Greeley's Spyce (23 page)

go.‖

―Got it,‖ Kacy said without turning around.

Ernst nodded to Gretchen and followed his woman.
Who the hell is

Mike?
―Who‘s Mike?‖ he asked, stopping next to her in front of the different

background rolls.

―The owner.‖ Kacy pulled out one sheet that was a beautiful Carib-

bean blue. ―This is nice.‖

Ernst bit his bottom lip. ―You don‘t want one with plants on it or

some other design?‖

With a slight shake of her head she explained, ―I want something that

won‘t be busy. I figured plain background, and I would put in a few of their

castles, treasure chests, and things like that.‖

―Okay, that sounds good.‖ Still, his eyes wandered to ones with more

designs on them.

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Aliyah Burke

Kacy laughed. ―Why don‘t you pick out one you like as well?‖

―‘Kay.‖ He turned towards her and said, ―You going to see Mike? We

need to go soon.‖

―Going right now. Be back in a few.‖

I will not be jealous.
Ernst focused on picking a backdrop and tried not

to imagine her and Mike together.
Jesus, calm down, Ghost! Trust her.

A short time later, his body told him Kacy was near. Ernst turned

and saw her walking with an older woman. Stopping before him Kacy spoke,

―This is Ernst. Ernst, meet Mike.‖

Ernst shook her hand. ―Nice to meet you.‖

―He‘s good lookin‘, Kacy. Have babies with him.‖

Covering her face, Kacy groaned in embarrassment.

―Sounds like a good idea to me.‖ Ernst agreed, waiting with a wink

for her eyes to meet his.

Kacy changed the subject. ―We need to go.‖

Gretchen came over and cut the two choices they made and put them

in a bag.

Kacy took Ernst by the arm and walked to the door. ―Bye, ladies.

And thanks.‖

―Bye, y‘all.‖ Gretchen called out.

―My pleasure, girl,‖ the smoker‘s rasp of Mike‘s voice came. ―Jus‘

hurry up n‘ give me my grandbabies!‖ Her chortle followed them out the

door.

Kacy was still blushing as she put her purchase in the trunk. ―Sorry

about that. Mike is very…‖

Ernst slid behind the driver‘s seat. ―Brash?‖

Kacy nodded as she climbed inside. ―That‘s one way of putting it.

But she is still a great person.‖

Soon, they were on the interstate heading towards his parents‘ house.

Glancing at the woman beside him, Ernst picked up on her nervousness.

With his right hand, he lifted her left one and brought it to his mouth for a

kiss. A gentle smile was on his lips as he laced their fingers and rested them

on her leg.

―Relax, Kacy. It‘ll be fine.‖ He hoped he was calming her frayed

nerves.

―I am,‖ she protested even as she shifted yet again in her seat.

―Uh, huh.‖ He chuckled. ―Trained to interpret reactions, remember?‖

―Great. I end up with frickin‘ James Bond,‖ Kacy muttered.

His hand tightened around hers. ―I don‘t like martinis and I definite-

ly don‘t want his women.‖ Briefly taking his eyes off the road, he arched a

blond brow while looking at her. ―My hands are full with the one I have.‖

Two and a half hours later, Ernst drove up a dirt driveway to stop in

front of a German colonial home. As he shut off the engine, the porch‘s screen

door opened.

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135

Slanting a glance at Kacy, he smiled and reassured her. ―Breathe and

relax. Everything will be fine.‖ He squeezed her hand before getting out and

opening the door for her. After she was out of the car, he reached behind the

seat and grabbed the gifts to give them to her.

Kacy took Ernst‘s strong hand and let him help her out. Side by side,

they went to the steps to meet his family. Her eyes took in the three figures

she recognized from his portrait.
It will be okay, Kacy,
she repeated in her

mind.

The woman who was robust and shorter than Kacy herself came

down the steps. ―Ernst,‖ she cooed as her arms opened to embrace her son.

―Hello, Mother,‖ Ernst returned with affection along with the hug.

