by Sophia Sharp
“It does put things in a new perspective,” I admit.
“You won’t tell her I said anything?”
I bristle. “What? Of course not.” I shake my head. “Do you even need to ask?”
“Just making sure.”
“Rich, you gave me a free pass to leave you and go to the cops. I decided not to. That was a much bigger secret to keep than this.”
“You’re right.” Rich turns toward the door. “I think I hear Amanda calling. You ready to eat?”
Chapter Nine
Dinner passes quickly and without incident. True to her word, Amanda plays the perfect hostess. I do my best to smile and avoid provoking her. I don’t even comment on the obvious way she keeps eyeing Rich the entire time.
It’s late by the time dinner winds down. Everyone is tired. Rich settles down on an armchair and falls asleep. Amanda goes to her own room, and I lie down on the bed she’d originally intended for Rich.
Whatever I do, however, I cannot find a comfortable position on the mattress. Maybe it’s the uncertainty of everything going on around me. Maybe it’s the fact that I’d slept until three in the afternoon the day before. But after a hopeless hour and a half, I decide to get out of bed. I tip-toe to the kitchen.
I spot a kettle and turn it on. A cup of chamomile might help me get to sleep.
I’m pouring the hot water when I hear a floorboard creak behind me. I spin around—and find Amanda’s dog staring up at me.
I don’t move. I don’t know how the dog feels about strangers, least of all ones his owner obviously dislikes. The retriever considers me for a long moment… then wags his tail and pads over to the fridge. It sits down, then paws at the metal door and makes a sad, whimpering sound.
I walk over to the dog, still cautious. Carefully, I kneel down at his side. He turns his head to look at me. He seems gentle enough. I reach out and put a hand between his ears. “You’ve got a beautiful coat,” I say softly.
The retriever surprises me by giving a happy yelp and licking my face. I’m so shocked I lose my balance and stumble back. Then I laugh.
“Aww, you’re just a big softie, aren’t you?” I coo, going on my knees to give the dog a thorough rub down. “What’s your name?” I hold up the tag on its collar. The word STEEL is etched in caps on the metal. “Steel, huh? So you’re a boy, I take it?” He growls. “Sorry. A man.”
That seems to appease Steel. He nuzzles at my fingers. “Well, you’re not scary at all when you’re being all friendly like this,” I tell him, rubbing his head, neck, and belly. “What are you doing up so late?”
He makes another whimpering noise and looks to the fridge. “Oooh. I get it. You’re hungry, aren’t you?”
He lets out a small bark. I put my fingers to my lips and shush him. “Shh,” I whisper. “Amanda probably doesn’t want you eating late.” I look back at the empty kitchen and the dark hall outside. “But she’s not around, is she?” Another whimpering sound. “Okay. Tell you what, Steel.” I shake my head. “That’s a terrible name, by the way.” I grin at him. “But it’s not your fault your owner’s a moron, is it? No, not your fault at all.”
I emphasize the last word by rubbing him even more vigorously. He seems to like it. “Okay, so if you promise not to tell—” I make a point of holding his muzzle between my hands and looking him straight in the eye, “—I might be willing to bend a few rules for you. If you behave.” I stand up. “Do you know any commands? Sit!”
To my surprise, his hind legs fold under him and his rear hits the floor. “Very good!” I praise. “What else can you do? Um… roll over?”
Steel doesn’t move. He just hangs out his tongue and looks very adorable. I giggle. “You know, I always wished I had a dog growing up. Of course, they didn’t allow pets at the orphanage—”
“You grew up in an orphanage?”
I spin around. Amanda is standing in the doorway, wearing nothing more than a white, semi-translucent gown. “Amanda!” I exclaim. “What are you doing here?”
She gives me an odd look before walking through the door. “It’s my house, isn’t it? Aren’t I allowed to be here?” She opens the pantry door and takes out a big bag of dog food. Steel goes to her right away. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Oh.” I look down at my feet. “Yeah, I guess so.” As much as I can, I try to avoid mentioning that aspect of my past to people I meet. I’m not ashamed of it. I just found it impossible to predict how people would react. Some would start doling out all kinds of fake sympathy—as if they really knew what not having any parents was like. Others would instantly change their impression of me, making me feel like I’d become some kind of second-class citizen in the blink of an eye.
