Minerva's Ghost (5 page)

“You weren’t interested in farming?” she asked him.

“I wanted adventure back twelve years ago when I graduated from high school. I got an appointment to The Naval Academy and then became a SEAL. I saw a lot of action.”

“Did you like it?” she asked.

“I felt what I was doing made a difference in the world, that it was necessary and important work. Three years later I was retired out with an injury. My degree was in accounting, so I went to work for one of the big consulting firms specializing in security, protecting the cash and intellectual assets of businesses. It was more exciting than I expected. Now I’m self employed, doing the same kind of work.”

They reached the Beehive and he escorted her inside out of the heat. The interior was furnished with linoleum tile in checkerboard pattern, alternating turquoise and cream. The tables were orange Formica and stainless steel with turquoise vinyl benches. It was the original décor. Many of the waitresses were original, too and a couple still wore beehive hairdos.

“There’s Tom. Let’s sit with him ” he suggested.

“Why?’ she asked. “I’m ready to fire him.”

“He knows stuff. You know he does. You need the data. Think of it as a fact finding mission.” he suggested. He escorted her right up to Tom’s table and sat her without asking Tom’s permission, before sitting down himself.

A waitress was with them immediately to take their orders and bring sweet iced tea.

Tom looked unhappy but it did not seem to affect his appetite. He kept on eating.

Amanda fixed her eyes on Tom and asked, “Are you so mad at Minnie and me that you no longer want to work for Au Naturel?”

Tom finally stopped eating and looked up at her.

Amanda waited, her eyes fixed firmly on his face.

He flushed red and looked away.

Gabe waited patiently, relaxed in his chair.

“I still make contributions to the company.” Tom said. He was on the defensive. He knew it and so did Amanda and Gabe.

“In the past several days you have been absolutely no use to me or Au Naturel.” Amanda said.

“I work for Minnie,” he said.

“Not anymore.” Amanda reminded him. “She’s gone. As much as you or I want her back, she’s gone forever. I don’t know what happened to her, but we’ll find out and Au Naturel will go on as she wished… no compromises… just like always.”  She waited again.

“Her success kept us apart.” Tom said.

“No it didn’t ” Gabe said, sounding annoyed. “Your inability to accept her success as a businessperson kept her from trusting you enough to marry you. What’s wrong with her doing what she wanted?”

“I wanted her to be mine,” Tom said. “I didn’t want to share her with anyone else.”

Amanda said, “We all have to share, Tom. None of us live in a vacuum.”

“It’s a moot point, now, isn’t it?” Tom said sadly. “I’ve been thinking about retirement. I’m nearly old enough. You can hire a woman to replace me if you want. I’ll send the files over to Minnie’s house this weekend.” He was trembling and Amanda suddenly felt guilty for pressing him so hard.

“Don’t, Tom. Think it over. You’ve been with the company longer than anyone.” Amanda said, grasping his big hand.

Tom pulled away from her like he was repulsed by her touch. “I helped her with the business at first to spend time with her after Jack died. I didn’t expect her to succeed, especially not so spectacularly. The business took her from me.”

He stood abruptly. “I have to go. Enjoy your lunch.” Then he was gone again.

“Wow”, Amanda said. “He’s in so much pain and so angry. Minnie could handle him, but I sure can’t.”

“He’s hurting like someone with a burden of guilt, I think,” Gabe observed.

A waitress put their meals in front of them. “Where’s Tom?” she asked.

“He had to leave.” Amanda told her. “We’ll cover his lunch.”

“Don’t worry about it, Honey, ” the woman told her, “He runs a tab. Laura Lee got tired of him forgetting to pay her. She bills him every month. If he doesn’t pay up, he doesn’t get served. I’ll put yours on it, too, but you can leave me a tip. Laura Lee will add one for me, too, for later.” She offered them a mischievous grin and rushed away.

“I get the idea Tom’s not a popular guy with these ladies. He seems to have trouble relating to women in general.” Gabe said.

“Yeah,” agreed Amanda. “I thought it was just me, but maybe I was too self centered.”

They finished their lunch and walked back to Tom’s parking lot to get Gabe’s rental car. His shoulder rubbed Amanda’s as they walked together, his hand at the small of her back as he escorted her. His touch thrilled her. Lots of men had walked with her the same way, but she was somehow more conscious of Gabe’s closeness.

They got in the car and started for her house.

She watched him as he drove. He seemed preoccupied, glancing regularly at the rear view mirror and the side mirror. His hands tensed on the wheel.

What is it?” she asked.

“We’re being followed.” he answered.

“Oh, we are not…” she told him with an awkward smile. “Are we?”

She couldn’t believe it. It seemed too bizarre. She turned to look back behind them. She saw a truck gaining on their car, definitely following and catching up in a hurry.

“They’re coming up fast,” she said, turning back toward him.

The other vehicle, a disreputable looking pickup ran into the back of the rental car. Amanda shrieked in shock.

“What does he think he’s doing?” she shouted.

“Hang on!” Gabe answered. He accelerated the car into a long straight away, pushing it as hard as it would go. The truck swung out to try to pass them and he swung with it catching the front fender in a screech of metal.

