Lotus Blossom (17 page)

“Fine.” She passed him as he held the terrace door for her, then faced him as she tried to stay in the leeward corner of the porch. The northern breeze was brisk and had a bite to it in the early May evening. She took a deep breath. “We both know that we enjoyed each other’s company, but we were never to love.”

“Are you now?” Jeremy coughed.

“Yes,” Lotus blurted out, then she sighed. “Oh, yes, I love him.” She tried to smile at her friend. "If we dated for a thousand years, we would only be friends. We both know that.”

“Rob says he comes from a wealthy Massachusetts family. That your mother knows the family.” Lotus gasped. “His family is in fishing. He has made his own money, and even if his family did have money, that wouldn’t have influenced my decision.”

“If you say so.” Jeremy was still cool, but his eves glittered. “I have no intention of leaving the company ... at this time, Lotus.”

“I wouldn’t want you to do that.” As they talked Lotus realized how apart in their thinking she and Jeremy really were. For a split second she wondered if Jeremy would have dated her had she not been a Sinclair. Then she pushed the thought away.

They rejoined the others and Dash was there. He put his hand out to Jeremy. “My name’s J. D. Colby.”

Jeremy’s eyes flickered and narrowed. “I’m Jeremv Leeds. I’ve heard that name somewhere . . .” "Dinner everyone.” Lotus’s mother came up to them and ushered them to the long great room at the front of the house that encompassed a large sitting room and a huge dining room together. While they dined, they could enjoy the cascade of

moonlight and starlight that silvered the waters of Lake Ontario.

“The bouillabaisse is wonderful, Mrs. Sinclair,” Dash said, and nodded to her mother; then he turned to Aunt Lela and smiled: “And I love homemade bread.”

“It’s good to hear laughter in this house again,” Lotus’s cousin, Will, whispered to her as they both listened to the rousing but good-natured argument Rob and Todd were having with their father about the football of today as opposed to his day.

Lotus could still see the shadows on her uncle’s face as he sat at the head of the table in his wheelchair but much of the despair seemed to be gone. It delighted her that the doctors had informed her aunt that he would regain use of his right leg and arm and would be mobile by summer.

After eating, they all moved to the other end of the room so that they could watch the play of the garden lights on the water. Conversation was light as they sipped coffee and tried the dainty finger desserts made by Lotus’s aunt.

When Todd suggested that they play charades, everyone looked at him.

Lotus felt her mouth drop. “It’s been years since we played charades. I think I’ve forgotten how.” “Uncle Silas would like it, wouldn’t you, Uncle?” Todd quizzed his relative. Everyone looked at Uncle Silas. When he nodded, everyone joined in with alacrity.

“Jeremy can be the captain of one team,” Todd said. “I’ll captain the other. Stay with your teams. The captains will gather the titles to be used, but let’s make it as tough as we can. No one-worders. Let’s do quotations and long titles.”

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“It sounds boring.” Lee made a face at her brother, Will, when he told her to shape up.

Lotus agreed with Lee, then she looked at her uncle and picked up a small square of paper to write down her words.

“I like the idea,” Dash drawled, bringing Lotus’s head around.

She stared at the lazy smile he gave her, took note of the gleam of his eyes, then she nodded.

All right.”

Jeremy glared when Todd kept urging him to write down something. Then he looked at Rob.

“Maybe Jer and I don’t feel like this game,” Rob interjected.

"I’m sure both of you want to do it for Uncle Silas.” Todd lowered his voice so that his relative wouldn’t hear. “He said he would like it.”

Jeremy hesitated. “Of course.”

Rob scowled and nodded.

The game began slowly. No one seemed to have the verve, at first, to make it fun. Then little by little as the Sinclairs sensed the challenge and competition, things changed.

"Lotus, stop winking. Use only the allowed signals.” Rob pointed to his sister.

'I had something in my eyes,” Lotus said loftily, grinning at her uncle before beginning again. “I hoped you stopped the watch on that interruption.”

' Get going.” Rob shook his head at her.

Lotus played right to her uncle, exaggerating
her
expressions and being very melodramatic in h
er
gestures.

“Gy—an,” Uncle Silas, pronounced, his flaccid mouth seeming to drop the words.

