“Oh, Dan,” Trixie murmured, running her fingers through his closely cropped hair.
“I know, I know,” Dan muttered. His hair wasn’t quite as short as Mart’s perpetual crew cut, but it was shorter than he had ever kept it before. Dan was days away from entering the New York State Police Academy and hair length and style regulations were strictly adhered to for incoming cadets.
Trixie stood behind Dan and examined his now bare neck carefully. “Well,” she decided at last, attempting to cheer him up, “I like it. I think you look very debonair; more Bondesque than ever.”
“Well, that’s something anyway,” Dan said with a half-hearted grin. “It’ll just take some getting used to, I guess.”
Trixie leaned down and put her arms around Dan’s chest and rested her chin on his shoulder. “You know what else is going to take getting used to? Not seeing you every day.”
Dan squeezed her hands. “I know. But I’ll be home every weekend. Besides, you’ll be so busy this semester you won’t even notice I’m gone.”
Trixie kissed him behind his ear. “I will be extremely busy this semester, and I will miss you every minute you’re gone.”
Dan reached to the kitchen table and picked up the schedule she had printed off her computer. “Trix, you have morning classes and evening classes Monday through Thursday, two labs on Friday, work every afternoon…when exactly are you planning on missing me?”
She pointed to a bare spot on the schedule, “Right there. Tuesdays, six o’clock. Should I pencil you in?”
Dan pulled her around to sit on his lap and tickled her knees, making her shriek with laughter. “Sassy!” he scolded with a grin. “So, now that you’ve got ‘Think about Dan’ penciled in to your only free time during the week, I guess that means you’ll have to spend your weekends studying.”
“Not a chance, 007,” Trixie said adamantly, “I plan to spend every waking minute of every weekend with you.” She gave him a vixenish smile, “And every sleeping minute for that matter.”
“Well, I’m not going to let you neglect your studies, even if it means bringing your books into bed with us.”
“Well, that will certainly be romantic,” Trixie sniffed. “Have you ever seen James Bond with a textbook in bed?”
Dan’s brow wrinkled in thought, “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen James Bond with a book, period. But you will have to finish your studies before I let you come over to my apartment to play, babe.”
Trixie smiled at him. Though they had been in a serious relationship for more than two years, they maintained their separate apartments, across the hall from each other at Mrs. Howard’s rooming house. They spent most nights with each other and Dan had suggested more than once that they move in together, but Trixie wasn’t quite ready to make that commitment. She insisted she still needed her privacy and that having Dan around 24/7 would only distract her from her studies.
Dan kissed her, letting his lips linger languorously on hers. “What say you and I get a head start on next weekend?” He slipped his hands under Trixie’s knees and easily scooped her up into his arms as he stood, carrying her off to his bedroom as she tenderly stroked what was left of his dark locks.
************************************************
Late that night, long after Dan had drifted blissfully off to sleep, spooning Trixie with his arm lightly resting on her hip, Trixie lay awake, her mind restless. She had often found herself sleepless in recent weeks and she didn’t know why. So many things had changed in the last month. She supposed she was just a little overwhelmed by it all.
Trixie’s brother Mart, exactly eleven months her senior, had recently returned to the United States after three years of volunteer work in Africa. He was now employed part-time at the Winthrop School for Boys while he finished his education. Jim Frayne, the school’s founder and headmaster, and once Trixie’s boyfriend, had promised him a teaching position once he earned his degree.
Trixie’s oldest brother Brian and his childhood sweetheart, Honey Wheeler, Trixie’s best friend, had been married just a few weeks before on New Year’s Eve. Last week they had returned from their honeymoon in Aruba and were preparing to start classes again at their respective colleges in New York City.
And Dan’s longtime dream to join the Police Academy and pursue a career in law enforcement was about to come true. After spending his early teen years involved with a New York City street gang, Dan had come to live in Sleepyside with his uncle. He had become a member of the Bob-Whites of the Glen and turned his life around; and now he wanted to do the same for other troubled youths. The rigorous program lasted nearly seven months and he would be required to stay at the academy during the week.
