Rocky Mountain Angels (25 page)

She turned back when the microwave beeped.
Maybe he didn’t hear me?
She selected a chai spice tea bag and sat down at the table as Joe reappeared and went right to work popping the trim off and prying the old frame out. She noticed that he also brought the infamous toolbox she had tripped over. She smiled thinking about how well Joe had cared for her the next day.
And he’s still caring for me.
Her heart squeezed, and she took a deep breath. “So when do you start work on the fancy apartments?”

Joe paused and threw a piece of the frame out into the yard. “It will be awhile before we can break ground. My job at the moment is to line up the contractors, so when the time is right, we’ll be ready.” He employed his crowbar to the task once again. When he had the old frame completely out, he paused a moment with his hand on the now rough opening. “Didn’t you say you were from Oklahoma?”

“Yes. Piedmont. It’s a little town northwest of Oklahoma City.”

A corner of Joe’s mouth went up. “Really.” He pushed off and squatted to look through his tool box. “I got a call a few days ago from a Rabbi in Oklahoma City. His congregation has saved enough for a down payment on the construction of a synagogue. He had seen the one we just built in Denver and was impressed. He wondered if we would be willing to come out and build one there.” He pulled out a utility knife and slid the blade forward then went to work releasing the new door from its packaging.

“Have you done that before? Traveled that far to build something?”

“No, not yet. We’ve pretty much stayed along the front range, but I’m considering it. It will have to be after the Marshall apartments are done, of course, but Eli could get started on the designs. Some of our guys might go out there with us, but we would probably have to find reputable contractors to work with in that area, as well.” He wadded up the packaging trash and set it aside. “I’ll probably have to drive out there in the next couple of weeks to talk to this guy and take some pictures of their location.”

He moved the door into place, and for awhile Mari was cut off from watching him work. Then he poked the screwdriver through the hole for the doorknob. “Mari, could you pry up that little piece of plastic at the bottom that’s holding the door shut?”

She jumped up to take it from him and had it pried off in another minute. She rose and pulled it open and found Joe standing so close his nose must have been touching the door. She laughed. “Hello, Joe, what can I do for you?”

He smiled, and butterflies took flight within her. “If you’d like to help, I’ll get done faster.”

Mari wasn’t at all sure she wanted him to get done faster, but she nodded. “Just tell me what to do.”

He handed her the level. “Hold this along the side while I adjust the shims.”

It was cold aluminum, and Mari’s hands reacted almost immediately. “I better get some gloves on if I don’t want all the blood in my fingers to flee into my palms.”

Joe shook his head as she laid the level on the kitchen counter and disappeared into the living room. “How do you do anything, Mari?” he called after her.

She re-appeared wearing black driving gloves, grabbed the level, and placed it on the side of the frame. “Summer is a reprieve, unless I go to the grocery store. My fingers are always white by the time I get to the check-out counter in a grocery store all year round.”

As Joe pounded the frame into place, they chatted easily. Mari told him more stories about growing up with five brothers, and Joe regaled her with summer camping trip tales that had her nearly rolling on the floor.

When he moved to working inside, he peeled out of his coat, and Mari appreciated the biceps his gray t-shirt showed off. While he nailed the trim back up, installed the door knob, a peephole, and an extra bolt lock, the conversation shifted to matters of theology. “So many have just given up on the concept of a Messiah,” Joe said, gesturing with his screwdriver. “They say it’s been too long, but what seems too long to us may not seem that long to God.”

Mari agreed. “My Rabbi back in Oklahoma preached a lot on the Messiah. He felt certain he was coming soon.”

Mari’s stomach rumbled, and she looked at the clock. “Gads, no wonder I’m hungry. It’s nearly 7:00.” She got up and went to the refrigerator. “You must be starving. Can I make you a sandwich or something?”

“I’m nearly done here, but thanks.” He tightened a final screw and threw the screwdriver into his tool box. “Since it’s dark out, and your lamp post seems to be burned out, I’ll clean up the mess out back tomorrow.”

“Oh, I can probably do that.”

