The Husband Maker Boxed Set

by White, Karey

  ME: JUST IN CASE I HAVEN’T TOLD YOU, MY APARTMENT IS 1C IN THE ROYAL CROWNE APARTMENTS. I LOVE YOU ALL.

  I tucked the phone under my pillow and tried to ignore the voices so close to my window, wishing the neighbor would wake up and have an itch to watch Let’s Make a Deal.

  I didn’t sleep well the rest of the night, and I felt even more exhausted when I woke up than when I had gone to bed.

  My stomach rumbled as I stepped into the shower, reminding me I needed to get groceries. I had lathered my hair when the water took a dramatic turn and became ice cold. I plastered myself against the wall, glad I’d scrubbed it. I fiddled with the faucet and finally the water returned to a comfortable temperature. I began to rinse my hair only to have it turn scalding hot.

  The wall had been good enough to spare me some of the discomfort of the cold, but the fear of a blistering burn drove me out of the bathtub and I nearly fell as my feet slipped on the linoleum, water puddling around me.

  I still needed to condition my hair and shave my legs. How was I going to manage an entire shower if I couldn’t get more than thirty seconds of tolerable temperature?

  I continued to drip on the floor as I adjusted the water. I finished my shower but I was scared and jumpy the entire time.

  Cissy knocked on my door just as I was ready to leave.

  “The cops was here this morning wanting to know if I heard something suspicious last night. Did they talk to you?”

  “No, you’re my very first visitor of the day. Or ever, come to think of it.” I smiled but Cissy didn’t smile back.

  “I just wanted to tell you you’d best not be saying much to the cops. You don’t want your neighbors to have a grudge now, do you?”

  I wasn’t sure how to answer that. Was it even a question?

  “Well, anyway, just thought I should let you know.”

  What exactly had Cissy let me know? The uneasy feeling I’d had since I knocked on her apartment manager door the day before grew.

  “Have a nice day,” I said to Cissy’s back as she started back down the dim hallway. She lifted her hand dismissively, but didn’t turn around.

  I stepped out into the hallway and locked my door. It smelled so bad out here. I looked along the floor for electrical sockets. There was one just under the low-wattage light fixture halfway to the front door. Should I ask Cissy if I could get a plug-in air freshener? She’d probably be offended. I’d just get one at the grocery store and plug it in. Maybe no one would notice. And maybe I’d buy a new lightbulb. Would anyone care if I changed the 25 watt bulb for something a little brighter?

  I breathed in the crisp, clear air when I stepped outside. The bright sun was trying to fool us into thinking it wasn’t the last week of October. Golden leaves on the trees that lined the end of the parking lot were the only clue that it was autumn.

  Not too far from here—maybe just a few miles—Angus was probably doing doctorly things, completely unaware that I was so close. I felt antsy to see him. Within a few days he’d know I was here, and he’d know I meant business.

  It took me a minute to realize there was a problem. I guess I’m not as observant as I’d like to think I am, because I had unlocked my car and tossed my purse into the passenger seat before I realized my car was shorter than it should be. I took a step back, looked closely, and gasped. Both tires on the driver side were flat. I stepped around to look at the other side. Sure enough, it was sitting on the rims on that side as well.

  I put my hand on my forehead and staggered back a couple of steps. This wasn’t an accident. I approached one of the tires, almost afraid to get too close. I ran my hand over the surface. There was a gash in the side. The gash was big enough that I doubted it could be repaired. I bit my lips. The new tires were one of the selling features when I’d found this CR-V with my parents. Now I probably had four worthless tires.

  The fear I had felt when I’d heard voices in the night returned. Someone had intentionally done this to me. Maybe they were watching me right now. I glanced around but didn’t see anyone acting suspiciously. Did Cissy know who had done this? Was this what she had been talking about this morning? Was she warning me not to report this? Did the noise she’d been talking about have something to do with me and my tires?

  My phone rang in the car. I tried to open the passenger door to get it, but it was still locked, so I hurried around to reach through the car for it.

