Carla Krae - [My Once and Future Love Revisited 02] Read online

  He muttered something unintelligible but didn’t wake up. She wriggled and squirmed out of his grasp, yanking her arm free.

  Oh, hell.

  And fell off the bed. He mumbled again and rolled over.

  “You’d sleep to a bomb going off.” She gathered up her clothes—remembering to get her bra and shirt from the dining room—and went in the bathroom. “Great… Hairstyle by Sex.” At least the mark on her neck had started to fade.

  Searching through the drawers, she found a comb and hurried to put her locks in some kind of order, using the toilet at the same time. Hey, she really did have to go, and it was efficient use of time management. Dressed again, she headed for the front door.

  Crap, the prints. She’d dropped them by the table. Scooping up the envelope, she picked out the shot of the rocks framing the horizon, set it on the table, and left.

  She entered her house through the front door and went to the refrigerator for a drink. Feet padded up behind her.

  “Just getting in?” Mom asked.

  Gulp. “Pretty much. Lost track of time. Well, goodnight.” She took her glass toward her room.

  “Try not to be so late again without saying where you’re going, Elizabeth, even if you are eighteen and out of school.”

  She ducked her head. “Yes, Mom. Won’t happen again.” God, I was an ass.

  Mom let her go and she thanked her stars the lights were off so she couldn’t see her well. Safe inside her room, she sunk against the door and sighed. As long as she lived at home, she couldn’t let that happen again. Worry was not good for Mom’s condition and she would not be the one to add to that.

  Until Mom was well again, she came first.

  Sunday morning meant brunch with waffles. This Sunday had whole wheat flour waffles and organic strawberries. Mom also had this drink she mixed up that smelled nasty.

  “What is that?” Beth asked.

  “Full of antioxidants, supposedly.” She plugged her nose, slugged it down, and shuddered.

  “No whipped cream?” Dad asked.

  “I’m supposed to cut down on sugar, but you can get it, dear,” Mom said.

  He shook his head. “I don’t need it.”

  The healthy-type waffles were different, but not bad. Beth ended up full sooner, too, and volunteered to clear the table before Mom could get up.

  “Elizabeth, I’m perfectly capable of washing dishes.”

  “I know, Mom. I’m just doing my part before I go to UCLA, is all.”

  She gave Beth a look that said I know you’re fibbing, but let it go. Dad kissed her cheek and left to play golf. She grabbed her sun hat and gloves and went out front to tend the roses.

  When Beth got back to her room, it wasn’t empty. She nearly screamed in surprise. “Leave before someone sees you!” she whispered.

  Jacob lounged on her bed. “You left without saying goodbye.”

  “You were dead asleep and I was going to miss curfew. My mother’s out front, so you can skip over the wall. Go!”

  He scratched his chin. “Eh, don’t think so. Mum’s not due for over an hour and I’m bored.”

  She dropped her face in her hands. “You can’t play games like this, Jacob.”

  He stood off the bed in one fluid motion. “You have to admit the thrill of getting caught is pretty sexy, love.” He stalked her—him hunter, her prey—and pinned her against the door.

  “Stop it.”

  His hand slid under the hem of her tee. “Make me.”

  “Jacob, please…” She closed her eyes at the feel of his fingers playing with the edge of her bra. Already, her nipples were begging to be touched. It wasn’t fair.

  “Please, what, kitten?” he murmured in her ear. He bit the spot on her neck that was a guaranteed turn-on, then kissed her.

  The front door closed.

  He stepped back, grinning. “You’re right. Now’s not the best time.” He escaped out her window, leaving her breathless and horny as hell.

  Son-of-a-bitch. He expected her to be mad enough to chase him. Yeah, well…screw that! She didn’t need kisses or sex or orgasms. Let his hand serve as company for a while…

  She marched out to Mom. “You wanna go somewhere?”

  She blinked at the sudden request. “Uh…sure, honey.”

  “Great. I’ll grab my purse.” Take THAT, Mr. Lindsey. She was not going to be here for him to torment.