He stepped toward her and looked down with an air of authority. “There are rusty nails on those boards. Let me take care of them.”

She looked up into eyes that seemed darker than their usual shade of blue. “Okay.”

He paused a moment longer, something unspoken on his lips; then he abruptly turned, grabbed his coat, and headed for the living room.

Mari scurried to the kitchen door. “Joe, I think you’re forgetting something.”

He stopped without turning, and Mari wondered what he was thinking. Then he pivoted, his eyes even darker. “Yes, I believe I am.” He strode back to her and stopped. “How close are you and Eli?”

“What?” Mari was totally taken off-guard. “We’re... we’re dating.”

“How do you feel about him?”

“I... I... I care about him.” Mari’s bewilderment turned into a scowl. “Is this some kind of big brother interrogation to see if I’m good enough for him or something?”

Joe snorted. “Hardly.”

“Then what is this?”

“Just answer the question. Are you in love with him?”

“No, I don’t think so, at least not yet, but... just how is this any of your business?” Mari could feel herself getting steamed. “You just can’t let your brothers have lives of their own, can you? You push Eli into big building designs when he’d rather do houses, and Ben” —she stuck her finger in his chest— “and Ben, you force into a whole field of study he’s not interested in!”

Joe’s eyes flashed. “Ah, yes, Ben. I got your message loud and clear concerning Ben, Mari.” He turned to leave once again.

“Joe,” Mari thundered, “don’t forget your stupid tool box.”

He spun and marched back to the kitchen, slammed the lid shut, and hefted the heavy box, breezing past Mari on the return trip.

Mari’s chest was heaving with anger and confusion.
How did we get to this?
She had a sudden flash of her brothers’ behavior when they were tired and hungry, and understanding burgeoned. She stepped forward to speak before he left in a huff, but Joe beat her to it.

“I suppose I could have just left it here,” he said quietly without looking at her, “and told you to ‘stick it where the sun don’t shine.’”

Mari gasped, and then he was gone. In a daze of hurt and guilt, she wrapped her arms around herself and absently moved to her love seat and sat. She squeezed her eyes shut, but she couldn’t stop the tears.

***

Joe sat in the dark of his living room feeling lower than a snake’s belly. He now knew unequivocally that he was in love with Mari. And he also knew he had just blown any chance he might have with her, even if Eli were out of the picture. He bent over and rubbed his temples. What had possessed him to provoke her when he really just wanted to kiss her, and he had fully intended to do just that if she held no deep feelings for his brother.

He straightened up for a brief moment then let his head fall back against the chair. He also knew without a doubt that he had to tell Beth what was going on in his heart. Today had been strained. He couldn’t keep her in the dark any longer. He just hadn’t realized what love was—what it could be. He and Beth had gotten along—were comfortable with each other—and they had superficial things in common. They both liked action movies and roller coasters, a good cheese burger and playing Scrabble, but a deep connection—the kind of connection he was starting to feel with Mari—simply wasn’t there.

It was only early evening, but Joe pushed himself up and decided to go to bed. He prayed for a long, long night, because tomorrow morning, he had to talk to Beth. And somehow, tomorrow afternoon, he had to apologize to Mari.

Chapter 19

Mari was up early after a restless night filled with sporadic tears. It was obvious that her off-hand comment to Ben had been relayed and had hurt Joe deeply.
How can I apologize with any sincerity? I can’t deny saying it, and I accused him of trying to control their lives just last night.
As she made her way to the kitchen, she saw that there was a light on in the Rhodes’ house as well.

She entered the kitchen and pulled a box of raisin bran and a bowl out of the cupboard and asked herself the question she’d already asked herself a hundred times:
Why was Joe asking about Eli and me?
He had denied playing the part of the overprotective older brother, but he seemed far too angry to be asking out of mere curiosity or even interest. Mari shook her head as she opened the refrigerator to find milk.
Joe, you have me completely baffled.

