of the night but said he liked living vicariously through Jackson’s “exciting international life.” As they sat drinking coffee and talking of the past, lit by candles and dim lanterns, Jackson felt at once that he was back home, and how comforting it was to feel that way, if only for a moment.
‡‡‡
JACKSON WOKE LISA BEE a couple of hours later and asked her to join him for a beautiful breakfast Ali had left for them. He wanted to talk to her before they got back on the road. He knew her feelings weren’t quite what his were—she seemed uncomfortable, taken aback, and a bit awkward. He regretted his decision to say anything about his feelings and decided to make it good over a meal. It was probably time for him to give her an out so she wouldn’t feel like she had to make any kind of choice about him.
Lisa Bee sat a bit apart from him on the wooden bench and poured herself a coffee. She grabbed a piece of fruit and nibbled on it delicately. Jackson looked at her with a half smile. “Really, Bee? That’s what you’re gonna eat? Come on.”
“I’m not hungry. Nervous, I guess, about the mission.”
“Or maybe you’re nervous because I made you uncomfortable?”
She looked up at him with those deep sweet eyes. “Oh, Jackie, I’m sorry. I’m confused, and I feel so awkward, you know? I’m just not sure how to act around you now.”
Jackson sighed and grabbed one of her hands. “Bee, I’m an idiot. Worst timing ever. Sorry. My bad. I’ve been thinking that the best thing for us to do is concentrate on the job ahead and shelve all this till we’re back stateside. How does that sound to you?”
She smiled broadly. “Really?”
“Really,” he said, looking straight at her. “It’s my only weakness. I have terrible timing.”
She laughed, and he felt good that he had loosened her up. “If you think that’s your only weakness, Jackie, you got another think comin’.”
“Why don’t you list my weaknesses over breakfast? Come on, Bee, I’m starving, and we both need to fuel up. Whaddaya say?”
“Okay,” she said, filling up her plate with eggs, couscous, and pastry and settling in to eat. “Your first weakness is that you can’t eat as much as I can.”
He laughed and felt the tension between them disappear. “Aw, Bee, you don’t know what you’re saying. Just wait till the pig roast later.”
“Oh God, really?” she asked with a look of surprise.
“Don’t worry, I was joking.”
“I wish you hadn’t been,” she said, taking another bite of eggs and looking wistful. “My dad used to do that every New Year’s! God, I loved those. What parties we all used to have.”
“Explain.”
She smiled a bit and said, “It was what my family was known for. My dad owns a seafood place, so we were always grilling clams and oysters, or having a crawfish boil on the porch, but once a year we’d have a Cajun-style pig roast. My daddy built us our own backyard roaster out of a chain-link fence and some cinder blocks. Those parties! People would dress up in crazy outfits and bring horns and instruments. We’d start the New Year off with a honky-tonk carnival that’d last the whole day through.”
“Damn, Bee,” Jackson said, his mouth hanging open. “That sounds badass!”
“They were the best,” she said with a sigh. “I haven’t been to one in a while, though. Too long.”
“That’s somethin’ I’d like to see. A pig roast on the bayou!”
“You’ll have to join me sometime,” she said with a wink. “You’d love my family. My brothers are as much of a pain in the ass as you are.”
Jackson chuckled and took a large bite of pita bread. He was relieved that they were back on track. And, after all, tomorrow was another day. He held his coffee high in a toast and said, “Here’s to the pains in the asses of the world! Here’s to us all!”
‡‡‡
BACK IN ALEXANDRIA, it was five-thirty P.M. , and Susannah’s mother was closing up shop for the day. After
‡‡‡
JACKSON WOKE LISA BEE a couple of hours later and asked her to join him for a beautiful breakfast Ali had left for them. He wanted to talk to her before they got back on the road. He knew her feelings weren’t quite what his were—she seemed uncomfortable, taken aback, and a bit awkward. He regretted his decision to say anything about his feelings and decided to make it good over a meal. It was probably time for him to give her an out so she wouldn’t feel like she had to make any kind of choice about him.
Lisa Bee sat a bit apart from him on the wooden bench and poured herself a coffee. She grabbed a piece of fruit and nibbled on it delicately. Jackson looked at her with a half smile. “Really, Bee? That’s what you’re gonna eat? Come on.”
“I’m not hungry. Nervous, I guess, about the mission.”
“Or maybe you’re nervous because I made you uncomfortable?”
She looked up at him with those deep sweet eyes. “Oh, Jackie, I’m sorry. I’m confused, and I feel so awkward, you know? I’m just not sure how to act around you now.”
Jackson sighed and grabbed one of her hands. “Bee, I’m an idiot. Worst timing ever. Sorry. My bad. I’ve been thinking that the best thing for us to do is concentrate on the job ahead and shelve all this till we’re back stateside. How does that sound to you?”
She smiled broadly. “Really?”
“Really,” he said, looking straight at her. “It’s my only weakness. I have terrible timing.”
She laughed, and he felt good that he had loosened her up. “If you think that’s your only weakness, Jackie, you got another think comin’.”
“Why don’t you list my weaknesses over breakfast? Come on, Bee, I’m starving, and we both need to fuel up. Whaddaya say?”
“Okay,” she said, filling up her plate with eggs, couscous, and pastry and settling in to eat. “Your first weakness is that you can’t eat as much as I can.”
He laughed and felt the tension between them disappear. “Aw, Bee, you don’t know what you’re saying. Just wait till the pig roast later.”
“Oh God, really?” she asked with a look of surprise.
“Don’t worry, I was joking.”
“I wish you hadn’t been,” she said, taking another bite of eggs and looking wistful. “My dad used to do that every New Year’s! God, I loved those. What parties we all used to have.”
“Explain.”
She smiled a bit and said, “It was what my family was known for. My dad owns a seafood place, so we were always grilling clams and oysters, or having a crawfish boil on the porch, but once a year we’d have a Cajun-style pig roast. My daddy built us our own backyard roaster out of a chain-link fence and some cinder blocks. Those parties! People would dress up in crazy outfits and bring horns and instruments. We’d start the New Year off with a honky-tonk carnival that’d last the whole day through.”
“Damn, Bee,” Jackson said, his mouth hanging open. “That sounds badass!”
“They were the best,” she said with a sigh. “I haven’t been to one in a while, though. Too long.”
“That’s somethin’ I’d like to see. A pig roast on the bayou!”
“You’ll have to join me sometime,” she said with a wink. “You’d love my family. My brothers are as much of a pain in the ass as you are.”
Jackson chuckled and took a large bite of pita bread. He was relieved that they were back on track. And, after all, tomorrow was another day. He held his coffee high in a toast and said, “Here’s to the pains in the asses of the world! Here’s to us all!”
‡‡‡
BACK IN ALEXANDRIA, it was five-thirty P.M. , and Susannah’s mother was closing up shop for the day. After
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