Waters Fall (13 page)

1
5

J
ake glanced up at the clock for what seemed the
tenth time in the last half an hour. The laundry was done and even put away, and so were the dishes. His Blazer sparkled in the sun after its bath and waxing at the car wash, and the yard was raked into submission, the few leaves left on the sweet gum tree quivering on their branches, afraid to let go. His desk was organized, the paperwork in three piles; incoming, outgoing, and to file.

The incoming held one sheet of paper in it, a notice for renewing his Inspector
’s license. He really wanted to talk it over with Nora, whether or not to continue in his line of work, but he knew what she’d ask him: What would he do if he wasn’t doing inspections?

He didn
’t have an answer for that question, and until he did, he couldn’t talk to her. 

Everything in his life seemed to be in limbo these days. He had little or no work, he didn
’t spend much time with the kids, and being alone with Nora happened only between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. He didn’t know how on earth she was surviving the pace she was setting. The holidays were almost upon them, and he knew Nora’s work load typically nearly doubled with the season’s events. He wondered how she would manage.

His phone rang and woke him out of his reverie. It was Nora.
“Hey, Babe.”

“Jake. It’s me, Nora.”

He knew it was her. He didn’t call anyone else Babe.

“I’m just calling about dinner tonight and wondering if you’ll be home. Because I was thinking we might go out someplace fun for the kids. It’s been a long day, and it’d be nice not to have to cook. I thought it might be nice just to do something a little special with the whole family, just because. What do you think?”

It was the longest string of words he’d heard come out of her mouth in weeks. “I’m fine with that. Or I can cook tonight. You can come home and put your feet up, or soak in a hot bath.” He glanced around the house, glad now that his nervous energy had kept him busy making the place shine. She could come home to peace and order, and relax a little. Surely, she would like that. “Maybe we could rent a couple movies. We haven’t seen
The Great Pumpkin
yet this month. I’d even tolerate a chick flick if you’ll snuggle with me on the couch.”

He heard her intake of breath through the phone, and realized with a grimace that he
’d just made some very misguided assumptions. She had no plans to take the evening off, and dinner out with the family was her token peace offering.

“I can’t, Jake. I mean, dinner and a short movie with the kids sounds fine, but after they go to bed, I need to head back to the office. Renee is in charge of her Country Club’s Wine and Dine Christmas Gala, and she’s just given me a to-do list that makes my head spin. I have to get things in the computer, and place my orders as soon as possible, or stuff won’t get here in time. Besides, you’ll just fall asleep anyway, and I’ll be left crying alone in my hot chocolate.” She was trying to make light of the situation, he knew, but it didn’t sit well with him.

“I don’t understand. Okay, so we don’t have to snuggle on the couch, but I thought you weren’t going back to the office these days. I thought you were working from home in the evenings again. At least you’d be here with us, even if you couldn’t join us. And you can use my office if we’re too loud. You know how much I hate thinking of you locked up in that building, all alone, late at night.”

“I have too much to do, Jake. I won’t get enough done at home. Like you said, I don’t do this often anymore, but tonight, I’m asking you to keep the kids while I work here at the office. I’ll be back before you know it.”

He really didn’t have much say in the matter. “Will you wake me up when you get home?”

“I always do.”

There was a short, stilted silence that followed her comment. Then she spoke again, her words overly bright. “I need to get off the phone. Felix and I are parked a bit farther out than usual, and Leslie can’t see us. We’ll be home soon, okay?”

“Okay. I really wouldn’t mind cooking, you know. It might be nice just to stay home and—” But the line was dead in his hands.

To Jake’s surprise, everyone opted to have him cook after all. Nora and the kids had stopped by the grocery store on their way home and picked up fixings for Chicken Alfredo, a family favorite, some soft French bread, a salad, and
The Great Pumpkin
. Les and Felix had even convinced her to buy microwave popcorn, a rare treat in their household, along with the first carton of eggnog of the season. It was sizing up to be a fine night.

Dinner went smoothly with the kids talking about their days, and Nora regaling them with tales of Renee
’s outrageousness, albeit she kept the woman’s more sordid adventures to herself. Jake had heard enough about Renee that even the thought of meeting her scared him a little. But she had a little dog that was out of control, and she took him everywhere she went, causing all kinds of trouble. She went through landscapers like hotcakes because she loved topiaries, and the young men who trimmed hers always did it badly, inadvertently lopping off leafy heads, or other various body parts. 

Jake chimed in when he could, but had little to contribute because his day had been so uneventful. The kids didn
’t press him for more than a short story about a homeless man he met at the car wash.

“Did you give him any money, Dad?”

