“Sounds like it could be post-traumatic stress disorder,” Judith said. “I'm no psychologist, but she's sure been through enough to have it. Remember how she sulked around for days after she saw Mark beaten? How she took the rabbits into her room to protect them? Maybe it was manifesting itself even then.”
“But she seemed better in the last few weeks.”
“Does she have bad dreams?”
“Yes, but don't we all these days?”
“That's the thing. We all have reactions to trauma. Some negative reactions are normal. But PTSD has lingering symptoms. People with it sometimes have flashbacks. Sometimes they have anxiety attacks as they relive the event.”
“
Which
event?” Kay's mind raced through all the traumatic things the family had been through in the last year. No wonder she was asking about murders and missing persons. Her sister had been a missing person, and then little Sarah—one of the children they were caring for—was kidnapped. Doug had been shot in their own home, and Zach—Jeff's best friend—was almost killed. Then Mark was beaten half to death before Beth's very eyes.
It was a wonder they weren't all losing their minds.
“Do you know she hasn't even gotten excited that the Pulses have ended?”
Judith dropped her last armful of clothes into the basket. “Now that is bad. Sometimes patients with PTSD can't think about the future. They have a sense of doom.”
“We were thinking of finding her a counselor.”
“Great idea. Do you know Anne Latham over on Bayor Street?”
“Not very well.”
“Well, get to know her. She's a family therapist, or she was before the outage. Maybe you can get her to counsel Beth. I hear she was pretty good, back in the good ole days.”
Armed with hope, Kay made a note to talk to her soon.
Before she could head back home, Kay saw Mark walking up the sidewalk. He'd dressed up a little for his night with Deni. With his jeans, he wore a white button-down dress shirt. He grinned as he came toward her.
Kay grinned back. “Big date tonight, huh?”
“Got that right. She in a good mood?”
“From what I can tell.”
She thought of asking Mark if tonight was the night for the big proposal, but she decided to stay out of it. When the time was right, Mark would propose. She led him into the house, and called up to Deni.
What she wouldn't give for a working camcorder and the ability to go invisible tonight!
thirteen
D
ENI TOOK ONE LAST LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND GAVE HER
self a thumbs-up. At least the three-quarter-length sleeves covered her T-shirt tan. She slathered on some lip gloss, wondering where Mark was taking her. It wasn't like they could go out to dinner or a movie. But Mark had promised her a memorable night in celebration of the burned-out star.
She bounced downstairs and found him waiting like a prom date in the living room. He held a bouquet of pansies, the stems wrapped in tin foil.
“Mark, are those for me?”
He grinned. “I know they're corny. But I wanted you to have them.”
She took them and breathed in their scent. Mark's eyes had that Cary Grant glint, like he had a secret.
“You look like a movie star tonight,” she said. “Like one of those hunka-hunka heartthrobs who can't go out without paparazzi.”
“Wow. So do you,” he said, laughing. “You ready for the red carpet?” He pulled her close and pressed a kiss on her lips.
She slid her arms around his neck and rose up on her toes.
“Go ahead and tell me,” he said with a grin. “You love me, don't you?”
She laughed softly against his lips. “How could I not?”
He stroked her hair and smiled.
“So where are you taking me?”
“How about a boat ride?”
“That sounds fun.”
He pushed off from the couch. “Well, let's go, then. My yacht awaits.”
His yacht, she knew, was a patched-up rowboat that hung in his garage. But that was yacht enough for her.
As they went to the door, they heard a car outside. She looked through the glass. It was a white Malibu, one she hadn't seen around before. “Is that car coming here?”
Mark opened the door, and they both stepped out onto the porch as it pulled into their driveway. The driver got out. Deni watched as he came around the car. “Hi, babe,” he said. “It's me!”
Deni caught her breath at the sight of her ex-fiancé.
fourteen
“
C
RAIG
?” H
IS APPEARANCE WAS SO UNEXPECTED THAT
Deni froze. “What are you doing here?”
He held out his hands, presentation-style. “I'm moving here!”
“What?”
“I'll tell you all about it, if I can get a hug.”
