Rocky Mountain Angels (22 page)

Only Ben seemed to be in good spirits the last three days. He had started volunteering at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and couldn’t wait for his new field of study to get underway. Mari was pretty impatient as well, but classes didn’t start for another nine days, and even though she was excited about photography classes, she couldn’t shake the feeling that it still wasn’t the right path.

She slid Tawny off her person, threw off the blankets, and stepped gingerly to the cold floor. She winced and reprimanded herself again for trying to force her toe into a real boot too soon. She had paid for it with renewed inflammation and pain that still hadn’t completely gone away four days later.

She thought about going to services with Joe and Ben as she slipped on her pig slippers. Of course, they’d seat her between them in the truck and probably in the pew.
That’s just what guys do.
Her heart raced at the thought, and she knew this day of rest was going to be anything but.
Limping to the bathroom, she prayed that the Biderman’s wouldn’t have extra guests to fill up the pew today.

***

Joe woke up with a headache after a night filled with tense, conflict-filled dreams. He’d given just about everyone he knew a piece of his mind at some time during the night, including his sweet mother for not baking his birthday cake to his liking. He rolled over and looked at the clock. Joe groaned and flung his blankets off with ferocity. The gloom outside disguised the lateness of the hour, and while he felt almost as tired as he had when he went to bed, he had no more time to lie around.

He sat up, rubbed the heels of his hands in his eyes, and stood. Going to Sabbath services was just about the last thing on his want-to-do list this morning, but he could hardly stay home after the fuss he had made to Beth about making it a priority. And he refused to believe that he had been wrong. He stumbled to the bathroom to find something to take for his pounding head.

***

Mari felt as if she were about to jump out of her skin. Even though Joe was sitting at least a foot away from her in the pew and talking to Mr. Biderman, she felt the tension between them like a thick fog.

Thankfully, they had taken Ben’s car, saving her from having to sit so snugly between them in Joe’s pickup, and she and Ben had discussed his latest zoo experiences while Joe seemed to sulk in the back, never saying a word. And as soon as they had parked the car, Joe was out and heading toward the synagogue. As she walked with Ben, Mari had felt tears forming as she wondered once again what she had done to make him furious with her.

Waiting for the service to begin, she looked down at the deep blue sweater dress she was wearing underneath her prayer shawl. Ben had told her she looked beautiful in it, but Joe had just given her a polite, disconnected nod as she went past him into the pew. She was sure that had Eli been there, he wouldn’t have taken his eyes off of her.
So what does it matter what Joe thinks?

She wondered if Eli was right.
Are we putting rituals over people by not helping Beth move today?
She knew Eli didn’t expect her to help with her hurt foot, but she had a feeling this was going to be a point of contention in the Rhodes household for awhile.

Mari’s attention went to the front as the cantor announced the first song. They stood, and Joe handed her the open song book. Her fingers brushed his in the hand-off, sending a charge straight to her belly. She did her best to disguise the catch in her breath with a fake sneeze before joining in the song.

Zing. That’s what Ben called it. God damn it. Sorry Lord, but God damn it. Why do I feel that with her and not Beth?

Mari’s light soprano and Ben’s tenor started to filter through Joe’s senses, bringing him back to the moment. Focusing on the pages Mari held, he found the spot and added his baritone. He sang quietly at first, but the sweet sound was intoxicating, and by the last verse, he was leaning in and matching their volume.

The second song was even easier to harmonize with, and a couple of people in the rows ahead of them actually turned around and smiled. When the song ended, Joe realized that he had his hand on her lower back. He dropped it quickly, and when they sat, he made sure to sit with a good space between them. He caught Mari’s nervous glance his way as she sat and chided himself for the action, as innocent as it may have been.

The Rabbi began to speak, but Joe wasn’t hearing a word. All the disagreements of the last week kept going round and round in his head— Ben, Mari, Beth, and finally, Eli. He rubbed his temple.

He believed with his whole heart that he was right about not skipping the Sabbath services to load a truck. Putting God’s agenda before your own is the only way to find His blessings, but would God frown on helping Beth in the afternoon? Was it right to let her, Sheri, and Eli bear that load alone?

