Treasure Tides (The Coins) (11 page)

Kurt and Landon and crossed the Cooper River Bridge driving
toward downtown. Sean had returned Kurt’s truck bright and early this
morning. He and Landon were running late for their meeting because
they had stopped to pick up some old maps along the way.
They both
agreed; Sean’s digital maps were incorrect. Kurt and Landon had logged
numerous hours boating, diving, or treasure hunting in Charleston
Harbor. Their intimate knowledge of the harbor would enable them to
identify even the slightest differences between the maps.

“What is your opinion of this mission?” Kurt asked Landon. “And-why in the world do you think Witches would interfere with the recovery
of this particular coin? Doesn’t it stand to reason they would want it to
be secured with the Council?”

“Witches are funny creatures. They live by a secret
Witchy code,
and
they look out for themselves first,” Landon explained. “You know
I’m
not overly fond of them.”

“Why is that?” Kurt asked with a frown.
“It’s been my experience that regardless of how
beautiful
they may
seem on the outside, underneath that beauty is a black heart, bad teeth,
and a crooked nose,” Landon said scowling, “with a big fat
wart
on the
end of it!”
Kurt chuckled at Landon who normally had a pretty broad-minded
view on everything.
“Never trust a Witch,” Landon warned gravely.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Kurt promised.
“You do that,” Landon returned.
“We need to figure out this puzzle,” Kurt said, getting back on task.
“The sooner that coin is recovered, the sooner they all leave, and the
sooner we can get back to our oh-so-boring-yet- comfortable life style.
I’m getting too old for this shit.”
As they passed through the streets of downtown nearing the team’s
headquarters, Landon suddenly stiffened.
“Turn left, now!” he said tightly. His eyes began to glow an eerie
golden-yellow.
“What’s up?” Kurt asked, reaching for the gun he always kept under
his seat.
“We’ve got bigger problems than Witches, my friend,” Landon
announced.
His voice was filled with dread, which surprised Kurt.
Landon Smith was normally unshakeable.
Kurt spotted them standing in front of a large home situated on
Rutledge Avenue known as the Steinwick family home.
The estate
had been “passed down through several generations” of the Steinwick
family heirs. Suspiciously enough, the “family resemblance” between
generations was uncanny.
However, the pair currently loitering in
front of the stately mansion was not, in any way, related to the
Steinwick family; who were all richly blessed with an abundance of
red hair.
The truth of the matter was… the Steinwick brothers had been
turned into Vampires centuries ago. Jeremy and Joshua returned to their
home in Charleston every sixty years or so as the “new generation” of
Steinwick
heirs.
They would settle
into the community and live
peacefully for an indefinite period of time.
When they got bored or
when townspeople began noticing their failure to age, it was time to
move
on.
The
Steinwick brothers
would simply
disappear from
Charleston relocating to one of the many homes they had amassed
through the centuries. Showing up there, too, as new heirs, they begin
living the lie all over again.
The Steinwick brothers could never bring themselves to “feed from
the vein” as other Vamps do. It was “terribly uncivilized” as far as
Jeremy and Joshua were concerned. They “imported” their blood supply
from England where a one-of-a-kind plasma center collected, processed,
and bottled donated blood.
The Steinwick brothers were rumored to be heavy drinkers due to the
