Master for Tonight (17 page)

Reese kept his voice quiet. “Jules? Is it
safe to talk?”

“Yeah, for now. What’s wrong? Is Kate okay?
What’s going on?”

“Calm down. She’s perfectly fine.”

“Are you sure? You can see in and around her
house, right? You’re circling the house, right?”

“I’ve done you one better, my friend. We’re
splitting a few bottles of wine tonight in her living room. Me,
Kate, and her best friend, Mazzie. You there, Jules?”

“Yeah, mate, I’m here.”

“I thought you’d be happier than you sound.
I’m in! Your love couldn’t be safer than she is at this moment.
Hold on. She’s coming into the kitchen.” Reese held the phone
against his chest with the microphone facing outward. His hand
covered the screen hiding the name and picture of who was on the
line.

“Reese?” She walked over to the counter he
leaned against. “Are you looking for something? Oh, I’m sorry. I
didn’t realize you were on the phone. Didn’t mean to disturb your
call.”

“You didn’t. I just hung up, actually. My
poor friend is trying to get his girl back.”

“Oh, that’s so sad. Why did they
breakup?”

“They didn’t. A force beyond either of their
control broke them apart.”

“Sounds like family issues.” She scrunched
her nose and nodded her head in understanding. “Situations like
those can be really hard to overcome. I say, if they really want to
be together, screw the family and be together. They can make it
work. Tell your friend that.”

“Very insightful. That happens to be the
exact problem.”

“I hope it works out for them. I’ll just
take the bottle to the living room, then. Call your friend back, if
you want. You take your time. Whoa! Turned too fast.”

“Careful, there. Here, let me walk you
back.”

“No, no, I’m fine. Reese, you know, you can
sleep on the couch tonight. You shouldn’t drive.”

“Okay. I’ll take you up on that.
Thanks.”

He waited to speak into the phone until Kate
was seated on the couch again.

“Jules?”

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

“Yes, she is.”

“So smart, too. Lovely smile, yeah?”

“Wouldn’t know. Haven’t seen it yet. She’s
got some serious issues going on in her head. It’s obvious to me,
and I hardly know her.”

“I’m going to fix this. Make it right. Make
her mine.”

“Yes, you will.”

“Reese?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t get all teary-eyed on me. Save it for
your girl.” He added, “Keep your phone close.”

Reese disconnected the call and went back to
the living room. The conversation between the two girls stopped
when they saw him.

He raised his hands out at his sides. “Did I
do something wrong, ladies?”

Mazzie and Kate looked at each other and
then back at him.

“Well? What is it? What did I do?”

“Just ask him, Mazzie.” Kate yawned, sitting
up and running her fingers through her curls.

“Just ask me what?”

“Nothing!” Mazzie’s eyes were wide in
embarrassed anxiety.

“She wants to know if you’re gay.”

“Kate!”

“Gay?” His expression could not have shown
more shock if he tried. “Why in hell do you think I’m gay,
Mazzie?”

“I don’t!” Mazzie stumbled over the words,
not getting them out quickly enough.

“She said you have impeccable taste, more
knowledge about fashion and wine than she does, and some other
things I can’t remember. It’s a fair, if not rude, question.”

“Kate!”

“You know I have no filter when I drink. You
poured. This is what you get.”

Reese sat in a huff. “No, I am most
certainly not gay. Can’t a man want to look nice and be
well-rounded, and have a bit of culture about him without that
assumption? Not that I have anything against being gay. I simply am
not of that persuasion.” He went over to stand in front of Mazzie.
“Why exactly do you want to know?”

“She wants to see your—”

“Oh, my God, Kate! Shut up!” Mazzie smacked
her hand over Kate’s mouth.

Reese sat on the coffee table in front of
Mazzie and bumped his knees against hers. Kate excused herself.

“Look at me, Mazzie. Is it true? What Kate
said. Is it true?”

“I can’t believe she said that. Look, Reese.
It was just silly girl talk. Okay? Sorry about that. We’re still
friends, right?”

“Um, yeah, of course. Are you going to
answer the question?” He knocked against her knees again.

