Kissed (6 page)

Chapter Four

2002

Mrs.
Lindsey hugged Beth with her free arm.
 
“I know, dear. Strange as it may sound, I remember being eighteen. I met
my husband at university here.”

“In L.A.,
here?”
 
She knew his dad had been
American, but she assumed they came from England when he started at her
school.

She
nodded.
 
“I wanted to get out on my own,
away from what I was used to, you know, and met this brash young man in my
Philosophy class. I turned him down twice before we went on a date, and then I
discovered he was sweet, too. A lot like Jacob.”

They
handed the attendant our boarding passes.
 
“Wow. So you were sweethearts?”

“Goodness,
yes.
Probably quite sickening.”

They
made it into the tunnel and onto the plane.
 
The seats were spaced farther apart than Beth was used to.
 
She actually had room to stretch her legs.
 
“Do you mind if I take the window seat?”
 
She stowed their carry-
ons
above while Vivian stepped aside to let people continue down the aisle.

“Not at all.”

Beth
had never left the US
before—flown cross-country, but never across an
ocean
.
 
She wasn’t sure how
she’d bear waiting five hours just to get to that part.
 
Her book would be killed in four.
 
Then, what?
 
“I should’ve brought a second book.”

“What’s
that?”

“I
was just thinking about the length of the flight. My book isn’t long enough to
keep me occupied for eleven hours.”

She
smiled, understanding.
 
“Well, they will
show a movie, though keep in mind it’s likely you’ll doze off at some point.

Beth
shook her head.
 
“I’m too excited to
sleep.”

“Mm-hmm…”

They
chatted for a while, Beth picking her brain about famous stuff close to her
house.
 
Vivian insisted there was enough
room to put her up and assured her she wouldn’t be a burden.
 
Still, she hoped it wasn’t far from his
apartment.

Reading until they served
a meal, she then finished off the book before the in-flight movie started.
 
It was some think-y drama about adults with
issues and she nodded off from boredom.
 
A light sleeper, though, she woke when they got dinner.

“Hey,
it’s dark on this side of the world.”
 
They left Los Angeles
at 10:30AM, which made it around eight in the evening now, but with the time
difference…
 
“What time is it in London?”

“It’ll
be close to six in the morning when we exit the plane.”

“Oh,
wow. No way Jacob will be up to meet us at the airport.”
 
It was a bummer she had to wait longer to see
him.

His
mother laughed.
 
“Indeed! He didn’t like
waking early as a
baby
.”

A
clear summer night, Beth could see the moon reflecting off the water below out
her window.
 
Far
below, but hey…scenery.

They
landed around 6:00AM.
 
Ten at night at
home, so she would be thinking about bed in another hour.
 
Instead, she was looking at breakfast.
 
A car with personal driver picked them up and
she started to wonder about the family Mrs. Lindsey came from.
 
When the car eventually stopped in front of a
manor
, she knew Vivian had been
holding out on her.
   

“Friend’s place?”

Vivian’s
cheeks colored slightly.
 
“No. It
belonged to my parents, and my grandparents before them.”

“No
wonder you don’t have a job in L.A.”

“I
have been fortunate, yes, but one does not need to be blatant with one’s
wealth. And I was quite happy to be a young bride in California, once upon a time.”
 
By appearances, she was younger than Beth’s
parents.

People
opened doors for them and more people took their luggage to other rooms.
 
Beth spun in a circle in the foyer, taking in
the grand staircase, chandelier, and gold-framed paintings.
 
Her sneakers squeaked on the marble tiles.

“Elizabeth, it’s not polite
to gawk,” Vivian whispered in her ear.

She
dropped her chin and her eyes and followed upstairs.
 
Mrs. Lindsey took a right and stopped at a
door.

“This
is your bedroom. I’m only down the hall. There is an intercom system throughout
the house, so if you need a servant for any reason, buzz.”

“Servant?”
she asked, her voice taking on an airy quality as she took in her bedroom.

“It’s
a long way to the kitchen if you crave a midnight snack.”

The
room had a four-poster bed and a window seat.
 
Fresh flowers graced every table and the duvet looked to be a silk blend
from the subtle sheen of the fibers.
 
More exploring revealed a huge closet, and a luxurious bathroom with a
claw-foot tub.
 
She ran her hand over the
fluffy towels.

“The
room is satisfactory, I hope,” Vivian said from the door.

“It’s
amazing and you know it. Are they all like this?”

“Identical?
Gracious, no.
But each individually beautiful, yes.”

“Jacob
never mentioned this place.”

She
didn’t look surprised.
 
“He spent most of
his time at school while we lived in London,
coming home for holidays. California
was where he was born and where we came back to. I imagine he’ll end up there
again, too.”

“I
won’t mind.”

Vivian
smirked.
 
“Undoubtedly.
Try to take a nap. Then we’ll have brunch and try to rouse my son.”

Beth
folded back the covers of the bed once she left and opened her luggage to get
pajamas.
 
A few hours later
,
a ringing telephone awakened her.
 
“Hello?”

“Did
I wake you?” Mrs. Lindsey asked.
 
Her
tone said she knew she did.

“A little.
Did I miss breakfast?”

“No, dear.
We’re setting the table now.”

“I’ll
be down in a few minutes.”
 

She
hung up and rolled out of bed, then washed her face, ran a brush through her
hair, brushed her teeth, and dressed in a blouse and shorts.
 
Hearing voices when she walked down the
stairs, she followed the sound.
 
The
object of her affection stood at the kitchen island munching on strawberries.