He looked like she remembered in the days before the Pulses—the young VIP in a tailored suit, hair cut short and jaw clean-shaven. But somehow those polished good looks didn't appeal to her now. She didn't need this twist in her relationship with Mark.
When she didn't step off the porch, he stepped up and hugged her.
Deni glanced apologetically at Mark. Craig followed her gaze.
Mark's posture straightened as he shook Craig's hand. He was a good four inches taller than Craig. “Nice to see you again,” he lied in a cool voice.
“You too.” Craig's tone was just as cool. Turning back to Deni, he said, “I was just appointed as a regional advisor for the Department of Energy, to work on the Alabama Recovery Team.” A self-conscious grin took over his face. “Man, you look gorgeous.”
Mark looked at the ground, his jaw popping. The scar on his forehead seemed redder. Deni took Mark's hand, laced her fingers through his. “Mark and I were about to go out. He's taking me for a boat ride.”
The tension in Mark's jaw seemed to melt, and he looked up. Craig met his eyes. Challenging.
“Nice night for it.” Craig glanced toward the door. “Hey, I've been driving since the wee hours. They deployed us as soon as they knew the Pulses had ended. You think your parents would mind putting me up for a few days?”
No, she thought. That would be absurd, having her ex-fiancé living in her house while she dated someone else. “Wouldn't you rather be in Birmingham? Surely your office won't be in Crockett.”
“Actually, it is. I convinced them to set up here.”
The words spoke volumes, and Deni knew this wasn't an arbitrary decision. He had come here for her. Hadn't her rejection of his train ticket to Washington been enough to convince him she wasn't interested?
Apparently not.
“You've always liked grand gestures, babe,” he said in a low voice, as though Mark wasn't there. “How about this one? I could have worked in any state or stayed in Washington at the DOE. But I came here.”
Mark took a step toward him.
Deni stopped him. “You shouldn't have, Craig. I'm with Mark now. I told you in my letter.”
“Find another place to stay,” Mark bit out.
Craig ignored him. “Come on, Deni. I hardly know anybody else in town. There aren't any hotels open. Do you want me to sleep in my car?”
“No, I don't want you sleeping in your car. But you should have worked something out before you came.”
“I thought we were friends,” he said. “I figured your family would be glad to see me since I'm going to help get their lights turned back on.”
Deni's heart jolted, and her defenses fell. “You are?”
“Of course. That's our main goal. And if I'm here, you can bet this part of town will be among the first to be restored.”
He had her. She swallowed hard as visions of a refrigerator, overhead lights, television, and computers flashed through her brain. Could Craig really do that?
Of course he could. He'd worked for Senator Crawford for two years and knew a lot of people in government. He could get things done.
She looked at Mark, saw the trepidation on his face.
“I'll ask my parents,” she told Craig finally. “Maybe you can stay for a day or two.”
fifteen
M
ARK HUNG BACK AS
D
ENI WENT TO THE FRONT DOOR
and leaned in, calling her parents. He was amazed at the arrogance of this guy.
The line about sleeping in his car really got to Mark. He'd be happy to show Craig a nice bridge he could sleep under. And all the promises about restoring power—as if Craig had the pull to get the Brannings' house restored first.
But it was Deni who'd have to convince Craig she wasn't interested. Mark could see that she didn't want to be rude to the man who'd once meant so much to her. And Craig was pushy. When she'd hesitated about putting him up, he'd laid guilt on her. He knew her too well.
As anger warmed Mark's face, he fumbled in his pocket for the ring. What timing.
She turned back to both of them. “Let's go on in and let Mom and Dad know you're here.”
Mark didn't want to. He wanted to take Craig to the lake, launch him in a canoe without a paddle, and let him swim back to shore. Mark knew Craig wanted him to leave, so he stayed.
As he passed Craig, he looked down at him, hoping his rival felt small. Craig didn't look pleased, which pleased Mark immensely.
It was his only consolation.
K
AY HEARD
D
ENI CALLING FROM THE FRONT DOOR AND HER
heart leapt. “He must have asked her!” she told Doug.
Doug laughed. “That boy doesn't waste any time.” They raced each other to the door.
Deni didn't look like a blushing bride-to-be. Instead, she had a bad-news look on her face. Her ring finger was still bare. “Guess who's here,” she said.
