by Arianna Hart
When she got to where Marley was still standing behind the bar, she dropped her enormous pocketbook on the counter and leaned over as if to embrace her daughter. Marley stood stiff and frozen, and made no effort to return the gesture.
“What can I do for you, Vivian?” Marley asked, her voice cold.
“Oh, nothing, I just wanted to see how you were holding up now that the old man is six feet under.”
She opened her purse and dug around in it for several minutes, missing the look of pain and suspicion on Marley’s face. Hunter didn’t.
“I’m holding up fine so far. Now why are you really here?”
“Is that any way to talk to your mother?”
“It wouldn’t be, if you were a real mother, but I know you and you don’t do anything without a reason. So I’ll ask you again, Vivian, why are you here?”
“Not a real mother! Now that’s a fine how do you do! You know I didn’t have to have you, didn’t have to ruin my figure carrying you around for nine months.” She dug a pack of cigarettes out of her purse and put one to her heavily painted lips.
“Do you think it was easy raising a kid all by myself? Hell, no, it wasn’t easy, ungrateful brat. Always ‘Mommy, I’m hungry’ or ‘Mommy, I need clean clothes’ or ‘Mommy, when are you going to be home?’ Nag, nag, nag. That’s all you ever did as a kid, and when I come to see you in your time of sorrow, how do you treat me? Like I’m some beggar on the street. I don’t have to stay here and be treated like this, you know. I should just walk right out of here without looking back.” She made no move to leave.
“No one is stopping you. It wouldn’t be the first time you left without a second thought.”
Hunter couldn’t believe the drama that was unfolding. Everyone in the pub carefully kept their eyes averted from the scene, but Hunter could almost feel several pairs of ears straining to hear every word.
With the way Vivian was carrying on, they didn’t have to strain hard.
“Oh God, can’t you get over that already? So I kicked you out, you landed on your feet, didn’t you? It was probably the best thing I ever did for you. They even have a name for it now, ‘tough love.’” Vivian dug around in her purse some more.
“Hey, Sugar, do you have a light? I can’t seem to find mine,” Vivian gave Hunter a syrupy smile.
It was enough to make him queasy. He reached into the ashtray that was between the two of them and slid the pack of matches her way.
“Thanks, handsome.” She took her time lighting the long cigarette and made a show of blowing the smoke out in a great big whoosh.
“I didn’t come here to fight with you, Marley. I’ve missed you. You don’t come around, you don’t call, how am I supposed to know how you are doing if I don’t stop by where you work?”
“Come off it, Vivian. How am I supposed to visit you even if I wanted too? I never know where you are or who you are living with. The only time you ‘miss’ me is when you are between boyfriends or out of money. Which is it this time?”
“That hurts.” Vivian wiped her eyes, although Hunter noticed that no tears marred her makeup.
“How can you say something like that to me? Your own flesh and blood, I came here for you, and you treat me like this?”
Vivian turned to Hunter again. Tom had made an escape to a nearby table. Close enough to help but out of the line of fire. Hunter wished he had been as quick as the old codger when Vivian addressed him.
“Do you hear how she is talking to me? Would you treat your mother like this?”
“I think this is between you and Marley,” Hunter said, trying to stay out of the argument.
“Nonsense, I make it a point to always listen to an attractive man. So tell me, when you see your mother, do you insult her and treat her like dirt?”
“My mother is dead,” Hunter said, hoping that would be the end of the conversation. His hope was in vain.
“Oh, you poor thing!” Vivian tottered over to him and pulled his head, with surprising strength, to her ample bosom.
Hunter peeked at Marley, pleading silently for help. He was trying not to suffocate from an overload of the woman’s perfume. The more he tried to pull away, the harder she pressed him to her pillow-like breasts. Hunter couldn’t think of a tactful way out of the situation, and he was starting to get desperate.
“Would you let him go, for heaven’s sake?” Marley snapped, the disgust in her voice clear. “He’s young enough to be your son.”
“Some men like mature, experienced women,” Vivian said, letting Hunter up for air. “Anyway, I was just offering him my sympathy.”
“That’s not the only thing you were offering,” Marley muttered loud enough for Hunter to hear. “So what is it going to take this time?”
“I’m sure I have no idea what you mean?” she said with an air of one who is sorely injured.
“Come off it, Vivian! How much money is it going to cost me to keep you from making more of a scene at my bar?”
“Fifteen hundred,” Vivian said not even trying to deny the accusation. “It’s not like you don’t owe it to me,” she said defensively when Marley looked aghast. “After all, I fed you, bought you clothes, took you places. Fifteen hundred is a drop in the bucket compared to that.”
“Yeah, right, I’m sure the McDonald’s playlands you took me to charged a hell of an admission price. I’ll get you your money, but it isn’t because I owe you anything.” Marley threw the dishtowel down in disgust and slipped under the bar. “Hunter, would you cover the bar while I go to my apartment?”