Trixie was going to miss him horribly, she knew. That was part of the reason she had taken on such a heavy course load this term. She wanted to keep herself occupied. However, the extra classes and labs she was taking would mean fewer hours she could devote to her part-time job as a runner at a local law office, which in turn would mean a cash flow problem for her. She thought again about Dan’s offer to share living expenses by moving in with him and tried to understand what her reluctance to this plan was.
Brian and Honey had waited until they were married before they ever even slept together, but that was Brian for you. He set a high standard for his younger siblings to reach for. Valedictorian of his high school class, he had received full scholarship for his undergraduate studies and was once again near the top of his class in med school. Trixie knew her parents loved each of their children equally and were proud of all of them, but Trixie sometimes felt like she was living in Brian’s shadow and that any false move would cast her as the black sheep of the family. She had no illusions that her parents were blind to the extent of her relationship with Dan, but actually living together, without the benefit of marriage, might be pushing the envelope with her conservative family. Still, they liked Dan, and Trixie felt relatively confident they would accept whatever choices the two of them made, even if they didn’t wholeheartedly approve.
Dan stirred in his sleep, nuzzling the back of Trixie’s neck with his nose and lips and letting his hand fall in front of Trixie’s stomach. She took his hand in hers and pressed it close to her heart. Love wasn’t the issue. Trixie knew she was very much in love with Daniel Patrick Mangan. And she knew he felt the same way about her. Though they didn’t often speak of such formal things as engagements or weddings, there just seemed to be an unspoken understanding between them that they would be together for the rest of their lives.
Trixie closed her eyes. She couldn’t imagine her life without Dan. So why couldn’t she picture her future with him? She tried to will herself to dream about weddings, careers, children, home, anniversaries, vacations, holidays. But all she saw was darkness behind her eyelids.
She felt Dan’s lips against the back of her neck again, nibbling gently along her collarbone. “Are you awake?” she asked softly.
“Yes. It was kind of hard to sleep with you crushing all the bones in my hand.”
Trixie released his hand sheepishly. She hadn’t realized she had been gripping him so tightly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
Dan slid his now free hand underneath Trixie’s t-shirt and gently fondled her breasts. “It’s all right, babe. I just thought I might need my hand when I’m away at the academy.” When Trixie sniggered, he added hastily, “For gun practice!”
But Trixie couldn’t stop laughing. Dan rolled her onto her back and pulled up her t-shirt. Starting at her stomach, he worked his way up, letting his tongue deliciously slide up her body until he reached her lips, where he silenced her giggles with a long, passionate kiss. “Not laughing anymore?” he asked her when he had finished, his eyes full of desire.
“Not so funny now,” Trixie replied in a husky voice that excited Dan even more. She raised her arms up and he slid the t-shirt over her head, tossing it carelessly onto the floor before he entwined his fingers in hers, squeezing them tightly.
“Oh, James!” Trixie trilled in a British accent.
“Mmmm...and which Bond girl are you this time, babe?” Dan asked, running his fingertips lightly down her sides, causing her to shiver involuntarily.
“Seems to me I’m on my third Bond girl tonight,” Trixie grinned, “Gentleman’s choice?”
“Third time?” Dan arched one eyebrow. “Seems the most appropriate would be – “
“Don’t even say it!” Trixie exclaimed. “After all, you are the one who is so insatiable tonight, Mr. Mangan. If anybody’s ‘galore’ around here, it’s you.”
“Hey, I’m trying to stock up, okay? Can I help it that you are right here and extremely desirable? Give me a break, I’m just a man.”
Trixie flung her arms around his neck and drew him down to her. “Show me, Danny Boy,” she purred, “Show me.”
************************************************
That pleasurable night was all Trixie was hanging onto today. Not that there hadn’t been many enthusiastic weekend reunions since Dan entered the police academy nearly three months ago, but that one...that one was definitely a corker. And it kept Trixie’s spirits up when she was missing Dan or when work and school were getting to her, like they had been all week and especially today. Finals were coming up and Trixie was stressed to her limits.
