It's Only Make Believe

by Roseanne Dowell

  Michele left the store, piled her purchases in her car and spotted a Home Depot next door. Finding a parking spot close to the store, she locked her car and went inside - straight to the paint department. It might be fun to get her hands dirty. She needed something to keep herself occupied while Brad was gone. She picked a sage green for their room, a dusty berry for one guest room and a pewter blue for the other. She loaded up on paint rollers, brushes, paint pans, and all the accessories she needed to paint the rooms. Feeling a bit more light-hearted, she went home.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Brad hung up after leaving Michele a message. Where was she? Strangely enough, he missed her. She’d cleared her work schedule for the week. But maybe she decided to go back early. After all, she needed something to do to keep her busy. Of course she had a life of her own. One he knew little about. They hadn’t taken the time to get to know each other. Didn’t even know each other’s friends. He had hoped to wrap things up here quickly, but old Edgehurst was being difficult as usual. Damn, he missed Michele. Missed their honeymoon, especially the lovemaking, He hadn’t expected that kind of response from her. She had turned into a warm passionate lover. And he missed their conversations and spending time with her, loved discovering they had so much in common. What surprised him most was they both liked the same kind of house and wanted the same things out of life, horses, dogs, and kids.

  When he got back from this trip, he’d arrange for a delayed honeymoon. Go up to the mountains and spend a couple of days. He made a mental note to do just that when Ruby came into his room. “You could have knocked.”

  “Are you ready?” Ruby ignored his comment.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Michele unloaded her purchases and decided to begin redecorating their room. She’d never painted before. But what the heck, how hard could it be? She’d watched many painters on the job. Everything needed to be removed. First thing first, boxes to pack everything up. No way were these pictures going on her walls. It took all her strength to push the smaller of the dressers aside. Call her crazy, but she’d never be able to move the bed. Looked like she bit off more than she could chew. When she picked up the phone to call her painting contractor, the message light on the answering machine blinked rapidly.

  She pressed the button and listened to Brad’s voice. “Hey, Shell, it’s me. Hope you’re keeping busy. I’m going to be gone longer than I thought, probably until next week. Maybe Monday or Tuesday. See you then.”

  She slumped down on the bed. Her stomach tensed, cold washed over her. “A week, we haven’t even been married that long.” A picture of Ruby came to her mind. “No!” She stood up and paced. “I refuse to believe he’s with her. He promised.” She had to trust him. But how could she compete with Ruby if Brad wasn’t even here. She shook her head and pushed the negative thoughts from her mind. She’d surprise Brad with the new room. She picked up the phone and dialed.

  “Jason, this is Michele Markey, uh Lawson.” The sound of her new name brought a smile to her lips. “I’m in a bit of a bind. I hope you can help me out.” After explaining the situation, Jason said he’d come over after dinner. Michele didn’t care about the cost. She needed to change the color and ambience of the room. Her parents and in-laws would have a fit if they knew what she planned, but she didn’t care. It was her house after all. Why hadn’t they consulted her before decorating it anyway? Of course, her mother and Mrs. Lawson had both used the same designer for years. They both had the same tastes.

  Jason came over after dinner. “I thought I could paint it myself, but as you can see, I didn’t accomplish much.” Michele laughed. “Heck, I couldn’t even move the furniture. Can you help me out?”

  “Not a problem. I’m between jobs and can actually start tomorrow morning. That okay with you?”

  “Are you kidding? That’s perfect. The sooner the better. I need it done by the weekend if possible.”

  The next morning, Jason arrived with his crew and in a few hours they transformed her room. The soft green relaxed her and complemented the carpeting and furniture. That, she thought, is the next thing to go. She wanted mahogany or walnut furniture. She hauled the comforter and drapes downstairs. Maybe Anna or Louise wanted them. Lord, she could picture her mother’s face if she found out that she gave the expensive things to the help. She could hear her voice, even now. “You’re much too friendly with the help, dear. They’re a different class then we are. They don’t expect it.” Well expect it or not everyone deserved to be treated with respect. Besides she liked them.

