Stormy Surrender - By Nicole Andrews Moore Page 0,49

the marriage.” She cleared her throat. “I just wanted to grow up so badly. I wanted this life that I thought I was supposed to have. And a big part of that was having a baby. It’s the loss of our child that bothers me. He would have been a lousy father, but the baby was for me.”

They were quiet for a few minutes, enjoying the crackling of the fire, the closeness that had developed between them that could only come from sharing secrets. And that’s when they heard the sirens. He heard the air brakes out in front of the house as the fire truck came to a screeching halt. He jumped up and rushed to the front yard. Marti soon followed.

“What’s going on?” She asked, surprised.

The firemen were hauling hoses off the truck, preparing to hook them to the nearest hydrant just one house away in front of Miss Gracie’s place. Suddenly he worried that the poor senile woman next door had started a fire. “Is everything okay?” He shouted.

One of the firemen called from on top of the truck. “Well, Joe, we heard your house is on fire!”

They glanced about. “My house?” He asked. And then he growled as he looked up at the window of the house next door. The blinds snapped shut the minute that he made eye contact with Miss Gracie. He looked at the firemen collected around the truck. “Sorry, guys. Looks like another false alarm. Maybe I should just call you when I decide to have a bonfire?” He chuckled and shook hands and clapped the firemen on the shoulder as they packed up to leave.

“One of these days I’m going to have a talk with the old bat,” the fire chief announced. “I know she means well, but I was just getting ready for some time with my wife, if you know what I mean. And I don’t get enough time with my wife.” They all laughed and minutes later pulled away from the house.

Joe grabbed Marti’s hand. He walked her back to the blanket. “Where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?” He ran his hands from her shoulders down her arms until he had both of her hands in his. They laced fingers for a moment and stood there staring at their hands linked together.

She broke the silence by clearing her throat. “I think I was just about to go…”

He could actually feel her fear. He could feel that she was trembling slightly. “Huh, and not so long ago you were trying to figure out how to kill the rest of the night. He pulled her close to his chest and held her there while he listened to her breathing slow finally.

“Nights are the longest part of the day,” she admitted finally. “It’s the one time I am most acutely aware of my aloneliness.”

“Aloneliness?” He chuckled.

“What? I can make up a word if I want. I make up lots of words.” She stuck her chin out at him.

“Okay, how about this.” He lifted her chin so that she looked at him, but he didn’t give her a bit of space. “What if you call me if you are ever lonely or bored at night?”

She shook her head. “I could never do that. I wouldn’t want to wake you.”

“So, what if it’s a visual? You’ll be living across the road soon enough. What if I leave the light on for you? If the light’s on, you know I’m here for you.” He watched her face for a reaction. He could tell she believed the idea had merit. He smiled. “It’s settled. For you, I’m Motel 6.”

Laying tile was harder than it looked. That was the only way she could explain the amount of sleep she had required. By the time she rolled out of bed it was after 8am and she knew she was never going to make it over to the house by 8:30am to start the demolition of the porch. And really, she had a bit of a grudge against that porch. It had, after all, tried to eat her. Complete and utter destruction was no less than it deserved. While she was banished, the plumber had installed a new hot water heater, and started to replace all the plumbing in the entire house. The roof had been replaced. The windows were nearly done. And another crew was following behind to complete the siding. Since it was Color Plus Hardie, the look was already stunning. She loved