Running scared, p.2
Running Scared, page 2
She pulled her sunglasses down off the top of her head—she didn’t want Gary to see what a wimp she was. She’d spent the last two years being strong, mainly for Sally, but also for herself. The rock of Gibraltar—that was Emma.
She smiled and lifted her glass. “To happiness.” A little happiness would be a change. Besides, one wish at a time was probably all she could handle. “Yeah, to happiness.”
*
Nearly every day Gary had called around with an invitation of some sort. Today it was a kiddie’s amusement park.
“You really are spoiling us.”
“The Squirt doesn’t seem to be objecting.” He reached out and lightly brushed his fingers along Emma’s soft cheek. “Besides, you’re worth spoiling.”
Emma’s eyes misted over. “No one has ever said that before.” Her voice was low and shaky.
Gary could feel himself getting angry. “Then they’re bloody fools!” How could anyone treat her this way—this wonderful, loveable woman?
Gary edged his way closer, and draped his arm around Emma’s shoulders as they stood watching Sally on the merry-go-round.
Emma looked back over her shoulder, and Gary studied her as she scanned their surroundings—an action that seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary for her.
“Everything all right?” It was certainly a strange thing for Emma to be doing.
“Hmmm? Oh, yeah. Sorry.” They walked over to the ride and Gary lifted Sally from the artificial horse.
“Did you have a good ride, Squirt?” Gary swung the little girl up onto his shoulders and walked toward another ride.
“Yes thank you, Mr. Bedford. Can I have another one now? Please?”
“Sally!”
Gary laughed at Emma’s outrage. “Course you can. How about the ducky ride?” He settled Sally into the ride then issued instructions: “Keep your hands out of the water, Squirt. Okay? Otherwise you might jam your fingers.”
Hell! He realized he was starting to sound like the kid’s father!
Sally nodded and settled back to enjoy her ride.
“Now that we’re alone again...”
Emma looked up sharply.
“Tell me what you were looking for.”
“Nothing. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m a co... I’m er, very observant. You were definitely searching for something. Or someone.”
Emma hesitated slightly before answering, and Gary knew instinctively he was right. “It’s nothing. Really. It just felt as though someone’s gaze was trained on me.”
Emma’s eyes were glued to her shoes. Not once did she look into Gary’s eyes, he noted.
He reached out and lifted her chin, forcing Emma to look at him. “Really?” What the hell is she running from? Or who?
“Really. Why would I lie to you? Honestly Gary, you’re such a worry wart.”
“Maybe I need to be?” Gary wanted to question her further, but the ride finished, and the opportunity was lost.
With Sally back up on his shoulders, they headed toward the Jumping Castle. “This is not over, Emma. Not by a long shot,” he told her, and watched the color drain from her face at his words.
*
Finally, he’d talked Emma into going on a real date, for a real dinner, at a real restaurant.
“You see, what did I tell you? This place is perfect for kids. And adults.”
Oh yeah, she’d been reluctant, but with an indoor playground for the Squirt, how could she refuse? He’d even booked a table right outside the children’s playroom.
“Okay, I concede.” She looked up from her meal and smiled. “You were right.”
“Of course I was! I’ve lived here for most of my life. I know the place inside out and back-to-front.” He reached over and draped his hand over Emma’s. “We’ll have to do this more often. There is one thing though...”
Emma leaned toward him. “What’s that?”
She wasn’t going to like it, but too bad. “On a real date, the couple usually travel in the same car.” He sat watching, waiting for her reaction.
Emma stared at him. She suddenly sat upright and took a sip of her lemon squash. “I, I can’t.”
“Can’t, or won’t?”
Emma abruptly wrenched her hand away. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I do.” Much to Gary’s frustration, Sally interrupted them.
“Mr. Bedford, Mummy. Come and see the room with all the balls. I can roll around and jump, and everything!” She pulled at the leg of Gary’s trousers as he stood. “You wanna play too?”
