Over the Line (6 page)

As they drove off, James said, “Chip’s been with us since before I was born. Sometimes he was more nanny than security guard.”

“I bet he has some stories.” Beth smiled. “Thank you for not introducing us. I expect it would have felt strange to lie to him about me.”

James hadn’t actually consciously thought that, but now that she mentioned it, that was why he hadn’t introduced Beth to Chip. It was one thing to lie to his family, who had rarely been truthful with him, and another thing completely to lie to Chip. She was perceptive.

And she was perfect. And she wanted him, he was sure about that. He just needed to convince her how good they could be together…

The tree-lined driveway gave way to an open expanse of lawn, rolling down toward the thick trees in front of the twelve-foot-high walls surrounding the property.

The house itself rose on a mound in the center of the property. Three floors with a garret at the top. He looked at it as if for the first time, viewing it through Beth’s eyes.

“How long has this been in your family?” she asked.

“It belonged to my father’s grandfather. He had one son, who had my father, and my father has one son. So, I guess it’s possible I may live here one day, when I’m old and washed up.”

Beth laughed. “You planning on retiring from the air force?”

“I will when they push me out. I love what I do. Which reminds me, don’t forget my father thinks I have a feet-firmly-in-a-safety-zone desk job.”

“What do I do then? I guess you don’t want a special forces fiancée, right?”

He did. His parents might not. Shit, what was he thinking?

“I find being an accountant, or a lobbyist, in this town generally stops people asking more questions.” He hoped she didn’t mind playing a part. He half wished he’d turned his phone off this morning. They would have just gone climbing and avoided this clusterfuck by a hundred miles. But Maisie’s call had just about broken him. He hadn’t seen her cry since she was about four.

He brought the car to a halt at the back of the house, where workers were struggling to put up the supports for the big marquee. “This is it.”

Beth stayed silent for a moment before slowly moving her hand to undo her seatbelt. The eventual click sounded much louder than normal. Almost as if it was a break from the final frontier of safety. She reached for the door handle and he put his hand on her arm. “Beth.”

She turned to him.

“I apologize in advance for anything that happens here.”

She looked taken aback for a moment, and he hastened to correct her impression.

“I mean with my family. Fuck. I mean, I just wish we were rock climbing right now.” He looked out at the activity on the lawn. “Thank you for having my back here. Taking one for the team. And I promise I’ll take you climbing one weekend to make up.”

“It’s okay,” she said, resting her hand on his hand. “In for a penny, in for a pound, right?”

He laughed a little at her old-fashioned words. “You’re a keeper.”

She smiled at him. “Hey, I owe you. And I got some awesome Jimmy Choos. So…”

She was a good sport. Somehow that made him feel even worse.

“Okay. Once more unto the breach… of your telenovela.” He opened the door and got out, knowing as he slammed the door shut that the noise would bring at least one of his sisters out of the house. He was not wrong.

“Incoming,” Beth said.

He turned in time to brace himself against Maisie, who launched herself at him, legs wrapped around his waist and arms around his neck. Her shriek made one ear ring.

“Get off me, Munch. Let me look at you.”

She slid off him and he held her at arm’s length. The violet-tipped hair and nose ring were new since he’d seen her last, but the ear-to-ear grin was the same old Maisie. “It’s good to see you, Squirt.”

She kicked his shin, medium hard. He rolled his eyes.

“You’ve been gone for too long. I hate your stupid job,” she said petulantly.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Heard it all before. But I’m here now.
We’re
here now.” He held his hand out to Beth, who came around the car and took it.

“Whatever. Can you believe all this fuss, just because stupid Sadie is getting married? I’m never getting married.”

“I don’t blame you.” He noogied her head. “This is Beth. Be nice. She just agreed to marry me.”

Beth stepped forward, holding her hand out to Maisie.

Maisie took it and gave her hand one hard pump and then turned back to James. “Sadie’s super-mad at me for telling you about the e-mails.” Her sad face just about broke his heart.

“I’ll handle Sadie.” He felt something wiggling in his back pocket. Maisie, the fledgling pickpocket. Great. “Put that back or lose your hand. Why you…” He poked her ribs and she squealed and ran around the car with James in hot pursuit.

