So it has been a shaky weekend with the site, I hope you all had a chance to read chapter 33. It's hard to know since many of you who regularly review didn't or couldn't. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope I hear from you. Thank you all for sticking with me.-NL
TURNABOUT
IAN'S PARENTS COULDN'T RUN TO THE GARAGE. Besides, the jeep wouldn't hold Ian, me, Nate, Burns, Maggie, and Tom; so it was decided that Nate, Burns, and Ian would run to the garage. Ian would drive Nate and Burns to the wash where the truck was parked and then return to the caverns to pick up Me, Tom, and Maggie. Tom and Maggie were excited to go to the mountain since Ian talked incessantly about it from the time they agreed to go.
Ian drove since it was night. I sat up front with him.
"Ian, don't forget to turn on the lights when you get to the highway." I still felt guilty for not asking the same of Brandt.
He reached across the seat and took my hand in his. "I won't forget." He gently squeezed my hand.
Maggie took the opportunity to start a conversation. "I don't want to sound pushy, but when is the wedding?"
Ian and I had avoided having this discussion. We were just happy to be in a committed relationship and he knew I didn't want to get pregnant until I was eighteen. We looked at each other. I think we were both hoping the other would answer the question.
"I didn't mean to pry," Maggie apologized.
"Mom, you're not prying. The wedding was originally set for October twenty fifth but I have no idea where we stand in the completion of the buildings. We were on a schedule and that has obviously changed. With the weather getting so cold we are definitely going to need to put in heat."
I added my two cents. "I was planning the wedding and the reception and I was even getting new outfits for everyone at the caverns to wear. They haven't had a lot of the luxuries that the family at the mountain have. Burns has been the resident shopper for them for years. I was the first soul in the caverns. Before that, they had to go on 'raids' and steal what they could. You will see a big difference in how each family lives. I'm not nearly done with all the things I need to get for this wedding. Sunny was helping me until…" I stopped talking. The memory of Ian strangling me sent a shudder through my body. Ian picked up on it.
He placed his hand gently on the side of my neck and rubbed it with his thumb. He looked at me as he spoke. "Never again. This wedding will happen this time, I promise you."
"So, I guess you will evaluate once you get to the mountain," Maggie surmised.
"Yeah, once he peels all those kids off of him."
"What do you mean?" Tom asked.
"He's the Coach. He might as well be God. Let me tell you when I was up here last time and I walked into that class room with Nate; the first words out of Blake's mouth were 'is Coach back?' Nate told him that Ian was visiting with his parents and that he wouldn't be back for a while. I never saw so many sad faces." I turned to Ian. "You are their hero."
"You're embarrassing me," he muttered in a low voice. I wanted to respond but I turned on the radio instead.
"Wanderer, you need to sleep. You'll be driving in less than six hours."
"I know. I sleep better with the music on." He reached over and held my hand. I pulled it to my face and lay my head on the glove compartment between the seats. I don't remember nodding off.
"Wake up, Babydoll. The sun is coming up. You need to drive." He cradled my face in his hands and leaned over to kiss my lips. I sat up in the seat. We were in the parking lot of a supermarket. "I spoke to Nate. They are stopping at the campground. I know you don't like to go there but my parents will need to use the facilities and it will give you a chance to take a nap if you need it. They said they'll wait for us."
"Okay, I'm going to go into the store and get some breakfast for us."
When I returned to the car, Ian was in the back seat with his parents. He managed to get them to move over enough for him to squeeze in.
"Ian?"
"Yeah?"
I handed him a warm breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee. "Remember last night you said I embarrassed you?"
"I remember."
"Well, you're my hero too, Superman." He leaned around the seat with a mouth full of food to kiss me. "Ew, gross!"
"Hey, heroes have to eat too!" he mumbled as he chewed.
It took two hours to reach the campground. Maggie and Tom woke up shortly before we got there and Ian fell asleep. Nate and Burns were already there.
Burns approached me as I got out of the car. "Hey. Nate is asleep."
"So is Ian."
"I thought maybe you and I could grab an hour or two before we head out. Do you think Maggie and Tom will be okay with that?"
Ian's parents were standing at the back of the car obviously looking for the bathroom. I approached them. "Nate and Ian are both asleep. Burns thinks he and I should sleep a little longer. Will you be all right here for a few hours while we sleep?"
"Sure, darling. We used to camp all the time," Maggie replied.
