HisMarriageBargain

by Sidney Bristol

  Pandora grimaced and whispered back, “Not good.”

  Carly’s natural artistic ability was next to nothing, and training her to draw and sketch wasn’t going well. Pandora was Carly’s primary mentor, but they all chipped in, giving her things to sketch, tattoos to draw. Carly wasn’t bad for a lack of trying, but it wasn’t a natural talent for her.

  It was the elephant in the room none of them talked about. How could they? Carly had lost everything. None of them were willing to take anything else from her.

  “Oh no.” Pandora gripped the edges of the table, suddenly a little green. She propelled herself off the table and grabbed the plastic trash can under the desk. “I’m going to be sick.”

  “Shit.” Autumn jumped up, grabbing a roll of paper towels with one hand and Pandora’s hair with the other.

  Pandora heaved, breathing deeply for several moments. Autumn focused on the rock and roll playing over the loudspeakers, blocking out the sound of Pandora being ill. After a few moments, when Pandora seemed to be settling, Autumn ripped off a paper towel and held it within easy reach.

  “What’s wrong, Pandora?” Carly eased to a stop at the edge of Autumn’s station.

  Pandora took the paper towel and sat down on the ground, scooting back so she leaned against the wall.

  Kellie rounded the corner, a cup of water in her hand. She crouched next to Pandora and gave it to her.

  “Thanks.” Pandora rinsed out her mouth and spit it into the trash can.

  “You going to be okay?” Kellie asked.

  “Maybe.” Pandora gathered her hair into a ponytail. For a moment they all watched her studiously avoid meeting any of their gazes. “You’re all staring. I can feel it.”

  Kellie glanced at Autumn and she shrugged.

  “That’s probably because we’re all wondering the same thing, and for once we’re being tactful and not saying it.” Kellie stood, pumping a handful of sanitizer gel into her palm.

  “I don’t know if I’m pregnant or not,” Pandora said, staring at the floor.

  Autumn’s throat constricted. The idea of children at this point in her life made her nervous, but Pandora and Brian screamed family with 2.5 children.

  “Have you been getting sick a lot lately?” Kellie asked.

  Autumn couldn’t stand all the uncertainty. “You know what, there’s no point in speculating. I need to go down the street anyways to Sammi’s office. Why don’t we walk down to the drugstore and get a test?”

  Pandora pushed to her feet, rubbing her palms on her thighs. “I think I want to do that at home.”

  “Okay. Whatever you want to do, we’re here for you.” Autumn threw her arms around Pandora, not sure how to hope the test went.

  “Thanks.” Pandora squeezed her back.

  The chime over the front door rang, announcing their first customer of the day. They scattered, Carly to greet the customer, Kellie to get her station prepped and Pandora to take the trash can out the back door.

  Autumn checked the schedule book. Her day yawned empty except for a piercing later.

  “Hey, Carls, I’m going to run down to Sammi’s office and grab something for him real quick, okay?”

  “You mean you’re going to run out before Mary gets here and sees you’re doing an errand?” Carly propped her chin on her fist.

  “Yeah, like no one else does that. Hey, did she ever find Sam?”

  “Oh yeah, he was hanging out with some of his gangsta fabulous friends, just didn’t bother to come home.”

  “Carly, please never try to say gangsta ever again, okay?”

  Carly grinned and flashed her a gang sign. Or maybe just twisted her fingers around. Like Autumn would know.

  “Glad he’s home though. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Autumn dropped her sunglasses onto her nose and stepped out onto the sidewalk. The downside to walking down to the office was that she was sweating before she was halfway there.

  Sammi’s office occupied a corner suite of a building he owned. He rented space out to other businesses. Had she known she was going to drop by, she’d have worn something other than a strapless sundress that showed off a generous amount of cleavage. There was no changing now.

  She entered the cool interior with its sterile, beige walls. The front desk was empty, but a man in a suit stood at a fax machine.

  He glanced at her over his shoulder. “Sorry, we don’t have a public restroom.”