That fake sympathy was always the worst.
Amanda, however, does neither of those things. She just intones, “Hmm,” as she pours the brown pebbles into a bowl. Steel starts munching it right away. “So I take it you don’t know your parents?”
“No.” I don’t want to talk about my family, least of all with Amanda. I take my cup and turn around. “I was just going back to bed—”
“I never knew my mom, either,” she comments in an offhand sort of way.
I look back. “What?”
“My mom,” Amanda repeats. “I never knew her, either. And my dad died when I was only six. I was raised by my two older brothers.”
“Oh.” I hesitate. “I’m sorry.”
“Please.” Amanda makes a face. “You probably know better than I how insincere that makes you sound. I hate when people assume they know everything about me just because I’ve known some hardships.” She tosses her hair. “Am I right?”
I turn to face her. “That’s exactly how I feel, actually.”
Amanda laughs. “Good. Come here, sit down.” She gestures across the table from her. Then she winks. “I don’t scratch.”
I step around the mess Steel has made on the floor and come to the table. I look at Amanda warily.
She sighs when I don’t sit down right away. “Penelope, you can relax. I don’t think there’s any reason for us to hate each other.”
“I don’t hate you,” I say, choosing my words carefully.
“But you don’t like me much, either, right? Don’t deny it. I can see it in the way you look at me. Truth be told, I probably deserve it. I don’t get many visitors out here. You were a bit of a surprise. I guess what I’m trying to say…” Amanda takes a deep breath, “…is I’m sorry for acting like a bitch when I met you.” She smiles in a stiff sort of way. “There, I said it.”
I was not expecting that. An apology? From Amanda? After everything Rich had told me about her? It almost strained belief. “You had a right to be. You weren’t expecting anyone other than Rich.” I pick at my rumpled sweater. “I know how I must look, too. But you invited me in anyway, and for that, I’m grateful. Truly.”
Amanda smiles and sticks out her hand. “Truce?”
“Truce,” I agree, smiling back. She has a strong grip.
Amanda laughs when she lets go. Her laugh sounds like chiming bells. “Well, that’s a relief. Whew! Tell me I’m not the only one who felt the tension dissipate.”
“Yeah,” I agree. I sit across from her. “It does make things easier.”
In a flash her good humor dies and her eyes harden. “But if you sleep with Richard,” she says darkly, “I will kill you.”
I’m taken aback by the sudden shift. Just as I’m trying to catch my bearings, Amanda’s face splits into a grin she can’t hold back anymore. “I’m teasing!” she laughs. “I had you going there, didn’t I?”
I smirk back. “With skills like that, you should be on TV.”
“Or the movies,” she says. She nods toward Steel. “She likes you.”
I give Amanda a curious look. “Steel is a girl’s name?”
“What?” Amanda looks at me, then looks down at the dog… and then breaks out into uncontrollable laughter.
“You think her name is ‘Steel?
’” she says as she gasps for breath, tears streaming down her face. “No, no!” Amanda whistles, and the retriever trots up to her. Amanda turns over the collar on the dog’s neck and shows me the tag. “‘Steel’ is the brand of the dog tag!” she tells me. “Her name’s on the other side.”
“…Mel,” I read out.
“Short for Melissa,” Amanda tells me, still grinning. “You really think I would have named my dog after a type of metal?”
I can’t help but laugh. “I didn’t know what to expect.”
“Well, she likes you either way. Even if you did think she was a boy. Don’t you, girl?” Amanda rubs the underside of her dog’s neck, and Mel wags her tail happily. Amanda lets go, and the big retriever comes to me. I scratch her between the ears.
“Dogs have a much better sense of people than we do,” Amanda tells me. “In fact, a lot of animals are like that. You can tell a lot about a person by how they interact with animals. You know the fastest way to introduce a bad guy in a movie?”