"Well just remember, you are human. If there is anyone else here, they won't be. You don't want to be seen. Oh yeah, and there are bears. I can tell you that from personal experience. If you want, you can sit in the front seat of the car so Ian can have the back seat. I'll be in the truck with Burns and Nate. I can lay down there."
I laid down in the truck in front of Nate. Burns crawled in next to me putting me in the middle. There was a nip in the air so Burns pulled a couple of sleeping bags from the storage container and he handed one to me. I opened it all the way so it was a blanket and covered me and Nate with it.
I don't know how long I slept but Burns woke both me and Nate. I was snuggled up against Nate and he had one arm slung over me. When he woke and realized he had been sleeping with me he laughed. "I finally get to sleep with you and I don't remember it."
Ian rounded the back of the truck and saw me and Nate lying in the truck together. "Why are you always trying to hit on my girl?"
Nate played innocent. "Hey, she laid next to me!"
I shook my head. "At least I kept you warm."
"You sure did," he grinned evilly.
I climbed out of the truck and walked towards the sedan with Ian. Nate called out. "Hey! Come back!"
Before we got back in the car, Ian pressed me up against the driver's door. He raised his eyebrow. "I'm not jealous."
"Good, because you shouldn't be."
He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. I think he meant it to be a benign kiss but I would not let go. I kept on kissing him until I felt breathless and dizzy. In another place, this kiss would have led to love making but instead we both got in the car wanting more.
In the evening as the sun went down, I stopped at a town and got fast food chicken dinners for all. After a gas stop, I moved to the passenger seat and Ian drove. We arrived at the mountain right about midnight. It was cold, so different from our desert home. Nate and Burns had arrived shortly before us. Burns offered his room to Tom and Maggie. He volunteered to sleep on the couch. I thought that was very noble of him. Nate pulled the warning shades before leaving for the cave. He figured it would keep the kids away so Burns could sleep in. Ian and I went straight to bed. I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.
In the morning, the house was still quiet when I woke. Ian was gone. I grabbed my robe and went to the bathroom. I could hear low voices coming from the kitchen. I poked my head into the kitchen. Ian, Maggie, Tom, and Burns were all sitting around the table drinking coffee and talking. Ian spotted me first because he was facing the door.
"There's my beautiful bride. Come join us Wanderer."
I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down. Maggie finished her cup and jumped up. "I'll make breakfast," she announced.
I immediately got up to help her.
"No. You sit down. Enjoy your coffee. I got it."
Ian pulled me onto his lap. It was a very strange feeling. It was as if we were a real family with Burns included. We had normal conversations about how we were going to spend our day. After breakfast Ian and I cleaned up the dishes while the others showered and dressed.
Ian's parents were watching TV by the time we were appropriately dressed. Nate was with them. He took it upon himself to be the welcoming committee as always. We all walked together to the new building. Nate knocked on the door before entering.
"Hello, everyone. Mind if we come in for a minute?"
Miranda came to the door. "Nate, you're back. How is everything at the caverns?"
"We can talk later. I brought a surprise for the kids."
Nate stepped through the door, followed by Maggie and Tom and then me and finally Ian.
"Coach!" The kids called out. They all got up from their seats and rushed towards him until he was surrounded. They all started talking at once.
"Can we have practice?" Blake asked.
"I've been practicing my hitting," Danny shouted.
"You should see the dugout!" Megan added.
"Yeah, it's so cool!" Carlos crowed.
Ian was glowing at the attention he was receiving. Maggie looked like she was about to burst with pride.
"Kids! Kids! Calm down! We'll play some ball after school, so I suggest you get back in your seats and do your work. I'll see you all at the field after lunch."
The next stop was the second building. It turns out Tom had done construction in his younger years during his summers in college. He was familiar with both plumbing and heating. He told Ian and Burns he would sit down with them and talk about the best methods to use. Digging would be the hardest part for the sceptic tank unless Burns could wrangle up the machinery somewhere.
Nate took us to the cave where Tom and Maggie met most of the adults. Oddly enough, Maggie seemed to really hit it off with Maria, the same lady Jeb had gotten along with. Victoria came in covered with paint.
We hadn't told Ian's parents about his near death experience. When Victoria was introduced to Maggie she greeted her by saying, "Sorry about shooting your son, good thing he's strong." Maggie was shocked by the comment. Ian intervened. "It was just a flesh wound Mom."