  It was Will.

  “Hey, Sis. How’s it going?”

  I would have answered him, but I couldn’t. My throat had completely closed off, and forming words was impossible. In fact, breathing had become difficult. I tried to drag in a breath but it took a moment, and when I finally pulled in enough air to survive, it escaped again in an ugly sob.

  “Charles, what’s going on?” Will sounded scared, and I somehow needed to let him know I was okay.

  “Just... Oh... It’s...”

  “Charles, say something. Are you hurt?”

  I dropped down onto the curb by the car. “Will. I’m not hurt, but... It’s just that...” I tried to think of something to tell him that wouldn’t worry him. If I told him what had happened to my car, and how awful my apartment was, and about the voices right outside my window... Dad and Mom would be on the first flight out and they’d insist on moving me back home.

  “Don’t try to sugarcoat it, Chuck. I can tell you’re about to. You’d better tell me the truth.”

  I sighed. “Okay, but only if you promise not to tell Mom and Dad.”

  “You know I can’t promise that. Not if something’s really wrong.”

  “Please don’t tell them. I’ll be fine, and I have to be here.”

  “Just tell me what’s happening.”

  And so I told him. Everything. He didn’t interrupt me, but I could sense through the phone, even across two thousand miles, that Will was fuming.

  “You need to turn this in to your insurance. They’ll probably help pay for tires. But you’ve got to call the police first. The insurance company will want a police report.”

  “I’m not sure if I should do that.”

  “Do what?”

  “Call the police.”

  “Of course you should. That’s vandalism and destruction of property.”

  “But . . .”

  “Charlotte, there are no buts. Call the police.”

  “The landlady kind of told me not to.”

  “What?” I had thought Will was angry before, but now I could practically smell the smoke coming out of his ears. He was a prosecutor, after all. He was probably seeing every intimidated witness he’d ever heard of flashing before his eyes.

  “Charles, go in your apartment.”

  “Why?”

  “Lock up your car, go in your apartment, and wait until you hear from me.”

  “What are you going to do? Are you going to call the police? Don’t call the police.” I don’t know why skin-and-bone Cissy had me intimidated, but I figured she’d been sent to warn me by other people, people who probably weren’t skin and bone.

  “I’m going to have your car towed someplace that can fix your tires. Go in your apartment until they get there.”

  Will’s intensity was making my blood pressure rise.

  “You’re at the Royal Crowne apartments, right?”

  “You got my message?”

  Will’s laugh sounded a little like a bark. “Yeah. I got it. Is your car locked?”

  I picked up my purse and then locked the door. “It is now.”

  “Are you in your apartment?”

  “I’m not that fast. But I’m on my way.”

  “Tell me when you’re inside with the door locked.”

  I made my way down the dark hall. I must have been upset because I hardly noticed the sour smell. “I’m in.”

  “Is the door locked?”

  “Yes.”

  “Just wait there. I’ll call AAA. We need to get your car working, and then we’ll talk about what you need to do to move.�
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  “I don’t think I can afford to move.”

  “Well, you can’t stay there.”

  I sat down on the one stool at the counter. It shifted under me, feeling loose-jointed and risky. Worried I might break it and lose my deposit, I moved a suitcase off the couch and sat down on the sheet. I looked around my seedy, light-deprived apartment (I’d need to invest in some higher-wattage light bulbs for in here, too) and surveyed my situation. I was alone in a large, unfamiliar city. I’d be completely unemployed as soon as I finished the two projects Jayne had encouraged me to bring with me. I lived in a dump. And I was the victim of a crime that I’d been warned not to report.

  My eyes settled on the stool I’d been sitting on. It tilted a little to the left, and I could see that if I’d stayed there, I’d certainly have ended up on the floor.

  And then I laughed. If this didn’t show Angus I was willing to do almost anything to win back his heart, nothing would.

  Angus

  The car in front of me slowed down before the light even turned yellow.

