It's All About Faith Pt. 04

by Phillip Johnson

Chapter Fifty Three

Faith didn't reply to the e-mail until Friday, but it was good news. "Buck and Anita, the house is available. Just give me the date of arrival and a best guess on how long you will be with us. Maybe dinner at Ethel's one night? You've missed the Saturday celebrations so be sure to catch at least one weekend with us this time. Stay well, and looking forward to seeing you again, Faith. In minutes they had talked to Kali and the dates were set. She would arrive early Tuesday morning before Anita left for work, and they would be in Discovery no later than two o'clock. Now Buck was getting nervous about their plans, but even more so about being with Kali in such a challenging environment. She was a little thinner and smaller than his idea of an ideal woman, but she was attractive and had an energetic style. But then he wasn't looking for a long term relationship with her, so he could afford to have a critical eye and work at picking her apart. Maybe, that would help him walk that tight rope as he played the part of her lover on one side, and as Anita's devoted and faithful husband on the other. To Anita, Kali had the perfect body with toned muscles and that lean shape, and she was afraid that Buck would see her that way as well. It was going to be harder on Anita letting them go up there, than on Buck being up there in such a teasing environment. She knew he'd do his best to behave, at least as much as the circumstances would permit, but she also knew that he wouldn't succeed. That just wasn't being realistic. Unknown to Buck, she and Kali had talked about that at some length. Kali knew that what she was getting into would be much more trying than she was letting on to Buck. It wasn't like he was so hot she would melt as soon as they were alone, but she did consider him handsome and charming and Anita knew that. In fact, Anita felt flattered that Kali felt that way. Even though Gabe and Carly were her good friends, Buck and Mitch edged Gabe out on the overall attraction scale. The real test would be once the cohabitation began. She wasn't a naïve starry eyed girl, so she knew exactly the challenges she faced, and the challenges they faced in getting what they were going up there for. About the only thing she had no clue about, was how she was going to cope with the temptation.

As soon as she arrived the morning of their departure, Anita poured her a cup of coffee and they disappeared into the bedroom for one more talk, and one more time that Anita had to hide her tears while Buck sat at the table, sipped coffee and began feeling much less sure of himself in all aspect, Kali being his biggest challenge, the biggest challenge of his life.

The women returned and Kali kissed his cheek and said, "Sorry to neglect you love, but we needed a little more woman to woman time. So...are you ready to go slay the dragons?"

"If I'm not ready I never will be. I take it you are?"

"Like you said, it's now or never. I had a couple of ideas of things we can do, and we can talk about those as we're going down the road. Now Anita said she has to get to work, so I'm going to your bedroom and give you two some time alone to talk. Holler when it's safe for me to come out," and she disappeared.

They put their arms around each other and kissed lightly before each of them announced their love for each other one more time. "Nita, I wish I knew what I could say that would help. I'm not going to insult you by making grand proclamations of unwavering faithfulness, but I will try, and I mean that. I'd rather abandon all of this than lose you, and I mean that too. I don't know how you found the strength to push this plan ahead when we all knew that you would have a harder time dealing with this than any of us."

She kissed him again and said, "It will be hard and I'll cry, but I'm okay. Not great, but as long as you come home to me I'll be okay in the end. Had this plan called for you to go to Discovery with Carly or Layla, I couldn't have survived that. Kali is bad enough with her perfect body, perfect teeth and..."

"And she's skinny and almost hyper."

"She isn't skinny."

"Yes she is. Skinny and hard as a rock."

"You make her sound like a store mannequin."

"Oh, she's not that bad of course, and I do like her, and I don't see any major arguments coming. But we're hopefully, going to have our heads full with what we want to do and our eyes busy looking for little details."

Anita kissed his cheek and said, "Like little Wendy, or beautiful Faith, or one of the other charming morsels. I just wish we weren't going to be out of contact the whole time."

"I do too. That alone is going to be really hard to accept."

"I'm late for work, honey. Be careful, be safe, and enjoy being up there. I don't expect you to come home and say you did nothing but work on the project. Oh, and remember, don't mention channel three."

