Package Deal (60 page)

For th
e
first tim
e
that
e
v
e
ning, Amanda m
e
ntion
e
d
Cecelia
.
“
She
always want
e
d
to sit i
n this
swing
—r
e
m
e
mb
e
r wh
e
n it was brok
e
n th
e
night of th
e
big storm last fall?”

He nodded
,
unable to stop gaz
ing at her, afraid to hope she was ready
to
invite him
over so they could talk with Cecelia, together
.
“I saw he
r at the dog park the other day
when she was with Skipper.”

“What were you doing there?” She swung her feet away from the swing
, moving it back and forth
.

“I wanted to talk with her
…
about us, but I never got the chance.” He took one of her hands in his
and turned to face her
. “
Amanda, she said it wasn’t right for me to come over to see you. What did you tell her about us?”

Amanda shook her head. “
I’ve talk
ed
to her.
I told her what you said to me.
But she—she
feels
very strongly—that you—well, that you—”

“What?
Tell me
.
”
He looked at her,
fearing the worst.
“I can take it.”

“She still likes you, Marcus, and I think she misses the times when you and she read books together and did puzzles, and everything like that. But she has heard so many things at Sam’s house.
” She sighed. “
Joan is fighting to keep her older daughter from getting into trouble. She’s boy-crazy, and Cecelia hears things there
. Maybe she thinks
you’
re like Brittany’s b
oyfriend—the one she and Sam do
n
’t like very much
—the one that Sam’s parents don’t want Brittany
to go out with
.”

“How can she
possibly
think
I’m
like some
pimply-faced
teenager barely able to drive?” he growled.

“
Whether he drives is not the point
.
From
what Joan has
said
,
he’
s pushing
Brittany to do things she may not be ready for and her mother is de
ad
set against her seeing him. And, y
ou
know how most teenagers react to such ultimatums.
”

He nodded, remembering himself
at that age
. He held his breath
then asked a question that had lingered in his mind
.
“Cecelia—she doesn’t think I’m like Carl, does she?”

Amanda looked
back at him
, alarm in her eyes
. “Oh, n
o,
I’m sure not.
She never talks about him
. I don’t think that’
s it
at all
.
It’s just that s
he and I have been together—just the two of us for such a long time, all her life. She doesn’t want me hurt.
I think she’s just trying to protect me.
”

He said nothing.
From me? But I won’t hurt
you
, either of
you
.
He had
to get her to see that.

Amanda continued.
“The bigger problem is what Cece hears at Sam’s house—and how much of it she really understands. Joan tells me
Brittany has
sneaked out of the house several times. I think she’s sexually active, and Joan
is afraid of
that, too. But instead of trying to get
her
to talk about it,
she
spouts
horror stories—about getting pregnant and having to
get
an abortion or giving up the baby. I’m afraid Cece has heard those
things
—if not from Joan, then from Sam, who doesn’t always get things straight.
” She paused.“
And, Cece knows I wasn’t married when she was born.”

“Is that why she thinks that
I
—”

“I’m not sure what she thinks, Marcus.
She
won’t
talk to me about it
.
If you could just tell her what you told
me
…
if you really mean it, but if
you—if you’re not able
or ready—”

“I
mean
it. You kn
ow I do
.” Marcus look
e
d
at h
e
r. “Amanda,
I don’t want to los
e
you. I can’t g
e
t through th
e
day without thinking
about
you
, both of you
.
W
hat
do I hav
e
to do to convinc
e
you—”

“You’r
e
not talking to th
e
right p
e
rson, Marcus. I think I know how you f
ee
l—”

“You think?!” H
e
put both arms around h
e
r and
hugg
e
d
h
e
r tight against his ch
e
st. H
e
whisp
e
r
e
d
. “Don’t you know?”

“
I need to hear it again
,
” sh
e
said softly
.
“I
want to hear it every day,
for as long as we’
re together.”

H
er
h
e
art b
e
at
st
eadi
ly against
his chest
, giving him courage
.
H
e
got down on his kn
ee
s. “I lov
e
you, Amanda Gardn
e
r.
Today, tomorrow, forever
.”

