The Scale (Martha's Way)

by Mika Jolie

  More than three hundred Easter egg-colored houses known as the Gingerbread Cottages complete with dainty trimmings and names such as Angel Cottage, Wooden Valentine, and The Pink House made up the cottage colony, a major tourist point she admitted was a draw for the eyes.

  Oak Bluffs was The Vineyard version of SoHo or the Village in New York. It possessed a gaiety she guessed was probably even livelier at night.

  She glanced over to the beach. The Inkwell Beach made famous from the movie with the same title was filled with beachgoers.

  Minka made a mental note to come back to check it out later. She wished Lily had taken her up on her offer and made this trip with her. At least she would have a traveling companion, but, in true Lily fashion, her friend had pointed out this was a wedding she needed to deal with alone and she wasn’t invited. Minka smiled, missing her friend.

  She had learned long ago about the history of the town, home to a rich African-American history as well as dignitaries, politicians, artists, and writers during one of her late-night study sessions with Blake. He had described it with so much passion she had asked why he left. Blake had shrugged when he answered, “Everyone leaves the island. Some go back. But, I’m not.”

  Children with their parents were running, laughing, and flying kites. Minka slowed her strides to admire them, loving their laughter and freedom. Her mind wandered to Jason. She guessed he would be comfortable here. She could almost see him with his sun-kissed blond hair casually walking along the boardwalk or the crowded streets. Minka could only imagine the chaos he and Blake had caused in this town.

  In Minka’s mind’s eye, she pictured two rambunctious boys riding their bikes, flying kites at the park, swimming in lakes, ponds, and causing mayhem. A smile crossed her lips as she imagined what it would be like to grow up in such a place.

  In the end, it was Jason who occupied her mind as she wondered what it would be like to come back here with him. In his arms. Get a grip on yourself, Minka, it was just one night.

  As soon as she entered the trendy dockside restaurant, a lump formed in her throat at the sight of Keely sitting under a large white umbrella. Dressed in a handkerchief dress and strappy sandals with heels that defied the scale of balance, Keely looked stunning. Minka noticed a few men glancing at her sister, but her sister seemed unaware of all the attention. Minka glanced at her watch, ten minutes late. Not bad. She’d managed to call her sister to tell her she was running a few minutes behind. As always, Keely had not complained of her tardiness, something that seemed to be a pattern whenever they were scheduled to meet somewhere. Coincidentally, this time she had a good excuse. She had been busy screwing the best man. Running her hand over her mussed blouse, wishing she’d made a pit stop to redo her makeup, she made her way to her sister’s table.

  Keely came to her feet and wrapped her arms around her. After a slight hesitation, she pressed her arms around her sister. No matter how many times they had hugged in the past, it always felt strange to her. It was almost laughable to think they were twins.

  As she sat on the chair, Minka felt her sister’s gaze on her, scrutinizing her appearance. She knew she looked downright disheveled. On top of that, it was ridiculously humid outside. Not only was she sporting morning bed hair, she now had the weather as an added bonus. With discomfort, she ran one hand through her mad curls in an attempt to tame them.

  “You’re not wearing a bra,” Keely noted.

  Minka froze, feeling the heat rising into her cheeks. She had forgotten to put her bra back on.

  “Doesn’t look like you got much sleep either,” Keely continued, clearly amused by her appearance. “Want to tell me what happened?”

  Let’s see, where do I start? I picked up Jason at his bar. Went back to his house and had wild animal sex with him.

  “Nothing happened. I went out for a drink and crashed.” The words rang in her ears; they were partially true. She did crash, just not on her bed. “I have a headache. I can’t stay too long. The meter is only for one hour.” There, she had established a time constraint.

  Bright, amused eyes stared back at her from across the table until Minka felt transparent and looked away. Keely believed in the powerful twins’ connection thing. Minka didn’t.

  “Do you want to reschedule?” Keely asked. Her voice held no hint of annoyance.