Later Nate took us for a walk in the woods. It was the same route he and I had traveled several times when we were alone. I felt uneasy and Ian picked up on it when he saw me fidgeting with my ring. "You okay?"
I had been distracted and Ian brought me back to the present. I smiled although it was forced. "I'm fine."
Ian could see right through me.
"You want to walk with me?" he offered.
"Yes, I'd like that."
Ian took my hand and led me away from the others. We walked in silence for a bit. Ian made small talk. "The leaves are turning. It's beautiful out here."
I didn't speak. Memories of spending time with Nate were haunting me.
"Babydoll, talk to me."
"I don't know what to say. I just have these guilty feelings."
"You don't need to feel guilty. We were split up at the time."
"Maybe we were, but in my mind we've never really been split up."
"It's good to hear you feel that way."
"I just love you so much and we have been on this roller coaster for so long. Ian, I was hoping…"
"What?"
Ian had so much to do to prepare for the wedding. I didn't want to put more pressure on him. "Never mind."
"Tell me."
"Never mind. It's impossible anyway."
"Babydoll, are you going to tell me what's on your mind or not?" He cradled my chin in his hand. "Talk…to…me."
"I was hoping we could get married before the end of the year."
The look of worry faded from his face and was replaced with a huge smile that reached all the way to his eyes. "In a hurry to be Mrs. O'Shea huh?"
I put on a pouty smile. "Yes, I want to spend time being your wife before I become someone's mom."
"It can be done but not without sacrifice," he stated.
"What kind of sacrifice?"
He sighed. "Well, I won't be able to go back to the caverns before the wedding. I'm looking at two months work to complete these buildings complete with heat and a bathroom in the bunkhouse. I know you will need to return to the caverns to finish all that you have to accomplish there. That will mean us spending time apart again."
Again with the choices. I sighed. "Well, I don't have to leave just yet."
"I love you Babydoll. You keep that ring on that left hand you hear me?" He caught on that I had removed the ring in these woods. It was almost as if he could read my mind.
"This ring is right where it should be." I put my arms around his neck. He leaned back away from my face.
He cocked his eyebrow. "What do you want?"
"You know what I want."
"Say it."
"I want you Ian Thomas O'Shea. I want you to kiss me right now."
His lips were warm and soft in the chilly fall air. The warmth of his body filled me. I remember telling Nate that if I made love to him on the porch I would be cold. If I made love to Ian right now, I don't think I'd feel the cold one little bit.
Before lunch, Ian and I went to the field to check on its condition and the equipment. The grass had turned brown with the cold. The dirt infield obviously hadn't been raked in some time. I watched as Ian entered the dugout to look for the equipment.
"What the…"
I entered the dugout and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Victoria did it. Do you like it?"
"You knew about this?"
"Nate brought me here when we were split up. We were going to have practice and Nate didn't want me to see it for the first time with all the kids here."
"That's me." He kept staring at the mural.
"Yes and she did it from memory."
"I don't know what to say. It's amazing," he paused. "I'm very flattered."
"You should tell her that."
"What's in the other dugout?"
"I don't know. There was nothing when I was here last."
We walked over to the dugout. Inside was a painting of a baseball diamond. Each position had the face of one of the kids. Blake's face was on the pitcher's mound. Carlos' face was painted at home plate. Danny's was on first, Jamie's on second, and Megan on third. Sarah was in left field and Dean was in right field. Little Ben was in center field. The short stop position had Ian's face with 'Coach' written above it.
He wrapped himself around me. His voice hitched as he spoke. "This is too much."
"Nate said he gave Victoria free reign to do whatever she wanted. This is her vision. She obviously sees this as your place."
He took a few deep breathes. The equipment was no where to be found so we walked to the root cellar to check if the equipment had been stored there. When we entered the root cellar the mural that I had seen as four women and a mountain was now glorious. She had added so much detail. Ian was seeing it for the first time.
"This is awesome."
"Nate decided to cover up the blood stained holes. I think he was trying to erase the bad memories. Victoria asked if she could paint something and this is it. It's Guatemala, the last place she went before my kind came."
"She's definitely got some talent."
The equipment was in the root cellar as we had suspected. Ian grabbed the heavy bag and I took the bucket of balls. We toted everything to the cave and lunch was just being served. Sandwiches and chips were on the menu. Ian's parents were already there with Nate.
Ian asked Nate. "Have you seen Victoria?"
"No, why would I?" Nate answered.
