Forbidden Fruit (17 page)

I glanced at the clock and saw it was half past three. “Thank you for helping,” I said in a little voice. I was a little embarrassed for having beat down their door, half dressed, with an uncertain story.

“
That’s what we’re here for darlin’.”

He picked up a copy of the
Post and Courier
newspaper and leaned back in his chair. I got the impression I had busted in on his relaxation time, so I lapsed into a quiet wait, frequently watching the clock. I wondered what the firemen and police would find. Would it be the hooded stalker dude or a random robber? I thought of all the valuable things in the house and wouldn’t at all be surprised if it were a robber. But then again, we had a state of the art security system that automatically came on at night. It wasn’t triggered.

I quickly became tired of staring at the clock on the wall. The minute hand slowly ticked its way up the side toward four o’clock. I was still wired from the scare and subsequent run that I wasn’t the least bit tired. The truth was, I was wound up at the thought of the firemen sending me back home.

At four forty-five the firemen came back, the two extra bodies crowding the cramped office. I stood up and looked at each expectantly. Did they catch him? Who was he?

“
Ma’am,” the dark haired man nodded his head. “The house is clear, we didn’t find anyone inside, and we didn’t find any evidence of an attempted entry. Where did you say you heard the person?”

I exhaled in exasperation, my worst fear coming true. “The attic was where I first heard him, then as I ran, he followed me down the stairs,” I explained.

“
Uh, huh. And you didn’t see the person right?” he looked like he believed me about as much as he would a crack head claiming to see a purple elephant.

“
Look,” I defended myself, “I know I didn’t see anyone, but I know what I heard.”

The handle bar mustache folded his arms behind his head and suggested, “The homes down there are very old, and it’s not uncommon to hear all sorts of sounds, what with the house settling and what not…”

“
I didn’t hear a creaking old house! I heard someone running!” I shouted, becoming angry.

He put his hands up in defense as one of the younger firemen dropped his head, finding a convenient itch on the back of his head. “Now there is no need in getting upset.”

“
I just want to be taken seriously,” I urged.

“
We are taking this very seriously. I understand you are upset. But, Jim and Scotty along with two police officers checked the house and found nothing. We can’t do anything else at this point. There is no evidence of anyone being there, so we have no suspect to look for.”

I crossed my arms and cocked my hip, “So am I supposed to go home now?”

The older man glanced at the two younger ones and then sighed, “You can stay here until morning if it will make you feel better.” Then he glanced at the clock, “It will only be a few hours till day break anyway.”

“
Thank you,” I said, still feeling defensive. I didn’t really care to stay with strangers, but it certainly outweighed going home right then. I would take their offer.

Around five thirty that morning I was curled up on a ratty old couch in what appeared to be a common area or lounge for the firefighters. The men left me alone, for which I was thankful.

Not two hours later, the sun had brightened the sky and birds were chirping by the window. I could hear the start of traffic, likely Saturday morning shoppers trying to get the early bird specials.

Deciding to finally man up, I folded up the blanket they had provided me and cleaned up my soda can. I walked down the stairs and peaked my head into Handlebar’s office. “Thanks,” I said feeling awkward as he offered a nod of his head in response.

I found my Viper still in front of the garage, parked haphazardly, along with three new firemen who had clearly just reported to work. Each was staring at different angles, and discussing its horsepower and other engine capabilities. They looked up at my approach. All conversation ceased and three pairs of eyes glued to me, no doubt surprised at a half dressed teen walking out of the station.

“
Excuse me,” I unlocked the car and slid into the driver’s seat. Two of the guys looked like they wanted to talk, but I made the conversation impossible by shutting the door and quickly driving away. I was still in my pajamas, still scared, and confused as hell. I didn’t really want to know what they thought.

Home wasn’t at all what I expected. I drove around the block several times to see if I could detect anyone around the house. I imagined the same scene from last night, blown out candles, curtains swishing around, and eerie noises in the dark house. Instead, I found a quiet, brightly lit house with nothing out of place except the melted candles in my bedroom.

After a thorough check of each room, I conceded that I might be crazy after all. Besides, if someone told me they heard monsters growling at them in their ear buds and things creeping around in their house, running after them, and occasionally breathing on their neck, well, I wouldn’t believe her.

I took a long, hot shower and put on the most comfortable shorts and t-shirt I owned. Then I found Ginger in the kitchen, working a crackling pan on the stove. The aromatic scent of peppers and eggs had my stomach growling.

“
Smells delicious,” I greeted her.

She smiled her usual, warm smile, “Good morning, Lily.”

I sipped the coffee she had already made for me, loaded with just the right amount of sugar and cream, waiting on the table. It was warm and comforting, wrapped in my chilled hands.

“
Ginger?” I asked.

“
Hmm?”

“
Do you ever think it’s weird to do this?” I blurted out.

“
What do you mean?” she looked confused.

“
I mean this,” I waved my hand at the stove. “Doing something for other people when they can clearly do it themselves.”

She looked humored, “Are you trying to say you want to cook?”

I laughed, “Oh no, I would definitely burn the house down. But seriously, I mean, doesn’t it seem unfair that some people get such different treatment.”

She smiled, “I am paid to do this for you, not forced. And I must say, Rose pays very well.”

I smiled, glad to hear she was well compensated. “So what do you like to do when you aren’t here? What do you do for fun?” I asked curiously. I knew she was a very sweet, honest person, but I had just realized I knew nothing about her life.

She continued scrambling the eggs for a moment before she answered. “I don’t really have time to do things for fun. I stay pretty busy taking care of the kids.”