It was a Thursday in early April. Thanks to a malfunctioning alarm clock, Trixie had been running behind all day. She arrived late for her first class, earning an irate glare from her professor. She forgot her notebook for her second class, and her stomach growled noisily in the silent hall during a pop quiz she hadn’t prepared for. She managed to get a grease stain on her blouse at lunch and a run in her stockings on the way to work.
She was in a rush to finish up her duties around the law office before she left for her evening class, when she came barreling around a corner right into one of the senior partners. Papers and files were strewn everywhere as Trixie fell smack on her behind in a red-faced heap. She could feel her hose ripping even more as she scrambled to get off the floor. Mr. Bradley helped her up and he was gracious as Trixie tried to sort out her papers from his; but she was so flustered, he eventually had to shoo her off with a weary smile and sort out the jumble himself.
While she was waiting for the bus to take her to campus, she checked her voicemail and smiled when she heard Dan’s voice. That cheered her up...until she heard Dan grumbling that he wasn’t going to make it home that weekend. He had had an altercation with another cadet and the two of them were being punished with no weekend leave. I guess I’m not the only one having a bad day, Trixie thought darkly.
And to top it all off, Trixie ran frantically from the bus stop to Alden Hall only to discover her class had been cancelled. Her professor had a family emergency to attend to. He also led her afternoon lab the next day and it had been cancelled as well. Trixie sighed and shook her head. Some days it just didn’t pay to get out of bed.
As she trudged home, her feet killing her – Of course I missed the bus home, what else can possibly go wrong today? – her cell phone rang. She flicked it open without looking at the caller i.d. and snapped, “What?” then immediately felt bad and hoped it wasn’t Dan. Listening to her petty problems wasn’t going to make him feel any better.
“Trixie? It’s Jim. Are you okay?”
Trixie emitted a noise that sounded like a cross between a sigh and a growl. “Just having a bad day, that’s all. What’s up?”
“Well,” Jim replied hesitantly, “I’ve been in Albany today trying to get more state funding for the school. I’ve been dealing with bureaucratic red tape all day, so I guess I’m in about the same kind of mood you’re in. I should be heading back to Indian Lake, but now I’ve got to stay overnight and go back to the lion’s den tomorrow. I thought I’d call and see if you wanted to have dinner tonight. Or tomorrow before I head home if Dan can join us.”
Trixie rolled her eyes, “Dan won’t be coming home this weekend.”
“Oh?”
“He had some sort of run-in with another cadet. He said he didn’t want to talk about it. They’ve both been denied weekend leave.”
“Well, sounds like we’re all having a crappy day,” Jim said ruefully. “So, what do you say? Shall we go out and get rip-roaring drunk tonight?”
Trixie laughed, “Since neither of us are big drinkers, that probably won’t take long.”
“That’s exactly why I don’t drink. Saves me a lot of money if it only takes me two beers to get drunk instead of a case.”
“You are a very practical man, Mr. Frayne,” Trixie laughed. “Meet me at my place? Unless, of course, a meteorite crashes on me in the next couple of blocks. In that case, don’t wait for...sonofa-”
“Trixie? You okay?”
“Yes,” she sighed. “It just started raining and I don’t have my umbrella.”
Jim laughed, “Do you need me to come get you before I check into my hotel?”
“No, no. I’ll get just as wet waiting for you as I will running two blocks home. Wait a minute! Hotel? That’s silly. Why don’t you just stay in Dan’s apartment? He won’t mind.”
"Are you sure?”
”Sure, I’m sure. And I’ve got to start running if I don’t want to be totally drenched before I get home, so don’t argue with me.”
"All right,” Jim chuckled, “See you in a few.”
************************************************
Despite taking off her heels to run the rest of the way home – Might as well, she thought, my stockings are ruined anyway – Trixie was thoroughly soaked by the time she walked in the front door at Mrs. Howard’s and made her way up the stairs to her third floor studio apartment. She unlocked Dan’s door across the hall and left a sticky note for Jim, telling him to go in and freshen up if he wanted, then went to her apartment for a quick shower.