“Look, Kate is going through something very
strange, and I thought maybe we should get a man’s opinion. Hey,
where did Kate wander off to? She’s really not herself lately.” She
stood and he stood with her. She placed her hand on his chest. “You
haven’t even met the real Kate. She’s having a rough time. I’m
worried about her. I think I heard the front door a minute
ago.”

“Avoidance 101, I see,” he muttered as he
brushed his hands against his trousers before following her to the
door.

They found Kate sitting in the wicker
loveseat on the patio with her knees drawn up to her chest and her
arms circled around them. The slight breeze lifted her curls as she
sat stone still, staring into the darkness.

Standing in the doorway, Reese took his cell
phone out and took Kate’s picture in profile.

“Tying this pic to her number on my contact
list. The pose and look on her face speak volumes,” Reese said
before turning the phone in Mazzie’s direction. “And, voilá! There
is yours. Go get your friend.” He grabbed Mazzie by the shoulder,
steering her out the door as she complained about the quality of
her picture and the need for a redo. “Go get her back in the house,
so we can talk about whatever is going on. I’ll meet you inside
with more wine.”

Reese: U there, Jules?

Julian: Yeah, go ahead.

Reese: You can thank me again later.

He selected the picture of Kate in his photo
gallery and sent it to Julian. A few seconds later, he received a
reply.

Julian: My beautiful girl. She will smile
again. Please take care of her until I can.

Reese: You should probably delete the
pic.

Just then, Kate and Mazzie entered the
living room. As Mazzie got Kate seated on the couch again, Reese
set his phone on the coffee table, leaned back in the chair, and
crossed his legs at the ankles.

“So, what’s going on with Kate, ladies? Man
trouble? Menstrual issues? How can I help?”

Kate whispered to Mazzie, “I really don’t
think we should be talking about this. This is my problem.”

Mazzie ignored her, telling Reese, “Kate is
missing time. Somebody came into her house, had sex with her for an
entire night, and then left. Whoever this is obviously roofied her
somehow. I think she was raped, and she can’t cope with it enough
to see it for what it was.”

“I wasn’t roofied or raped! I told you, I
know I said ‘yes’ to him! I know I did! I wasn’t drugged!”

Holding his hands out for silence, Reese
interrupted the impending argument. “Wait. Wait, ladies. Can we
please start at the beginning? Kate, don’t feel uncomfortable
because I’m a man. We’re all adults and friends here, right? I
promise I will neither judge, nor offer a solution which isn’t
sensible.”

“Okay, but please promise to listen to my
entire story before giving me your verdict?” Kate’s watery, tired
eyes begged him to listen to her.

“I promise. Tell me.”

As Kate recounted her short story and
intuitions to Reese, he showed no outwards signs of shock at
anything she said, or at the contents of her notebook. She knew she
had been drinking and could be seeing things differently than they
were, but she could’ve sworn she saw him smirk a few times when he
read through it.

Reese rose to his feet and crossed to stand
in the middle of the living room. He started pacing the room and
chewing his fingernails.

“That is a disgusting habit, Reese.” Mazzie
turned up her nose. “Chewing your nails. Disgusting.”

“Yes, it does ruin my manicure.”

“Well?” Mazzie demanded. “What’s your
verdict?”

“Kate was either drugged, or a vampire was
here.”

Almost choking on her wine, Mazzie covered
her mouth and set her glass down, laughing. “Oh my God! That was
too funny!” Mazzie wiped at her eyes. “Kate! Why aren’t you
laughing?”

“Why am I not laughing? Really? Neither one
of you is taking me seriously. I lost someone special and no one
believes me! Do you have any idea what I’m going through, grieving
for this person? I get snippets of what happened, and I can’t place
it together… I can’t…” She reached for her glass, downing the wine
in several quick sips.

Reese moved to kneeling in front of Kate. He
regarded her somberly.

“Given what you told me, those are the only
two viable options. Drugs would have removed your memory, and so
could a vampire, if he wished.”

“Oh, my God, Reese. Seriously? Why are you
putting non-existent beings into her head? That’s the last thing
she needs. Stop the drunk talk.”

“Just because you think you have never met
one, doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I know you can’t be that
closed-minded, Mazzie.”

