Mad River Road (23 page)

“Nothing’s happened.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“I don’t understand. Why did you wake me up?” Unless she’d been dreaming and only imagined his voice prodding her awake, and it was she, not he, who’d thrown the room into sudden chaos. He’d been sleeping soundly. It was her fault they were both awake at this ridiculous hour. “Was I having a bad dream?”

“You looked to be sleeping very peacefully to me,” Brad said.

So he
had
woken her up. Why? “I don’t understand. Why—”

“I love you,” he said simply.

Whatever vestiges of sleep had been clinging to her body suddenly vanished. Jamie was now fully, completely awake. “What?” she asked, although she’d heard him clearly the first time. “What?” she asked, hoping to hear it again.

“Look, I know it’s happening awfully fast. You probably think I’m crazy.…”

“I don’t think you’re crazy.” Tears welled up in her eyes.

“I was just sitting here,” he continued, wiping her tears away with the tips of his fingers, “watching you sleep, and it came over me like a wave—I love this woman. I love her. I love you,” he said, leaning forward to kiss her. It was a kiss of almost unbearable gentleness, as if a butterfly had fluttered against her lips, then taken flight.

“You woke me up to tell me you love me?”

“I was afraid I’d lose my nerve if I waited till morning.”

“You love me,” Jamie repeated, cupping the invisible words to her chest and holding them against her skin, feeling them creep into her pores, into her blood, then float toward her heart. It had been so long since anyone had said anything like that to her, so long since she’d felt loved. “Why?” she couldn’t help but ask. “Why do you love me?”
What’s there to love?
she asked silently.

“Why do I love you?” he repeated incredulously. “I don’t know. Why does anybody love anyone?”

“What do you love about me?” Jamie asked, hoping that by rephrasing the question, it might encourage his response.

“What do I love about you? Well, let me see.” He paused, as if giving the question serious consideration. “I love the way you look,” he began, teasing her now. “I love your eyes … your hair … your breasts.” His fingers traveled from her face to her shoulders, tracing a delicate path along her newly electrified flesh. “I love the way you throw your head back when you get excited, and I love the sound of your laugh. Kind of like wind chimes. And I love the way you kiss,” he said, kissing her again, this time harder. “And the way you moan when I touch the back of your neck in one particular spot. Right here,” he said, touching her there, and she moaned, as if on cue, then laughed softly.

Wind chimes, she thought, listening for the sound.

“But best of all, I love your sense of adventure, the way you’re not afraid to take chances, the way you go after what you want. I love your fearlessness, your willingness to try anything.”

Jamie smiled. What her mother and sister had viewed as reckless and impulsive was fearless and adventurous in his eyes. “You inspire me,” she said.

“It’s
you
who inspire me.” He kissed her again, longer this time, his tongue playing with her own. “So you’re not mad at me?”

“Mad at you?” She laughed. “Why on earth would I be mad at you?”

“For waking you up. You were sleeping so soundly.”

“Are you kidding? You can wake me up anytime to tell me things like that.”

“You’re very beautiful when you sleep. So peaceful. So still.”

Jamie snuggled in against him, laying her head against his chest, listening to the steady beating of his heart. “Couldn’t you sleep?”

He shrugged. “My mind’s been racing around like crazy all night.”

“What were you thinking about?”

“Oh, just a little surprise I’ve been cooking up.”

“A surprise? What kind of surprise?”

He pulled out of her arms, reached for his jeans. “Time to get dressed, Jamie-girl.”

“What?”

Brad jumped to his feet. “Come on, Jamie. Throw on some clothes and get that gorgeous ass in gear.” He pulled his jeans over his slender hips.

“No, wait. Brad. Stop. What’s happening? What are you doing?”

“You’ll see.”

“Can’t I see in the morning?” This was crazy. It was the middle of the night.

He laughed. “It’s more fun in the dark.”

“What is?”

“Come on, Jamie. You really want to spoil the surprise?”