When she got out, she hastily towel-dried her blond curls and slipped into a pair of well-worn jeans and an old faded SUNY Albany sweatshirt. When she came across the hall to Dan’s apartment, she could hear the shower running and knew that Jim had taken her up on her offer. Probably washing off the blood of some government official, she thought with a wry grin. Jim’s red-haired temper was well known and if normally calm people could be driven insane at the DMV, she could only imagine how frazzled Jim’s nerves were after a day at the state capitol.
Thinking of Jim‘s temper reminded Trixie of Dan’s voicemail. She wondered what had happened at the Academy and why Dan didn’t want to talk about it. Dan’s temper wasn’t nearly as volatile as Jim’s, or Trixie’s for that matter, and it took a lot to get him really upset; but once he was, you didn’t want to be on his bad side. Trixie assumed if he were on restriction this weekend that meant he would not be allowed to make or receive phone calls. She made a mental note to herself to send him an email later that night so that he would get it whenever he was able to check in.
She suddenly remembered that Dan’s favorite beer was stocked in his refrigerator and went into the kitchen to retrieve a couple of bottles for her and Jim. She heard the bathroom door open and popped out of the kitchen to offer one of the opened bottles to Jim as he came out. He was wearing only his jeans and his bare chest was still damp from the shower.
Trixie blushed and dropped her eyes, “Sorry,” she mumbled and clumsily thrust one of the bottles towards him, sloshing it slightly on the hardwood floor.
“Thanks,” Jim muttered in reply, his face equally red. He took the offered beer and turned quickly into Dan’s bedroom where he had left his duffel bag and clean shirt.
Trixie walked into the living room, her blue eyes popping. All those swimming parties at the Wheeler lake and she didn’t remember Jim ever being so...buff! When had that happened? Sure, Jim had always been fit and athletic, but never quite so...so...buff! Trixie sincerely hoped some woman was getting to enjoy that, and made another mental note, this time to ask Mart about Jim’s personal life the next time she talked to him.
Jim emerged momentarily, fully dressed and gulping down his beer like a stranded Bedouin. Trixie suggested a local sports bar for dinner. It would be loud and smoky and not remotely intimate; but it also had the best ribs in town and a great local band played there Thursday nights.
“Sounds good to me,” Jim said. He finished his beer quickly and they headed out to his car.
Jim did not fail to notice the admiring glances Trixie received from many of the college men at the restaurant. And he could easily see why. Trixie Belden had grown into a beautiful young woman. Jim always thought she was pretty, an all-American girl with blond curls and sparkling blue eyes, freckled face and captivating smile. But on top of those qualities, she now was self-assured and poised, carrying herself with confidence, yet seemingly unaware of the power and charm she had over the opposite sex. Jim found himself wondering for about the millionth time during the past three years why he had ever let her go.
On the way back to the house he impetuously blurted, “Why don’t you come up to Indian Lake for the weekend?”
“What?” Trixie asked in surprise.
“Dan won’t be home this weekend, and after the week you’ve had, I thought maybe you could use a relaxing weekend out of the city before you have to knuckle down for finals. I’m telling you Trix, five minutes out on the riding trails and you’ll feel reborn.”
“I won’t be in the way?” Trixie questioned.
“Not at all. It’s spring break. A lot of the boys have gone to visit family or stay with their foster families. It’s been pretty quiet there this week.”
“Well…my afternoon lab tomorrow is cancelled.” Trixie thought hard. It was tempting. She and Jim had had a great evening. It was like old times again. She could almost imagine they were chatting in the B.W.G. clubhouse, or over shakes at Wimpy’s, or on the bus home from school. The weatherman had been promising a gorgeous spring weekend and being out in the mountains enjoying it sounded as good as being at a high-priced resort spa.
She grinned. “Twist my arm, why don’t you?”