I clarified. "Ian saw the dugout. He wanted to thank her."
"Oh. Did you check the root cellar?"
"Yeah, she wasn't there."
"I could check her room if you want. I'm sure she'll show up for practice. She always watches Danny play."
Nate took his sandwich with him as he disappeared in the cave. School let out and the kids showed up for lunch.
Megan approached me and Ian. "You didn't bring Jamie. Is it because of the phone call?"
"Oh, no, sweetie. Of course not. It's just that we took the sedan and there were already four of us. There was no room. It had nothing to do with punishment. With Mel getting closer to her due date, they would probably prefer having Jamie somewhere else. I'll be going back before too long to do wedding stuff and when I return, I promise to bring him with me." Megan looked so sad. I felt bad for her because I knew what it was like to miss Ian.
After lunch, we all headed for the field. Ian's parents came along to see him coach. We all did warm ups while Ian put down the bases. He had us run a long lap around the far edges of the field. I think it was in part to warm us up and in part so he could warm up his own arm. Blake stayed behind to throw with him. First drill was outfield catching and throwing. Ian batted it to the outfield. When you were up, you were expected to catch it and then throw it to Blake on second base. If you failed to make the catch or you made a bad throw; you had to run to third base and then back to the end of the line in the outfield.
After a little while, Burns showed up. "Have you seen Nate?"
"Not since lunch," Ian replied. He asked Burns to stay and help with practice. Burns took Blake's place on second and Blake joined the rest to us in the outfield.
I decided to check on Ian's parents who were sitting in the dugout. Ian didn't say anything when I left the field. Ian's parents were quite impressed with the pictures in the dugouts.
"These are lovely," Maggie said. "Who did these?"
"Victoria."
"Isn't she the girl who said she shot Ian?"
"Yes, it's a long story. Victoria and her brother Danny were on the run for the last six years. The last two, they had been living in the woods pretty much like animals." I pointed to Danny when it was his turn to make the next catch. "That's Danny out there." I turned back to face Maggie and Tom. "Anyway, Burns got a call from the local police saying there were humans spotted at the campground. They think Burns is a Seeker. They told him that if he couldn't catch them within the week, then they would have to call in reinforcements because apparently the humans were carrying weapons. Burns didn't want it to come down to that for obvious reasons. He took Nate, Ian, and Evan with him because the campground had been closed. I wasn't here at the time. I was at the caverns. Actually, I was in Tucson with Sunny on a road trip. Victoria shot Ian thinking he was a Seeker. She was trying to protect Danny." I closed my eyes as the memory of that day crept back into my head. I spoke slowly and deliberately. "I thought I had heard the last words from his mouth that day." I paused. I was blinking back the tears. "I never want to feel that kind of pain again in my lifetime." I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "He's okay now. Just a small scar where the bullet entered his abdomen."
"He said it was a flesh wound," Maggie recalled.
"He said it to protect you. I can't blame Victoria now, but at the time I did. I hated her. Now you see the beauty she creates." I looked at the pictures. "I wonder where she is?"
Ian called out to me. "Princess! Are you coming back to practice?"
Ian almost never called me princess so I was sure he didn't mean it in a loving way. "I gotta go. He'll make me run."
I rushed back to the outfield. Ian stood there waiting. "You are wasting my time." He called out as he looked at his wrist even though he wasn't wearing a watch.
"Sorry, Coach." I made my catch but in my haste I threw the ball wide and missed Burns altogether.
"Focus, Wanderer," he groaned. "Run it out!"
I ran to third base and then back to the outfield.
After practice, Ian called everyone to take a knee. "We may have a few more practices if the weather holds but I will be focusing most of my time and attention on completing the buildings for my wedding. Next practice, we will be concentrating on batting. Have a good night."
The kids all gathered in a circle and put their hands together. Blake yelled "One, two, three!" and they all yelled "Coach!" together.
After they left, Ian turned to me. "Are you mad at me?"
"Why would I be mad at you?"
"The 'princess' remark and the fact that I was tough on you."
"I'm used to that. It doesn't bother me anymore. Your mom might have something to say though."
"Where did they go?"
"They walked back with Burns. Aren't you forgetting something?"
Ian came over and put his arms around me. "I love you," he cooed.
"No, no! You owe me a lap. You always run a lap after you've been tough on me in front of the kids. "
He smiled. "Okay, I can do that."
