CHAPTER 35

Whoa! AJ took a quick step back from the open door. He had overheard Kevin's request - at least he thought it was a request, although it sounded more like a demand. Now he didn't know whether to back up out of earshot, stand there and eavesdrop or barge out onto the porch and interrupt, which would give them a minute or two to digest what Kevin had said and what his demand implied.

Kevin had told Connie to quit her job. AJ stood for a moment and tried to rethink this from each of their perspectives. The bottom line is that the remark implied a definite commitment on Kevin's part. He was asking an awful lot but was, apparently, ready to give a lot in return. Like food, clothing, shelter and support? In all the years that he had known Kevin. AJ had never heard such an insinuation leave his mouth.

From Connie's point of view, he suspected his words might seem a little frightening. He was asking her to give up an awful lot on faith alone. They already knew that Connie was proud. AJ wondered if she would let herself be that dependent on another person. He knew good and well that Kevin wasn't just asking Connie to stay in Florida and find a new career here. He wanted her free to be with him, even if it meant jumping on a plane and meeting him in Sydney at a moment's notice or traveling with him for weeks at a time. There were very few careers that afforded that kind of flexibility.

AJ took it upon himself to decide that this little conversation between the two lovers had the potential to be either deadly or affirming. He would interrupt. A little time for reflection before Connie answered would lessen the chances of trouble - he hoped.

Connie watched as Kevin's eye's darted from her and shifted to a space over her right shoulder. Someone else was here. She didn't even turn to see who it was. She was focusing on Kevin's words and trying to figure out what he was saying. She knew that the group would be leaving Clearwater in a couple of weeks. Did he want her to go back to Orlando with him? Was he asking her to be his concubine? She raised her eyes to look at him as he spoke to the intruder. He looked irritated. He would glance at her quickly between words and she knew he was trying to read her expression, to guess her response. Connie couldn’t help but remember what happened the last time that she let herself be ‘kept’. She never wanted to be that needy again. He had to be clear about what he wanted from her and she would have to decide whether or not she could give that to him. Connie knew that when she let Kevin love her, when she gave herself to him, her life would become complicated. She just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.

Kevin was shifting from foot to foot. He looked cross. Finally, she saw his lips form the words ‘Later…’, and he was staring at her again.

“Well?”

She managed, somehow, to hold his gaze. “You’re telling me to leave my job?”

“Yeah. That’s what I’m tell.. I mean, asking….”

“And do what?”

Kevin’s hand went to the back of his neck. He suddenly felt like he may be walking on eggshells. He hated this ‘politically correct’ shit. He had always considered himself a modern man but Connie seemed to have thrown him back to the Stone Age.

“And live with me.” And be there for me and chase away my loneliness and be my partner and stay in my bed and make love to me and let me love you… As an added incentive he added, “I can cook, you know…”

Kevin’s afterthought amused Connie a little but she didn’t smile. She could see that he was deadly serious.

“I..I don’t know… I have a job, Kevin and..”

“Fuck your job!” Diplomacy was not Kevin’s strong suit.

Connie wasn’t sure whether to feel angry, hurt or soothed by his attitude. It made her mad that he could be so cavalier about someone else’s career and it hurt her to think that he considered something that she had worked so hard for as worthless enough to toss aside. She couldn’t deny that his statements substantiated his feelings towards her and on some very basic level were a reaffirmation of his feelings. He was putting his money where his mouth was - laying it on the line.

“I have to think…”

Now he was hurt. “Think? Think about what? Think about whether or not you love me?”

“No!”

“What did you think, Connie? We’ll be outta here in two weeks! Were you just planning to go back to New York? You know I have to stay in Florida! Maybe you were thinking that a long distance romance would be the way to go! Surely you must have thought about what would happen to us when we had to leave here.”

The fact was that Connie hadn’t let herself think that far ahead. Her blank expression told Kevin all he needed to know and he looked pained. Once again, they were interrupted, this time by Hannah who had something to tell Connie. Kevin, exasperated and upset, nodded his head to the door and Connie turned.

“Stephen’s on the phone. He’s pissed - wants to talk to you. Says you’re avoiding his emails or something. He wants me to translate….”

Hannah held the phone up against her body so that Stephen couldn’t hear. “You have to deal with this, Connie….”

Connie looked back over her shoulder at Kevin. He said nothing.

“I can’t talk to him right now…” she whispered impatiently. “Just tell him I’ll write him later. I promise!”

“He says if you’re busy, he’ll wait. I already told him you were here.”

Kevin was unable to read Connie’s expression as she nodded and Hannah put the phone to her ear. He wondered if he should go and let Connie speak to Stephen privately but decided that there was no way in hell he was leaving. He supposed that he had unwittingly given her some kind of ultimatum. He hadn’t meant to do that but the fact was that Connie was going to have to make some sort of decision. The subject had come up unexpectedly and he hadn’t had time to be rational or logical. He had spoken from his gut, not the best place from which to react when you were feeling a little threatened. He listened intently, arms crossed and legs spread as Hannah began the dialogue.

“Stephen wants to know if you’re still employed by Plymouth Publishing. Says he’s got five angry authors who want to know that, too.” Hannah listened for a moment longer. Apparently Stephen was ranting a bit. “He says they’re trying to close a deal with Patricia Cornwell. He contract is up and she’s considering coming to Plymouth if O’Rourke will edit…”

Connie didn’t answer. Kevin was frowning and Hannah was looking at her expectantly. Suddenly Hannah jerked the phone back up to her ear and scowled.

“He says he can’t hear you answering…”

“Well tell him ‘Welcome to the club!’” Connie spat sarcastically.

She had started to pace.

“He heard that…..”

Connie drew a breath. “Just tell him that I need some time! I have some personal things to tend to down here…”

Hannah listened to Stephen for a moment. “He wants to know what kind of ‘personal things’…”

“The key word here is ‘personal’!” Connie shouted.

Hannah held the phone to her ear as Stephen went on. Soon her forehead wrinkled and she looked angry. “What? What the fuck does that son of a bitch want?”

“What?” Connie asked. “What is he saying?”

“He says that apparently you’ve got some personal business there, too. He’s been getting daily phone calls from…” Hannah cast an uneasy glance towards Kevin. “…..Trevor. Something about a lease…”

Kevin dropped his arms and started marching towards Hannah, his hand held out ready to grab the phone from her and find out what in the hell Sullivan was talking about. Hannah managed to thwart his attempt and started speaking into the phone again.

“What? Okay. Just a minute.” Hannah turned back to Connie who was now standing in front of Kevin, blocking his path to the phone. “He says he expects you to be sitting across from him at his desk at 9:00 on Monday morning…” Connie closed her eyes, trying to think. “He’s waiting…” Hannah said softly.

Connie opened her eyes and stared into Kevin’s. She hoped he understood this. She had to see what she could work out with Stephen, if anything. Maybe she could even have it all….

“Okay.” She murmured. “Tell him I’ll be there….”

Kevin blinked and began to back away.

“Kevin!”

“Don’t…” he whispered hoarsely, holding up his hand.

He turned and moved numbly down the porch steps and headed for the beach.