  A rare pang of guilt rose in her heart. Her sister had begged her for a day alone. The plan was to have brunch then drive to the inn to meet Claire, her sister’s BFF. The few times she had crossed paths with the other woman, she had been polite, even friendly, but Minka never assumed she belonged in their circle.

  “No,” Minka replied softly. As the maid of honor, spending time discussing marriage plans was one of the many crosses she’d have to bear. She might as well get used to it. So what if she was sitting at a crowded restaurant looking ragged while her sister looked immaculate across the table.

  Keely appeared to be satisfied and returned her attention to a platter of fruit on the table and took a bite into a juicy piece of nectarine. She licked the juice off her lips and Minka swore all the men in the diner noticed and automatically caught an erection.

  “Can you not do that?”

  Keely looked at her blankly. “What?”

  “That thing you always do when you are eating a piece of fruit, or anything for that matter.” She waved her hands in frustration. Her sister looked at her as if she had grown two extra heads.

  “I’m eating a nectarine.”

  “You are eating it like…” Minka searched her mind for the appropriate word, “like it’s Blake.”

  A roar of laughter erupted from Keely, another seductive thing she possessed. No one looked annoyed by her deafening shriek, if anything even some of the women turned and smiled adoringly at her.

  God, she wanted to die.

  “Fine, Mink.”

  Of course only her sister called her Mink. She hated that nickname. She hated fur so why would she want to be called Mink? But whatever, at least Keely put the nectarine down.

  “For the record, this is a really good nectarine, and it doesn’t even come close to how Blake tastes.”

  Shoot me now, please. Inside she shuddered at the thought but plastered a smile on her face. She needed to change the conversation to something safer. “How come you didn’t design your own dress? I imagine you’d know exactly what you want.”

  Her sister smiled. “Claire designs the best gowns.”

  That was true. The famous singer designed gowns for the rich and famous.

  “I sent her a few sketches,” Keely continued, “But quite frankly I don’t know which sketch she decided on. It’s all a big surprise. I brought a few sketches with me. Want to see?”

  She nodded, all the while hoping she gave the impression of being elated.

  Keely pulled out a thin blue folder from her large straw bag, “Claire and I are good friends.”

  Minka nodded again. The two women met in design school while Claire was on hiatus after the success of her first record and became inseparable. If anything, she thought the woman should have been Keely’s MOH.

  “She’s a great artist with wonderful eyes. I couldn’t say no.”

  Minka nodded in understanding. She opened the folder to survey the sketches just as the waiter came to get their order. Keely ordered a cheese platter with a Mimosa and a watercress salad. She was tempted to go for an omelet with apples and sausage and a side of home fries. But alas, it was Sunday. Another week was starting, the week she was determined to stick to her diet and lose two pounds.

  “I’ll have two hard-boiled eggs and a cup of coffee. No sugar.” she added, remembering she had read somewhere if she cut out sugar, carbs and dairy, the weight would essentially fall off. Although her stomach begged for food to restore some of the energy she spent last night, she ignored it.

  For forty-five minutes she did her best to maintain a level of excitement. But as Minka listened to continuous chatter about her sister’s upcoming weddin
g and honeymoon in Provence, France, the photo shoot for her next collection, she became lost and disengaged from the conversation. She was unacquainted with the world her sister lived in, a world that consisted of fashion, models, and art. She glanced at the cold glass of water and wished she was sipping a nice glass of wine or whatever magic drink her sister was drinking instead.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t love her career. As a matter of fact, that was probably her only source of true joy. Ever since she was a child, she had always loved teaching others. It was natural for her to major in education and now teach elementary school. As much satisfaction as she received from helping a child discover something new, her job wasn’t as glamorous as Keely’s profession.

  “I’m sorry, Minka.”