I gathered up the loose balls in the bucket while Ian ran. When he returned he again put his arms around me. "Now can I say how much I love you?"
"How much do you love me?"
"First you tell me how much you love me."
I fed into his set up, hook, line, and sinker. "I love you more than I love Nate."
"Well, I love you…more."
I laughed. Ian pulled me into his arms and kissed me for a long time while we stood there on the baseball field.
That evening after dinner Burns asked us if we wanted to go to the game room. On most nights people were playing pool and usually a card game was going on as well. We just wanted to spend time alone so we stayed at the house and watched the comedy shows on TV. Comedy was the one thing the souls in the outside world did well. He and I curled up on the couch with a blanket. We kissed each other during the commercials. A few other people joined us in the living room, mostly kids. Little Ben, Nate's niece Priscilla who was the only child on the mountain that had no interest in baseball and her mom, Kim joined us. George was there too but I think he was there more for the warmth rather than the shows. He was getting older and the cold bothered him. I kept thinking he would probably like the warmth of the caverns. The more I thought about it, I surmised to myself the older people should be at the caverns. It was warm and dry and comfortable. The young should be here. There was plenty to do and plenty of space for them to do it in.
By eleven o'clock the others had cleared out. The game room was shutting down because Burns was back ready to claim his couch. Maggie and Tom had come back around ten and were already in their room.
"Want to take a hot Jacuzzi?" I asked Ian.
"That sounds good."
I went in and started the water. Nate and Victoria came in to use the bathroom before returning to the cave.
I directed my attention to Victoria while Nate took the opportunity to go to the bathroom. "Hey Victoria. I've been looking for you."
"Really? I've been in the game room all night."
Ian returned from the bedroom in his robe and joined the conversation. "The paintings you did were really awesome. I'm very flattered that you drew my face on the dugout."
"Well, I'd like to tweak those if you don't mind. I need you to sit one day for about a half hour so I can make the necessary corrections."
"Sure. You just let me know when."
Nate came out of the bathroom. "All yours, Tori." Nate called her by her preferred name. I had forgotten about that.
Ian turned to Nate. "Are you joining us in the morning?"
"I'll be there. If you're late, I'm coming to wake you." He smiled directly at me.
"He'll be on time," I assured him.
Tori came out of the bathroom and the two of them left together to go back to the cave. The bath was full. I grabbed my robe and stopped at the couch to kiss Burns goodnight. "Good night Burns. Don't let Nate see me naked."
"Keep your door locked," he joked. "See you in the morning. It's going to be a cold one."
I joined Ian in the tub and I lay in front of him against his chest. I had my hair piled up in a ball on top of my head with a clip. I lay my head against his shoulder as we relaxed and he caressed my body under the water.
"I was thinking…"
"What were you thinking my love?"
"I was thinking that the older people should be living at the caverns because its warm and dry and the younger people should be living here on the mountain were there is so much they can do. You know, George didn't want to watch those shows, he just wanted to stay warm."
"Yeah, I got that too. Your theory makes sense but people stay where they feel like they belong. The older they get, the harder it is to leave that place they call home."
"Old people move to Florida all the time," I replied.
"Well, there are young people in Florida too."
"That's because they have great beaches and Disney World! Disney World is awesome!"
"I'm guessing you've been there."
"Pet went and I have her memories," I reminded him.
"I've been to Disneyland but I've never been to Florida," Ian replied.
"Pet went when she was thirteen. Her family took a two week vacation and spent the whole time in Florida. They even spent four days in Key West. Pet's done a lot of traveling actually."
"Really, where has she been?"
"Let me think. She's been to New York. She liked it but it was dirty and crowded…and noisy. Washington DC. She's been there, she said it's a lot like New York but there was lots of history there. She's been to Mexico. She loved Mexico. She just went last year. There were boys…"
"I don't think I want to hear about that." He splashed water towards my face.
I jumped. "What? You don't want to hear about Jorge? And Alberto? And Miguel?" I teased.
"You asked me not to drown you remember?"
I laughed as I turned towards him and laid my body on top of him. "They didn't compare to you. They were just boys." I pressed my lips to his.
"Not in the tub." Ian stopped me from reaching there.
"Why?"
"Burns is sleeping in the living room."
"So?"
"Wanderer, don't argue with me."
"Fine." He could tell the way I said it that I was annoyed so he tried to offer his explanation.
"Babydoll, I just think we would be too noisy in here with the water and all."
