CHAPTER SEVEN

 

RANDI DECIDED not to tell her father about seeing Tim.  It would only upset him.  He had been her rock throughout the divorce proceedings and would not appreciate having her ex-husband back in their lives.  Besides, the likelihood that they would run into each other at such a large resort was minimal so why say anything.  He’d play his round of golf and she and the boys would go to the soccer camp, then swim.

She had fifteen minutes to find the boys shin guards for their soccer practice but was having difficulty concentrating on the task.  Her heart fluttered for the umpteenth time as she recalled her evening with Trevor.  He had been so gentle and caring the entire evening.  She sat on the side of the bed and pressed her fingers to her lips, relived the brush of his good-night kiss.

When she heard voices, she jumped up, dashed down the steps.  Her father had already left and the boys were supposed to be watching TV.  Who could it be?  She stopped abruptly at the bottom of the stairs.

“Boys, what have I told you about opening the door to strangers?”

“But it was Trevor,” Scott answered.

“We saw him in the window,” Sandy added.

“I don’t care.  You should have called me.”

“We did.  Then we let Trevor in.”

Randi saw the twinkle in Trevor’s eyes.  “Well, lucky for you it was a friend.  Next time might be different,” she scolded her sons.

“I came to see if you guys were going to the soccer clinic.  Thought I’d ride along.  See if you two are learning anything.”

“Yay,” both boys exclaimed.  “Mom?  Can we?”

“Of course.  Why do you think I’ve spent the last fifteen minutes looking for your shin guards?”

Randi looked at Trevor and sighed.  “I wasn’t expecting you so early.”

“Couldn’t keep me away.  What else can a guy do with a good lookin’ Mama and two handsome dudes in the neighborhood.”

The boys giggled.

Twenty minutes later, the boys were playing at soccer on the long narrow field with nets at each end.  Trees and bleachers lined each side of the field with bleachers interspersed with open spaces for those who preferred to bring their own chairs.  Parents mingled along the sidelines, some sitting in the sun, others seeking the shade.  Randi and Trevor settled in their chairs under a row of pines to watch.

They had split the twenty boys into two teams and the two coaches practiced with their team at opposite ends of the field.  The last ten minutes of the session would be a mock game.Thankfully Scott and Sandy were on the same team and Randi could focus her attention on one end of the field.

“I wish they’d chosen baseball,” she sighed as she leaned back.  “At least I understand the game.  Soccer?  Too many rules.”

Trevor smiled.  “There’s still time.  I remember being in little league but it wasn’t till I was about seven that I understood the game and took it seriously.  Who knows, maybe they’ll like both sports.”

Randi laughed.  “They’re busy enough as it is.  My mother always said busy bodies stay out of trouble.  I’m not sure I agree.  No matter how busy I keep them, they’re always into something.”

“Watch, Mom,” Scott called out.

Randi cheered when he scored a practice goal.  “They look so small on such a big field.”

When the game finally started, she, Trevor and most of the other parents laughed as the boys raced up and down the field, some running in the wrong direction, others missing the ball or tripping each other up.  The coaches tried to steer them in the right direction, reminding them that they had to kick the ball with their feet.  Everyone roared when one of the boys subconsciously picked the ball up with his hand and threw it towards the net.

Randi was still laughing when she happened to look across the field and locked eyes with her ex-husband.  Tim and Miriam sat on the other side, watching the boys.  She froze, caught her breath while her heart sank to her stomach.  She was so sure their paths wouldn’t cross in such a large resort.  Unless Tim was deliberately shadowing them.

Trevor knew the instant she saw Tim.  He’d scanned the area when they arrived and spotted the couple right away.  He was sure she would be upset so he had tried to keep her preoccupied rather than tell her.  He squeezed her hand.  “It’s okay.”

“No.  No, it’s not,” Randi mumbled.  “He has no business spying on my boys.  Why is he here?”

“Maybe he’s trying to get a rise out of you.  Don’t let it bother you.”

“Trevor, he has never been in their lives.  Why now?”

“Let’s just wait. Ignore him.  See what he does.”

“Trevor, all I wanted to do this weekend was relax.  Spend some quality time with my father and two sons.  If we hadn’t come here, I might not be having this problem.”

Trevor leaned forward and looked directly into her eyes.  “If you hadn’t come here, we wouldn’t have hooked up or gotten to know each other.  Besides, if he wanted to see the boys, he would have found a way.  For all we know, the boys may be why he’s here now.”

“But how could he know we were here?”

Trevor shrugged.  “Anything’s possible.  He could have someone watching you.”

Randi shivered.  “Now you’re making me paranoid,” she said as she nervously looked around then back across the field where she saw Tim staring at her.  She started to get up.  “I can’t do this.  We need to go.”

Trevor tightened his grip.  “Randi, they’re almost finished.  Give it a few more minutes.  Besides, you don’t want to let him know he’s upsetting you.  Do you?”