  “What do you have in mind, honey?” Mom asked, going for her car.

  “I don’t know. I just don’t want to stay in the house today. Craft fair, art show, whatever…”

  She smiled. Beth had given her carte blanche to shop.

  They had the love of photography in common, but Beth shared more traits with Dad. She was quiet, easily kept to herself, and organized her life to the brink of being obsessive. If you looked in her father’s office, his stacks of papers were perfectly lined up with the edges of his desk, the desk pad perfectly centered with his penholder at the top left, and his supplies always in the exact same place every time in every drawer. You could set a clock by everything he did. And when he said he loved you, you knew it was a big deal because it didn’t happen very often.

  Mom was loved by everyone who knew her, a proverbial ray of sunshine. She made friends easily, was still beautiful at nearly fifty, and had a fantastic eye for art. Beth could tell her anything when she was growing up and her intuition was usually spot-on. Originally a small-town girl, she loved shopping in L.A.

  They strolled the paint aisle in an art supply store. Mom was looking at the watercolors. “You’ve been quiet today,” she said.

  “Have I?”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “Nothing to tell.” Beth walked to the brushes to feel the bristles.

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “Really, Mom.”

  “Hm.” She held up two colors of blue, comparing. “Did you know Mrs. Lindsey is coming back today?”

  “Did she call?” Oh-my-god, what did she say?

  “E-mail.” She put the one in her left hand in her basket and returned the other to the shelf. “I thought she might have told you, too, since you’ve become close.”

  “I haven’t been on the computer today.” Beth swirled a Taklon brush in her palm. At least that wasn’t a lie.

  “Oh. I thought you might be hoping Jacob is coming with her,” she teased.

  “Mom…” She put the brush back. “You’re the big deal in my life right now.”

  She sighed. “Let’s go find some stickers to label your college stuff.” She left the aisle.

  Way to remind her about the Big C, dumbass.

  Beth found her with stickers in hand in the scrapbooking aisle. Mom chattered on about needing to mark Beth’s stuff with her name so people would know their boundaries. “And for anything you take to the shower, nail polish stays on really well. Do you like these colors of blue? I know it’s your favorite color.”

  “The stickers are fine, Mom. Just no sparkles.”

  “No sparkles. Check. Ooo, the acid-free paper is on sale…”

  Beth saw the need for a cart coming soon. This was going to be a long trip.

  Once Mom got on the thinking-about-the-dorm-room kick, they hit a department store for furnishing Beth’s future living space. You’d think she was getting an apartment by everything Mom said she needed.

  “Mom, I get a bed and a desk. There’s no room for a beanbag chair.”

  “Aww, but they’re fun. Is it a raised bed?”

  “I think so, but my regular stuff has to go under there, like clothes.”

  “Oh! You’ll need cubbies.” She detoured for the storage containers. “And a mini-fridge!”

  Beth cringed thinking about Mom showing Dad the bill when they got home, and she had nowhere to put this stuff for weeks.

  Then, she went home by going down Jacob’s street. “Mom, you turned too soon.”

  “No, I didn’t. I’m seeing if Vivian is home.”

  Oh, hell… “If s
he is, you should let her rest. The jetlag, you know…the eight hour time difference is harsh.”

  “You’re right. She’ll be ready for bed.”

  “Yep. Call tomorrow.” She sighed in relief when Mom turned the corner to go to their house. She and Jacob would not be in the same room together until he swore to behave.

  Must have jinxed myself, for he was sitting on our porch swing. Contrary bastard.

  “Why, Jacob, so nice to see you!” Mom said when she got out of the car.

  Beth groaned. He was going to eat up her sweetness.

  “Afternoon, Mrs. Lawson. My mother is sorry she isn’t up to saying hello.”

  “That’s alright, dear. I’ll catch her tomorrow. How is London, with your studies, and the band?”

  “Well, it’s not as much fun without Bethie in the audience, but I make do. Have you been to England, Mrs. Lawson?”

