It had been two weeks, and Polly and Matthew were still tiptoeing around the house and each other like guests who vaguely knew each other, instead of as husband and wife or many years. Their conversations felt stilted and flat, and they were both some damn polite with each other, it was painful.
Polly was tapping away on her laptop, reviewing a few case files when the house phone rang. Absently, she realized Matthew wasn’t at home, and wasn’t going to pick it up like he always insisted. She reached over and grabbed the receiver, saving her document at the same time.
“Hello?”
“Twin?”
Polly’s heart skipped a beat, as it did every time Parker called, but especially this time. He tried to call as regularly as he could, but it had been nearly three weeks since she’d heard from him, and though she would never fully admit it to herself, she was worried that something dreadful had happened to him overseas.
“Park? Tell me you’re okay,” Polly demanded, not even bothering with a greeting. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
Parker’s laugh was like a balm to her soul. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” he said, his tone soothing. “I promise.”
“Where have you been?” Polly demanded.
“You know I can’t tell you that,” Parker said gently. “But it was a mission, it went well, and everyone is fine. In fact, I’m calling with good news.”
“You’re quitting the SEALs, coming home and taking up a really safe hobby like basket weaving,” Polly said drolly.
“Well, a part of that is true, I guess,” Parker replied, and Polly could hear the grin in his voice. “I got a furlough. I’m coming home!”
“Are you kidding?” Polly squeaked. “Are you kidding me?”
“I’m not kidding,” Parker said happily. “It’s only for ten days, but…”
“Ten days! That’s great!” Polly said, relieved and excited. “When? Where are you staying? When? Will I get to see you?”
Parker laughed at her enthusiasm. “Well, actually, I called home first, thinking you were still there. Why are you back in California?”
Polly sighed slightly. “I had to come back, at least for a while, Park. You know? The cabins were coming along, and there was nothing keeping me there, and Matthew had called and wanted to meet face to face…”
“How’s it been?” Parker asked sincerely.
Polly thought for a long moment. “Honestly? Torture.”
“Well, I wish I’d known you were back in the land of sunshine and bikinis – I already booked a flight to Detroit, since I was planning to go, you know, home-home, and just assumed you would still be there.”
Polly didn’t even hesitate. “I’ll come back. Just tell me when you’ll be there, and I’ll be there. If you’re going to fly in from Afghanistan, I think I can handle coming in from LAX.”
Parker laughed, and proceeded to fill her in on all of his travel details. Just before they were due to hang up, he said,” Listen, I’ve had a rough few weeks, but it sounds like you have too. Are you okay, twin?”
Polly smiled at his solicitous tone. “Seeing you will put everything to rights. Forty eight hours, right? Back home – see you then. Have a safe flight.”
“You too.”
The minute they hung up, Polly became a whirling dervish, throwing things in a suitcase, shutting down her laptop and generally preparing to flee the home that had started to feel like a prison. It was only as she was calling for a flight and the car service that it occurred to her she should probably tell her husband she was leaving for the larger part of ten days.
The fact that Matthew was such an afterthought didn’t bode well at all, she thought starkly.
Coupled with the fact that the first thing she thought of when she thought of “up north” was Chase Colton.
She wasn’t sure that boded well either.
**
Though her flight was delayed, Polly had finally touched down, rented a car again, and driven straight to the family home, her heart beating more quickly as she turned into the drive, hoping to see Parker’s rental car, and feeling completely deflated when there was no car, no activity at all.
She’d called Mae from the airport, and Mae was overjoyed at the thought of seeing Polly again so soon, and seemed particularly keen about Parker’s visit. Mae had made many mentions of ‘how great Parker is’ in the weeks that they had known each other, and Polly wondered if a little matchmaking might be in her future…
As she unlocked the front door and shuffled inside with her admittedly overstuffed suitcase, she had to admit that she’d also looked over her shoulder for Chase or Jack, but had seen no evidence that they had been by – a thought that made her just a little bit sad.
She ambled over to the fridge and peeked inside, silently berating herself for not having stopped by Pat’s Foods on the way here to pick up a few essentials, at least. She was figuring that she and Parker would grab an early dinner and then he would crash as hard as she would. Tomorrow they could stock up on food, booze, and whatever else the war hero wanted.
Her treat.
Seeing nothing out of place and nothing that needed immediately attention, Polly tugged on a light cardigan and stepped onto the back porch, slowly wending her way down the path to the beach, where the dusky light was giving the lake a silvery, magical appearance. She stood, closed her eyes, and for the first time in two weeks, felt herself just breathe – no tension, no worry, nothing but her breath.
She hadn’t realized how much she hadn’t breathed in California until she was back here.
Must be that damn fresh air, she thought with a grin to herself. She continued to stand silently, her eyes shut, just feeling the wind on her face and the last few tendrils of the sun on her skin when she heard a noise behind her.
Whirling around and opening her eyes, she saw Parker, her tough brother, her twin moving apace down the beach path, and unable to control herself, she felt tears stream down her cheeks even as she threw herself into his arms, so grateful to have him home in one piece.
37716/50000
No comments:
Post a Comment