Gates of Paradise (Casteel 4)

Drake and Tony were approaching. I hurriedly covered myself and lay back to greet them. Drake beamed when he set eyes on me. I returned his smile, but mine was short and thin. Luke would have noticed something was bothering me, I thought. Drake looked right through the clues.

"Hi, Annie." He kissed my cheek. Tony remained back by the foot of the bed. "I came for your list. Should I have brought a truck?" He laughed and turned to Tony, who was completely restored to his usual distinguished self.

"I don't want that much, Drake. I'm not going to be here forever," I said. I saw Tony wince, but Drake nodded emphatically.

"Of course. Good thinking, positive thinking." "I'll be downstairs," Tony said suddenly. "You two visit awhile."

"I won't be long," Drake responded. "Have to get under way."

"This is the list, Drake." I pulled it out from under one of my pillows. I had kept it there because every once in a while something else would occur to me and I didn't want to have to bother Mrs. Broadfield with endless requests for a pen and the paper.

"Mrs. Avery will help you find everything," I told him. He nodded, still studying the list.

"Both charm bracelets? That's all the jewelry you want?"

"I have no use for anything else, Drake. Where am I going?"

"Oh, you might get to the point where you dress up for something. I don't know. Whatever. If I see anything else I think you might want, I'll grab it," he said, folding the paper and shoving it into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. Finally he saw the troubled look in my eyes. "Something's wrong, isn't it, Annie?"

"Oh, Drake," I started to cry.

"Annie, oh Annie." He sat on the bed and embraced me as best he could. "What is it? Did you find out about Luke?"

"Luke?" I swallowed my lump quickly. "What about Luke? Drake . . . tell me." My heart began to pound.

"Well, I was going to tell you, just so you wouldn't worry about why he hasn't called or contacted you yet, but--"

"What!" A knot of terror formed in the pit of my stomach.

"Easy, Annie. Nothing bad has happened to him. After I saw you yesterday, I thought I

would go to Harvard and find out what he's been doing. It took me a while to locate him. I found him in the dormitory lounge . . head to head with a coed." He shifted his eyes away so I couldn't read the rest of his thoughts.

"What do you mean, Drake? I don't

understand." I couldn't fight the faintness that took hold of me. It was hard to speak, but I didn't want Drake to see just how hard it was.

"He found a girlfriend, rather quickly, I know, and he was quite involved with her."

"A girlfriend? But didn't he ask about me?" I asked hopefully. It was almost a prayer.

"Oh yes, and then he promised to call Tony today. I asked him about it as we came up the stairway on the way up to you, but . . Luke hasn't called yet. I suppose he will later. For a moment there," he added, looking toward the doorway, "I thought Tony might have sent someone to Harvard to locate Luke for you, and whoever went brought back the same information, which Tony then brought to you."

"No." I turned away. My heart felt like a chunk of cement. Luke, distracted by a new girl, forgot about me? I had lost Daddy and Mommy and now . . now I was about to lose Luke, too? This couldn't be happening; it couldn't be true. If Luke was distracted, it was only because I was sick and away from him, I thought. Once I recuperated, regained my strength and returned, he would lose interest in this coed. No one he met could share with him the things I did. As soon as I walked into a room and he set eyes on me again, our lives would be as they were. I prayed they would. I was determined they would.

"I know what you're thinking, Annie, but you don't understand how exciting it can be for someone like Luke, who has been stuck in a one-horse town all his life, to suddenly come to a place like Harvard and meet different, far more sophisticated people. He got swept of his feet, just like anyone could. You can't blame him for it," Drake added.

I nodded. "I know. I just . . just miss him." I couldn't tell Drake the way I really felt, and I didn't want him to set- it in my eyes.

"Well, if he doesn't call or appear soon, drag him here myself."

"Oh no, Drake. He must come here on his own, because he wants to, not because he has to. I won't be thought of as some obligation!" That would be the most terrible thing of all, I thought. I'd feel like some burden to him, instead of someone he loved and wanted to be with.

"Of course. I'm sorry," Drake said. He looked away.

"Poor Drake. I didn't mean to shout at you just now. I'm sorry." It seemed Drake was all that was left of my family now . . . Drake and Tony Tatterton.

"Oh, that's all right. But tell me now, Annie. Why did you look so troubled before, if it wasn't because of Luke?"