Chapter Two
She hurried through the rain, trying to stay as dry as possible, yet still drenched when she finally knocked on the door of the old boathouse. There was no response but she knew he was in there. She could feel his mind even if she could not read it, so she knocked again. There was still no answer but Betsy did not consider leaving. She had come down here to do a good deed and she was bloody well going to whether Remy wanted it or not. That last thought struck Betsy as very funny, so she was laughing softly to herself when she knocked once again.
The door finally opened a crack and Remy peered out, suspicion and confusion clouding his lean face. "Can Remy help you?"
That comment also struck her as funny since the whole point of coming down here was to help herself by helping him and, so far, it was working. "Actually," She began once she could speak again, "I was wondering if you would like to go out for dinner then the grocery store."
"Pourquoi?"
The defensive tone did not phase her. They had never been friends are even really companions so of course he was suspicious. She kept her smile firmly in place as she replied. "I doubt there is any food in there since no one has lived here in a very long time. It would not do for you to starve after everything you have been through. So, I thought it would be good to go out and stock up on what you'll need while you are living here and it occurred to me that it is almost supper and the weather is cold. So, I thought we could eat a nice warm dinner before we went shopping and it would give the boathouse awhile to warm up while we are gone." His eyes were still suspicious but he had not shut the door in her face so she hoped he would come.
They stood there for several minutes and Betsy was beginning to wonder if she should just leave and come back with take-out when he finally nodded. "Oui, dat sounds bien."
Betsy gave him a pleased smile as she held up the keys. "Good, get your coat and we can leave."
Remy still did not smile as he stepped out, still wearing his coat. They hurried back through the rain to the garage, keeping to the less used paths so they would not meet up with anyone else, and they were in her car. The radio immediately blared to life when she turned on the key causing both of them jump before Betsy managed to get it turned down to an acceptable level and changed to a softer station. She smiled apologetically at her companion and gave a one word explanation, "Jubilee."
Remy gave her a small, tentative smile in return, "De femme like her music loud." Suddenly, he seemed to realize what he was doing and he quickly turned to look out the window, the smile gone.
Betsy was not discouraged. Quite the opposite, he had actually smiled and the evening was barely begun.
They drove into town in silence, Remy not wanting to engage in idle chit- chat and Betsy, understanding this, did not press. Tonight was not about talking. It was about an act of kindness and letting him know if he wished to talk, she would listen.
They pulled into a small out of the way bistro which served the best hot soup and sandwiches in town. It was a safe choice when you did not know what the other person liked to eat and, in Remy's case, Betsy had no clue. They stepped out into the nice, cool night, the rain having stopped once they had gotten away from the mansion, and the stars were exceptionally bright. The breeze carried a hint of the rain they had just left combined with scents of the flowers that grew around the place.
Betsy smiled as she breathed deeply, then turned to Remy. "The evening is so beautiful, would you mind if we sat on the patio?"
His red on black eyes were staring at her with greater suspicion and curiosity as he replied. "'S your show, Remy sit where you say."
Betsy held his gaze, looking very serious. "Tonight, Remy, you are my guest. We will sit where you like."
There were another few moments of silence before the Cajun nodded as if deciding on something. "Outside is bien."
"Are you certain?"
"Oui."
Betsy's mind took that moment to point out how foolish it must look for two adults to be so serious about where to sit in a small bistro and her smile quickly returned. "Now that we have that settled, shall we go inside?"
"This time, Remy agree with you first time, 'stead of staying out here starving." They both smiled at the shared humor. He offered her his arm in an, apparently, unconscious gesture since his eyes widened in slight surprise when she took the offered limb without hesitation.
Inside, they were quickly seated, thanks to a history of large tips from all the times Warren and her had eaten here, and Betsy was thankful that the waitress was discreet enough not to comment on the her new dining partner. Their silence continued through the meal and lasted until they were both relaxing with their after dinner coffees.
