Cimarron, Denver Cereal Volume 4 (35 page)

“
So?” Seth
asked.

“
That’s not very normal is
it?” Delphie asked. “If I went to get enough cleaner to clean all
these bodies, someone would notice. Your guy has it
around…”

“
Because he cooks food,”
Seth said. “That’s very good.”

“
Greasy food,” Delphie
said.

“
Greasy food.”

“
Jake used the cleaner at a
burger joint,” Delphie said.

“
I’m going to make a call.
Get one of these kids to track down all the distributers in
Colorado,” Seth said. “Do you think we’re looking for a restaurant
cook? Or …”

“
This guy is a loner,”
Delphie said. “There’s not even a shadow of another soul in his
life.”

“
Shadow of a soul?” Seth
asked.

“
People leave imprints on
our hearts and minds. We carry them around with us,” Delphie said.
“I can see the souls people have around them. Like you have Sandy,
her Dad, Charlie’s there, me, your dogs…”

“
Okay, okay,” Seth said.
“And this guy?”

“
No one,” Delphie
said.

“
That’s two more pieces of
information we didn’t have this morning,” Seth said. “Let’s try the
other sites. Are you game?”

“
I’m happy to help,”
Delphie said.

“
That’s one of the things I
like about you,” Seth said.

~~~~~~~~

Monday afternoon — 4 P.M.

“
Ok, so you’re going to…”
Jill started.

She spun in place and walked back toward her
sister’s kitchen.

“
Jill!” Megan, Jill’s
oldest sister, said. “We’ve got it. You’ve said everything three
times!”

“
Oh,” Jill said. “You won’t
forget to get more sunscreen?”

“
I have it on my list,”
Megan said. “And I’ll make sure to get the non-cancer causing
kind.”

“
Oh,” Jill said.

“
Why are you so freaked
out?” Megan asked. “You act like you’ve never spent a night away
from Katy. We’ve taken care of Katy since she was an infant. We
just haven’t seen as much of her since you and Jacob got together.
And we’ve missed her. The boys are really excited to get to spend a
week with her and Paddie.”

“
Oh,” Jill said.

Lost in thought, Jill stood still in the
middle of Megan’s kitchen. Her hand went instinctively to rub the
button held on her wrist by a simple bracelet.

“
What’s going
on?”

“
I… Well…”

“
Jillian Roper,” Megan
said. “You’re going on your first real vacation since you were a
kid. And it’s exactly how you wanted it. We’re coming along
tomorrow. The rest of our family will be there this weekend.
Delphie and Sam will be there when you get there. Was there someone
else you wanted to go on your honeymoon with? Because I’m sure Jake
will make that happen too.”

“
No, Sandy, Heather and
Tanesha can’t come,” Jill said. “They have stuff they have to do
here. We’re planning a trip in August before Tanesha starts med
school.”

“
Then what’s
wrong?”

“
You remember when I was in
Santa Monica before?” Jill started. She blushed.

“
I remember,” Megan
said.

“
It was the best night of
my entire life,” Jill said. “We’re going there tonight. What if…
You know, it’s not that great or…”

Megan laughed.

“
Maybe it’ll be better,”
Megan said. “You can be more honest, more yourself. I bet you’ll
have a wonderful time.”

“
What if I don’t get
pregnant?” Jill asked.

“
What if you don’t?” Megan
smiled.

“
Jake really wants a bigger
family,” Jill said.

“
You have lots and lots of
time Jill,” Megan said. “You’ve been married less than a
year.”

“
But if we don’t have
another baby then maybe he’ll find someone else.”

Megan laughed at Jill’s confused, heart
broken face.

“
This is why you’re not
pregnant,” Megan said. “You’re too worried about him
leaving.”

“
You don’t understand,”
Jill shook her head slightly. “You and Tim have been together
forever.”

“
Listen,” Megan said in her
older sister voice. “I completely understand. You guys have been
through a lot. This secretary thing is really awful. I know why you
have doubts. If Tim had this kind of scandal, I’d be freaked out
too.”

“
You would?”

“
Sure,” Megan said. “I have
a big life – three kids, nice home, good job, everything I could
