Last Chance at Love (19 page)

“Do you still want a late night supper,” he whispered, “or would some champagne, hors d’oeuvres, and petit fours in your room do just as well?”

“That will be perfect so long as you’re there.”

He squeezed her gently. “Let’s go.”

He went first to his room, ordered the food and champagne to be sent to Allison’s stateroom, took off his jacket, and went out on the deck. She didn’t want an affair with him, she’d said, but hadn’t they already begun one? He turned from the railing and knocked on her door.

She opened it, reached up, and kissed his cheek. He noticed at once that she had combed her hair down to her shoulders and knew she’d done it to please him.

“Am I welcome without my jacket?”

She grinned, bowed, and stepped aside. “It isn’t the jacket that makes the man; it’s the other way around.”

“This has been a long, and very full day. Are you tired?”

“A little, but I’m mostly sorry this is ending.”

“Sorry we won’t be together like this, or sorry the ship is docking tomorrow morning?”

Her left eyebrow shot up, and he wondered why a right-handed person didn’t raise the right eyebrow. “Jake, I remember you said you need assurance just as I do. Last night, I gave you that assurance.”

She was right, of course, and he didn’t know why he kept pressing for more. “Yes, you did, but somehow it’s too good to believe,” he said and got up to answer the door. “Our food is here.

“I suppose I can’t believe that, after thirty-five years, this is happening to me,” he told her as he set the food on the table, “that my life is shaping up as I hoped it would. There’s just one more thing, and it’s just as important.”

“You mean recognition at your university?”

He handed her a glass of champagne, sat beside her on the tufted, velvet-covered love seat, and nodded. “Yes, and it may be the one thing I miss out on.”

“But you’re a household name. Isn’t that enough?”

“I never wanted to be a household name. I still don’t, and I’m not sure I am; authors are rarely that popular unless they become famous first. What about you? What do you want? We’ve been together for weeks, and I still feel sometimes that I hardly know you.” She seemed to tense at those words, and his antenna shot up.

“I’m what you see, Jake. If you can wait until this tour is over, I’ll feel free to...to open myself fully to you.”

“Why then?”

She shifted in her seat so that he could see her face. “Because these two roles I’m playing in your life are in conflict. I...I care so deeply for you, but if you lose your temper tomorrow and flatten a man with your fists, I have to report it in my story. You won’t do that, but the possibility is there, and until I’m out of this situation I can’t give the way I want to.”

He put an arm around her and rested her head on his shoulder. “It won’t be easy, but I’ll do my best to reduce the strain on you. Let’s not let this good stuff go to waste,” he said, reaching for a tiny crab cake and, at the same moment, deciding to sleep in his own bed. “I’ve ordered breakfast for us here at seven. The ship docks at eight, and we have to be down in the luggage room by eight-fifteen. Our bags must be beside our doors by midnight.”

“Eight-fifteen? I thought we disembarked at nine-thirty.”

He’d been expecting that. “Some do, but not us. I wanted to spend the night with you, but if I do, we won’t get up in time. Will you be hurt if I leave you now?”

Her smile, rueful and a little sad, tugged at his heart. “I’ll miss you, but if you stay here, my suitcases won’t be at that door come midnight. Thanks for ordering breakfast. Imagine dealing with that crowd and getting out of here by eight-fifteen.” She stood. “Kiss me and scoot.”

She was never more dear to him than at that moment. If she was disappointed, she didn’t emphasize it, and she didn’t pout or try to detain him. She went into his arms willingly, caressed his face with the back of her hand the way she seemed to enjoy doing, raised her hands to his nape, and parted her lips. He had an urge to plunge into her as heat flooded his body, but he brought himself under control and pressed the tip of his tongue between her lips. When she would have pulled him in, he stroked her back and kissed her softly, her eyes, cheeks, and neck, adoring her and cherishing her.

He tasted the briny moisture, tipped up her face, and looked at her. “You’re crying. What’s the matter?”

She shook her head, denying his words. “Am I? I’m...Jake, I’m so happy.”

He took the handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the teardrops. “I am, too,” he said, “and if I don’t leave this minute, I may be here when the boat docks.”

She reached up and pressed her lips to his. “Good night, my darling.”

