Tennessee Touch, Sisters of Spirit #6 (29 page)

“I don’t know...”

“It will keep you occupied. We can go around the city or maybe up to Disney World. Anything but sitting in a hotel room, staring at the walls. How does that sound?"

At Alison's hesitant nod, she added, "I'll call and change our flight reservations to Wednesday morning. You don't have any jobs and I'll simply call my store and tell them I'm on vacation. In fact, we could stay here a week if you want to. I'll make the reservation; we can always change it."

She turned around and drove back to their hotel. “We'll see Miami and then drive up to Orlando. We'll get a flight to Seattle out of there Thursday." Alison nodded mutely, her mind numb and uncaring, content to let her friend take charge.

"First we'll have a shower and change clothes, then we'll buy us some swimsuits," Chantal announced. “We might not enjoy our Florida vacation, but at least we would have something pleasant to remember of the trip. I’ll deal with Jake later.”

Chantal swung into the parking garage at the hotel and bade Alison wait while she went inside to reserve a room for three more nights. Alison sat, staring blankly at the far wall, unmindful of time. Two tourists, a man and woman wearing brightly patterned shirts came out of the stair door and crossed to a car nearby, arguing about where to eat.

Alison heard them but their bickering did not register, nothing fazed her frozen mind until, just after they drove away, the stair door opened again and Logan and Jake, the street woman and another man came out. She had a large amount of money in her hand and stopped long enough to put it into her purse and take out her keys.

Alison ducked down into the dark car, sickened with nausea. They wouldn't see her unless they were parked in the next stall. Their voices echoed clearly through the garage; they were laughing as they saw the woman into her car which was parked three stalls down and one row over. She gave them each a long kiss before she departed, calling out that she was always available for men like them. After she drove away with a flourish, the three men stood talking, their voices lowered so that Alison couldn't hear them.

What if they ran into Chantal?

Then, as if to complete her worst nightmare, the stair door opened and Chantal stepped out.

Prodded into action, Alison shot upright, rolled her window down and waved her hands frantically at her friend to go back; pointing out the three men as she did so. Chantal got the message immediately and backed hastily into the stairwell, closing the door just as the three turned and walked back to go inside.

Alison had dropped down on the floor of the car as they turned, but she was well hidden in the dim garage anyway. It had been Chantal who had had the closest call, standing in the lighted stairway entrance. Fortunately she had been looking directly at Alison's side window as she came through the door.

Alison took a deep breath. The incident had pumped adrenalin through her; no longer was she in shock. What was she doing on the car floor anyway? She wasn't the one in the wrong. She gathered her purse and car keys and was already pulling their suitcases out of the trunk when Chantal reappeared.

"That was close," Chantal exclaimed, hurrying over. "I ran up three flights to stay away from them. I assume you don't want to see them right now? You look like you could chew through concrete and think it pudding.”

"You're right. I don't. I'm afraid of what I'd say. They saw ..that...that woman out to her car...after paying her off. It makes me sick," she snapped.

"She was here?" Chantal asked, her face turning paler.

"Yes. She was putting her money away." Alison didn't mention the exchange of kisses. The less said, the better right now; her stomach couldn't take any more.

Chantal looked around, angry herself now as she picked up her case. "And they're still here? I wonder why they didn't travel back with the team?"

"The answer to that just drove off."

They stood for a minute in angry silence, each accepting what had just taken place as a disagreeable fact that had to somehow be swallowed, digested and forgotten. Finally Chantal broke the silence with a despairing sigh. "Shall we change hotels?"

Alison had had enough disappointments in the past—although not any that cut as deeply or hurt so much as this one—she was able to rally quicker than if this had been her first. "No. I'm through hiding. Let's go get our showers. If we run into them, too bad for them. We're going to enjoy Miami."

“...even if it kills us,” Chantal added as she slowly followed Alison to the stairs. “You know, Jake was married once. I wonder if this kind of thing had anything to do with his divorce.”

They spent money liberally, buying gifts for their families and sightseeing in the afternoons and evenings, and soaking up the sun in the early morning hours on Miami beach. Alison's fair skin and rosy complexion would not tolerate the more intense rays, and she wisely covered herself as the noon hours approached.

Of the two men they saw no more. An inquiry at the hotel desk revealed that they had checked out on game day and were no longer guests there. This helped relax both women and if their laughter was a bit forced now and then and their minds apt to drift and a sentence get cut off in mid-air, neither called attention to it. They were going to enjoy their trip to Florida and so enjoy it they did.

Sunday they called Alison's parents and told them they were going to stay through Thursday, giving no reason for the decision. They debated calling Logan to let him know they no longer wanted to see either man, then realized they hadn't a phone number with them.

"Well," Alison said, "Logan wanted to stay a man of mystery. Did Jake ever give you his number?"

"Yes. It’s written down next to my phone at home. They wanted their life hidden and now we know why. I guess they'll just have to worry. I can't come up with any sympathy right now."

"You know, Jake might be okay, Chantal. You probably should give him a chance." Although Jake had been with Logan at the hotel. Along with the other man. What had happened?

