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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781475972634 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | iUniverse, Incorporated |
| Publication date: | 02/07/2013 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 284 |
| File size: | 302 KB |
Read an Excerpt
Retribution
By K. T. ARCHER
iUniverse, Inc.
Copyright © 2013 K. T. ArcherAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4759-7261-0
Chapter One
Daylight had barely pierced the predawn sky when I jumped out of bed to prepare for the day. Excitement didn't even begin to describe how I was feeling this morning. Dale and I were going to be living together. We'd married a little more than three years ago, but this was the first time we were going to be living in the same house—or even the same zip code for that matter. Granted, when people marry, they normally move in together immediately, but nothing about our relationship falls into the category of normal.I had always viewed online dating sites as places for horny guys looking for desperate women willing to do anything to find what they'd believe was the love of a lifetime or for stalkers looking for victims. My friends, Kay and Spencer, had thought they had my best interest at heart when they'd secretly signed me up for one of those services, and luckily for them, their ploy had actually worked out. Fate had wrapped its hands around the whole situation and guided every action and reaction to the very end. The cliché had come true. I had met the love of my life, Dale Boudreaux. Kay and Spencer never let us forget their involvement, but we let them have their fun.
We had delayed moving in together for the sake of my stepdaughter, who couldn't be more like my own child if I'd given birth to her myself. She had three years of high school left, and uprooting her life wasn't an option. Having been a teenage girl once, I knew taking her away from the friends she'd always known and plopping her into an unknown world would be devastating. She's such a good kid, and I'd have been heartbroken to have any part in upsetting her world. So for the time being, Dale and I sacrificed being a "normal" married couple for her.
Working three consecutive nights as a sleep tech allowed me to travel to visit Dale and Bailey in Opelika to spend the rest of the week with them while Bailey was in school and Dale was working. During the summer, she would come spend time with me in Montgomery while her dad was working. Kay would join us, and the three of us were like our own little sorority. We'd fill our days shopping, taking day-trips down to the coast in Pensacola, or just lounging around the house gabbing all day. Bailey was as much Kay's stepdaughter as she was mine. Her mother had never been much of a mother, but at least she had me and Kay to take up the slack. I know in my heart we weren't bad surrogates.
But for all the sacrifices that had been made, today was the moment we'd been working toward, being together under one roof. After getting Bailey off to college at Birmingham Southern, Dale turned in his notice on his apartment, and we'd spent countless hours deciding how to combine everything into one household. He was willing to only bring his clothes and trash everything else if that's what it took. It may have been easier if we'd done it that way, but it was important my family felt my house was now our home. I wanted them to look around and see pieces of all of us under one roof.
Charlie, my African gray parrot, seemed more excited this morning than usual. Unable to have children of my own, I'd considered him the closest thing to a child I'd ever get, at least before Bailey. Charlie had been with me for five years when I'd met Dale, and he didn't think anything about me feeling like Charlie was my child, not just a bird. Until we decided to close in a porch to make it Charlie's room, he and Bailey shared the guest bedroom in my house. Charlie loved Dale and Bailey as much as, if not more, than he loved me.
I heard a "Who, who, honey" from Charlie's room.
I set the cup of coffee on the counter and went to join him. He was on his swing. "That's right, baby. Love you, honey." Charlie had picked this up from me saying it to Dale, but his vocabulary wasn't readily clear. His speech was like that of a small child, even though he could mimic voice tone to a tee. When he repeats something Dale says, his tone is lower, and it's higher when mimicking me.
He rocked back and forth on each foot like he was dancing. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Coming to see you. What are you doing?" I reached for a treat on top of his cage.
He rocked faster. "Shugas."
I handed him the treat. "Sugars to you too, you sweet thing."
He stopped rocking to take the treat. Normally, the talking would stop, but today he held the treat in his talons without going in for a bite. "Honey."
"Charlie, I think you are as thrilled as I am about Dale moving in with us today."
He let out a long, loud whistle and then took a bite of his treat. "I know Kay and Spencer get most of the credit, but you need kudos too."
It didn't take long for his beak to grind the bite of bird biscuit. "What bird?"
I pulled the tray from the bottom of his cage and removed the first layer of newspaper. "Kudos. A pat on the back ... well, wing. If you hadn't taken to Dale the first day y'all met, I may have put him in the street."
"Hush."
I knew Charlie was picking words from his vocabulary randomly, but the laughter rolled out of me. "I know, right? Shut your mouth." He finished his treat and watched as I placed the paper in the can next to his cage. In a serious tone, I said, "Thanks, baby, for letting me know he was a keeper."
"Honey."
"He'll be here soon, baby. I promise."
He turned his head to the side and said, "Let," and then whistled as if he were calling the dog.
Let was Charlie's word for Chocolate. Dale's chocolate lab had been up in years when we'd started dating, and last winter, he'd passed quietly in his sleep. Chocolate's death had broken our hearts, but we were glad he hadn't suffered. Now Charlie still called for him without knowing Chocolate would never come. Once he learned something, the memory was indelible, so trying to correct him was useless.