Which was when it hit her—they were going to Barnsley Gardens. Somehow he’d made the arrangements, waiting until after she was asleep to make the necessary calls, and now he was standing in front of her, having just confessed his love, for God’s sake, barely able to stand still he was so excited, his weight shifting from one foot to the other, eager to get a move on, to get out of this crummy motel room and on their way. “Okay,” she agreed, swinging her feet out of bed.

Brad let out a whoop of glee. “That’s my girl!”

Jamie stepped into the bathroom, where she threw some cold water on her face and quickly ran a comb through her hair.

“Leave that,” Brad urged, watching from the tiny hall. “You look great.”

“I look like somebody woke me up in the middle of the night.” She didn’t want to scare the check-in people at Barnsley Gardens. How late did these people work anyway? For that matter, how had Brad cleared up the problem with his credit card so quickly? She was about to ask when she thought better of it. She didn’t want to ruin the surprise after all.

“Come on, Jamie. You can brush your teeth later,” he said as she was reaching for her toothbrush.

“I’m not going anywhere without brushing my teeth.” She brushed her teeth, then began packing her toiletries into their small leather case.

“What are you doing now?”

“Getting ready to go.”

“You can do that stuff in the morning.”

“What do you mean? I thought we were leaving.”

“We’re trying,” he said, tossing the clothes she’d been wearing all day in her direction. Jamie caught them before they hit the floor.

“We’re coming back here?”

“Of course we’re coming back. Gotta get
some
sleep.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Do you trust me?” Brad asked, a hint of impatience creeping into his words.

“Of course I trust you.”

“Then let’s get this show on the road.”

Jamie pulled some fresh underwear out of her overnight bag, then got dressed. Brad had the motel door open before she’d finished tying her sneakers. The damp night air rushed inside, as if trying to hustle her out. So they weren’t going to Barnsley Gardens after all, she was thinking, trying not to be disappointed as she followed him to the car. Hadn’t he just told her he loved her? And didn’t he love her, at least in part, because of her adventurous spirit, her fearlessness, her willingness to try anything?

Did she really want to risk letting him down?

“Let’s get this show on the road,” she repeated as they climbed into the car.

Minutes later, they were on the road again, although where they were going Jamie had no idea. They seemed to be driving around in circles. Ten minutes later, they were still driving, and she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. She thought of asking if she could be of help, but the determined look on Brad’s face—even in profile, even in the dark—told her to let things be. Obviously he had a plan. Another surprise in a night full of surprises.
Might as well relax, she told herself, closing her eyes and listening to the voices on the all-night talk-radio station.

I don’t know what to do about her, man. She’s sexy as hell, but she’s been lying and cheating on me for months
.

The way I see it, Buddy, you have two choices. You can stay and continue to be lied to and mistreated, or you can be a man and leave her
.

But I love her, man
.

Hey, Buddy. Ever hear the expression pussy-whipped?

Jamie opened her eyes as the car swerved suddenly to the right. Where were they?

“Brad—”

“Ssh.” He put his fingers to his lips. “I want to hear this.”

Nah, man, it’s not like that
.

It never is, Buddy
.

She thought she recognized the tall white columns of a palatial corner house, tried telling herself she didn’t.

“Where are we?”

“Ssh. Almost there.”

She’s really terrific
.

The bad ones always are
.

“Brad—”

“Ssh.”

She’s got me all tied up in knots. I can’t think clearly
.

That’s ‘cause you’re not thinking with your head, Buddy. You’re thinking with another part of your anatomy. And that part isn’t always the best judge of character, as we all know
.

Were they back in Buckhead?

You don’t get it, man
.

Sure I do. Hey, we’ve all been there. She’s gorgeous. She’s great in the sack. Best sex you ever had. But it comes with a price, Buddy, and you’ve got a decision to make. How much is her crap really worth?

Jamie sat straight up in her seat. They were back in Buckhead. Why?

You don’t know her, man. Sometimes when we’re together, she’s like this angel
.

She’s the devil, Buddy. Get out while you still can
.

Jamie reached over and switched off the radio. The voices fell silent. “Brad, what’s going on? What are we doing here?”

“I’ve been thinking a lot about the things you told me.”

“What things?”

“About your former mother-in-law.”