inordinate amount of “wine” delivered to their home each month.
However, they were never observed conducting themselves in a drunken
or disorderly fashion. Their neighbors loved them through the centuries,
and the children of each generation were always greatly saddened when
the Steinwick brothers disappeared from their lives.
Since Jeremy and Joshua had relocated less than five years ago, they
would not return to Charleston for at least another fifty-five years. Then
one day when a new generation of mortals replaced the ones currently
living in the great city, Jeremy and Joshua Steinwick would return once
again to their beloved Charleston as Steinwick heirs and watch over their
old friends great-great-great-great-great grandchildren for a short while.
“What the hell are they doing here?” Landon growled as he grabbed
his cell phone and pushed the ICE (in case of emergency) button. He
had set up that contact as a joke, but this situation was far from funny.
Kurt listened as Landon ordered, “Get the pack together!” Judging
from this side of the conversation currently taking place, things were
serious.
Kurt dug a little deeper under the seat and pulled out a black satchel,
his little emergency supply kit of sorts. Wooden stakes, led bullets, a
flare gun, and a collapsible cross-bow.
Landon’s eyes were glowing. His breathing was heavy as he struggled
to restrain the Wolf pushing to escape.
“Yes,” Landon continued talking on the phone. “I’ve seen two of
them. No, I don’t know yet.”
Kurt pulled a bundle of arrows out of the secret compartment under
his dash.
Landon seemed more agitated, but Kurt didn’t know whether to stay
close to the Steinwick mansion or high-tail it out of the area.
“I don’t know that yet either. I’m not sure how many are here. Send
three delegates to my house. I’ll say they’re friends visiting from out of
town. Tell them their priority is the safety of Kurt’s family. Tell the rest
of the pack to stay out of sight until I figure out what is going on.
Absolutely no Wolfing around, or they’ll have me to deal with,
understood?” Landon barked, literally, and then disconnected the call.
When the conversation ended with a bark, Kurt knew the situation
was even worse than his initial assessment.
“Vamps, I assume?” he asked already knowing the answer; it was the
only reason Landon would be so worked up.
Uttering the word seemed to fire Landon’s Wolf up even more, and
soon he was fighting a full shift with every ounce of his strength.
“Yes,” Landon snarled. His fangs began to descend.
Shifting into a
Werewolf was not something he wanted to happen in the middle of
town, especially not in broad daylight.
“Get me away from here. Quickly!”
As Landon struggled to keep the Wolf at bay, Kurt sped down side
streets and alleys to get his friend away from the hot-zone. Vamps in the
city had taken them both by surprise, and Landon’s Wolf was not
inclined to tolerate trespassers.
“We need to get this shit cleared up…and I mean fast,” Landon
spoke as soon as he could. His breathing had returned to normal; his
fangs retracted; and his eyes were returning to the blue pools of color
that ladies seemed to find so mesmerizing.
“When will your
friends
be here?” Kurt asked tightly. He was mentally
stepping through the girls’ schedule. He would most likely have to send
them to his parents’ house in Indiana for a visit. He would like to send
Becki as well, but she was a little more difficult to remove without
suspicion. Becki would definitely be more difficult to remove without a
fight.
“Everyone will be in place within the next two hours,” Landon
assured him.