I heard the key in the front door. "Auntie Kay's here."
"Loco."
"That's right, baby. She's loco, isn't she?" I handed him another treat from the bag.
Kay and I had been friends for years after we'd met at the hospital I still worked for. She too had made herself a profile on mylovelife.com and had met her husband, Marcus, there. The success of Markayzee's, a restaurant they'd opened shortly after they married, had allowed Kay to quit work and become a kept woman. To this day, you'd think they were still on their honeymoon. They were still just as loving toward each other as they'd been when they first started dating.
I liked how good Marcus was with Kay. Lord knows, she'd dated her fair share of losers who were just out for a bed buddy or a free meal through the years. Marcus was a lot like Dale in his gentlemanly ways, and yet, sometimes, I wanted to strangle my friend's husband. In the beginning of his and Kay's relationship, he occasionally would be very arrogant, and at all cost, he had to be right, especially with me. His need to be right and make me wrong was a character flaw I was willing to overlook, but with time it had gotten progressively worse.
He would haughtily correct me over the simplest of things. If I was describing something as red, he had to follow up by saying it was electric crimson. As these little challenges had increased, I'd let them get under my skin, sometimes seeing electric crimson flash before my eyes. But because it was so insignificant, I'd learned to chalk it up to friendly sparring. However, I couldn't help but notice that he generally did this when we were one-on-one. Rarely did he challenge me in front of Dale or Kay. I'd never told either of them because it sounded so petty. No need to create tension where there shouldn't be any.
Kay and Marcus looked like exotic Barbie and Ken. Marcus' heritage was Egyptian, so he had dark hair with dark eyes, and his skin appeared tan year-round. Kay was blessed with that tan skin too, which just made me sick because I only burned in the sun while she'd get a golden hue about her. Her natural tan only accentuated her hazel eyes and auburn hair, which now had a gray strand here and there. It must be an Egyptian thing, but Marcus denied coloring his hair and didn't have one strand of gray yet, even though he was a couple of years older than us.
"Lizzy, it's us," Kay called from the front door.
I left Charlie with his treat. Stepping out of his room and into the living room, I was shocked to see Marcus. He'd told us earlier in the week he had a meeting this morning. "Hey, you two," I said to them.
Marcus said, "I hope you don't mind. My meeting was canceled, and I figured you needed all hands on deck."
"Absolutely not. I'm glad you're here." I hugged his neck before turning to Kay. "What's all this?"
She was holding a bakery box and a tray full of coffee cups. "Figured we needed our energy this morning. I got the buzzard a treat too. Is he up?" Kay loved Charlie but insisted on calling him a buzzard. She glanced to Charlie's door. "Sure is quiet in there."
"Oh yes, he's been talking up a storm this morning. I can't say which one of us is more thrilled today is here, me or him."
She extended the box to Marcus. "Sweetie, will you get Charlie's treat out of the box?"
He raised his eyebrows. Marcus and Charlie weren't strangers to each other, but they weren't the best of buds either.
I laughed. "I've got it, Marcus." I reached into the box and grabbed the bag of apple slices. Apples were Charlie's favorite treat, and he would rush the front of the cage to take them.
I returned to his room to give him a few slices and noticed he was on his back perch. The treat I'd given him was discarded on the bottom of the cage, partially uneaten. "Charlie, Auntie Kay brought you something special this morning." I withdrew a slice from the bag, but he just watched me, not moving to come get the goodies. "Look, baby, it's your favorite." I extended the apple slice to him, and he hit it with his beak, causing me to drop it, and began to growl. "Charlie, that's not nice." I picked up the apple slice and placed it along with another slice in his food bowl. When I turned around, Marcus was standing in the doorway.
"He really doesn't like me, does he?" Marcus asked.
"I don't know what's wrong with him. Don't take it personally. He gets moody just like we do." I was a little embarrassed by Charlie's action. It hadn't been the first time he'd blatantly shown his dislike of Marcus. From the perch, Charlie growled again. Trying to mask the sound, I said, "Let's go get some of those pastries. Dale should already be on the road, so he'll be here soon."
I walked past Marcus, but he lingered in the doorway. The sound from inside Charlie's room grew louder. Turning back to reassure him everything was okay, I caught a side view of Marcus. His lips were curled back in an evil smile, and his eyes were bearing down on my baby boy. An urge to protect Charlie came over me. It felt as if Marcus was taunting him with his presence.
I gasped and then said the first thing that came to mind. "Marcus, you coming?"
"Yes, of course." He turned to face me. The smile on his face was unsettling.
I watched him walk away and then went to Charlie's cage. I whispered, "It's okay, baby. He's just playing with you." At least that's what I wanted to believe.
The uneasiness I felt was immediately gone when we joined Kay in the kitchen, though. She sang out, "Hal-le-lu-jah! I'm so glad today has finally arrived."