Randi stood, reached for the boys’ water bottles.  “How can I not worry?  He has always rattled me.  Even when we were married.”

Trevor stood.  “Another reason to stay calm.”  When she ignored him, he reached for her, swept her into a dip.  “If he’s going to unnerve you by watching you, maybe we should give him something to stew about.”  He smiled at her shocked expression, then kissed her.

Surprised by his sudden move, Randi grabbed his shoulders for support.  Her head was dizzy and her spine tingled with heat.  When he hugged her closer and deepened the kiss, her hands moved around his neck.  She murmured softly and returned his kiss.

The sound of giggles ended the kiss but not the dip.  Trevor looked over at the boys who were laughing and jumping in place at the same time.  “You like that?”  He teased them.

“Yeah,” they both exclaimed.

“Then watch this.”  He turned back to Randi and kissed her again.

“Umm, Trevor,” Randi hissed, tried to push him away. He winked down at her, then brought her back up.

“That’ll give him something to think about.”

Randi tried to hide her smile.  “Okay boys, time for some lunch.  Then we’ll stop by the Club House to see what GrandPop is doing.”  She handed them their waters, stuffed their shin guards into the bag and turned to head to the car.  Her heart tripped when she spied Tim and Miriam walking towards them.

“Randi,” Tim said as they approached.

She wondered if he suspected she would bolt.  “Tim,” she answered firmly.

“You boys did a great job,” Miriam exclaimed.

Scott and Sandy stared up at the strangers, then looked at their mother.

“Boys, this is Tim and Miriam.”  She refused to use Tim’s last name.  “They’re staying at Snowridge too.”

“Yes,” Tim looked down at the boys, “maybe we can get together sometime while you’re here.”

Trevor decided it was time he stepped in.  “Boys, why don’t we go put your stuff in the car and let your Mom talk to Tim.  Miriam,” he turned to the other woman, “would you like to walk with us?”

Miriam was shocked, then smiled. “Why, yes. I’d love that.”

Randi watched them walk away.  She appreciated that Trevor had taken control and was determined to continue it.  Tim liked nothing more than being in charge and she resolved to not let him intimidate her.  Their marriage ended five years ago and he no longer influenced her life.  She took a deep breath and stared directly into his eyes.  “What do you want, Tim?”

Tim scowled.  “To see my sons, of course.”

“You gave up that right when you signed the divorce papers.  In fact,” she crossed her arms under her breasts and glared up at him, “I seem to recall you saying you were glad to be rid of us.  And while we’re talking about the divorce, I checked the boys’ trust fund and see that you’re behind by almost eighteen months.  If you want to make trouble for me, I can certainly reciprocate.”

“Look, I’m not trying to make trouble.  I just want to see my sons, that’s all.”

“Why now?  Why are you suddenly so interested in your sons’ welfare?”

“Look, I’ve remarried, okay.  Miriam knows about the boys and wants to get to know them.”

“Then have your own children.  Leave mine alone.”  She turned to walk away.

Tim grabbed her arm to stop her, dropped it when she stared at his hand.  He threw his hands up.  “I’m sorry.  We’ve been trying to have children.  For two years.  First there were fertility tests, then the IVF attempts, nothing took.  That’s why I fell behind on the payments.   IVF procedures are expensive.  After several attempts, the doctors finally determined that she can’t have children.  That’s why I brought her here.  To relax.  Get away from everything for a while.”

“I’m sorry.  I am.  But that’s not my problem.  You signed away your rights five years ago.  Scott and Sandy have adjusted to not having a father in their lives and I just don’t want to upset them.  They wouldn’t understand.”

Tim squinted his eyes, glared down at her.  Randi was immediately reminded of his mood swings and prepared herself for the backlash. “Looks like you’re working on a substitute dad.”

“Trevor and I are friends, that’s all.”

“Looked pretty chummy to me,” he growled.

Randi stared icily at him.  “Tim, you don’t scare me anymore.  Your days of control and abuse are in the past.  And I’m not going to stand here and argue with you.”  She turned to leave and once again Tim grabbed her arm.

“Okay, okay.  I’m sorry.  I had a brief relapse.”

“Brief relapse?”

“Yeah.  I’ve changed.  Miriam is helping me to be a better person.  That’s why I’ve been trying to be patient and understanding.  But now it looks like there will be no children in our future.  That’s why we came here.”

“Wait,” Randi interrupted him, “did you know we would be here?  Have you been watching me? Spying on me?”

“I had a private investigator track you.  That’s all.  He found you at Edmondsville and just happened to overhear you telling your friend you were coming here.”

“He was that close to me?” Randi exclaimed.  “That close to my boys?  You had no right,” she fumed.

“All I want is for Miriam and me to be a part of the boys’ lives.  Now.”

