Intimate Relations: Awakened Part 15

Marc laughed. "I've got to prove my manliness somehow." He knew Nate didn't want to leave Ca.s.sie alone right now. Not after what had happened.

"We've got a loaf of sourdough French bread." Mandy glanced at Marc. "Unless the wounded one ate it today."

"Didn't touch it." He frowned at Ca.s.sie. "Can pregnant ladies eat garlic?"

"Oh, yeah. And lots of b.u.t.ter, maybe a little parmesan cheese on top? I can do that."

Mandy stood. "Ca.s.sie, you know the owner. Can you call Luke and order a tray of it? By the time we're cleaned up and go get it, it should be dinner time."

"As far as I'm concerned, it's dinner time now." Laughing, Nate pulled out his phone. "I gave Luke a h.e.l.l of a deal on wine this year. I'll order the lasagna. I want to make sure we have enough for leftovers."

Dinner was wonderful, but Ca.s.sie was exhausted and it was plain to see that Marc was fading fast. The divot across his shoulder blade had been deeper than they'd realized, and he'd lost a lot of blood. Tonight he was hurting and tired, and Mandy sort of enjoyed babying him.

Mainly because it was obvious he still wasn't certain how to handle it when she did.

"C'mon," she said. "Let's go to bed."

He shrugged his shoulders, probably not such a good idea with a back full of staples, and groaned. "I don't think I can sleep right now. I'm really sore."

"Get into bed. I'm going to mix you a hot toddy."

"I don't have a sore throat, Mandy." He rolled his eyes and she laughed.

"Trust me. The way I make them, you won't have a sore anything."

She had him sit on the edge of the bed so she could help him get his shoes off. Then she helped him get out of his sweats and carefully tugged the sweats.h.i.+rt over his head. He left his knit boxers on, and she knew he must be miserable because he wasn't aroused in the least.

She left him with instructions to crawl into bed and get comfortable. It only took her a couple of minutes to nuke about a quarter cup of honey in the microwave until it was bubbling, add the juice from a fresh lemon, and top it off with a generous double shot of whiskey.

She'd always found the combination to be one of those comfort things that you a.s.sociated with being a little kid and mom giving you a tablespoon of the sugary stuff that put you to sleep in a heartbeat.

Except it hadn't been her mom. It had been one of her mom's friends, a really wonderful man who'd been their surrogate parent for almost two years while dear Mom was roaming the countryside, following the Grateful Dead. She'd probably still be following them if they hadn't quit performing. Mandy and Lola kept in touch with Ronnie, who had settled in the Castro district in San Francis...o...b..ck when houses were still moderately affordable. Mandy had thought he was her father for the longest time, until he finally explained that no, he wasn't, but that he loved both little girls as if they were his own.

Their mother might have been a flake, but she usually found good people to care for her girls. It beat being homeless, and it beat being with a mother who really didn't want any part of motherhood. But Ronnie made hot toddies whether they had head colds or bruises from playground b.o.o.boos, and while the alcohol was most likely so he could get some sleep, Ronnie bringing a toddy was a fond memory for both Mandy and Lola.

She took the steaming mug in to Marc. He was sitting up in bed, checking email on his cell phone.

"I've got texts from Ben and Jake, asking what's up and why we're not checking in or answering texts." He sighed. "I haven't been sure what to tell them."

"Here," she said. "Drink this."

"Wasn't that a line in Alice in Wonderland? And didn't it get her into trouble?"

"I'm thinking it will knock you on your perfect a.s.s so you can get some sleep. The ibuprofen doesn't appear to be getting the job done. As far as Jake, Kaz, Ben, and Lola, I suggest a Skype call tomorrow with everyone on board. I'll send a text and we'll set up a time. The thing is, you getting shot is probably going to hit the paper tomorrow or the next day, and it might make the evening news. You're a somebody, whether you want to be or not. People are going to hear about it."

"c.r.a.p. I didn't even think of that, but you're right. We need to let them know before they hear it somewhere else."

"Exactly. So I'll set up something for tomorrow morning. You okay with that?"

"Hmmm, uh, yes." He took another sip of his drink. "This is really good."

"Don't sound so surprised. It's supposed to be. Now drink it."

"Yes, dear."

Laughing, she sent a group text. I know we're all in different time zones, but Marc and I need to set up a group chat for sometime tomorrow on Skype. Does nine Pacific work? There's a lot going on here, and we want you to be involved. Personally, I don't want to worry alone.

Before she sent it, she included Theo and Ted. Now that Ted was here, and Theo had protected her from Steven Reed, Mandy figured it was only fair. She looked at the list of names in the group and smiled while Marc sipped his toddy. He'd always said he wanted a big family, and it appeared his was continuing to grow.