  “That’s nice. I’m not here to use the bathroom. I’m here to pick up something for Sammi.” She leaned her hip against the receptionist desk and pushed her sunglasses on top of her head.

  “And you would be?” He turned and his gaze raked over her. Oh look, another judgmental asshole.

  “I’m Autumn. Sammi’s wife.”

  The man’s brow wrinkled in obvious disbelief. “Give me a second.”

  He left the papers on the fax machine and walked down an adjacent hall. Somewhere to her left a chair creaked and another man’s face came slowly into view. He had a phone pressed to his ear, but his gaze, that was all over her.

  Autumn smiled when she would have preferred to flip him off, then ignored the attention.

  Footsteps heralded a woman and the first man making the bend from the hall.

  “Oh my.” The woman stopped suddenly, her eyes large. Something about her was familiar.

  “Hi, I’m here to pick up some files for Sammi,” Autumn said again.

  “Yeah, one second.” The woman backpedaled into the farthest office from the door and snatched a stack off the corner of a desk. She glanced at Autumn before shoving them in a satchel and bringing it to the desk. Instead of handing it to Autumn, she dropped it on the desk as if it were a hot potato. “There you go.”

  “Okay, thanks.” Autumn slung the strap over her shoulder and made a quick exit. As soon as she was on the sidewalk she pulled her phone out of the pocket that made this dress a favorite and dialed Sammi.

  “Hey, did you already go by the office?” he asked without preamble.

  “Yeah. Hey, have I met your receptionist before? I just realized I’ve never actually been inside the office before.”

  “Christine. She was at the party Friday. Why?”

  Autumn grimaced. Lovely. That would explain why the woman acted as if Autumn were about to beat a bitch down.

  “No reason. I got the files, bring them home later. Did you get in with the doctors?”

  “Yeah. Hey, I got to go.”

  “I thought you were resting.”

  “I am. I just have to get ready to go to the doctor’s office now.”

  “Okay, talk to you later.”

  “Bye, Sunshine.”

  Autumn ended the call with a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. What wasn’t Sammi telling her?

  * * * * *

  “I’m at the doctor’s office now.” Sammi shifted into Park and bit the inside of his mouth.

  “I can’t believe they made you wait a day,” Autumn fumed on the other end of the call.

  “Yeah, well, I’m still kicking.” In reality he was sweating. He’d used the excuse of going to the doctor’s yesterday and stupidly answered the phone when he was supposed to be at his pretend checkup. Now he was having to layer his lies.

  “They’re lucky Carly needed help this morning or else I’d be over there kicking some ass.”

  “Calm down, Sunshine. I’ll check in with you after I see the doc.”

  “Okay, later.”

  “Bye.”

  Sammi ended the call and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Things were getting complicated. So many moving pieces he hadn’t factored into his plan in the beginning.

  A tap on the window brought his head up.

  His mother stood on the other side of the car door, every silver hair in place and wearing another of her color-coordinated pantsuits despite the heat crawling over the one hundred mark.

  Sammi opened the door and unfolded himself. “Hi, Mom.”

  “What
on earth was taking you so long?” She turned on her heel and led them into his house.

  “Sorry, had to run some files by the office and show a property.” He’d barely made it through the showing. There was a very good chance he’d need to hand that off to one of his associates soon. Maybe Autumn’s coworker Carly could give him pointers on driving without using his legs. After only a few hours on his feet, he was already feeling the strain in his muscles.

  He unlocked the front door and held it for his mother.

  Autumn thought he was at the doctor’s office. The truth was he hadn’t seen a doctor about his condition since consulting his primary physician about the possibility that Guillain-Barré syndrome could relapse.

  “This is where you’re living now?” His mother wandered from the office into the formal living room, her mouth wrinkled up in disapproval.

  Sammi took a deep breath and reminded himself that what he and Autumn liked was vastly different from what his mother liked. They’d chosen modern furniture, clean lines, a little on the minimalistic side. He’d been aware of the fact that sooner rather than later the house might need to be outfitted with wheelchair accessibility.

