Good Deed Bad Deed, Marcia Morgan [summer beach reads TXT] 📗

his eyes and said, “Just don’t break my heart. I don’t give it easily.”

He leaned in and kissed her neck. Keeping his lips against her skin he whispered, “And don’t you break mine.”

Ana shook her head no and said, “That’s the last thing I’d ever want to do. Now we’d better get a move on before we’re both in trouble with your parents. I’m still trying to make a good impression and I don’t think my recent behavior would help.”

“That’s done and dusted, my dear—the good impression I mean.” He took her hand and pulled her forward onto the path. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you in and upstairs before you’ll have to explain the ‘state’ you’re in.”

They quickly covered the remaining distance to the house. Both were muddy from the knees down and their clothes were damp and dirty. Ben realized his parents would likely be in the kitchen, so he sent Ana inside through the front door, reminding her to remove the Wellies first. She did as he said, then hurried up the stairs and into her room without being seen. Ben stopped outside to remove his muddy boots and brush his pants off one more time. He went inside through the kitchen and encountered his parents finishing their coffee as they cleaned up from a late breakfast. He and Ana would have no time to eat, but he wasn’t hungry for food. After his brief tryst with Ana, he could be sated by only one thing.

* * *

Hugh was anxious to get into the city and had put everyone on notice to get a move on. Taking long strides he hurried out the kitchen door to the garage, where he climbed into the Rover and pulled it around to the front of the house. He waited with the engine idling, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel while humming with the radio. But after glancing at his watch and seeing it was almost noon, he began to honk. Paris hurried out the front door and down the steps, followed by Ana and then Ben. Edith stood in the doorway and called to Paris, who turned around before climbing into the back seat. Questioned about whether they would be home for tea, Paris told her not to plan on them, that they would likely grab a bite in the city.

Ben climbed in beside his father, who ordered everyone to buckle up. Somehow he couldn’t help adding, “It’s going to be a bumpy ride.” The tone of their laughter was obligatory and less than hearty. Resigned that his effort to be witty had fallen flat, Hugh smirked congenially and steered the car up the driveway and out onto the road. After about twenty minutes of narrow country road, they reached the main route to London. Hugh’s meeting wasn’t until two o’clock, and he thought it wise to leave late enough to miss the morning traffic. Once in the city they would have a vehicle at their disposal, rather than be forced to coordinate their activities with the train schedule. His efforts to lighten everyone’s mood hadn’t worked. Paris was busy on her iPad, trying to retrieve office emails, and both Ben and Ana were quiet. They gazed out the side windows at the passing landscape, both remembering what had happened earlier that morning.

As they approached the outskirts of London the traffic slowed then became congested, so Hugh turned on the radio in search of an update. Paris closed the tablet case, reached forward, and patted his shoulder— a silent message that he shouldn’t turn grumpy. Ben sensed Ana’s eyes on him and turned around to glance at her in the back seat. The smile she gave him, and the one he returned, told the story of their morning together and confirmed the fact that both had spent the drive to London reliving each moment. His parents would have been delighted, if they knew, but the whole thing was private— their secret and impulsive assignation. He wondered about the duration of their stay in the country, and how he would keep his hands off of Ana when in his parents’ company.

After having spent more than an hour on the road, Hugh pulled up near the front of the museum and stopped in a loading zone. “Everybody out… and stay together! Ben, I don’t want your mother out of your sight. If she goes to the loo, you all go. Ana goes in with her and you wait in the corridor. Is all that clear?” Hugh’s tone was authoritative, but not harsh.

As they all unbuckled their seatbelts Ben answered, “Yes, Dad, I’ve got it covered.”

He opened the rear passenger door and helped his mother out, exchanging glances with Ana, who seemed to enjoy seeing him being told what to do. Hugh had put the driver side window down and Paris leaned in to give him a quick kiss. He assured her he would call her mobile phone as soon as he arrived at Lloyd’s and was inside the building. He mouthed I love you and drove away. Paris took both Ben and Ana by the arm and led them around the building to the administrative entrance.

Lyle Brett heard voices in the hall and peered out from behind his office door. He was disappointed to see that she wasn’t alone, and shocked to see that she was with Ben. He wondered about the other woman who accompanied them. Something about her seemed familiar. He called out an uncharacteristic greeting and Paris reciprocated. She unlocked the office door and they quickly went inside. Before hanging up her coat she took a moment to scan her desk for anything new that hadn’t been there when she left for home the day before. Nothing seemed amiss, so she took her mobile out of her purse and put it on the desk to await Hugh’s call. She told Ben to pull the two extra chairs up to her desk. Ana sat down while Ben paced around the