“Giant,” Todd yelled, jumping to his feet. “You

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guessed, Unde. He’s right, isn’t he?” He looked at Rob, who was smiling at his uncle and nodding.

“That was wonderful, sir.” Rob went over and kissed his uncle on the forehead.

Lotus was right on his heels. “I knew you would guess. We’ve always been on the same wavelength.” She hugged her uncle, feeling the weakness of his crablike grasp.

The game rolled into high gear. When it was Dash’s turn to act out one, he looked right at her and grinned, the devil droop in his lids telegraphing to her that he was up to something.

“Don’t you dare do anything outrageous,” Lotus muttered to herself, turning her cousin’s head toward her.

“Did you say something, Lotus?”

“No,” Lotus mumbled, keeping her eyes on Dash.

“All right . . . go . . .” Will said, his eyes on his wristwatch.

Dash began a series of gyrations and turns that were aimed at Lotus.

“Whatever he’s doing . . .” Lee whispered, . . "I wish he’d do it to me.”

“Don’t be silly.” Lotus laughed weakly, her eyes glued to the tall figure just in front of her.

“I think it’s some kind of message,” Lotus’s mother mused out loud.

“Yes.” Aunt Lela had her chin in her hand. “A love message.”

Dash’s hand shot out and he pointed at her aunt and nodded.

“Love something . . . Aunt Lela said in an excited voice, her cheeks pink.

“Love Son?” David Sinclair frowned.

Dash shook his head and gestured more.

“Time’s going, team,” Todd urged, his eyes glued to Dash.

“Love sonnets,” Lotus breathed, making Dash beam. “Shakespeare’s love sonnets.”

Dash nodded, sat down beside her, and lifted her hand to his lips.

“
Ooooo
, I love stuff like that,” Lee said as she watched him. She sat on the other side of Lotus. Lord, coz, you should have him cloned.”

Lotus inhaled and gave her cousin a vague smile. “Now it’s my turn.” Lotus’s father stood and took one of the folded papers. “I hope I can do this.”

As the game progressed, the names became increasingly hard. The sides were almost even after an hour, but the game showed no sign of abating.

Lotus was delighted with the way her uncle seemed to sparkle and how eagerly he would whisper things to her aunt. There was no doubt he was having fun. “Lee, look at him.”

“I know it. I wish we had thought of something like this before.”

Lotus nodded.

“Lotus doll, pay attention,” Rob called to her. "Lee, it’s your turn.”

“Yes, great and mighty one.” Lee jumped to her feet, grabbing one of the folded papers from the dish. “Oh, no, this is awful.”

“No talking.” Will laughed at her.

Lee grimaced, but started to make signs anyway. “First word is shake,” Lotus guessed.

“No.” Lee glared at her, gyrating again.

“Stop talking,” Rob said to both girls.

“Crab,” Lee muttered, then started moving again, not only with her body but with her hands as well.

“Merry-go-round,” David Sinclair said.

Lee jumped up and down and nodded.

“Lee, for heaven’s sake, help us. Do something. Don’t just stand there, nodding your head and clasping your hands.”

Lee glared at her brother.

“Wooden horses,” Lotus offered, earning a scowl from her cousin.

“Do more. Do more,” Lela urged her daughter.

“Mother, I’m trying,” Lee huffed.

“Stop talking,” Rob and Will said at the same time.

“Carousel,” Dash guessed.

“Yes.” Lee looked relieved to sit down.

“Dash, that was good,” Lotus told him, so very proud of him.

The game got hot. There were some disagreements among the brothers and cousins.

“Look at those fools,” Lee whispered to Lotus, glancing at her brother and her cousins. “You would think tomorrow’s breakfast was on the line.” She looked at Todd and Will, who were huddling in agitated whispers.

“Lee, get over here. You’re on our team.” Rob gestured to his cousin to join Jeremy and him.

“Coming, oh, great one.” Lee salaamed and rolled her eyes at Lotus, who laughed.

When Lotus was through marking her square of paper with the title of the Hindu book,
Kama Sutra,
she had a chance to watch the others. Uncle Silas was doing his with Aunt Lela’s help. Mother was biting the end of her pencil. Todd and Dash had their heads together. She frowned at them. What were they doing? They seemed too serious for a silly game, she mused. She was about to rise

and go over to them when Todd turned around and looked over at his brother and Jeremy.