  “I’ll be back tomorrow,” Jason promised. “I’ll finish the other two rooms within a day.”

  It surprised Michele that he didn’t question her impulsive decision to paint or the brands she chose. Not that it mattered what he thought. She didn’t need to explain herself to anyone. But that was something she liked about Jason. He did his work and didn’t ask questions.

  CHAPTER TEN

  The next morning Michele dressed and went to Wolf’s Trade Show Room. One of her favorite parts of the job. Mrs. Wolf met her.

  “So what are we looking for today?”

  “I need to pick out samples for the O’Neil’s kitchen.” Following Mrs. Wolf down the long aisles, Michele found it difficult to concentrate. Her thoughts focused on furniture shopping instead, but that was something she and Brad needed to do together, if he was interested, that is. He didn’t strike her as the type that cared what his home looked like. “Yeah, but he didn’t look like the type that liked mountains and hiking either,” she mumbled.

  “What’s that, dear?” Mrs. Wolf gave her a strange look.

  Michele tried to hide her smile. “Just talking to myself.” Better concentrate on her work and put Brad out of her mind.

  After gathering several samples for the O’Neils, Michele checked her choices. They wanted an ultra-modern kitchen with a stainless steel commercial stove. If she decorated the kitchen to their satisfaction, they promised she could do the rest of their home. Jane and Patrick O’Neil might prove to be very lucrative clients.

  Satisfied with her choices and armed with samples of tile, cabinet styles and woods, as well as ideas for appliances and lighting fixtures, she went to her office and began putting together her portfolio. Sarah looked in on her a couple of times. Grateful her friend knew her so well - Sarah wasn’t her normal chatty self. Michele concentrated on her work, pushing the memory of Brad and Ruby out of her mind.

  “Sarah,” she called through the open doorway, “Call Jane O’Neil and set up an appointment either this evening or tomorrow. I may as well get started on this job. Brad’s going to be gone all week.”

  Sarah stuck her head around the corner. “All week, wow. Want to have dinner tonight?”

  Michele looked up from her work. “Sure, but see about getting that appointment first.”

  “Done, seven tonight, okay? We can have an early dinner,” Sarah said.

  “Good, want to tag along afterwards?”

  “Sure, why not, I don’t have anything better to do.” Sarah came into the room and looked at Michele. “Pretty lonely without Brad, huh?”

  Michele set her work aside. “Yeah, it is.” She straightened pencils and papers on her desk, avoiding Sarah’s eyes. Her friend didn’t need to know how much she cared about Brad or how much it hurt that he was gone. “Actually, I’m surprised.” What the heck, she had always told Sarah everything. “I can’t believe how much I miss him. Gee, Sar, we haven’t spent that much time together and already I’m attached to him.”

  “You fell in love with him didn’t you?” Sarah sat down on a chair opposite. “I could tell yesterday. What’s going on, Shell? Why the long face?”

  Michele squirmed in her chair. She hadn’t realized her emotions were so visible. She put her head in her hands as tears welled up in her eyes. “I’m so scared.” Her voice was little more than a whisper. Looking up at her friend, she tried to control the tears that streamed down her face. She told Sarah what had happened with Ruby at
the wedding.

  Sarah slammed her fist on the desk. “That witch said that to you. The nerve of her. Why didn’t you tell me then? I’d have taken her out. What was she doing at the wedding anyway? Who invited her? ” She stood up and moved about the large office, picking up files and setting them down. “Did you tell Brad?”

  Michele leaned back in her chair, surprised at the anger her friend displayed. Sure, they had stuck up for each other before, but this was different. “Sarah, sit down. You’re making me nervous.”

  “I can’t help it. I feel like...” She returned to the chair, sat down, then got up again. “I’d like to wring her neck. How dare she say something like that on your wedding day? You don’t believe it do you, Shell. I mean I know they used to date, but...”

  “I’m not sure what to believe. I don’t want to ask Brad and sound like a jealous fool. Besides, he has to work with her. And, what if...”

  Sarah walked around the office, poured coffee, and took a sip. “I don’t believe it. I mean she isn’t Brad’s type at all. I can’t believe he even dated her.”

