Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

MADELINE

Madeline nearly choked on her coffee as she looked at Judy who was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. Noah's mother was a gem, and they had gone shopping today just for some ‘girl time' with the condition that they would look at Noah's baby books this evening. This wasn't a real marriage between them, yet Judy treated her just like her daughter-in-law, welcoming her with open arms.

"This has been the best time and I am so glad my boy thought to have you come here first instead of insisting you wait for him in Jacksonville."

"Well, my job is going to be in New York City, so I would have gone there to get settled and begin my career. It's going to be a cushy job with a great paycheck to boot – and I'll be able to apply all my education and experience deciphering things, giving tours, and…"

"You don't want to see the carrier pull into port?" Judy asked curiously, pausing to take a sip of her coffee. "You know the men raffle for that first kiss, and the newspapers show up to take a photo. It's all over the evening news and quite sweet. I would think you'd want to be there because I bet Noah enters to win."

"Oh, ah, well… we've talked about this, I assure you," Madeline smiled placatingly and nodded. "At length. We've talked at length about it and…"

"There's not a base in New York City."

"Well," Madeline hedged. She actually wasn't sure if there was a base there or not, but her job was there. They really hadn't touched on much else during their brief time together. Noah had casually tossed out moving to Jacksonville once, but they were strangers, and she was nervous to imagine that something more was there between them. "He's gone a lot, so this works."

The words were lame and she knew it.

Judy just looked at her, set her coffee cup down, and hesitated before letting the matter drop. She expected the outgoing woman to say something, point out reasons why she should be there, or even argue with her – yet she remained silent.

"You're both adults – and you can make up your own minds. I just remember when Noah's father was serving on a destroyer, how hard it was to have him gone for weeks or months at a time. That's how I ended up in Memphis. His father was gone, and I had a newborn with me. We couldn't make it on his paycheck because of his rank, so I had to work part-time. Our family was from here, and we made it work somehow," Judy sighed heavily and smiled. "I can't tell you how many times I made the drive from Memphis to Norfolk and back. Each time Noah's daddy was gone longer than two months, I went home to my mother. "

"I can imagine."

"And life is not fair, you know?" Judy continued quietly. "He served his time, came home, and died in a car accident two years later."

"What?" Madeline hesitated, putting her fork back down onto her plate. "How old was Noah?"

"Twelve."

"Oh my gosh… Judy – I'm so sorry."

"I guess that is why I was surprised because time passes, and you just never know what could happen, you know? David and I always imagined we had forever and talked about family vacations once the bills were paid off, and well, now I know there are always bills," the older woman chuckled wryly. "But you should see the sight at least once. It was one of my favorite things to see. When those ships pull into port, there is such joy in the air that it's hard to describe unless you've experienced it."

"I appreciate the info," Madeline said nervously, thinking back to Noah's letter that he'd sent her. He seemed so genuine, so polite, but thinking about what Judy had revealed made her wonder if he would actually like to have someone waiting for him. Had he waited for his father when he was little?

Judy reached across the table and touched her hand.

"Just think about it, that's all that I'm saying. Some people never get to experience that day – while some of us have seen it far too many times."

Nodding, she quickly changed the subject as her mind raced, remembering his email with a twinge of envy. She had always wanted to see Pompeii and hoped he would take plenty of photographs. And Noah mentioned going to dinner together, which meant he was still thinking about them trying to go out on a date. Maybe he was reaching out to her – and she needed to do the same and give this a chance.

What if Chance, Fate, Lady Luck, or whatever, was putting her in the path of Mr. Right because Mr. Wrong had shown her just how terrible he could be? Sure, it was normal to be scared, to go into a situation warily, but shutting herself off from the world seemed to be another extreme altogether.

"Can we head back to the house in a little bit? I thought I might email Noah, and I really need to stop by the cell phone store. I need a new phone number based here."

"Oh yes. Of course," Judy said excited, already waving for the waiter to bring the check.

Several hours later, Madeline was sitting on the bed in Noah's room with her laptop over her legs. She had already emailed the museum in New York with her new telephone number and temporary address. Now, it was time to let Noah know and dangle the bait to see what all of this meant.