“James? Can you direct me to the bathroom?” Beth asked.

He pinned Maisie to the car with one hand and said, “Sure. Go through the door here, through the door immediately opposite, and the bathroom is on the opposite side of the hallway to the left. I’ll be right behind you, just as soon as I’ve killed and buried my felon sister here.”

* * *

She grinned at the relationship they seemed to have, which wasn’t so different from the one she used to have with Tammer when she was that age. Following his directions, she went up the stone steps to the large double door. She went through what she imagined was a reception room, with different sofas and chairs grouped around the room, and found the right door.

The bathroom was luxurious to say the least. Navy blue tiled walls and bright, shiny white fixtures. A chandelier, for God’s sake. Really? Who needs a chandelier in the bathroom?

She leaned against the basin and stared at herself in the mirror. She wished she’d thought to change into one of the new outfits she’d bought, but the other dressing-room activities had scattered her thoughts somewhat. She pulled her tank down to smooth the material a little after the car ride and took a deep breath. Well, she guessed this was an adventure. A view into how the other half lives. This house James had grown up in was bigger than the biggest hotel she’d ever stayed in. And that was a strange feeling. They couldn’t have more different backgrounds. The military was a great equalizer, but outside work, she couldn’t help feeling as much like a fish out of water as she had ever done.

Slowly rebraiding her hair, she decided very firmly to work this. To practice being someone else. To practice blending in to any situation. And hope that the Director of the CIA wouldn’t remember her, or recognize her. What were the odds that he was even involved in the recruitment process of protection officers? They had to be really small. And maybe by being there, she and James could make sure nothing happened to Maisie.

So she tied off her braid and left the bathroom.

“Just what do you think you are doing?” a voice came from above her.

She turned toward the voice. A woman in a light turquoise suit, with platinum hair in a very neat chignon, was coming down the wide staircase. Beth smiled. “Excuse me?” Could this be James’s mother?

“You are not permitted inside the residential areas of the house. Your bathroom is downstairs near the kitchens.” The tiny woman pointed at a door at the end of the hallway. Completely used to obeying orders without question, Beth took a step toward the small door that she was pointing at. Then she stopped.

“Actually, I think…”

“The only appropriate response from the help is ‘Yes, ma’am.’ Who is your supervisor?” Her voice was as sharp and unforgiving as steel.

Beth took a breath. Her first instinct was to explain, but she also wanted to take a moment to think about the realization that she was obviously the first Hispanic woman to be in their house who wasn’t a servant or maid of some kind. The conflicting thoughts left her speechless.

“There you are,” James said, coming through from the reception room. “I thought you’d got lost.” He smiled. “I see you’ve met my mother.”

“James, darling. The caterers have their own bathrooms downstairs. You know only family and friends are allowed in the main house.” She patted the back of her hair and turned her cheek for a kiss, which James didn’t give her.

Awkward.

“Mother. This is Beth. My fiancée.” He snaked his arm around Beth’s back and pulled her into his side.

Beth played the part. “I’m delighted to meet you, Mrs. Walker. You have a beautiful house.”
No sir, no ripples of discomfort here
.

There were at least two or three seconds of silence, which seemed to last forever, before James’s mother held out her hand, palm slightly down, as if she didn’t really want to shake her hand.

Beth grabbed it and shook it firmly, sending a slightly alarmed look into Mrs. Walker’s eyes. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she examined Beth. She gave a half smile and nodded before turning to James.

“Darling. It’s been too long. I swear if Sadie hadn’t been getting married, we probably wouldn’t have seen you until Christmas, would we? Or found out that you were engaged.”

“Of course you would have,” he said, obviously brushing it off. “So where have you put us? I guess all the upstairs rooms have been taken?”

“Well, in all honesty, we didn’t imagine you’d be here this weekend. Sadie told us you were working. And we certainly didn’t know you had a fiancée. This is really bad form, James. I’ll have to fix all the seating arrangements and…”

“I apologize for the last minute change in plans. But you know very well you won’t have to change anything. You’ll get the wedding planner to do that.”

