4. Catching Up
Chapter 4
Catching Up
M arcus enjoyed watching Elina’s face as she discovered each man on the team not only remembered her but had talked about her. She’d thought she’d been forgotten. She’d thought she was forgettable.
Impossible.
Marcus knew his own feelings were different from those of the other men. He’d always found Elina fascinating. She’d drawn him like a magnet. None of the others had been drawn to her in that way.
She’d dressed to fit in with the Afghan women, so seeing her in American-style clothes was new, but those eyes, that face. Those were familiar and enticing. She was beautiful inside and out.
Something intangible had bounced between them from their first meeting. Since he’d been old enough to be interested in girls, he’d never felt anything like it. He was hyperaware of her, and his protective instincts surged to an all-time high whenever he thought of her.
He hated knowing something disturbing had happened to her after he and his team had left the area. He wished he’d been able to protect her from whatever, or whoever had hurt her. With the village in distress, someone should have looked out for her. Except, his remaining team had been called in to support in an emergency elsewhere.
What had she been through? What had she suffered? How could he make it better for her and clear the shadows in her eyes?
He decided to put that aside for the moment and enjoy the present. Maybe she would drop a hint or two as to what had happened. He leaned back in his chair as Elina related the story of how she’d found their town.
Troy pointed his finger at all of their team. “See. I told you that Phail was a great name. Now, maybe you’ll believe me.”
Everyone groaned, but Marcus silently agreed. If the name Phail had brought Elina back into his life, he was all for it. Not that he’d admit that to his buddy.
Branna and Sean returned from the kitchen and set down plates of appetizers on the table for the group to share, then took seats of their own where they could keep an eye on the other patrons as well. Marcus knew one or both would pop up whenever anyone needed anything, but it was nice having the entire group together. Elina fit in perfectly.
Piper smiled at Branna. “Maybe it’s time to think about hiring some help.”
Branna grinned. “We’ve been talking about it. For the most part, I can handle it if no one’s eating, but running the kitchen and the bar can get tricky, especially if Sean’s doing his other job.” Sean ran Falcon Construction and helped in the bar when needed.
Nina grinned. “Maybe I can help.”
Addy laughed, but Heath elbowed their daughter. “You’re thirteen. You’re not working the bar.”
She scrunched up her nose. “Why not? It’s not like I’d be drinking any alcohol.”
Marcus jumped in to help his buddy. “You’re out of luck there, Nina. I’d have to arrest Branna if she let you work the bar.”
Nina studied him with a twinkle, knowing full well he’d never have to arrest Branna because she wouldn’t break the law and hire a kid to work the bar. “Any laws against me learning how to run the kitchen?”
Marcus shook his head with a smile. This girl wanted to learn everything and anything. She loved working with the animals best, but she’d also learned how to work in Phail General, and was helping Zuri Johnson clean and organize in Phabulous, her salon and tattoo shop. The girl soaked up knowledge like a sponge, and she was interested in everything from hamsters to space stations to cartoons.
Nina fluttered her eyelashes at her dad. “I could help with the cooking and the cleanup, even learn how to do the ordering. Branna wouldn’t mind.”
Heath sighed dramatically. “You’re relentless.”
“You always tell me that hard work and determination get you to the right places in life.”
Heath laughed. “You’re too smart for my peace of mind, Spitfire.”
Nina turned her attention to Elina, making Marcus smile. The girl would help him get to know more about Elina, and he wouldn’t have to ask a single question.
“It must have been interesting being a teacher in those different countries where you lived. I know from Dad that a lot of the villages didn’t have a lot of money for extras, and most of them didn’t have electricity and computers. Did the kids have any books? Or newspapers? How did you teach them to read?”
Elina smiled. “You’re right, there weren’t many books or newspapers. I had a few chalkboards and chalk. I traveled with a box of books, some in English, some in Pashto, and some had both languages.”
“That would be hard. Did the people want to learn English too, or did you mostly focus on teaching them to read in their own language?”
