Part Of The Deal: The Brides Of Sugar Cove

by Lakewood, Anna

  Julia jumped up from the couch and ran up the stairs. She stashed a paint palette, a few brushes, and thick paper from the Arts and Crafts room in her bag, and hurried downstairs. Ava was staring up at her in anticipation.

  “Come on, let’s take Peanut and Pancake out to the beach for a walk,” Julia exclaimed, already heading towards the door.

  “Okay,” Ava replied reluctantly, slowly scooting off the couch and following Julia outside with Peanut and Pancake trailing behind her.

  Once they were outside on the beach, Julia worried that the idea wouldn’t work. However, when she saw how Ava smiled when she bent down in the sand to rub her dog's stomach, she wanted that happiness to stay.

  “So, I’ve been talking to Peanut and Pancake a lot lately...” Julia started, careful to notice Ava’s reaction, which seemed bemused at this point. Julia continued. “They told me they really would love their portraits painted. I heard you were a great painter, so I think you should paint them.”

  “Uh, I don’t know,” Ava said, looking up at Julia with forlorn eyes. Her pink dress hung in a circle around her in the sand, and her long brown hair was in a high ponytail on her head, which swayed slightly whenever she leaned over to pet her dogs.

  “Aw, come on, I know they would love it.” Julia pushed, finally revealing that she already had the art supplies ready to go in her bag. She arranged the paints and brushes.

  “I haven’t painted in a while. I don't think it would be very good.” Ava looked at her feet, clearly feeling embarrassed.

  “Oh nonsense, I know you’re great. I’d love to see you in action.” Julia cooed, eager that Ava had begun making her way over to her art setup.

  “Maybe, if Peanut and Pancake really want one,” Ava said sheepishly, examining the setup. Julia thought for sure that she saw the beginnings of a smile on Ava’s face at the sight of her old art supplies.

  “Yes. They really do.” Julia smiled, watching Ava closely.

  Julia took a step back and watched Ava in action. Ava began running her small hands along the paint cartons and bristling the brushes between her fingers. At the sight of the paint, Peanut and Pancake jumped up and down, pawing at Ava’s knees. Ava had clearly dealt with the dogs before while she was painting because before Julia could even suggest a way to get the dogs to settle down, Ava took out a few treats from her pockets. This elicited excited yips from the puppies, and when Ava placed the treats in the sand ahead of her, the dogs circled around the spot wagging their tails before sitting patiently.

  “Wow,” Julia remarked. "Very smart. You must have painted with them around before. Am I right?"

  “They love to get into the paint," Ava responded. "It’s nice to be painting them again.” Ava gingerly picked up a wooden brush and grabbed one of the thick pieces of paper Julia had brought outside with them.

  Julia watched as the colors began swirling on Ava's page. Though Ava’s painting skills were impressive for such a young girl, Julia pushed her eyes away from the brush gliding gently upon the page in expert motion and looked instead at Ava. Unlike the downtrodden girl she saw on the couch this morning, this Ava was full of life, and a warm smile formed on her face. Ava seemed happy, so Julia was too.

  After about an hour of painting, with Julia watching eagerly from afar, Ava put down her brush and looked at her puppies playing in the sand with a wide smile.

  “Julia?” Ava called.

  “Everything okay, Ava?”

  “I just wanted to say thank you, for bringing the paints out. I feel a lot better.” Ava smiled up at Julia, and Julia felt tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

  “I'm glad.” Julia smiled, crouching down, so she was eye-level with Ava.

  “It’s almost dinnertime. I’m a little nervous.” Ava confided, her eyes fixed on her feet.

  “Why are you nervous?” Julia asked, giving Ava the opportunity to discuss what she was feeling.

  “Well, what if Christina doesn’t like me?”

  “Ava, you don't have to worry about at all. I know she will love you.” Julia took Ava’s hands into her own.

  “Are you sure?” Ava asked.

  “I am more than sure. You have nothing to worry about. Everything is going to be perfect.” Julia reassured Ava, wishing with all her might that she would be proven right.

  “Okay, and Julia …” Ava started but stopped short, suddenly shy.

  “Yes, sweetie?”