“What?” I ask, curious.
“Give him a scene with a puppy. Have him kick the dog as soon as it comes over.” Amanda shrugs. “The audience will hate him forever.”
I laugh. “That’s probably true.” I look down at the dog. “So is that why you were so hostile at the start? Because Mel was growling at me?”
I mean it as a joke, but Amanda takes the comment seriously. “Actually, yes. But then I saw you and her in the kitchen, and, you know…” she shrugs again. “The rest is history.”
“So Mel’s like your personal litmus test for whether you can trust someone or not?” I ask.
“Who better? When you live alone like I do, you learn to rely on your instincts.” She glances at her dog. “Or your best friend’s instincts.” Amanda whistles and pats her leg. Mel cocks her head at her, and doesn’t move. Only when I stop rubbing her between the ears does she make her way back to her owner.
“That’s something,” Amanda observes. “Mel must really like you.”
“I like her, too.”
“Friendships have been formed over less. Come on,” she gestures to the adjacent sitting room. “If you can’t sleep, I’d love to get to know you better.”
--
Amanda had grown up on the outskirts of Seattle. Her dad was half-native, which explained her dark coloring. She had a single picture of him, carrying her on his shoulders and holding each of her brothers in a playful headlock. It had been taken only a few months before he died.
Amanda said he went rock climbing on a cliff he’d scaled dozens of times before. But something went wrong, and he lost his grip. He’d always been too proud to use a harness.
So, Amanda and her brothers were left to fend for themselves. They all looked so happy in the picture. Her dad was extraordinarily handsome. Her two brothers took after him. But even at age six, you could tell Amanda was going to be the true beauty. Her eyes were bright and shining, her hair long and sleek and braided almost the same way it is today.
I feel a strange sadness creep up inside me as I look at the picture. Unconsciously, I finger the locket around my neck. I will never know what my father looked like. I have no pictures from a happy childhood. In fact, all I remember from when I was the same age as Amanda is in the photograph was how much I hated the place where I lived. That disdain faded as I grew up and started appreciating the orphanage for what it was, but—
Amanda’s voice brings me out of my reverie. “You have to embrace your weakness.”
“What?”
“You can’t be ashamed of who you are,” she continues. “I didn’t know my mother and lost my father early. When people learn that about me, they assume I must be some sort of delicate flower. They underestimate me. But I’ve never hidden my past. I wear it like armor. If other people see it as a weakness, so be it. It only makes me stronger.”
“I’d never underestimate you.”
“Then you’re smarter than most. But you also know what it’s like to grow up without parents. How it makes you hard. Determined.” She smiles like we share some great secret. “Sometimes, even angry. Let me tell you something, Penelope. You surprised me. I intimidate most girls—especially if they meet me the way you did. Some might get bitter or angry—you know, try to act all tough—but that’s just a front. Very few would be able to take my derision in stride like you did.”
“Thanks,” I say. “And you know, this place of yours is impressive. I can’t imagine how much it must cost.”
Amanda grins. “I’ve always had a bit of an entrepreneurial flair.”
“But to afford something like this at your age is incredible.”
Amanda waves the comment away. “Nah. You just need to be smart with your money. Know how to make the right decisions. That sort of thing.”
I look over at the clock on the wall. We’ve been talking for over an hour. Mel had curled up near the couch and fallen asleep a long time ago. I stifle a yawn.
“So!” Amanda announces suddenly. “How did you say that you and Richard met?”
My defenses snap into place immediately. “I didn’t,” I reply.
“Come on now, we’re friends, aren’t we? There’s no need to keep little things like that from each other.”
The eagerness in her voice makes me wary. “What did Rich tell you?”
She grimaces. “I couldn’t get a word out of him.” She shifts her shoulders so the neck of her gown dips forward. “And I know how to be persuasive with men.”
I feel a stab of envy at her full-bodied figure. “Maybe there’s a reason for that.”
