Page 24 of Finding Parker

I followed up the steps, down the corridor of the home, and through the French doors onto the deck. Downes, as always, walked quietly, and methodically. He seemed to be the type of person that spoke only if necessary, and probably never for the sake of speaking alone. As he sat at the table where Katelyn and Kenton and I sat only a few nights before, I realized a pitcher of tea and two glasses were already positioned on the table.

“It’s raspberry, and I must say it rivals the peach. Oh, and for what it’s worth, your eyebrows are repairing nicely. The other night it appeared you had four of them,” he hesitated as he held the pitcher suspended over the table.

I nodded my head and smiled as I brushed my index fingers along my brow. As he poured me a glass of tea, he grinned. His teeth were perfectly shaped and defined the color white. Probably veneers. No one has teeth quite that perfect.

“Sometimes I get carried away plucking them. I’m surprised you noticed,” I sighed as I lowered my hands nervously to my lap.

“I notice everything. It’s my job,” he grinned and inhaled a short breath.

“My mother’s maiden name was Downes. She chose to name me Downes, using her maiden name for my first name. So, Downes Tallert was born,” he said, continuing to smile the entire time.

“I see. It’s an unusual first name, I like it. And your last name. It’s unusual as well, but it sounds familiar, I just can’t seem to place it,” I said as I raised the tea glass to my lips.

“I’ve grown to like my first name. I never much cared for it as a kid, but it’s perfect for me as an adult. So, how’s the search coming along?” he asked.

“Excuse me?” I responded.

The question didn’t make much sense when he asked it. After I responded, I realized he was probably asking about my quest for women. Feeling fractionally uneasy regarding the situation with Katelyn, I rolled my eyes.

“Alright I suppose,” I said as I wiped the condensation from my glass of tea.

“It’s certainly an interesting job description. Mr. Ward spent countless hours drafting the contract. It’s interesting at minimum,” he said as he lifted his glass.

It dawned on me as he spoke that I had never actually took time to read the entire contract. At the attorney’s office, I had merely signed the agreement based on Kenton’s statement of the conditions of the contract, I had not read it. Eventually, after taking a copy home, I flipped through it, but didn’t read it.

“You’ll probably think I’m crazy, but I’ve never actually read it,” I chuckled.

“Oh really? I assisted Mr. Ward in drafting it, so I’m quite intimate with the contents. It’s a simple contract, but you should read it; you’re bound to the conditions of it, you know,” he pushed himself away from the table and slumped slightly into his chair.

“I suppose I will read it eventually. Right now it doesn’t really seem to matter,” I continued to slide my finger along the glass and wipe the beads of condensation from the surface as I spoke.

“Is something troubling you, Mr. Bale?”

Surprised that he asked, I wondered if there were telltale signs which caused him to ask the question. Although there was nothing I could pin point, I had both began the day and continued through the morning feeling somewhat off. Not knowing why or what caused me to feel the way I was feeling, I wanted to talk to Kenton.

For whatever reason, Kenton provided me with a level of comfort I wasn’t able to attain elsewhere. Maybe his absence was making me even more uneasy and Downes could sense it. I looked up from my water droplet fascination and focused on the horizon.

“I’m not sure, but I just woke up feeling strange,” I responded as I stared over the putting green and out at the ocean.

“Physically ill, or mentally off balance?” Downes asked as he crossed his legs.

Although I had never been to a psychologist or psychiatrist, I felt as if Downes was acting the part. His voice, as always, was quite soft and monotone. There was a certain comfort I felt from his presence as well. His physical presence, military-esque haircut, and the fact that Kenton revealed his activity in the war, however, made me somewhat hesitant to warm up to him.

“Mentally, I suppose,” I responded as I realized condensation had once again formed on my glass.

“I see. What’s changed in the last few days?” he asked as he raised his hands to his chest and rubbed his palms together.

As he rubbed his palms together, his forearms flexed. I watched as his muscles flared from just above his wrist to the exposed lower portion of his bicep. Although I had never really given it much thought, it was possible Kenton had chosen Downes as his assistant for many reasons, a body guard being one of them.

“Not too much, I don’t guess. I told Katelyn I wasn’t interested in proceeding. She didn’t take it well, called me a douche,” I grinned, wiping my curved finger along the edge of the glass.

“You surely hadn’t developed an attraction to Katelyn yet, so would I doubt you’re feeling uneasy because of that alone. Have you had any reflections or thoughts of your past that might be troubling you?” he asked.

What would cause him to immediately ask such a question, I thought. More than likely he was correct, but who would jump to such a conclusion so promptly? In thinking of how to respond, and what just might be the cause of my uneasy feelings, I stared at the base of my glass of tea.

“Considering my past, it was always easy for me to dwell on certain thoughts, events, or ideas, and become a product of my second guessing myself. I believe, at least for me, becoming comfortable with the fact that I couldn’t change my past left me with no other option but to embrace the fact that I was left to accept it for being just what it was,” he paused and leaned into the table.

“My past. And I sure can’t change it,” he smiled and shook his head slightly.