She taught me how to cook rice and stir fry, taking the time to instruct me in the basic knife skills required to make a whole menu of Chinese specialties. Eventually, she let me carve vegetables into garnishes and centerpieces, nodding ever so slightly when my attempts met with her approval. A nod from Li Wei was as good as a standing ovation at the theater, and she had an authoritative way about her that made everyone value her approval.
I would do her proud tonight, I thought, unpacking a new rice cooker and an electric wok. I set up a work table and put some music on, humming to myself as I chopped the vegetables and set out my ingredients. I arranged some fresh flowers in the vase and started the rice, checking the clock and smoothing my hair. I took one last glance around and left to go pick up Ethan, locking the door behind me.
“Where are you taking me?” he asked, looking around suspiciously as I pulled to a stop behind the coffee shop. He was confused when I parked the Rover between a dumpster and the fire escape in the gloomy little alley.
“Come on,” I took his hand and led him to the stairs.
Bewildered, he followed me up, “What are you up to now?” he asked. He sounded apprehensive.
I smiled at him, turning my keys in the lock. “This is my new art studio,” I told him, throwing the door open wide.
He followed me in and stood looking around silently, finally walking over to the window to look down, “We’re right over the coffeeshop.”
“I’m renting this place from Bill…” I explained, “Well… What do you think?”
He turned around, taking it all in, “So this is where you’ve been spending all your time.”
I nodded, “I needed a bigger space to make bigger paintings.”
He took another look around with a serious face.
“It needed a lot of cleaning up… Shayla helped me,” I searched his eyes, unable to read his face, “I didn’t want to put you to work…”
He came close and wrapped his arms around me, “I knew something was up.” He sighed with relief as he slumped into me, “I was afraid you were back to night surfing.”
“Oh,” I said, my voice small. I suppose I should have confessed right there, letting him know that his instincts were dead on, but I didn’t want to ruin the night with an argument about the relative merits of day vs. night surfing. I had no plans to stop either one.
He took my face in his hands and kissed me, and I forgot to worry about it.
“This place could be dangerous,” he said with a smile, looking at the big plush couch.
“The thought did occur to me,” I replied playfully, “Now why don’t you go kick back, while I make you dinner.”
“Don’t you want some help?” he asked, kissing the side of my neck. He smelled so good I started to melt into him again. I took a deep breath and steeled myself, pulling away and pointing to the couch, “Sit. Stay.”
His eyebrows popped up in mock offense, but I could hear him softly chuckling as I went over to check the rice and heat up the wok. I put a teapot full of water in the microwave and started to mince the garlic and ginger. Familiar smells filled the air as I stir-fried the Kung Pao shrimp one ingredient at a time, concentrating to remember the exact technique Li had shown me. I got out a package of special Sichuan tea and put a few scoops in the pot to steep, finally piling everything onto a bamboo tray to bring out to Ethan.
I laid everything out on the coffee table, lighting the candles and kneeling to pour the tea, finally announcing, “Li Wei’s famous Kung Pao Shrimp.”
I plunked down next to him on the couch and started to dish up two plates. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, “I thought you said you couldn’t cook,” he looked suspicious.
“No,” I faced him, “As I recall, I said, I didn’t cook.”
He laughed, “It smells good.”
I tasted the dish, satisfied it would earn Li’s subtle nod of approval. Thinking of her reminded me of Evie and I frowned, wishing she’d hurry up and get home so I could tell her what happened. I needed to know more about Marissa and Olivia. I had to find out which one was lying.
“What’s wrong?” Ethan asked, “This is great!”
“Thanks,” I smiled, putting all unpleasant thoughts out of my mind.
“So who’s Li Wei?” he asked.
We took our time eating, and I told him all about the formidable Li, as well as some of the other five-star chefs that would fly in for Evie’s lavish parties. Evie was renowned for her gracious hospitality, and she liked to arrange the food, entertainment, and decor around different themes. Whether it was an evening in a Moroccan bazaar, or springtime in Paris, her dinner parties always made the society pages.
