Chapter 9
I skimmed my 2013 journal a few days ago. I laughed at one entry that went something like this: Okay, Leona, can I offer a suggestion? Stop freaking out! Here's how: Don't take on a second project, or a third, or a forth, until the first one is finished. Got that?
So... here's the irony: I'm painting the frame my sweet hubby made to surround our wall mounted TV. It's going to look totally awesome when hung. Until then, my dining room is a 2nd paint studio. Let's see, that totals 2 paint studios in my house at the same time, 2 colors or paint, and I'm posting a novel as well?!? I'm not freaking out because I've got to do something while paint dries, and I haven't tackled a forth project yet....
Hidden Secrets
Leona Palmer Haag
Chapter 9
"You know this is not my idea of fun," Jenn
said as she slapped a stack of clothes into her suitcase. She turned to face
her husband and added visual emphasis to her statement by placing her hands on
her hips as if daring him to challenge her.
Nick didn't take the dare or respond with more than a
shrug.
"Remind me—exactly why am I going? Give me ten
good reasons," she demanded.
"So they can turn you into a dead-eye."
Jenn rolled her eyes. "As if I need to be able to
shoot well," she sarcastically said. When Nick didn't respond she added,
"That was just one reason. You know I shoot well enough. They can't train
me on how to tell if someone is following me either because I already know how
to spot it. I do it all day every day at the day care center. I can hear the
tiniest toddler's footsteps. I can even feel their eyes watching me. Sometimes
it’s to see if I’m going so they can dump the paint. I outsmart them every
time."
"They'll think of something new to teach
you," Nick casually said.
Jenn shrugged. "Like what? How to detect bugs?
I'm already a pro with a can of ant or spider spray. You know I hate
cockroaches and other filthy little six and eight-legged creatures."
Nick chuckled. Jenn was fun even when she was blowing
off steam. He'd learned that early in their relationship, yet it never amazed
him how creative she could be when she was trying to make a point. Especially
if she was losing.
"And yeah, I know all about hidden cameras and
microphones too. You've shown me how to spot that. What good would extra
training do me?"
Nick rolled off the bed and stood up and lazily
stretched. Their few days together were almost over. He didn't want Jenn to
leave, but knew it might make a difference someday. He sighed, then tried a
comical approach to answer the question she'd asked at least ten times in the
past few hours. "Maybe you need to go because they're worried about Matt.
If he tries to kidnap you again you might tie him up with your belt in some
kind of crazy granny knot no one can undo. Maybe they want it to appear more
professional than that—and be something that actually holds him."
Jenn pulled a shirt out of her suitcase and wadded it
up and threw it at her husband. "Very funny! Do you think I'll ever get in
another car with Matt? And how often do I wear a belt, huh?" She turned to
her closet and counted out loud, "One, two, three, four. That's all I own.
Two of them are so outdated I'll never wear them again, one so wild I can only
wear it on Halloween, and one that is waiting for a victim." She snatched
it off the hook and turned to Nick. "Where is Matt when I really need him?
Maybe I'll use it on you instead!"
Nick chuckled as she pushed his chest with one pointed
finger until she’d backed him up against the bed. He sat down. "Exactly my
question. Where is Matt? I think he found some way to talk Mitchell into
letting him go to Panama with Monica. Some little vacation with pay. Why didn't
you pull out that belt sooner and make him stick around to accomplish real work?"
Jenn twirled her braided belt over her head and began
humming. The little beads on the tasseled ends tinkled. "Some inspiration
is coming to me," she giggled. "I can hear it in the air. It's almost
musical and…" She pushed Nick over. A moment later his ankles were neatly
tied together and she had grabbed the wadded up shirt and was using it to bind
his hands over his head in a huge orange knot.
"You've got me, babe! I'm not even going to try to
escape," Nick teased.
Jenn plopped down beside him on the bed. "Since
my husband is all tied up, I guess I'd better call Mitchell to tell him I can't
go to Maryland." She reached past Nick and picked up his cell phone.
"What's his number? One, two or three?"
"Seven. He's not as high on my list as you might
think."
Jenn flipped the phone open. For a moment she stared
at the glowing screen. She remembered Montana and every wide, vacant, deserty
state in between getting there and back home again. Six months had softened the
memories and blurred the edges, but hadn't swept them away. She shut the phone.
"Okay. I give in. I'll go. Not happily, but I'll go anyway."
"You might have fun," he replied, probably
trying to sound positive.
Jenn moaned. "No. I won’t. Fun doesn't include
guns, which I'm sure I'll see and maybe have to load and fire. Fun is not spy
stuff. Nothing undercover, secret, scary or anything like that can be defined
as fun." She stretched out on her back beside her husband and then rolled
onto her side to face him. "Do you know what I do for fun? I bake banana
bread, take Katie to the park and let her go down the slide. I play Patty-Cake
with a two-year old. If that doesn't take me over the top, I take a bubble
bath, try a new perfume or get my hair trimmed. If I'm still not satisfied, I
scrub the kitchen floor on my hands and knees, then wax it. Tell me again why
I'm going to Baltimore."
Nick worked his hands free and pulled her into his
arms and held her close. "Jenn, you went to Colorado and Utah and Montana
and El Paso. You held up a bad guy with a gun and saved Natalie's
life—something most agents would never be able to accomplish, but would love to
brag about. You're not afraid and you're willing to keep a level head
and…"
"Nick, I'm always terrified!" she protested.
He pressed a finger to her kips. "Okay, maybe
you're afraid, but you're willing to do tough stuff when your life depends on
it. You repelled down a cliff to safety because you'd been taught. You can
shoot a gun because you've learned how. You…"
"I did everything for Katie."
"I know. When you love someone it drives you to
produce miracles. But there are other things you need to know. There are things
you can do better next time if you have more experience."
"Next time?" she whimpered.
"We both know there probably won’t ever be a next
time, babe, but there is a slight problem—you married me, so there might be. Go
to Maryland because you love me. Go because you love taking Katie to the park
and pushing her on the swing. Go because you love taking bubble baths and
scrubbing the kitchen floor and doing all the things you do every day. When you
get home you can bake cookies and I’ll take your shopping for new perfume."
Jenn leaned forward and slowly kissed her husband,
closing her eyes tightly to hold in the tears. If she was the boss she'd change
a lot of things. She'd start with her family. Nick in particular. He'd work in
a real office doing real things—like sell life insurance or shoes or
broomsticks or bubble gum. Something very, very safe.
He must have sensed her feelings. "You'll be
fine, babe. It won't be as hard or scary as you're imagining. It will be over
in a blink and you'll be home. If it will make you feel better, I'll promise to
leave all the housework for you."
Jenn smiled. "Thanks for being so thoughtful, but
that really isn't necessary. But tell me, do you ever dream of a perfect world
where no one chases anyone and no one gets hurt?"
He sighed. "I wish I could."
"Will it ever happen?"
Jenn watched her husband shrug. She sighed and said,
"I guess not for a while. Not until after you've locked up all the bad
guys and thrown away the key." She slowly got up and resumed packing while
Nick watched her.
End Chapter 9
No comments:
Post a Comment