He stared down at her for a second.
Get out of here, man. You’re not made of iron.
“Good night, love. Sleep well.” He closed her door and, as if propelled by some inner force, managed to get into his stateroom. He stood beside the closed door for a long time as his mind traveled back again and again over the last hour.

“There’s no denying it,” he said aloud as he prepared for bed. “I love her, and I’ve got to do what I can to preserve this relationship.”

“I’m not going to second-guess him,” Allison said to herself as she locked and tagged her bags. “He hasn’t said it, but he loves me. No man could cherish a woman as he did me tonight if she wasn’t deep in his heart.”

He didn’t tell her his reason for wanting to get off the boat as soon as it docked, but she couldn’t ask of him what she wasn’t prepared to give, so she didn’t pry. Another ten days; she didn’t see how she could endure them. At a quarter of twelve, she set her bags outside at her door and went to bed. Except for the few minutes Sydney had spent with them, she and Jake were never with people who knew them, and maybe that was one of their problems.

“First chance I get, I’m going to take him to meet Connie, and I want to meet some of his friends. That should give us a better take on each other.” She wrapped her arms around her pillow, said her prayers, and drifted off to sleep.

She had dressed when Jake knocked on her door the next morning, bringing in their breakfast tray. He greeted her with a kiss on her lips.

“I hope you slept well. I noticed you got your bags out on time.”

Why was he... She realized that he was making an effort to be less intimate, to give her the emotional space she had implied she needed.

“I slept like a log. You weren’t here to rock me to sleep, but the ship did a reasonable job of it. At one time, I wondered if we were headed into another storm.”

“Maybe it shifted course or something. Want some more coffee?” he asked her. “Better eat all of that. Our plane doesn’t leave till three. I’ll have a car waiting for us, but the traffic to the airport can be horrendous, so I don’t know when we’ll see food again.”

“You don’t have to urge me. This food speaks for itself.” He looked at his watch for the third time in five minutes and, sensing an unusual urgency about him, she finished her meal and checked the stateroom to see if she had missed packing anything.

“I’m ready,” she said.

“Good.” He hugged her and then took her hand. “Let’s go.”

* * *

So far, so good, Jake thought as they entered the baggage room to claim their luggage. When the clerk appeared ready to question their arrival before the scheduled time, Jake handed him a twenty-dollar bill.

“Thanks, friend. I’ve got a plane to catch.”

“Yes, sir. You want the lady’s bag, too?”

Jake handed the bags to a porter, and they were off the boat with time to spare. He saw the agents at once, and shook his head to indicate that he didn’t want contact with them.

“What are we waiting for?” Allison asked him when the porter placed their bags beside them.

“The car isn’t here.” He didn’t lie; he knew it was parked well away from the pier.

Shortly after nine, the first passengers walked off the plank. He had positioned himself where he could see each one, for they had to walk off single file. After a few minutes, Ned walked off. To his stunned disbelief, Jake knew he was looking at the real Ned. He held out three fingers, to indicate that the agents should expect four people, and pointed one finger to Ned.

“What time do you have?” he asked Allison, diverting her attention while an agent walked away with Ned.

“Nine-twenty. What time was the car due here?”

“Not to worry, love,” he said, keeping his gaze on the disembarking passengers, “my publisher has yet to disappoint me.”

Suddenly, his heart began thumping in his chest and his adrenaline stirred as it had at critical times when he was on a dangerous mission. Moisture accumulated in his mouth and his blood raced through his veins. The agent wasn’t looking his way, so knowing he had no choice, he stepped up to Lena and Ned II, detaining them. Lena’s worried and impatient facial expression confirmed his opinion of her as a smuggler.

“Hi. I was hoping I’d get a chance to tell you goodbye.” With his left hand, the one in the direction of the agent, he held out two fingers. “All the best to you,” he said when, from the corner of his eye, he saw the agent moving toward them. He ducked out of the way and almost bumped into Allison.

“Look,” she said. “Where is that man taking them?”

He lifted his shoulder in a shrug. “Beats me.” But he knew that one of the ringleaders was about to escape.

“I’d better call or email,” he said to her, knowing she would think he referred to the driver of their car.

He rang the agents’ cell phones to get their attention, hung up, and emailed them to expect Ring, who would probably leave the ship late.
If not,
he added in the email,
go on board the ship and pick him up. He’ll be in the kitchen.

