Chapter fifteen

" Dr. Cambridge, you've got to lift your side up a little, " Martin hissed as the entire weight of the bookcase fell against him.

" Martin, I've told you a hundred times, my name is Carly, " she grunted as she tried to lift the bottom of the bookcase. It wasn't moving. " I can't, " she said. " Shit."

The bookcase was her favorite piece of furniture. Her desk was a close second. But this piece was so beautiful. Hand-carved over a hundred years ago, her grandfather had given it to her when he retired.

" Do you need help? " Elsa asked as she stood behind Martin, her hands perched importantly on her hips.

" Elsa, you're smaller than I am, " Carly said. " Why don't we leave it for later? " she suggested. " Pat Ryan said she would be out today and offered to help. Maybe we can get her to make a trip over here later."

" Well, she looks strong, " Martin said.

" As an ox, " Carly said without thinking.

" Excuse me? " Elsa said.

" Nothing, " Carly murmured. " We're going to have to make two trips anyway."

" I told you to get a bigger trailer, " Elsa said for the second time.

" Do you want me to slap you? "

" Girls, " Martin warned. " You know, we could have hired someone to do this."

" What would be the fun in that? " Elsa asked.

" Come on. I'm getting cranky, " Carly said. " Let's take this load. We'll get the rest later."

" Getting cranky? You were there at eight this morning, " Elsa teased.

" Elsa, watch your mouth or I'll send you back to Austin, " Carly threatened.

" As if, chica. You need me."

Carly relaxed. Yes, she needed Elsa. As a friend and a co-worker. Elsa knew all her secrets. She was the best kind of friend.

Carly drove her Jeep and Martin and Elsa followed in Martin's truck, pulling the trailer. She should have asked her brothers to come over from Corpus to help. She knew that they would have. But she didn't want to burden them on a Saturday. Much better to beg help from friends than family.

She was pleased to find Pat's Jeep at the ranch when they pulled up, although the woman was nowhere to be found. The three of them were tussling with Carly's desk about half-way up the stairs when she appeared in the doorway.

" I see that the desk is winning, " Pat said with a grin. " Are you going up or down? "

" Mi Dios, " Elsa murmured. " She should wear more clothes. She's not safe...bella." "

Carly glanced over Martin's head and met Pat's laughing eyes. Then her eyes took in the perfect shoulders exposed by the tiny tank top she wore. Perfect?

" A little help? " Carly managed.

Pat nodded and moved behind Martin.
" If I get up there, can you handle this end? " she asked him.

" I think so."

Pat squeezed between the desk and Elsa, their bodies brushing as Elsa was pressed against the wall.

" Mi Dios, " she said again as Pat moved away from her.

She fanned her face dramatically and Carly rolled her eyes. Elsa was such a pushover. But when Pat joined her at the end of the desk, their bare thighs touching as they both lifted the end, Carly felt her own blush creeping onto her face. The woman was so...powerful. The desk lifted with ease and she couldn't pull her eyes away from the woman's arms as muscles strained with the weight of the desk. Mi Dios.

" Where to, doc? "

" Office, " Carly said. " Second door down."

Once the desk was situated, they alternated taking boxes up the stairs and moving furniture. The move was going smoother than Carly had anticipated and she knew it was because Pat had joined them. She was much stronger than she looked and Pat and Martin moved the sofa up the stairs as she and Elsa looked on from below. Carly found she couldn't look away from the long length of legs that were exposed by Pat's shorts. She had runner's legs and Carly could picture her jogging along the beach in skimpy shorts and sports bra. Then she shook her head, wondering where in the world that image had come from.

" I like her, Carly, " Elsa said quietly. " Diosa...a goddess." Then she grinned. " She almost makes me wish I were gay."

Carly playfully hit her arm, then pulled her outside, shoving another box into her arms.

" Why do you assume she's gay? "

" Oh, come on. For one thing, no man could handle her. But, you know, she just has that look about her. That one, she would be a handful. A heartbreaker. I don't know if even a woman could handle her. She's just so..."

" Powerful, " Carly murmured, speaking her thoughts aloud. " And overbearing and obnoxious, " she added.

" Where the hell do you want this? " a voice called out the opened window above their heads. They both looked up and found Pat staring down at them.

" Coming, " Carly said. Jesus, if she just wasn't so damn attractive.

That same though echoed again as they found Pat draped across the sofa. Her legs were parted and Carly found her eyes creeping along their length to where her shorts were bunched between her legs... Jesus!

She turned away with a slight blush and pretended to survey the room, anything to avoid looking at the woman sprawled on her sofa. Should it face the windows and the open view of the bay? Or face the back wall where her TV would go once they had the entertainment center moved in? She seldom watched TV. She would move her recliner in the corner. She could see the TV from there.

" Here, " she pointed. " Facing the windows."

" Excellent choice, " Pat said. " You're going to see some great sunrises."