“You cannot be serious. Don’t do this to
her!” Mazzie’s agitation was clear.

“Do you believe you have a soul?” he asked
them.

“Yes,” Mazzie replied, as Kate stayed
silent.

“Have you seen one?”

“No, but—”

“You believe without seeing, then?”

“This argument is going nowhere. I didn’t
know you were as bat shit crazy as she is right now.” Mazzie jerked
her thumb at Kate. “Come on, girl. It’s time to go to bed.”

“I want to stay up a bit longer, okay? I’m
not as lit as you are. I’ll be fine. Reese is here, and he’ll take
care of me. Won’t you, Reese?”

At his nod, Mazzie demanded, “As long as you
don’t talk this craziness all night, I don’t care how late you stay
up. Reese, make sure she sleeps in her bed, and not the couch.”
After they agreed, they overheard as she walked down the hall to
the bedroom, muttering about Dracula, bats, and holy water.

“I imagine you’re tired as well, Reese. I’m
used to having odd hours now, and I don’t sleep much, anymore. So
go ahead and go to sleep. I’ll get you a blanket and pillow.”

Kate went to the laundry and brought back a
bed pillow and thick blanket. After placing them on the couch, she
ran her fingers through her hair and sighed as some of her hair
came out in her fingers.

“I’m going to sit outside again. It’s such a
nice night.” She wobbled on her feet.

“Do you mind if I join you? I’m not tired,
either. We can just sit in silence, if that’s what you want. I
don’t think you should be alone.”

She nodded and picked up the bottle and
glass before walking to the door. Pausing, she looked back at him.
“I really don’t feel like talking. I don’t mean to be rude. I
really am glad we’re friends. I’m not like this. I’m not. I wish
we’d met earlier. I just need to think. Work it out up here.” She
tapped her temple. “Once I figure this out, I’ll either be okay, or
have another set of problems on my hands.”

“Conversation is not always necessary
between friends, but I’ll be ready and available, should you start
to feel chatty,” he said amiably, not wanting her out of his sight
at the late hour. The witching hour, some called it—the time of
night otherworldly creatures were guaranteed to be lurking
about.

The sky was black, lit only by the light of
the stars. As they sat, Kate was silent and brooding while Reese
played with his phone he had set to vibrate, so as to not disturb
her.

“I was not drugged. Mazzie was. Not me.”
Reese’s head rose at her statement, but he said nothing. Those were
the only words she spoke before falling asleep on the patio couch.
Reese carried her to her bed as Mazzie had instructed.

“Listen to the clues. You’ll figure it out,
Kate. Forgive him for what he had to do. He did it for love, girl.
He did it for you,” he said, before leaving the house to take up
his sentry post outside.

Kate’s thoughts wandered to what Reese had
said a few weeks ago as she scanned the contents in her
refrigerator. A carton of expired milk, a pizza box with three
moldy slices, and a liter bottle with less than a quarter of a
glass of soda stared back at her. The door held condiments and an
empty egg rack.

And they think I’m the crazy one? A vampire.
Really?

Deciding to risk another look, she opened
the freezer. Chilled at the cold air, she quickly shut the door
after seeing only a few items Mazzie bought for herself during her
stay. None of it was appealing. The cupboards, she had searched
earlier and knew were bare.

Her stomach echoed the thunder rumbling
outside. She jotted down a short shopping list before grabbing her
purse and running, in the pelting rain, to her car. The local
delivery joints had stopped service a few hours ago, but she knew
of an all-night grocery in town. At that late hour, and during foul
weather, she knew she was sure to find a parking spot by the
entrance.

As she drove, the radio played a song of
love lost, and she mouthed the lyrics, knowing well the swelling
pain and desperation being expressed. She knew she should change
the channel to something happier, something with some pep which
might lift her melancholy, but she made no efforts to move the
dial. The dreariness, inside the car and out, matched her mood
perfectly.

The car suddenly lurched to the side, and
Kate gripped the steering wheel tightly, looking out the side
windows as she righted the vehicle. She glanced back at the
rear-view mirror and flipped her eyes to the one on the driver’s
side. Something crunched on the roof.

“Please tell me a tree limb did not just
fall on my car. I have about all I can handle already.”