She had answers within minutes that the time worked perfectly. Even Theo had replied and said it worked well for both him and Ted. At nine in the morning here in California, it would be noon in DC and six in the evening in Rome, where Jake and Kaz were doing a final shoot Friday morning before flying to Venice on Sat.u.r.day. She glanced at Marc, intending to tell him they were all set up.

He'd fallen asleep with the empty cup in his hand. Ronnie's toddy had triumphed again.

She lifted the cup out of Marc's lax fingers and helped him turn to his right side to sleep. He mumbled a bit, but didn't awaken. A few minutes later, after straightening up in the kitchen and going through her regular nightly routine, she crawled into bed beside Marc. There was no blood seeping through the bandage, which she figured had to be a good sign.

With a soft pillow against his back so she wouldn't b.u.mp into him, Mandy snuggled close, wondering just how the conversation would go in the morning.

CHAPTER 11.

Mandy awoke to the dusky gray of early morning. Marc slept soundly, sprawled on his belly with his left arm tucked under him. The bandage was clean with no sign of blood, which meant he hadn't torn any of the staples during the night.

She'd been worried. He'd been restless, and she thought she'd heard him getting back into bed at some point, which meant he'd been up, but he must have gone back to sleep. She certainly had.

The doctor had been worried about bleeding because she was pulling skin together over such a wide area. She'd said it would be painful for a while, but should heal cleanly as long as he took it easy. Mandy tried to imagine Marc taking anything easy. He seemed driven much of the time, as if he always had something that needed to be done yesterday.

Of course, he was a very successful man. She was grinning as she quietly got out of bed. That drive probably had a lot to do with all that success. She pulled on her old fuzzy green bathrobe. Lola insisted it was actually her security blanket, and Mandy knew better than to argue the point. Snuggled up in its fuzzy comfort, she padded out to the kitchen to make coffee. As soon as there was enough in the carafe, she poured a cup and took it out on the front porch.

Mornings here were gorgeous. Fog drifted through the redwood trees on the hill across the road. There was a doe with a couple of speckled fawns tugging leaves off an old apple tree just inside the fence along the front of the property, and she heard wild turkeys up on the hillside. Coyotes had been howling during the night, and she'd heard a great horned owl hooting. Now, as the sun rose over the hills behind her, the musical cadence of workers speaking Spanish out in the vineyard blended with the natural songs of the wildlife.

She checked her watch. It was almost seven. If Marc wasn't up by eight, she'd go in and wake him. She knew he'd want plenty of time to wake up before talking to everyone this morning, and so far, she'd discovered he really wasn't a morning person. She sipped her coffee and felt herself relax even more. It was so peaceful here, such an idyllic setting.

Hard to believe someone had taken a shot at them yesterday. Terrifying to imagine how close she'd come to losing the man she loved.

Marc rolled carefully to the side of the bed and slid his feet off the edge of the mattress. It was the easiest way to sit up, to stand. He'd tried to get out of bed during the night the usual way, and the pain almost flattened him. Dealing with so much discomfort, from what sounded like such a small injury, left him feeling decidedly unmanly.

He should probably take a look at the thing. If it was gruesome enough, he'd feel better about acting like a wimp.

Once he was sitting, he turned toward Mandy, except she wasn't there. He caught the faint scent of coffee, incentive enough to get him up and moving. He managed to clean up in the shower without getting the bandage wet, though was.h.i.+ng his hair one-handed and keeping the bandage dry was more than he wanted to deal with. He merely stuck his head beneath the spray and got it good and wet.

At least by the time he finished, he was feeling cleaner and a bit steadier on his feet. He carefully stepped over the raised lip of the shower. Mandy was waiting in the bathroom, holding a big towel.

"I would have helped, you know. Lean over."

"Good morning to you, too." He leaned over so she could dry his hair and then stood still while she wiped down the rest of him. "I hope you realize I could grow used to this sort of service very quickly."

She paused and raised her head. Were those tears? "Babe, what's wrong?" He wrapped his right arm around her and hugged her close.

She sniffed. "I'm sorry. I was sitting out on the front porch having a cup of coffee and thinking how beautiful everything was, when it dawned on me just how easily it could have been me sitting out there planning your funeral. Or you planning mine. It makes me feel a lot closer to what Kaz went through with all those attempts on her life. She's clearly a lot tougher than me."

"n.o.body's tougher than you. Help me get dressed, okay? I don't want to have our conversation with the guys while sitting here naked.