Pouring on the milk, she wondered how their next meeting would play out.
He’ll probably avoid me all week again.
Mari paused with the spoon in front of her mouth.
Oh my Lord, is that why he was cold to me all last week?
She set the spoon back in her bowl as she thought back to when his frosty demeanor had started.
He left me in the snow drift after... the day after Ben and I toured the campuses, and Ben told me about his zoo idea and, oh my gosh, that’s when I said that about Joe!

Leaving her cereal uneaten, she rushed to her bedroom to get dressed.
He may have been weird last night, but I still owe him an apology.

***

Joe had awakened before the sun with a sense of dread chilling him to the bone. After a cup of coffee and a donut, he marched himself to the front door and out before he could come up with some excuse to postpone the morning’s obligation. It was barely light, but he knew Beth would be up early doing yoga. Turning the key in his cold truck, he noticed that Mari’s light was on already. He hoped she had a reason other than feeling miserable over their spat to be up so early.

He backed out and forced himself to think about what to say to Beth. He knew it would have to be the last thing she expected this morning.
She said I don’t change gears easily.
He shifted into drive and gripped the wheel.
Oh boy, have I changed gears
. He knew it hadn’t really been “easy” to come to this decision, but to Beth it would have to feel like a bolt out of the blue. He pondered stopping for a gift of some kind, but realized that nothing could soften the blow he had to deliver. He couldn’t dance around it. It just had to be said. He didn’t love her.

At least not the way I love Mari.

And all at once he realized why he had never gotten her a ring.
Part of me knew there was something missing.
He abruptly remembered Eli’s continuous prying questions about their engagement while they tore down plaster and almost smiled as he slowly shook his head.
Eli knew it before I did.
He used the driving time to pray, asking God to stop him somehow if he and Beth were meant to be together, but with every block, he felt an even greater conviction toward breaking up.

Pulling into Beth’s parking lot, he grew solemn wondering how he could stand to see Eli with Mari.
If I could somehow patch things up with her, would I dare to go against my own brother? Could I live with myself if I stole her away from him?

Can I live with myself if I don’t?

In much the same way he now knew that he and Beth were wrong for each other, he knew Eli and Mari were wrong, too. He had to agree with Ben—those two together just didn’t make sense. Joe got out of the truck and headed for the stairs to Beth’s apartment with no one but Mari on his mind.

***

Mari opened her front door just in time to see Joe’s truck driving away. “Rats! I just missed him.” She looked to the Rhodes Victorian and wondered if anyone else was up yet. Shaking her head, she closed the door. She knew she didn’t have any right to discuss this tiff with anyone else.
This is between me and Joe.

Sitting around the house waiting for him to return would drive her nuts. I 
need to get out and do something.
She peeled out of her coat again, grabbed up her laptop sitting on the love seat, and got comfortable against the pillows. I 
think my foot is well enough to drive. Time to explore.

***

Beth was staring at him with a look of horror that even Joe couldn’t have imagined. “You need to break up with me? Are you friggin’ kidding? After I moved down here to be with you?” She jumped up from the sofa. “It’s because I moved here, isn’t it?” She turned and walked away, and Joe slowly rose from the sofa. “Sheri said it was a mistake—that you liked your space, but” —she spun back to face him— “we talked about marriage—you talked about marriage.” Her volume started to rise, and Joe remembered Beth saying that Sheri was still in bed. “Or were you planning on us living in different cities after we were married, so I wouldn’t crowd you?”

Out of habit, Joe reached out a hand to her to draw her in then let it drop. “No, Beth,” he answered in a hushed voice that he hoped would bring her back to a reasonable level, “it has nothing to do with moving here or crowding me. We’re just not right for each other.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Oh my God, it’s the accounting, isn’t it? You couldn’t turn me into an accountant, so it’s over.”

Joe rolled his eyes.
Why does everybody think I’m a controlling monster?
“No, Beth. Granted, I think you’d make more money in accounting than you ever will as an artist.” He spoke faster at her peeved expression. “Not that I don’t think you have talent... it’s just a shaky way to try and make a living.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Not that any of that would matter, because I could have taken care of you.”

Tears started to roll down her cheeks, and she quickly wiped them away. “So what is it? I could have sworn we were right for each other right up until I told you I didn’t want to be an accountant.”