“Tell me what she did.”
“I can’t.”
“Then I’ll ask her.”
Celeste let her head fall back against his shoulder. “She must have found out where I live. There was a note on the kitchen table.” She stopped and pressed her lips together.
“What did it say? Something about me? About us?”
Celeste nodded.
He cradled her against him, his lips against her hair. “Go get your coat, Velvet. We’ll get out of here, for a little while, at least.”
Kent was trying to push the latch back into the splintered wood when she came out of her bedroom. At the same time, her father burst through the swinging door from the kitchen and grabbed her arm. “I told you to get out, you whore, but you just brought that lousy sonofabitch you’re sleeping with here into my house!” He shoved her against the wall hard enough to tilt the pictures hanging there.
Celeste watched as Kent sprang to his feet. “Don’t you touch her.” The way his lips pulled back from his teeth reminded her of a snarling dog. “Don’t you ever touch her again, you lousy, filthy bastard!”
He hurtled across the room, all but on top of August Riley before he finished speaking. When his hands closed around her father’s throat, Celeste threw herself against him. “Stop it, Kent! Stop it! You’ll get yourself into trouble you can’t get out of. Please, stop!”
She wasn’t sure when he turned loose or how she got him out of the house and down the sidewalk to the street. The harsh sound of her father’s rage followed them until they turned the corner, but she didn’t care, as long as they were leaving it behind.
Chapter Ten
“You can’t go back there,” Kent said. “We’ll find a pay phone and call your sister.”
“It’s not that easy, Kent.”
“She’d be up here in a minute if she knew what happened.”
“I don’t want her to know.”
“Why not, for pity’s sake? She’s your sister. You can’t be thinking about going back to that house tonight.”
“Just for tonight. I’ll figure something out.”
“He’ll kill you.”
“I don’t think so. He’s got a reputation to protect.”
“Dad tanned my britches a time or two, but he never beat me.”
“Daddy never spanked Coralee and me when we were growing up. After she left, he mostly just ignored me.”
“What would make him believe you were doing things you shouldn’t be?”
“I don’t know.”
I do know, but I’m not going to tell you. You’re the last person I’d tell. I’m not my mother, but you’d probably think so. You don’t really know who I am, any more than I know who you are.
“Look, go back after dark and pack a suitcase. I’ll wait for you. There’s got to be a cheap hotel where you could spend the night. I’ve got a little extra money this month.”
“I can lock my door and put the dresser in front of it again. I’ll be all right. I don’t want you coming back to the house with me. He might call the police, and then you’d really be in trouble.”
“Let him. I don’t care.”
“You know you do. You’ve come this far. Why would you want to sit out the war in a military jail?”
“You could go to the police and show them what he did.”
“No.”
“I don’t know why you want to protect him.”
“I’m protecting myself.”
“I don’t understand that.”
No, and you won’t, either.
“Is there anything open on Sunday? A coffee shop or a soda fountain?”
“There might be something on Main. I think I’ve seen the light on in a little place on Sundays. It’s not too far.” She tucked her hand through his arm, more for security than warmth.
****
They sat drinking coffee in the tiny café until dusk, when the owner said she was closing up. “Don’t like to run off a soldier and his girl, but I gotta get home to my own kids.” She eyed Celeste. “What happened to you, honey?”
“I fell,” Celeste said and added, “I was trying to change a light bulb, and the chair tipped over. I hit the cabinet on the way down.”
“You need to be careful. You could’ve done a lot worse.”
“I told her that,” Kent said. “I should’ve been there.” He paid the ticket, and Celeste slipped some extra change under her saucer for a tip. “I don’t feel good about this,” he said as they started back toward Spaulding Street.
“You’ve got to get back to the base.”
“I’m already late.”
“Will you be in trouble?”
“They won’t hang me. Besides, I doubt they’ve even missed me. Things are pretty loose on Sunday afternoons.”
“How will you get back? It’s too far to walk.”
He grinned. “I have a buddy who has a girl here, and if I know him, he’s still at her house. I’ll just give him a call and get him to pick me up.”
At the end of the block, he took her in his arms again. “Promise me you won’t spend another night there after tonight.”
“Promise.”
But I will. What else can I do?
