Focused, page 11
part #2 of True Images Series
“Just a small one. I have basketball practice in a little while.”
That reminded me of Lee because his practice was before hers. Hopefully it would be an easier practice than he’d had last Saturday since they’d won their game last night. I was anxious to see him today. Marisol had gotten to my house late last night because it had been an away game. We went to bed early, but Marisol had mentioned that Robin Gold had been flirting with Lee all the way home and I hadn’t been able to sleep.
I trusted him, I really did. I didn’t trust Robin though. I knew I wouldn’t be able to completely relax until I’d seen him today. But I had to work again and he had another practice in the afternoon. Then when I got home from work, I had to get started on my art portfolio.
I’d taken the art requirements at school, but having your mom as a teacher was weird so I had only taken the bare minimum. I was going to have to have a much bigger portfolio to make it into the U of A’s art program. Mom was going to help me with it, but I didn’t have much time to get such a massive project done.
I caught the faint sound of my cell phone ringing in my bedroom. Luckily our house was small enough that I heard it. I put my fork down and went to see who it was. Most of the people that called me were in my kitchen or in basketball practice.
I didn’t get there before the voice mail picked up. I checked the number, but I didn’t recognize it. Its area code was unfamiliar so it wasn’t someone from Oklahoma. Confused, I listened to the message.
“Hey there Sienna. It’s me… your dad. So, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me for a little while today. Maybe we could go see a movie or go to the mall or something. Anyway, call me.”
I sat the phone back down on my dresser and dropped down on my bed. My emotions were crazy, as they always were about him. Part of me dreaded spending time with him, and the other part of me felt guilty about that.
It wasn’t that I had any problem with him specifically, except for the whole thing with him not acknowledging I was alive for 18 years. Mostly, I hated that I kept hoping he’d find a way to make everything better while at the same time resenting every gesture of kindness he made.
Spending time with him was always awkward anyway. I’d had dinner with him a couple of times and now he wanted to hang out? It was like he was dating me or something.
Maybe that was harsh. I mean, there was no way Mom would be okay with him coming over to our house and there was no way I was going to his place—wherever that was. What else was he supposed to do? It couldn’t be easy finding ways to spend time with your 18 year old daughter when you were practically strangers.
I groaned. “Fine,” I said out loud – like he could hear me or something. I got my phone and called him back.
***
Mr. Foster was staring at my photo. His expression was hard to read and I was dying to know what he thought of it. I thought it might be my best work ever, but that didn’t mean he did. Finally he opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, and I leaned forward eagerly. But he closed it again. I almost screamed at him.
He sat the 8 x 10 photo down on the counter and took a step back before looking at me. “Sienna Whitfield, do you know how good this is?”
I grinned at him and nodded. I bent over the counter and studied it with him. Marisol looked warm and golden as she bathed in the morning light. All around her, the frost crystals caught the sun and twinkled like she was lying on a bed of diamonds. The finer white frost was icy blue against the dead leaves and grass, while Marisol was tropical and alive.
Her bright red bikini was an eye-catching splash of color against the neutral palette of browns and winter whites, and the angle of her body drew the eye from top left to bottom right. There, the sharpest focus of the photo caught a frost flower in startling clarity, perched on a white tipped blade of grass, with the red of Mari’s bikini gleaming behind it and through it.
“What are you going to do with it?”
“Well, I’ve already posted it on my blog of course, and it’s going crazy. People are reposting it all over the place so I’m getting a ton of traffic today. And that was just before I came to work. It’s going in my portfolio too of course. That was the whole reason I took it. I need some good artsy stuff, not just portraits.”
“Well, this should certainly fit the bill. It just seems like you should be doing more with it. Have you considered entering it in some contests or submitting it to some publications?”
I shrugged. “I only took it this morning. I haven’t had time to think about it much.”