Betsy was staring out over the lovely scenery when Remy finally asked the question he had probably been wondering about all night. "Betsy, why you doin' this?"
She turned her body to face his, letting him know she had his full attention and spent a few minutes considering how to explain. "I did this for several reasons. Do you remember when Revanche came?" He nodded. "No one wanted to speak to either of us and that hurt me, very much. I had been with this team, in this body, for several months during which I had saved them more than once. I can still feel the pain of the betrayal, the surprise that not even one teammate would have give me a chance to talk, tell what I knew about the situation. I still believe I deserved at least that much consideration. You are in the same situation. You are a teammate and have saved my life as well as the team's more than once. I do not wish to see history repeated because I deserved better and so do you. Therefore, I am here to listen, without judgement and with the promise that I will not repeat our conversations, if you should ever feel the need to talk about anything."
"This is pity, den?" His voice was sharp and sarcastic.
Betsy shook her head slightly. "No, it is the right thing to do. I know you are suspicious of my motives. We have never been closer than acquaintances. That does not change my offer and that is all this is: an offer. What you do with it is completely up to you." She took a slow sip from her coffee before continuing with a small smile. "I should warn you, though, my family is known for stubbornness and my brother, Brian, always says I am the worst of the lot."
That surprised a short laugh out of Remy which made Betsy glad as she turned her attention back to the coffee. Silence, again, reigned until they were done at the grocery store and Betsy insisted that the bill be placed on the mansion's tab. "You are a member of the team and living on the property. Why should you pay for your own groceries when no one else with those two qualifications does?"
Remy's face was set in a stern expression, but he lowered his sunglasses enough for her to see a spark of humor in his eye. "Remy gotta say, yo'r frere is right. You one stubborn femme."
"Then give in. After all, it is bad manners to argue with your hostess."
He put his hands up in mock surrender. "Remy know when he's beat. Put 'em on Charlie's tab. On'y t'ing is, he come lookin' for a reason, Remy blamin' you."
They laughed together lightly as they finished loading the car.
She hurried through the rain, trying to stay as dry as possible, yet still drenched when she finally knocked on the door of the old boathouse. There was no response but she knew he was in there. She could feel his mind even if she could not read it, so she knocked again. There was still no answer but Betsy did not consider leaving. She had come down here to do a good deed and she was bloody well going to whether Remy wanted it or not. That last thought struck Betsy as very funny, so she was laughing softly to herself when she knocked once again.
The door finally opened a crack and Remy peered out, suspicion and confusion clouding his lean face. "Can Remy help you?"
That comment also struck her as funny since the whole point of coming down here was to help herself by helping him and, so far, it was working. "Actually," She began once she could speak again, "I was wondering if you would like to go out for dinner then the grocery store."
"Pourquoi?"
The defensive tone did not phase her. They had never been friends are even really companions so of course he was suspicious. She kept her smile firmly in place as she replied. "I doubt there is any food in there since no one has lived here in a very long time. It would not do for you to starve after everything you have been through. So, I thought it would be good to go out and stock up on what you'll need while you are living here and it occurred to me that it is almost supper and the weather is cold. So, I thought we could eat a nice warm dinner before we went shopping and it would give the boathouse awhile to warm up while we are gone." His eyes were still suspicious but he had not shut the door in her face so she hoped he would come.
They stood there for several minutes and Betsy was beginning to wonder if she should just leave and come back with take-out when he finally nodded. "Oui, dat sounds bien."
Betsy gave him a pleased smile as she held up the keys. "Good, get your coat and we can leave."
Remy still did not smile as he stepped out, still wearing his coat. They hurried back through the rain to the garage, keeping to the less used paths so they would not meet up with anyone else, and they were in her car. The radio immediately blared to life when she turned on the key causing both of them jump before Betsy managed to get it turned down to an acceptable level and changed to a softer station. She smiled apologetically at her companion and gave a one word explanation, "Jubilee."