  “Uh … will you stay with me, tonight?” Ava asked, and Julia immediately gave Ava a great, big bear hug. Ava laughed.

  “Of course, I will be right by your side. Now, why don’t you go put these paintings and paints in your room and meet me in the dining room, okay?” Julia stood up and watched Ava scurry off with the paints, her dogs running quickly to catch up with her. Despite her nervous jitters this morning, everything seemed to be going well so far.

  The ocean waves behind her crashed heavily into the shore, causing the smell of sea salt sifted through the air, the reverberation of the waves humming gently. Julia breathed in a deep breath of sea, and salt and exhaled. She hoped this brief moment of peace would carry her through the evening ahead of her. But the pit that settled deep within her stomach cast a very subtle shadow of doubt in Julia's mind.

  Chapter 6

  The doorbell rang promptly at six thirty, which caused Peanut and Pancake to bolt upstairs. Julia looked at Ava, who was nervously fidgeting with her bow and smiled. Grabbing her hand, Julia led Ava to the living room, and before they even arrived, Julia heard the high-pitched southern voice of Christina Austin. Her stomach tied itself into knots.

  Christina was everything Julia had expected she would be. Christina was a gorgeous southern belle with long wavy blond hair and big blue eyes. She walked with her head held high, perfect posture accentuating her body’s natural curves, and wore a beautiful black satin designer jumpsuit. Julia’s mouth opened slightly in awe of her. She looked as if she just stepped off the runway. The bag Christina was holding looked like it cost more than Julia made in an entire year. Luis and Virginia quickly ran into the foyer at the sound of the doorbell.

  “Hi y’all, what a pleasure it is to finally meet you,” Christina remarked as she bent down to Ava, who was firmly gripping Julia’s hand. "Dylan, this home is lovely. And you, you must be Ava. You look so pretty tonight."

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Ava replied shyly, looking at the hardwood flooring. As Christina got up, she turned to Dylan and smiled almost too wide.

  “I’m going to head upstairs to get changed before dinner while you two get to know each other.” Dylan hurried up the grand staircase, and Luis and Virginia took that as their cue to leave. Julia had no idea what to say to Christina.

  “Well, isn’t this house ... charming,” Christina said to no one in particular as she strutted around the large living space that was scarcely used. “The colors in this room are an interesting choice, though not one I would have made. What do you think?” Christina turned suddenly to Julia as if she needed validation.

  “Uh,” Julia stammered, “I like them.”

  “It’s a tad dusty over here.” Christina walked toward the large fireplace in the corner of the room. “Maybe you can do something about that later?”

  It took everything Julia had not to snap at Christina, but she somehow managed to remain calm for Ava’s sake. As Christina inspected the room closely, Ava and Julia still stood near the door, unwavering. Julia felt like they too were also being inspected by Christina.

  “Of course,” Julia replied, and she felt Ava’s small hand grip hers tightly.

  “So Ava, what do you like to do?” Christina asked carelessly, trying and failing to make good conversation with the young girl. It was clear she had little experience with children. Julia wondered what Dylan could possibly see in her other than her beauty. It felt like an eternity had passed before Dylan finally came downstairs wearing a suit. He was followed by Ava's dogs.

  Peanut and Pancake followed everyone to the
dining room, and Ava had a grin on her face that wouldn't disappear.

  “You didn't tell me you had animals, Dylan,” Christina snapped, leaning her body against the table, her face twisting in disgust. “I am allergic to those things.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. I had no idea. Ava, go put Peanut and Pancake in your room, please.” Dylan walked over to Christina in an attempt to console her.

  “But dad—" Ava whined.

  “Please, Ava," Dylan continued. "Take them upstairs immediately."

  Ava marched angrily upstairs.

  Julia waited dutifully for Ava to come back down the stairs. When she finally did, Ava had tears in her eyes. Julia grabbed her hand once more and tried to console her. Ava refused to look up, and Julia couldn’t blame her.

  After everyone was seated for dinner, and Luis had finished serving the beautifully colorful meal of roasted chicken and summer vegetables, Dylan rose from his seat.

  “I’d like to toast to mine and Christina’s engagement,” Dylan said, raising his glass in the air and smiling at Christina.

