A Battle Raging (22 page)

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Maya was sure she'd passed the place where he'd told her to meet him. She couldn't be certain. The only thing she
was
certain of was that she was several blocks from the Space Needle which she could see in the distance. As she approached Elliot Avenue from Broad Street she could see the edge of Myrtle Edwards Park. This was near the Olympics Sculpture Park where she'd met up with Zach that day several weeks ago.

She drove another mile or so into Edwards Park
before spotting his chair. Zach's back was turned to her but she knew his chair, as well as the lines of his shoulders. She'd run lips along those shoulders last night, had run her tongue along the snake tat on his arms…as well as other things. He sat facing Puget Sound. In the distance she saw the whitish silhouette of Mt. Rainier, its majestic peaks reaching into a clear, bluish sky laced with soft clouds. A good Seattle day. No rain…yet.

She passed him to get to the north end that held a parking lot. She kept brushing her hand against the new additions
positioned near the wheel. Something she would have to get used to. She found a parking space and got out of the car, glad that she'd worn a tee-shirt today. The temperature was in the upper eighties and was due to climb even higher by noon.

She walked back toward
the spot where she'd seen him at the Sound's edge. He was still there, his hand in motion. He was in profile to her…and he was sketching. She walked up on him, looking over his shoulder at an amazing depiction of the Sound with Rainier rising above it.

"Wonderful," she said
quietly. She knew that he'd never needed her to teach him the basics, that he'd had that skill and gift already. But she liked to think that she'd encouraged him a bit. Actually, he'd already finished the nude painting of her…and had quickly confiscated it for his apartment. It hung over his bed. She could only imagine in what ways it would inspire him.

"Glad you like it," he said as he began shading in some of the mountain's face.

"Ready?" she asked. "I've got a surprise for you."

"A good surprise
I hope," he asked, still drawing.

"Aren't most surprises good?"

"Not necessarily," he said.

"Well, let's just say that it involves food."

He stopped sketching.

"Yes, food's a good thing. Can get with food.
Like food."

"OK, then, my car's in the lot. Let's get moving."

She walked with him rolling beside her along the path of early joggers and couples strolling, some hand in hand. She felt his hand reach for her hand and she let his fingers enfold hers.

When they reached the car, he automatically wheeled to the passenger side.

She walked over to him, shaking her head.

"Not today,
bud" she said as he looked at her quizzically.

"What?" he asked with a half smile, expecting a joke to be played at his expense.

"You're driving today. I'm tired of chauffeuring you around."

His face drew in, probably thinking the joke
not so funny now, if not outright cruel.

"What's going on, Maya?"

She walked to the driver's side, opened the door. He still sat near the passenger door, refusing to budge.

"Come, take a look."
She nodded to the open interior.

He wheeled to her side, each turn of his wheels a reluctant motion. At last, he sat next to the open door and looked in.

And saw the hand controls that she'd had fitted to the car. Just for him.

He looked up at her with a mixture of surprise…and maybe a little fear.

"You did this?"

She nodded.

"I…I haven't driven in years, Maya. I don't even have a license now."

"I won't tell if you don't," she said with a smile.
"And you're driving me home where my sister has made us a nice brunch."

She knew she was hitting him hard with a lot of one-two punches. Driving, meeting a family member…and good food. For a second, she thought he was going to outright refuse.

But then the whisper of a smile appeared. And she knew she had him.

He maneuvered into the driver's seat and she broke down his chair to put
the pieces into the back. She was used to the procedure now. Girlfriend duties.

She
walked over and slid into the passenger seat then waited for him to turn the ignition. He sat there for almost a minute, studying the controls, his expression unsure and intimidated.

"Got to try sometime," she said. "And of course, you'll get your own car so you can drive me places like a proper boyfriend."

He smiled at that and finally turned the ignition. He eased the car out of its space and began a slow trek out of the lot. As he hit the main artery, though, he picked up speed, one hand on the wheel, his other hand on the gas control. At the first red light, he instinctively pushed the brake control. She hadn't realized she'd been breathing in small spurts until she relaxed after a mile or so, when she felt that he had the car under firm control.

She told him the routes to take to get to her house, but he shook his head, offering short cuts he knew from the bus routes.

"Trust me," he said and she had to laugh.

"By the way, I talked to Janey last night. She's thinking of bringing the kids up. She's worried about me…and the whole thing."

"Well, that's good having your family around. Especially a sister. Trust me, I know from experience."

"So, how much does your sister know about me?" he asked.

"Practically everything."

"Uh oh," he said softly, almost to himself.

"Don't worry. Her bark is louder…well no, she's got quite a bite, too. But she's well trained. I promise."

He laughed
, then said tentatively, "You know, maybe you can meet Janey and the kids while they're here."

"I'd like that."

They continued on their way. He deftly made turns and increased or decreased speed as needed. So it was true about cars as it was about bicycles. You never really forgot.

"This must have cost you a lot," he said, and she realized he felt indebted.

"It's worth it," was all she would say.

Within a half hour he was parking in front of her house. If he'd thought the driving was the hard part of the day, his new expression said that he might have underestimated the fa
mily meet, as though he was going to be introduced to Vlad the Impaler or rather Vlad's female counterpart, Countess Báthory.

