Touching his scar almost lovingly, his eyes caught hers and held them in a gaze that lasted longer than she would ever have allowed with someone she didn't know that well.
"A woman did this to me…yeah, that's right…… not even as strong as you, but who was somehow able to slice into me as if I were jelly."
****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Sherry had seen a lot with her work in the emergency room - every kind
of
wound imaginable -- so she wasn't at all impressed by what he was saying
except for the way he said it. Something wasn't right. Should I
take the
bait and find out more about you…or do I really want to know?
The front door opened and a voice called out heartily, "Sorry, I'm
late!
Nick probably told you… my appointment was cancelled anyway."
Relief seemed to wash through her as she heard his familiar voice which
had
interrupted Nick's revelation. She hated to admit to herself that she
had
been at all shaken, but she had found his words both unusual and
somewhat
chilling. This man is much more complex than I thought at first.
Nick watched her jump up energetically and he saw the transformation
which
took over her face as Slider approached her. It's as if she
blossoms
whenever he's around…wish I had had something like that. Todd, at least
you
got a second chance with the woman you care about…I got nothing.
"Can you stay for dinner?" Slider asked her as she finished packing up
her
bag.
"Well, I'm supposed to give an ER training lecture tomorrow, and I'm not
really prepared…"
"Come on. You know you like my spaghetti!" he coaxed her as she
began to
move toward the door.
"Well….", she almost glanced back at Nick, but she could feel his eyes
on her
back. She hadn't spent much time lately with Slider because of Nick,
and she
had missed talking with him. Why not? So it's a little weird with
all
three of us, but I shouldn't let this foul up my social life.
"Okay! Spaghetti it is! Let me run down and change and I'll be up
shortly.
I've got an Italian bread loaf to add if you need it."
"Great! Bring it up."
She nodded at him and quickly left the room. Slider walked over to his
favorite chair and slumping down in it, he looked over at Nick. "So
what did
you and Sherry talk about while I was gone?"
"Do you think I'd give away our little secrets to just anyone,
Slider?" he
said with a kind of ridicule in his tone.
"Sherry isn't just anyone…but no, I don't."
Nick moved his body gingerly on the sofa and looked past Slider as he
spoke,
"Sherry is definitely unique, isn't she? You and she been friends
long?" he
asked with an innocent air.
"Yes, for about four years now."
Four years! Hell of a long time not to notice that this woman is
probably
in love with you. Typical…you had the same problem back then,
too.
Changing the subject, Slider got up and began rolling up his sleeves.
"Well,
time to get out the pasta machine."
Pausing, his eyes surveyed Nick and his condition, and he cleared his
throat
before speaking. "Sherry says you're coming along fine. Tomorrow maybe
we
can go over some things…"
Oh boy! Here it comes! The great psychoanalysis! I'd like to see
just
what you've learned after all these years, Slider. You're such a pro
now,
and I'm sure you're eager to explore this convoluted mind again. Well,
I've
been saving it all up just for you.
"I'll think about it," Nick said in a very noncommittal manner. I'm
going
to enjoy keeping you off balance.
"Fine," Slider said with no indication that Nick's response had carried
any
real weight. More games…well, your games are going to reveal more
than you
want them to this time.
Standing up, he looked at his long-sleeved shirt rolled up at the
sleeves and
shook his head. "I'm not cooking spaghetti in this." Unbuttoning the
top
button of his shirt, he went off to change his clothes.
Del tapped his fingers on the stairwell of the penthouse and looked out
through the multi-paned glass of the massive window overlooking the
city.
One week. One week of trying to track down his errant sister. He had
gone
to every person and place she was familiar with, but no one had seen
her.
None of them seemed to be lying either. The Bureau had given him every
ounce
of information which would have helped him trace her, but nothing had
been
turned up. It was as if she had gone into some underground hiding place
not
known to anyone but herself.
How could you do this, chiquita? No, I know how…you're still under
the
influence of that wild man - that dead husband who's still wrecking your
life
even from the grave.