"Good point. I would hate to have Kaz and Lola ogling you."

He leaned close and kissed her.

She broke the kiss and glanced down. "I can see how much you love me. Evidence confirms you're recovering. C'mon. Cover up the goods. I'm going to make breakfast before we call everyone."

Mandy set up her laptop, and Marc took over. He opened the browser and added Kaz, Ben, and Ted, who had said he'd bring Theo into his office with all the cool screens. Within a few seconds, it felt like old home week.

Mandy was so glad to see everyone she was practically bouncing on her chair. "I've missed you guys! Hey, Kaz. Hi Jake. Lola! We're in Dry Creek Valley, Rico's with Jasper and Abdul, and hi Ben and Theo and Ted. And now that I've got that out of my system, I'm going to sit quietly and turn this meeting over to Marc."

Marc sat on Mandy's left so he could put his right arm around her, and he kept his left arm and the sling out of camera range. "Impressive intro, Ms. Monroe. Folks, this is actually a business meeting of sorts. First of all, welcome to Ted Robinson, who is now a full time employee of Reed Industries. He arrived Wednesday and got thrown into the deep end without a life preserver. Details later."

Mandy and Marc were both laughing by the time everyone finished welcoming Ted. The razzing had the new employee trying very hard to keep a straight face. Marc finally interrupted. "Okay. Enough jocularity. We've got some serious business going on. First, I close escrow on the house on Twenty-third next week. I'm your new landlord. The owner wanted to sell and Theo advised me to buy, so if you're unhappy with the new situation, complain to him. The unit next to the one we're living in is vacant and badly in need of renovation, but I'm hoping, Kaz and Jake, that you'll think about moving in. I'll take care of whatever upgrades you want to do. I imagine the bubblegum pink bedroom and nausea-inducing striped wallpaper will need to go. If you're next door, it's a lot more convenient for you to show up at mealtimes, which you generally manage to do anyway. No," he said in answer to their teasing. "Quit making excuses. It's never as much fun without you. And Lola, should they move in, you definitely get a raise."

Mandy shot a quick glance Marc's way. With all the positive comments, there was no doubt Jake and Kaz approved. He glanced at the image of Ted and Theo in Ted's office. "Ted, if it works out, once the place next to ours is done, that might free up Jake's apartment. I'm willing to buy up the lease so you'll have a place to live. It's in a great location and the rent is still fairly reasonable, but we can talk about it later."

"One question." Kaz raised her hand like a kid in the cla.s.sroom-except she was in Rome. "Why buy that place when you can afford anything?"

He shrugged. "I like it there. It comes with all of you." Before Kaz had time for one of her traditionally snarky replies, he changed the subject. "Okay. Now there's another thing that's been going on." He glanced at Mandy. "Well, two, actually." He leaned close and kissed her. His lips moved over hers as if she were the only woman in the room, which she was, sort of. Though even the power of Marc's kiss couldn't block out the shocked laughter and cheers from the peanut gallery.

When she finally came up for air, Mandy had a feeling she looked very well kissed. She certainly felt that way, so she leaned toward the computer screen and said, "Okay. I think we can end the call for now, okay?"

Marc planted another quick one on her lips before looking at Mandy. "No, Mandy. We can't." Then he laughed and said, "With that visual in mind, you can see that Mandy and I merely needed a little bit of time without the well-intentioned matchmaking that's kept us apart for way too long. Which actually frees up a bedroom in case you need a place to crash, Ted, until we get everything worked out."

Theo's laughter had everyone looking his way. "Ted's already moved into my spare room. I think it's going to take a forklift and a good pry bar to get him out."

Ted shrugged. "Sorry, Mandy. He's a h.e.l.l of a good cook. So are you, Lola, but with just me and Theo, I don't have to share as much."

"I'm crushed." Lola sighed. "However, I imagine I'll survive. I'm really glad you're here, Ted." She looked into the camera. "Okay, Mr. Reed. Now what else is going on? And is that a sling I see on your left arm?"

"Well ... yes." He glanced at Mandy. "It appears I've joined the gunshot club, though I think Ben's still the only one of us who took lead directly into the body, and Nate Dunagan's bullet got stopped by his cellphone, may it rest in peace. But like Jake and Ted, I got grazed yesterday when someone took a shot at us. The bullet cut across my left shoulder blade and it hurts like a sonofab.i.t.c.h. Jake, I'm not nearly as tough as you."

When the commotion settled, he told them. Everything. Mandy was so proud of the fact he got through the story without missing anything of importance, and most of all, without losing it. She wanted to cry every time she thought of that little boy hiding out in his parents' room, watching his father strangle his mother.