Dear Noah,

Of course, I took a moment to write. Why wouldn't I? I didn't want you to worry, and we parted quickly at the airport.

I think your mother was limiting herself, and she pulled out just the one baby book this evening. Why am I not surprised you were a Tiger Cub? By the way, the photo where you are missing both front teeth was just adorable. Your mother is feeding me like crazy and declared today to be a ‘girl's day.'

We went to brunch, went shopping, and stopped by Verizon. I wanted to get a new number for safety – and so I don't have to dial a country code every single time. I'm putting my new number at the bottom, and maybe you'll have a chance to call. After all, friends talk, right?

Please take lots of photos of Pompeii – I'm almost jealous that you are going to get to take a tour there. That is on my bucket list of places to go, and I do plan on visiting eventually. I specialized in Egyptian history, but my degree is in archeology with a minor in anthropology. ‘Don't just see the places, but figure out how they lived' – kind of thing, you know?

You'll have to let me know what date you'll be back so I can see what flights look like. I mean, my temporary husband promised me dinner one evening and I've got him penciled in.

Yours truly,

Madeline

Clicking send, she sighed heavily and then got an idea. She googled his name, the name of the carrier, and Jacksonville to see what came up – and couldn't help the smile that touched her lips.

Noah volunteered on base – a lot. There were photos of him calling ‘bingo' for several people, pictures of him teaching swimming lessons at the pool to the local children, and a few articles congratulating him on advancement or commenting on a training mission. Her favorite had to be a charity pancake fundraiser photo of him holding a spatula with an apron covering his uniform. He was smiling broadly like the photographer caught him laughing .

It was so good to see that smile. She could practically hear Noah's chuckle of amusement and knew how he would roll his eyes before grinning. She right-clicked on the photo and set it as the wallpaper on her desktop, just so she could see that smile again.

Closing her laptop, she slumped into the bed and turned on her side. As she closed her eyes, she felt a smile touch her lips, thinking about him. Yeah, she was very interested despite being nervous about jumping into another relationship. Technically, I already did, she mused. We're married.

… Sort of.

Sometime later, in the middle of the best dream, her cell phone rang. Grabbing it off the charger, she answered it.

"Nghhello?" she grumbled, half-asleep, and heard a soft laugh that she recognized instantly. Her eyes shot wide open as she quickly sat up in the bed. "Noah? Is that you?"

"Hey," he began quietly, his voice warm and welcoming. "I am so sorry to wake you, but I wanted to call."

"I'm glad you did. Are you in Pompeii? Are you calling to make me jealous?" she half-teased, wanting to hear him laugh once more. "It's working, you know. I spent hours looking up frescoes and…"

"I'm not calling to make you jealous – I promise," he interrupted, his voice low. "I'm on a tour bus on the way there, and I'll text photos if I have reception."

"I can't wait."

"Speaking of things that we can't wait for… "

"Yes?"

"Your email meant a lot to me – and I'm glad you thought to get a different phone number. That was smart and not something I would have thought of, plus it was kind of nice."

"How was it nice?" she chuckled, confused.

"When I went to save your new number in my phone, it asked me to confirm if the contact I was adding was Dr. Madeline Bennington and showed your photo. It's nice to see you using my last name," he murmured, and there was a catch in his voice. "It's really nice."

"Well, it is my last name, even if it's temporary," she breathed, trying to keep from squeaking nervously, laughing in paranoia, or doing her normal routine of just blowing off something so she looked ‘chill' or casual.

"It could be permanent… wife."

There was something possessive and protective in Noah's voice, like he was proud to be claiming her. While everything in her nervous, self-depreciating mind said that ‘ no - this couldn't be happening ,' however, there was a voice even stronger whispering from the recesses of her mind, calling to him. Before she could comment or say anything, he spoke again.

"Would it be too forward of me to tell you that I want to get to know you better, to give this a try between us?"

"No," she managed to utter hoarsely, wondering if he heard her over her heart pounding in her chest.