Patiently, Kacy stood by and waited for the reunion to be over. Final-

ly, Ernst pulled back and said, ―Mother, I‘d like you to meet Ms. Koali Travis,

better known as Kacy. Kacy, my mother, Nonnie Zimmermann.‖

With a smile that hid her nervousness Kacy said, ―It is wonderful to

meet you. You have a lovely home.‖ Extending the orchid, she continued,

―This is for you.‖

Nonnie Zimmermann took the stunning orchid and smiled at the

woman beside her son. When Ernst had told them Kacy was black, Nonnie

had been upset and extremely unsure of what she would be like.

The woman before her had a quiet dignity that Nonnie liked from the

moment she saw her being assisted out of the car by her son. Her eyes

observed her son‘s girlfriend handinga box to Otto, Nonnie‘s husband, as he

too joined them on the ground.

―Well,‖ Nonnie ordered as her husband sniffed on of the cigars he‘d

just received. ―Let‘s go in and chat in the kitchen while we wait for the food.‖

Her sharp eyes watched the protective way Ernst watched over Kacy as she

was introduced to Adolf.

Nonnie entered first followed by Otto and Adolf. Kacy and Ernst

brought up the rear. She watched as Kacy stopped by the door briefly until

Ernst shook his head at her and whispered softly into her ear.

In the kitchen, Adolf began to flirt with her, helping to put her more

at ease. ―Can I do anything to help?‖ Kacy offered.

―You two can just sit there.‖ Nonnie stated, pointing to some chairs.

―I haven‘t seen this boy of mine in a long while. Ernst, fill us in,‖ her order

came as she filled some drink glasses.

With an eye roll to Kacy, Ernst leaned back in his chair, draping one

arm around the back of her chair and idly running his hand along her

shoulder. ―Let‘s see…‖ he began.

―So, that‘s where the two of you met?‖ Otto asked as they sat around

the table eating dessert. ―In Hawaii?‖

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Aliyah Burke

―Yes, sir,‖ Kacy said as she took a bite of the cake before her. Ernst

had updated them on what he‘d been doing until he‘d gone to Hawaii.

Eyes that were like his son‘s watched her. ―And why were you

there?‖

―I was attending a conference,‖ Kacy shifted in her seat, only to calm

at the gentle touch of Ernst‘s hand on her leg.

―What do you do?‖ Adolf asked leaning back and watching her.

―I own my own business. I‘m an electrician.‖ Her body remained re-

laxed thanks to the soothing caresses Ernst put on her leg and ultimately her

soul.

Adolf sucked his lower lip in his mouth. ―I see.‖ He shifted on his

seat. ―And how long have you been doing that?‖

―Adolf,‖ Ernst warned in a low growl, only to fall silent at the light

touch of Kacy‘s fingertips.

―It‘s okay, Ernst.‖ Her burnished eyes held the blue ones of the man

who sat across from her. ―I‘ve been an electrician for eight years now.‖

Ernst‘s father broke in. ―Impressive. I bet you stay pretty busy.‖ He

sent a frown to his eldest son.

Kacy nodded. ―It keeps me going.‖ Her answer was modest.

Shaking his head Ernst added, ―Busy enough I don‘t see enough of

her.‖ He winked at Kacy before resting his arm across the back of her chair.

Otto and Nonnie shared a glance. It was obvious their son was smit-

ten with the woman beside him. And for once, Nonnie was okay with it.

Normally, there was no woman good enough for her son, but she genuinely

liked this Kacy Travis.

C H A P T E R T W E N T Y - O N E

Relaxing in the passenger seat as Ernst drove, Kacy had a content

smile on her face. There were containers of leftover food in the trunk Nonnie

had insisted they take.

It was dark as Ernst drove them to her house. He kept his attention

on the road, not willing to risk the precious cargo he transported.

Sensual jazz played throughout the vehicle. ―Thank you for inviting

me today,‖ Kacy said.

―I loved having you with me.‖ One hand drifted over to rest on her

thigh. ―Thank
you
for coming with.‖

Turning in the seat so her eyes could take in his profile illuminated

by the faint lights from the dash, she claimed, ―I must admit it wasn‘t as bad

as I allowed myself to believe it was going to be.‖

―I told you my family would love you, especially when you were

willing to play cards with them.‖ His hand tightened on her thigh. Ernst

thought about the game. They‘d played with both two and four people. The

object was to move your peg around the cribbage board to the end first.