“We’re ready.” Todd had a zealot’s gleam in his eye. “Everyone should initial his work, so that we know whose work we’re doing.”

“Bull. I never heard of such a thing,” Rob said inelegantly.

“Neither have I,” Lotus concurred.

Todd glared at her. “You’re on our team, sis.”

The game was begun after many fits and starts, and small points of order from both sides.

The Sinclairs do everything the hard way,
Lotus thought, then she was heart and soul in the fight.

Noisy and raucous, the game would have gone on all night, except that Uncle Silas tired. There was much arguing and rehashing of things done, hen it was time to leave.

Lotus was yawning by the time she and Dash reached her house, but she insisted on walking him to his car to kiss him good night. It struck her that he seemed more than anxious to leave, which rankled her. Visions of gorgeous women waiting for him in the foyer of the Strathallan rose in her mind.

She went upstairs to sit on her bed and stare at the wall, not able to quash the thoughts of Dash with other women. “Damn him,” she groaned aloud. “I know he loves me.”

Wide awake now, Lotus went down to the kitchen in the darkened house. She knew no one would be there. Rob and Jeremy had gone out, her mother and father were in bed, and she assumed that Todd must be with Rob and Jeremy. She was staring out the kitchen window to the road that ran behind the houses, not far from the

abandonedHojack railroad line, when she noticed that there was a car parked down the lane, not far from her uncle’s house. The headlights were out, but the interior light was on, showing shadowy figures in the auto.

Not too alarmed, Lotus put down her glass. There were few break-ins in their area. PAC-TAC, Police and Citizens Together Against Crime, was active in their area, and most people had watch dogs and alarm systems. Curiosity won over prudence, and she took off her slippers and pushed on old mocassins she had at the back door to wear to the beach and pulled a sweat jacket of her brother’s over her silky pajamas. Then she whistled to Bear, her brother’s mixed-breed dog, who would be more of a comfort to her as a companion than a threat to strangers.

She walked out of the house, cursing the squeak of the old wooden screen door that had just been put on for the summer. Her mother didn’t like the newfangled aluminum kind, so each year the old wooden one was dragged out of the loft in the garage and made ready for another summer season. “Come on, Bear. Look ferocious.”

Bear wagged his head and panted, looking more like a small friendly teddy bear than a dog.

“If you can’t look fierce, just throw a mean shadow,” Lotus mumbled as she went out the gate between the high cedar hedges to the narrow tarmac row that was an access for the homes along the shore.

The closer she came to the car, the more her hands shook. There were three people in the car! And they were reading something with a flashlight!

Lotus stopped, deciding that caution was the better part of valor when the light of the flash shifted to a face. “Will!” What was he doing in the back of a Mercedes? A Mercedes! That looked like the car that Dash had arranged to have at the airport!

She squinted, inching closer. That was Todd in the front seat with Dash! What were they doing? She marched up to the car and grasped the handle of the front seat passenger door. It wouldn’t open.

The window slid down. “Damn it, Lotus, I thought you were tired.” Todd was irritated.

"I should have known she’d sniff out something,” Will said from the backseat, slouching down into his lounging position again.

Dash got out from behind the wheel and gestured to her to come around the car. “Your skin is damp.” He kissed her cheek, then looked down when Bear growled at him. “Who’s your defender?”

“He’s a sweetheart.” Lotus felt gratified that Bear had done his work.

“Go home, Bear,” Will said, and rolled down his window. “Get in back with me, Lotus.”

“No. I’ll take her up front with me,” Dash told him, ushering her under the wheel to the middle of the bench seat of the Mercedes. He followed her back into the car, hooking his arm around her waist and pulling her close to him. “She’s chilled.”

“Am not,” Lotus said, then shivered.

“Don’t worry. She’s tough,” Todd said at the same time.

Dash folded her close to him, then nodded to Todd. “Go ahead. You said you thought you had recognized the handwriting on the folder.  . .”

“Folder? Are you talking about the file I stole from Dash’s office . . . ?”

“Stole?” Todd and Will gasped in unison.

“Well, lifted, sort of . . . Lotus floundered.

“I’ll explain another time,” Dash told them. He turned to Lotus. “I told your brother and Will about the file—and how we needed to match the handwriting. Todd thought it looked familiar. He suggested we do something that would require everyone’s writing ...”