"I know you are taking the job in New York, but there are non-stop flights to Jacksonville too… say, when we have dinner? Perhaps I could take you out on the town in New York City, and we could do the whole ‘touristy' thing… or maybe we could have dinner on the beach in the moonlight? "

"Or both?" she offered, trying to keep things light. She was calm. This was just a couple of friends agreeing to meet up and…

"I'd be happy to date my wife ," Noah said intimately, causing her trail of thoughts to stop in mid-stride. "And, I believe, that comes along with keeping Bennington as your last name."

"You return in two months, remember?"

"I do, but you'll be in New York in two months… remember?" he teased gently, and she closed her eyes, picturing his smile. "So maybe we focus on phone calls, text messages, and try to make plans together… just like normal couples do."

"And you want us to really try this? To be a couple and see if this works?"

"Do you?"

"I think I do, but I'm nervous. I really don't want you to be stuck with me, regret any of this, or end up being the rebound guy after Travis."

"The only bad thing about a rebound guy is when he doesn't realize or respect the fact that he has a chance to be every guy from here on out," Noah said intimately, and Madeline caught her breath as he continued. "…And I understand that completely."

"Oh, ah, wow ," she whispered, completely bowled over by the words and the tone of his voice. "Uh, you sound really… confident."

Sexy! You sound freakin' sexy as could be! Her mind screamed as her heart raced, and her stomach clenched in awareness.

"I am," Noah uttered in a hushed voice and hesitated. "And we just arrived. Put your phone on silent so I don't wake you up with a bunch of text messages and photos, and I'll try to call again in a day or so before we leave port."

"I'd like that."

"Good night… and sweet dreams."

"Thanks. Have fun out there today, and text me plenty of details."

"Will do," he chuckled softly before whispering ‘bye.'

Madeline flopped back on the bed, her phone in her hand, lying directly over her heart as she sighed in amazement and wonder. He wanted to give this marriage a shot. It wasn't temporary or pseudo like he'd teased several times before, but something he actually wanted to build on.

Noah wanted a relationship – with her.

This wasn't going to be the ‘fake marriage' that he'd hinted at and alluded to a few times in the past, but they were going to actually try going on a date and getting to know each other better. She was going to be dating her ‘pseudo-husband' who had married her to help her out of the country, hiding her.

The whole last few days had been crazy, and Madeline laughed nervously as she realized that it had only been a few days. She had been in Egypt, on the run, mended a gunshot wound, bribed a lawyer to help them escape and marry them quickly, and then boarded a plane to come here under the guise of another name.

"Insanity," she breathed into the stillness in disbelief. "And now we're going to give this fake marriage and actually attempt at being real. Utterly insane."

Closing her eyes once more, she let her mind wander once more.

Okay, this place is pretty cool.

Not for the faint of heart, though.

Madeline read the series of messages, flipping through the photos that Noah had texted her. It was amusing to see his reaction, and she was glad he didn't hold back. He was sharing this moment with her - candid, real, and raw - so she could experience it with him despite the distance between them.

Here are a few paintings… apparently, they really liked graffiti. It's everywhere!

She smiled, marveling over the frescoes and wall art. The colors were still present even after thousands of years.

Mt. Vesuvius – but they had no word for volcano?

What did they call it then? A big pointy hill with fire, smoke, and currently spitting rocks and lava at people?

Can you believe this is a toilet? I'm not putting my keister over some open hole. Call me a prude or whatever – but I want my TP.

Madeline burst out laughing in sheer delight at how open he was about things. Yeah, toilet humor was always funny, but the man had a point. That hole looked awfully intimidating to her, too.

Did you know they were originally Greek?

"Actually – yes," Madeline whispered, smiling. "I did know they were Greek because the Greeks certainly got around. Ptolemy was Greek too – and Cleopatra."

Hahahaha! The picture says ‘beware of dog' – even back then! That's awesome!

Sure enough, the next picture was a floor with a black dog inlaid in the tilework with Latin words underneath. Forget putting a sign on the backyard fence. They put it in the entryway for anyone coming into the house to see. Not a bad idea , she mused and kept scrolling through the messages.