" That would mean, of course, that you'd have to get up in time, " Elsa teased. " Or have your sleeping habits changed? "

" We don't really need to discuss my sleeping habits, " Carly said. " And yes, they have changed, thank you very much."

Elsa laughed. " She used to be cranky as hell when she had an early morning class."

" No wonder you're usually in a foul mood when I see you in the mornings, " Pat said with just a hint of a smile.

" No. That has absolutely nothing to do with the time of day, " Carly shot back and they all laughed.

" Come on, Martin. Let's get the rest of the boxes, " Elsa said and grabbed Martin's hand and led him from the room. Carly didn't miss the flirtatious glance that Elsa gave him.

" Thank you, by the way. We couldn't have done this without you, " Carly said and lightly touched Pat's arm as she walked past. " But, I think the hard part's done."

" Carly? "

Carly turned. It was the first time she'd heard Pat call her by name. She liked the sound of it.

" You shouldn't lie to the help, you know."

" What do you mean? "

Pat walked over to her and playfully pinched her cheek. " Martin told me about the bookcase. He said I would hate you after we moved it."

Carly laughed. " But, you said yourself, you're as strong as an ox."

" Yes. But I think you'll probably owe me dinner for this."

Carly watched her walk away, not liking the accelerated beat of her heart. She reached up and touched her cheek where Pat had gently squeezed. Oh, don't go there, she told herself. It would be nothing but trouble.

But even with Pat's help, the bookcase was still a bitch to move. It took all four of them to haul it up the stairs and even then, they stopped twice to rest.

" Tell me again why we didn't hire a moving company? " Elsa asked.

" I only have a few heavy pieces, " Carly said. " It's not like I have a house full of furniture."

" Let's see. Bed, sofa, entertainment center, that bitch of a desk, " Elsa checked off on her fingers. " Table, " she added.

" The table is small."

" This monster."

" This and the desk belonged to my grandfather. He had them in his office."

" They're beautiful, " Pat said. " Heavy as hell, but beautiful."

When they finally managed to get it into her office, it was Martin who spoke first.

" Dr. Cambridge...Carly, please be sure of where you want it. I think I speak for all of us when I say, once it's down, it's down."

" You mean, I can't try all four walls to see where I like it best? "

" Here, " Elsa pointed. It was the wall closest to where they stood.

" Wimp. I want it over there, closer to the desk."

" Are you sure? " Pat asked.

Carly turned around and surveyed the room. Martin tapped his fingers impatiently on the wood. Elsa rolled her eyes. Pat watched Carly's every move.

" Yes. This wall, " she said.

" Okay. On three, " Pat said and they all pushed and shoved the giant bookcase against the wall.

" Next time, we're hiring men, " Elsa stated as she leaned against Martin. " Big, burly men."

" What are you saying? " Martin asked.

" Oh, chico, nothing against you, " Elsa said. " You're very strong. But, I mean, like...burly, you know? "

" Elsa, you better stop while you're ahead, " Pat suggested.

" How about pizza and beer? My treat, of course, " Carly said.

" Of course it's your treat, " Elsa said. " But I don't really feel like going out. Why don't we go back to my apartment, since I still have chairs, and order in? "

" Okay. I'll stop and get some beer on the way, " Carly agreed. " Pat? Martin? That okay with you? "

They all agreed and Martin and Elsa left away first, Martin pulling the now empty trailer behind him. Pat waited at the entrance while Carly locked the gate.

" I'm going to stop at the liquor store for beer, " Carly said as she walked up to Pat's Jeep. " Is beer okay or would you rather have something else? "

" No, no, that's fine, " Pat said. " Do you want me to go with you or just meet you at Elsa's? "

" You go ahead. I won't be long."

Carly followed Pat's Jeep down the winding road until they reached the highway. Then, she let Pat pull away from her as she took her time. She was really tired and she suspected they all must be. It had been a full day, but fun nonetheless. She enjoyed Pat being there today. Of course, without her help, they never would have managed. And, she had to admit, she liked the woman. She would never admit this to anyone else, but in oh so many years, she felt a tingle of attraction to another woman. She would allow it to go no farther, she knew, but still, it was there.

When she arrived at Elsa's apartment, lugging in a case of Corona and a bag of limes, they were all sprawled on the floor, already drinking.

" I ordered two large pizza, " Elsa told her.

" Good."

Pat got up to help her with the beer and they crammed twelve into the fridge.

" That'll do for now, " Pat said, snagging another one. She pulled out a lime and sliced it into several wedges, passing it around to the others.

" I feel like I've been beaten, " Elsa stated. " Just in case you wanted to know, " she told Carly.

" And just in case I haven't said thank you enough..."

" Don't worry. I'll bring this up on numerous occasions during the summer. Whenever I need a day off because my back still hurts."

" I'm sure you will."

" How long have you two known each other? " Pat asked.