Amanda frowns. “You’re really not going to tell me? After everything I told you about my life?”
“It’s not really my place to say anything,” I tell her, choosing my words carefully. “You can ask Rich in the morning.”
“So, it’s a big secret then, is it?” Amanda says with a hint of a sneer. “Fine. I won’t push. Can you at least tell me how long you’ve known him?”
“Less than a week,” I say without thinking. Immediately, I regret my words.
“A week?” Amanda says with exaggerated nonchalance. “Wow. Richard must really like you to bring you to see his ex so soon.”
“I don’t know about that…”
“I was the first to bed him, you know,” Amanda continues casually over me. “He’ll never look at another woman the way he looks at me. I broke his heart, though, poor boy. I don’t think he’s ever recovered.” She yawns and stretches her arms wide over her head. “When he told me he needed a place to stay, I knew what it would do to him to be around me. I almost refused, for his sake, but he sounded so desperate…” she clicks her jaw shut. “Well. Never mind all that. I’m going to bed. I suggest you do the same.” She gives me a predatory smile. “Sweet dreams.”
--
I stay in the room and sip at my cold chamomile for a few minutes after Amanda leaves. What she told me doesn’t jive with what Rich had said. Obviously, one of them is lying. And although Rich has lied to me before, my bet is that this time, it is Amanda.
Is she really so insecure as to be threatened by me? She put on a brave front, but the minute our conversation turned to Rich, she became petty and spiteful.
I sigh and stand up, turning off the light. I thought Amanda’s efforts to reconcile things between us had been genuine, but now, I’m not so sure.
Chapter Ten
The next day, I wake up just before noon. A dull rain beats against the bedroom window. The sky is overcast, making for a dreary morning.
I leave the bedroom and walk to the kitchen. I can smell hash browns and eggs in the air. But what I really want, and what drives me out of my room without so much as a glance in the mirror, is the promise of freshly-brewed, strong black coffee.
I find Amanda by the sink, doing the dishes. Mel is lying at her feet. The dog sees me, gets up, and trots over to get a pat on the head.
“We missed you at breakfast,” Amanda comments cheerily. “Richard didn’t wa
nt to wake you, so we left some food on the table.” She looks over her shoulder at me. “You can use the microwave to warm it up if you want.”
“Thanks,” I say, picking up the plate. “Where’s Rich?”
“He said he had to run some errands in town.” Amanda shrugs. “He’ll be back soon.”
I wonder what his “errands” really entail. The microwave beeps and I take my food out. Mel trots up to me at the table, and I sneak her a little bit of sausage when Amanda’s not looking. She gobbles it happily.
“Oh, Richard told me how you two met, by the way,” Amanda mentions over the sound of running water.
I look at her and perk an eyebrow. “Did he?”
“Yeah. He told me the whole thing. You were with friends at some club. Barley’s or something.”
“Barren,” I correct.
Amanda snaps her fingers. “That’s it! Barren. He said you just broke up with your boyfriend and were looking for a rebound.” She gives me an even look. “I don’t blame you. Richard said he seduced you quite easily.”
“Oh.”
Amanda laughs. “That was the big secret, wasn’t it? I can’t believe you didn’t just tell me.” She wipes her hands on a towel and sits down across from me. “Richard said when your boyfriend found out you left with him, he became so enraged he went to your apartment and destroyed all your stuff. You were afraid to stay there the next day in case he came back, so Rich offered to take care of you. You wanted to get away, so he brought you here.” Amanda tilts her head to the side. “That about right?”
I nod. “Something along those lines.” So Rich had told Amanda about where we’d met. But he’d also made up everything else to hide the truth of what happened after. It meant he didn’t want to involve Amanda in his secrets.
“You should have just told me,” Amanda says, touching my arm. “There’s no shame in hiding from a vengeful ex. Especially when he sounds as out of control as Richard made him seem.”
“I don’t have the best luck picking boyfriends,” I admit, playing along.
“And you’re not the first to fall for Richard’s charms.” She offers a significant look. “I should know.”