"Hell no, that wouldn't be good for either of us." He walked her out to her car in the garage and stayed there until she left. Then it was back inside and he called for Kali. She came out and checked his eyes for tears and then hugged him without saying anything. He blinked his eyes a couple of times, and then they headed for Discovery. It was a very quiet ride for the first ten miles as he focused on traffic and tried to keep his mind on what lay ahead of them. Then Kali looked at him and asked, "You doing okay?"

He smiled and nodded his head as his eyes stayed on the road ahead. "I'm okay. You ready for this adventure?"

"I hope so Buck," and he looked at her before they exchanged a fleeting smile and they drove on.

Chapter Fifty Four

Kali was wearing modest shorts and a loose fitting white cotton blouse untucked and her makeup was somewhere between very subtle and non existent, the perfect look for their arrival in Discovery.

"Buck, do you have anything in mind for when we get there?"

"Not really. We'll go to Ethel's and get the key and directions to the house and get settled. I guess we should take a walk through town so you can get a feel for the layout, and let the locals get their first look at you."

"You make me feel like I'll be a fish in an aquarium."

"You probably will have that feeling for awhile, but not because of me. Kali, in spite of all that we hope to accomplish, we're going to have a lot of free time. We're there for a week, or two weeks, or whatever as much for face time, and to just observe as anything else. There just isn't a lot to do there, so I hope you brought some reading material. I hope we don't get so bored that we end up fighting with each other."

"I brought some reading material. Why did you mention fighting, are you short tempered?"

"I don't think so. Anita has never complained about it anyway."

"That's because she loves you."

"I know. I'm convinced they have phones and internet, but for outsiders it still doesn't exist, so we can't send e-mails or make calls. In other words, we'll be pretty isolated."

"I remember you telling me that. It will be like remote camping deep in the north woods."

"Except we'll have indoor plumbing and a bed to sleep in."

"Don't remind me I'm still working on that." He did his best to look comfortable with the idea and smiled at her before looking straight ahead again. "Just for the record, I've never, and I mean never, done anything even remotely close to this."

"I wasn't going to ask, but I was assuming that was the case."

"Thank you for that."

"Kali, what happened to cause the divorce, or is that a verboten subject."

"Not verboten, but not pleasant. We had different ideas of what a spouses role and responsibilities were in a marriage."

"Nuff said."

There were long stretches where they didn't talk and that seemed to make both of them a little nervous, each wondering if the other one was regretting their decision.

They made the last turn and Buck said, "Not much farther now. You'll see the little water tower first, that's used for the volunteer fire department, and then you'll see the little village sign."

"Buck, I'm nervous. I'm trying not to be, but the closer we get the more the reality of all of this hits me."

"I know, believe me. Kali, all we can do is take it little by little. One foot in front of the other, and talk, and be honest with each other. We just have to remember to be careful about what we say, until we know if Faith's place is fitted with cameras."

"And we have to be careful how we search for those so they don't catch us playing detective."

"Maybe the first thing we need to do is have a stiff drink, or three, at Ethel's before we go to the house. Ethel's is the only place in town to get drinks."

"No it isn't. I brought three bottles." He looked at her and she smiled as she told him, "You know to help us sleep."

"Oh."

When they entered town they slowed down and Buck pointed out the green door, and what was behind that, and then Casey's Boutique, and the toy store, and on down the line ending with the small grocery, not far from Dwayne's Auto Repair. "I'm going to have him change my oil so I can chat with him and see if he'll share anything. He's good with cars, but he's not exactly a Rhode's Scholar, so maybe he'll slip and divulge some secret." They parked near Ethel's and before they got out Buck said, "Okay honey, game time. You ready to make with the lovey dovey and endure Ethel's stares and questions?"

She took a deep breath and said, "Let the show begin darling," and they got out. She came around the car and they joined hands as they cut across the empty street and went into Ethel's. The bell on the door announced their arrival and Ethel came out from the back and stopped. Her look was a little cold until she realized it was Buck and then she smiled and said, "You confused me, where is Anita?"

"Working."

"I'm Kali, Kali Brighton," she lied.

"I take it you're a good friend of Buck and Anita's."

"I'm a good friend of theirs and Buck felt sorry for me, so here we are. You know, a nasty divorce and all of that."

