Chapter Four
Dottie Porter directed Celeste and Ducky into the house.
The kitchen was large. The appliances and wall covering were an odd green color. Food and containers full of food seemed to cover every surface. Pots steamed on the stove. A fan was in the window trying to vent out the heat, but there was too much for it to make much impact. It had to be at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit and for Ducky it was a sudden and almost painful throwback to the jungles he had just left.
"Hot in here!" he said pulling away from Celeste, suddenly feeling claustrophobic.
"Sorry." Dottie apologized. "We're getting everything ready for the dinner and there wasn't enough room in the church kitchen so we're using this as an overflow."
Ducky nodded. "I see." His chest was constricting. He wondered if there was some kind of allergen or other in the air. His breathing became shallower, his heart started racing and he felt flush.
"Ducky? Are you all right?" Celeste looked at him, brow furrowed with concern.
"Fine. I'm just tired, sweetheart. I'll feel better after a rest and a shower, I'm sure."
"And you probably need to eat something, too." Elizabeth came up the basement stairs carrying a small wrench. "All set, Dottie." She nodded at her daughter.
Alan stumbled through the kitchen door half-dragging Ducky's bags. "Hey man, what have you got in these things? Bricks?" He dumped them on the floor in front of the young doctor.
Ducky hoisted them. They seemed even heavier than they had. He smiled at Alan. "Just a few essentials, mate. Thank you for bringing them in."
"Do you need me to carry something?" Celeste asked. "Your room is on the third floor."
"I'll manage, Love. Just show me where to stow this."
"You're lucky, Ducky-man," Alan commented as he followed the others up the stairs. "The guest room has air conditioning. And," he poked Celeste in the back, "a double bed."
"Alan…" Dottie warned.
The second floor hallway had a variety of doors on either side. "This is mom and dad's room. They've got air conditioning, too. The rest of us have to suffer in the swelter. Did you know that it builds character?"
"Well, I must have a good amount of character, then. You have no idea what swelter is, Alan. Believe me. It'll be nice sleep in a bed I don't have to check for snakes before I get into it. Or to check my boots for them before I put them on."
"Wow! That sounds intense!" Alan looked surprised by Ducky's comment and Celeste, alarmed.
"It was." Ducky's voice crackled with exhaustion.
Alan paused in front of one of the open doors and pointed in. "You may want to make note of this particular room, Doctor M. It's Celeste's. You'll note it's a straight shot down the third floor stairs, right around the corner. Ideal for clandestine meetings…"
Ducky grinned at Celeste who blushed furiously. "I like your brother."
He peered through the door. Ducky saw a tie-dyed bedspread and curtains, posters of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, a peace sign, Snoopy. A desk piled high with books, a portable manual typewriter, a picture of him in his uniform, another of the two of them together in London, looking cozy and happy. Three mobiles dangled from the ceiling, one of winged dragons, another of eyeballs and a third an abstract Alexander Caulder flavored piece. A cat was asleep on the bed, along with a dog-eared copy of "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers." It reminded him of her room in London.
"That's yours all right." He smiled at her through the weariness. The tightness in his chest was easing a bit, though.
They continued to the third floor. The air conditioner had just been turned on and hadn't had time to deliver much impact. The whole third floor was more of a suite than a guest room. Not only was there a very comfortable looking bedroom, there was also a small bathroom with a shower stall. A wardrobe, dresser and several full bookshelves completed the decor. Dormer windows brought in light and gave the room a larger feel. The ceilings were low. Despite the coziness, Ducky felt his chest constrict again.
"Let me know if you need anything, Ducky." Dottie turned to leave. "Miss Celeste, Doctor Mallard, I'm going to trust you alone for a few minutes. Alan, let's go!"
Ducky put his gear on the floor at the foot of the bed. Celeste put her arms around his waist and gave him a quick kiss.
"I'll leave you to settle in and freshen up. Then maybe my sister will like you better. My God, Donnie Mallard! You've really lost weight! I'll see if I can't get a sandwich for you. There's food everywhere so I should be able to come up with something." Celeste started to leave, but Ducky pulled her back into a kiss that he hoped left little doubt of what would be a nice diversion later, choosing to illustrate key points with his gifted hands.
They finally broke apart. "You are such a randy bastard," she whispered, smiling.
"Do you blame me?" His look was all innocence. "Jesus, Celeste, fourteen months without you and I see you now in shorts and a tight shirt and you expect me to keep my hands to myself? Impossible!"
"Well, Daddy expects it. Just because he wandered off doesn't mean the subject is closed. It hasn't even begun. He is pissed beyond belief. There's about to be an explosion the likes of which has not been witnessed in the Great Lakes State since the Big Bang!"
"I doubt that he'll be completely unreasonable, Celeste. After all, he deals with all sorts of things and people as part of his profession. We'll just discuss it rationally."
"You didn't just catch a thirty-one year old British army doctor with his hand up your nineteen year old daughter's shirt, either. He's NOT going to be rational, Ducky. He's going to be Daddy."
"Did 'Daddy' happen to notice where YOUR hand was? It was inching forward, I noticed. Catching that would have been very embarrassing."
"You'd have thrown a block, Sweets. Because YOU know better. Which is precisely what Daddy expects – decorum and respectability." Celeste hugged him and Ducky wrapped his arms around her in response.
"Does 'Daddy' have any idea how much I love you, Celeste?"
"You can always try to explain. Explain it to me, too, while you're at it!"
"You're a smart girl, Celeste. Once I get you into that bed, you'll figure it out." His hand found its way past her shorts and into the lacy bikini panties she was wearing.
She gasped. "By the way. After fourteen months of reflection, introspection and forced celibacy, I am VERY ready to go to the next level."
"Now?" Ducky could hardly believe his good fortune! "Just give me a minute to find the condoms…"
"Unfortunately no, my love. Mom is likely to send up a posse in a few minutes to check on us. Being caught in the act is not something I want to deal with right now. But soon. Somewhere we can be alone for as long as we want. I promise." She drew him into a sweet, gentle kiss that held more passion than any kiss Ducky had ever experienced.
It was more than worth it, waiting for her.
Celeste left him alone so he'd have an opportunity to freshen up before dinner and a renewed onslaught of relatives. He stepped into the cold water of the shower, expecting it to warm up a bit, but it didn't. God knows he needed a cold shower, and it wasn't that he was unaccustomed to them. But a bit of warm water would have been nice. It would have been helpful while he shaved, too. He'd have to mention it to Celeste's mother. Then he remembered Grummie Elizabeth coming up from the basement. With a wrench.
It was a conspiracy!
What the hell was he getting into?
4