“
I didn’t know you have kids,” I said not able to hide my shock. How could I not know that about someone I spend time with everyday?

“
Well, they’re technically my siblings but are much younger than me. When my parents died, I took over the role of parent for them.”

“
I’m so sorry,” I muttered.

She tossed an appreciative smile over her shoulder. Then she went quiet for a moment. “It’s hard to believe it happened almost eight years ago. It seems like yesterday.”

“
I know the feeling.”

She brought a plate over for me with a perfectly cooked omelet and fresh strawberries. “You lost your parents too.”

I nodded even though it wasn’t a question. She and I had a shared loss I was never aware of. She move toward the stove again.

“
Ginger? Would you like to have breakfast with me?”

She looked surprised, but quickly accepted. “Sure.”

We sat together and enjoyed her homemade cooking for several minutes before I spoke, breaking the silence. “Does it get easier with time?”

Her red eyebrows furrowed in a sad expression, “The pain eases a little over time, but you never forget.”

“
How did your parents die? If you don’t mind me asking…”

“
They were hit by a drunk driver.” She smiled thoughtfully, “My dad had saved up for weeks to take my mom to this five star hotel for dinner and a romantic weekend. Except,” her face fell and her voice lowered, “They never made it there. A drunk driver hit them on the interstate. They were killed on impact.”

Then she laughed without humor, “Ironically, the drunk driver walked away without a scratch.”

“
Did he go to jail?” I asked, silently praying he did.

“
Nope, he had a big shot lawyer who got the police on a technicality and he was set free.”

“
That is so unfair!” I complained.

“
I know, I spent months hating him and dwelling on the judgement. I even harassed the police department every opportunity I got for a way to lock him up. But you know what?” she asked. “I learned that you can’t heal while you are still angry. So I had to let it go.” She sipped her coffee thoughtfully.

I was awed by her strength. I wasn’t sure I would have been able to let it go.

“
How old were you?” I asked.

“
Eighteen. It was the summer before I was supposed to go to college at Johnson and Wales. The accident changed my whole life in a single moment. I had two little brothers and a sister to take care of. There was no way I was letting them go into foster care, so instead of starting college, I got three jobs and tried to make ends meet.”

“
That must have been so hard.” My heart ached as she spoke those words. I couldn’t believe I had known a person for a year now, had spoken to her everyday, and had never known the burden she carried.

“
It was. I did that for several years, mostly working at restaurants, serving, cooking, whatever they would have me do. And then I got my foot in the door of a catering company as one of their line cooks. I impressed a few people and eventually landed this job two years ago, which was a godsend. Rose offered to pay me to be available all the time. When I told her my situation, she offered me what three jobs together were paying me.”

“
That’s awesome.”

“
Yeah, she wanted to make sure she could have me here anytime.”

“
That’s Rose,” I commented.

She laughed and tipped her coffee cup toward me.

“
So how old are your siblings now?”

“
Jessica is seventeen, Adam is fourteen and Daniel is twelve.”

“
Hey, Jessica is my age. I would love to meet them some day!”

She smiled, “You two would get along great.”

“
Hey, I was thinking of hanging out by the pool today, they could come over.” I suggest, “And maybe they would want to have dinner with us tonight?” I had a sudden urge to bring Ginger’s family and ours together.

“
I think they would love that!” she was grinning at my sudden excitement. I felt a connection with Ginger, having heard of her ordeal, and I wanted to give her family anything I could, even it was just a fun day in the pool.

Around noon, Gingers siblings came over. They all had the same endearing warmth and redheaded genes as Ginger. I met Jessica who turned out to be a lot like me. It wasn’t easy being a teenager and losing one’s parents. She went to a different school and had a million questions about Legare Prep. Over the past year, I had become so used to the school that I had forgotten how different it was from the public schools in Charleston.

Daniel and Adam mostly kept to themselves, having a blast in the pool. I was surprised to see what joy I felt at watching them have a great time. Their loud laughs and constant smiles filled a hole in the house that was always empty. The Waring house needed some more life, though I doubted Rose would agree.

After a while, we challenged them to a game of Marco Polo. We played until Ginger called us all inside for dinner. I fetched towels from the pool house and handed them out as Daniel beamed at me, “Can we do this again some time?”

“
Absolutely!” I said, wrapping one arm over his shoulder. I hadn’t realized how lonely and quiet the house was until it was filled with their laughter. I always wanted siblings.

We gathered around the dinner table in a state that Rose would scoff at. We were all still in our damp bathing suits with towels protecting the chairs. Ginger didn’t seem to mind though.

On the table was a fantastic meal of homemade lasagna, one of my favorites. We typically didn’t have such carb-heavy meals per Rose’s request. It was nice to indulge occasionally.

“
This is awesome Ginger!” I complimented.

“
I second that,” Jessica added.

We devoured the meal and chatted like one big family. They teased each other and laughed together. It was nice. I wanted it to be this way all the time.

“
You guys should have dinner here every night,” I suggested.

“
Heck yeah,” Adam agreed.

Ginger gave me a warning look and said, “We will see. Rose will be back in town soon.”

Oh yeah, I thought. Rose would have to approve. I tried to picture her reaction sitting with us right then. Ginger’s family created a fun, homey feel to the mansion. Rose was fun too, just not in the same way. I decided I would work on getting her to accept them.

After dinner was over, we said our goodbyes and Ginger drove Jessica, Adam and Daniel home. The house seemed eerily quiet when they were gone. Their company had made me completely forget about the strange episode last night. Good thing I wasn’t planning on staying the night here by myself, I thought. I would simply hit Bailey up for crashing at her place after we went out that night.