The Source: Book III of the Holding Kate Series (15 page)

Vendors stepped out of their shops and called “Health to you, Captain!” or “Fit Fettle!” Stealthlin nodded and smiled at the townspeople as they prepared for another day.

“Trip, Tara, you have to try Belyn’s meat pies.” He slapped a portly man in an apron on the shoulder. “They are the best I’ve ever had.”

Belyn beamed from ear to ear and pulled three bubbly pies off a tray, wrapping them in corn husks. He handed them to Tara, Trip, and Stealthlin. “On the house!” he chortled.

“Thank you Belyn!” Tara flashed a heart melting smile at him and he dramatically covered his heart with his hand.

“Has your family escaped the plague?” Tara inquired.

“Yes, I have Cheleuthi blood on my mother’s side,” he admitted. “My wife was not as fortunate. I lost her two years ago when the plague first came.”

“I am so sorry.” Tara drew a deep breath and squared her shoulders, leaning toward Belyn slightly.

“She was a dear woman, Belyn. She has been missed.” Stealthlin clamped his hand on Belyn’s shoulder.

“It is her recipe.” Belyn pointed to the pies. “In a way, I have her with me every day.”

They thanked Belyn for the pies again and turned to walk back up the street. Stealthlin spotted Najwa, who waved and headed toward them, weaving her way through the carts.

“Health to your days, Stealthlin.”

“Fit Fettle, Najwa,” Stealthlin greeted in a guarded tone.

She turned to Trip and Tara. “I am sorry, I did not get your names.”

“Tara.” She reached out and shook Najwa’s hand.

Najwa turned to Trip in expectation. He didn’t say anything to her, just frowned.

“This is Trip,” Tara offered. “He doesn’t speak Ampelese yet.”

“Trip! I’ve heard so much about you! I’ll bet Kate is thrilled to have you here.” She spoke in perfect English. Her tone clearly suggested she knew far too much about the history between Kate and Trip.

Tara’s mouth fell open. Stealthlin thought that she would choke on the audacity of that statement. He wasn’t very happy about it himself. Over the decades of friendship, Kate had confided in Candol her struggle with Trip in the early years.
How did Najwa know?

Trip stiffened, then growled, “We need to continue our rounds.” He took Tara’s hand and pulled her away.

Stunned, Tara allowed Trip to guide her a few steps. She craned a fierce stare back over her shoulder, then she turned to Trip. “That was rude.”

“She is no good, Tara. The less we have to do with her the better.” They stood within earshot of Stealthlin. He was impressed that Trip seemed to intuitively grasp the measure of this woman.

“If you see Corey, will you tell him that Kate has decided to stay with you and Candol?” Najwa requested. “I just left your place and poor Kate is distraught and just won’t see him right now.” She hung her head. “I have to get back to the ward. Talk to you later.”

Stealthlin watched her incredulously as she turned and flitted down the street, then he turned to Trip and Tara.

“What’s up?” Trip attempted in Ampelese, but gave up and reverted to English. “What did all of that mean?”

“Nothing, nothing.” Stealthlin shook his head.

“I know about last night, Stealthlin, I saw Corey leaving her house.”

“What?” Tara whipped her head around. “What are you saying?”

Stealthlin had learned enough English from Corey and Kate over the years to understand Trip’s words. He felt a pang of sorrow to hear Trip confirm that something was actually going on between them. He had refused to believe it. Knowing it was true made him sick and angry. “Yeah, Kate’s pretty torn up about it. She’s at my place with Candol.”

“What is going on?” Tara demanded.

Trip and Stealthlin looked down, refusing to speak.

“Fine! I am going to Kate.” She jogged toward the houses.

Corey whipped around the corner, catching sight of them. “Hey, have you guys seen Kate? I have been looking for her all morning.”

“Did you talk to her last night, Corey?” Trip growled.

“Not yet. I need to.” He turned his head around, scanning the village streets. “Have you seen her?”

“She is going to stay with me for now,” Stealthlin spat out, balling his fists, nostrils flaring.

Corey snapped his head up. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means she doesn’t want to see you right now.”

“What? Why?” Corey’s face crumpled into concern and pain.

“I think you know,” Stealthlin seethed.

Corey bounced his gaze between Stealthlin and Trip, then comprehension dawned. He turned pained eyes to Trip. “Trip? What have you done? I thought you were my friend. It wasn’t your place to tell her.”

He shook his head, took a step back, dropped his shoulders and turned up the trail back toward the hospital.

Trip cocked his head to the side with a confused expression. Stealthlin wondered how much of that Ampelese he actually caught.

Tara knocked at Candol’s door until it squeaked open.

“Where is she?”