"Okay, let's go to the bedroom," I suggested.
Once in the bedroom he climbed onto the bed and hovered over me. "Now what was it that you wanted?"
"Gee, I forget." I was being a brat.
"Let me refresh your memory." He pulled open my robe and leaned in to kiss me. Within a minute I was taking off his robe and we made love. Afterwards, I lay happily in his arms.
It was warm with him wrapped around me but I was thinking about the cold that was coming very soon. "I think I'm going to take a road trip tomorrow."
"Why?"
"We need coats. I don't have a warm coat and you don't either. I thought I'd get a bunch at different stores. The people in the caverns don't have coats except maybe Jared and Jamie and I'm sure those are old and worn. You plan on working anyway tomorrow right?"
"Right. Burns may end up taking a road trip once we figure out what we need. He'll have to take the truck."
"Well, I'll just take the sedan."
"You'll call me?"
"I'm only going to Irving. I'll be back around dinner. Just wake me in the morning. Don't let me sleep in."
The following morning, Ian woke me. "Babydoll, time to get up. You've got a busy day, remember?" I thought it was odd that I never seemed to hear the alarm clock. Either Ian was quick to hit it or I was just oblivious to it. Maybe it's some weird alien thing. I rolled towards Ian and clung to him. "How about if we just stay here all day?"
"I thought you were shooting for a December wedding?"
I groaned. "Okay."
I crawled out of the bed. At least it was warm in the room. Ian was dressed and ready to leave by the time I got back from the bathroom.
"Burns has already left. I need to go."
"I'll bring you some coffee when I come to say good bye."
He kissed me quickly and he was gone.
I got dressed and went into the kitchen. I put on a fresh pot of coffee. I grabbed a tray and filled it with four coffee cups, milk, sugar, and spoons. I walked it out to the building and left it on a table they had set up inside. I checked to see how many were working. I found Ian, Burns, Nate, Tom, and Evan. By the time I returned to the house, the coffee was done brewing. I took one more cup from the cabinet and grabbed the hot pot of coffee. I was wearing a sweatshirt but it was still very chilly. Upon my arrival, I announced to the guys that there was fresh coffee and I dragged Ian outside to say good bye.
"I'll call Nate's phone to let you know when I get to Irving. I love you."
"I love you more." Ian kissed me passionately and I was on my way. The drive to Irving went quickly. It was easy to go over the speed limit without realizing it because the sedan drove so much smoother than the van. Once I got there, I called Nate.
"Well hello, Beautiful!" He was cheerful as always.
"Hi, Nate."
"You know you didn't kiss me good bye."
"I don't think my fiancé would have appreciated it."
"Yeah, but you've got him under control now."
"Nate, you are not even funny. Let me talk to Ian."
The next voice I heard was Ian's. "Can I punch out Nate?"
"No, you need him to help you finish the building."
"I've been thinking. You have too much control," he said.
I immediately feared that he might deliberately hurt Nate and blame it on an accident.
"Don't you dare!" I scolded.
"Don't worry, I won't. I love you way too much."
"Thank you. I'll call you when I'm on my way back."
"Okay, be safe my love."
I spent the entire day at the mall. This was something I was good at. Even though I saw so many things I wanted, I tried to remain focused on coats. I purchased two men's coats, two women's coats, and one child's coat at the first department store and I ran them out to the car. Then I did the same in each of the department stores that made up the four corners of the mall. By the time I was done I had twenty coats. I decided to eat an early dinner because I hadn't eaten all day. I went to the food court and ate Japanese food. There was much more than I could eat so I had the rest boxed up to take home. My last stop was the Wal-Mart on the other side of town to get five more coats. This way I had enough for anyone who might be interested at the mountain and I could get more at a later date for those at the caverns.
I got home late, the dinner dishes were done. Ian was in the game room playing pool with Nate. He was determined to beat Nate but it wasn't going to happen. At least not tonight. Nate was in rare form. Victoria was waiting to play the winner. I sat down next to her.
"Hey, I got you and Danny a coat."
"Thanks." She didn't look at me. I felt like she was ignoring me.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"Nope." She was watching Ian intently. I thought back to the time I was told that Tori had kept Holly away from Ian. I still wondered what the motive was considering she had been opposed to him having a 'parasite' for a girlfriend. Also, she had drawn those pictures of him at the dugouts.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure." She still wasn't giving me any eye contact.
"Do you have a thing for Ian?"