"Me too!" I exclaimed.
She laughed. "Not saying that I minded, but it's going to be nice having you both around on a full-time basis. I swear it was like shared custody."
"I know what you mean. I just wish Bailey was here too."
Marcus asked, "How's she doing? Is she settling in okay at school?"
They had been with us when we dropped her off, and while Bailey was delighted with her newfound freedom, she was sad to see us go too. "I spoke with her last night, and she's met some girls, but it's obvious she's a little homesick."
"Let's get Dale settled, and we'll make a trip up to see her," Kay said.
I smiled. "Sounds like a plan to me."
From the driveway, we heard a horn blaring. My heart skipped a beat. Dale was here. I ran from the kitchen to the front door. He was climbing out of the moving truck when I opened the door. His blond hair glistened in the sunlight, his blue eyes sparkled, and his goatee and mouth parted in a huge smile. The sight of him still made me weak at the knees. I ran down the front stairs and threw myself in his waiting arms. He spun me around. We'd seen each other only two days before, but to see us now, someone would think he was just returning from a long trip.
Marcus and Kay joined us in the yard. Dale put me down and put his hand out to Marcus. "Hey, man, I'm glad you're here. Some of this stuff is a little too heavy for the girls."
I took at swat at Dale's chest. "Watch your mouth. Kay and I are stronger than we look."
As if she was reading my mind, we both flexed our muscles at the guys, who burst out laughing.
We'd spent several weeks moving small things and his clothes in our cars, but his friends had helped him load the moving truck with the bigger items, like Bailey's bedroom furniture, a sofa, and a few larger pieces we'd decided to keep.
The four of us were exhausted by the time the last item was unloaded from the truck.
Dale followed Marcus to the return center to drop off the truck while Kay and I stayed behind to make Bailey's bed and rearrange some of the furniture in the house for a better fit. Lunchtime had come and gone, but we'd been too busy to notice. My stomach was growling now.
I asked Kay, "Want to grill some hamburgers?"
"No. Marcus has planned something special for Dale's first night here."
"Really? What is it?"
"He's having dinner sent over from the restaurant."
This only made my stomach growl more. The chefs at Markayzee's were fabulous, and their food was to die for. Marcus and I shared a love of cooking, and he'd let me be part of the interviewing process when he was looking to staff the kitchen. The applicants had to allow us to watch during the preparation and then sample all the delicacies. I knew tonight's dinner would be well worth the wait.
Shortly after Dale and Marcus returned, the food arrived. Marcus made sure every palette was thought of, and there were four portions of each dish. There was chicken masala, prime rib, and veal parmesan, with a selection of sides to go with them. The chef had paired a bottle of wine with each dish.
All of us had made our selections, and as we sat around the table enjoying each bite, a small sound kept penetrating the air. The vibration of Marcus' cell phone in his pocket kept interrupting the conversation. Finally, Kay joked, "Tell all those women you're with family tonight."
Marcus replied, "But it feels so good to be so wanted."
We all laughed at his wittiness.
He pulled the phone from his pocket and shut it off. "I'm sure it's something at the restaurant. But if it's on fire, they'll call here." He reached over and took Kay's hand. "Better?"
She smiled. "Much."
We were all fat and happy by the end of the meal, but I still couldn't help thinking of the cooler containing the chocolate mousse.
"As if I need to eat another bite. I want some of that dessert," I said.
"Oh my god! Me too!" Kay seconded.
"Marcus, thank you so much for this meal. It all was wonderful."
He replied, "You're welcome, Elizabeth." Through the years, he'd transitioned into calling me by my full name instead of Lizzy. The switch took me a while to get used to, but I didn't mind as much anymore.
Dale said, "Lizzy, how 'bout you put on some coffee and I'll clear the table?"
Kay got up and reached for Marcus' plate. I stopped her. "Oh no. Y'all had this wonderful dinner sent over, so don't even think about it."
Dale immediately grabbed the plate from her hand.
I started the coffee and gathered the sugar, creamer, and mugs. When the coffee finished brewing, I pulled the container of mousse from the cooler and scooped up servings for everyone. Kay and Dale were sitting at the dining room table.
"Where's Marcus?" I asked.
Kay replied, "I think he went to call the restaurant."
"I'll let him know dessert is ready when he is." I went to the French doors that led to the patio but didn't see him anywhere. I looped the opposite way through the house to see if he'd gone out front and then stopped dead in my tracks when I saw him standing at Charlie's door with that same unsettling smile he'd had earlier. I could hear Charlie growling from inside.
Again I was flooded with the urge to protect Charlie. It wasn't something I could explain, but it was there. I walked over to stand next to Marcus. "Sorry about this, Marcus, but maybe you two just aren't compatible."
Without a word, he walked back toward the dining room.
Charlie whispered from the back of his cage, "Lizzy. Lizzy. Lizzy." He only did this when something frightened him.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Retribution by K. T. ARCHER Copyright © 2013 by K. T. Archer. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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