Perfect Chaperone

by Lauren Wood

“Hey guys, it's good to see you.”

  I gave Brandon a hug and asked him how they were doing. He said they were fine, but I could tell there was something going on.

  “Your brother has some news to tell us.”

  The news was something that obviously everybody else knew, but my mother wanted him to say it out loud. It must have been a real doozy for her to make such a big deal out of it.

  I looked over at my brother and I could see him squirming where I stood. What was it that was going on? It seemed like I had missed something.

  “So, what is it?”

  “Debbie and I are going to have a baby.”

  I smiled at him and gave him a big hug. Then I gave Debbie one as well. She was a little standoffish and at times, I didn't know what I thought about her, but now I could see that this was obviously going to be good. Suddenly, she was part of the family.

  “I am so happy for you guys. I didn't know that you were trying.”

  That was when Brandon started to get nervous. They weren’t married and apparently our mother was not happy about it. I had heard her talk about Debbie in the past. She felt like Debbie did not have enough education and her family did not have enough money. She didn't put it in quite those simpler terms when it came to Brandon and his choices, but the term good family was used quite often, and it was usually used to talk about money more than anything else.

  It didn't really matter what kind of family they came from, as long as they had enough money in the bank. It was one of those things that I really hated about my mom and it was the reason mainly, that I started to call her Nancy. I could see that even though she wasn't being completely rude in saying it in front of Debbie, mom had certainly said enough already.

  “Well that is good news. Have you guys thought about getting married now?”

  There was a small part of me that felt guilty for a minute, because I knew that it was going to cause more trouble for Brandon. Real reason I asked, was because I wanted to see what sort of reaction my mom would give. Brandon knew it too, and he gave me an even dirtier look.

  “Marriage... Now let's not get ahead of ourselves, sis...”

  It was good to see my mom getting all worked up about somebody besides me. It was usually my life decisions that she found fault with and even though I felt bad for Brandon, at the same time, I didn't want all that destructive energy pointed towards me. I didn't handle it near as well as he did. I had gotten rid of the boyfriend that was so against her better judgment. Brandon hadn't cared enough. Instead, he had still dated the woman he loved and even though it was a mockery at the moment, I really was happy for them. I knew they would be happy, and I also knew that I would be the first one lined up for their wedding.

  I listened for a little bit, but then I started to get bored with the chaos and I went up to my room. I had a busy day tomorrow. It was my first day of work at Razor Industries, and I wanted to make sure that everything was perfect. This was the job I'd been waiting for a long time, and I didn’t need to screw it up, even if I didn’t understand what was going on in my life at the moment.

  I laid down and grimaced as I was poked by a hard object. I sighed, pulling the ring out of my pocket and setting it on the nightstand. I had no idea what I was supposed to do with my life at the moment. It all seemed too damn complicated and I knew then, there was no way that I was going to get any sleep. How could I, with everything that was going on around me?

  When I got up to the alarm, it felt like I’d just gone to sleep. After I put all my things up last night and took a shower, that was about all I got done before I passed out for the night. At some point, I heard someone at the door, and I hadn’t answered because I figured that it was just going to be Brandon. He was not happy with me and no one in my family had a problem with confrontations, so I was sure that was going to happen quickly. Hopefully he would be able to see it for what it was. It was just a joke.

  When I got downstairs to the breakfast table, there was definitely a tension in the air. Brandon had stayed the night over, but his girlfriend had gone home. Debbie had most likely not liked the climate in the house and I didn't blame her. My mom certainly had a way of making her feelings known.

  “Where are you going this morning? You just got home.”

  “I told you mom, I start my new job today. I'm going to be working at Razor.”

  She got that same disapproving look on her face as she had the night before when she had found out that her son, her first son, was going to have a baby. I would have thought that she would have been at least a little happier to have her first grandchild, but obviously that wasn't the case. Nancy was far more worried about the substance of Debbie and didn’t seem to realize that she was about to be her daughter in law, with or without her approval.

  “As I have told you before, the last thing you need is a job, Heather. You're getting older and you need to find a husband. If you found yourself a husband, then you wouldn't have to work.”

  I actually found that a little bit funny, because technically I was married now, and I still had to work. Maybe that was because I had not married the type of person that she wanted me to marry. The fact that it was Casper in particular was going to be extra devastating when she found out. If she ever found out.

  The ring was still in my jewelry box upstairs, and I was still trying to figure out what I was supposed to do with it. I had tried to give it back to Casper, but he had recoiled from it, like I was going to burn him. Casper had insisted that I keep it.

  “I gave it to you.”

  Now I kind of wish that I had it on, so I could rub it in her face. There was this mean streak inside of me that wanted to go upstairs, slip it on my finger, and dance around the room to show her. She would have been furious, but it would have been worth it. Maybe.