  “Cheers to our health and happiness,” Christina said half-heartedly. Ava and Julia both meekly raised their glasses in unison, causing the pair to smirk at each other.

  “So, Christina, how is business?” Dylan asked, trying hard to start up a good dinner conversation.

  “Really good,” Christina vaguely replied.

  “Christina’s family owns a popular department store,” Dylan said, looking at Julia.

  “Yes, it’s lovely to work with my family,” Christina replied.

  Julia was caught off guard by how little the two seemed to know each other. Sure, Julia didn’t have the best track record with relationships, but she knew this talk was first date stuff. It seemed like she was sitting with a new couple, not a newly engaged one.

  “Daddy, the food is really good,” Ava said after a long period of silence cut only by the clink of knives and forks. Dylan looked up ecstatic at the prospect of a new conversation. If he weren't so preoccupied, he would have noticed that Ava hadn’t eaten any of her food. In fact, she hadn’t yet picked up a knife or fork.

  “I’m glad you like it, you’ll have to tell Luis. Are you enjoying your dinner, Christina?” Dylan refocused his attention on his fiancé, who was picking her meal to shreds.

  “Oh ... yes, it’s very nice. A little too much spice for me, but overall it’s fine.” Christina took a minuscule bite.

  Before Dylan could speak, a scratching sound grew louder. The party turned toward the door just in time to see Pancake and Peanut running through the hallway into the dining room. Ava smiled, and her eyes lit up at the sight of her dogs. But Julia noticed right away something wasn’t right. Besides the fact that the pups escaped, Julia saw bright spots of color on their white bodies and noticed they were leaving trails of it along the floor.

  The dogs were covered in paint.

  Julia laughed, until the two puppies jumped on Christina’s lap and covered her perfect black jumpsuit in paw prints of red, blue, and yellow. Christina jumped up, not caring that the dogs fell to the ground with a thud, and scuttled under Ava’s seat. Christina shrieked, loud and high, and knocked her chair over.

  “That is it!” Christina yelled as she began stomping out of the dining room.

  “Christina, wait—” Dylan tried, but was cut off by a high-pitched scream.

  “No Dylan. I can’t do this. This household is too chaotic, and it’s a mess. This was not part of our deal. This is absurd!” Christina stormed out and slammed the front door.

  Chapter 7

  Julia sat cross-legged on the hardwood floors in the dining room for what felt like hours, as she patiently helped Virginia and Luis scrub the swirls and prints of color off of the floor. Though her body ached from leaning over for so long, she was internally grateful she got to spend more time with Luis and Virginia who clearly felt the same way she did about Christina.

  “Ooh, ooh, who am I? Aye, what are those animals? Rats? Remove them from my sight at once.” Luis stood dramatically, mimicking Christina’s high-pitched drawl perfectly. Virginia laughed.

  “I feel like the little mouse from Cinderella. Only Chistina Austin is no Cinderella." Virginia bellowed, her voice echoing off of the high-ceiling.

  “You've got that right,” Luis replied.

  “I feel bad that they called off their engagement.” Julia piped up, still remembering the dejected look on Dylan’s face when he came in with the news, and promptly left to walk on the beach alone.

  “You are too good, Julia,” Virginia cooed, her breath labored from the heavy scrubbing.

  “Too good," Luis agreed. "I feel sad the engagement is called off, but Christina was loco. A nightmare.” Luis stepped back to find any drops of color they might have missed.

  Julia found her gaze wandering to the window. She looked out at the shoreline. Sure enough, she saw Dylan pacing back and forth, his dark figure hunched in the background of the sand and sea.

  “I’ll be right back,” Julia said, as she made her way toward the beach. She wanted to make sure Dylan was okay, but as she came closer and closer to him, she felt her heart ache for something more.

  “Hey,” Julia muttered, causing Dylan to spin around in the sand. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks for asking. I never thought this would happen.” Dylan sighed, his dark features and sharp eyes reflecting in the moonlight. He was still wearing his black dress shirt tucked into his fitted black pants. His tie was removed, and the top of his shirt was unbuttoned, showing his muscular frame.

  “I’m sorry.” Julia reacted, unable to take her eyes off of him - his chiseled cheeks, wavy brown locks, and the stubble that shadowed his chin.