He
talked to his mother with his back to Beth.
 
At twenty now, his body had matured since she last saw him two years
ago.
 
His shoulders were broader and he
was no longer adolescently skinny.
 
The
bleach had grown out to only being on the tips of his hair.

“Ah,
there you are,” his mother said.

He
turned around.
 
“Bethie!”
 
The biggest smile she’d ever seen spread
across his face.
 
With two strides, he
wrapped his arms around her and twirled her around.
 
“What are you doing here, love?”

“Surprising you.”

He
set her down and backed up to arms-length to look at her.
 
“Bloody hell, you changed in two years.”

Her
cheeks turned crimson.
 
“A little bit.”

“Little!
You barely fit under my chin now. How was graduation?”

“Salutatorian.
Got beaten out for first in
class by a tenth of a grade point.”

“Aww,”
he teased.
 
“Want me to beat ‘
im
up?”

“It
was a her, and no, but thanks for the offer. Should I ask about
your
grades?”

He
coughed.
 
“Maybe
later.”
 
Same
ol’ Jacob
.

God,
he looked good.
 
His face had matured a
bit, too, bringing out his cheekbones.
 
His skin was paler than in California,
but no less attractive.
 
Today was
Saturday, and he wore a tee and low-slung jeans with a studded belt through the
loops.
 
Only man she knew who refused to
wear shorts unless at the beach.

“Come
eat, kids.”

He
took her hand and led her into the dining room.
 
What Vivian called “brunch” was no simple spread.
 
The polished table probably sat twelve and
was set with china and sterling silver flatware.

“Is
this what they mean by an English breakfast?”
 
Several serving dishes were spread before us.

“That you can stuff yourself silly on a good fry-up?
Pretty
much,” he said.

“A
little variety never hurt anyone,” his mother said.
 
She sat at the head of the table, her plate
already filled.

He
handed Beth a plate and asked, “How long do I get to keep you?”

Forever,
her heart answered, but her
rational side said,
“Uh, I’m not
sure? I have to be at UCLA in September, but your mom made the travel
arrangements.”

“Well,
any mother that brings me a Bethie present earns my everlasting devotion.”

She
shook her head, but said, “You’re welcome, dear, though this is just as much
for Elizabeth,
if not more so. Traveling abroad diversifies a young woman’s education.”

He
sat down with his pile of food.
 
“On that
note, you have to come see us play tonight.”

Beth
smiled.
 
“I’d love to. I brought the
t-shirt.”
 
She sat to his right since
he’d chosen the corner seat next to his mother.

Her
internal clock thought it was three in the morning.
 
Mrs. Lindsey, on the other hand, was still
bushy-tailed.
 
Beth didn’t know how she
did it.
 
With eggs, fruit, pastries, and
sausage in my belly, she felt like another nap.
 
A yawn escaped her mouth while they caught up.
 
Embarrassed, her hand flew up to her lips to
hide it.
 

He
poked her side.
 
“I heard that.”

“I’m
sorry. My body thinks it’s the middle of the night.”

“Aww,
past
Bethie’s
bed time?” he teased.

“Shut
up. You’ve had jet lag before.”

“Not
my
fault you didn’t plan your flight
around your natural schedule.”

“In
the same room thirty minutes and you’re picking on me.”
 
She propped her chin on her hand.
 
“Hmm, why did I miss you again?”

He
leaned closer, blue eyes sparkling.
 
“’Cause I’m irresistible.
A magnet for
females young and old.”

“Watch
it,” his mother and Beth said in unison.

He
laughed, and stretched in his chair.
 
“So easy.”

Beth
hit him with her napkin and stood to take her empty plate into the kitchen.

“Elizabeth. Someone will
take care of that for you,” Vivian said.

“Pffft, nonsense.
No offense, but I carry my own
weight.”
 

She
brought the dirty dishes into the kitchen and set them by the sink, then looked
for the dishwasher.
 
All she saw were
drawers.
 
Well, fine, guess she’d do it
by hand
.
 
Yeah, she had a bit of guilt over the cost of
bringing her here.
 
Even though it was
obvious now Mrs. Lindsey could afford it and then some,
she
still didn’t feel right letting her staff wait on her hand and foot.
 
She didn’t incur debts.

“Love,
what are you doing?” Jacob asked behind her, amused.

“Washing my dishes, duh.”

“Looks
like you’re
puttin
’ someone out of work.”

“Huh?”

He
took the glass from her hand.
 
“They’re
paid to do a job, Bethie. They’re not
slaves
.”

“I
know that.”

“Then
remember you’re on vacation and
relax
.”

Hard
to do when he smelled so good
.
 
“You haven’t called in a long time.”

“Keep
me busy, school and the band. Lose track of the days.”

She
glanced down at his wrist.
 
“It’d help if
you wore a watch.”

He
nodded once, conceding her point.
 
“Probably.
Wanna see my world, or do you need that nap?”

“I
can make do with caffeine.”
 
After two
years away, he wasn’t getting out of her sight.

He
grinned.
 
“Brilliant. See you out
front.”
 
He walked out.

She
found a Coke in the refrigerator, took it up to her room, and freshened up,
slammed the soft drink, belched (oops), and grabbed her purse/camera bag.
 
Mrs. Lindsey wished her a good time on the
way out.

Beth
stopped short when she saw his mode of transportation.
 
“
Nuh
-uh.”

“It’s
perfectly safe,” he said from the bike.

“It’s
a
motorcycle
. And I remember how you
drive.”