“Is that a
yes?”
Trixie made a decision. “Yeah, sure. Why not? It sounds like fun.”
************************************************
Jim picked Trixie up on campus after her morning lab. She had packed an overnight bag that morning and thrown it in the backseat of Jim’s Explorer before he headed out to his funding meetings. She felt bad for calling in sick to work, but the guilty feelings soon rolled away as fast as the city disappeared behind them. They picked up some burgers at a drive-thru and ate in the car, arriving at the school around 2:00.
The Winthrop School for Boys was nestled in the Adirondack Mountains. The campus itself was 30 acres and adjoined several thousand acres of national parkland where the boys could indulge in outdoor activities year-round.
The main building had originally been a mental institution for the criminally insane. Jim’s adoptive mother Madeleine and his sister Honey found that gruesome, but Jim and his adoptive father Matthew Wheeler knew they had been fortunate to find it. Although it needed extensive remodeling, it saved them a lot of time and money not having to build from the ground up. And it wasn’t long before the once somber building was bright and cheery, and the grounds were filled with trees and bushes and plants and flowers of all kinds. Jim had been able to use the money he saved on the main building to construct a stable and covered riding arena, as well as a physical education building that Mart had dubbed the “Jim Naseum”.
Jim’s inheritance from his great-uncle had helped to fund the school, and so had money from Matthew Wheeler’s vast holdings. He said that real estate was always a good financial investment, and that a school of this kind for boys from troubled homes was a good investment for his soul. He surrounded Jim with knowledgeable business people who helped him handle the school’s vast piles of paperwork and Jim had carefully searched for just the right faculty and staff for the day-to-day administration of the school.
When they arrived, they dropped off Trixie’s bag in Jim’s spare bedroom. He had a large suite of rooms on the second floor of the main building, where a few other resident teachers lived. Originally, the main building had served as both school and residence for the students, but the student body quickly grew large enough that they had had to build a separate dormitory for the boys. Jim showed Trixie the library, which had been newly renovated over the winter, and the new dormitory building just behind the main structure, then took her out to the stable.
Jim had been extraordinarily lucky to find Wes Landon to run his stable. A former racetracker, he had retired from training to rescue and rehabilitate horses that he found discarded at cheap sales, where many were destined for slaughterhouses. He’d nurse those who were ill or injured back to health and soundness, and retrain those looking for a new career. It had been difficult for him to make ends meet and he and Jim both benefited from their new arrangement. Wes was able to retrain many of his rescues into riding and trail horses for the school, which saved Jim money by not having to pay exorbitant prices for ready-made horses for the stable. And in turn, Wes had a first quality facility to work in. He was a taciturn man, more comfortable with horses than with people, but the boys at the school took to him right away and he soon felt like their adopted grandfather.
Trixie and Jim made their way down to the end of the stable, where a beautiful near-black Thoroughbred poked his head out of his stall and nickered at Jim’s low whistle.
“Jupe?” Trixie asked in surprise. Jupiter was Matthew Wheeler’s horse, a spirited black gelding that few but Mr. Wheeler and Jim and Bill Regan could handle with any skill.
Jim laughed, “Nope, but he looks enough like him to be his brother, doesn’t he? Trixie, meet Saturn.”
Trixie patted the muscular neck of the handsome horse, while she fished in her pocket for a peppermint to offer him. “He’s gorgeous, Jim. I can imagine what a thrill it is riding him through the mountains.”
Jim chuckled, “Well, I’m still imagining it. I haven’t had him long. He’s still pretty green and unpredictable. I’ll get some more dependable mounts for us today.” He left Trixie whispering softly to the beautiful black steed while he went to retrieve a couple of horses for their ride.
“Hey, missy! Not thinkin’ of becoming a hoss thief are ya?”
Trixie turned with a smile and threw herself into her brother’s open arms. “Mart!”
“What are you doing here, sis?” He looked beyond her. “Is Dan with you?”
