The Vanishing Gary Brown (booksvooks TXT) 📖

her, Martin,” Claire replied coolly. “That’s final.”

“You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“I’m a big girl. I’ll take my chances.”

Martin let out a heavy sigh. “Something tells me I’m never going to figure out how I let you talk me into this.”

“You already know how.”

“This ought to be good.”

Claire smiled. “Because you find me completely irresistible.” She walked across the gazebo and sat in his lap.

Martin sighed. “Yeah, but that’s beside the point.” He cradled her in his arms. Her body was warm and inviting. He kissed her softly on her forehead. “I’m serious, Claire. You could get hurt.”

“No, I won’t,” Claire replied. The soothing tone of his voice and gentle touch comforted her.

Martin stroked her hair. “What makes you so sure of that?”

“Because I know you’ll be there to protect me,” Claire said.

The wellspring of emotion rising within Martin told him she was right, and the thought of it scared him. He had never fallen in love so fast, not even with Anne, and he had loved her to the very marrow of his being.

They sat in silence, holding each other, immersed in unspoken words and desires.

Claire lifted her head from his chest. “Martin?” she said.

“Yes?”

“Thank you for everything you’re doing to help me. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you.”

“You’ll never have to,” Martin replied. “We do this because we can. Because we believe it’s important and should never be allowed to happen to good people like you and Amanda.”

“I know. But I believe it’s more than that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you believe in fate?”

“Fate?” Martin replied. He shook his head. “Not really. I believe we chart our own course. The decisions we make along the way, both good and bad, determine who we are and who we become.”

“Interesting,” Claire said. “I believe just the opposite, that we cannot change the life we live day to day, and that there’s nothing we can do to alter the course of those events. Our future is a path we are pre-determined to follow from the day we’re born until the day we die.”

“Is that your scientific opinion?”

“No. Just my personal philosophy. Take us, for instance.”

“Us?”

“Yes, us. You and me. Several days ago, you knew nothing about me, did not know who I was, had no connection to me in any way, shape, or form. Now look at us. We couldn’t be any more involved in each other’s lives if we tried. Fate intended for us to meet. We had no choice.”

“Of course, we did,” Martin said. “You could have declined Kelly’s offer to attend the Janus party. If you had, we never would have met.”

“That’s not the way I see it. I believe I went to the party because I had no other choice but to go. Don’t you see? I was destined to be there, to meet you, and for you to meet me. Fate brought us together.”

“Tell me you’re going somewhere with this, because there’s a strong possibility this discussion could send me into therapy real soon.”

Claire laughed. “I’m serious. Okay, let me try this out on you. When you were young, didn’t you ever wonder what your life would be like when you were eighteen? Or thirty? Or sixty? What you would do for a living? What your wife’s name would be? What she would look like?”

Martin smiled. “No. I grew up rich and spoiled rotten. My father paid other people to think of those things for me.”

“Very funny. Well, didn’t you?”

“Sure. I suppose we all wonder about those things. But I still maintain they come to us as our life evolves. We choose whom to love, what to do with our lives, and how hard we’re willing to work determines whom we become. There’s nothing predetermined about that.”

“I disagree.”

“Somehow I just knew you would.”

“Fate governs our lives, and I can prove it.”

“This should be interesting.”

“Close your eyes.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Close your eyes.”

“Can I make a wish?”

“If you like, but it won’t make any difference.”

Martin closed his eyes. “Right. Fate. Absolutely nothing I can do to stop…”

Before he could finish speaking, Claire kissed him.

He opened his eyes.

“See?” Claire said. “Told you so. There was absolutely nothing I could do about that. Couldn’t have stopped myself if I tried.”

“Fate, huh?”

“Absolutely.”

They kissed again, more passionately than before.

“There’s something I have to tell you,” Martin said. “And I have to tell you now.”

“I already know what you’re going to say,” Claire answered.

“You do?”

“Yes, I do. And I want you to know it’s okay. You can trust me.”

“Trust you? With what?”

“Your heart.”

“You know how I feel about you, don’t you?”

“I do.”

“And that doesn’t scare you? We barely know each other.”

“Yes, it scares me,” Claire said. “But not knowing where this could lead scares me even more. I haven’t been in love in a very long time, Martin. You need to know that up front, so you don’t expect more from me than I’m capable of giving right now.”

“We’ll take it one day at a time. One hour at a time, if that’s what you want.”

“Thank you. But I already know everything will be all right.”

“Let me guess. Fate.”

“Whatever gave you that idea?”

Martin smiled. “Come on. I’ll show you to your room. We both need to get some rest. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”

43

VIRGIL STOOD IN the entranceway to his building. With each labored breath, he fought to calm himself. Perspiration and cool, damp fog had penetrated every fiber of his cotton shirt and jeans. The clothes weighed on him like a suit of aqueous armor, restricted his movements.

The voice of Fallon and the cries of Blessing and Sky which he had expected to hear when he reached the building were strangely absent. The rooms above lay as silent and undisturbed as mausoleum vaults.

In his weakened state, the ascent to the second floor required considerable effort. He braced himself against the wall for support and tried not to think about the searing pain that threatened to steal him from consciousness and send him