Invitations to these affairs were coveted among the arts community, and looking back, I realized just how deftly she wielded her power, using those occasions to introduce her latest protégées to the kinds of people that would further their careers. Evie operated with a deliberateness born of an undisputed faith in her own judgment.
I questioned everything about my muse powers much more, especially after what happened with Joe and Kimo. In my experience, people were too complex to toy with in such a fashion. How could you be certain the people you championed didn’t harbor a secret dark side?
We finished eating and kicked back on the couch, drinking tea and talking about the looming school year. Ethan was on scholarship, and he planned to take the dorm room that came with it until we were married in January. He talked about looking for an apartment close to the campus that we could afford while he saved up to build our house.
“You could always come hang out here,” I said with a smile.
“Does Abby know you have this place?” he asked.
“No, just you… and Shayla… and Megan…”
He rolled his eyes and looked around skeptically, setting his cup down and patting the couch next to him invitingly. I scooted over with a smile and snuggled in under his arm.
“That was great food,” he said, stroking my hair, “Do you have any other hidden talents I don’t know about yet?”
I turned my face up and kissed his cheek, “I don’t know,” I said, “Possibly.”
He rolled towards me, wincing a little.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said, “I just tweaked my shoulder a little yesterday.”
“How?” I asked, sitting up.
“I was planting a pretty big tree.”
“Let’s see,” I squeezed his knotted muscle and he gasped.
“It’s just a little sore,” he said, turning back to me for another kiss.
“Take off your shirt,” I commanded, “I’ll give you a back rub.”
He stood up and stripped his T-shirt off, exposing his lean and muscular torso. I gestured for him to sit and climbed behind him on the couch. I started kneading his muscles the way I’d seen Evie’s masseuse work her over so many times. He groaned and grunted, shifting around uncomfortably.
“Am I hurting you?”
“In a good way,” he sighed, “Don’t stop.” He looked over at the big paintings, “That’s Hawaii, right?”
“Yeah,” I described the warm blue waters as best I could, all the while using my thumbs and palms to massage every solid spot firmly until the tension dissolved. I could feel him relax under my hands and fought the urge to start kissing his neck. “We have to go there together someday… maybe when I sell that painting I’ll take you.”
He stiffened ever so slightly, and I started kneading up his neck, combing my fingers across his scalp. He let out his breath with a long sigh, turning his face to the side, “How about we go there on our honeymoon?”
“I don’t know if I can wait that long,” I murmured, rubbing his neck and working back down to his injured shoulder. The tension between us increased and grew sweetly unbearable, until I finally had to give in to the impulse and kiss his ear.
He turned around to take me into a warm embrace, and I snuggled against his bare chest, “We have our
whole lives to go places together,” he murmured in my ear, “Unless you’re planning on leaving me.”
“Why would you even say that?” I frowned.
“I dunno,” he said morosely, “The way you freaked out about Stella… It makes me wonder if maybe you’re having some second thoughts.”
I sat up, not sure what to say. Once again, I found it hard to believe he would see it that way; then I remembered how adamantly I had denied Stella’s passing. My reaction must have looked odd to him, but the double shock of losing her and realizing that I’d spoken with her ghost had floored me. Oh what a tangled web we weave, I thought. It was all because I was hiding the fact that I’d been sneaking out to surf at night.
“No” I said firmly, “Not even for one second.” I took his face in my hands and went nose to nose with him, “You’re stuck with me.”
“Good.”
He clutched me to him tightly, and I pressed my ear to his chest, listening to his heartbeat speed up. I excused myself and headed over to my little corner washroom, snagging my tote on the way, and remembering how I’d wanted to bring him here before leaving for Paris. I’d let Amber spoil that night, and I gritted my teeth at the memory. She wasn’t going to come between us ever again.