“No,” Trixie hedged, “He couldn’t get away from the academy this weekend.” She didn’t want to tell Mart about his best friend’s troubles. “Jim talked me into a little R&R before finals. Are you coming riding with us?”
“I wish I could, but I’ve uh…got other plans.”
“Do those plans involve a pretty history teacher named Sally Drake?” Jim asked with a grin, as he came down the aisle leading two saddled horses.
“Mart! You have a new girlfriend! Why didn’t you tell me?” Trixie chided.
Mart blushed, “We haven’t known each other that long. Let’s give it a little time, Trixie.”
“Don’t let him fool you,” Jim said to Trixie, “I think it was love at first sight. I thought by having an all boys school I wouldn’t have to deal with necking in the hallways.”
As Trixie giggled, Mart decided it was the perfect time to make his escape. Face red, he headed out, waving his assent to Jim’s suggestion that he bring Sally over to have dinner with them that evening.
Trixie and Jim mounted up and headed out into the woods. Although it had been quite awhile since Trixie had last been riding, and she knew her muscles would be in agony later, she could tell right away that Jim had been right. They weren’t a half-mile into their ride before Trixie felt completely relaxed and at peace again. They rode for some time along the winding, shaded trail before Jim stopped and dismounted. Trixie followed suit and Jim tied the horses to a tree and motioned for her to follow him. “This trail is a little steep for the horses, but I want you to see this.”
They hiked upward for several minutes and Trixie was winded by the time they got to the top of the rocky outcropping. When she stopped to catch her breath, her mouth dropped open. “Oh, Jim!” she gasped. “It’s beautiful!”
There was nothing but wilderness as far as the eye could see. The taller mountains were a pale blue-grey and capped with the last of the winter snow. The lower hills were a thousand shades of green as the spring foliage exploded upon them. Wispy clouds floated across a sky as blue as Trixie had ever seen.
“This is my quiet place,” Jim said. “I come here when I need to get away from the stress of life, or when I need to still the disorder in my mind, or just when I need to remind myself of why I’m here.”
Trixie sat down near Jim on a fallen tree and choked back tears of sheer joy at the magnitude of the splendor in front of her. “If you ever find a way to bottle this up, Jim, you’ll be a zillionaire; and I’ll buy a case, please.”
They sat in silence for some time enjoying the view, until finally Jim announced that they had to start back before it got too dark and the trails became unsafe. They made their way carefully down to the trailhead and before they remounted, Trixie gave Jim a warm hug. “Thank you for bringing me here, Jim.”
Jim shrugged as if it was no big deal, though he was obviously pleased that Trixie had enjoyed it so much. He gave her a leg up and they headed back to the stables. After they had returned the horses to their stalls, cooled out and curried and fed, and had cleaned their tack, they returned to Jim’s suite where Mart had left a note for them – he was studying in his small apartment at the other end of the building and Sally would arrive around 7:00 for dinner.
Jim offered Trixie first dibs at the shower and she eagerly took him up on it. She was sore all over from the long ride and covered in about an inch of dirt, but she hadn’t felt so good in a long time. She took her time in the hot shower and emerged feeling like a new woman.
When she came into the living room, Jim was standing at the window looking down into the yard below where some students were playing catch in the dusk. She went over to join him, commenting, “Your dream has really come true, Jim. The school, everything…it’s perfect.”
Almost perfect, Jim thought. His dream wasn’t perfect because he didn’t have anyone to share it with him. That day spent with Trixie was the happiest he had been in a long time. And yet now, standing here next to her, he was feeling completely miserable. He was regretting breaking up with her. Regretting the three years he had spent without her. Regretting the inescapable fact that she was with Dan now, and happy with Dan. He couldn’t betray one of his closest friends. He couldn’t betray Trixie’s trust in him. But he couldn’t betray himself either or the way he felt about her.
“Trixie,” he began, but his voice cracked and he had to stop and clear his throat. The honor so deeply ingrained in him that had kept him on the straight and narrow for years was nagging at him to stop but, perhaps for the first time in his life, he wasn’t listening.
