Fire and Ice: A Paranormal Romance (9 page)

“Yes.”

“Well, now I know why,” Sarah explained.  “It’s not that Jessie follows you—It’s that you take her with you wherever you go.  You even brought her here.”

Billy looked down.  “You’re right,” he admitted.  “I did.”

“I didn’t come here for a threesome, Billy.”

Billy looked at her in astonishment.  “No, I know you didn’t.  I’m sorry.  I truly am.”

“Look, I’m not saying that Jessie is a bad person.  I didn’t even know her,” Sarah explained.  “But, I can’t compete with her, either.  Jessie might have even had other guys, but then, you two had been together a long time.  Perhaps she just had to get it out of her system.  We don’t have a clue about what motivated her, nor do we have any proof that she took that money.  Had money ever been missing before?”

“Never.”

“See?” Sarah pointed out.  “That’s what I mean.  We don’t have enough information.  Jessie is gone.  You miss her, but only you know when it’s right for you to move on.  No one can force you to do that—not your parents and certainly, not me.  I don’t want to be your backup person.  That also has nothing to do with whether I will help you.  I’m in this knee-deep as it is.  I’m more than happy to help.  But, I am not forcing you to feel something for me that you don’t.  If you want to be friends, that’s okay, too.”

“You’re not my backup person,” Billy assured her. 

“Yes, but I don’t want you to be with me just because Jessie cheated on you.  Then, it is about revenge,” Sarah told him.  “You need to sort this out.  You need time.  Look, I really care about you.  I’ve got time.  I’m not in any rush.  I never have been.  Why don’t we get this whole thing about Eddie sorted out and take it from there.”

“I see what you mean,” said Billy.  “You may be right.  Hey, would you like someone to cuddle up next to you tonight in that big bed?”

“Only cuddle?” she asked.

“Yep.  Only cuddle.  I figured it might help you get a night’s sleep.”

“Why do I have trouble believing that?” she asked.

“I’m not sure,” he grinned.

Chapter Ten

Sunday

-

Sarah was right.  Billy had no intention of “just cuddling,” and that was fine with her.  After making love, they spent the night wrapped in each other’s arms.

When Sarah woke up in the morning, Billy was already out on the patio drinking coffee and looking at the water.  “Hey Sleepyhead, what do you want to do today?” he grinned.

“Play on the beach,” she smiled back at him.

The truth was that Billy missed her even in that short amount of time he had been out there on the patio alone.  Sarah had gotten under his skin.  He didn’t want to tell her and confound the issue. He could just imagine what it had been like for her trying dodge and weave through his emotions.

The two of them spent the morning on the baby powder-fine sand and took lots of pictures of the beach.  Billy wanted Sarah to have a good time.  He had promised her a vacation and so far, much of the trip seemed to be about Jessie.  “How would you like to go swim with the dolphins?” he asked.

“Are you serious?”  Sarah was thrilled with the idea.  “That has always been a dream of mine.”

“Well, that is great.  Now, I can finally give you a dream that’s a nice one,” Billy smiled.  “There’s a place not too far from here.  Let’s grab our stuff and go.”

·
        
* * * * *

Billy and Sarah went to swim with the dolphins.  Billy had never seen Sarah so excited since he met her.  She was like a little kid and he liked that about her.  Jessie was never content.  His daddy was right about the apple not falling far from the tree.  Charla was never satisfied, either.  Perhaps her daughter was more like her than Billy realized. 

Billy had been so caught up in missing Jessie that he had not really allowed himself to remember what it was actually like being with her.  Jessie was rarely happy.  She always wanted to have something else or be somewhere else other than where she was at the moment.  He remembered the day that they had been on the party barge with some friends in Florida.  Jessie commented about how great it would be if they were in Hawaii.  Nothing was enough for her.

Sarah was the opposite
.  Everything
was enough for her.  She was not hyper-focused on herself, either.  On Saturday, when he suggested that she go with wet hair to meet his parents, she was fine with the idea.  She was casual and he liked that.  More than that, Sarah was a hard worker who put herself through college.  She had the job as a lifeguard during summers.  She worked as a waitress every winter until she finished school. Billy got the distinct impression that she was always too busy to feel sorry for herself.