“No, but we walked across the street together, and I bought him lunch. We ate burgers and talked about where he came from. Poor guy. He’s trying to get in on a Salvation Army program, but he keeps falling off the wagon, so they won’t take him.”

“What’s that mean, falling off the wagon?” Felix asked around a mouthful of pasta. “Sounds like a float in a parade.”

“Actually, you’re not too far off. He’s an alcoholic, Felix, and he wants to quit drinking. Every time he tries, though, he ends up giving in and drinking again. That’s what it means to fall off the wagon; first you quit drinking, then you start up again. You either get to participate in the parade of life, or you fall off the wagon and get stuck lying in the dirt alongside the road, watching life pass you by.”

“Jake.” Nora gave him a raised eyebrow across the table. “I think they get the picture.”

Leslie interjected with a question about History, and she and Nora talked briefly about the black plague until Felix wanted to know what the plague was. When Leslie described in detail the puss-filled boils and the blood coming from all orifices, Jake put an end to it, and turned the conversation to the movie they were going to watch.

“
The Great Pumpkin
is one of my childhood memories, guys. I used to pick one of the pumpkins Grandpa was growing and baby that thing up until the night before Halloween. It was always perfectly shaped, a brilliant orange, and huge. I never entered any contests or anything, but I grew some massive pumpkins.”

“And you always named your pumpkin Linus.
Or Snoopy.” Leslie finished for him, grinning good-naturedly at the story their father told every time they watched the movie.

The movie was a hit. So was the popcorn and eggnog. In fact, the whole impromptu family night was a success. After putting the kids to bed, Jake and Nora straightened the living room and kitchen together.

“I’m going to take a shower,” she said, heading down the hall toward their bedroom. Jake smiled to himself. Maybe she had changed her mind about going back to the office. Maybe she’d enjoyed the evening so much she’d decided to stay home tonight, after all. With him.

In the kitchen, he pulled a couple of mugs out of the cupboard and put on the kettle to boil,
then he hurried to the bedroom to make sure the bed was clear and neat; ready. But when Nora emerged from the bathroom, she wore a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.

“I’ve got to go back to work, Jake,” she said, frowning when the kettle began to whistle, and she saw the two mugs waiting beside the stove. She reached for her purse and keys she’d left on the end of the counter and headed for the door.

Jake stopped her, pulling her into his arms, accidentally knocking her purse out of her hand. “Are you sure this stuff can’t wait until tomorrow? I’ll help in any way I can,” he whispered. “I don’t want to you leave.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead then tipped her face up so he could kiss her mouth. She returned the kiss briefly, then pulled away.

“I need to go, Jake.”

No. She couldn’t leave. Not after he’d convinced himself she wasn’t. “Just stay home with me, please. I need you, Nora. I need you here. And I know you need a good night’s rest. Don’t go.” He cupped her face in his hands, not caring that he begged.

“Actually, I need to go so that I
can
come home and get a good night’s sleep.” She pushed him away and bent down to scoop up her purse. “Don’t wait up for me.”

Without considering the consequences, he moved around
her to lean against the front door, blocking her way. He was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of urgency to make her stay. “Nor. Please stay home tonight.”

“What are you doing, Jake?” She looked at him with raised eyebrows, and he could see she was beginning to get angry. But then, so was he. Why couldn’t she take a night off and spend some time with him?

“I want you to stay home. I’ve asked nicely, but you don’t seem to be listening, so this is me being more assertive. I’m not letting you go. You need to get some rest, and I need you in my bed. You’re staying home.” He threw the dead bolt, latched the chain in place, and turned to eye her defiantly.

“You’re joking, right?” Nora’s tone was incredulous. “You’re going to lock me in the house tonight?” She spun on her heels and headed for the door to the garage.

“Oh, no you don’t.” Jake was there before her, locking that door, too. A ringing in his ears prevented him from thinking about anything except keeping her here “You’re staying home.”

“You’re crazy, Jake. You’re insane. You’re freaking me out.” She stood in the middle of the kitchen and watched him move around the room, pulling blinds closed, turning off lights, checking windows and doors again.

“Come on. Let’s go to bed.” He stepped close to her and reached for her hand, but she slapped his arm away.

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” she growled as she dug around in her purse for her cell phone. “I’m calling the police; that’s what I’m doing. I’m going to file an imprisonment charge against you, you… you freak!” She dialed 911 and was just about to push send when Jake grabbed the phone out of her hand, appalled at how quickly things had escalated out of control. This was not the way he’d intended this all to happen.

“Stop it, Nora! Just stop it! You’re seriously going to call the cops on me for wanting you to stay home with me? Good grief! Go then. Just go. Get out of here. Hope you have a terrific time with yourself.” He threw her phone across the
kitchen table and into the living room, where it bounced off a couch cushion and landed in the plush carpet, none the worse for wear. Nora glared at him, then she headed out the front door without her phone
.