" College, " Elsa said. " We lost touch for awhile, then ended up working together in Austin."

" Yeah, until you escaped and went back to college." She turned to Pat. " We worked for the State. But our ideals were shattered by politics. Elsa was smarter than me and left. I hung on, still hoping I could make a difference."

" I don't doubt that you managed that somehow. I can't see you taking no for an answer, " Pat said.

" You've heard of the Edwards Aquifer? "

" Yeah. San Antonio gets its water from there, right? "

" Yes, among others. But it spreads all the way to Austin. It was my project. I did research for years and they were killing it, draining it dry. Too much development, too much runoff. The streams were drying up, thus the springs were, too. But, it was all politics. The developers had money and politicians love money."

" Now you've done it, " Elsa warned Pat. " She'll go on for hours now if we don't stop her."

Carly laughed. " I'm over it, Elsa."

" Sure you are. That's why you still send hate mail to a former governor...who is now in the White House."

" I do not send hate mail." Then she grinned. " At least, not any more."

The pizzas arrived and they all dug in, devouring both of them until only one piece remained. Pat and Martin both eyed it, but politely offered it to the other. Elsa finally tore it in half and watched as they fought for the largest piece.

Carly offered them all another beer, but Pat declined.

" I live on the island. I should really get going, " she said. She'd had a wonderful time. She didn't really know these people, but they had included her in their conversations and she'd enjoyed herself. She'd made new friends and Carly had warmed up to her, too. In fact, they hadn't had a single argument all day. Not really. The herons, well, Pat had just been teasing Carly.

" I can't thank you enough, " Carly said as she walked her to the door.

" No, you can't, " Pat teased. Then she lowered her voice. " Don't think this counted for the dinner that you owe me."

" I never thought it did, " Carly said easily.

" See you two later, " Pat called to Elsa and Martin. Then she paused at the door. " We still need to get together and go over the brochure. I've got some photos I want you to look at."

" Okay. I should have printed it out for you today, but I didn't think of it, " Carly said. " If you're out and about tomorrow, come by the ranch. I'll be there. If not, Monday? "

" I'm doing some work out this way in the morning. After I'm done, maybe I'll swing by."

" Good."

Carly watched her, long legs and arms still bare. Pat went to the back of her Jeep, then pulled on a sweatshirt. Yes, she imagined the ride back to the island would be cold in the opened Jeep. Pat looked up and saw her watching, then lifted one hand in a wave as she drove away.

" You going to stand there all night? " Elsa asked.

" No, sorry, " Carly said and closed the door.

" I guess I should be going, too, " Martin said. " I promised my mother I would take her to church in the morning."

" Is all of your family here? " Elsa asked him.

" Just my mother and one sister. I'm from The Valley, most everyone still lives down there."

" Martin, thanks again, " Carly said. " I know it wasn't exactly in your job description."

" No problem, Dr. Cambridge."

" Carly, please. I'd like to think we've become friendly enough to use first names."
" I'm sorry. Habit."

" Martin, I enjoyed spending time with you, " Elsa told him as she walked him to the door, much like Carly had done Pat.

" Me, too. Goodnight, ladies."

" Buenas noches, " Elsa replied.

Elsa closed the door and leaned against it and closed her eyes.

" I don't know what it is, but he does something to me, " she finally said.

" Martin? "

" Yes, Martin. Who else? "

" Well, I had hoped you weren't just flirting with him all day for the fun of it, " Carly teased.

" I was not flirting." She began clearing away the empty pizza boxes, then looked up. " Has he been married? "

" Yes."

" Oh, good Lord, he's not still married? "

Carly laughed. " No. Actually, I think he's been single for quite awhile. I got the impression he was married and divorced down in The Valley. He's been living in Corpus for about five years."

Elsa digested this news with a frown. " Must be a reason he's still single, then."

" Elsa, you're still single, " Carly pointed out.

" Well, he just seems like a normal man, you know. They're kinda hard to find these days."

" Yes, Martin is wonderful. Very dependable, trustworthy. He came highly recommended when I was looking for help with this project."

" And I'm certainly glad you hired him. Now, what about Pat? " Elsa asked, changed the subject.

" What about her? "

" You seemed to get along with her today. I didn't notice any quibbling, other than the argument over the herons, " Elsa said.

" They were egrets. Who can't tell the difference between a heron and an egret? "

" Obviously your photographer."

" I think she just likes to argue with me. She seems to get great joy out of irritating me."

" So I noticed. But it was really nice of her to help out today."

" Yes, it was. I mean, we're all practically strangers to her, but she fit right in."

Elsa smiled at her, then patted her cheek. " Good."

" Good? Good, what? "

" Just good."

" Elsa..." Carly warned.

" Elsa what? "

" I know what you're thinking."

" You couldn't possibly. Your thoughts don't go in that direction, remember? "

" I can still beat the crap out of you, " Carly warned.

" In your dreams, chica."