“Sure, I think I can handle it.” Hunter looked into her eyes, trying to silently offer her support, but she looked away. He watched her climb the back stairs and felt a shiver of unease run down his spine. She had built the wall back up, and he didn’t know if he could climb over it again.
“So, you have a thing for my baby girl, do you?”
Vivian asked, lighting another cigarette and leaning over the bar. Another wave of perfume rolled over to him and he almost gagged.
“I care for Marley a great deal, yes,” Hunter said moving back to avoid her stench. She had a hungry look in her eyes that belied her artificial motherly concern.
“Good, it’s about time she loosened up some. Always working, or studying, or planning that girl was. She never wanted to have any fun. Once I tried to take her to this club where one of the guys I was dating worked as a dancer. God he was built, he could move like a wet dream. Anyway, as I was saying, I tried to get Marley to come with me. You know, a little girls’ night out, some bonding time. Well you would’ve thought I had asked her to go to a brothel or something! The fit she threw just because I wanted her to go to a club with me on a school night. Most kids would’ve killed to be able to do that.”
“How old was she?” Hunter couldn’t imagine his mother or father offering to take him to a strip club at any age. Nor would he have gone if they had.
“I don’t know, fifteen, sixteen. She could have passed for twenty-one easy. Hell, once she started the eighth grade, I told her to stop calling me Mom in public. Made me look too old when I was trying to talk to men, you know. I tried to get her to say we were sisters, but she wouldn’t go for that either.”
“Imagine that,” Hunter said under his breath.
“So what do you do for a living? Can you support my baby so that she doesn’t have to work six days a week for the rest of her life?” Vivian’s eyes held a mercenary gleam.
“I’m working here at O’Malley’s for the time being,” Hunter said warily. The last thing he wanted was for her to find out he was a partial owner, or the late owner’s son.
“Too bad. A good-looking guy like yourself could make good money working at some of the clubs on Broadway. If you ever get tired of busting your butt for peanuts here, give me a ring and I’ll hook you up.”
Hunter looked around desperately for Marley.
Vivian had started looking at him like he was a Popsicle and it was a hundred degrees out. If Marley
didn’t get back soon he was going to find out if Oscar needed any help in the kitchen.
Just as Vivian leaned over the bar and licked her lips, Marley came back downstairs with an envelope in her hands.
“I only have thirteen-fifty, take it or leave it,” she said coldly, eyeing her mother’s proximity to Hunter.
“I’ll take it. That should be enough to get me a place to stay while I find another job. Remember what I said, gorgeous, I’ll hook you up if you need me too. Thanks for the cash, honey. I’ll pay you back when I get back on my feet.” Vivian stuffed the envelope in her overflowing purse and clattered quickly out of the bar. Apparently her motherly concern ended as soon as she got some money.
“Don’t say a word, I don’t want to hear it,” Marley said to Hunter as she bustled around the bar and began vigorously washing glasses.
Hunter watched her silently, wondering what he could say. How do you tell someone that they impress the hell out of you just because they managed to overcome all odds and make something of themselves? He was beginning to really understand Marley’s need for security. With a mother like that he’d need a hell of a lot more than a bar to make him feel secure.
Marley was now wiping down the bar hard enough to remove years of varnish. He needed to do something before she cracked completely. Letting instinct guide him, Hunter walked over, wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
“I’m going to get a sandwich and fries from Oscar, do you want anything?” Hunter thought it was a pretty lame attempt at comfort, but it was better than nothing.
“I’ll take some fries.” Marley paused for a moment.
“Ask him to put some cheese sauce over the top for me too, would you?”
“One order of cheese fries coming right up.”
Hunter wished he could make all her wishes come true that easily.
Chapter Twelve
Marley couldn’t believe Vivian had just made one of her 'appearances' in front of Hunter. She was grateful for the fact that he didn’t try to talk to her about it. What could she say? Vivian was what she was, and God knows nothing Marley could do was going to change her. She had learned that lesson the hard way.
People didn’t change. She had to keep that in mind before she fell head over heels for Hunter. He might not be out to break her heart but if she was stupid enough to give it to him he’d crush it just the same.
Marley stopped wiping the counter when her arm started aching from the strain. Tom lit his pipe, and the scent of his tobacco a sudden, powerful reminder of Seamus. She could feel the prickle of tears in her eyes and a lump forming in her throat. She missed him so much!
Seamus always knew how to make her feel better after her mother came around. He would give her a shoulder to cry on if she needed it, or just let her have her space until she was ready to talk about it. It was pretty pathetic when your boss liked you better than your own mother.
Marley sniffed back the tears and looked out the front window until they dried up. She could feel the worried glances of several of the regulars, and knew that this was her real family. If Tiger or Ricardo had been there, Vivian never would have gotten through the door. Marley had told them that she could take care of herself, but they protected her nonetheless.