  “This was my last hope, Julia,” Dylan muttered, and Julia looked up quizzically. "This was it."

  “Oh, that’s not true at all. There are plenty of—”

  “Christina was the best thing I could’ve done for Ava right now, and it’s ruined.” Dylan shook his head.

  Julia stood in the sand, her body facing Dylan but her gaze went through him to the soothing laps of the sea. In her mind, she tried to untangle what Dylan meant by his statement. The last thing she wanted to do was pry. But she desperately wanted to tell Dylan how unpleasant Christina was and how she would have been an unfit mother for Ava.

  “Well, on the bright side, Ava is painting again. She did beautifully today.” Julia was eager to change the subject, and maybe, if she was lucky, see Dylan smile.

  Rather than smile, Dylan looked up at Julia. She could see his inner mind at work, the gears of his brain turning at rapid speeds behind his unrelenting focus. After a few moments, Dylan finally let a corner of his mouth upturn in a smile.

  “Julia, would you mind meeting me in my study for a few moments?” Dylan asked as he walked toward the house.

  “Sure,” Julia answered, a little confused by his request.

  As soon as Julia and Dylan were inside his study, Dylan promptly closed the door. Julia looked around and was amazed at the brilliance of the room. It was ornate in red velvet and gold and lavished with walls upon walls of books. Julia saw a baby Grand Piano in the corner and wondered of its use. She scanned the walls for books she recognized, and books she longed to read, but there was too much to take in. She sat across from Dylan’s ornate wooden desk, overwhelmed.

  “This may be a little personal, but I have to ask. Are you in a relationship Julia?” Dylan's voice was calm, but the abrupt personal question caught Julia completely off guard.

  “Uh, no, not anymore,” Julia stuttered, deeply confused about why she was in his study so late at night and what her relationship status had to do with anything.

  “I just wanted to let you know you’ve been doing an amazing job with Ava. I’ve never seen any other nanny able to bond with her like you have. You make it look so easy. I can’t thank you enough for that.” Dylan's eyes were intently on her. Julia breathed a sigh of r
elief, thinking this meeting would just be a review of sorts.

  “Thank you, Mr. Greene,” Julia said politely, smiling and blushing slightly at the sudden praise.

  “Please, call me Dylan. Listen, Julia, there may be hope for Ava, and I’m going to ask you something. I want you to think about it very carefully before you respond.” Dylan's eyes grew wider. Julia’s heart dropped. She felt the color disappear from her cheeks under the scrutiny of his stare.

  “What is it?” It was all Julia managed to mutter, but Dylan seemed ready to proceed whether she answered or not.

  “Listen, the deal is marriage. I’ll just get it out there. Whatever you need, whatever you desire, I will give it to you. In return, you will be my wife and Ava’s step-mother.” Dylan nodded, and Julia stared doe-eyed from across the desk. She went back, mentally rewinding his statement, making sure she had heard Dylan right and that she wasn’t somehow mistaken. Before Julia could even conjure up a question, Dylan continued. “I know. I know it sounds crazy. But, hear me out, Ava’s mother … her biological mother Marcie Norris … she made contact with me recently. Marcie left Ava and me when she was just a baby. Ava doesn’t know her at all, but now Marcie tells me she suddenly wants custody of Ava.”

  “Oh my,” Julia stuttered, unable to hide her shock.

  “She wants to take me to court, but I know that all she's after is money. I want to keep Ava as far away from Marcie as I can. I need sole custody of Ava. She’s everything to me. But my lawyer told me I have a solid chance of getting full custody and keeping my fortune if I'm married. Like I’m not good enough on my own, as a single father.”

  “But you’re a great father,” Julia said slowly. She reached for Dylan's hand. She could tell he was deeply upset, and her heart broke thinking of Ava separated from her father.

  “Thank you, but the courts don’t see it like that. I’d do anything to keep Ava away from the heartache Marcie might cause her. I was even prepared to marry Christina. I didn’t even know her, and her publicist arranged everything.” Dylan’s voice trailed off, his tone sullen, and Julia thought she could see a faint quiver in his lip. "Oh, I'm talking crazy, aren't I?"