“I’m a bit big, Squirt. They won’t let me play. Too bad, huh? Looks like fun.”
Gary reached over and touched the end of Emma’s nose. “This is not over, Em. We will discuss this, I promise you.”
Again, Emma went pale.
*
“So what made you move this far out of Bairnsdale? It’s pretty isolated.” Gary had invited himself in for coffee after their date, and could see Emma was annoyed. She had never let him past the front door, but tonight he’d made it impossible for her to say no. He was inside before she had a chance to refuse him.
Emma was always wary, careful, and watchful. She didn’t talk about herself, her family, or her circumstances. They’d been dating—if you could call it dating—for several weeks, but still Gary knew virtually nothing about Emma. He sensed more than ever, she was involved in something way out of her league.
“The peace and quiet, I guess. Sally and I need some tranquility in our lives. Besides, we’re only a few minutes drive out of town.”
A pajama clad Sally attempted to climb up onto Gary’s knee. “I’m sure Mr. Bedford doesn’t want you up there! Behave yourself Sally, please.”
Gary reached down and scooped the disappointed child up into his lap. “It’s all right. She’s no problem, being such a little Squirt and all.”
Sally’s bottom lip dropped into a pout. “I am not a Squirt!” she growled. “What is a Squirt anyway?” She looked up into Gary’s face, eagerly awaiting a reply.
“Hmmm, let’s see. A Squirt is a small, beautiful person. I think that describes you very well, don’t you?” He winked across at Emma, watching with renewed interest as the light from the nearby lamp made her eyes sparkle and shine.
“Right, young lady, it's time for bed. Say good night to Mr. Bedford.”
“But, Mummy...”
“No argument, it’s way past your bedtime already.”
Sally turned her angelic face to Gary. “Mr. Bedford, will you read me a story? Please? I always have a story before I go to sleep.”
He felt a twinge of guilt to think that only minutes ago he couldn’t wait for her to go to bed. “Only if it’s okay with your Mum.”
The second Emma nodded her agreement, Sally disappeared, but quickly returned with ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Gary reached down and scooped the child up into his lap once more, and waited while she settled herself before opening the book.
“Once upon a time...” he began.
“Why do books always start ‘Once upon a time’?” Sally enquired.
“Because they do,” he responded.
“But why do they?” she demanded.
Gary looked up to see Emma had covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her amusement.
“Because, er, kids love it, that’s why.” This story is going to take forever!
Sally fell asleep half way through the book and Gary carried her to her room, gently placing the sleeping child in her bed. Emma pulled the blankets up around Sally’s shoulders, and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek before turning off the light and leaving the room.
“You’re good with kids.” She motioned for him to sit down again.
He shrugged. “I have nieces and nephews.”
Emma filled the electric jug with water, turned it on and began to prepare the cups. She jumped, startled, as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.
Noting her reaction, Gary realized it was not the first time he had startled her with very little effort.
“I’ve made a decision,” she told him.
Gary was at full attention. “And what’s that?”
“That you are very pushy.”
“I know what I want and go after it. And, I usually get what I want. Anyway,” he grinned at her, “you want it too.”
Emma’s jaw dropped open. “How can you say that?” she demanded. “I haven’t done anything to encourage you.”
“Liar! You wanted me to kiss you earlier. You know, at the park,” A smile creased his lips. “...before we were rudely interrupted.”
Emma’s cheeks flooded with color. He knew what she’d been thinking when they were standing alone, waiting for Sally’s ride to finish. He’d leaned into her, his mouth open in preparation. Just as she had parted her lips slightly, some damned kid with his damned ball interrupted them.
Gary spun her around in his arms. Their bodies were close, it felt right. Her hips gently touched his, her breasts softly pushed against his chest. She lifted her hands and put them against him, then gently pushed while arching her back away from him.