Sean answered the door as Kurt and Landon arrived for their
scheduled meeting even later than expected.
“Hi Sean,” Kurt said. “Are you ready to get down to business?”
“Yes, Sir, Royce is just finishing up on a phone call. He’ll be out
shortly.”
As the men moved into the living room where Sean had set up his
computers, they tried not to listen to Royce’s private conversation.
“Ok, babe, I’ll see you soon. I know, it’s been too long. Yes, two
years too long. Be safe. We’ll catch up as soon as you get in town,
maybe over lunch. I love you too, sweetheart… can’t wait to see you,”
Royce said with a smile as he entered the living room. “Hey, I need to
go,” Royce said as soon as he spotted Kurt and Landon. “We’ll talk
later.”
“Could I interest you in doughnuts or coffee?” Sean offered,
oblivious to the fact that Kurt and Landon had just heard Royce
speaking words of love to someone on the phone. It was obvious that
“someone” had not been Becki.
“Good morning, Gentlemen,” Royce said offering a handshake to his
guests.
Both men stood glaring. Neither made a move to accept his hand.
They looked as if they would tear him apart within the next few
seconds.
Sean noticed the
body
language
of
their visitors
and
suddenly
realized what they had overheard.
“Royce was just talking to his sister, who is on her way here to help
with the mission.”
Both men relaxed simultaneously, and Kurt accepted Royce’s
outstretched hand. As Royce turned to shake hands with Landon, he
saw remnants of yellow specks in Landon’s eyes.
“We all ok here?” he asked cautiously.
“Yes,” Landon reassured him, “we ran into some trouble on the way
here. Do you know why Vamps would be showing up in town?”
Royce stiffened and bellowed, “
Sean,
is there something you’d like to
tell me?”
“I’ve got it, Boss. The indicators report two new Vamps have
entered the city, but nothing is showing up on V-Scan. They don’t have
even a trace of unprocessed human blood in them. For all we know,
they could be vacationing.”
“Vamps don’t ‘vacation’ in Charleston, Sean; this is Moultrie Pack
territory,” Royce said tightly. “Landon, have you notified the Pack?”
“Yes, I called it in on the way here. Everyone is on high alert, and
backup is in route.”
“Have you considered getting the girls out of the city until this is
over?” Royce asked Kurt.
“Yes, I’ll send them to Indiana for a while. They’re overdue for a
visit with the Grandparents anyway.”
“Let’s take a look at these maps,” Landon suggested moving towards
the couch and large coffee table littered with pens and drawings.
Sean quickly swept the clutter aside and settled down to compare the
paper maps to his digital copies.
“Right here,” Landon said pointing to an area of the harbor on his
maps. “This area has been altered in your digital copies.”
Sure enough, there it was! It was a more significant alteration than
the men had initially assumed.
“If you ask me, there’s something down there that someone’s trying
to hide,” Landon grinned. “Damn, we’re good.”
“I see a diving trip in our near future,” Kurt said. “I’ll get the
equipment together and tanks aired up. Tomorrow should be a good
day to go out, but we need to keep this low key. It needs to look like we
are just out enjoying the harbor. I’ll bring some poles, and maybe we’ll
catch dinner while we’re at it.”
“Sounds good,” Royce said, looking at his watch. “Sean, what is
Joanna’s ETA?
“I just got a text saying she’s in town and waiting for you at the
market. She said she needs new shoes,” Sean grinned. “Good luck with
that.”
Royce groaned. Joanna could shop for hours. She made him crazy…
picking up things to purchase, carrying them around, and then putting
them back for one reason or another.
The other men shook their head in sympathy.
“Can you leave these with me, Landon?” Sean asked. “I want to
memorize the details before we go out into the harbor tomorrow.”
“Sure, I had copies made this morning, and we’ve actually had one
permanently mounted so we can hang it in Kurt’s shop.”
“Ok, we need to get started gathering enough gear for tomorrow.
Let’s plan to leave from Shem Creek at nine o’clock in the morning,”
Kurt said as he headed toward the door.
“Kurt,” Royce said, looking rather serious, “You may want to get the
kids out of town, sooner-rather-than-later. I’d like to see Becki leave as
well. It could get rough around here.”
“Agreed, I’m not sure I can get Becki to go, but I’ll do my best,” Kurt
assured Royce.
“Maybe we should take the decision out of her hands,” Royce
suggested.
“Right, have you ever seen a tiger caught by its tail?” Landon asked.
“That’s one fight none of us can win.”
Royce grimaced, “Stubborn, woman.”
“Yes, and that’s putting it mildly,” Landon agreed. “But, she’s
our
stubborn woman, and if you are just looking for a diversion, you need to
look elsewhere,” he warned as yellow specks flashed in his eyes.
Royce got the message loud and clear.
“That’s not the case, trust me,” he assured her champions.
“We are,” Kurt said. “Make sure we don’t end up regretting it.”
With that final warning, the two men took their leave.
Royce didn’t blame Kurt and Landon for being cautious. In fact, he
was glad Becki had the two men to watch over her. But, she was his
responsibility now, and he didn’t want her around with Vamps, Witches,
and Werewolves converging on the City.
ART would soon wrap up their mission in Charleston.
The team
would then relocate to the next projected recovery site, and then the
next. The missing collection was assumed to be comprised of seven
coins. According to the latest intelligence reports; Rome, Las Vegas, and
Kentucky were being considered as possible sites.
If Royce’s team didn’t get this situation under control soon, the
council would be sending someone to watch over their shoulders. Royce
hoped the Council would keep their distance for the time being.
Royce grabbed his shades and cell phone off the desk. It was time to
go meet Joanna.
Damn he had missed her.
Hopefully, she had finished with
her shopping because Royce definitely needed a drink.