Quickly, he put his hands around Trixie’s waist and hesitating only for a moment, drew her close to him and kissed her. For an instant, everything was right in his world. But just as quickly, his better angels showed him how wrong he was, how wrong this was. He found it hard to pull away from Trixie, but somehow he did. At almost the same moment, she pulled away from him. And when he saw her face, he knew it was possible to make a bigger mistake than the one he had made three years ago. He just had.
Trixie didn’t say a word, but she didn’t have to. Pain and confusion were written all over her pale, freckled face. Jim instinctively put out his hand to comfort her, but she took a step back out of his reach, sending a dagger of pain through his heart. Trixie was obviously trying hard to hold back her tears, and not succeeding very well. As Jim opened his mouth to apologize, she turned and fled from the apartment, leaving Jim standing in the dark, numb with misery and shame.
************************************************
Trixie stumbled blindly down the hallway towards Mart’s room, tears flowing freely down her face. How could Jim do that to her? How could he express such feelings for her now after breaking up with her more than three years ago? How could he betray Dan, a fellow Bob-White, like that? This was not the honorable boy she grew up with. This was not the boy who was her first love. But beneath the feelings of betrayal and hurt there was something else…Why had she responded to Jim’s kiss? Why had her heart leapt the way it had the very first time Jim had ever kissed her? Why hadn’t she yelled at him? Or slapped him? Why, even if it was just for the briefest of moments, had she so completely forgotten that her heart belonged to Dan?
Reaching Mart’s door she knocked frantically. Mart opened the door to see his little sister sobbing brokenly. “Trixie!” he exclaimed in shock, “What the – ? What’s wrong?”
She shook her head, unwilling to discuss it. “Can you take me home? Now? Please?”
Mart looked down the hall. In the shadows outside Jim’s suite, he saw the tall, red-headed man, shoulders slumped and head bowed. Mart watched as he turned and walked slowly into his apartment and shut the door. Mart felt light-headed as a jumble of emotions began racing through his head – anger, fear, worry, confusion, sadness. What had just happened between Jim and Trixie? He wanted Trixie to tell him, but she was obviously too overwrought to say anything coherent. She was pulling on his shirt like a child, silently begging him to take her home.
“Sure, Trix. I’ll take you home. Just let me get my keys.”
They were on the road within minutes. Mart kept glancing over at his sister, who continued to cry quietly. She had her arm against the window and her head buried in her arm. Finally, Mart spoke, “Trixie?”
She held up her left hand to stop him. Mart saw that it trembled. He didn’t say another word, but simply reached out and took her hand in his. Eventually, Trixie cried herself to sleep, but Mart didn’t let go of her hand until he was pulling his car into the driveway at Mrs. Howard’s.
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AUTHOR'S NOTES
CHAPTER 7 (5,513 words)
For those of you frantically doing the math in your heads (and especially for those whose math skills, like mine, are on par with Trixie’s), yes, Trixie is still a few weeks shy of her 21st birthday. While I do not condone underage drinking, I also know it is more or less a fact of college life. I drank when I was underage (in fact, by the time I was legal I was pretty much over the whole drinking scene) and Trixie snitching a beer now and then from Dan’s fridge certainly didn’t seem out of the realm of possibility to me.
According to the New York State Police Academy’s website, recruits are required to reside on the premises from 11:00 p.m. Sunday until 5:00 p.m. Friday through 26 weeks of training. There are also several bullets on the “Appearance” page that relate to hair length and style. No facial hair is allowed, which made me start thinking about our BWG boys with facial hair. I wonder if any of them will ever wear a mustache or beard or goatee? Hmmm….
Nope, James Bond isn’t mine. But he’s a recurring theme in this romance. Ms. Galore is not mine either, although I didn’t actually use her name (refer to the movie “Goldfinger” if you aren’t familiar with her…ahem…suggestive name; it’s not a word I use in polite conversation <g>).
Trixie and friends are the property of Random House and I am not making any profit from them. Please don't sue me.