She was one hell of a woman, but boy, was she ever confused. When he looked into her eyes, she seemed to be pleading with him. Pleading for what? For him to kiss her? To hold her closer? For him to leave her alone?
He shook his head. Nah—she wanted him.
Gary leaned into her and claimed her mouth. His hands came up around her back, pulling her closer still.
Emma’s hands slid up from his chest and looped around his neck, her fingers sliding through his long hair, which tonight hung loose on his shoulders.
Gary began to massage Emma’s back with one hand, the other swimming in her silky brown locks. Emma’s eyes were closed, she was finally relaxing. He pulled her closer still.
The kettle began to emit a high-pitched whistle, and Emma suddenly pulled back, breathless. He looked down into her face. He was as breathless as she was, but his lips curled in amusement. “Still trying to deny what we both know?”
Emma touched her fingers to her lips. “I, er, have to make the coffee,” she said. “The jug’s boiled.”
He still held her in his arms, reluctant to let go as the whistling kettle continued to scream at them.
Gary felt like a teenager, totally infatuated. Only this was more than infatuation, there was electricity between them. More than electricity; more like lightning, he mused. He knew it, but Emma still hadn’t realized. Or maybe she had? He would just have to give her time to work it out.
Gary reached over, flicked off the power switch, and the whistle slowly died. He dove forward to claim his prize once more, but Emma quickly wriggled out of his arms before he could stop her. A slow smile crept to his lips. He liked a challenge.
After preparing the coffee together, they sat down with their drinks. Emma sat opposite Gary in what appeared to be a carefully choreographed move.
“So tell me more about yourself, Emma. You’re obviously fairly new to the area.”
Although they’d dated many times over the last weeks, Emma constantly withheld information about herself. This could be the opportunity Gary needed to get to know her better.
Emma stared down into her cup, then took a sip. “There’s not much to tell really. We moved here a little over a month ago now. There’s still heaps of stuff to unpack.”
Gary surveyed the room, puzzled. Everything was tidy and apparently in its place.
“The boxes are in the spare room, in case you’re wondering.”
He nodded his understanding. “Why did you move to Bairnsdale?” Good one, Bedford! Straight to the point. What happened to taking it easy?
Emma’s eyes bore into him as a spasm of pain creased her face. Again, he concluded that something simply was not right with this family.
“If you don’t want to talk about it...” Sometimes it was better to tread softly.
She took another sip of coffee. “No, it’s all right. You’ll find out sooner or later anyway, I guess.”
He watched her carefully as she put down her cup and twisted her hands nervously in her lap.
Emma looked across at him and licked her lips, an action he’d come to recognize as nervousness.
“Emma?” He watched as her face twisted, as though trying to make a difficult decision.
“I was married,” she finally answered.
“But you’re divorced now, right?”
She stared at him momentarily, apparently startled by his question. “No. No, I’m not,” she answered, licking her lips again.
The atmosphere between them grew suddenly cold and silent. Gary put his cup down on the side table.
“I see,” he said, standing to leave, his heart pounding in his chest. As much as he wanted her, no way was he going to push in on someone else’s territory. Why the hell didn’t she tell me before?
“No, you don’t,” she said quietly. “Please, sit down and I’ll explain.” Gary stood rigid. “Please?” she whispered.
Reluctantly he sat and waited. He watched powerlessly as she fought back tears, then moved to sit beside her.
“No, don’t. Please. I’ll be all right.” Emma reached up and brushed a stray tear from her cheek. “He, my husband, left for work one morning, and he, uh, met some mates for a drink after work. They, um, were, uh, mugged on their way home.” She stopped momentarily and licked her lips. “Two of them were stabbed in the scuffle. He, uh, died.”
He sat staring, listening, watching as her pretty face paled and strained.
“Emma, I’m so sorry.” He hadn’t realized how hard it had been for her.