Jake appeared to be with the woman as much as Logan, yet Jake might have just driven over with the other man to pick Logan up and take him to the airport. It would be interesting to see what he had to say in his defense. As for Logan, after the public spectacle he had made of himself, Alison never wanted to see him again.

"Maybe later,” Chantal replied. “Not now."

The worst times were during the nights, when there was nothing to distract them and therefore ease the feelings of loss and hurt and betrayal. During the day, they took comfort from each other, for misery shared is more than halved.

Even the plane trip back wasn't too bad, with it's movie and getting to know the couple sitting next to them. People were beginning their holiday travel and there wasn't a seat empty. At their stop in Atlanta they had just enough time to look around the airport and stretch their legs before taking off again.

For Alison, the tears didn't flow until she entered her apartment early Friday morning and saw the beautiful clock Logan had given her, it's grandeur announcing it's maker's thoughtfulness. At first she tried to hold her tears back, then decided a good cry was what she needed most to get over him.

The phone rang soon after she had cried herself exhausted. "Alison? Are you all right?" Logan's voice, worried, concerned. Too bad.

Anger and disappointment and hurt made her voice high pitched and raspy. "Yes, but you can keep your football and everything that goes with it. Good bye!" She slammed the receiver back onto its cradle, too emotional to want to speak further to him.

When the phone rang again, she reached over and pulled the plug. She would get an unlisted number; that would keep him from calling. It shouldn't take too much to show him she was no longer interested.

In fact...she might as well re-pack some warm clothes and go on home to Granite Falls today instead of waiting for Saturday. That should make her mother happy. She packed some sweaters and jeans, tossed her dirty laundry in a separate bag and piled her gifts in the car. Before leaving she dialed the telephone company to request an unlisted number.

Next, a quick call to Chantal—which produced a busy signal. And she didn’t pick up her cell.

Now what was she to do? If she went on home, Chantal wouldn't know where she'd gone. And after all that'd happened, her friend might worry if she didn't know. Was Chantal right now talking to Jake...perhaps getting a defensive account of how he wasn't involved; or worse, getting an insincere apology that he and Logan wouldn't do it again?

Sick at heart, she walked over to the clock and stared sadly at the detailed figures. Such a lovely piece of work It represented all that was fine and strong and beautiful. How could its creator be so insensitive?

It's happened before, to other women, she reminded herself bitterly. Men think differently. It's labeled harmless fun...to them.

You were the fish that eluded the bait; the one girl who wouldn't fall at his feet and worship him 'cause he was a star football player. The one who needed something extra special in way of a line before she tumbled.

 
The one who should have known better.

"Offer marriage and a woman will think you're sincere and give you anything you want," one young man had claimed, who didn't realize that the woman he was giving advice about was reading his lips across the room. "When you're through with her, you walk away before the ceremony, or let her catch you with someone else. It works every time."

The other man had consequently asked her to marry him and she had laughed in his face, amazed by the amount of realism he had put into his proposal. The scary thing was, she might have accepted his proposal if she hadn't been forewarned; he seemed a fairly nice young man.

Sucker. She chided herself. Josh Logan wasn't worth crying over. She'd been a lucky sucker. Her natural reserve had prevented her from chasing after him; had kept her from accepting his proposal of marriage right away. Now she might experience some heartache and anguish, but at least she was still intact.

What if she had become engaged to him, married him, given up her oneness to become part of him...had children and then found out? What would she have done then?

Talking to herself should've helped; but it didn't make her feel fortunate at all. She was beginning to realize how deeply she had fallen in love with the man from Tennessee. It was going to take a long time to get the agony of his thoughtless betrayal out of her soul. An awfully long time.

She had better get on with the day to day business of living and let the hands of time slowly suppress her love; a love that had been born unannounced—slipping silently upon her—grown vigorously, and then had been cut asunder before it could be voiced. A love now refusing to go away and die quietly.

Unable to get through to Chantal, Alison gave up and drove down to her friend's apartment, managing a quick talk with her before going on to Granite Falls. Chantal's phone conversation hadn't been with Jake, she'd been talking to her store managers to see who wanted new window displays and when. She had just hung up when Alison arrived.

Chantal thought it a good idea for Alison to go home, stating that she herself was going to take the ferry to Bainbridge Island and drive from there across the Hood Canal Bridge to her father's house in Quilcene. Since she hadn't much time left to catch the ferry she wanted, Alison helped her throw some things together. They parted in less than fifteen minutes to drive their separate ways.

An hour later she was home, greeted by her mother and Edward, her step-father, made much of and generally fussed over. It was a nice change from being on her own and she soaked it in gladly, the love displayed acting as a balm for her bruised and lonely spirit. The time spent with her family was relaxing; the emotional diversion she had been seeking.

Not knowing about Logan—she hadn't mentioned him at first because she didn't want to alarm her parents, and then later she had been waiting to learn more of his background before saying anything—they naturally didn't mention him.

Her brother Chris had some surprising news. He’d been offered a job in the NFL, working for the Seattle organization, a desk job. It had come out of the blue. He was already planning to move to Seattle, find an apartment and get started. They had sent him a list of aides to choose from.