Chapter Eleven

Heading Back

-

That night when Billy and Sarah got into the truck to head back to New Orleans, Sarah leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  “Thank you so much for this weekend,” she said with a smile.  “When I get back to school tomorrow, I’ll have lots of pictures to show my students.  They will be so excited.”

See?  Sarah was thinking of someone other than herself again, Billy thought.  He could have missed out on meeting her altogether because of his stubbornness.  David had offered to introduce them months ago, but Billy was too busy throwing his own pity party to allow anyone into his life.  Each moment with Sarah made him begin to understand the error of his ways.

As the two of them drove home, Sarah talked about their weekend together non-stop.  “I can’t believe I got to swim with the dolphins,” she told him.  “Have you got the camera?  I want to make sure that my students see the pictures.”

“Yes, I put it back in my duffle bag,” replied Billy.

“Well, when I get home, I can download them onto my computer and make a presentation.  My kids at school will love it.”

“Why don’t I take you to see some gators next weekend?” he suggested.

“Oh, that would be fun,” answered Sarah.

“We’ll have a good time,” Billy said.  “They’re not too far from where I live.”

“That would be great,” Sarah smiled.

Billy’s cell phone rang and he answered it.  His friend, Bobby, and his brother, Scott, had run Billy’s boat for the weekend.  They had planned to take it out with him on Monday, too.  But, their mother had fallen ill and they could not be there in the morning as planned.

When Billy explained it to Sarah, she asked, “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know,” Billy confided in her.  “I never go out alone.  It’s not safe.  I just need an extra pair of hands to help me with everything.”

“I could help!” Sarah offered enthusiastically.  “I’d love to know what it’s like to go out there.”

“But, you’ve got to work in the morning.  What would you do about that?” he asked.

“I can call right now and leave a message on their machine.  When the office assistant comes into school in the morning, she will contact a substitute teacher,” she explained.

“It’s as simple as that?” inquired Billy.

“It’s as simple as that,” she assured him with a smile.

Sarah was excited about the possibility of seeing the workings of an authentic shrimp boat.  It would be an experience, no doubt.

“Do I need to learn anything special?” Sarah asked.

“No, I basically need someone on board.”

“Well, you’ve got me, now,” she told him.

“Thanks, Sarah.  This is really terrific of you to do this for me.”

“No thanks necessary, honestly.  I can’t wait to see what it’s like and how those nets work and everything.”  Sarah clearly looked forward to it.

“Well, we have to leave early in the morning, so how about if you stay at my place tonight?” he asked.

“That’s fine.  We can get some sleep and head out at the crack of dawn.  That is when you go, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” he laughed.  “Have you ever been awake at that hour of the morning?”

“I’ve stayed up that late, but I’ve never gotten up at that hour,” she grinned.

“Then, this will be another ‘first’ for you,” he said.

“What do I need to wear on the boat?” she asked.

He hadn’t thought about that before.  “Actually, you need long pants and some gear.”

“I didn’t bring any jeans with me and as far as gear, I don’t have that at all,” she told him.

“You’re right.  I didn’t think about that,” admitted Billy.  “You know what?  You and Jessie are probably about the same size.  I’ve got her stuff in the shed, still.  We can go out there and see what we can find.  Do you mind?”

“Well, it’s a little creepy, but under the circumstances, I don’t know what else we can do,” Sarah agreed reluctantly.

“Believe me,” said Billy.  “I knew Jessie since we were little.  She wasn’t creepy.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that,” Sarah explained.  “I just meant that I don’t want to take something that doesn’t belong to me.”

“You’re just borrowing it,” Billy reminded her.

“I guess you’re right,” said Sarah.  “If it doesn’t make you uncomfortable, I guess that I can live with it for a day.”

“I’m just glad you can go with me tomorrow.  If not, I would really be in a bind.  I don’t know how to thank you.”

“I want to go, so don’t worry about it at all,” Sarah assured him.

Chapter Twelve

The Shed

-

              After Billy and Sarah pulled up to his fishing camp, they brought their suitcases upstairs.  Then, Billy grabbed a flashlight so that they could go out to find what they needed amongst Jessie’s things.  They went back outside and headed toward his side yard. 