want – but Tim is the cornerstone of everything. If some woman said
all the crap that secretary said about Jacob and text messages and
whatever else, I’d be really freaked out.”

“
What would you
do?”

“
I’d take a page out of my
brave sister Jill’s book,” Megan said. “I’d talk to my husband. I’d
listen to my heart and I’d move on. What is it that you told me? ‘I
can always leave later.’ That’s what I’d do. And who knows? Maybe
it would turn out to be really good. Like it has been for you and
Jake.”

“
Really good?”

“
You’d never take this
vacation if this hadn’t happened,” Megan said. “Jake would still be
working crazy hours. In some ways, the secretary did you a
favor.”

“
She did?” Jill’s eyebrows
rose with doubt and surprise.

“
Yes, she got Jake out of
Lipson so you guys can really have a life,” Megan said. “It’s what
he’s always wanted. Now you can build a life together.”

Biting her lip, Jill nodded. The doorbell
rang.

“
That’s Jake,” Jill
said.

Megan hugged Jill.

“
Go and have a great time,”
Megan said. “Some things are meant to be. Why don’t you get the
door?”

Megan called Katy while Jill opened the
door. Jacob stood at the door holding a single white rose.

“
Are you ready?” he
asked.

With her hand pressed to her heart, Jill
nodded. Katy ran up to say good-bye. After lots of kisses and hugs,
Katy wiggled away. Laughing, she ran back to playing with her
cousins. Megan gave Jill a knowing smile and closed the door behind
them.

With one last look at the door, Jill
followed Jacob to the car. He opened her passenger door. The slip
of tulle she wore as a mask the last time they went to Santa Monica
lay on the seat. Picking it up, she sat got into the passenger
side. Jacob went around the back of the SUV. When he got in the
car, he was wearing his mask.

“
Are you ready?” he
repeated.

Seeing him in the mask, her heart all but
exploded in her chest. All anxiety and fear disappeared. She was
ready. When she put on her mask, he laughed.

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED and
ELEVEN

Redo

Monday Evening – 7:30 P.M. PDT

“
Did you see that?” Jill
asked.

“
The bright flashes of
light?” Jacob asked.

“
Like a million sparklers
going off all at once,” she said.

“
Yes, I saw
them.”

“
Wow,” Jill
said.

She nestled her head in his arms. He kissed
her bare neck and shoulders. They were entwined in the back corner
of the hotel elevator.

“
Are we off the ground?”
Jill asked.

“
A couple of feet,” he
said. “Sorry.”

They lowered to the ground. He shifted to
disengage and buttoned his jeans. She kissed his lips. For a
moment, they were lost in the passion that had levitated them. Jill
sighed and he stroked the sheer back of her skimpy dress.

“
Did that happen last
time?” Jill asked.

“
Yes,” he said.

“
I thought I imagined it,”
she said. “You should make the elevator go again.”

He leaned forward and pressed the button to
the sixteenth floor. The elevator began lowering toward the
sixteenth floor. They stopped at the eighteenth floor and a man got
on. Jacob held Jill's hand.

“
Did you guys get on
upstairs?” the man asked. “I swear this elevator was stuck. Both
the twenty and the twenty-one lights were glowing.”

“
I didn't notice. Did you?”
Jacob asked Jill.

“
Me? No.”

“
I pressed the button about
a million times.”

“
Did that work?” Jacob
asked.

“
You're here,” he
said.

“
Must have worked,” Jacob
shrugged.

The man shrugged in agreement and turned
toward the front of the elevator. The elevator continued its
descent to the sixteenth floor. When the doors opened, the man
stepped aside. Jill and Jacob stepped off.

“
What do you think?” Jill
asked.

“
I think we should try it
again,” he said.

“
Room?” she
asked.

As he had all those years before, he pulled
her into the elevator landing bathroom.

“
Let's remember to lock the
door this time,” Jill said.

With a flick of his hand, Jacob locked the
door. Jill jumped into his arms.