Then there was his argument with Ben over his change of study. He had to admit, the kid had not stopped talking about volunteering at the zoo for three days straight, and even though he had jumped into the business classes like a trooper, he had never been excited about them. I 
think I’m going to have to eat crow on that one.

And then there was Mari.

He and Mari hadn’t even fought, but they had been at odds most of the week anyway.
Or have I just been at odds with her?
I’ve just been taking Ben’s word for what she said. Maybe he exaggerated or took it out of context or something.
Joe peeked at her out of the corner of his eye.
Maybe she has no idea why I’ve been giving her the silent treatment.
She had on the prettiest blue dress—kind of a long sweater—and a matching hair clip on the side of her head, gathering some of her curls together.
She’s gorgeous.

He saw that her fingers were slipped under her thighs, and as he watched, she pulled the ghostly white digits out and began to rub them together.

Watching her, Joe finally tuned in to the sermon. “Leviticus 19:18 tells us, ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.’”

Scooting closer, he reached over and took the hand closest to him, enclosing her fingers between his two palms. Ben grabbed the other one and followed suit. Mari smiled at each in turn, and Joe realized that his headache was gone.

***

Eli was thankful for three things on this Sabbath morning. One, the weather wasn’t half bad. The snow had melted and the temperature was actually in the upper forties. He was also relieved that Beth and Sheri didn’t “live large” when it came to furniture, and lastly, that they lived on the ground floor.

They had struck out in finding anyone else to help them load their truck, so Eli generally carried one side of everything with the gals together hefting the other. He had cursed Joe, Ben, and their blasted religion more than once when the women had to set their end down “for just a sec.” He knew he’d promised Mari he’d go to services with her, but at the moment, he couldn’t see it happening. If he went, he didn’t know what might come out of his mouth.

After all the furniture was loaded, they took a break, and Beth ordered a pizza. Sitting on the floor of their apartment that was still littered with boxes, Eli found himself enjoying the company of these two artists. Beth hadn’t really been herself, he realized, at his family’s Thanksgiving dinner. She had probably been overwhelmed by the large Rhodes clan and maybe Joe, himself, who kept introducing her in the same breath with the words “accounting major.” Art is obviously at the heart of who she is, and Joe had effectively closed the door on that as a topic of conversation.

Sheri was a bubbly red head, not as tall as Beth, not as short as Mari. She had one of those asymmetrical hair styles and multiple piercings on one ear, as well as a small jewel on the side of her nose. Both women were wearing long sleeves and jeans, but if Eli had to venture a guess, he’d wager Sheri had several tattoos. She laughed a lot, and when she and Beth started talking about their high school pranking days, their laughter was contagious.

When the pizza was gone, Sheri grabbed a small box and headed out to the truck. Beth gathered up their lunch trash, and Eli held open a trash bag for her. She grew suddenly serious. “I don’t know how to thank you, Eli. I’m so mad at Joe right now... it almost makes me wonder why I’m moving to the Springs to be near him.”

Eli tied up the bag and thought carefully about his response. Even if he didn’t think they were particularly a good match, he didn’t want to fuel their feuding fire. “Joe is a man of convictions, and generally that’s admirable, but sometimes he lets those convictions get in the way of real life.” He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. “I have no doubt you can loosen him up.” He tossed the bag over by the door and picked up his jacket lying nearby. After slipping it on over his black t-shirt, he moved to pick up a heavy box marked “kitchen.” “I mean, who would have thought that he’d let you into his bed last week.” He hefted it up and grinned at Beth’s surprised expression. “You have persistence, too.”

She put a hand to her open mouth, her cheeks turning red. “Oh my gosh, did you hear us arguing?”

“It’s an old house.” He started for the door. “The walls are a bit thin.” Eli smiled as Beth held the door open for him, a look of mortification on her face.

Sheri was waiting by the truck. “I’m feeling pretty paranoid about just leaving this open without someone watching it.”