  “No, unfortunately. But for the most part, I’m more of a homebody. Would you like to come in? I have fresh-squeezed orange juice.”

  “I’m sure Jacob has a lot to do, Mom, with all the packing and cleaning.”

  “Oh, I could do with some refreshment. Not used to this heat, now, you know.”

  She glared at him. He grinned, and took the shopping bags from her mother once she was near so she could unlock the front door.

  He’d been outside long enough to break a sweat, and lifted the hem of his tee to wipe his face when Mom’s back was turned, exposing his glistening abs. Beth stuck her nose in the air and went back to the car to retrieve more bags. He was there to take them from her, his cologne blooming in the heat.

  “I don’t need help.”

  “Just bein’ neighborly, baby.”

  “Go home.”

  “But that would be rude to your mother.”

  “I’ll make an excuse,” she said through gritted teeth.

  “Can’t stay mad forever, Beth,” he said, and sauntered into her house. Damn perfect ass.

  She really needed a girl friend she could rant to about boys.

  Mom picked his ear about the last two years of his life and kept refilling his glass. Beth remembered thinking once that Mom thought of him as her third child. Shaking her head, she went back outside to get the rest of the crap they bought. Wasn’t gonna get done sitting in the car. At least the mini-fridge had to be ordered, so she didn’t have to try carrying that.

  She came back inside to hear:

  “…So I’d like to take her out tonight, to catch up—”

  “I’m busy,” she said.

  “Elizabeth, it’s rude to interrupt.”

  “Sorry, Mom. But I am. Busy. All the stuff we got has to be prepped and organized.”

  “You’re not moving into the dorm tomorrow, honey. It can wait.”

  “Yeah, Bethie. It can wait a day.”

  “I’d rather not,” she insisted. “Procrastination only leads to more bad habits.”

  “Spoken like your father.” Mom sighed, and shrugged. “Sorry, Jacob.”

  “Yep. Sorry, Jacob.”

  The look he gave her said this isn’t over.

  “Give my regards to your mother, dear, and I hope she’s feeling better in the morning,” Mom said.

  “Will do, Mrs. Lawson. Later, Beth.”

  She waved half-heartedly, pulling her new sheets out for the wash.

  “Elizabeth, where are your manners today? Walk your friend home.”

  “Mom… I’m in the middle of something here, and he’s only around the corner.”

  Frowning, she shook her head, left the room, and came back with a packaging tape dispenser. “This will make sealing boxes nice and quick.” She handed it to Beth.

  Beth handed it to him. “See ya.” She didn’t care if Mom chewed her out once he left.

  He winked at Beth and opened the front door. She went to her room just to make sure he didn’t go around and try the same trick from this morning.

  Today was really giving her a headache.

  She locked her window shut that night. The curtains were closed, too.

  What happened to the sweet boyfriend of Saturday morning? Did he think he could take her whenever he wanted? She was starting to regret ever sleeping with him in the first place.

  Chapter Three

  Mom walked over to the Lindsey’s Monday morning with muffins. Beth took the advantage to go to the college. Couldn’t be found easily on a campus that large, haha. When she got home in the evening, she played Scrabble with Dad.

  That night was another of wary, but uninterrupted, sleep. Had she won?

  By afternoon, she got curious and peeked through the holes in the decorative blocks at the top of the fence. Jacob came out a minute later carrying a box labeled “Goodwill” on the side. He set it down on the patio, revealing he was working without a shirt. Stretching his arms above his head, he walked back inside, leaving the sliding door open.

  It was only vanity. He didn’t want to get his shirts dirty.

  “Sweetheart, what are you doing?”

  Beth spun around, clutching her chest. “Nothing.” She walked back into the house.

  “Elizabeth, if you still like the boy, just tell him.”

  Heh…oh, Mom… “I’m not pining. Trust me.”

  “Then why were you spying on his house?” She started making iced tea.

  “It’s…we’re having a fight.”