“Who?” Kay asked.
Deni opened the door wider.
Kay almost choked at the sight of Craig Martin.
“What the devil are you doing here?” Doug blurted.
Craig's smile twitched. Kay snapped a smile on her tight face. “Craig, it's great to see you. Are you passing through?”
“No,” he said, giving them stiff hugs. “I'm staying.”
Kay's eyes moved to Mark, stepping in behind Craig, looking as if he'd like to hurt him. Was the ring in his pocket?
How could this happen, tonight of all nights?
Kay swallowed hard. “Staying where?”
Deni cleared her throat. “He wondered if he could stay here for a couple of days.”
Craig told them about his job, and Kay's heart sank deeper. This wasn't a weekend thing. He was digging in. Staking his territory.
Kay heard Beth coming down the stairs. When she appeared in the foyer, she took one look at Craig and said, “Uh-oh.”
Kay shot her a scolding look and laughed nervously. “That's not a very nice greeting, Beth.”
Beth looked at her mother. “But he lives in Washington!” Catching herself, she turned back to Craig and muttered, “It's nice to see you.”
Mark caught her eye and winked.
Craig slid his hands into his pockets. “I'm here to get things up and running again.”
“What things?” Beth asked.
“Electricity, communication, transportation …”
Kay caught her breath. “Really?”
“Yes.” Craig seemed relieved that he'd gotten her interest. “I just need a place to stay for a few days until I can find a place to live.”
Kay froze, and she felt Doug doing the same. Mark sent signals with his eyes. Kay wanted to say no, that there wasn't a place anywhere in Crockett where he could find an empty bed.
“Mom? Dad?” Deni asked, rattling them back to the moment.
Kay realized she was being rude. Her mind raced for an alternative. “Maybe you could rent one of the empty apartments at Sandwood Place.”
“No way,” Craig said. “I've been to that place. I'm not living there. I can afford something much nicer. I just need time to look.”
“But they're nicer now. The residents are really keeping it cleaner now that they know what to do. And some of the people have moved out and gone to live with relatives, so there are vacancies.”
“Sorry. Not interested.”
Doug sighed. “Well, what about Eloise's house across the street?”
He didn't bite. “I'll find something soon. I just need a couch to sleep on until I have time to look.”
Mark finally spoke. “My father's house is vacant.”
Kay almost laughed. The house Mark inherited wasn't exactly habitable.
Deni shot him a stern look. “Mark, it's all burned out. No one can live there until it's repaired.”
Kay fought her grin. Mark seemed to like the idea of Craig living in a burned-out house.
“Thanks a lot, Mark.” Craig's tone was sarcastic. “But if I get this area's power on first, I'd like to be able to use it.”
Hope sprang to Kay's heart. “You mean we'll have electricity before everyone else?”
“This region will,” he said. “Call us selfish, but we'll need a communication center, office equipment. We'll start with Crockett, of course. And this neighborhood will be on my priority list.”
Before Kay could respond, Beth said, “He can have my room for a couple of days. I like sleeping with Deni.”
“All right.” Kay's voice sounded weak, hollow. She lifted her chin, hoping to sound more gracious—but what would this do to Mark and Deni? “You'll sleep in Beth's room, Craig.”
Mark looked at the floor. Kay hoped he'd forgive her.
“Great,” Craig said. “And Doug, there's something I wanted to talk to you about.”
Doug's face was still tight, guarded. “Yeah?”
“It's about Christianity. I don't know if Deni told you, but the events of the last year have done a lot to humble me. And it woke me up to a lot of things. Including the existence of God.” He paused, as if the words were thick in his throat. “I began to read the Bible, and its truth resonated with me. After a lot of soul-searching, I gave my life to Christ.”
Boy, he was shoveling it on thick. Kay didn't believe him for a moment. But Deni seemed to. Her smile seemed victorious.
Doug's smile was thin, fragile. “That's wonderful, Craig,” he said. “Our prayers for you all those months ago were answered.”
They were still standing in the foyer. She should invite him in, Kay thought. Offer him some food. Where were her manners?
Craig went on. “I haven't yet been baptized. And I was thinking that maybe you could baptize me tomorrow. You still do church, don't you?”