Chapter 13
13
CLARK
W hen we get back to my house, I help Elena with the groceries, then start a small fire in the fireplace. Even though it’s only partially visible from the kitchen, there’s something about the crackling that I’m hopeful will relax her.
“Do you still feel like cooking?” I ask. “I have some frozen stuff if you’re tired.”
“No, I think I’d like to cook. You know – get my mind off things.”
“Got it. Want a sous chef?”
“Sure.” She seems to be mostly herself as she sets me to work chopping and grating.
We chat about Old Hemlock Valley for a while, and I’m glad that the grocery store has everything she needs. The library is big enough for her taste. And apparently she loves the bakery.
“Should I open a red to go with this?” I ask.
Elena nods eagerly. “Good idea.”
Just as we’re about to sit down to eat, she turns around and spots the last shopping bag still on the counter. “Oh!” She takes out some white candles and little glass holders.
“Wow, you thought of everything.” I turn to fish out the matches from the junk drawer. When I spin back, she’s dropped everything back onto the counter, huddled on the floor in tears.
I scramble down to sit next to her, pulling her into my lap and wrapping my arms around her. Stroking her back gently, I murmur, “Let it out, baby. All of it.”
“The candles,” she sniffs. “If I hadn’t stopped for those stupid candles, I would’ve been in my car and gone by the time they got there.”
Rocking her gently, I let her cry for a few more moments. “Maybe it’s good that you stopped to buy them. If we hadn’t run into them today, you’d have been worried about him breathing down your neck for the rest of your life.”
Her head tips up, blinking at me through her tears. “What do you mean, we? You took care of it. What if you hadn’t gotten there?”
Reaching up, I cup her face with my palm. “Well, I’m pretty sure you would have screamed, and any of the other guys around would’ve rushed to help you.”
“Wow.” She stares at me intently, her lovely brown eyes wide. “Hey… Why did you come looking for me?”
“Because Barrett called and said there were some sketchy people asking around for you. I told him I had it handled, but he still turned around and dropped by to help too.” I squeeze her against me. “See? Everyone here is ready to help each other at a moment’s notice. That’s just what we do around here.”
“Did that police officer really mean it? I mean, about running Dad out of town?”
“Hell yeah,” I snort. “Out here we obey both the written laws and the unwritten ones. And those include not screwing around with our townsfolk.”
“But I’m not really townsfolk. I mean, I was going to just be passing through for a few months. But now…”
My poor sweet girl looks so lost. Holding her close, my lips graze her temple. “How about this? You stay here with me for a couple of weeks. Then we’ll know for sure that you’re safe and that your father has given up.” I kiss my way over to her ear. “Then, if you’re enjoying it here and feel like this is a good place for you, you stay a few more weeks. Then a few more. And a few more.”
Leaning back to study her expression, I expect a little smile. Instead, Elena’s bottom lip is wobbling.
“What is it, baby? If it’s too much too soon, we can keep looking for an apartment for you. I won’t be offended.”
She starts to cry again, then hiccups. That makes her laugh for a second, thank goodness. Finally, after she catches her breath, her eyes drop closed. “It’s just, every single time in my life I’ve been sure of anything,” she whispers, “it’s been taken away from me. Dad went from normal to distant to psycho, then disappeared. My life changed from normal teenager to someone who had to work all the time. Then Mom died. Then all this crap about a safety deposit box. I just assume that it will be taken away from me as well, whatever’s in it. And then…”
“Oh, baby.” My fingers thread through the back of her hair. “Are you afraid I’m going anywhere?”
“Well… It would certainly follow the pattern.”
If it weren’t for the fact that sitting curled up on the kitchen floor is pretty much the most unromantic place for a proposal I can think of, I’m ready to ask her right now. Instead, I shift my legs to stand up while still holding her, then sit her on the kitchen counter.
“What can I do or say that will make you believe that I want to be yours forever?” Our eyes are level as she stares at me in disbelief. “Yeah, I know. It’s too early to say things like that. I don’t care. You’re the light of my life. The woman I’ve been waiting and hoping for. The perfect woman for me. As far as I’m concerned, this is a done deal. But you’ve just had one hell of a scare and you might be all rattled. What if we just put all the heavy talk on hold for now, and do nothing but relax you for the rest of the night, okay?”
Her palm strokes my beard, and I lean into her hand purring like a cat. Well, a cat with a bass-baritone voice, maybe.
“You know, for a guy with resting grumpy face, you really are the sweetest man I’ve ever met.”
My finger presses to her lips. “Ahem. That’s a secret. Don’t tell a soul.” Lifting her by the waist, I set her down, then bring the candles out from the kitchen and light them on the dining room table. “Every time we burn these candles, I want you to think of it as a victory.”
She nods. “You got it.”
I pull out her chair, and she sits down, dabbing at her eyes with a napkin. “What should we toast to?”
I sit and lift my glass. “I want to be all serious and say this is the beginning of forever. That’s not very light. So how about… To the best cook who’s ever lived in this house?”
Elena’s laugh rings out through the room. “And the very best and sexiest sous chef I’ve ever had.”
She thinks I’m sexy. She’s not afraid of me talking about forever. And most importantly, my beautiful girl’s tears are dry. She’s smiling.
I think she’s beginning to understand that she really is all mine.