Remy gave her a small, tentative smile in return, "De femme like her music loud." Suddenly, he seemed to realize what he was doing and he quickly turned to look out the window, the smile gone.
Betsy was not discouraged. Quite the opposite, he had actually smiled and the evening was barely begun.
They drove into town in silence, Remy not wanting to engage in idle chit- chat and Betsy, understanding this, did not press. Tonight was not about talking. It was about an act of kindness and letting him know if he wished to talk, she would listen.
They pulled into a small out of the way bistro which served the best hot soup and sandwiches in town. It was a safe choice when you did not know what the other person liked to eat and, in Remy's case, Betsy had no clue. They stepped out into the nice, cool night, the rain having stopped once they had gotten away from the mansion, and the stars were exceptionally bright. The breeze carried a hint of the rain they had just left combined with scents of the flowers that grew around the place.
Betsy smiled as she breathed deeply, then turned to Remy. "The evening is so beautiful, would you mind if we sat on the patio?"
His red on black eyes were staring at her with greater suspicion and curiosity as he replied. "'S your show, Remy sit where you say."
Betsy held his gaze, looking very serious. "Tonight, Remy, you are my guest. We will sit where you like."
There were another few moments of silence before the Cajun nodded as if deciding on something. "Outside is bien."
"Are you certain?"
"Oui."
Betsy's mind took that moment to point out how foolish it must look for two adults to be so serious about where to sit in a small bistro and her smile quickly returned. "Now that we have that settled, shall we go inside?"
"This time, Remy agree with you first time, 'stead of staying out here starving." They both smiled at the shared humor. He offered her his arm in an, apparently, unconscious gesture since his eyes widened in slight surprise when she took the offered limb without hesitation.
Inside, they were quickly seated, thanks to a history of large tips from all the times Warren and her had eaten here, and Betsy was thankful that the waitress was discreet enough not to comment on the her new dining partner. Their silence continued through the meal and lasted until they were both relaxing with their after dinner coffees.
Betsy was staring out over the lovely scenery when Remy finally asked the question he had probably been wondering about all night. "Betsy, why you doin' this?"
She turned her body to face his, letting him know she had his full attention and spent a few minutes considering how to explain. "I did this for several reasons. Do you remember when Revanche came?" He nodded. "No one wanted to speak to either of us and that hurt me, very much. I had been with this team, in this body, for several months during which I had saved them more than once. I can still feel the pain of the betrayal, the surprise that not even one teammate would have give me a chance to talk, tell what I knew about the situation. I still believe I deserved at least that much consideration. You are in the same situation. You are a teammate and have saved my life as well as the team's more than once. I do not wish to see history repeated because I deserved better and so do you. Therefore, I am here to listen, without judgement and with the promise that I will not repeat our conversations, if you should ever feel the need to talk about anything."
"This is pity, den?" His voice was sharp and sarcastic.
Betsy shook her head slightly. "No, it is the right thing to do. I know you are suspicious of my motives. We have never been closer than acquaintances. That does not change my offer and that is all this is: an offer. What you do with it is completely up to you." She took a slow sip from her coffee before continuing with a small smile. "I should warn you, though, my family is known for stubbornness and my brother, Brian, always says I am the worst of the lot."
That surprised a short laugh out of Remy which made Betsy glad as she turned her attention back to the coffee. Silence, again, reigned until they were done at the grocery store and Betsy insisted that the bill be placed on the mansion's tab. "You are a member of the team and living on the property. Why should you pay for your own groceries when no one else with those two qualifications does?"
Remy's face was set in a stern expression, but he lowered his sunglasses enough for her to see a spark of humor in his eye. "Remy gotta say, yo'r frere is right. You one stubborn femme."
"Then give in. After all, it is bad manners to argue with your hostess."
He put his hands up in mock surrender. "Remy know when he's beat. Put 'em on Charlie's tab. On'y t'ing is, he come lookin' for a reason, Remy blamin' you."
They laughed together lightly as they finished loading the car.