Candol swung wide the door to reveal Kate curled up on the couch with her breath hitching and her shoulders shaking.

“Ah, Kate, what happened?” Tara strode across the room and knelt down in front of Kate. She pushed her soggy hair away from her face with a rise of maternal instinct.

“Tara, it’s over.”

“What’s over?”

“Corey loves Najwa.”

“What? That’s nonsense.”

“It’s true. She told me.”

“She told you? What did Corey say?”

“Nothing. He told me nothing. He doesn’t even care to come find me to tell me it’s over.”

“Kate, I just can’t believe it. Corey has never loved anyone but you.”

“Not true. He loved Taylia. Najwa looks so much like Taylia. He just fell for her. It makes perfect sense.”

“No it does not make perfect sense,” Tara argued.

“I never deserved him anyway.” Kate’s tears started up again. “I can’t believe he stayed with me this long.”

“Kate, you aren’t making any sense. It’s like you don’t even know him.”

“I know him, believe me Tara. I don’t believe it either. Part of me thinks there is a big mistake and if we could just talk.”

“Then talk!”

“I can’t. I can’t bear to hear him say the words that will kill me.”

Tara jerked Kate to a sitting position. “Don’t be a coward, Kate!”

Kate’s eyes snapped to Tara.

“He loves you. Why are you refusing to see him?”

“I’m not refusing. He just hasn’t bothered to stop by and talk to me.”

Tara frowned. None of this added up. “Something isn’t right, here.” Tara blew out a frustrated breath. “Do you remember what I told you about how Corey was when we lived in Jewel City?”

Kate nodded, tears streaming down her face.

“People don’t change so dramatically.”

“It’s been thirty-seven years, Tara. He’s lost interest. That’s all. She is so beautiful and exotic. I am just plain.”

“Ridiculous!” Tara snorted. “You really have no clue, do you?” Tara couldn’t fathom that Kate still doubted Corey’s devotion toward her.

Candol rolled her eyes and shook her head. “She doesn’t see herself as we all do.”

“Flawless.”

“Beautiful.”

Kate buried her face into her pillow and sobbed. Tara and Candol shook their heads and enfolded Kate in their soft sighs of comfort and encouragement.

“POPS! YOU’RE BACK!”
Kim Stevens cried as the cart pulled up in front of her.

The seventy year old janitor drove his cart to the stately Administration Mansion in the center of Heartwork Village and surveyed the devastation. “What in the name of all that is holy happened here?” he crackled out. His aged voice crunched the words in his familiar lilt as his eyes scanned the crumbled buildings and fire blackened rubble.

Kim’s fiery curls trailed behind her as she ran down the steps of the Admin Mansion and threw her arms around the sweet grandfatherly man who had been janitor of Heartwork Village for the last twenty years. He had taken an extended leave of absence to have work done on his knee. She loved the old man and considered him part of her family.

“I can’t believe you came back!” She planted a kiss on his leathery cheek.

He chuckled at her reception, his blue eyes twinkling merrily. “Not ready to be put out to pasture just yet, dear one!”

“How did your surgery go?” She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and they started up the steps.

“Fine, fine. My daughter-in-law tried to fatten me up,” he chortled merrily.

“You look great! Still strong as an ox, I see.” She playfully punched at his arm. “It is so good to have you back! Chaps and Mama Ty are going to be thrilled. Come on in, they are in Mama Ty’s office.”

She held the door open for him as he toddled over the threshold and then Kim strode ahead of him and rapped on Mama Ty’s office door. “Look what I found out front!”

Kim pushed the door wide and beamed as Pops McGee stepped into the office.

“Pops! Why you ol’ coot! I never thought I’d see you back here! You mean your son didn’t convince you to finally retire?” Chaps jumped up and clamped Pops in a bear hug.

“Heheh, nope. Never stop moving, that’s my motto!” Pops chuckled.

“Pops, it is so good to have you back.” Mama Ty took him out of Chap’s arms and folded him into her own. “Are you sure you are well enough to be back?”

“Ah, sure. From the looks of things, you two can’t manage without me. What happened while I was gone?”

“It is a long story, Pops. Why don’t I call for some lunch and we can all catch up?” Mama Ty explained in her lilting Jamaican accent and whisked over to her desk then pressed a button. “Oh, I keep forgetting the tea room is gone!” She touched her dark forehead with a pudgy hand, then picked up the phone, dialing a number.

“Hello, Ms. Ermadean, what’s for lunch in the cafeteria today?” There was a pause as the cook rattled off a menu.

“I’d love to see Ms. Clanton. Just tell her we’ll come eat there,” Pops interjected.

Kim grinned. She suspected that Pops had a bit of a crush on Ms. Ermadean Clanton, the head cook in the cafeteria.