She imagined that at some point the loneliness would come back to him, the way he'd felt when he realized his mother wasn't coming back, especially with the horrible story his father had fed him for all those years.

"So," he said, holding tightly to Mandy, "that's going to be my main focus for a while. Making a formal report to the Marin police department and then making sure my father is arrested before he can hurt any of us again."

There was absolute shocked silence while Jake, Kaz, Lola, and Ben absorbed the horror of what Marc had just told them. Theo and Ted knew all the details, but they sat quietly. Then Kaz turned to Jake. "We have to go home. Can you cancel the shoot in Venice?"

"No." Marc held his hand up. "Absolutely not. I don't want any of you coming back sooner than you plan to. Right now, I'm worried sick about Mandy, and I hate to think of Theo and Ted here in danger. I couldn't handle it if any of you were out here, making yourselves targets for the b.a.s.t.a.r.d. No matter what anyone says, it's my father who's behind all this, and none of you should be put in danger because of him. I have to agree with Ted. Steven Reed is psychotic. I have no doubt that he would kill any of you to get to me. Please, continue to do what you're doing, and don't come back until you have to. Kaz and Jake, we're taking care of the details for the wedding, so if you come back as planned at the end of next week, with any luck, we'll have him behind bars by then and you can finish up any final wedding stuff with plenty of time before the event."

Ben nodded. "I don't like it, Marc, but I understand." He hugged Lola tightly against him. "I'd hate to be out there now, worrying about Lola's safety and yours as well. I'm really glad you've got Ted with you. It looks like the deposition could go into next week, but if you do need me, just let me know and I can be there in a matter of hours."

"Thank you, Ben, I appreciate that. You can't imagine how much."

They talked a while longer about other things: what they'd gotten done for Kaz and Jake's wedding, the fact that they were talking about opening a coffee shop in Marc's building and hiring women from a shelter, all topics that made this feel more like a regular chat, the kind they had when all of them were sitting around the kitchen table at the house on Twenty-third. It brought a needed sense of normalcy to their lives. Finally, they ended the call.

As soon as the screen went black, Marc slumped against Mandy. "I think I was more nervous making that call than I've ever been at any of my business meetings."

"Why?" She rested her head on his shoulder.

"It's all so much more important now. Every single person on that call means so much to me. I've never had this many people in my life to care about. To worry about. It's a huge responsibility."

She laughed. "No, it's not. Because they care just as much about you, and worry about you even more."

"I doubt that."

"Don't." She shook her head, wis.h.i.+ng there were some simple way to knock a bit of sense into the man. "Don't ever doubt any of us. Ever."

He looked at her for the longest time. Finally sighed and said, "I love you so much, Mandy. So much it's scary. And yes, that means I'm paying attention to you and I'm really trying to deal with all this. Okay?" He kissed her. "So, what's on the schedule today?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I'm going to help Ca.s.sie in the tasting room and you are going to heal. Quickly. I don't want to worry about hurting anything next time we, uh..."

"f.u.c.k like bunnies?"

She nodded. Barely managed to hang on to her "serious adult" look. "That would be it exactly."

Theo just sat there with a huge grin on his face, staring at the black screen. Ted watched him for a moment until curiosity won. "What?"

"Aw, c'mon. You can see it. I know you can. It's Marc. He's had it hard for Mandy since he first met her. Came to work the next day and talked about all the c.r.a.p that happened between Jake, Kaz, and that d.a.m.ned stalker, but whenever he mentioned Lola's little sister, his eyes just lit up." Theo waved his hand at the screen. "You look at him now and it's like he's lit up top to bottom from the inside. He's a terrific kid. Too d.a.m.ned smart for his own good, but he's always seemed just a little bit lost, sort of out of step with the rest of the world. Not anymore. I want this to work for him."

"Then we'd better stop the b.a.s.t.a.r.d who's after him."

"Agreed. And Ted, I mean what I said. You're welcome to stay at my place as long as you like. You're an easy guy to be around."

Ted caught himself studying Theo, fascinated by the man behind the business manager. Coming to San Francisco had been a huge step, terrifying in a way he'd not really understood. Then he realized what this move had meant-not only was he leaving a job he'd held for twenty-seven years, he was leaving that person behind. The Ted Robinson he'd been-closeted, alone, always wondering what he'd missed-had stayed in Virginia.

This was only his third day in California. He'd spent two days camped out at Theo's, and already felt more at home there, and here in this office built especially for him, than in all those years living in Arlington.

He raised his head and smiled at Theo. "Thank you. But you're pretty d.a.m.ned easy to be around too, Theo. That you are."