Beside him, Elina shrugged. “Most of the kids wanted to learn everything they could in both languages. I didn’t speak much Pashto when I first moved to Afghanistan, so there was a lot of trial and error as I learned. We drew a lot of pictures to communicate back and forth at first. We taught each other words by pointing at objects. Nouns are usually the easiest words to learn in a new language. Verbs get complicated quickly.”
“Can you show me?”
Elina grinned and pulled a notebook and pen out of her bag. Marcus remembered her playing games in the dirt with kids. They’d used sticks to draw things. Now he realized he’d been watching her teach through fun. No wonder the kids and the adults had adored her.
Nina’s eyes widened when Elina switched to speak in Pashto. He hadn’t had much reason to practice Pashto in the years he’d been back in the States, but hearing her speak proved he hadn’t lost his ability to understand.
Elina smiled at the teen. “If you want to experience what it’s like, it’s better for me to speak a language you don’t understand. It can be overwhelming until you start picking out words. Let’s start with a wolf. One of the Pashto words for wolf is lewa .”
Marcus leaned over her shoulder to watch. Her wolf sketch took only seconds, but it was perfect. A cartoon wolf with a grin on his face.
Elina repeated the word lewa and pointed at the wolf until Nina repeated it with a grin.
They continued the lesson until Nina could say the words for sheep, squirrel, and rabbit. The sketches were amazing. He hadn’t realized she was such an artist. A multi-talented woman with a huge heart.
Nina tapped the paper. “Can you teach me the word for fox?”
Elina nodded and complied. When she was done and Nina had learned the word loombar , the teen grinned. “You’re Paxi, aren’t you?”
Marcus didn’t have a clue what that meant, but Elina did. Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open, but no sounds came out.
Nina grinned. “I’m right. You’re Paxi. You’re so talented, and I love your comics.”
Comics? Marcus couldn’t wait to hear more.
N o one had ever connected Elina to Paxi. She’d never told anyone, but that was mostly because she’d had no one to tell.
She’d always loved comics and cartoons. Her parents had encouraged her love of the art and had been thrilled when she’d found a way to use her drawings to help enhance communication when there were language barriers in their work.
It had been a natural thing to use those drawings in teaching. When she’d returned to the States, it had been natural to continue to draw to cope with her feelings and situation.
She’d first published her comics on open sites where comic lovers gathered. That had led to some sponsorships and then a syndicated strip that appeared on online news sites around the world.
Her strips were quiet and gentle but poked fun at human foibles, greed, and prejudices. They were popular enough for her to live off the royalties. She’d never expected anyone to recognize her, but now Nina had.
When Elina didn’t react, the girl grimaced. “I’m sorry. Was it a secret? I didn’t mean to out you if you wanted it to be private. I’m sorry.”
Elina smiled to ease Nina’s guilt and managed to find her words. “It’s okay, Nina. I’ve never had anyone connect me to Paxi before. It’s not really been a secret. I’ve just never told anyone.”
Nina sighed. “Sounds like a secret to me. I’m really sorry. Everyone here is good at keeping secrets, though. No one else has to know.”
Elina thought about it and decided it really didn’t matter. “It’s fine. I promise. It’s not like Paxi is a secret agent or that people knowing I draw comic strips is going to bring danger my way.”
Relief swept over Nina’s face. “I’m glad. And I think it’s really cool. Paxi is one of my favorite strips. I love the way you make humans think about being kinder to each other and the planet. You’re really talented.”
Piper leaned forward with a huge smile. “I agree. I can’t believe I get to meet you. Paxi is one of my favorites as well.”
Troy laughed. “And at the gleam in Piper’s eye, I bet she’s going to ask you for some input at some point.”
Piper laughed. “You’re right. We’ve been trying to come up with a mascot for Phail. But I’m not going to pressure you, especially on your first day in town.”
That made Elina laugh, even as her cheeks flushed. Having two people who knew Paxi was weird and exhilarating. “That sounds like fun. I don’t have any plans for my time in town yet, so let me know when is good for you, and we’ll see what we can come up with.”