1
6

“
What on earth was
that?
” Nora’s mind was spinning,
her scalp prickled, and her heart was racing. She was appalled by her husband’s uncharacteristic behavior tonight. Things had been going so smoothly up until she came out of the bathroom and saw the assumption in his eyes. She’d made it inarguably clear that she had to go back to work after their family night, and had even stayed longer than she’d planned. Did he really think his aggression would make her want to spend more time with him?

In the light of day, maybe he would come to his senses and they could talk about it
…but then she remembered how she’d felt weeks ago, when she’d been so cruel to him, and he’d wanted to talk the next morning. Well, she simply didn’t have time to think about it right now. Renee’s list was ridiculously extravagant, and Nora hoped that getting a jump-start on it right now while everything was fresh in her mind, would make for an easier load the rest of the week. She glanced at the clock. Ten-thirty. It was later than she’d hoped, but she set her mental timer for midnight, making herself a goal to be finished ordering the big stuff by the time she came back home.

Half an hour later the office phone rang, and she remembered her cell phone, lying where Jake had tossed
it, on the carpet in the living room. She couldn’t believe his nerve. She picked up the phone and spoke into it without so much as a greeting. “You are amazing, you know that? You absolutely blow my mind. What are you doing calling me here?”

There followed an uncomfortable silence, then a chuckle that sent shivers up her spine.
“First I’m awkwardly stimulating. Now I’m amazing, and I blow your mind. I’m beginning to think you like me, Miss SoNora Decor.”

She gulped hard in an effort to regroup and breathe,
then she repeated her question, her tone much less aggressive. “What are you doing calling me here?”

Tristan spoke at the same time.
“What are you doing in your office at this time of night?” Then he chuckled again and asked, “Okay. Do you want to go first, or shall I?”

“Look, Tristan.” She decided to end this quickly with a little honesty. “It hasn’t been a good night. I thought you were my husband hounding me about working late again. Sorry I jumped on you, but this isn’t good timing.”

“I didn’t expect to take up any of your time, Nora. That’s why I called so late, just to leave you a message. Would you like me to hang up and call back?” His voice was low and husky, as though he was settling in for the night. “Let it go to voice-mail. Then you’ll have something to look forward to in the morning.”

Something
sparked inside her head. Nora took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his words making her bold, and…reckless. “Actually, what are you doing right now?”

“I’m sitting here at my drawing table, watching my
Isolde
move in the shadows. I couldn’t help but think of you.”

“You’re not at home?”

“Yes, I’m at home. My studio is upstairs, remember? Why? What’s up?”

“Oh! Oh, I didn’t realize you lived there, too.” The thought hadn’t occurred to her that the rest of the old
Victorian was actually a home,
his
home. She’d assumed it had been converted into offices like so many of the old homes in the downtown areas.

As though reading her mind, he explained,
“It was apartments when I bought it several years ago—for a steal, I’m proud to say—and I turned it back into a home. Houses aren’t built the way they used to be, and I think they need to be preserved, if at all possible. I fell in love with this place the first time I saw it and probably would have bought it, even if it didn’t have the turret.”

“I feel the same way about the old houses.” She smiled, pleased by his sentiment, but she was intent on something else, something she didn’t even want to formulate into complete sentences in her mind. “Well, are you planning on going to bed any time soon?”

“These are rather personal questions, Nora,” he teased after a brief pause. “Actually, I just got up here. I was planning on putting in a few hours before I call it a night.”

Nora opened her mouth and let the words pour out before she changed her mind.
“Would you like some company? If I bring my laptop and my pile of paperwork, can I clear a spot in the corner of your studio and do my work? I won’t bother you, I promise. I just… I just suddenly don’t feel like being here alone right now, but I
must
get some things done, and I can’t go home and do it.” She couldn’t believe what she was suggesting.

Apparently, neither could he.
“You want to come here? In the middle of the night? To work?”

She laughed at the incredulity in his voice.
“Yes. Go there. In the middle of the night. To work. With you,” she added, almost inaudibly.

“Well, then, I’ll be watching for you. Are we pulling an all-nighter? Shall I put on the coffee?”

“Oh, coffee would be lovely.” She ignored the all-nighter question, but thrilled at the rumble of satisfaction in his voice. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” Her mind set, she refused to consider the consequences, whatever they may be. Instead, she slipped her laptop into its case, strapped it and her box of Renee’s files to a wheeled trolley cart, and turned off the lights. She hurriedly locked up and climbed in her car, her heart racing from the rush, the adrenaline, and the unfamiliar urgency she felt.