“Well, you need to. It would be a crime if this wasn’t published somewhere. Tell you what, why don’t I help you look up some…”
His voice stopped abruptly as the bells over the door jingled. We both looked up to see who had come in. I was doubly expectant since Lee was coming to pick me up and it was nearly time for my shift to be over. It had taken all afternoon for business to slow down enough that I’d had a chance to make a print of my photo, and I had immediately shown it to Mr. Foster. I was dying to show it to Lee too. Well, to be honest, I was dying to show it to anyone I could get my hands on.
But when I saw who had come in, I wasn’t just disappointed. I was terrified. Fear shot through me like a spike when I realized it was Caleb. My first instinct was to run and hide, but he’d already seen me. His expression showed surprise, a flash of hatred, and then amused mockery.
Sensing my reaction, Mr. Foster asked, “Are you all right, Sienna?”
Caleb was making his way across the store to us so I whispered, “This is the guy. The one who broke my ribs.”
Enlightenment lit Mr. Foster’s eyes. He straightened and squared his narrow shoulders. I couldn’t help but notice that he looked like a grasshopper squaring up to a bull, but I appreciated his protectiveness. I felt sick at having to face Caleb for the first time since the accident, but I knew he wouldn’t do anything to me here.
Caleb was dressed in slacks and a blue dress shirt. It was more formal than anything I’d ever seen him in before, though he’d left several buttons undone and his cuffs were rolled up. I was surprised he wasn’t wearing a coat since it was cold outside, but maybe he didn’t feel the cold like ordinary mortals did.
“Long time, no see, Sienna,” he said pleasantly, but I was so on edge that I caught the current of aggression running through his words.
“Not long enough,” I responded.
He raised his eyebrows briefly then turned his attention to Mr. Foster. He held out his hand and smiled. “I’m Caleb Murphy. I’m here representing Murphy Security, Haskins’ hometown security expert.”
Mr. Foster shook his hand, but he made the contact as brief as possible. “Gregory Foster, the owner. What can I do for you?”
“The question is…what can I do for you? I see that you have a lot of expensive equipment in here. Mind if I ask what you’ve currently got going for security?”
I let my mind wander from their conversation. I wasn’t interested in Caleb’s sales pitch. Lee had figured out that Caleb’s dad owned a local security company, and I wasn’t surprised that Caleb was working for him. I felt uncomfortable that Caleb knew where I worked now, but I was confident Mr. Foster wasn’t going to be hiring Murphy Security anytime soon, if his expression of suppressed annoyance was anything to go by.
I turned away and got to work cleaning up from the day’s business. We were closing in about ten minutes and I still hadn’t gotten the cash drawer totaled or the trash taken out. I wanted to leave as soon as possible because Lee and I were meeting my Dad at the bowling alley.
Lee!
I glanced anxiously at the clock even though I’d looked at it a moment before. Lee could get here anytime, and if Caleb was still here… well, who knows what would happen. Last time they saw each other they got in a knockdown, drag out fight.
I glanced over at Caleb and saw that he was standing right against the counter, towering over Mr. Foster. His sheer size was intimidating enough without Mr. Foster having to wrench his neck backwards to look at him. He wasn’t backing away though, and I had to hand it to him, he was braver than I was.
Caleb was still blathering on about their services, apparently oblivious that Mr. Foster was not only uninterested, but trying to end the conversation. “… and we have 24 hour video surveillance that is second to none. I’m guessing your current system is only a few cameras you’ve installed yourself. With our system, your cameras would be linked up wirelessly to our command center where trained professionals will be monitoring any possible threat detected by the sensors we’ll install. Our customers are…”
“I’m sorry,” Mr. Foster said, interrupting him. “I’m satisfied with my current system.”
“Ah yes, but you should take into account the current threat level. There have been a lot of businesses broken into the last couple of months. The police believe it’s a professional gang because they’ve been so clean—my father, the owner, is a retired police officer, and we’re keeping close tabs on the situation through our contacts.”