Jamie found herself holding her breath. “My ex-mother-in-law? Why on earth would you be thinking about her?”

“I don’t know. I guess it was driving over there earlier and seeing her in the window, and remembering how she made you give back your wedding ring.…”

“Believe me, I didn’t want it anymore.”

“And those gold-and-pearl earrings?” he reminded her.

Jamie pictured the magnificent, heart-shaped pearl earrings outlined in gold. “Yeah, well, what can you do?”

“Well, that’s what I’ve been thinking about.” He turned his face toward her, flashed his killer grin. “I’m thinking we can get them back.”

“What?” Jamie tried to laugh, but the look in his eyes froze the laughter in her throat. “You can’t be serious.”

Brad shook his head. “On the contrary. I’m dead serious.”

Jamie twisted around in her seat as the streets grew ever more familiar. They were only blocks from Magnolia Lane. “Brad, stop. Turn around. This is insane.”

“What’s insane is that this woman got away with making my girl miserable for almost two years. I mean,
you can’t tell me you haven’t at least thought about getting even.”

“Getting even? What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about taking back what’s yours.”

“But they’re not mine.”

“Sure they are. She gave you those earrings, didn’t she?”

“Yes, but then she took them back.”

“Something she had no right to do.”

“Maybe so, but—”

“No maybes about it.”

They turned the corner onto Magnolia Lane.

“Brad, please. You have to stop. We can’t do this.”

“Of course we can. We can do anything we want.”

“But I don’t want this.”

“What’s the matter, Jamie? Lose your sense of adventure already?”

Even in the dark, Jamie could make out the disappointment in his eyes. “No. It’s not that. It’s just …”

Brad pulled the blue Thunderbird to a stop several houses short of number ninety-two. “Forget it,” he was saying. “You’re right. It was a stupid idea.”

A deep sigh of relief escaped Jamie’s lungs. It trembled out of her mouth and shattered upon contact with the air. She could almost see it scatter, as if it were trying to escape in all directions at once. What had Brad been thinking, for God’s sake? He was a computer expert, not a thief who broke into people’s homes in the middle of the night. “Let’s go,” she urged quietly.

“I was just doing it for you, you know,” he said.

“I know that. But—”

“But?”

“You’re tired. You’re not thinking straight. In the morning, this is all going to feel like some crazy dream.”

Which, of course, was exactly what it was, Jamie realized. There wasn’t the remotest possibility that any of this was actually happening. In another minute, she’d wake up, and everything would be back to normal. So she could relax, stop hyperventilating. It was all a silly dream.

With one arm, Brad drew Jamie into a tender embrace. With the other, he switched off the car’s ignition.

Instantly Jamie pulled back. “What are you doing?”

“I’m getting your earrings back.” He pocketed the car keys, opened the door, and jumped out.

In the next second, he was gone.

“Brad, wait! Stop! Please!” Jamie caught up with Brad as he neared the front of Laura Dennison’s house. He’s having some kind of breakdown, she was thinking. Either that or it was all a big practical joke. Either way, she had to stop him before things went too far.

“That’s my girl. I knew you’d change your mind.”

“Brad …”

“I knew I could count on you.”

“Brad, please. Come back to the car.”

“Only place I’m going is in there.” He pointed toward the house.

Why?
she wanted to scream. “How?” she asked instead. “How are you going to get in? We don’t have a key. She has an alarm.”

This new information gave him a second’s pause. “You must remember the code.”

“She’s probably changed it by now.”

“Why would she? It’s not like she thought you’d ever come back.”

“What if she changed it anyway? What if it goes off?”

“Then we hightail it out of there.”

“And if we’re not fast enough? If we get caught?”

“Not gonna happen,” Brad said confidently. “Come on, Jamie. This is gonna be fun.” He took her in his arms, kissed her with a passion that was both invigorating and contagious. “We’re not gonna hurt anybody. We’re just going to take back what’s rightfully yours. She won’t even know we’ve been here.”

“Brad, listen to yourself. You’re talking about breaking into somebody’s house. You’re talking about theft. You’re talking about the possibility of getting caught and going to prison.”