Amanda’s
e
y
e
s brimm
e
d
with t
e
ars. “You hav
e
to t
e
ll C
e
c
e
lia, Marcus. Sh
e
’s th
e
on
e
standing b
e
tw
ee
n us. She’s worse than my mother for assuming the role of guardian of our little palace.
If sh
e
do
e
sn’t lik
e
you
,
if sh
e
ca
n’t
accept
you
…
W
e
’r
e
a
pair
, you know
…
”

“
So
w
h
e
n
can
I t
e
ll h
e
r?
One time when I called and she picked up, she hung up on me.
I
even
wrote her a letter, but I haven’t heard back yet.
”

“I’ll hav
e
to talk to h
e
r about
hanging up on people
.
That’s rude
.” Sh
e
paus
e
d
. “
And s
he hasn’t mentioned a letter. Shall I ask her about that?”

He shook his head. “No, I wrote to her. She has to
be the one to answer—on her own
—or it won’t mean anything.”

“I agree
.”
She paused
and stopped the swing’s movement
.
“
Marcus, will you do m
e
a favor
before I
have to
leave
?”

“Anything.”

“What tim
e
is it?”

“
A little after eight
. You said you had to b
e
hom
e
by ten
.”

Sh
e
nodd
e
d
. “I want us
to mak
e
lov
e
—right now—b
e
for
e
I hav
e
to go hom
e
.
I want a memory.
”

“
Whatever you want
.” H
e
pick
e
d
up
h
e
r
hand
and
walked with
h
e
r into th
e
hous
e
, afraid to ask why she wanted a memory when all she had to do was say yes, and she could have him for life
.

She clung to him as if to a lifeline
,
and w
h
e
n it was tim
e
to leave
,
her reluctance
was
obvious.

“Amanda, I want to be more than a memory for you. How can we make that happen?”

“I’ll talk to C
e
c
e
lia about having you ov
e
r for dinn
e
r
.
Don’t worry about the letter.
You
can talk to h
e
r th
e
n. W
e
’ll both talk to h
e
r
—together
,
”
she offered.
“Maybe that will help.”

“I’ll do anything
you say
. M
aybe we should take her camping. She liked that.” He s
troked her cheek. “Or presents. We could pretend it’s Christmas
a few months early.”

She gave him a wan smile. “Bribery is never a fitting foundation for friendship
or love
. M
y father told me that once,” she replied.

He nodded.“Then I guess I’ll just have to wait until you tell me she doesn’t think I’m a terrible person.”
H
e
smil
e
d
and kiss
e
d
h
e
r on
e
last tim
e
b
e
for
e
h
e
r car
e
as
e
d
out of th
e
driv
e
way.

But would Amanda’s words have
the desired effect on Cecelia
?

Chapter 16

Marcus walked into the
gym, decorated
for the
special
Labor Day
gathering,
an
event
th
e
p
r
e
sid
e
nt of th
e
c
oll
e
g
e
institut
e
d
to
e
ncourag
e
faculty
camarad
e
ri
e
.
The band was already playing
. In
one corner
,
long tables
were laden with food. S
everal faculty
members and their spouses
were seated at the round tables
nearby
, conversing, laughing.
He waved to his friends in the journalism department.

Marcus scanned the room and
was
reminded of
a
public
m
e
at mark
e
t, th
e
old
e
r faculty ch
e
cking out th
e
n
e
w on
e
s, and vic
e
v
e
rsa.
K
nowing sh
e
support
e
d
cons
e
nsus-building,
h
e
e
xp
e
ct
e
d
Amanda
to
mak
e
an app
e
aranc
e
. What surpris
e
d
him
wh
e
n h
e
e
nt
e
r
e
d
th
e
room was th
e
proprietary
way
E
van
Workman
was holding h
e
r
as h
e
spun h
e
r on th
e
danc
e
floor.

Oth
e
r faculty sat
around the edge
s
of the large room
or stood in clust
e
rs
talking and laughing
. S
e
v
e
ral
other
coupl
e
s w
e
r
e
also
dancing, but most
followed the action of
th
e
tall golden-haired man
and th
e
beautiful
E
nglish prof
e
ssor in his arms. Marcus frown
e
d
as he
pick
e
d
up a win
e
glass.

“Looks lik
e
a g
ood crowd, don’t you think?”
Ian
Berriman
ask
e
d
.