  She entered the kitchen. “Humph. I guess it will do.” His mother set her purse on the kitchen island and took it all in. “You only have one dishwasher.”

  Shit.

  “Yes. Mother, I haven’t kept strictly kosher in years.” A kosher household had two sets of all kitchen items, down to a separate dishwasher so those that touched dairy products did not mix with the rest of the kitchen.

  “She doesn’t even know what kosher is, does she?”

  Sammi gripped the counter and told himself again not to let her bait him. Persian mothers always got what they wanted, but in this case he wasn’t giving up Autumn. There was something there, something he couldn’t let go. Not now. Maybe not forever.

  “You mean Autumn?”

  “I suppose.”

  “I’m married to her, Mom.”

  She studied him from across the kitchen. “Did she tattoo you?”

  Oh lovely. Back to that.

  “Yes, she did. I asked her to.”

  “When?”

  “A year ago.”

  “What would your father say?” She wrung her hands and turned to stare out the window above the sink.

  “I think Dad would like Autumn. You probably don’t want to hear this, but Dad and Autumn are a lot alike. They’re good people. Autumn’s just not Jewish. Or Persian. Don’t hold that against her.”

  “Fine.”

  Sammi narrowed his gaze. He should believe her, but this was too easy.

  “Let’s have dinner tomorrow. Someplace nice. We can make it a family affair. Now show me the rest of the house.”

  Sammi could only trust her and hope Autumn would go along with the plan.

  * * * * *

  Autumn grunted and struggled for a better grip on the armchair. Kellie shoved and Autumn was slammed up against the doorframe. One of the armrests prodded her boobs. “Watch it, Kellie. Geez, I am not Quin. You can pop these things.”

  “Oh stop your whining. To your right a little. There you go.” Kellie stood on the wheelchair lift that was a recent install to the over-garage apartment. By the end of the week the roof would be extended to provide cover and Carly would officially begin her independent life.

  They shuffle stepped until Autumn could fit the chair through the door.

  “You’re clear all the way to the wall,” Carly said. She’d been hovering around them as they figured out how to get the chair and both of them up the stairs since the lift wasn’t big enough.

  “Great,” Autumn muttered.

  “What was that? You need to start sparring?” Kellie grinned.

  “Hell no.” Autumn shook her head vigorously. She’d seen the bruises Kellie and Quin left on each other. “I’ll stay with the StairMaster.”

  “That’s good. Right there,” Carly interjected.

  They lowered the overstuffed chair so it sat against the wall, almost blocking a window.

  The apartment was L-shaped, with the kitchenette in the farthest corner, the living room area in the front and the bedroom tucked in a nook created by the bathroom. It was cozy, but Carly didn’t come with a lot of baggage, nor could she make a lot of money just being shop manager at So Inked. For now, nineteen and partially paralyzed, she was regaining some of the life she’d lost.

  Several bags lined the wall near the bed, and rumpled sheets confirmed what Autumn had suspected. Carly had already been staying in the apartment.

  “What did your mom and dad say about you moving all your stuff out?” Autumn flopped on the bed and eyed the line of boxes she’d missed.

  “They don’t really say anything. Honestly? I think they’ll be glad I’m gone.” Carly leaned on one armrest.

  It was no secret her parents were less than supportive. Their parental spirit had waned close to six months into her recovery, and for the last six she’d stayed anywhere she could, which included Kellie’s and Pandora’s houses. Autumn would have gladly put her up, but there was no way to get Carly into her apartment what with having only stairwell access.

  “Brian and Quin should be here any minute.” Kellie glanced at her phone and sat on the edge of the bed, which, before the chair, had been the only bit of furniture.

  “What else do you need?” Autumn asked.

  “I have the essentials. Probably hit up some discount stores for other stuff.” Carly smiled and ruffled her short hair, which was growing out. Something about the way it stuck out every which way, the Rogue-like white streak and her freckles were utterly adorable, but Autumn wouldn’t mention that.

  “I think I hear an engine.” Kellie headed for the door, followed by Carly. Autumn brought up the rear, taking a moment to soak it all in.