I opened the tote and pulled out the silky nightgown set I’d bought in Paris. Overcome with a sudden boldness, I stripped down and slipped it on. It was lacy, clingy, and transparent, making me wonder what I could have possibly been thinking when I picked it out. I encircled my eyes with a smudgy liner pencil, fluffed up my hair, and daubed some perfume behind my ears. I brushed my hair over and over again until it shone, lingering nervously as I turned this way and that in the little antique mirror. Finally, just when I was on the verge of chickening out and putting my old sweats on, I took a deep breath, bit my lip, and came around the corner.
Ethan was fast asleep on the couch, snoring softly.
I went over to look down at him, “Ethan?” He didn’t stir.
I sat down by his side and studied him. His skin was tanned brown from working in the sun, and a lock of his tousled blonde hair fell across his forehead. I brushed it back and softly kissed his brow, drawing back to study his face. I remembered the first time I saw him, and how handsome he was; now that I knew him, he was even more beautiful to me.
I reached for a soft throw blanket, standing over him and admiring his strong arms and chest before lifting up his feet and slipping off his shoes. I covered him up with a sigh, pulling the blanket under his chin and tucking it around his side. He looked so perfect, sleeping peacefully, but I could see that he was driving himself to the point of exhaustion, and I knew that it was all my fault.
I went to go change back into my sweatpants, frowning as I pulled on my oversized T-shirt. Ethan had always been a hard worker, but he used to take the time to surf and hang out with friends. Ever since we’d made a vow to stay together forever, he’d changed. Was this what the future held for him, a relentless, pleasure-less grind?
I looked in the mirror and grimaced; apparently my sex-appeal was no match for my muse powers. If I married Ethan, I’d be dooming him to a life sentence of hard labor. I shuddered, imagining the endless toil grinding him down, robbing him of his youth, and aging him before his time.
Only seven full moons had passed since the mermaid council presented me with their ultimatum. That left me with over three more years to decide– three years to watch Ethan wear himself out while growing more and more attached to me. Tears filled my eyes.
I’d probably be doing him a favor if I slipped under the sea and never came back.
I padded back to him on bare feet, pausing for a few moments to watch the flickering candlelight reflecting off the planes of his face. I bent down to blow out the candles and squeezed back onto the couch behind him, curling my body around his. He shifted a little, and I inhaled his hair, kissing his sore shoulder. I snuggled closer to him, finally falling into an uneasy sleep.
I dreamed an electric blue sea churning under a pink sky. I floated on my surfboard in the surrealistic landscape, completely alone, rolling on endless waves of mystery that crested, but never seemed to break. A strange mermaid’s head pierced the surface, followed by another, and another, until I was surrounded.
“The best way to predict the future,” they sang, “is to create it.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
WARNED
“Hey Dollface,” his voice softly called me, “Wake up.”
I sat up, blinking myself back to consciousness. Ethan put his arm around me and started nuzzling my neck, sniffing behind my ear.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” I asked in a rough voice, looking around, trying to get my bearings in the pre-dawn pitch black.
“I’m sorry it’s so early… But I’m gonna need a ride to work,” he said, “I made you some coffee.”
He got up and went over to my little makeshift kitchen, returning with two cups.
“Where are you going so early?” I asked, stretching and yawning.
“I’m crewing another fishing charter for my dad.” He set them on the table, sitting down close to me with a smile, “Can you drop me off at the Marina… Marina?”
I yawned, “Sure…What time is it anyway?”
“It’s five. I wish I didn’t have to wake you up. I didn’t know you had overnight plans for me.”
I blushed, looking down. All the sadness from the night before came flooding back to me, tightening my throat, “OK.”
“Are you alright?” he asked.
I nodded yes, reaching for the coffee, and asked hopefully, “Can we go surfing after you get back?”
“Sorry, but I have a couple of jobs lined up for this afternoon. They’re gonna keep me going all day.”