  “Well, I’ll find out eventually, I guess.” Michele wanted to change the subject. This one hurt too much. Her stomach tensed and threatened to erupt. “Go back to work.” She looked at her watch. “We’ll leave here in an hour for dinner.”

  Sarah went back to her office, and Michele tried to concentrate on her work. Ruby’s face kept intruding, her words rang in her mind. She shook her head trying to remove the doubts. The phone rang. “I’ll get it,” she yelled to Sarah.

  She leaned back in her chair and listened to her mother’s familiar voice. “Michele, I can’t believe you haven’t called me. Why didn’t you let me know you came home early from your honeymoon? Not trouble in paradise I hope.”

  “No, Mother, not trouble in paradise. There has to be a paradise to have trouble.” Michele knew her tone sounded impatient. Her mother had that effect on her, had for a long time.

  “Well, your father just told me you’re home. I think you could have at least called. You must come to dinner tonight. I’ll let cook know.”

  “Sorry, can’t tonight I have an appointment.” Michele cringed at the idea of spending an entire evening with her mother. She’d grill her about the honeymoon and Michele didn’t feel like sharing it with her.

  “Well, then tomorrow.” Her mother paused waiting for her reply.

  “I’m sorry, mother, I’m busy all week. Maybe next week.” Michele pretended to flip through pages on her calendar. “How about Thursday next week? I’m free then.”

  “Oh dear.” She could hear her mother flipping pages of her calendar. “That’s no good, Friday?”

  Michele gave in. She couldn’t avoid her mother indefinitely. “Friday then, sevenish?”

  “That’s fine, dear, see you then. Tada.” He mother hung up without waiting for a reply.

  Leaning back in her chair, Michele wondered how, with her mother’s influence, she had ended up so informal. Maybe it was in spite of her mother’s influence. Funny, she thought, but Brad seemed the same way. How had they escaped the snobbery their parents, especially their mother’s, exhibited? She busied herself until Sarah poked her head in the door. ”Ready?”

  They chose an Italian restaurant not far from the office. Its quaint atmosphere and luscious garlic and spicy aromas lightened Michele’s mood.

  She told Sarah about shopping at Wal-Mart and the paint for the rooms. “I was foolish enough to think I could paint it myself. “Ha, by the time I got everything off the walls and moved the dresser I was exhausted.”

  Sarah laughed. “I’d love to be there when your mother or mother-in-law see it for the first time. I mean really Shelly the difference in quality is so evident.”

  “I don’t care, Sar. I thought about taking it back and buying new ones, but decided against it. Call it rebellion, but I can’t wait to see their faces either. And best of all, I gave the other ones to Louise and Anna. Wait until they hear that.”

  Sarah shook her head and laughed. “It’s just like you to do something like that, but what do you think Brad is going to say? Surely, he’ll notice the difference in quality also.”

  Michele leaned back. She hadn’t given Brad a thought. Would he notice? Would he even notice the different color on the walls? He’d only been in the room once to sleep and in view of the circumstances, she giggled inwardly, she hadn’t even noticed. They’d been much too busy making love. Heat rose in her face. She lowered her head, buried it in the menu so Sarah wouldn’t’ notice.

  “Well, you certainly had an embarrassing thought.” Sarah wasn’t going to let it pass. Her friend was much too observant not to have noticed.

  “Actually, I was thinking Brad probably wouldn’t notice a difference since he slept in the guest room the other night. We were so tired after the wedding and in such a hurry to leave on our honeymoon in the morning, I hadn’t even noticed.” She hoped that quelled her friend’s inquisitiveness.

  “I think I’m going to splurge and have the ravioli, to heck with the diet tonight.” Sarah changed the subject. Apparently satisfied with the explanation.

  They joked through the rest of the meal the way they used to. Sarah talked about her many conquests in dating. “I swear, you don’t know how lucky you are to be married, even if it wasn’t your choice. It’s a jungle out there. All the good men are taken, the others only want one thing. Honest, Shell, if I ever find Mr. Right, it’s going to be a miracle.”

