I appreciate all the comments. Please read and review this the PENULTIMATE chapter.
Disclaimer: As before stated, I have no ownership of any of the characters of the Sue Thomas F.B.Eye series
The coffee table toppled over and the scrabble game board, lettered tiles and ornaments went flying through the air!
As if in slow motion, they watched in dismay as a mug of coffee tilted and emptied its contents all over the front of Jack's shirt. Sue leapt up, ran to get a towel from the kitchen and used it to mop up the fluid on his shirt.
"Luckily, it's only pleasantly warm." joked Jack. Lucy and Myles were doing their best to clear up the spill on the floor and limit damage to the carpet. Jack soon realized however that the agreeable sensation of Sue patting his chest was making him more and more uncomfortable. He maneuvered the towel into his own hands and continued the drying process himself with the words: "I'd better continue this. Your carpet is in much more danger."
The inefficacy of this cleaning process made him soon decide that it was best that he go home.
He bade goodbye to Lucy and Myles and was accompanied by Sue to the door where he put on his jacket and turned to her.
"Sorry to break up the party, Sue. I was having a good time."
"I'm glad that you came, Jack." She replied in a concerned voice. She tried to apologize for the damage done to his shirt but he assured her that it was no one's fault.
Maybe it was the glass of wine with dinner or the homey feel of the moment or the look of concern on Sue's face but, as he turned to leave, Jack impulsively moved as if to kiss her goodbye. At that instant, it seemed perfectly right and natural … as if he had always done it. His action startled them both and he quickly jerked back. Embarrassed, he mumbled goodbye. He glanced at her, opened his mouth as if to say more and then stopped himself. He gave her a self-conscious wave before leaving.
Sue closed the door behind him and returned thoughtfully to the living room. She was in a quandary. Did he almost kiss her? Was she sorry that he did not complete the kiss? Did she want him to kiss her? She did not know? Well ... actually she did.
As she walked past the sofa, she noticed Jack's cell phone lying on a cushion. She grabbed it, summoned Levi and rushed after him.
Alone in the apartment, Myles and Lucy were putting the scrabble tiles back into the box when his hand accidentally touched her fingers. Involuntarily, Lucy dropped the game pieces in her hand and jerked back. Myles sat back and watched as she tried to cover up her emotional reaction.
"What's the matter, Lucy?" he asked gently.
Instantly defensive she responded in a gruff manner: "Nothing's the matter! Why would you think that anything's the matter?"
Myles looked at her. He wondered if he had hurt her … again. "You've been tense and edgy all night. Do you resent my being here?" he asked her directly.
She turned away and retorted that she did not.
"You know that you're always welcome here Myles." She added without conviction.
Myles looked up at the ceiling trying to sort things out. He knew Lucy pretty well but this was new. He wanted … no, needed to sort out any element of discord between them. A rare moment of emotional intuition, then he focused on her again.
"Well then ..." he probed, "Are you jealous?" He needed to get to the bottom of this situation.
Lucy's head jerked around. A flash of pain quickly appeared and disappeared in her eyes. She lowered her eyes to the table as she cleaned it.
"Are you crazy?" she challenged. "What would I be jealous of?"
He prodded "That Sue invited me to dinner?"
When there was no response, he gently raised her chin with his index finger and looked into her eyes. They looked at each other for a long moment, one head only inches away from the other head … one mouth only inches away from the other mouth.
Myles whispered "I would be glad if you are jealous. I'm jealous all the time."
He waited but still she said nothing.
He revealed: "I'm jealous when you talk to someone else … when you laugh at some one else's joke … even when" he added with a soft smile, "you meddle in someone else's affairs. I'm sorry I hurt you, Lucy. I see you almost every day yet I still miss you."
As if she could take no more, Lucy pulled away and hastened across to stand before the apartment window. She stood there quietly pretending to look out. In the reflection of the glass pane, she saw Myles coming to her.