"Glad to see you. Did Buck tell you about our little village?"

"He just said the residents are great, the boutiques are a treasure trove for a woman, and that you make a wonderful Long Island iced tea."

She smiled at Buck and winked at him with her right eye so Kali couldn't see it, and then asked, "What's your pleasure?"

"Long warm summer nights, Ethel," Buck answered. They shared a knowing looks and then he said, "I remember a very tasty vodka and tonic the last time I was here."

"Make mine a gin and tonic."

"Coming up."

As soon as she had disappeared she took Buck's hand and whispered, "Well, am I doing okay so far?"

"You're doing great. We're off to a good start. We've established that you don't know anything about Discovery, and she really bought into that one, and winked at me, and that Anita knows we're here. Nice trick with the phony name by the way."

"Thanks."

Ethel was back a couple of minutes later and served the drinks before putting the house key and directions in front of them. "The house is just a couple of doors past the motel so you can't miss it. How did you ever manage to get the key to Faith's house?"

For some reason she and Anita clicked, and well...here we are."

"Well, lucky for you two. So how long are you staying?"

"Oh, maybe a couple of weeks."

"Lucky for you two then, but bad for Anita."

"Yeah it is. She can't wait to get back here."

"So what are your plans if I may ask?"

"Oh...relax," and he glanced up at her and then added, "Get Kali some proper clothes," and again they exchanged glances, "And walk the town square a few dozen times, and relax some more."

Ethel laughed and said, "Sounds like a busy schedule."

"It is, but we'll just have to push ourselves." Ethel smiled at Kali and then left them to their drinks.

"She acted so casual and chatty, but she got her questions answered."

"Yep, and I'm sure there will be more before it's over." They didn't spend a lot of time on their drinks and then putting money by the cash register, Buck called out, "We're leaving Ethel, see you for dinner."

She came out of the back and said, "See you two then. Hope you enjoy our town, Kali."

"Thanks Ethel, I'm quite sure I will."

Chapter Fifty Five

They found Faith's house very easily and they sat in the car for a minute before going in. "Look Kali, houses scattered along the road and up and down that small cross road. I've never been out on this side of town."

She smiled and said, "Do you suppose this is the seedy side of town?"

"Not if Faith lives here. She's too high maintenance to put up with riff raff." They had enough luggage to see to their needs for a month, so it took Buck two trips to get it inside. While he was doing that, she was slowly walking the walls looking for cameras as she pretended to check out their new digs. "Look honey," Kali said, "It's very nice here."

"It is," and he put his arm around her and did his own scan of the room. They did a full tour of the house like that and then took their bags to the bedroom. Kali started to ask which side of the bed he wanted, but that was something she would be expected to know. Her heart was racing and her mind was dancing through a string of thoughts. She had to make it look convincing, but she wasn't even close to ready for anything intimate. She put her arms around him and pulled the back of his shirt up so she could feel his warm back as she looked up at him and turned him a little. If there were cameras, which should give them a good shot of her teasing him. A nice start she told herself.

Then Buck kissed her, a long and gentle kiss. She recovered from her surprise and returned it, as they lingered and her hands stayed with his back, and his pulled her blouse up and did the same. He toyed with her bra strap to tease her, but left it hooked as the kiss continued until she broke it. She looked up at him and in a soft whisper she told him, "Oh shit."

"Kali, we better find a way to make it look good without getting...carried away."

"We better do something. Eat a lot of onions or something." Then she put her lips to his ear and whispered, "What was that stunt with my bra strap?'

"Just teasing you."

"Well, you better stop teasing bucko, you scared me. We just got here and you're already acting up."

"I'll try to behave."

"I'm scared and you're going to try...not do, but just try to behave?"

"I promised Anita that I would try so I will. I always keep my promises."

"Was there something in your drink at Ethel's?"

"Just vodka, why?"

"I don't know...there's something...maybe it's in your eyes. I'm going to check later, because I just may see horns appearing in your hair. Now if we just hang around here you're going to do something to get into trouble, so it's time for a walk."

"Well let's see...there are so many choices...there's...I know let's walk to town."