  Her brow furrowed in confusion. “From London?”

  “Kind of. He’s just…really annoying right now. I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Okay, honey. You know I’m here if you want to talk, though, right?”

  “Yep. But I’ve got this one.”

  Mom smiled and touched her cheek. “You’re so grown up.”

  She blushed. “Mom…” If she started getting sentimental, then she’d get teary, then I’d get teary, and nobody needed to see that.

  Mom was a little weird all day. Beth learned why when Dad came home.

  The surgery was Thursday.

  “Short notice,” she said to Mom.

  Busy hospital, blah, blah; take the slot when we could get it, blah, blah… Yes, she absolutely wanted it out of her, but she also wanted to prepare. She spent most of yesterday in the UCLA library, once she found it, looking up what they’d been told so far. She just…

  She didn’t know how Mom wasn’t panicking

  The stars were visible tonight. No marine layer or haze blocking their twinkling lights. True, only the brightest shone through the city lights bouncing off the atmosphere, but she was glad for something to stare at while she lay on the deck chair in her backyard.

  “Hey.” Jacob. Sitting on top of the fence.

  “Not a good time,” she said, turning her head away.

  He dropped to the ground. “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t share with jerks.”

  “I’m sorry.” He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. “I came to tell you we’re probably leaving Friday. Turns out there’s not a whole lot to ship across the Pond.”

  “Oh.”

  “That’s all you have to say?”

  She looked directly at him. “They’re cutting my mother open Thursday morning. Nothing comes after until I know she’s alright. I can’t think that far.”

  He swore under his breath, sighed, and crouched on the grass. “I can stay.”

  “What about the band, and your apartment?”

  “The band is…well, it stinks. I listened to the demo, and I know I can’t stand behind that to send to the record companies. We fought all week and I was glad to escape here.”

  “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Got your own burdens. I’ll land on my feet. Always do.”

  She spun to sit perpendicular on the chair. “You’ve worked on this for two years. It’s a big deal.”

  “Change is inevitable. Maybe it’s a good thing.” Always the optimist.

  “Plenty of famous solo artists.”

  “Yep.” He smiled in the
dark. “So I can stay. If you want me to.”

  Heart said yes. Head said he’d be a distraction. “I don’t know.” That might’ve come out bad, if she didn’t sound so confused.

  He rose and hugged her. She clung to him and buried her face in his Obsession-scented neck. For once, he didn’t try to turn the embrace sexual, merely rubbed her back and held her. She wasn’t going to cry.

  I’m not going to cry.

  “I hate seeing you sad,” he said. “What do you need?”

  She swallowed the lump in her throat. “This is good.”

  So, they sat, until their butts started to go numb from sitting on hard plastic, and she remembered why she loved him.

  He softly kissed her, merely a brush of his lips, and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow sometime.”

  She nodded, not trusting her voice. He pulled away and left, hoisting his body over the wall. She heard the soft thud of his feet hitting the ground on the other side, and went in the house.

  Next day…

  Mom packed her bag for the hospital. Beth went for a walk, then hopped on the bus to her favorite burger place to medicate her troubles with a milkshake. Chocolate for what ails you had been her motto since she was twelve.

  “Thought I’d find you here.” Jacob slid into the booth to sit across from her.

  “Hey. How’d you know?”

  “Your mum said you didn’t take the car. Only a few places you’d go on foot. I know my girl.” He hailed a waitress, waving his hand in her field of view.

  “Left your mom with all the packing?”

  “Nah. I’ve done most of the heavy lifting. Loaded her car with boxes to ship before I left.”

  She sipped her milkshake. “So, why’d you come?”

  With nothing else in front of his fingers, he played with a napkin, twisting and shredding it. “Wondered if you thought about my offer.”

  “Jacob, I can’t say…that’s too big to put on me. Have you discussed it with your mother?”

  “Not yet.”

  “How long is ‘could stay’, really? Until the house sells? ‘Til school starts in London? I know you like being spontaneous, but…”