Having completed his mission, he phoned the driver of their car. “We’re at the pier,” he said. “Right beside the sign that says ‘Welcome aboard the
Saint Marie.
’”

After the driver stored their bags in the trunk of the stretched-out Lincoln Town Car and they seated themselves, Jake opened the bar. “Want a soda or some lemonade?” he asked Allison.

“Later, maybe. Thanks.”

“You’ll find coffee, snacks, and sandwiches to your right, sir,” the driver said. “Sit back and enjoy the ride. We should be there around noon.”

They checked their luggage, and when they finally boarded the plane, he took in a long and deep breath. One more job well done, and he hoped it would be the last the chief asked of him. What he couldn’t get out of his mind was the question of how the real Ned got back on that ship. He’d bet anything that the man reported his passport lost, and got a new one from the U.S. consulate in Martinique in time to get back on the ship. He couldn’t even guess why the man risked exposure by sending an illegal alien to the dining room in his place.

“Excuse me for a couple of minutes,” he said to Allison. “If I don’t write this down, it might slip me.” He made rough notes on a small pad, and put the pad in his shirt pocket. He wanted food, but more than that, he wanted to sleep. He had spent a good deal of the night before looking for Ring and hadn’t gotten to bed until after three.

The steward soon brought sandwiches, a salad, and drinks. He nibbled at the sandwiches. “Do you mind if I go to sleep?” he asked Allison.

“Of course not,” she said. “This is a good time for me to work.”

He reclined the back of his seat, put the pillow beneath his neck, and, for reasons he didn’t question, laid his head against Allison’s shoulder and went to sleep.

* * *

Allison eased her left arm beneath Jake’s back, and he snuggled as close to her as their seats would allow. She didn’t try to work.
It may be the only time he is ever truly mine,
she told herself and fought to stay awake to enjoy those moments. In spite of her efforts, she awoke as the wheels of the big plane touched down at the Ronald Reagan National Airport.

The following day, Friday, they arrived in Idlewild around three in the afternoon, and with instructions from her, he drove the rented car to 30 Michigan Boulevard.

Almost before the car came to a full halt, her aunt rushed out to greet her.
Now what?
Allison thought.
I didn’t tell her he was coming or anything about him, and she’ll give him the third degree.

Jake got out of the car and went around to the passenger door, as he always did, to assist her, and she knew he wondered why she sat there and let him open the door. She never did that, but right then she focused on gathering the wits she would need to deal with her aunt and didn’t think to open the door and get out.

“Well now, sakes alive. Who’ve we got here? Why, you’re the same one I was fishing with. You don’t know my...” She clapped her hands together and looked toward heaven. “Lord, you have taken matters into your own hand.

“Allison,” she called, “come here, child, and introduce me to your friend. You didn’t tell me you found him. Well, do tell!”

Allison walked around to where her aunt Frances stood beaming at Jake and stole a glance at the perplexed man. “Auntie, this is Jacob Covington, he’s—”

“Not the writer!” She held out her hand. “I never expected to run into you again. Do you talk more’n you did when we were fishing?”

He looked down at the five-foot-three-inch woman and grinned. “Well, ma’am, I do when I get a chance.”

Laughter rolled out of Frances Upshaw, and Allison noticed that her aunt still held Jake’s hand. “I’ll talk you to death if you let me,” she said. “How long you staying?”

“Jake has to leave around noon Saturday, but I’ll stay till about that time Sunday. Think you can drive me over to Reed City?”

“I’ll be busy with the barbecue, but some of the girls over at the club will be glad to do it. Come on in.”

“How do you like your food?” she asked Jake. “Southern style or messed up the way the Yankees do it? I’m good for either one.”

Allison could see that Jake was taken with her aunt, and when a grin spread over his face, she knew that the weekend would go well.

“I take it you were born in the South. I’ll eat whatever you cook, but I kinda love soul food.”

She looked at Allison. “Go on upstairs and show him where he’s going to sleep. I think I’ll drop my line and see if I can pull up a few catfish for supper. There’s a big bowl of homemade potato salad in the refrigerator, and I baked a ham last weekend. Good thing, too. Eat whatever you want. Just make yourselves at
home.”