"C'mon, it'll be OK," she
encouraged, hoping she wasn't being overly optimistic. She never knew with Jada.

###

"So, how was the drive over? Hit anybody?"

Jada didn't beat around the bush.

But they'd been home for nearly an hour and in that time, Zach had acclimated to Jada's wicked humor. And had even delivered some sharp jabs of his own. All in fun, of course. The two of them were attuning to each other, mostly for Maya's sake. And maybe because they were finding they had more things in common than just her.

They were sitting
at the table, eating. Jada had set up the side table English style (probably influenced by her current love affair with Downton Abbey). It held their particular brunch favorites including scrambled eggs with ham and feta cheese, chocolate chip pancakes, sour cream bread, pecan French toast, sausage with gravy and last but not least savory Eggs Benedict. And she'd even made coffee with Maya's beans, going through the process of grinding and brewing them.

To say that Jada had over
-killed…would be just saying that Jada did her regular thing. She never short-shrifted…not in the kitchen nor in the courtroom.

As though reading Maya's mind, Jada piped in.

"So, how's the inquiry going?"

Maya threw her sister an eye dagger but Jada just put up the ignore shield. Maya peeked at Zach, expecting to see anger or at least some sort of pique in his expression. But he looked as nonchalantly as though
Jada had just asked about the weather. Or made some innocuous comment about the Seahawks.

"I got to
go before what they call a tribunal. I've been assigned a military attorney, even though I'm no longer military."

Jada nodded. "Yes, I've been reading up on the
military rules and court procedures since Maya first told me about your situation. I know you have that attorney, but if you have questions, any at all, I'm a good researcher, even in areas I'm not completely versed in. If you want, and if the court allows, I can even make time to sit in. You know…for support."

Sometimes Jada showed more humanity than Maya gave her credit for. At this moment, she could kiss her sister. Instead
Maya reached for another pancake and poured a liberal amount of Mrs. Butterworth. That was the only thing Jada hadn't made from scratch starting at six in the morning. Maya had nearly cussed her sister out when she'd rung the doorbell at five thirty, forcing Maya out of a deep sleep of recovery. Thankfully, Zach hadn't stayed over last night but had gone home before eleven.

But it was sweet
of Jada to make the effort. Maya had detected even a little nervous energy on Jada's part during the morning's preparation, and especially when Zach sat down to taste the first bite. He'd nodded and smiled at Jada, and declared it delicious. From that point on they were good buds, Zach having passed a major Jada test. Don't like her cooking, go straight to the dog house with the shit list attached to the door.

Later, as they talked while listening to one of Maya's favorite jazz stations (she was doing her best to convert Zach), she made an excuse to get Jada alone in the kitchen for a second to discuss something she'd been mulling over for a couple of weeks.

"What's up, sis?" Jada asked, taking a sip from the glass of wine in her hand. And this after only an hour since coffee.

Maya pulled open a drawer where she kept miscellany, including bills she was loathe to pay right away and scraps of paper with scribbled info she didn't immediately need. She also kept business cards she w
asn't sure she should throw out. She retrieved one card, closed the drawer and handed the card to her sister.

"
Jules Mackinaw, Attorney at Law
" Jada read out loud. "Hey, isn't this the dude you went out with about a month or so ago?"

"Yes, th
at's him and he seems very nice," Maya answered.

Jada looked at her suspiciously, the wine glass paused at her lips. "So why're you handing me his card?"

"Like I said, he's nice. And handsome. And he likes jazz. A great conversationalist. Likes good food."

"And? You know my rule against dating anyone I work with…or may run into at work."
The statement was said like a warning, a warning she often iterated.

"I know, I know
," Maya said, nodding her head. "You don't crap where you eat. But you know what Jada, there's a place where you often do both. It's called a home. Something you should think about building. And this may just be a start. He'll need vetting…but who knows, you two may get along. Although two lawyers…well…" Maya shrugged with a smile.

Jada smirked, took a sip. But she looked like she was mulling the possibility.

"Well, they say sisters should share." Jada said this with a tinge of sarcasm tempered with a smile. Then she put the card in her purse resting on the kitchen counter.

Jada looked over at Zach in his chair as he nodded his head to a jazz tune. Something by Al Jarreau. Then she asked a question she asked weeks ago.

"So he's happening, huh?"

Maya looked over at Zach who was suspiciously oblivious that he was the subject of their banter.

And Maya gave the answer she gave those many weeks ago. And this time, she said it with more certainty.

"Yeah, he's happening."

Then Maya left her sister who was pouring a second glass of Pinot to walk over to Zach.

Maya
said nothing as she sat down on the section of the divan closest to Zach's chair and casually laid a hand on his knee. A touch he couldn't feel. But then he didn't need to. She knew he felt the expression behind the touch.

And for both of them, that was enough.

THE END

One of the main things I like about Maya and Jada in
A Battle Raging
is their love of cooking. Following are a few recipes mentioned in the novel that the sisters prepared during their time together. I thought it would be fun to include the recipes for the readers – something to try in the kitchen. Thanks to
Allrecipes.com
for permission to reprint these. The website is a
collection of some very delicious entrees and was the source of the recipes I chose for this particular novel.