Piper squealed and clapped her hands. “Yes. Thank you. Whee. Fan girl moment. Okay, I’ll stop now.”
Everyone laughed, and Elina was glad to have the attention off of her when the conversation turned to some of Piper’s other ideas for the town.
Marcus leaned in to ask her softly. “Any special meaning to Paxi? Is it based on the French word for peace, by any chance?”
The word for peace in French was Paix, spelled p-a-i-x. She’d switched around the last two letters to create her comic strip name. She nodded at him. “You got it in one.”
Marcus grinned. “I just looked you up while Piper was talking. You’re very talented. I only saw a few, but I love the tone of your work. Hopeful.”
“Thank you. That’s what I’m going for.” It thrilled her that he knew her well enough to guess at the origin of the name. And that he’d checked out her work right away.
Elina didn’t know if she was reading too much into innocent gestures and words, but it was her fantasy, so she was going with it.
For the next hour, the group shared stories and laughter while they ate food that kept appearing. She even found herself in selfie shots with Nina and Piper.
Branna never seemed to sit in one place for long. When Elina tried to get up to help, she’d waved her back down with a smile. “This is what I do, and I love it. I promise I’ll ask if I need help.”
Nina scooped up some guacamole and studied Elina. “You said you saw the name Phail on the map when you were traveling from Albany. Is that where you live?”
This girl wasn’t holding back on the tough questions, but she hadn’t a clue that her words zinged straight to Elina’s insecurities. “I was passing through Albany. I used to live in Seattle for a while but it was time to leave, and I decided to go on an adventure across the country.”
Nina grinned, but she felt Marcus tense beside her. The man was proving to be fluent in reading between the lines.
“Seattle sounds like a fun place to visit, but I like living in Phail. Did you see the Space Needle or go to any Kraken games? I love their logo.”
Elina laughed. “I did see the Space Needle, but no hockey games.”
“Baseball?”
“Nope. Lots of art galleries, though.”
Nina grinned. “That sounds fun. I think Piper needs to make one here. Maybe she can attach it to the Phail tourist center she wants to create. We’ve got a ton of local artists and artisans. And if you stay, we’ll have one more.”
If you stay. Those words, said so casually by the teen, zipped their way right into Elina’s heart. Could she stay? Would she finally find a place to fit in?
This was the most comfortable she’d ever felt with a group, but would that last? It might be the fun of seeing old friends. But that could fade. She wouldn’t want to outstay her welcome, but the thought of making this a permanent move was tempting, especially with Arrow living here.
As the conversation turned to Piper’s tourist center and the possible locations and stock she should carry, Elina let the idea turn around in her head.
There was no need to make an immediate decision. She’d been in Phail for hours, not days, but she liked everything she’d seen. She’d booked the B&B for a few more nights, and that would give her time to make a decision. If she still felt this positive about the place, she could look for a short-term rental property. That would give her more time to decide.
She hadn’t been able to stay in Seattle. The itch to move might have come from never having a permanent home as a child. It could also have come from the you’re being watched vibes she got while there. The same vibes she’d had in Albany. And in every new community she’d moved to while working with her parents and on her own.
Those, she understood. She’d been new. She hadn’t spoken the languages well at the beginning. And she’d looked different from most of the residents.
The feeling of being watched had disappeared in the villages after a while, but not in Seattle. She hadn’t stayed long enough in Albany to find out.
That itchy feeling hadn’t appeared in Phail yet.
Marcus touched her arm. “You okay? It’s been a long day for you. If you want to head out at any time, that’s not a problem.”
She smiled at him and studied his face. Strong. Serious, with kind eyes that saw more than most people expected him to see. What did he see as he studied her?
Probably the attraction that always flared when he was around. Or when she thought of him. Or dreamed of him.
Elina smiled at her thoughts. “It’s been an overwhelming day, but I’m good for a bit longer.”
How much longer was the question.