“I love you, Velvet.”
She nodded against him. “Thank you.”
“That’s an odd thing to say.”
“I just meant it feels good to know you care about me.”
“I hope you’re right about Claudia leaving after I’m gone, but meanwhile, stay out of her way.”
“I’m trying.”
****
After several long kisses, she left him standing on the sidewalk and walked the rest of the way home. Skirting the front, she climbed in through the bedroom window she’d left unlocked. Then she barricaded her door again and sat down on the bed.
Kent doesn’t understand. Where could I go besides here? Veda says there’s hardly a room to be had in town these days, with both bases filling up. Maybe she’ll know of something, though I doubt it. At least I won’t have to explain my face to her, but…oh, Lord, how am I going to explain it to Mr. Thomas?
****
She caught the early-morning downtown bus and let herself into the building with the key she’d meant to get rid of but was glad she hadn’t. In the employee lounge, she set the coffeepot on the gas ring and curled up on the shabby couch to wait until she could clock in. Veda found her huddled over a cup of coffee gone cold.
“Celeste, honey, what happened?”
“I’d rather not talk about it.”
Veda sat down beside her and pushed her hair back to inspect her face. “You’ll have to do some fast talking when Mr. Thomas sees you.”
“I was wondering…you know a lot about makeup. Is there anything I could put on this?”
“I think that black eye is beyond hiding, kid, but I’ll see what I can find on the floor. Does it hurt?”
“Some.”
“It was your father, wasn’t it?”
Celeste put her lips together.
“Oh, come on, Celeste, everybody knows about him.”
The words jerked Celeste from her apathy. “How do they know?”
“He’s a bigwig at the bank. People know him. They know what he does.”
“You never let on to me.”
“Of course I didn’t. Why would I want to hurt your feelings? Listen, you’ve got to move out. I wish I still needed a roommate, but I’ll ask around and see what I can turn up. Does Kent know?”
“He came over yesterday afternoon. I thought…Veda, I really thought he was going to kill Daddy.”
“Any man who’d beat up on a woman, much less his own daughter, would’ve deserved what he got, but it wouldn’t have done Kent any good. I’ll go see if I can find something to patch you up a little, but you’re not going to fool the boss.”
A few minutes later, Paul Thomas walked into the lounge behind Veda. Her mouth twisted. “Sorry, kid, he saw me poking around behind the cosmetic counter.”
“Let me see your face, Miss Riley.”
Celeste turned her head away. “I’m all right, sir.”
“Your face, Miss Riley.”
She complied.
“I want you to go over to my doctor’s office in the McBurnett Building. I’ll call and tell him you’re coming.”
“No, please, I’m all right. Really I am.”
“I can’t force you to go, but…your father did this, I presume.”
Celeste glanced at Veda and frowned. She threw up her hands. “I didn’t tell him anything.”
“Why did he do it? Not that there’s any justification for physical violence against a woman.”
“He found out I was seeing Kent.”
It’s only half a lie.
“I see. Does Kent know?”
“He came over yesterday.”
“Well.” The man seemed to be considering his next words. “I’ll drive you home after work. My wife will go in with you and help you pack. You can stay in our guest room until you find something.” He held up his hand as Celeste opened her mouth to protest. “And if I have to make that a condition of keeping your job here, I will.”
****
Kent called at noon. “I’ve only got a few minutes, Velvet. Are you okay? I hope I’m not getting you into trouble calling you at work.”
She told him about Mr. Thomas’s edict.
“That takes a load off my mind then. You didn’t run into Claudia this morning, did you?”
“I don’t want you to say anything to her, Kent. It won’t help.”
“Somebody needed to take a strap to her years ago, but I guess it’s too late now.”
“I’ve been thinking about how mad you got at Daddy.”
“I admit I lost control for a second.”
“It was more than that. I thought you were going to kill him.”
“I thought about it.”
“You don’t mean that…do you?”
“Well, not literally, but I was so mad when I saw what he’d done to you.”
“I never thought I’d see you act like that.”
“What did you want me to do, Velvet?” The fury in his voice came through the phone. “Smile and shake hands with him?”
“No, but…”
“Look, I told you, I’m a man, not a kid like you dated in high school. And if you knew much about them, you’d probably find a fight or two in their backgrounds, too.”