‘This is crazy.’ Amanda thought. ‘Why is this happening?’

The truck slammed into the back of the rental again.

“There goes my perfect driving record.” Gabe said. “Do you know these guys?”

Amanda turned to look again. “I think they’re a couple of guys who hang around town getting in trouble. They’re named Rand. They’re brothers but I don’t know their first names. We haven’t met. They’re older than I am so we didn’t go to school together.”

The truck ran into them again, causing Gabe to speed up some more. They were going very fast, but Amanda had driven the Caddy faster on a track. “I should have brought Minnie’s car,” she said. “It’s fast enough that we could really outrun them. I should not have let Tom pick me up.”

“This piece of junk is not much good, except for routine highway driving. Where’s the state patrol when you need them?” Gabe said.

They were approaching a curve and the truck was gaining on them as Gabe slowed to a safer speed. “Look out!” he said. “Hang on tight.”

The truck hit them again, throwing them in to a full 180-degree spin. The car ended up facing back toward town, flipped sideways off the road in some young pine trees.

Amanda’s side was up. She was too stunned to do anything at first. Gabe touched her arm. “Are you hurt”?” he asked.

“Uh, no, I don’t think so.” She said, still too shocked to have a feel for her condition. “How about you?”

“I’m just peachy,” he said. He sounded furious, actually.

She turned her head and looked at him. “You’re forehead is bleeding.” she told him. She blinked as the airbags deflated startling her.

“It’s just a flesh wound, Aunt Bea.” He said, his voice positively dripping irony. She giggled rather hysterically at the reminder of peaceful Mayberry of television-rerun fame.

He reached up to her and released the seat belt that held her. She squealed as she slid toward him on the precariously tilted seat. The car flopped back on its wheels leaving her in his arms. He’d caught her before she ran into the steering wheel.

He held her, looking her over for injuries. The top two buttons of her three-button jacket had come undone. His eyes stopped at her cleavage. His eyes came back to hers and he groaned like he was in pain. She had an abrasion where the shoulder harness had tightened to her and he pushed her jacket and bra strap out of the way so he could see better. It was already bruising dark purple. He leaned into her and gently kissed her, first close to her collarbone and then close to her shoulder point to avoid hurting her. Her bra strap slipped completely down as he nudged it with his nose, almost baring her nipple.

She gasped as she felt it rise to a point, begging for his kiss. He pushed the cup of the bra down and put his mouth right where she wanted him just for a second. The sensation shot right to her crotch, setting her on fire with sexual heat. Then he lifted his head and ran his hands down her legs, each in turn. “Do you feel any pain anywhere in your legs or torso?” he asked.

“No,” she answered, “I really think I’m fine.” She wasn’t about to tell him what she was really feeling.

“How about your neck?” he said. “Any pain there?”

He wrapped a hand around her nape and massaged gently. She sighed in pleasure. Then she threw caution to the winds and leaned toward him and kissed him full on the mouth.

“Stop,” he said into her mouth. He kissed back for a few very exciting moments before he let go. His heavy beard, obviously shaved that morning, abraded her face and felt unexpectedly good. She felt like purring.

“They may come back.” He was breathing hard, as was she and his face was flushed with arousal. She could smell him and the heat of his body felt really good to her.

“Are you hurt?” Amanda asked him.

“My bad knee will be stiff. An ice pack will take care of it. Everything else will be OK.”

He pulled back from her and straightened her clothing, before trying his door. It opened after he gave it a hard push. He got out of the car and reached into his pocket for a cell phone. He had a firmly tented bulge in his pants that stayed nicely evident while he dialed. He and Amanda stared at each other while he spoke with the emergency dispatcher. She felt more turned on than she had ever before in her life. She kept imagining him naked. He was beautifully built and she was fascinated by the way he looked and attracted by his manner.

“They won’t be long,” he said grimly. “Certainly not long enough for me to do what I’d like to do. You’re not in another relationship are you?”

No,” she said. “Are you?”

“No.” he said. “I haven’t been sleeping around either, and I’m healthy, and I want you badly.”

“I want you, too ” she said. “Stay with me for a while.”

“’For a while, maybe longer.’  It’s Crosby, Stills & Nash, a seventies rock band. I think the name of the song is ‘Mandy’. I keep hearing it in my head since we met. I have an enormous music collection and I watch a lot of reruns on TV. I really got into the stuff when I was recovering from my wounds.”  He said it with a crooked grin. It made her smile again. First he quoted a line from an old rerun and then a sweet rock ballad in close harmony, both references to a gentler time. It seemed out of character as interests for a businessman and a SEAL.  

The police came and did their thing, making a report and having the wrecked car towed. Amanda told them who she thought caused the accident.  It was all routine and calming in a way.

Amanda sighed with relief as they walked into the house after the long wait for the sheriff’s office to finish investigating the wreck. Gabe had asked the EMT’s to give her an ice pack for her shoulder and one for his knee to reduce the swelling and bruises. Her shoulder must have looked awful if his concern was any indication of the seriousness of the injury. Both of them had flatly refused other medical care.