As Becki crossed the bridge into downtown Charleston, she was
reminded, once again, of all the reasons why she loved this City.
The
water…the breeze…the bridges…the harbor; this was her “happy
place”. She had fallen in love with Charleston as a child while
vacationing here with her family.

The day was perfect with beautiful blue skies, like a gift from
Heaven after the storm had passed.
Sleep would not come after
Royce had gone this morning.
Her mind was all jumbled with
thoughts.

Royce had made it clear that he wanted to be the only man in her
life.
He wanted to be the one to take her out to dinner, walk on the
beach, and-- well other things.
He had been so sexy this morning,
whispering those things in her ear as he had her pressed up against
the kitchen counter.
Whew! She had better concentrate on her driving.

The first thing on her agenda this morning was a walk through
Waterfront Park.
Then she would make a quick pass through the
Market on her way to pick up candy for the girls from the candy shop
on the corner.
After that little chore was out of the way, she would
squeeze in a quick trip to Victoria’s Secret.

The girls were planning a sleep-over tonight and had given her a
list of things they needed from the candy shop. Sugar, of course, was
the key element to a successful sleep over.
In fact, sugar was the key
element to the success of any day.
Becki had already decided to treat
herself to a caramel apple.
Her mouth watered just thinking about a
great big granny smith apple smothered with caramel and crushed
peanuts.
Yummmm!
They tasted so wonderful, they should be illegal.

Becki zipped into an open parking space and headed out to enjoy a
short walk through Waterfront Park.
Children were already splashing
in the fountain.
She wished she could join them for a minute, but it
was impossible today.
She and the cousins would have to plan a
girlsday-out
soon.
They could play in the water, hang out on the swings at
the pier, and watch the dolphins in the harbor.
Becki enjoyed the sea breeze as she made her way toward Savannah’s
Candy Kitchen via the Market, of course.
Charleston City Market had
changed over the years; initially it had been the domain of vegetable, fish
and meat vendors. Now it was filled with unique shops, a must see for
tourists. The Market had survived several generations of vendors and
was still
the
best place to buy sweet grass baskets.

Becki loved to watch the weavers scattered throughout the market as
they worked on their baskets; many of them personally harvested their
grass in the Lowcountry marshes.
There was no way she would want that job
considering snakes and other critters lurked out in the marsh.

During the past few years, the Market had undergone extensive
renovation. Among the many changes, the most notable were the public
restrooms and air conditioned areas that had been added.
Although it
was
nice to escape the sometimes oppressive summer heat, a part of her
hated to see it modernized to such a degree. In some ways it seemed to
over commercialize a historic landmark.

Becki meandered from one section of the market to another browsing
through jewelry, glassware, and art. She spotted a framed photograph that
would fit perfectly in her living room. The artist had captured the Cooper
River Bridge at sunset.
The elegant lines of symmetry formed by massive
cables as they stood against a background of color were breathtaking.
As
she moved nearer to the masterpiece, she heard a voice nearby shout a
familiar name.

“Royce!” Joanna squealed and as she spotted her big brother, her hero,
her larger-than-life champion.
Boy, was he in trouble for getting himself
captured.

Royce smiled and threw his arms wide open as she ran towards him. He
stood watching, waiting for her to jump into his arms the way she had been
doing ever since she was a child.
There was nothing child-like about the
woman running toward him. He wondered where the time had gone. His
baby sister had somehow morphed into this beautiful woman.