My God, I thought, it’s getting worse. My eyes welled up and burned with hot tears, and I turned my head so he couldn’t see. I tried to blink them back, but they spilled over, rolling down my cheeks and splashing onto my lap.
“Hey!” he reached over to turn my face towards his, alarmed, “What’s wrong?”
I swallowed, meeting his eyes, “Don’t you think you’re working a little too hard lately? I mean… you never want to do anything else anymore…”
He draped his arm around me, pulling me close, “I’m sorry, don’t be upset. I just wanted… I just needed…” His voice trailed off as he stroked my back thoughtfully.
“I’m fine,” I straightened up and wiped my eyes. I shouldn’t make him feel bad with my self-pity. He couldn’t help it; it wasn’t his fault.
He squeezed me a little, “It’ll be different once we’re married.”
I sighed, looking down again. His vision of a sweet idyllic future was like an old story that was no longer entertaining. I’d heard it so many times I doubted if it could ever be true.
He nudged me, “Hey, what are you doing on Friday?”
I forced a smile, “I don’t know. What do you have in mind?”
“Let’s spend the whole day together… Just me and you.”
“Surfing?” I asked hopefully.
He looked at me speculatively, “I have a surprise.”
“What should I wear?”
“You’re perfect just the way you are,” he said, right before he kissed me.
I dropped him off at the harbor just in time to see the first brilliant rays of light peek over the horizon. He told me that he’d pick me up at Abby’s first thing in the morning on Friday, and gave me a goodbye kiss so full of love and longing that it took my breath away. I started to feel a tiny flicker of hope that maybe I could get him to slow down a little bit. I drove back to my studio, looking forward to a day of painting and reading in solitude.
Around lunchtime Cruz called, bubbly and full of stories about Shayla’s continued success in Paris. Listening to him made me feel better, but it also reminded me of Evie and Olivia.
“Do you know when Evie’s coming back to San Francisco?” I asked him casually.
“She’s flyi
ng in on Saturday. That’s one of the reasons I called,” he said excitedly, “We’re invited to her place for a dinner party Sunday night in honor of some friend of hers that’s coming back with her. She told me to tell you to bring Ethan. I’m bringing Brad over to meet her… Oh Marina, do you think she’ll like him?”
My heart started pounding in my ears, “Of course she will,” I said, steadying myself on the arm of the couch. Olivia sure wasn’t wasting any time. Now I could seriously smell a rat.
“It’s formal, so she said to be sure to dress up… How formal is formal? What should I wear?” I could practically see Cruz swooning over the phone. I knew he’d love one of Evie’s fancy dinner parties.
“Uhm, I don’t know… A tux I guess.”
“Do you want to know why else I called?” he asked coyly.
“I don’t know… do I?” I was feeling faint, and I sat down with my palm pressed to my forehead.
“Yes silly! Brad and I are coming down this weekend, remember? We’d like to schedule a day to go out surfing with you!”
“Sure,” I heaved a sigh of relief, “Sounds good.”
“How about Friday?”
“I have plans with Ethan. Maybe Saturday?”
“It’s a date! I can’t wait to see Brad surf!” Cruz chattered on and on about how fabulous Brad was, and the wonderful places he’d decorated in the city while I sat numbly, trying to decide what to do about Olivia. By the time he hung up, I’d thought it through. I would find a way to get Evie alone as soon as possible and tell her what I suspected. Once she was in the safety of her own place, surely Boris could protect her.
After painting for hours I locked up the studio and went home, trying to look on the bright side. I had an entire day with Ethan to look forward to, followed by a fun day of surfing with Cruz and Brad. I would deal with Evie and Olivia after that. There was nothing to be gained by fretting.
All I had to do was get through the next twenty four hours. I got ready for bed and turned in, burrowing under the white down comforter in my little blue room. All things considered, it could be a whole lot worse, even if I did feel a little bit like the fabled Damocles, trying to enjoy myself while a sword suspended by a single hair dangled over my head.
03 The Fate Of The Muse - Marina's Tales Page 20