  Michele glanced at her watch. “We better go.” She raised her hand toward the waiter for the check. “If there’s anything the O’Neils insist on - its promptness.” She paid the bill and they left.

  Jane O’Neil answered the door. “Michele, what a pleasant surprise. We didn’t expect you to begin until next week.”

  Michele tried to hide her reaction to Jane O’Neil’s whiny voice. Sarah made a face behind her and Michele almost laughed out loud. What price success? Voice aside, Jane was a sweetheart. Pasting on her professional smile, Michele extended her hand, shook Jane’s, and introduced Sarah as her assistant. “We need to take some measurements, and I’ve brought some samples for you to look at. We’ll get together in a few days and you can make your final choices.” She followed Jane into the dining room and laid out the samples. “I know you want the stainless commercial stove, so I thought a matching refrigerator and aluminum blinds as the window covering will carry on the effect from the appliances.”

  Jane O’Neil ooh’d and aah’d at the plans Michele presented while Patrick O’Neil stood silent. This wasn’t looking good. Were they going to disagree on the project? Michele sneaked a look at Sarah, who stood off to the side, a silly smirk on her face.

  Michele turned away from her friend. “Okay,” she said. “I’m going to take the measurements, and I’ll leave the samples with you. If you have any questions, call me. Otherwise I’ll see you... let’s see.” She flipped through her calendar book. “How about a week from Friday, about two in the afternoon?”

  Jane checked her calendar. “I can be here, but Patrick has a previous engagement.”

  Michele looked at Patrick. “What day is good for you?”

  He shrugged, turned away. “No matter, go ahead and meet with Jane. It’s her kitchen.” His disinterest bothered Michele. This was definitely not a good thing.

  “Okay,” She turned to Sarah. “Let’s take the measurements and we can leave these people to their peace and quiet.”

  Sarah helped take the measurements. Michele made the proper notations and packed up her briefcase. She shook Jane’s hand. Patrick had already retired to another room. “I’ll see you a week from Friday then.”

  “Phew, that was tense,” Michele said when they reached her car. “I don’t understand it. Patrick was so gung ho on this project when they came to see me about it.”

  “Maybe he’s just having a bad day.” Sarah said.

  They rode in silence, and she dropped Sarah off at her car and drove home.

&nbs
p; Michele turned on the lights and hurried to the answering machine. The light remained steady. No messages. Feeling let down, she pushed the button and listened to the previous one. At the sound of Brad’s voice she missed him more. Maybe he’d call later. She looked at her watch, almost ten o’clock. She doubted it, although it was only seven o’clock in San Francisco.

  She checked out the guest room and loved the color. “Perfect, but the furniture has to go. At least it stands out now.” There must have been a sale on pale yellow paint and blond furniture when her mother and Mrs. Lawson decorated the rooms. She checked the other room and was amazed to see Jason had finished it also. She couldn’t wait to put the rooms back together. Jason had moved the furniture back into position, keeping it slightly away from the wet walls.

  Back in her own room, she dressed the bed. These weren’t the soft sheets she was used to. The quality inferior to what she had taken for granted. A chill ran up her spine as she made up the bed, remembering the first time she and Brad had made love. Smoothing the sheets, she tossed the pillows on the bed and spread the comforter on top, then hung the drapes. Standing back she viewed the room. The soft green walls calmed her. The paisley print with the burgundy, green and beige gave the room a cozy look. The whole room created harmony. Hopefully, Brad would like it. Amazing what a person can accomplish with inexpensive materials. “Ha, just goes to prove you don’t need a lot of money to have an elegant room.” She turned around the room, thinking she’d replace the sheets with the softer Egyptian cotton she’d grown accustomed to, but the satisfaction she felt with the room surprised her. She yawned and stretched. May as well call it a night. Brad probably wouldn’t call tonight if he remembered the time difference.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The ringing phone awakened Michele early the next morning. She turned over and looked at the clock. Six o’clock. Her heart skipped a beat, fear prickled up her spine. She reached for the phone. “Hello.” She almost whispered, unsure if she wanted to hear the voice on the other end. Calls in the middle of the night or this early in the morning only meant bad news.