  I didn't do that though. Instead I just ate the plate of fruit that was set in front of me and tried not to wince when I had my first bite. I hated grapefruit, but that was my mother's way of telling me that I needed to watch my weight. The man I was to marry, whoever he was, didn't want a fat girl to marry. That was a given.

  I didn't get halfway through the citrus before I was getting up and telling them that I had to leave. I had plenty of time to get there on time, but I just wanted to get out of the house. The last thing I wanted to do was deal with Nancy any longer than I had to. I was hoping in a few weeks, I would save up enough money to get my own place. It was going to be certainly below her standards, but that mattered less and less. I just needed a little bit of distance.

  I made my way to work, and I was rather excited about the whole thing. The place was huge, at least it was compared to the other businesses around. Nobody knew why Razor Industries had set up shop there in the small town, but I was thankful for it. It was a little bit of California's Silicon Valley, right here where we could actually be a part of it. I’d worked at the diner for a while, so I didn’t have to ask my parents for money, but this would be so much better.

  I was worried about a million things as I tried to calm myself down. Nothing was going to stop me now. I had lost hope in ever getting this job and now that I had it, I was never going to let it go.

  I kept thinking to myself that this was the start of my new life. I didn't know what that life was going to look like, but I was choosing to be an optimistic.

  17

  Casper

  I kept looking at the clock and waiting for nine o'clock to get there. It hadn't taken much at all to find out when the new hire was going to start. I had not hired her personally, but I had brought her resume to someone in HR. They had disregarded her, because of her lack of experience, but I had personally vouched for her. Not only that, I made sure that Heather was in my area of the building. I didn’t want her to get lost in the mess of people.

  I couldn't make her my secretary, because that's not what she was there for, but I could make sure that I was her immediate boss’s boss.

  When I finally saw her come through the elevator, I was pretty excit
ed. Heather had been avoiding me like the plague since we had been intimate in Vegas. It hadn’t been hard while we were there and coming back, but now she was in my domain. This was not something that she was just going to be able to walk away from.

  It took her a minute to notice me and the look on her face was literally priceless.

  She actually stopped misstep and for a second, I thought she was going to fall. Obviously, Heather had not expected to see me. And the next thing I knew, she was asking me what I was doing here. It was kind of funny, considering this was my company.

  “Welcome, Heather. It's good to be able to welcome you to Razor Industries. I will give you a quick tour before we get started.”

  “Wait, seriously. What are you doing here?”

  “I thought you would have done a little research on your new employer. Do you really not know why I'm here?”

  She had this blank look on her face and Heather just shrugged her shoulders.

  “At the moment, I am starting to think you are stalking me. I told you that I was starting a new job. Did I say that it was here?”

  I wanted to keep the charade going, because it was rather funny. She was getting all worked up and I noticed that her fingers kept playing with the skin that should have been covered up with a wedding ring. I definitely took that under consideration, but it was something that I was going to mention later. I didn't want to deal with it just yet. Let her get the rest of the information in, before she loses it.

  “I don't remember if you told me where it was or not, Heather. It doesn't matter though.”

  “Why doesn't it matter?”

  “Because I'm your boss now.”

  That took her back a little bit.

  “You're telling me that you work here?”

  “No, that's not what I'm saying at all. This is my company, Heather.”

  The look of shock was very real on her face, and I knew it was because I had gone through long lengths to make sure that nobody knew that I owned this place. I don't really know why I had been so adamant about that, but it had been worth it. The look on Heather's face was priceless.

  “What?”

  I wasn't going to repeat myself, because I knew that Heather heard me. Just because she couldn't process it at the moment didn’t mean I should have to say it again. I just needed to give her a minute.

  “So, you're telling me that you own one of the biggest companies in the County?”

  “I didn't know that it had that particular accolade, but okay.”

  “Are you serious right now?”

  She kept looking around, like somebody was going to come in and tell her that she was being punked. I don't really know how I felt about her reaction. I knew there would be some surprise, but why did she find it so hard to believe that I would be able to run a successful business? Was it really that hard to conceive?

  “So, are you ready to continue the tour?”

  It looked like Heather was finding it hard to breathe. I put my arm around her for a little bit and told her that everything was going to be alright.

  “How is this possible?”

  “It is just something that I started working on and I got lucky. I sold a few patents and here we are.”

  Heather just stood there with questions in her emerald eyes, and I finally offered a chair to her. It looked like she needed to sit down.

  I started to get worried when she didn't say anything but finally, she mumbled something.

  “So, I’m married to my boss?”

  “Technically, but it also means that you kind of own this place too.”

  Heather just shook her head, and I had no idea what was going through her mind. Honestly, I didn’t even want to guess.

  “So, we’re married?”

  “I thought we had already established that, Heather. Don’t tell me that you’re regressing.”

  I was trying to make light of it, but it didn’t seem to be working. There was no trace of humor in her face, and I was starting to worry that maybe this was all too much. Heather didn’t look like she was well.

  “Yes, but why would you marry me?”