Becki scanned the crowd and felt her heart drop to her knees.
Royce… her Royce
! She was unable to tear her eyes away as he threw his
arms open wide, only to wrap them tightly around the raven-haired bitch
who had launched herself solidly into his arms. Not only did he catch
her mid-air, he hugged her tightly spinning her around in circles!

Becki could not believe her eyes. This was the same man who had
apologized for being a jerk and had brought her flowers?
The kind and
considerate man who had stayed with her through the storm
and
acted
like a perfect gentlemen?
The one who had cooked her breakfast and
told her that he didn’t want her to be with anyone else? The jackass
twirling
in circles with a death-grip on some
big-busted bimbo
was the man
she had thought was different…trustworthy? Becki wanted to flee from
the scene before her, but she seemed to be rooted to the spot.

Maybe she should march right up to the happy couple and introduce
herself as
the woman Royce had spent the night with
! She wondered how the
bitch in zebra-print, peep-toe pumps would feel about
that
little tidbit of
information. Clearly, Royce was a far cry from the white knight she had
thought him to be.

Becki tried to ignore the burning pain in her heart.
She
was
determined not to shed one more tear-
ever again-
on white knights that
turned out to be nothing but dark lords in disguise.

Dashing a tear from her eye, she concentrated on breathing slow and
steady.
In and out, keep your head up. In and out, you will survive this. In and
out, you should have known better!

Becki kept her distance, ducking behind vendor cases when necessary,
and continued to watch Royce with his woman.
They were touching
each other constantly as if they couldn’t keep their hands off of one
another.
His girlfriend must have been out of town, which would
explain why he had time to spend with her over the last few days. She
didn’t dare get close enough to the couple to hear what they were saying,
but she couldn’t seem to tear herself away from the scene unfolding in
front of her eyes.

“So, have I missed anything, brat?” Royce asked with a grin. He kept
an arm wrapped around his little sister as they strolled through the
market. It was so good to see her.

“Not much really,” Joanna answered. “But we’re not going to talk
about
me
right now.”
Here it comes.
Royce braced himself for Joanna’s wrath.
“What the
hell
happened out there Royce? I couldn’t believe it when
you disappeared!
Dad kept insisting you would surface soon.
He
forbade Mom or me to use our magic to find you. He said it wasn’t
worth the risk. He was afraid that we might give away your position and
put you in greater danger. Needless to say, Mom wasn’t too happy with
that
decision.”
“I can imagine,” Royce commiserated.
Joanna’s eyes sparkled with mirth as she added, “He had to buy her a
new condo
and
let her totally redecorate it to keep her occupied.”
Royce laughed, “He’ll probably send
me
the bill.”
“I’m glad you’re back,” Joanna said, tightening her arm around him.
“Me, too,” Royce said dropping a brotherly kiss on the top of her
head. She may be all grown-up, but she would always be his baby sister.
“I’ve been looking into the cloaking spell, and I think I’ve found a
way around it. I have to be fairly close to the coin for it to work; and
you know I can’t touch the coin after we find it. I’m not sure exactly
how it works, but it’s spelled to repel Witches,” she whispered, being
careful to keep her voice low. “We can move it mentally if there are
enough of us, but no one knows what happens if we actually come into
physical contact with it. I don’t want to be the one to find out either,”
she shivered. “Merlin was an extremely powerful wizard and sometimes
a bit over-the-top. I’m not up for being the guinea pig on this one.”
“You won’t be going anywhere
near
that coin. I’ll make sure of it,”
He whispered softly. “I would never live through the wrath of your
mother if I let anything happen to you.”
As Royce whispered to the other woman, Becki felt like throwing up!
He had kissed her like that this morning, whispered to her in that sexy voice, and
made her fall in lo--.
She stopped that train of thought dead in its tracks.
Unaware they were being watched, Joanna pushed away from Royce
and proceeded to enlighten him that he was not responsible for her
actions.
Neither
would
he
be
responsible
for
any
resulting
consequences. “You listen to me, Royce. I do what I do. I go where I
go.
I make my own choices, take my own chances, and make my own
mistakes. If something happens to me, it won’t be because you
let
it
happen. It will be because it was
my
choice,
my
decision.”
“You’re wrong about that, Joanna,” Royce argued raising his voice.
“I protect my own. You are
my
responsibility.”
“No!
You
are wrong. We all know the risks involved, and we choose
to keep doing what we do. It’s in our blood, our destiny. Don’t
continue to carry that baggage, Royce.” Joanna softened her tone, “Tara
knew what she was doing. It wasn’t your
fault
, and you could not have
prevented it.” She touched his face gently forcing him to meet her eyes.
“She didn’t want you to prevent it,” she said with tears in her eyes.
Why was that bitch crying?
She
was the one whose heart had just shattered into
a million pieces.
Becki stood frozen as she clearly heard Royce proclaim, “I
protect my own…” and follow it up with “You are my responsibility.”
Becki had seen quite enough, too much really. She crept toward the
exit. There was no need to watch any more or listen any further.
As the woman he was falling in love with ran away, Royce dropped
his forehead to meet Joanna’s. “I know Jo, but it doesn’t make it any
easier. I’m working on it. I promise.”
“Let me know how I can help you,” she begged, wanting her bigbrother to be happy again.
Her offer to help sent shivers of dread through him; time to divert her attention.
He straightened, tucking her arm through his. “Want to hear about a girl
I met?” he asked, knowing that would get her nosiness stirred up.
“Spill it,” Joanna prompted with a quick grin.