“Yes, I’d heard of that. I’m sorry, but we’re closing in a few minutes.”
Caleb stepped back and Mr. Foster’s posture relaxed immediately.
“Well, thank you for your time,” Caleb said. “I’ll leave my card with you and you can call me if you are ever interested. Once you have time to consider, I’m sure you will be.”
He dug around in his pocket while I mentally shooed him towards the door. Hurry up. Just go. Go now! He was taking his sweet time though.
Finally, he found his case of business cards and pulled one out. He pulled a pen out of his pocket and laid the card on the counter upside down. He wrote on it as he said, “I don’t have my own cards yet, but if you call our office, say that Caleb talked to you and they’ll give you that special installation rate I gave you.”
Okay, now you can go. Despite my silent urgings however, he didn’t leave fast enough. I saw Lee’s truck pull up, parking right next to the front door. I thought about texting him and asking him to wait for me to come out, but even if I’d had time, he would have seen Caleb coming out of the store. Besides, he was already getting out of the truck.
I dashed from behind the counter and made it to the door just as Lee came in. I hurtled into him from the side, knocking him off balance. He stumbled a step or too, looking surprised, then laughed when he realized it was me. “Happy to see me, beautiful?”
“Caleb’s here,” I whispered at him.
“What’s that?”
I was about to say it a little louder when Caleb walked up to us. I knew the second Lee saw him because his whole body went rigid. Feeling sick with dread, I grabbed Lee’s hand and held it with every ounce of my strength. Maybe if I held on tight enough, I could keep them from fighting again.
“How cute. It’s the two little lovebirds,” Caleb said.
The smirk on his face made me want to hit him. I could imagine how Lee was reacting.
“What are you doing here, Murphy?” Lee’s voice was cold and demanding.
“Nothing that’s any of your business. I didn’t come here to mess with Sienna, if that’s what you’re thinking. I didn’t even know she worked here. Now that I know she does, though, I might have to come over and see her now and then. She’s pretty hot. Even with that big scar over her eyebrow.”
I closed my eyes, frustrated beyond measure that he’d gone there. I wasn’t that self-conscious about the scar he’d given me—I knew it would fade with time—but he was taunting Lee with it. This wouldn’t end well.
“Sienna,” Lee said, “Would you mind letting go of my hand for a second?”
“Not a chance.” In fact, to be safe, I turned and wrapped my other arm around his, clutching myself to him. “Caleb, weren’t you leaving?”
“I was, but it looks like your boyfriend here has something he’d like to say to me.”
“You might say that,” Lee said. The muscles in his arms felt like coiled springs, tense and ready to move.
I didn’t notice Mr. Foster coming our way until I heard his voice. “I think you’d better leave, Mr. Murphy, before something happens that would reflect badly on your father’s company.”
Caleb’s eyes opened wide as he considered the possible consequences of fighting in a prospective client’s business while representing his father’s security business. “Don’t worry. There’s nothing going on here you need to worry about. I’m leaving any way.”
Caleb left, brushing Lee’s shoulder on the way out—on purpose, I’m sure. Lee’s eyes followed him, his jaw clenched tight, not turning away until Caleb had pulled out of the parking lot. Mr. Foster and I stood silently beside him, watching too. The sudden quiet in the store was welcome, but we were all tense from the encounter. Lee certainly was.
“What did he do to you, Sienna?”
“Nothing. He barely even talked to me.”
“Then why were you so scared that you ran to me like that?”
“I was afraid you two would get in a fight.”
Lee’s eyes dug into mine for a second, like he thought I might be fudging the truth, before he nodded and said, “I see. Well, I guess you can relax about that for now.”
I wanted to question the “for now” part and make him promise he wouldn’t fight Caleb ever again, but I’d tried before. All Lee would agree to was leaving Caleb alone unless he messed with me again or forced another altercation.
“How much longer till his suspension is over?” I asked.
“About a week and a half.”