"What?" She finally looked at me.
"I want to know if you have a thing for my fiancé."
"Don't get me wrong. Ian is a fine specimen of a man but I don't ruin other people's relationships. If you and Ian go down it surely isn't going to be because of me."
"Okay."
"I do have a thing for someone but he's young and he doesn't even know it."
"Who?"
She glanced at the card table. There were six people playing. Three of them were girls; Megan, Sarah, and Holly. I didn't think she was gay. The others were Evan, Carlos, and Blake. Evan was the oldest at twenty but still four years younger than Victoria.
"Evan?" I whispered.
"No."
Carlos had just turned eighteen. "Carlos?"
"No."
"Blake?" My voice raised an octave. Blake had just turned seventeen like me, but he could easily pass for nineteen or twenty.
"Shhhh." She gave me a warning look.
I spoke low. "You're kidding! He's only seventeen."
"And how old are you?" She snapped back at me.
"I'm eighteen."
"Oh….right" she said sarcastically. She knew.
"Nate told you?"
"He slipped."
"Why were you discussing me?"
"Hmmmm. Let's see, you left him in shambles when you left last time. I just picked up the pieces. I gave him what you wouldn't." I was confused. "Which reminds me, stop trying to push him onto Holly."
"He told you about that?"
"I was with him when you told him that."
I guess I was really slow but the puzzle was finally coming together. "Where were you the other day during practice?"
"Where do you think?"
"You and Nate?"
She made a face. "Don't get your panties in a bunch. He's still in love with you and he knows my feelings for Blake. We just needed each other. You know, friends with benefits. No one knows except you. And I would appreciate it of you would keep it quiet. If it gets out, I'll know you told."
"Why did you tell me then?"
"So, you'd stop pushing him off on Holly. He has no interest in her. If and when the right girl comes along to take the feelings he has for you, it should be his decision, not yours."
I was flabbergasted. He had been sleeping with Victoria and he never let on.
"How many times…"
"What does that matter? A few. It's not like we are in love or anything. You know I've been on the run with my father and my brother for six years now. It's not like love interests or even casual sex partners come by very often."
Nate walked over and took Victoria by the hand and bowed to her. "Next victim."
Victoria smiled and got up. "One day one of us is going to beat you and then you'll change your tune."
"I want to play the winner," I called out.
Victoria glared at me but Nate smiled his brilliant smile. "You're on, Sister and I'll even help you set up your shots. You just keep that Grizzly bear of a fiancé under control."
Again with the control issue. "You play nice and I won't have to control anybody."
He grinned at me. "Oh, I'll play nice."
Ian was standing at the card table. I was sure he heard the exchange but he was pretending that he didn't. I walked over to where he was standing. "Are you going to play?"
He seemed distracted. "Yeah, next hand if they let me in."
Megan answered. "You can have our seats. Me and Sarah are going to go in the house and watch TV. It's too cold to stay out here."
Victoria called out. "I'll take one of those seats."
This was totally weird. Victoria was jockeying to sit near Blake and yet she was shacking up with Nate. Nate was flirting big time with me although I wasn't sure if it was to make Victoria jealous or if he really still had a thing for me. Ian was jealous but trying not to show it. I wanted to confront Nate for keeping this secret from me all this time and I was getting dizzy with all the madness. I wasn't sure if I should tell Ian because he might slip up and tell someone else. I wonder if Burns knows? I felt a little queasy. Why did she have to tell me? Was she trying to torture me? Was this payback for hurting Nate?
I tapped Ian on the back. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go to the house and make some hot chocolate."
"Would you bring me back a beer?" he requested. I looked at him suspiciously because he promised me he wouldn't drink.
Nate joined in. "I'll take one too, if you don't mind, Beautiful."
I was perturbed but I didn't want to show it. I left without another word. When I returned Victoria and Ian were seated at the card table. I had passed the girls on the way back from the house. Nate was waiting on me. Ian sat with his back to the pool table and Victoria was facing the pool table. I don't know if the seating arrangement happened by chance or if Ian didn't want to see me and Nate playing our game.
I handed Ian his beer and leaned over to kiss him. As I pulled away I gave him a warning glance. "I'll be fine," Ian said as he slapped me lightly on the butt.
"Ian!"
"I love you Babydoll. Remember that."
Now I was more confused than ever. He was acting like I was going to do something I shouldn't be doing.