  “Come on, you can make that.” I pounded my fist on the steering wheel and came to a stop behind the overly cautious driver. I picked up my phone and looked at the address again. Had Charles completely lost her mind? Even though I was new to Kansas City, I could have told her to steer clear of this part of town. She should have asked me.

  I flinched a little at that thought, knowing I hadn’t made it easy for her to call me. But wasn’t that the point? The lack of communication should have been enough to make it clear that Charlotte shouldn’t be here. She should be in San Francisco, moving on with her life. Instead, she was here by herself in a dangerous part of a city she knew nothing about.

  I won’t lie. When Will had called and told me Charlotte was here, my shock had quickly morphed to thrill. Had she really followed me all this way? Had she given up her dream job and moved away from her family for me? For so many years a move like that would have been just what I wanted. It didn’t take long before the thrill I felt over Charles following me turned into alarm.

  Charlotte could be so maddening, but I wasn’t only frustrated with her. I was also frustrated with myself. I didn’t want to be happy she had come. I didn’t even want to see her. She had a way of tearing down my resolve, and I couldn’t let her do it this time.

  I wouldn’t let her do it this time. I would send her home. I didn’t have time for Charlotte to be here. I needed to be focused right now. Combining my residency with the fellowship meant long hours and hard work. There wasn’t time to date and play around and take care of a girlfriend.

  I passed the careful driver as soon as we pulled through the intersection. It was an ancient woman who could barely see over the steering wheel. She reminded me of my grandma, and I felt guilty for my impatience.

  My phone rang in my hand. It was Will.

  “Hey man, I’m already on my way.”

  “Good. The tow truck will be there within the hour. I’m not dragging you away from anything important, I hope.”

  “Not unless you think sleep or getting groceries is important.”

  “I was afraid you’d be at work.”

  “For once Chuck’s timing is good. This is the first day I’ve had off in the last eight. I go back tomorrow for another four days straight, so if she was going to pick a time to need rescuing, she picked the right day.”

  Will must not have liked my sarcastic tone because he was quiet. “Be nice to her, Angus. She’s sacrificed a lot to come out there and show you how much she cares.”

  I gritted my teeth and measured my words. “Yeah, well I didn’t ask her to come. I don’t want her here. I needed some separation so I can get on with my life.” I sighed. “And I’ve got way too much on my plate without having to worry Charlotte is okay.”

  Will groaned. “You know, Angus. You two deserve each other. I used to think Charles was the blind one, but now I can see you’re both clueless and stupid and stubborn.”

  “I don’t think...”

  “Exactly.” Will’s voice was hard as he interrupted me. “Neither of you think. You’ve both spent years letting everything happen to you instead of thinking things through and then taking matters into your own hands.”

  “I tried. Over and over.”

  “Angus?” Will’s voice was stern. “You need to stop playing the victim. Sure, Charlotte might have been clueless, but it’s time for you to take responsibility for your own part in this mess. You were always too afraid to speak up and tell her how you felt. You expected her to read your mind. Maybe she should have, but you’re not blameless.”

  There was a long pause. I wanted to stick up for myself, to remind Will how long I’d been waiting on her, but I was worn out. Not only was I sleep deprived, I was tired of analyzing the whole Charlotte situation. That was one of the reasons I’d left San Francisco. I was exhausted. So rather than argue, I let the silence stretch out between us until finally Will spoke again.

  “Look, I don’t know how you two are going to work through all this, but if you’re too proud to accept what she’s trying to do, at least let her down easy. Remember that you used to be friends and treat her that way.”

  It was an irrational reaction, but suddenly I felt betrayed by Will. Of course he was worried about how I was going to treat Charlotte. But what about how Charlotte had treated me? I’d never have expected him to turn his back on his sister, but was it too much to ask that he try to look at both sides? Did he have to make it so obvious whose side he was on now?

  “Look Will, I’m on my way over there to get her. I’ll make sure she’s safe and I’ll send her back home. Then you can figure out a way to keep her there. You shouldn’t have let her come.”