Mrs. Walker sniffed and paused for a moment, and grabbed a woman in a gray dress and apron who was just coming out of the door she had initially told Beth to disappear behind.

“Gracie. Change of plan. James and… Beth… will be staying in the pool house. Will you make the arrangements? That means that Mr. and Mrs. Walker senior will be in the Blue Bedroom.”

“Certainly, ma’am.” With those words, she turned a smooth half circle and disappeared back through the door she had come through. Everything seemed like a well-oiled machine, and Beth suddenly felt like the wrench in the works.

“It’ll be more private for you, darling.” She put her arm through her son’s and walked him back out to the reception room.

Beth followed in their wake, all the way outside to the stone steps again. She felt as if she had been thoroughly dismissed. Beth would have been vaguely annoyed.
Fake-fiancée Beth won’t be, though. She is much smoother than regular old Beth. Fake-fiancée Beth will just smile and play along.

“Go and unpack and get settled. I’ll send Sadie out when she’s finished wrapping the bridesmaids’ gifts,” Mrs. Walker said as she urged them down the steps to the car.

They both got in and Beth reached for her seatbelt, and watched his mother disappear back in to the house. Beth turned to him and said, “Wow. Just wow.”

James winced and tried to apologize, but she brushed his concerns away.

“I’m the fake fiancée. She doesn’t worry about these things. She’s marrying you, not your parents. She finds this all very amusing.” Beth smiled and settled into the car seat. “Fasten your belts; it’s going to be a bumpy night.”

“Oh shit.” He replied, looking as amused as she did. “I can’t tell if you being here is going to be awesome or some kind of nightmare that will haunt me for years.”

“I’m leaning toward nightmare,” she said, grinning as he groaned. Then they turned a corner and all teasing thoughts dropped away. She could actually feel her jaw drop open at the sight of the pool house. When his mom had mentioned it, she’d kind of imagined a tiny outhouse, maybe, that had been made into a room. No so much. The pool house was bigger than her own house in North Carolina.

The pool was designed to look like a Roman spa. There were columns around two sides of the pool, which made it look like a ruined Roman temple. Cushioned sun loungers were spaced out between the columns, and the transom offered shade.
Holy mother of crap.

At the far end of the pool was the house. It was almost shaped like a Bedouin tent. A drape-shaped roof gave way to ceiling-to-ground windows overlooking the pool.

For a moment the view was obscured by more tall trees as they parked to the side of the building. She jumped out of the car this time and ran around to the pool front. The floor-to-ceiling windows actually housed an invisible set of double doors. She opened one and stepped into the most luxuriously decorated space she had ever been in.

Huge daybeds and sofas faced out toward the pool, with blankets and towels draped at the ends of each piece of furniture. Drapery hung from the ceiling, bringing the outward tent vibe into the living area.

There was a small kitchen with a huge, full wine fridge, and an open archway that led into the bedroom. It was dark and cool, again with the fabric draped low, making the room feel enclosed, safe, but very intimate. She could almost believe she’d walked into a harem.

James called to her from the doorway. “Does this suit you, ma’am?”

“Ha! You may never get me to leave!” she said, still goggling in awe.

“All your bags are here. The closet is to the left of the bedroom.”

She looked around. Indeed, the only feature of the bedroom was the bed and two night stands. There was nothing else there. She looked for the closet and opened louvered doors. A light came on automatically, illuminating a walk-in closet with wooden shelves for shoes and padded hangers by the dozen for her clothes. Phew. It was good they had stopped to get new clothes for her, as she suspected her normal wardrobe would have been automatically thrown from the closet by some kind of built-in ejector-seat mechanism.

“James, this is incredible. I can’t believe I know someone who lives like this.”

“
Used
to live like this,” he said, throwing his own bag on the floor of the closet.

“Well, it’s beautiful. I will say that. This debt I’m paying is not such a hardship, you know.”

“Well, I feel like I owe you now, after my mother…”

Beth laughed. “No way. That was priceless. I wouldn’t have missed that for the world. Although, you might want to talk to her about that later. I mean, if you bring a real fiancée home with you at some stage. If we were really together, I may well have already left.”