“Not going to happen,” Randi stated, then turned to walk away.  She was shaking inside from fury.  And fear.  Much as she wanted to run away from him, she paced herself and was thankful that Tim didn’t try to stop her a third time.  She needed to get as far away from him as she could.

She walked up to Trevor, Miriam and her sons.  “Okay boys, time to load up.” She turned to Miriam and tried to smile.  “Miriam, it was nice seeing you.  I hope you and Tim have a pleasant visit here at Snowridge.”

She looked at Trevor.  “Didn’t you say something about going to a movie?”

“Sure.”  Trevor played along.  “What’ll it be boys?  Action movie or chick flick?”

“What’s a chick flick?” Sandy asked as he followed his brother into the back of the Escalade.

 

Randi paced the small deck off the living area. They had gone to a matinee and the boys were resting in front of the TV before their next adventure.  “I cannot believe Tim wants to see the boys,” she moaned.

Trevor sat in the chair and let her walk off her frustration.  “Is that what he said he wants?”

“Pretty much.  It seems Miriam can’t have children so he’s looking to the boys as a replacement.”

“Maybe you need to get some legal advice.  Don’t you and Brina have a friend who’s a lawyer?  Brad Beckman?  Maybe Brad can help you.”

“I’ll certainly be giving Brad a call when we get back.”  She stopped and stared down at Trevor.  “Can you believe Tim hired a private investigator?  The investigator not only found out where I live but was close enough to overhear me talking to Ginny about coming here.  If he was that close to me, what about the boys?  Chills went down my spine when Tim told me.”

Trevor balanced his chair on the back legs.  “I’m surprised that he admitted to doing it.  Yes, you need to talk to Brad.  Make him-” Trevor stopped when his cellphone chimed.  “I’ve got to take this.  It’s one of my foremen.”

Randi leaned against the railing and sipped her wine.  Her own cellphone rang and she recognized Brina’s number.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Just wanted to let you know that someone must have had a party in the firehouse this weekend.”

“What?  I thought it was locked and secure.”

“They broke a window in back.  There’s graffiti all over the walls, trash and bottles everywhere.  Duane Peterson is investigating, trying to see if anyone saw anything.  But it’s going to be another hiccup to get through.”

“Wait.  Are you there?”  Randi asked.  “At the Firehouse? Not by yourself, I hope.”

“No, Rafe is here.  He’s talking to Duane.  I just wanted to let you know.  Ginny, Cliff and Marcie are on their way.”

“Should I be concerned?  Maybe the boys and I need to come home.”

“No.  We’ve got it under control.  Besides, you only have one more day, right?”

“Yeah,” Randi answered softly.

“What’s wrong?  Everything okay?  Is Trevor behaving himself?”

“Trevor couldn’t be better.  Just some hiccups here as well.  I’ll tell you about it when I get back.”  She heard concern in Brina’s voice but didn’t want to get into things over the phone. “Tell everybody hey for me.  And you might see us sooner than you think.”  Randi had a sudden thought.  Maybe she could use this as an excuse to leave early and not have to see Tim again.

“I’ve got to go to Edmondsville,” Trevor said moments later.

“I know.  Brina just called.”

“They think it’s kids.  Foreman says it’s under control but I’m going just to be sure it’s only graffiti.  Might even stay there tonight to be sure they don’t come back.”

“Where will you sleep?”

“In the loft.”

Randi forgot about the apartment they were putting in the firemen’s sleeping quarters on the second level.

“But, there’s no electricity.  These spring days might be nice but the nights still get cool.”

Trevor grabbed her upper arms to stop her pacing.  He forced her to look up at him. “Randi, I’ve got a cot I can take with me.  I’ve done this before.  I’ve slept on the job in November, the month of May should be a piece of cake.”

“Then I’m coming too.”

“To stay with me in the loft?” Trevor teased.

Randi laughed.  “Of course not.  But I will cook you some breakfast in the morning.”

Trevor stared down at her.  “Nice to see you smiling again.”

“I need to get away from here.  I hate to cut their time short but I need to get the boys away from Tim.”

 

He watched the activity from his office window.  People came and went.  First the woman in charge, then the deputy, then the rest of the group.  He noticed that one of the group was missing.

He sneered when the deputy walked away, got in his car.  They’d never find who did it.

Then he smiled.  It hadn’t taken much to convince Josh that the firehouse would be a good place to party.  Teenagers.  Always looking for a good time.  Never paid any attention to the news around them so they’d never questioned it when he told them the firehouse was due to be demolished.  Another reason to party there.

Fortunately, they had been smart enough to wait till after dark.  The graffiti added a sinister touch.  The mess would have been fine but the beer probably had something to do with the signage.

Everyone in town was talking about it.  He was annoyed that they didn’t heed his other warnings.  The public hearings.  The fire.  Maybe this would finally end the project. 

They hadn’t discovered anything yet but the longer they worked on it, the greater the risk they would find out.