Every day he had made a special trip over to the penthouse because for
some
reason, he knew that she might return there. The austere façade of the
furnishings reminded him of other residences he had gone over of very
high
up, important people. He had searched through every drawer to see if he
could find some sort of clue as to her whereabouts. Surprisingly there
had
been little evidence of her presence - as if she had never really been
there
at all.
Rummaging a last time through the top drawer of a large desk, Del picked
up
an address book and thumbed through it. This must be Manning's.
He
scanned through the addresses and phone numbers, but all of them
appeared to
be business associates. Dropping it back in the drawer, he shoved the
drawer
back into the desk. This is a waste of time. I need to nose around
Angel
Square.
Sherry bent down to pick up another piece of clothing strewn together
with
four or five other outfits she had hastily thrown on the bed. She
picked up
a top and held it up to her face as she perused her appearance in the
dresser
mirror. No good. Makes me look pale. Another pullover was held
up and
she tossed it down on the bed. Not bad…still doesn't do much for my
coloring. Becoming more and more exasperated after holding up at
least five
or six pieces, she finally held up a cool, vivid jade-colored knit shell
and
a smile formed on her lips. This is it…this is the one.
Brushing out her hair after she had thrown on some lightweight cotton
slacks,
she stepped back to get the full effect of what she had chosen.
Somewhere in
the stream of her consciousness, she realized that she was going
overboard
with her preparations to go up for a casual dinner with her long-time
friend.
Yet she also knew that another component had been added which fired up
her
excitement. She would be eating dinner with two very different but
very
handsome men, and a tingle of anticipation seeped through her veins,
making
her almost slightly giddy. This should be a very interesting
evening…
Tea Manning studied the brilliant mosaic patterns of the kitchen floor
and
smelled the intoxicating smells of chicken fajitas cooking. It was so
good
to be in a place where she was hidden from prying eyes, and a place
where she
felt completely at home. Moving quickly toward a cabinet, she opened it
to
locate some plates. "These are okay, Miguel?"
Miguel nodded and continued to watch the sizzling meat. He turned to
watch
her set the dishes on the small table - hovering over them in an effort
to
make everything just right. When she began to fold some napkins,
Miguel
laughed out loud and teased her. "Don't get carried away, Tea. We're
not at
your penthouse."
She shot his a look of feigned disdain and continued to dress up the
table.
You don't know, Miguel, but I need something to do before I start
climbing
the walls around here.
Pulling the heavy iron skillet off the stove, he brought it to the table
and
placed it on a trivet in the center. The steam spiraled upward and Tea
inhaled the smell. "Can't wait, Miguel!"
Miguel put on a large serving bowl of piping hot tortillas next to other
side
bowls of chopped tomatoes and onions and lettuce.
Miguel said a prayer for the meal and then, for a few minutes, neither
one of
them spoke in their haste to fix their fajitas.
"This is perfection, Miguel!" Tea said as she bit into her first
fajita.
Miguel smiled broadly and waved a hand to dismiss her praise.
"Simple…nothing to it."
For awhile they ate and chatted casually about unimportant things, but
halfway through the meal, Miguel made a decision - sensing that the time
might be right to tell her something that he had kept from her.
"Tea, I didn't tell you before…I thought you needed some time…"
"Yes? What?"
"The memorial service for your husband is tomorrow."
Nick heard a noise and looked up to see a slendar shape standing over by
the
door of the living room. She had come in quietly through the still
unlocked
front door - as if she wanted to blend into the landscape of the room,
but
unknown to her, her intention of not making a grand entrance failed
miserably. As she walked forward into the room, some recessed lighting
hit
her fully in the face, illuminating her and what she was wearing. The
vivid
jade of her soft knit top made her entire face bloom and accentuated the
rich
ebony color of her hair.
Slowly rising from his prone position, Nick's eyes drank in every detail
of
her and amazement began to set in as he realized what he was thinking.
I want her…
~ TO BE CONTINUED ~
