Honeymoon

Chapter 43

NORA TOOK ANOTHER LOOK in the rearview mirror. Something had happened back there, maybe an accident.

If that’s what it was, she assured herself that it was merely a coincidence and had nothing to do with the weird feeling in her stomach. The one she had had after leaving the Hertz lot. The “I’m not alone” feeling.

Now, as she arrived in the heart of Back Bay, it seemed to disappear.

The traffic on Commonwealth Avenue fell somewhere between a slow crawl and a parking lot. There was some protest march over on Newbury, and every other street was paying the price. Nora lucked out and found a spot after circling only three times.

She’d put his wedding ring on while riding the shuttle bus at the airport. After her customary look in the car’s vanity mirror, she was ready to go. The suitcase came out; the convertible top went up. It’s showtime, babe.

As usual, Jeffrey was working when she let herself in. She’d come to realize there were only three things that took him away from his writing. Food, sleep, and sex, not necessarily in that order.

Instead of calling his name, Nora quietly walked toward the back of the brownstone. Between his deep concentration and the background music, there wasn’t a chance he’d hear her.

She opened the door beyond the butler’s pantry and stepped out onto the private patio. With its tall fleur-de-lis trellises covered in ivy and other strategic plantings, the cozy area offered seclusion.

It took her only a minute to get ready. Reclining on a cushioned wicker chaise, she reached for her cell phone and dialed.

Seconds later she could hear the phone ringing inside.

Jeffrey finally picked up.

“Honey, it’s me,” she said.

“Oh, don’t even tell me you’re not coming.”

She laughed. “Not yet I’m not.”

“Wait a minute, where are you?”

“Take a peek out back.”

She looked up as Jeffrey appeared in the window of his library. His strong jaw dropped, then he started to laugh, which she could clearly hear over the phone.

“Oh… my…,” he said.

Nora was naked on the chaise lounge, except for her sling-backs. She purred into the phone. “See anything you like?”

“As a matter of fact, I see a lot that I like. I don’t see anything I don’t like.”

“Good. Don’t hurt yourself running down the stairs.”

“Who said anything about using the stairs?”

Jeffrey opened the window, climbed out, and shinnied down the copper-plated downspout. Very athletic, actually. All to the delight of Nora.

Whatever the world record was for a man shedding his clothes, it was promptly broken. Then Jeffrey slowly crawled up to her on the chaise lounge. He dug his hands deep into the seat cushion and wrapped his muscular arms around her back. He was a sexy man once you tore him away from his computer.

Nora closed her eyes. She kept them shut the entire time they made love. She wanted to feel something for Jeffrey. Anything. But she felt nothing.

C’mon, Nora. You know what has to be done. You’ve been here before.

The voice inside her head didn’t sound like an old friend now. More like an unwelcome stranger, someone she almost didn’t know. She tried to ignore it. It was no use. That just made it louder. More insistent. More controlling.

Jeffrey climaxed, then rolled off her, out of breath. “What a terrific surprise. You’re the best.”

Ask him if he’s hungry, Nora.

She wanted to cry out against the little voice inside. But that would just be a waste of time. There was only one way to make it stop.

And she knew it.

“Where are you going?” Jeffrey asked.

Nora had risen from the chaise without a word. She was already heading inside the house. “The kitchen,” she said over her shoulder. “I’m going to see what I can make you for dinner. I want to cook for you.”