  Not sure why her sister was apologizing, Minka could only stare at her. Keely reached over the table to place a sympathetic hand over hers. Minka’s heart raced with apprehension. Very few occasions brought such a look to her sister’s face. There was that first big fashion show in New York she had participated in which, of course, received rave reviews, and her first date with Blake. Besides those two occasions, she couldn’t remember ever seeing such a worried look on her sister’s face. Unless…

  “God, Minka. Sometime I can be so selfish.” Keely paused, hazel eyes taking on a darker shade of green. “Please don’t think you are losing me. If anything, you are gaining a brother in Blake.”

  For once Minka was thankful for sitting outside since she could hide her expression behind dark sunglasses. This conversation was going way too fast for her. She couldn’t keep up. “What?”

  “Blake adores you. You used to be his best friend, until I came along,” Keely said with a grateful smile, not the least smug.

  Minka nodded in agreement; there was no denying that.

  “Anyhow, let’s change the subject. Enough about me, Blake, and the wedding.”

  Keely was pure perfection. Not only did she manage to drag her out to lunch to gush about her upcoming nuptials, she would probably get her to agree to wear a dress that made her look like a strawberry shortcake. But upon recognizing her sister’s distress, all Keely’s excitement was put aside as she switched her focus to Minka’s misery.

  Great!

  “What do you want to talk about now?” Minka asked, although she already knew the answer.

  “You, of course.” That revelation didn’t surprise her. “You need a boyfriend, or maybe a hook-up.”

  She almost choked on her water. And since she didn’t want to asphyxiate herself to death, Minka took the time to swallow the mouthful of cool liquid. She could already see the article capturing her demise. Minka Greene, daughter of Marcus Greene, prominent athlete turned entrepreneur and former model wife Bea, still drop-dead gorgeous, no pun intended, daughter—don’t worry, not the beautiful one—was found dead. It appeared she suffocated while eating a pizza.

  “I don’t need a boyfriend,” she said slowly

  “Then you won’t feel like you are losing me,” her sister continued.

  “I don’t feel that way.”

  Keely was still smiling. “Any hot guys at work?”

  Minka thought of her group of seven-year-old students at the private school where she taught, picking their noses and making poop jokes. The teachers were mostly women except one or two men, and the only hot guy she could think of was engaged to her best friend. Nope, no hot guys there, unless she was into totally devoted married dads, which she wasn’t.

  “You may have forgotten I’m an elementary school teacher,” she pointed out to her sister.

  Unfortunately, Keely didn’t seem to have heard her words. “When was the last time you went on a date?”

  Minka shrugged. “I don’t remember.” Really, she didn’t remember; it was that long ago. “But I’m not looking to hook-up with anyone.” A little voice reminded her she did just that with Jason last night. More so, she wanted to do it again.

  Keely shook her head. “How could you not want to hook-up?”

  Minka shrugged in her best I don’t really care manner.

  “I think,” Keely leaned closer, as if ready to reveal the reason why the economy was in such a dire state, “you should hook-up with someone on The Vineyard.”

  Minka grinned in spite of herself. How ridiculous. “I’m not that desperate.”

  “Why does it have to be about desperation?” her sister asked, looking completely taken aback. “It would be fun to hook-up with someone. Say, like Jason.”

  Minka had to do a quick mental count to fifty in order to maintain her composure. “I’m not Jason’s type, nor is he mine,” she countered in fear not to sound inferior.

  Her sister didn’t look convinced. She arched her pretty, perfectly waxed eyebrows. “You must be blind if you don’t find Jason to be a hottie. The man is a walking sex stick.”

  “Keely,” she hushed her sister. Surprised she could be so blunt about someone other than the man she was going to marry.

  “Oh, please,” Keely said, dismissing her concern. “I’m in love with Blake, but I’m not blind. There’s nothing wrong with window shopping. I don’t intend to buy any of the material.”

  “I’m not going to hook-up with Jason.” At least not again. “So please get that out of your pretty head.”

  “I can ask him to show you around.”

  Minka sighed. “Keely, no.” She stressed the no in hopes her sister would realize she was serious. “I don’t want Jason to show me around. I don’t want to go out on a date with him. I can get my own date.” Even to her ears, the words didn’t sound convincing.

