CHAPTER 19
796 Words
CHAPTER 19
“I thought we were through talking about this.”
Juliette crossed her arms. This conversation was going about as well as the others had. She scowled at her husband and snatched up two more Scrabble tiles. “I just wondered why Eve would say Benjamin isn’t trustworthy.”
Roger put down a five-letter word and added up his score. “I’ve had doubts about Benjamin myself.”
“Really? Why didn’t you say something?”
He didn’t look up from the board, even when his turn was over. “Because you thought it’d be a great idea to have a security guard.”
“Well, I do. All the other expats in Yanji have one.” Juliette frowned. That hadn’t come out quite right. “If everyone else thinks security is important, we shouldn’t take it lightly,” she tried again.
“I never said we should take it lightly. But now I’m starting to wonder why we hired an illegal alien in the first place.”
“What’s wrong with him being a refugee? It gives Benjamin a job, and it keeps us protected.”
Roger took out more letters. “It also gives him the perfect reason to betray us.”
Juliette hadn’t even looked at her tiles since her husband played his last word. “Why would Benjamin ever consider going against us? We’ve done nothing but help him since the day he came here.”
“Think about it.” Roger put his elbows on the game table and leaned toward his wife. “Benjamin’s position in Yanji isn’t exactly above board.”
Juliette narrowed her eyes. “So?”
“So all it takes is one person to find out he’s an illegal alien, and then they can hold it over him for as long as he’s here.”
“You think someone would blackmail him to get at us?”
Roger indicated the Scrabble board, which was waiting for Juliette’s move. “The thought has crossed my mind, yes. And did you ever wonder how he got to be so big? I mean, have you ever seen anybody from North Korea with that kind of muscle? Or that tall?”
Juliette shrugged. “So, he’s got good genes. And besides, if you were concerned about this for so long, why didn’t you think to tell me before now?”
Roger moved a few tiles around on his letter board. “Because whenever you get ideas in your head about rescuing somebody, it’s a waste of energy trying to stop you.”
Juliette laid down the word rams. It only gave her six points, but at least Roger couldn’t blame her for holding up the game. “I was just trying to help him. He needed a job, and we needed a security guard.”
Roger was ready with modern, which he laid down for twenty-four points. “Not everyone who needs rescuing is our responsibility. I guess that’s all I wanted to say.”
“So what do we do about Benjamin?” Juliette stared at her tiles, but without any vowels open on the board, she couldn’t play a single word.
He took out a few more letters. “Nothing, at least not until I have a chance to think things through more. The last thing we need is to give him a reason to get back at us. He knows all about what we do now. It’s your move,” Roger added.
Juliette sighed. Game night was turning out just about as badly as she expected.
***
Roger stood behind his wife. Even while doing the simplest things like brushing her teeth, Juliette was stunning. He brought his nose close to her blond curls. “So tell me honestly. Was that chocolate bar as good as a Godiva?”
Juliette spat in the sink. “Good as a Godiva? Watch your tongue.”
Roger wrapped his arms around his wife. “But it was an okay present? Okay enough, at least?”
“Of course.”
Roger studied her in the bathroom mirror as she rinsed her mouth one more time. “You sure?”
“I already told you. It was great.”
“You didn’t eat much at dinner.”
She dried her face. “Guess your little present spoiled my appetite after all.”
Roger kept staring at her reflection as she headed toward the closet. “You sure nothing’s wrong?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
Roger plopped onto the mattress and watched Juliette prepare for bed. He couldn’t really blame her for her recent mood swings. It was hard enough for him not knowing what was going on with the Secret Seminary students, but at least he had work to focus on. Juliette spent all day here alone, with nothing to do but teach her housekeeper new recipes and worry about those she loved. What else could he do to help her stay encouraged and engaged? A nice dinner out? Maybe even a weekend at one of the fancy tourist resorts? They didn’t have any obligations right now besides the business. There weren’t any new refugees to think of. Maybe it was time to plan a little get-away.
Roger rubbed the back of his head before stretching out on the bed. He would take the next few weeks to plan something really special.
- Writer