“I gu
e
ss. How long hav
e
you b
ee
n h
e
r
e
?”
Marcus
glanc
ed at the muscular history professor.

“I never miss a party or free drinks.
Rebecca
and I got h
e
r
e
wh
e
n it start
e
d
. But
th
e
action
didn’t g
e
t liv
e
ly until
E
van th
e
Magnificent
showed up
.”

Marcus grimac
e
d
. “H
e
seems to have
tak
e
n ov
e
r, hasn’t h
e
?”
In mor
e
ways than on
e
.
Th
e
man
seemed to have plastered
his hand
to
Amanda’s back as th
e
y
e
xit
e
d
th
e
danc
e
floor and approach
e
d
a
tabl
e
displaying
canap
é
s and
other
fing
e
r foods.

“I’
ll say. T
ow
e
ring ov
e
r th
e
r
e
st of us p
e
ons h
e
lps. If you ask m
e
, h
e
’s looking to s
ee
who among th
e
faculty h
e
can
haul
into b
e
d
. On
e
of my
frat brothers
finished
his
doctorate
at Iowa
last year
. He
said th
e
guy had a r
e
putation
as a swordsman. S
ee
ms h
e
and on
e
of th
e
s
e
nior faculty in
physics
w
e
r
e
going at it wh
e
n h
e
r
e
x
show
e
d
up. Only thing that sav
e
d
Workman’s ass was th
e
fact that
the guy
was an
e
x
—and
th
e
physics
prof thr
e
at
e
n
e
d
to slic
e
him
up
and feed him to her pet p
iranhas
if h
e
didn’t l
e
av
e
.”

Marcus
laughed. “Why did
her
ex show up in the first place?”
He watched
Amanda strolling among
th
e
clust
e
rs of p
e
opl
e
around th
e
food tabl
e
.

“Word has it they still enjoyed getting it on after the divorce, although after Evan moved in on her,
word was
she decided she liked fresh meat better.”

Ian looked at Marcus.
“I thought you and Amanda w
e
r
e
clos
e
.
I h
e
ard about th
e
workshop you two pull
e
d
off last month. Mayb
e
Workman will want to do that with you n
e
xt y
e
ar,
with
his background
—those novels and all
.”

“Mayb
e
.”
Marcus placed some crackers and cheese on a plate
.
Ov
e
r my d
e
ad body
.

“Tim
e
to mingl
e
. I’ll s
ee
you lat
e
r
, Marc
.”

Ian
join
e
d
his wif
e
near
th
e
group that had gath
e
r
e
d
around
E
van
,
where
h
e
h
e
ld forth on som
e
thing that caus
e
d
a rippl
e
of laught
e
r.
More women than men.

Marcus wand
e
r
e
d
ov
e
r to Amanda. “Having fun?” H
e
touch
e
d
h
e
r hand.

Sh
e
smil
e
d
at him. “It’s a nic
e
gath
e
ring
, and
E
van s
ee
ms to hav
e
won
e
v
e
ryon
e
over
.”

Marcus was already tired of hearing about him.
“H
m
m.”
He wished she had worn something less complimentary. Her red
silk dress
clung to her curves, bringing out the
auburn
highlights in her hair.

Amanda looked at him.
“
You don’t look happy.
Is som
e
thing wrong?”

“No. Hav
e
you figur
e
d
out wh
e
n I can com
e
ov
e
r so w
e
can talk to C
e
c
e
lia?”

“Sh
e
’s
been extra busy with soccer and getting ready for school
.” Sh
e
p
laced
a hand on Marcus’ sl
ee
v
e
. “Sh
e
’s going camping with th
e
Scouts
in
a week
or so
. P
e
rhaps wh
e
n sh
e
com
e
s ba
ck from that trip
.”

“Want to com
e
ov
e
r to my hous
e
whil
e
sh
e
’s gon
e
?”
he asked
, hope in
his
heart, in his voice
.

Sh
e
shook h
e
r h
e
ad.
“
I’m not sure
.
I’m doing my best to catch up with some of the writing I never got around to after Cece’s accident. And,
I’v
e
arrang
e
d
to h
e
lp with th
e
camping trip—cooking and that sort of thing.
I’m supposed to call Louise to coordinate the food. She’s on my committee.
”