~~~~~~~~

Monday night — 8:45 P.M. MDT

“
Charlie, bed,” Sandy said.
“I’m not joking.”

Noelle came out from her room in her
pajamas. She looked at Sandy and then at Charlie.

“
It’s so early,” Charlie
whined. “I won’t get to watch my shows.”

“
I thought it was early
too,” Noelle said. “But once we started doing it, it worked out
really good. Plus, we TiVo our shows and watch them together when
we get home. It’s fun. You’ll see. Sandy makes popcorn
and…”

Shaking his head, Charlie couldn’t help but
smile at sweet Noelle.

“
Bathroom,” Sandy said.
“Change and brush your teeth.”

“
House rules,” Aden said.
“You agreed to them when you chose to stay here.”

Charlie opened his mouth to say something
else and then looked at Aden. Aden’s eyebrow was raised and his
feet were set. The boy assessed the man for a moment. Aden was not
going to put up with crap from Charlie. Charlie gave a curt nod and
went to use the bathroom.

“
He’s going to test every
rule,” Aden said.

“
Until he knows he’s safe,”
Sandy said. Turning to Noelle, she said, “Would you like a tuck in,
missy?”

“
That’s why I came out,”
Noelle said.

Sandy followed Noelle into her bedroom.

“
Would you like a story?”
Sandy asked.

“
Do you think I’m too old
for stories?” Noelle asked.

“
I don’t think so,” Sandy
said. “A lot of adults read before they go to sleep.”

“
But do you think other
people will think I’m too old for stories?” Noelle
asked.

“
Other people?” Sandy
asked.

Noelle blushed.

“
Nash likes stories,” Sandy
said. “I like reading them. I bet your Dad will listen
in.”

“
Should I get
Nash?”

“
Sure,” Sandy said. Noelle
was in the doorway, when Sandy added, “No, I don’t think Teddy will
think you’re too old for stories.”

Noelle beamed at Sandy. She was almost out
the door when she turned back.

“
Should I get
Charlie?”

“
We can ask him,” Sandy
said. “Are you all right with having him in your
bedroom?”

“
Sure,” Noelle smiled her
big Noelle smile. “I’ll get them.”

By the time Sandy selected a chapter book
about fair ladies, courageous knights, dragons, and, of course,
fairies, Nash and Noelle had returned.

“
Charlie has to brush his
teeth again,” Noelle whispered. “He’s with Dad.”

Sandy nodded.

“
We can wait,” Nash
said.

Noelle got under her covers. Nash grabbed
one of Noelle’s pillows and lay down on the bed. Sandy sat near the
end. When Charlie came in, Nash indicated he could sit next to him.
Charlie looked uncomfortable but Aden gave him a little push into
the room. Charlie sat down on the bed next to Nash.

“
Mom reads us stories
before we go to bed,” Noelle said. “She says it’s good dream
insurance.”

Remembering Sandy saying that to him when he
was a child, Charlie gave a half grin. He crumpled some comforter
for his head and lay back. Aden leaned against the door frame.

Sandy began the book. She made funny voices
for all the characters. When the action increased, her voice was
excited. After a half hour, her voice dropped in tone as Noelle and
Charlie were asleep. Another ten minutes and Nash was out. Aden
took Nash to his room.

Sandy took Charlie to the large walk-in
closet at the end of the hall. Jacob had set up the tight space
with a futon and drawers for Charlie’s non-existent clothing. She
gave a groggy Charlie his medication and tucked him in. He was
asleep before she flicked off the light.

Seeing Aden leave Nash’s room, she went to
kiss Nash good night. She followed Aden in to kiss Noelle good
night. She was closing Noelle’s door when she saw Aden coming from
Charlie’s room. She smiled at him.