Eli nodded. “Yeah, this isn’t exactly a rich neighborhood.” He walked up the ramp to place the box close to the furniture then turned back to her. “You stay, I’ll load.”

Sheri wouldn’t hear of it. “No, you’ve done so much already.” When he reached the bottom of the ramp, she put her hand in the middle of his chest. “There are lots of lighter boxes we can carry.”

A sudden excitement trilled through him, and for a split second, he was back in the singles bar scene, where every female was viewed as a possible hook-up for the night. He mentally gave himself a shake and took a small step back. “But the heavy boxes need to be on the bottom of the stack.” He maneuvered around her. “I’ll get those first; then you and Beth can argue about who carries the rest.”

He jogged back to their apartment before she could protest further. He met Beth coming out with a stack of two smaller boxes and wished their truck had come with a dolly.
Or that I’d remembered to bring ours
. He suddenly wanted this job to be over.

***

Joe and Ben drove up to Denver after lunch, and while they didn’t get in on much of the loading, the girls hadn’t considered how they were going to get both their cars
and
the moving truck to Colorado Springs. Having them show up solved that problem; Ben drove Joe’s pickup, and Joe drove the truck.

The trip back alone gave Joe time to think. Beth had been surprised to see him and tried pretty hard to still be mad at him, but she conceded that he had met her halfway in this Sabbath stand-off, and he finally got a kiss out of her.

A kiss that did nothing for him.

He wondered if he’d feel any less passion kissing his mother.
If I get “zinged” barely touching Mari, what would a kiss be like?

He had no idea what to do. He felt like a yo-yo when it came to his commitment these days. One minute he was sure he could deny the attraction he felt to Mari and spend the rest of his life with Beth; the next, he knew without a doubt the impossibility of that feat.

The whole reason Beth is moving is to be closer to me.
He raked a hand through his hair.
And I’m driving the truck. How can I unload all her stuff then say, “Oh, by the way, sweetheart, I don’t think it’s going to work out between us.”?
He shook his head. He cared about her too much to hurt her like that.

But what if Mari weren’t dating Eli? Would that change anything?

Joe adjusted his grip on the steering wheel. He’d done enough thinking. Once again, it was time to pray.

***

Mari had changed out of her sweater dress into comfortable yoga pants and a long light-weight white cotton shirt over a red shell. She spent the afternoon poring over the Torah, and when her mind started to wander, she read out loud. When she grew tired of that, she turned on some music. Every time she was tempted to think about Joe singing beside her or his touch on her back or warming up her hand, she would start to sing along at the top of her lungs. When that failed to distract her, she called her mom and talked for an hour, then several of her brothers, and then some friends.

When Eli showed up as she put her supper dishes in the dishwasher, she barely had a voice left. “So,” she said, with hands on hips, her voice husky, “did the mighty Eli Rhodes get the job done?”

Eli slanted a quizzical smile her direction as he peeled off his jacket then came at her with a determined, mischievous look and swept her off her feet, eliciting a screech. “The mighty Eli Rhodes did indeed, fair wench.” He carried her to the love seat and plopped down with her, unable to contain a grin. “You’re the most fun thing I’ve moved all day, and where did you pick up that sexy voice?”

Mari rolled her eyes. “Just talked too much today.” She put her hand to the side of her head in the universal sign for telephone.

“Ah, friends?”

She nodded.

“Family?”

She nodded again.

“Did you try some hot tea and honey?”

She nodded yet again. “It helped a little,” she whispered.

“You mean it was worse?”

She was starting to feel like a bobble head.

“Well, if we can’t talk, we’ll have to find other ways to communicate.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, and she giggled a weird, squeaky giggle. Eli laughed, and Mari giggled again. This went on for awhile, and Mari was glad for the release of tension found in laughter, and she was truly thankful for this man holding her and laughing with her.

How could I ever think of someone else? Eli’s warm, sweet, funny, and so handsome.
When her giggles finally subsided, she was lying back against the arm of the love seat. Eli shifted underneath her and propped his head on his elbow beside her.