Tristan was silhouetted in the turret window, the heavy drape pulled back so he could watch for her. She smiled as she saw him turn and disappear, the curtain falling back in place. A few moments later, he was emerging from the front door. She stayed in the car with the window rolled down until he was close enough to hear her quiet words.

“We have to discuss the rules before I get out.” She’d had the whole ride over to think things through. She wanted to come, felt a wild need to be with him tonight, but she wasn’t going to let things get out of control.

“Rules?
We’re playing games? I thought we weren’t any good at games.” He was teasing her again, but she remained firm.

“I’m serious, Tristan. I’m a little afraid of what I’m doing, okay?”

“Why are you afraid, Nora? I thought you were coming over here to work, so that neither one of us would have to be alone. Give yourself a little more credit; give me a little more credit.”

“Even so, I need to put it out on the table so you and I are on the same page.” Something about the way he was studying her made her feel like a fly on the lip of a carnivorous plant. She should run…but everything about him pulled at everything about her.

Traps are re—Shut up, Vicky.

“Hm.”
He crossed his arms and rocked back on his heels, his feet planted wide as he stared down at her. She tipped her head back a little more; she had to force her eyes to stay focused on his face, to keep her gaze from drifting over the rather distracting lines of his large frame. He wore faded jeans that had seen better days and a gray undershirt that pulled tightly across his chest. Work clothes. There was as streak of black paint along the ridge of his left forearm and his hands looked damp, like he’d washed them quickly before coming down to greet her.

“Rule number one.” She began, holding up one finger, not waiting for him to agree or disagree. “You can’t touch me. Rule number two: You can’t kiss me. Rule number three: You can’t have sex with me. Rule number four: You can’t ask any questions about why I’m here, or why I don’t want to be alone, or even why I was rude to you earlier today. You can’t ask anything else that will make me feel guilty, okay?” Her voice shook, her palms were damp, and she knew if he reached out and touched her skin right now, his fingers would probably sizzle.

Under the yellow glow of the antique porch light, he looked almost menacing, staring down at her, his eyes narrowed. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves, but her nostrils were assailed by the aroma of balsam and citrus and something else. Turpentine?

Trista
n. In that moment, she realized she already recognized the way he smelled.

She didn
’t exhale right away.

He continued to study her for a few more moments before responding.
“Look Nora. I’m not really a rule kind of guy. I’m an artist, remember? I take other people’s trash and turn it into masterpieces. My whole way of living is programmed to think outside the box. I can’t promise you won’t feel guilty for coming over here, because I can see you already do. I hope you’re not here only because you’re desperate, or because you feel badly about the way you treated me today, because that would really stink.” He uncrossed his arms and leaned forward to rest his hands on the rim of the open window, throwing his face into deeper shadows. She could no longer see his eyes, but she could certainly feel the warmth of his gaze. “I’d like to think you came here because you want to be with me.”

Her throat felt like it was closing up on her, so she simply nodded.

“Good. And your rules? Well, why don’t we compromise? I will respect your boundaries, and I ask that you respect mine in return. I promise I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do, Nora, and I expect the same courtesy from you. Can we agree on that?”

Don
’t do it, Nor. Run! Run like mad in the opposite direction! Traps are real, remember? Run!

“Boundaries,” she said, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. Then she looked up at him. “I actually have them, though. Do you?”

Tristan burst out laughing and opened the door when she unlocked it. “Get out of the car, woman. It’s cold out here, and I’ve got work to do. I’m in the middle of creating something, and I’m on a roll, so you’d better be on your best behavior, or I’ll send you packing.”

“I’m only here to work. I’ll be as quiet as a mouse, I promise.” Nora climbed out of the car and handed him her box of files. She slung her computer bag over her shoulder and followed him inside, enjoying the confident way he moved. They took the stairs up and he directed her to a big, overstuffed recliner in one corner of the turret.

“That wasn’t there before,” she noted.

“Yeah, it was. It was piled with junk, but I cleaned it up for you. It’s usually my thinking and drinking chair, but tonight, you may honor it by placing your
pretty backside in it.” He set her box of files down in front of the chair, pulled a TV tray around for her to set her computer on, and turned to face her. “Will this work for you?”

“It’s perfect,” she whispered,
suddenly at a loss, overwhelmed by the fact that she was here. She looked up with a shaky, vulnerable smile. “Thank you, Tristan.”

He reached for her then, breaking her first rule, and she went into his arms willingly. She took another deep breath full of his scent, and let it out slowly, savoring the way she felt
cradled against him. Then they broke her second rule. And her third.

But no one asked any questions
.