s go. She’s crazy!”

Geoffrey pushed his chair back awkwardly, allowing Sandra to pull him away. Trying to restore some dignity, he fumbled his glasses down over his eyes and said, “This isn’t over.”

Marianne replied, “Yes it is.”

 
With a final impotent glare over his shoulder he moved away, and the crowd parted to let them retreat. Someone started clapping and suddenly the whole crowd was clapping. Marianne’s focus expanded and she realized she and Ruari were at the center of a crowd of fascinated onlookers who were applauding as if they’d seen a particularly good bit of street theater. Her face reddened in horrified embarrassment and she turned away. Abruptly she realized she was shaking and nearly fell into her seat again, placing her forehead on her palms. The clapping died away and people turned back to their own lives.

“Are you okay?” Ruari asked in concern. He’d been ready to intervene, but mostly, he just witnessed the confrontation. She hadn’t needed anything from him. People who had been staring at the spectacle were starting to turn away again now that the show was over.

“I think so. I just need to sit for a few minutes.” She closed her eyes and listened to the hammer of her heart in her ears. “I’m really sorry about that,” she murmured apologetically. “That was my ex. Now you know why I’m divorced. I knew he was coming, but I didn’t expect it to be today.”

“Remind me never to make you mad,” he said fervently.
 

She laughed shakily.

“Do you want—need to go home?” He inquired carefully, wondering if there were any residual daggers that might hit him.

She shook her head wearily. “No. I’ve tried very hard to keep my house a secret from him. I wouldn’t put it past him to follow me home even now.”

Ruari was silent for a few minutes, thinking furiously. “You said last week you like hiking. Would you like to take a walk somewhere outside of town? I know of a few nice places to walk.”

Marianne considered. “That might be a good idea. It might help me unwind.” She nodded. “A walk sounds nice. Where did you have in mind?”

“I know a bunch of places that are real hikes, but that might be more than you want just yet. Have you ever been to a place called Innisfree?”

She shook her head. “What’s that?”

“It’s an old estate in Millbrook that was landscaped into a Chinese cup garden in the first half of the twentieth century. It’s mostly flat, very peaceful, and really beautiful.”

She took a deep breath, released it, and opened her eyes. “That sounds nice. Is it far?”

“Maybe half an hour to forty minutes away. We could take a little more food and have a picnic?” He suggested tentatively.

“Okay.” She was slowly recovering. “I’ve got the brioche. I could go back inside and get some cheese and fruit or something.”

Still watching her with concern, he offered, “I’ll go get my truck and meet you back here. Will you be okay alone? Do you think they’ll come back?”

She shook her head. “I’ll go inside. It would take more chutzpah than he’s shown before to chase me in there. Besides, Sandra is with him, and maybe she’ll be jealous enough to distract him.” She giggled and then laughed with an edge of hysteria. “I never thought I’d say that,” she gasped. She saw his slightly alarmed expression and waved her hand vaguely. “Go. I’ll be here when you get back.”

Ruari left with some misgivings. He walked quickly down the side streets to his workshop. He’d left his truck there, knowing how crowded the holiday weekend was likely to be. Wow, he had no idea Marianne could be so forceful. When he’d met her she’d seemed so vulnerable and fragile. Her ghost stories had indicated a strange side to her that he couldn’t resolve comfortably. The day he’d seen her with all her injuries so fresh and the haunted look in her eyes, he’d just wanted to gather her into his arms and protect her.
 

Today, though, she’d confronted her ex husband and cut him coolly down to size. If he’d been in the other guy’s shoes, he’d have slunk home with his tail between his legs and never bothered her again. He didn’t know the other guy at all but hoped he’d leave Marianne alone after this. Ruari was impressed with her. Something had happened to bring out this unflinching backbone in her. If this is who she was, he kind of liked it. She had always been honest with him even when the honesty didn’t leave her in the best light. Other women had been flirty and willing to like all of his likes just to impress him. He’d never been sure of their sincerity, though. Marianne was very different. Someone he was willing to take the time to get to know. He found he was looking forward to showing her one of his favorite places.

She met him on the sidewalk with a co-op paper bag full of things, and he opened the door from inside. She climbed in and said with a weary smile, “Okay. Drive on.”

They had a wonderful afternoon together eating as they overlooked the water by the parking lot first and then walking the trail around the lake. Marianne was completely charmed by the quiet tranquility of the gardens and finally relaxed. She told him the story of sending Anne and George on to their proper afterlives, and he was suitably intrigued. They talked about books and music and movies and found that one title led to another. She told him about her love of history and he, about his fascination with wood. It was a perfect antidote to the harsh scene earlier.

He brought her back late in the afternoon and walked her to her doorstep.

“Thank you for a really wonderful afternoon,” she told him sincerely.

“Maybe we can do it again some time?” He asked.

“Minus the drama!” She clarified with a smile.

He laughed. “Definitely.”

“When are you free again?” she asked. “I have some painting to do tomorrow, and I need to get back to my history colleague about the course curriculum.”

“I work most days and am on call for emergencies at the rentals,” he said.

She nodded. “Maybe next week some time, then?”

He agreed and made himself turn and head back to his truck. It had been a really peaceful afternoon. Their conversation had been relaxed, not weird, and that was refreshing. Part of him still wanted to feel her lips on his, but he now understood her need to take time before they got there. With any luck, there would be many more days like this one, and the kissing would come in time.

He turned back as he climbed into his truck and was gratified to see her still at the door waving to him.

Marianne closed the door behind her. They’d had such a lovely time together: relaxed, friendly, no expectations. A visceral part of her still tingled and trembled at the thought of getting naked with Ruari, but her mind was also gratified by their simple walk and conversation. They’d put little offerings out for each other; a book or movie they’d liked or hated and listened to each response. There were enough correlations and overlaps that there was room for more discussion. They’d filled two hours and a picnic with comfortable conversation.

Inevitably, her mind returned to the scene on the sidewalk that morning. Geoffrey showing up with Sandra was so like him. He’d come to intimidate and gloat, but she’d stood up and kicked his butt like Kelly had said. She still wasn’t entirely sure where her moxie had come from. Perhaps she had to thank George and Anne for teaching her how to stand up for herself as well as for helping her meet people. Knowing she had friends who would watch her back helped too. She replayed her words, savoring the look of dismay and anger on Geoffrey’s face, a smile spreading across her own lips. It had been very satisfying to tell him off. She didn’t think Geoffrey would come after her again. Something told her that, like a playground bully, he’d been slugged hard enough that he would leave her be in the future.