Becki’s trip through the candy shop was a blur. As she shoved her
car into reverse, she reevaluated her opinion of this
perfect day.
It had
actually turned out to be a perfectly
lousy
day.
She just hoped she could
make it home before she had a complete melt-down.

She would drop the candy off at Kurt’s house, go home and have a
good cry, and then get ready for work.
Breathe in.
Breathe out
.
Traffic
turned out to be a nightmare on the way to Mt. Pleasant.
Between
construction areas and less-than-competent drivers, it took almost an
hour to get to Kurt’s house. Just as she pulled into his driveway, her cell
phone
beeped
with a text message.
She stared at the message on her
screen;
Hope ur day is going well C U soon
.

What the hell?
She responded with an angry
FU
but then reconsidered
and hit the delete button instead. Flinging the phone angrily into her
purse, she snatched the sack of candy and made her way into the house.

As she opened the door, her eyes landed on the vase of flowers. They
were still sitting on the table where Royce had placed them last night.
She stalked to the table and picked up the offensive reminder of her
foolishness.
Last night had been a joke, an absolutely ridiculous illusion.

The girls were thoroughly engrossed in a movie. Which worked out
perfectly, as it alleviated the need to explain
why
she was ruining a
perfectly beautiful bouquet of flowers down the garbage disposal…one
by one.