  “I don’t know why exactly, Heather; I really don’t remember it. But I know that I have wanted you for a very long time. It wouldn’t matter how much I had to drink, that wouldn’t have changed. Maybe you told me that you wouldn’t sleep with me unless I married you. It used to be a well-used line when we dated before.”

  She turned bright red and I liked that it meant where her mind had just been. I wanted to think that I knew what was going on in her thoughts, but I didn’t. It was just that simple. I had no idea and I don’t even know if I wanted to find out.

  “I have stuck to that for a while.”

  “Yes, but now what is your line? Now I am your husband, so how will you refuse me now?”

  I was about to get my answer, when Leslie popped her head in the office and stopped. I wasn’t the type to fraternize at work. It got messy, and I’d learned my lesson pretty quickly on that one.

  “Sorry, Sir. I didn’t know you had a client here.”

  “This isn’t a client, Leslie; I would like you to meet the new member of R&D. She will get her feet wet over there. We’re just going through the tour now.”

  Leslie was looking at me in a disapproving way, but I tried to ignore it. She had no idea what she was talking about, so I added in the last part, to make both women uncomfortable.

  “Oh, and she’s my wife, Leslie. So be nice to her.”

  That changed the whole feel of the room and I was called out for a moment. I didn’t know if it was a good idea to leave the two women together, but ever since I got back from Vegas, I had been putting out fires. Leaving it all in other’s hands sounded good in theory. In practice though, it didn’t seem to go as smoothly as I would have hoped it would have.

  18

  Heather

  It was just like Casper to say something like that and then walk away. I was left staring at the older woman for a moment, and she was staring right back at me. There was shock on her face and considering that I knew how Casper was with the ladies after we broke up, it didn't seem that hard to imagine why I was getting that sort of response. She looked like she was going down on the carpet in a faint, but she righted herself.

  “Nice to meet you, Leslie was it?”

  “Yes. And your name is Heather?”

  I agreed and then she added Casper’s name on the end of it. It was the first time that I’d heard my name said like that. I wasn’t ready to hear it. It just didn't sound right and there was still a lot of people that I didn't even want to know about the marriage. Namely, I didn't want my family to find out. I was still hoping that I could get it annulled and then sweep it under the rug, before anything else was done about it. That was my hope anyways.

  The short, straw-haired woman showed me around a little bit more, but it was rather awkward, and I was thankful when Casper came back. He needed to be put in his place rather quickly and I had no problem doing so, but at the same time, I had to admit that this was rather strange. Why did I feel so close to him all of a sudden?

  I spent the rest of the day rather close to Casper and I was still trying to wrap my head around all of this. He had built all of this from nothing. His family had not been poor per say, but they certainly hadn't had the money to give him seed money. I don't know where he got the money from, but this was rather remarkable. What was even more crazy, was that nobody in town even knew about it.

  “How is that even possible, Casper? How could you keep all of this a secret for so long?”

  “Not that many people know, and I try to keep my business out of town. I don't want people to treat me differently. I think they would if they knew what I was doing.”

  “Well, it would help if people knew about it. Maybe my mom wouldn't feel the same way anymore.”

  “Has it changed the way you feel?”

  He said it out loud and then immediately had this regretful look on his face, like he wished
he wouldn’t have said it at all. Maybe he didn’t want me to know that he cared, but it was already too late for that.

  “If you don't know the answer to that Casper, this marriage is in a lot more trouble than I would have imagined. And you got to think that I already knew that this was a sham.”

  “I know that you're not like Nancy, but you have to admit, she has caused us quite a few problems.”

  I could definitely admit that, and she was still causing them. But I didn't want to talk about that right now. Right now, I wanted to immerse myself in this job. It was a job that I’d wanted for some time. I wanted to prove myself and get myself together, before I worried about my husband.

  My husband…that was going to definitely take some time to get used to.

  I was looking at the stick so hard, my eyes started to blur. There are two lines and I actually scrunched my eyes together and opened them back up, just to make sure that I wasn't seeing things. It had been three months since Vegas, and I had felt off for most of it. Now I was getting sick almost all the time and there had been a couple of comments made that maybe I was pregnant. At first, it had been the last thing on my mind, but now...

  I threw the stick in the trash in disgust, and I would be the first to admit that I cried. I don't think I'd ever cried so hard in my life, but I didn’t know what else to do. This was not part of the plan and it was such a bad deviation, that I didn't even know how to make sense of this in my head. How could so much trouble have come from one little roll in the hay? Or two?

  At first, I didn't know what to think. I wanted to believe that this was somehow wrong, but I knew better. I knew that something was different inside of me and this was the answer I was looking for. It's not the answer I wanted, but it's the answer that made sense.

  Ellie called out to me, and I told her I'd be out in just a minute. I was too afraid to take the test at my house. I was still staying at my parents’ house, and they would have most likely found out about it one way or another. One of the maids would have found it in the trash and given it to Nancy. She wanted to know everything that was going on in her house.