“Great,” I said. I blew out an exasperated breath and continued, “Maybe they’ll expel him if he’s found guilty for assault.”
Not caring that Mr. Foster was still next to us, Lee cupped his hand around my cheek and said, “Everything’s going to work out. Now, let’s go have some fun tonight.”
“Really? You sounded like you hated the idea of going bowling with my dad.”
“Honestly, I’d rather have you to myself, but if you want to hang out with him, then I’m cool with it. You deserve to have a good time, and I’m going to make sure you do.”
That meant a lot to me. I knew Lee was skeptical about my dad, to say the least, so the fact that he was willing to do this with me meant a lot. “Thanks, Lee. And I’ll make sure you aren’t too bored.”
“Sienna, I have yet to be bored for a single second around you.”
I laughed, both pleased and amused. “Not always in a good way.”
“You said it.”
Chapter 11
Lee
Caleb pled guilty to all the charges against him, and so he got a light sentence. In fact, community service was the extent of it. Lots of it though. It would keep him busy since he also got expelled from school, which meant I had one less thing to worry about. Soon, I rarely even gave him a thought. There were too many other things going on in my life.
By the end of January, our first home game was still our only loss. We’d won 10 conference games and three tournaments. The further we got into the season, the more that loss irked me. No one else seemed to care about it much though. Several coaches and recruiters were still very interested in me. I only paid attention to two of them though – Arizona and Arkansas.
Arkansas was my biggest concern tonight. The head coach was here to see me play. We’d had a couple of conversations throughout the season, and I knew he was interested. Unfortunately, Arkansas had a large group of scholarship players returning next season, so they only had two scholarship positions open. Looking at their team, I knew they needed a big center more than a shooting guard, so I needed to play to impress.
I paced back and forth down the locker room hallway, waiting with the rest of the team for half time of the girl’s game to get a few minutes of warm ups in after the dance team and cheerleaders had done their thing. My eyes searched the crowd, looking to see if Arkansas’ coach was here yet. It wasn’t likely he’d be here early though.
I dribbled the ball absently, willing my nerves to calm down. We were playing Union, who was nipping at our heels in the rankings. Going against such a tough team could play to my advantage, but only if we won—and only if I pulled some good stats. Lately, other teams were doing their best to shut me down. I couldn’t let that happen tonight.
“Hey there, hot stuff,” called a sweet voice I’d know anywhere.
I turned and saw Sienna standing at the corner of the sideline and baseline, her camera in hand.
She always came to my games, but… “What are you doing?” I asked.
She held her camera up in answer. “Giving Alex a break now that the doctor has given me an all clear.”
Maybe the doctor had given her an all clear, but I still didn’t feel comfortable with this. Her ribs might be better, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t get hurt again. Before I could say anything though, the cheerleaders’ music turned on, and there was no way she’d hear me. I motioned for her to come closer but she held up a finger, signaling for me to wait.
She started taking pictures. After taking a couple from the corner, she walked down the sideline, squatting down every once in a while to get a different angle. I couldn’t have taken my eyes off her if I’d wanted to. Hopefully she wouldn’t mind getting checked out by her boyfriend, because I was. Shamelessly.
Finally, she walked back over to me, barely watching where she was going as she checked her pictures. I took her hand and pulled her further into the hallway, away from curious eyes.
“Sorry. I had to get that first. What’s up?”
“I’m not sure you should be doing this. You can get run over in basketball too you know.”
“I know. But it won’t be so bad if I am. Besides, I won’t have anyone gunning for me, remember?”
“Can’t Mr. Greeley find someone else to give him a break?”
“Sure, but no one who can get the shots I can. Besides, you’re missing the point. I want to do this. I enjoy it. I didn’t mind letting Alex do it at first, but then I got the itch to do it too.”
I dribbled the ball I was holding to let off some steam. The smack of the ball against the floor made her jump. “I hate that you’re doing this.”