I walked to the pool table and picked up a pool stick. Nate had the balls all racked. "Let's do this. Come here, I'll show you how to break."
He explained the difference between 'power' breaking which is what most men do and breaking so only a few balls make it out of the pack. "As a woman, this is the better way to go because most men in turn will see it as weakness and rather than go for the easy in, they will display their ego and 'power' break during their turn. This gives you a bigger spread when it comes around to your turn again. Go ahead, try it."
I broke the pack and as he said there were only a few balls that made it to open space.
"Now if I was a smart man, I would sink the obvious ball right here, the solid in the corner pocket. Then I would go for the solid over here. I could pull to that corner down there. Then after having two in, I would then break the pack on this side where I see more solids than stripes. A good hit right here to the corner of the pack would probably pull away these two leaving you with no other choice other than to break the pack again. If you were lucky you might sink a ball and it might even be a stripe. If you're not lucky you will have split the pack for me and chances are I'm going to get another ball in."
"That's fascinating. You got all of that after one hit?"
"Hey, sweetheart, you should see me play chess."
Ian called out from the table. "Brainiac!"
"Don't be a hater, jock." Nate retaliated.
"Now I'm going to do what you're muscle bound boyfriend over there would do."
"Fiancé!" Ian shouted out and then he finished his beer.
"Right, fiancé." Nate broke the pack with power. Two balls went in the pockets. A solid and a stripe. "Now it's decision time. No matter what I choose you have a ball already in the pocket."
"I see. So, it's not just a game of angles but a game of thinking ahead. You don't just want to sink a ball but you want to make it difficult for the next guy should you miss."
"Precisely."
Ian got up and left the table. "Be right back. I need to make a pit stop." He turned to Nate. "You need another beer?"
"Only if you are getting one for yourself." He smiled at Ian.
Ian was out the door in a moment.
Nate turned back to the pool table and decided what he wanted to go for. He set up the shot and sunk a stripe. He set up another shot and made that one too.
I walked over to Nate before he could set up another shot. "Nate, I don't want him to drink."
Nate spoke in a low tone back to me. "You can't be his mother."
"What if becomes belligerent?"
He grinned slyly. "Then you can come home with me."
"Nate, that's not an option and you know it."
"You have so little faith in me?" It was Ian. He was behind me. He put down the bottles of beer and walked away. He waved to the table, "Sorry, guys, I'm tired. I've got a busy day ahead of me. I'm going to bed." He turned back to me. "Don't stay out too late." He quickly left the building.
I was stunned. I turned to Nate. "What should I do?"
"Go to him. Go to him now. Remind him of the night he got drunk. Remind him of how he treated you. Remind him that he's not in college anymore."
I hugged Nate. "I love you." I ran out the door without acknowledging the look that Victoria gave me.
"IAN!"
He was already gone. I ran back to the house and into the bedroom. He wasn't there. I went out to the living room where Megan and Sarah and a few others were watching TV. "Did you see Ian?"
"He was here but he went in the kitchen and left a few minutes ago."
I was in a panic. Where did he go? I sat on the back porch. After about twenty minutes Ian came back. I ran to him. "Where were you?"
"I went for a run," he said solemnly.
"We need to talk about this," I urged.
"What is there to talk about? You don't want me to drink. Period. I get it," he said stoically.
"But do you get why?" I asked hoping he understood.
"Yes, I get why. I wasn't upset that you didn't want me to drink, I was upset that you didn't trust me to stop after two beers."
"How was I supposed to know you would stop after two?"
"I told you I was fine and that I love you," he reasoned.
"Ian. I…"
"I know. You were worried. But I'm not drunk and I'm not mad. Just in the future, trust me, please?"
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize. It's a learning experience. I'm going through a lot of that lately. You can go finish your pool lesson with Nate if you want," he said calmly.
"No, I just want to be with you."
"Good, because I just want to be with you too." He pulled me into his arms and kissed me on the forehead. "Let's get some sleep. I really am tired."
We went to bed and although we didn't make love we kissed each other a lot and laughed. "You are so beautiful, you know that?"
"That's the beer talking."
"Right and without that one beer you would be just all right. Do you think your other boyfriend is the only one who thinks you are beautiful?"
"Stop it." I wanted so badly to spill the beans about Victoria and Nate but I wanted to at least talk to Nate about it first. I rolled over and Ian spooned me. I fell asleep thinking about Nate and Victoria alone together in Nate's room and I hated to admit it but it bothered me.