Becki turned off the garbage disposal… along with her emotions
concerning Royce.
“Hi, girls,” she said, pasting on a smile. “I’ve got the goods for you!”
She loved her cousins and loved spending time with them.
They
always made her feel better.
Mandy had already informed her that they had lunch plans together at
school next week. She had given Becki instructions to pick up lunch at the
local sandwich shop by 11:30. Lunch period began at 11:50. When Becki
asked if she was supposed to stay and eat with her, Mandy responded,
“Sure, you are the cool cousin.”
Becki didn’t feel so cool
right
now.
She
just
felt
upset
and
disappointed.
“Yessss,” Leann said as they all ran toward the sack of candy. She
stopped long enough to give Becki a hug. “Thanks,” she added.
“You’re welcome. Where is your dad?” Becki asked, hugging her back.
“He ran to the dive shop to pick up some diving gear so he could go
diving with Landon tomorrow,” Clarissa answered as she dug through the
sack investigating their candy options.
After making sure all the items on her list had been included, she
moved over to hug Becki too, “Thanks. Are you ok? You seem a little
sad today,” she said shifting her eyes to the empty spot on the table where
the vase of flowers had been. Obviously, she was a little more observant
than Becki had given her credit for.
“I’m fine; don’t you worry. I’m fighting a headache. That’s all,” Becki
assured her, picking up her purse and sliding her sunglasses on.
“OKay…,” Clarissa answered, clearly not swallowing the lie.
“You girls have fun and take it easy on your dad tonight! I’ll talk to you
tomorrow.”
“K. Bye, Becki. Thanks again,” they all called at once as Becki stepped
out the back door.
Becki had heard Kurt’s truck pull into the driveway while she was
talking to the girls. He was in the process of unloading regulators-- more
regulators than he and Landon would need.
Was he having a party that
she had not been invited to?
“What ‘cha got there?” Becki asked.
“Oh, just some gear. Landon and I are taking a couple of buddies out
exploring tomorrow,” Kurt answered nonchalantly.
“It’s supposed to be beautiful. Where are you diving?” Becki hinted.
She loved going out with Kurt and Landon.
They knew where all the
good places were.
Sometimes they would dive an area where the locals
believed a ship had sunk in the early 1900’s. They would spend the day
burning air and looking for treasure.
“Oh, we don’t have an exact destination in mind. Royce and Sean are
going out with us, maybe a couple more. I’m not sure yet.”
Becki stiffened. “I didn’t realize you and Royce were so tight,” she
said sarcastically.
Kurt glanced up frowning, “You ok with us going out? I thought
you and Royce were kind of dating.”
“Royce and I are
not
dating…or anything else for that matter,”
Becki said shortly.
“Did something happen?” Kurt asked, putting the inventory on
hold.
He was anxious to help Royce clear up the coin mess, but he
had better be treating Becki right.
Becki saw it coming-- a million questions she just didn’t have the
energy to answer right now.
Uncle Kurt would be all pissed off on
her behalf and probably drag Landon in to it, too. She didn’t want to
ruin their trip tomorrow.
She would keep her troubles to herself this
time.
She would end up blubbering all over him and making him
uncomfortable anyway.
“No,” she forced a laugh, “just PMS.” It wasn’t true, but she knew
it was guaranteed to back him off in a hurry.
Sure enough, he back-peddled as if it were contagious. “Ok,” he
said, as he added a pair of fins to the rapidly growing pile of gear.
“Are you working today?” he asked in a subtle effort to change the
subject.
“Yes,” Becki answered with a smile, “and I need to get a move
on.”
“Do you have any vacation time you could use next week?” Kurt
asked out of the blue.
Becki frowned, “Vacation time? What’s that?” she teased. “No.
Actually, I’ve picked up a couple of extra shifts next week. Why? Do
you need me to run the girls somewhere?”
“Uh-- no, the girls are going to Indiana for a week or so.
I just
wondered if you wanted to go with them. I’ll pay for your plane
ticket,” Kurt offered, hoping against hope that she would take him up
on it.
“I appreciate the offer, and I would
love
to go.
But, we have
another server on vacation next week. There is no way I could get off
work. I’m sure Mamaw and Papaw will be excited to see the girls
though.”
“Yes. I haven’t told them they are going to Indiana yet. I thought
I would surprise them at dinner,” he said as he continued to unload
the gear and organize it.
“That’s great. I know they will be excited. Well, I need to hurry,
so I have enough time to get ready for work.
Have fun with the girls
tonight-- all ten of them!” She laughed, knowing he had forgotten all
about the slumber party.
He groaned and hung his head in mock defeat, “I forgot,” he
admitted. He looked up at her hopefully, “Sure you can’t call in
sick?”
Becki laughed, “No way, you are on your own. I did my part; I
provided the sugar,” she said as she climbed into her car and then
waved joyfully as she drove away.
Another text message from Royce flashed on her phone. She pressed
delete
without ever reading it.