"Smart ass, I should have waited until Mitch could come up here with me."

"Now that would be a mistake on his part."

"And why?"

"Well, Layla and I go way back and we...we have a history..."

"I can't tell if you're lying or telling the truth and that is not a good thing." She pushed him ahead of her and said, "Come on, we're going to town."

"You're pretty strong for such a little thing."

That time she smacked his ass. "Now I am not a little thing, I'm just lean."

"You're skinny is what you are. You need to eat a few desserts or something."

"Great. Two weeks of insults, how could I be this lucky. Anita failed to mention that about you."

"So you two talked about me."

"Yes and she told me to keep a weapon near me at all times."

"Very funny, come on skinny, we're on duty now. Lovey dovey remember."

"Don't push it, even lovers get into fights, skinny, my ass."

"Well yes, but don't be too hard on yourself." One more hard push had him outside and they locked the door.

They settled down and as they walked Kali said, "So this town is supposedly supported by those houses we saw."

"Well, we were told there are a lot of outlying farms and mini farms, so there are other people that come here."

"Still doesn't add up."

"That's right."

They hadn't walked far before Kali said, "I am not skinny. I'm lean and fit and I have nice features."

"Oh, it's flattery you're looking for."

"Well not from you I'm not. You'd just make something up."

His arm went around her waist and pulling her closer as they walked he said, "Okay, the truth. Damn that complicates things." That got him an elbow in the ribs. "No, I mean I have to be careful. I'm supposed to be detached and aloof and just pretending to bond with you. Okay. I love your eyes."

"That's it? One detail and with no adjectives, no elaboration...just I love your eyes. Damn you're chintzy with nice words. Never mind. You keep testing me and I'll just go back and hide behind a book."

"I do love your eyes. I had plenty of time to study them as we talked remember?"

"Of course I do, and you made great eye contact."

"Thank you. They look bright, and alert, and I love your lashes because they are full, without being gunked up with...whatever that brushy stick is."

"Mascara."

"Yeah, I like your natural look. And...and I like your lips, full, without looking like they're full of collagen or whatever."

"Thank you, now you're doing better...but do you mean any of those?"

He stopped and turned her to him but his smile still kept her suspicious.

"I meant everything I said."

"Then why do you look like you're ready to laugh?"

"Because I'm having a great time being with you."

"Now don't get serious on me, damn. You're supposed to be pretending, remember?"

"Okay, I'm pretending to have a great time with you is that better?"

"No."

"You're kind of touchy, are you always like that?"

"It seems to come out the most when I'm near you."

"Oh." On they walked with his arm still around her. As he felt her hips move and roll under his hand, he told himself that she really was too thin.

Then out of nowhere he said, "Your eyes look crisp too."

She stopped again and said, "That makes it sound like they've been deep fried."

"Okay, then I give up," and then he gave her butt and light slap and said, "Come on let's go, lover."

"I'm not your lover."

"Yet."

"Damn you," and on they walked until she said, "You walk too fast."

"Your legs are too short."

"Well I can't make my legs longer, but you can walk slower or you'll be walking alone."

"Oh, okay then," and he slowed down. He had goaded and harassed her about all he dared so he behaved after that. They passed Ma's Kitchen and Buck said, "Grace owns that and she's good for information sometimes, but never anything exciting, but there again, details and so forth. Great breakfast there too. They walked past the men's store and she asked about that but he said he didn't need anything. Then they came to the first boutique. On your right you have Alice's Boutique. "Okay, this is where Wendy works."

"That's the one that wants your body."

"That's what Anita says anyway. Of course, I may have commented on her breasts or something, so maybe that triggered some jealousy or something."

"Gee, do you suppose."

"She even agreed with me and so did Gabe."

"Okay she has hot tits. I'm happy for her."

"Yep, you're touchy."

"I'm going to put poison in your food, so write your will soon."

Chapter Fifty Six

They stopped in front of the store and looked in the window until she looked up at him and asked, "You're not thinking now are you?"

"Why not, you got other commitments?"

"Very funny, you know."

"The situation will be the same now as later."

"But I'd know you a little better later."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Good point, let's go in, the next time you come in here you might be alone."