Depending on the number of people playing, a player was dealt a different

number of cards; but when the hand started, the player had four. He knew

that if all five had played, it would have been different, but the men had

switched out. Points were acquired for card combinations totaling fifteen,

flushes, runs, or if a player had a Jack of the same suit as the card flipped

over on the pile. Though there were lots of rules, the game was tons of fun.

She grinned in the dark. ―I like learning new things. Who knew a

game called cribbage could be so fun?‖

―Wait ‘til we get home. I have something to teach you,‖ he said se-

ductively.

Kacy sighed deeply. ―Not sure I want to learn from you,‖ her teasing

remark came.

―I promise you‘ll like this one.‖

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Aliyah Burke

Not electing to dignify that with an answer, Kacy silently shook her

head and closed her eyes. At least tomorrow was Sunday and she could relax.

―What do you want to do tomorrow?‖ His question brought her cop-

per eyes back over to his profile.

―I am going to visit Adam‘s grave. Other than that, I only planned on

doing some riding, assuming the weather cooperates. Why?‖ She placed her

hand on top of his as it stayed on her leg.

―I wanted to spend the day with you. If you didn‘t mind, that is.‖

Spreading his fingers, he waited until her fingers slid in-between his and then

he squeezed them gently. ―But if you don‘t want company when you go visit

Adam…‖

―Having you with me would be wonderful. Does this mean you are

staying the night?‖

Letting go over her hand, Ernst shifted gears as he slowed down for

the stoplight. ―Is that an offer?‖ His pale gaze turned to look at her face.

Kacy smiled. ―Sure, I have a guest room.‖

―So you do.‖ Putting his eyes back on the road, he drove as the light

turned green. ―However, I would rather stay with you in the same bed.‖

―Oh. I get it.‖

―You will.‖ He promised.

Trembling with the prospect of making love to the man beside her,

Kacy looked out the window as they drove through her neighborhood.



―I miss you, Adam.‖ Her voice was full of memories of the little boy

as she laid the bouquet of flowers down beside his headstone. Kacy‘s fingers

gently traced his name that was carved into the marble as she blinked back

tears.

When she began to stand, strong hands were there to help and sup-

port her. Ernst had been at her side the whole time. He silently allowed her to

do what she needed to do, but gave her some of his strength at the same time.

Slipping her arms around his waist, Kacy rested her head against his

shoulder and whispered, ―Thank you for coming with me.‖

―You don‘t need to thank me for doing this, Kacy. I miss him too,‖

Ernst said as he turned them towards her car.

Kacy waved goodbye to the nuns and orphans who were out as she

slid into the driver‘s seat and started up her gray car. ―I have to go grocery

shopping. Do you want me to drop you off at your truck first?‖

―Do you want me to leave you alone for the rest of the day, Kacy?‖

His words were somber as he looked at her.

Sitting at the end of the road at the orphanage, Kacy faced the man in

her car. ―No. I just didn‘t know if you had things to do yourself.‖

―I‘m doing it.‖ He trailed two fingers down the side of her face.

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139

Shivering at the gentle touch she nodded. ―Okay, then.‖ Turning

back to the road, Kacy drove to the store.

Walking through the aisles at the grocery story together, Kacy put a

few items in her cart. Ernst had stopped in front of the cereals and answered

his cell phone that had begun to ring. Kacy kept moving.
What am I doing?

Kacy asked herself as she headed down another aisle, leaving Ernst behind to

finish his conversation in private.

Am I setting myself up to get hurt?
Standing in front of the soups, Kacy

became conflicted. Shaking her head, she admonished herself for trying to

sabotage her relationship with Ernst.

―What‘s the matter, sweets?‖ a voice asked from nearby.

A bolt of fear coursed through her body. Bile rose in her throat and

her knees trembled with trepidation. Kirby.

He chuckled menacingly as he witnessed her reaction. It only in-

creased her dread. ―Now I warned you about seeing someone else. You

should know better than to test me. And a white guy at that?‖ His scorn was

blatant.

Eyes wide, she looked at the man who had beaten her and enjoyed it.

He stood too close for her comfort, but not crowding her. To the people who