Emma continued as though he hadn’t spoken. “Anyway, that was two years ago.” As he listened, he could hear that she was fighting to keep the emotion out of her voice, a fight she didn’t win. “I’ve spent the last two years trying to start a new life, but living in the home we made together was—difficult. So here we are, starting all over again.” She sat back, exhaling, with a sigh of relief.
“So what now? What’s the future hold for you here?”
“I’m a remedial massage therapist. In the next few days, I’ll start looking for somewhere to set up shop.”
“I might be able to help you there,” he interrupted. “My brother-in-law is a Real Estate Agent. Sorry... Continue your story.”
“That’s great—about your brother-in-law I mean.” She took another sip of her coffee. “Anyway, that’s enough about me, don’t you think? It’s your turn now.”
“Okay, that’s fair I guess.” He took a deep breath. “I’m thirty-two years old... how old are you, by the way?” he asked, squinting across at her.
“Twenty-eight.”
“Twenty-eight? I would have guessed twenty-two or three. Wow!”
Emma squirmed in her seat, apparently at his compliment.
“Okay, where was I? Oh yes, I’m single. No kids, no girlfriend, just in case you’re wondering.” He noted her obvious amusement at this last tidbit. “I own and run a holiday farm at Bruthen. That’s not far out of Bairnsdale. It's a working farm where families can spend their holidays. Great for city folk who don’t know the difference between a cow and a bull! I’d love to show you and the, er, Sally, around sometime.”
“Sounds great!” She smiled, and he watched as some of the previous strain left her face.
“Good. How’s tomorrow sound? I could come over and pick the two of you up and...”
“I was right. You are pushy.”
Gary felt unreasonably deflated. He was sure Emma was starting to relax in his company.
“I didn’t say no. I just said you’re pushy. Tomorrow’s Sunday, so I guess that’s fine.”
He rubbed his hands together. “Great. That’s great. I’ll pick you up at ten. All right?”
“Fine, no problem.” Emma glanced at her watch. It was getting late.
“Okay, I take the hint. If you’re sure you’re all right I’ll go.” She nodded and he stood to leave. “Emma, thanks—for a wonderful day.”
When they reached the front door, he hesitated briefly, then spun around to face his hostess. He studied her face and her amazing blue eyes.
“Time to go, I think.” Emma broke eye contact.
“Not quite.”
He took her by the shoulders and pulled her against him, reluctant to leave without tasting her again. He covered her mouth before she could protest.
Their lips met in a gentle alliance, unlike the first kiss, so full of urgency. As much as she wanted him, Emma unwillingly decided her life was just too complicated, she couldn’t indulge herself. Nor could she involve Gary, and possibly risk both their lives, and Sal’s. She reluctantly pulled out of his grip, tears threatening at the corners of her eyes, as reality hit.
“Gary?”
“Hmmm?” He pulled her closer.
“Are you listening to me?” Her voice reduced to almost a whisper now, and much to her disgust, she knew he’d notice the shakiness in it. Her fears were confirmed when he pulled back and looked into her face.
“Emma? What’s wrong?” He brought his hands up her back, massaging her gently. Still she didn’t answer. “Emma? Is it something I’ve done? Please, tell me.”
He continued to study her face, ached with the strain of trying to maintain her composure.
“I, I can’t. I’ve decided we can’t, I can’t see you again.” There, I’ve said it. Finished it. Over with. And he’ll just have to accept it.
“The hell you say!” Gary frowned down at her. “What’s gotten into you? Everything was fine a minute ago.” He brushed a stray tear from her cheek.
“Stop that!” She swiped at his hand. “You’re making this very difficult for me, Gary. You’re not supposed to be nice, or gentle, or anything of the things you seem to be.”
He laughed, “I’m not? You want me to be, let’s see... mean, rough, and callous?”
She knew he wanted her to see how foolish she sounded.
He continued to look down at her, staring into her eyes. What was he doing now? Reaching into her soul, her mind, or maybe her heart? Fat chance!