Billy opened the door of the metal shed and Sarah stood at the entrance of it as he rummaged through some of the boxes.  He pulled out a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt to protect her from the sun.  In another box, he found rubber gloves and Jessie’s extra pair of boots.  He grabbed everything and they walked outside in the dark.

“I’m lucky I found it all,” he said handing the white boots to Sarah.

“These are just like the ones in my dream,” said Sarah.  “I need to try them on.  I have to know if they fit.”

“Oh no, you don’t want to try them on just yet,” Billy warned her.  “Let me hit them against that stump over there.”  He pointed to a tree stump about ten feet away.  “This is Louisiana and you sure don’t want to be surprised if a critter crawled up in those while they were in storage.”

“What kind of critter?” Sarah asked.

“You don’t want to know,” Billy said.  “Just hand them to me.”  They walked toward the stump and Billy turned the first boot over and hit it against it.  Nothing came out.  “Here, this one is fine,” he said handing it to her.

Then, Billy hit the second one and something fell to the ground.  Sarah jumped back as it startled her.  “Don’t worry,” said Billy.  “I don’t think it’s alive.  What the heck is this?”  He turned on the flashlight to take a better look.  It was a plastic bag. “Let’s get inside.  Grab the boot.”  Billy picked the plastic bag up in a hurry.  He walked across the dirt to his fishing camp and headed up the stairs.  Sarah followed him.

Once they got inside of the camp, Billy was shaking.  He held up the plastic bag.  “This is my money!”

“What?” asked Sarah.  Billy held the bag out for her to see.  “Oh my God,” she said in disbelief.  “Is that the money you were missing?”

“I think so,” he answered.

Billy took the bag over to the dining room table, opened it up, and started to count it.  He was trembling.  Sarah just stood there and did not know what to do.  Billy kept counting.  “Do you think it’s yours?” she asked.

“I don’t
think
it’s mine.  It
is
mine.  It even has the piece of paper with the amount that I wrote on it. Look,” he said showing to her.  He had written on a small strip of paper.

Billy left the money on the table, walked over to the sofa and looked more shaken than Sarah had ever seen him.  “I’m sorry, Billy.”

“I can’t believe it.  Jessie really took it.”

“Are you sure that she didn’t put it there to keep it safe for you?”  asked  Sarah.

“There’s no way,” insisted Billy.  “The day I went to pay Charla for the boat and the money was missing, I had to borrow the rest from my daddy and Jessie knew it.  If she had put it there for safekeeping, she would have given it to me right then.  No, she stole it and watched me work all those extra hours for months just trying to pay my daddy back as soon as possible.”

“Billy, I feel so terrible about this.”  Sarah walked over and sat down next to him.  She put her hand on his shoulder hoping to be of comfort to him. 

Billy stared out into the room.  “How could you do this to me, Jessie?  How could you?” he pleaded.  He hung his head and cried.

Sarah did not know what to do.  She just watched him fall apart.  All those years, he had loved Jessie.  All that time, he had spent mourning her when she was clearly not the person he thought she was.  Sarah could not even begin to know how Billy felt, but she was glad that he was not alone when he found out about it.  “Billy, please, listen to me.”

“What?” he asked with tears in his eyes.

“Remember how Jessie showed me the white boots?” Sarah reminded him.

“Yes,” he replied.

“I think she wanted you to find the money.  That’s why she showed me the boots.”  Sarah hoped that would make him feel better.

“It doesn’t matter what she’s doing now,” Billy said.  “It matters what she did in the past when I was with her.  Honestly, I wish she’d stop showing you anything.  I don’t even want to hear from her.  This whole weekend, all I’ve learned is how I’ve been a fool.”

“No, you haven’t,” said Sarah.  “Don’t be mad at yourself for loving someone.”

Billy hung his head.  “Do you know how hard this has been?” he asked.  He couldn’t stop crying.  “I’ve blamed myself for her falling off of that boat for all this time.”

“It couldn’t have been helped,” said Sarah.  “You couldn’t save her.”

“I know, but I felt so helpless and it all happened so fast.  The squall came, the boat almost turned upside down, and when I turned around, she was gone.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”  Sarah was out of words.  She did not know what to do.