“You think I’m still a little girl.”
“Are you trying to pick a fight with me?”
“No. But what you did yesterday scared me as much as Daddy did.”
“I’m not sure I like that comparison.”
“I’m not… I’m sorry… I just meant…”
“I’ll try to get a pass sometime this week. Things are winding down a little now that we’re getting ready to take exams. I’ll call you again tomorrow, if it’s okay.”
“Mr. Thomas went home to lunch. He’s probably telling his wife about this mess. I’m so embarrassed.”
“It’s a mess all right, but it’s not your fault, and you’re going to get out of it pretty quick. Listen, I’ve got to go. I love you.”
Celeste made a sound of what she hoped signaled agreement and said goodbye.
****
At three-thirty, Coralee burst into the office, with Ben following, and wrapped Celeste in her arms. “Oh, sweetie, oh, what did he do to you?”
“Mary and I discussed everything at noon and made the decision to call your sister,” Paul Thomas said. “We felt it was best.”
Coralee patted and caressed Celeste like she would a child, murmuring reassurances and reproaches in the same breath. “You should have called us when it happened.”
“We’re taking you to the ranch for a few days,” Ben said.
“I have to work. You know that.”
Mr. Thomas shook his head. “You have some time coming, Miss Riley. My wife can help me with the books. She used to do it before our family came along.”
“But the payroll’s due.”
“Mary was doing payroll before you were born.”
“You’re coming home with us tonight,” Coralee said. “That’s all there is to it.”
“I want you to leave now,” Mr. Thomas said. “Go home and pack before your father gets there.”
Suddenly too tired to argue, Celeste took her coat from the closet and let herself be shuttled down the stairs and out the back door. Claudia, smoking a cigarette in the alley, smirked as Celeste passed her.
****
Ben brought boxes from the grocery market. Coralee and Celeste had one left to pack when Kent showed up. “I don’t know how he did it, but your boss got me an instant pass,” he said, reaching for Celeste’s hand. “I ran into your brother-in-law outside, and he said I could bring some boxes out to the truck if you have them ready.”
Coralee glanced up. “So you’re Prince Dreamboat.”
Celeste gasped. “Sister!”
“It’s okay.” Kent winked at her and then at Coralee. “Only problem is, you’re the one carrying off the princess instead of me.”
“I’ll be back, Kent.” Celeste moved closer to him.
Coralee muttered something that sounded like
over my dead body.
“Better make it soon, Velvet. Two more weeks, and I’m gone. We got the word right after I talked to you.”
Celeste blinked back tears. “Do you know where?”
“The big bombing’s going on in Europe.”
“Oh, Kent.”
He pulled her into his arms. “It’s okay. I’ll have some leave to go home before we ship out They won’t put us on a boat right off the bat. We’ll have some time together.”
“Take these,” Coralee said, indicating four soap boxes stacked on the cedar chest.
Kent let Celeste go. “Sure.”
“Be careful. They’re full of breakables.”
He winked at Celeste again. “I’ll treat them like I do my bombsite—like pure gold.”
****
Ben suggested supper before hitting the road and invited Kent to come along. “But you’ll have to ride in the back with the boxes.”
“No colder than a cockpit at thirty thousand feet, or so I understand.”
Coralee stuffed Celeste in the middle and crawled in after her, slamming the door. “Maybe you shouldn’t get involved, sweetie. He’s leaving soon, and what he’s going to do isn’t the safest job in the world.”
“He’ll be back,” Celeste said, though a knot of fear had formed in the pit of her stomach. “He will, Sister.”
“I hope so, for your sake.”
Ben reached across her to pat Coralee’s knee. “I like him.”
“I don’t like anybody right now,” Coralee snapped. “It’s a good thing we missed Daddy.”
****
Kent and Celeste held hands under the table while they ate supper at Twin Gables. Celeste wished her sister would warm to Kent as Ben had, but she had to settle for polite. “I can get back to the base,” Kent said as they emerged into dropping temperatures.
“You sure?” Ben asked.
“Somebody’s always going out that way this time of day. I’ll hitch a ride. Just drop me in front of Ma Goodwin’s.”