  “I know you can,” Keely agreed without a blink, “but not if you keep all the hotties at arm’s length.”

  She sat back in her chair and let out a heavy sigh. This conversation was clearly one-sided.

  Keely carefully watched her as if she actually had interesting traits. Minka shifted her body uncomfortably. Until now, she never realized her sister’s eyes poked such a hole in her soul.

  “Minka, no one else can see your beauty until you start seeing it yourself.”

  I’m not beautiful, Keely, you are. She wanted to say, but instead Minka took one last bite of her hard-boiled egg. They’d had conversations similar to this in the past, not because she felt particularly close to Keely, but her sister always seemed to feel the urge to bond.

  The truth was Keely was the one who made everyone smile. She was the one who could walk into a room and cause every head to turn. It was something Minka had grown to accept. However, today as they sat outside of the restaurant talking about the upcoming wedding and hooking up with Jason, Minka couldn’t help but feel a little lost.

  “We are twins. If I’m beautiful, so are you.”

  She didn’t remind her sister they were only fraternal twins with very little in common.

  Keely rose to her feet and wrapped her light summer scarf around her neck in a dramatic fashion, completely unaware of the two handsome men sitting a few tables away gawking at her like hungry wildcats waiting to strike their prey. Minka envied her sister’s ability to be oblivious to the cataclysm she created in the world.

  Digging into her purse, Minka pulled out her credit card to pay the bill. She had insisted on paying for brunch and drinks. As she did so, her fingers landed on a small sheet of paper. Jason’s numbers. She pulled the paper out of her bag and looked intently at it. Light blue eyes, strong firm lips with an inviting smile emerged before her. She remembered his lips kissing her neck, her naked shoulders, and her back as she leaned forward on the leather chair in his room with Jason standing behind her, thrusting deep inside her.

  Her pulse quickened as the memories of the previous night came flooding back. Stung by its touch, she quickly dropped the paper back into the darkness of the large purse.

  She needed to forget him.

  Chapter Eight

  “I have yet to see a scale that can tell you how enchanting your eyes are.”

  Steve Maraboli

  A l
ittle over one hour later, Minka pulled her car up the winding driveway into the parking area of Martha’s Way and stepped out. Her heart somersaulted when she spotted the black Jeep that belonged to Jason. She glanced at her watch and hoped he was out with Blake. She wasn’t ready to see him. Squaring her shoulders, she followed her sister through the elegantly decorated shrubs to the inside. A part of her wanted to rush, but she slowed her steps and took in the sheer beauty of the inn.

  Surrounded by a lush green line, the inn was hidden in the pastoral town of West Tisbury on seven acres of spacious, immaculate lawns. Martha’s Way was known as one of the most romantic retreats on Martha’s Vineyard. She understood why this place was special to Blake and her sister; it offered tranquility and seclusion. This was their spot. Whenever Blake returned, he’d stayed here with her sister. It was here he had proposed. It all made sense.

  She ignored the way her heart dropped at having to invade a place that meant so much to Blake and her sister and entered the front door and foyer. She surveyed the room, appreciating the English country décor accented by warm colors. It was elegant yet comfortably decorated with mahogany leather furnishings and several cozy sitting areas for reading, listening to music, or just relaxing by the fireplace.

  Minka came to a halt. In the large room Jason stood next to Claire, the very pretty Asian/African-American singer. Claire raised her face to look at him as she laughed and touched his arm. The act looked intimate, as if they’d known each other for ages and shared a secret.

  As if sensing her presence, his gaze drifted from Claire’s face to hers. The hunger she’d witnessed this morning was still visible in his eyes. Off-guard, she took a step back and bumped into her sister. He smiled, letting her know he was aware of the effect he had on her.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” she murmured.

  Her sister dismissed the apology. Within seconds Keely and Claire were hugging. The two women spoke with such excitement over each other Minka felt out of place. The idea to walk away and give them some time to catch up dawned on her.