  “I couldn’t have stopped her even if I’d thought she was making a huge mistake. And I didn’t, by the way. I thought it was the right thing for her to do. And brave too. But whatever.” Will was clearly annoyed. “I’ve got to go. Text me when you’re with her.”

  Will hung up before I could answer. He was furious, and it made me even more irritated with Chuck.

  The Royal Crowne had been a beautiful building a hundred years ago. It still looked impressive from far away, but on closer inspection, you could see the wood rotting under the eaves and around the windows. I didn’t see Charlotte’s Bug, but when I saw California plates on a CRV with four flats, I realized she had a different car.

  Charlotte had loved that little car. I felt a twinge of something I didn’t want to analyze.

  Charlotte’s car wasn’t the only undriveable one in the lot, but the two others sporting flat tires looked like they’d been sitting there since the turn of the century.

  I swear something had died in the hallway. Maybe it was still there, but how would we know. It was the middle of the day, and the hallway was almost dark.

  I heard some movement inside 1C when I knocked.

  “Who is it?”

  The sound of her voice on the other side of the door did something to me. I knew her well enough to hear the uncertainty she was trying to cover with a show of confidence. I wasn’t ready to face the girl I had hoped not to see until my heart had healed.

  I rested my hand on the top of the doorframe and buried my face against my sleeve, blocking the stench and bracing myself to see her.

  “Is someone there?”

  “It’s me, Charles.”

  She fumbled with the locks and swung the door open. She looked so excited to see me that I nearly let her hug me, which would probably have been a mistake.

  I stepped past her and into the tiny room. It was an awful place.

  Boxes and suitcases sat on a couch in the corner and a cot was made up under the window. I turned back toward her. “Charles, what are you doing?”

  “I was heading out to get groceries, but someone slashed my tires.”

  “You know that’s not what I mean.” I tried to keep the frustration out of my voice.

  It took her a minute to answer, like she was
choosing her words carefully or trying not to cry. “Can we talk about this later? I need to get my tires fixed.”

  “You need to do more than get your tires fixed. You can’t live here, Chuck. This isn’t a safe area.”

  “I didn’t know.” Her voice was almost a whisper.

  She sounded defeated, and the old Angus—the one who had loved Charlotte forever—wanted to comfort her, but I kept several feet between us. The sidewalk in front of her San Francisco apartment had proven I had no willpower when it came to Charlotte.

  “There’s a tow truck coming. They’ll be here any minute. Let’s get your stuff loaded in my car.”

  “But I’ve paid the rent here. And a deposit.”

  “It doesn’t matter. You’re not staying here. Will threatened my life if I don’t have you out of here before noon.” I looked at my watch. It was nearly one o’clock.

  “You’re still safe if we go by Pacific Time.” Her smile was weak, but I was glad to see a little of her humor. I smiled back.

  “Then we’d better get started.”

  We had carried most of her things to my car when the tow truck arrived.

  “Looks like you’ve got an enemy,” the wiry driver said, an unlit cigarette bouncing between his lips as he talked.

  “I don’t know anyone here, so I’m not sure how I managed to make an enemy already.” Charlotte looked agitated.

  “You reported this, right?” the man asked.

  Charlotte shook her head.

  “You should do that before I move the car.”

  She shook her head again. “That’s okay. I just want to get it fixed.”

  “Are you sure, Charles? It wouldn’t take long to get someone here.”

  “I’m sure. Please, just take it.”

  We both stared at her for a few extra seconds and then the driver looked at me. I shrugged and he kept working.

  When the truck left, carrying Charlotte’s crippled car on a trailer, we loaded the last few things into my car.

  “You should lock up and turn in your key. I’ll come with you.”

  I stood a little behind Charlotte. She knocked twice before the landlady answered the door. Her clothes hung limply on her lanky body, like she’d lost some weight but had never replaced her wardrobe. She folded her arms tightly and glanced warily at me while Charles asked for a refund.