Whoa… they had brothels?!

Madeline raised an eyebrow at his text.

I'm not na?ve, but I've never seen so much nudity in my life. Paintings, statues, and I'm sorry – but they definitely exaggerated things.

She hesitated to see that he'd sent even more pictures – and was pleasantly surprised. As she scrolled through the photos, she expected to see a lot of X-rated images of what he was viewing in Pompeii but was pleasantly surprised. Noah had strategically put his Diet Coke, his thumb, or his entire hand over each painting in a few places, effectively censoring it.

I want to share all of this with you – but I just cannot bring myself to send what is equivalent to an ancient nude photograph to anyone.

Can I honestly say that hiking on the trail along the side of Mount Vesuvius with the tour group was slightly terrifying? I mean, I kept thinking, ‘what if it explodes?' – and they said we were safe, but still.

"I would probably think the same thing," she whispered, admitting it under her breath, almost like she was talking to him instead of her phone.

I have duty tomorrow and will be standing watch – whee – fun. It's actually not so bad, just kinda boring. There's always something to do when we are out on deployment, and a lot of it is mundane.

I don't know why I'm sharing this. I guess because I kinda missed our little adventure together. I think about it a lot, and my brain is doing weird things, like glossing over some of the more horrible moments.

Getting shot was pretty awful, being chased was terrible, getting entombed ranks right up there at the #1 spot of ‘Things I Never Want To Do Again' moments…

But on the flip side - there are the other memories that will always stick with me, making all those awful ones fade away.

"Oh my gosh – seriously, Noah?" she muttered, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling before looking back at the cell phone. "Text etiquette 101, mister! If you hint at something even remotely or possibly romantic – you must elaborate. Why would you say that if you weren't going to tell me what memories stuck with you?"

Maybe we can come here together

Someday?

Her eyes widened at the suggestion as her breath caught. Oh man, she would seriously love to go to Pompeii with him. Was he suggesting a honeymoon?

I'm back aboard the ship. I've gotta put my phone on silent and get some rest while I can. I can't have it on duty with me tomorrow.

I hope you enjoyed the photos.

That was the last text message from Noah. There was a lot to unpack and comment on, deciding to keep it short and sweet. Sure, she could hit reply on every comment, every photo, but sometimes you just wanted to hear a person's voice or see their face… wait a second.

Madeline paused at the thought – and texted him quickly.

I enjoyed the photos and texts tremendously.

Can we Facetime on here? Do you have enough signal while in port?

Looking up at the slight knock at the door, she saw Judy wave slightly.

"I made coffee, and Amazon dropped off a package for you."

"They did?" Madeline hesitated. "I didn't order anything."

"That's weird… unless you think it might be from my son?"

Those words were enough to send her flying out of the covers, ignoring her pajamas and Judy's knowing laughter. As she walked into the dining room like she owned the place, she saw the brown cardboard box on the table waiting for her.

Madeline wasted no time. She grabbed an ink pen and stabbed through the tape, jerking it downward to tear it, as Judy clucked her tongue at her – handing her a pair of scissors.

Yanking the box open, Madeline hesitated to see something wrapped carefully in Bubble Wrap with a few foam peanuts around it. Pulling the item out, she began to open it and smiled.

"What have you done?" she breathed softly as she pulled out a delicate gold necklace with a tiny medallion at the bottom. Looking at it, she chuckled tenderly as the circle blurred before her eyes with unshed tears.

Noah sent her a necklace to replace the one that she'd given the cab driver, and it was a compass. It was thoughtful, sweet, and completely unexpected, even though he'd claimed he would do it. She had forgotten and never expected him to actually send one.

Madeline carefully put the chain around her neck and allowed the tiny lobster claw clasp to close, securing it. Touching the medallion that lay against her breastbone, she swallowed thickly as Judy's eyes met hers.

"My son has excellent taste in jewelry – and his wife," the older woman murmured, moving to hug her as Madeline laughed tearfully, her heart full of joy, disbelief, and overwhelming hope.