  Brian’s sister owned the house and just happened to be a nurse. She’d helped Brian regain the ability to walk after a near-fatal plane crash. Though none of them had mentioned it, they were all hoping someday Carly would walk down the stairs.

  “Hey, ladies,” Brian yelled from the driveway. He bent and deposited his ever-faithful companion Gibson on the ground. The corgi had become an almost permanent feature in all their lives.

  Gibson bounded up the stairs as fast as his little stubby legs would carry him.

  “Did you get it all on there?” Kellie called down.

  Autumn peered at the flatbed trailer, packed tight with a dresser, sofa and dining set as well as a few odds and ends. There were four people in the driveway, but not the four she’d expected.

  “What’s Jacob doing here? And where’s Mary?” Autumn whispered to Kellie.

  Kellie muttered over her shoulder, “Hell if I know. She hasn’t spoken to me much lately. Sam’s being a real pain in the ass.”

  Jacob stared up at them. As in, Jacob who’d just gotten married over the weekend.

  “Shouldn’t he be on his honeymoon?” Autumn muttered. She was torn between wanting the man to do right by his wife and knowing Jacob belonged with Carly. They were two puzzle pieces that fit. Except life had other plans right now.

  “She probably didn’t want to go on one because then she’d have to actually spend time with her husband.” Kellie pursed her lips. The “she” was Jacob’s wife, whom no one was fond of.

  “We’re going to bring the sofa up first, so move stuff out of the way,” Quin yelled.

  “What stuff to move? Let’s get out of here, give them more room,” Kellie suggested loud enough for Carly to hear.

  Carly rolled backward into the apartment, Gibson happily sitting on her lap, tongue lolling out to the side. Her easy smile from before was gone, and in its place was something more like a grimace.

  Autumn followed Kellie down the stairs and joined Pandora in supervising the three shirtless men hauling the sofa off the flatbed.

  “That’s a nice view,” Kellie remarked, glancing at Pandora, who was grinning.

  “Brian needs a li
ttle sun,” Pandora added.

  Autumn could think only of Sammi, healthy and strong, tossing her into the ocean. Hoisting her over his shoulder. She cleared her throat and peered at Pandora. “So what happened with the…?”

  “The pregnancy test?” Pandora glanced at Autumn and Kellie on either side of her, a shy smile curling her lips. “Negative. But we talked about it, and after the wedding we’ll probably try.”

  “Are you happy with that?” Autumn asked.

  Pandora nodded.

  “God, you two are going to have beautiful babies.” Autumn threw her arm around Pandora and kissed her temple.

  “Will you bring the cushions up? Maybe the dresser drawers?” Quin called down. Somehow they’d managed to get the sofa up the stairs without injuring anyone.

  “On our way,” Kellie yelled back.

  They gathered the cushions and drawers between them and trekked up the stairs, dancing with the three men on their way down. Within twenty minutes they’d transformed the little apartment into a home. The guys didn’t sprawl on the furniture, but chose to lie on the cool laminate floor instead. The small window units chugged out cool air, but with seven adults and one dog it was a losing battle.

  “My sister has the standing machine out of storage,” Brian said into the silence.

  “Standing? Machine?” Autumn blinked, glancing between Brian and Carly.

  Carly kept her gaze on Gibson, paying special attention to scratching him behind the ears.

  “Yeah.” Brian sat up, oblivious to Carly’s awkwardness. “It’s this chair you strap into and then stand up in. Helps keep bones strong.”

  “Okay, we need to load up and get back to the shop. We’re going to miss opening.” Kellie pushed to her feet and toed her boyfriend, who wrapped his hand around her ankle in a lightning-fast move. The two were rowdy, bordering on violent at times, but they never hurt each other. Watching them was a lot like refereeing two seven-year-old boys.

  The room seemed to exhale, the strain dissipating until everyone was moving toward the door, into the bathroom or grabbing another cold drink of water.

  “All right. Hey, Carly, can I ride with you?” Autumn asked as everyone began filing out and down the narrow stairs.