Nelson DeMille - Spencerville

If there was anyone still in the house, they knew he was there. He could forget about the guns upstairs, because even if he made it that far, the guns wouldn't be there any longer.

He moved quietly toward the back door and put his hand on the knob.

He heard a familiar squeak from the direction of the living room, then heard it again. He turned from the back door, went into the hallway, which was empty, and entered the living room, where the constant squeak came from. He turned on the floor lamp and said, "How long have you been here?"

"About an hour."

"How did you get in?"

"The key was in the toolshed, under the workbench, where it's been for a hundred years."

He looked at her, sitting in the rocker, wearing jeans and a pullover. The letter was in her lap.

She said, "I thought you'd be home, but you weren't, and I almost left, then I remembered the key, and I decided to surprise you."

"I'm surprised." But somehow he'd known it was her in the living room.

"Do you mind that I came into the house?"

"No."

"It still feels like my second home."

Keith had the distinct feeling this was not real, that it was a dream, and he tried to remember when he'd gone to sleep.

She asked, "Are you alone?"

"Yes."

"I thought I heard you talking in the kitchen, so I just sat here, quiet as a mouse."

"I'm alone. I talk to myself. Where's your car?"

"In the barn."

"Good thinking. Where is Mr. Baxter?"

"At a city council meeting."

"And where are you?"

"At Aunt Louise's."

"I see... did you hear what I was saying?"

I could only hear the tone. "Are you angry about something?"

"No, I just argue with myself."

"Who won?"

"The good angel."

"But you looked troubled."

"That's because the good angel won."

She smiled. "Well, I argued with myself about coming here. This is not a chance meeting on the street."

"No, it's not."

She held up the letter. "It was addressed to me, so..."

"Yes, that's all right. Saved me a stamp."

She stood and came toward him. "And, yes, I do understand. You're right. We can't... you remember that poem we both liked? 'Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, of glory in the flower, we will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind."

She added, "I think we liked it because we knew we were going to be star-crossed lovers, and that poem was our comfort..." She hesitated, then leaned toward him and kissed him on the cheek, saying, "Goodbye, darling." She walked past him and into the hallway.

He heard her go into the kitchen and heard the back door open and close. Be strong, be noble, be brave. But don't be a complete idiot. He turned and moved quickly into the kitchen as the screen door shut. "Wait!"

She turned as he came out the door and she said, "No, Keith. Please. You're right. This won't work. We can't... it's too complicated... we've been fooling ourselves..."

"No, listen... we have to... we need to understand... I have to know what happened... I mean..." He couldn't find any of the words he wanted or needed, then said, "Annie, we're not going to just walk away again."

She took a deep breath and said, "I can't stay here. I mean outside."

"Come in. Please."

She thought a moment, then came back into the kitchen.

He said, "Can you stay awhile?"

"Yes, all right... we'll finally have that cup of coffee. Where's the pot?"

"I don't want coffee. I need a drink." He turned on the small light over the sink, went to the cupboard, and took his bottle of Scotch down. "Want one?"

"No, and neither do you."

"Right." He put the bottle back. "You make me nervous."

"You're nervous? I can hear my heart beating, and my knees are shaking."

"Me, too. Do you want to sit?"

"No."

"Well... look, I know the risk you took coming here..."

"I took two risks, Keith. One, that I wasn't followed, the other, that I wouldn't get my heart broken. No, I'm sorry, I can't put that on you."

"Don't be sorry. I'm glad you came. I'm more than glad. Look, I wrote that letter..."

"Don't explain. I understand. Really."

They stood looking at each other across the kitchen, then Keith said, "This is not the way I pictured this."

"How did you picture it?"

He hesitated, then walked to her and took her in his arms. "Like this."

They embraced and kissed, and he remembered exactly how she felt in his arms, how she smelled, how she tasted, and how her mouth and body moved against his.

She pulled away, then buried her face in his shoulder. She was crying, he realized, her body trembled, then shook convulsively. She couldn't stop crying, and he didn't know what to do, but he held her close against him.

Finally, she backed away and pulled a tissue out of her jeans, wiped her eyes and blew her nose, then laughed. "Oh, God... look at me... I knew this would happen... don't laugh at me."

"I'm not laughing." He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped her cheeks. "My God, you're beautiful."

"Sure. My nose is running." She wiped her nose, then looked up at him. "Well..." She cleared her throat. "Well, Mr. Landry, I enjoyed seeing you again. Will you walk me to my car?"

"Don't leave."

"I have to."

"Will he call your aunt's house after the meeting?"

"Yes."

"What will she say?"

"That I'm on the way home. I told Cliff my car phone wasn't working, so he can't call me. My aunt will call here."

"She knows where you are?"

"Yes. Please answer it and tell her I'm on the way home."

"Why don't we just wait for her phone call?"

"Because I want to leave now."

"Why?"

"Because... I mean, we can talk another time... we have to talk, but I don't want anything to happen tonight."

He smiled. "That's exactly what you said to me when you were sixteen, the night we lost our virginity."

"Well, this time I mean it." She laughed. "God help me, I can't keep my hands off you."

They embraced again and kissed. She put her cheek on his chest and said, "Just hold me."

He held her and ran his fingers through her hair.

Her face still against his chest, she said, "I was going to go up into your bedroom and really surprise you."

He didn't reply.

"Then I thought to myself, what if he brings someone home? What if he has someone up there?"

"No. No one up there, and no one since I came back."

"Not for lack of admirers, from what I hear."

"Well, I don't hear anything, and I'm minding my own business."

"Good." She added, "You don't have to... I mean, it's all right if you... this is silly, you know, because it's none of my business..."

"Annie, there's only you."

She hugged him tighter, then stood on her toes and began kissing him on the cheeks, on the lips, on his forehead and neck. She said, "I guess I'm not good at hiding my feelings. I should be a little less obvious. How should I play this, Keith?"

"Let's try honesty this time."

"Okay. I love you. I've always loved you."

"I love you and always have. That's why I came back. I can't get you out of my mind."

"I curse the day I let you go."

"You didn't. I left. I should have asked you to marry me." He looked at her. "What would you have said?"

"I'd have said no."

"Why?"

"Because you wanted to go. You were bored, Keith. You watched your friends go off to war, you were obsessed with the war news on TV. I saw that. And you wanted other women."

"No."

"Keith."

"Well... wanting and doing are two different things."

"I know, and you would never have cheated on me, and you'd resent a life without some sexual adventure. God, Keith, everyone else was doing it with everyone else, except us."

He tried to make a joke and said, "I'm not too sure about you."