That was what family was all about.
“One order of cheese fries with extra cheese and salt and pepper,” Hunter said with a flourish, pulling a napkin off the plate with all the aplomb of a waiter at a five star restaurant.
Oscar must have heard Vivian’s tirade from the kitchen because he made her a huge order of fries with loads of cheese.
“Yum, perfect. That’s just what I’m in the mood for, heart attack on a plate.” Marley dug into the food ravenously.
“You know, I rarely see you eat more than salad or the occasional bagel, and I’ve never seen you drink anything other than water, what’s with the junk food all of a sudden?”
“I only eat salad because I’m addicted to fattening foods. If it is fried or contains cheese, I’ll eat it. The more fat and calories the better, that’s why I have to eat salad most of the time. When I go off the wagon, I eat like a mad woman and wouldn’t be able to fit into my jeans if I don’t stay on the straight and narrow the rest of the time. I feel a major binge coming on,” Marley said attacking the fries and ignoring the cheese that dripped down her chin.
Hunter wiped the sauce off her face with a finger and licked it. “This is good, I may have to get some on mine next time. I’d probably lose a hand if I tried to take some of yours.” Hunter was looking at her with a hunger that had little to do with the culinary masterpiece in front of them.
How could he still want her after seeing where she had come from? He couldn’t possibly understand how bad Vivian really was or he’d be running from her as fast as his legs could carry him.
Maybe he didn’t care? Seamus hadn’t and Lord knew he had dealt with Vivian time and time again.
Maybe Hunter had more of Seamus in him than she had thought? He was still looking at her expectantly.
What had he been talking about? Oh, yeah, the fries.
Marley looked at the plate in front of her, more comforted by Hunter’s presence than the food for once in her life.
“I’ll share them with you, just this once.”
“I’m honored.”
“You should be, it isn’t often that I let anyone deprive me of what I love most.”
“I’ll certainly try not to do that,” Hunter’s eyes were sending her messages she couldn’t read, but her heart picked up pace as he reached his hand across the bar to hold hers.
“Hey, Hunter,” a voice broke in, “I left my card on the table, in case you change your mind. It was great seeing you again. Think about what I said.” The stranger Hunter was talking too earlier shattered the spell between them.
“Thanks, Pete, I’ll think about it,” Hunter shook the man’s hand and walked him to the door.
“What was that all about?” Marley asked when Hunter returned to the bar.
“Oh, Pete has a race track a few hours upstate. When I was a kid I used to go to his place every chance I had to hang around and learn stuff. He put in a good word for me in some of the right ears down south to help me get started.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you want to race cars, you have to work your way up through the system. Most drivers start at the dirt track level, and most of the tracks are down south. It is a huge good old boy network and really hard to break into, especially if you are a Yankee. Pete passed the word around so I could get hired as a test driver, which then helped me work my way into the driver’s seat for real. If I can get my hands on enough money to get a better engine in my car, and pay for the entrance fees for the bigger races, I should be invited to join a team. Once on the team, you get a sponsor, and the sky’s the limit, baby,” Hunter said, his eyes glowing with enthusiasm.
“Did Pete know of a sponsor for you?” Marley asked with a sinking heart.
“No, my agent Rick is looking for one right now. Usually the owner of the team looks for a sponsor, but Rick figures if I make a big enough splash I could have a sponsor of my own. You know, have a little income separate from the team.”
“Oh, so why did Pete leave his card for you?” The greasy fries were congealing into a rock in the pit of her stomach. The lingering smell of Vivian’s perfume seemed to mock her.
“Pete is thinking of starting a school at his track. Racing is gaining in popularity in the north, and he wants to capitalize on it. He wanted to know if I’d be interested in helping him to teach raw kids how to handle speeds over a hundred miles an hour without killing themselves.”
“And what do you think of that?” Marley knew the answer already, but her traitorous heart still held out hope.
“I told him I wasn’t ready to be retire yet, but that I would keep his offer in mind. It’ll be a great opportunity when I’m ready to settle down in fifteen, twenty years or so.” Hunter picked
up her empty plate, as well as his own. “I’m going to get a refill on those fries. Do you want some more too?” His devilish smile was back in place again.
“Uh, no I think I’ve had my fill for the time being. Go ahead and help yourself, though.” Marley’s heart had already sunk into her stomach; it didn’t need anything else in there to keep it company.
—
Marley had just locked the door to the office and was headed for the stairs when Hunter cornered her against the wall.
“I finally got my bed set up. Do you want to take it for its first test run?” Hunter asked wiggling his eyes in comic suggestion.
“It’s tempting,” Marley said truthfully, “but I think I need to be alone tonight.”
“Because of your mom?”
Marley jumped on that excuse instead of the real reason for putting some distance between them. “I know it shouldn’t but her visits always shake me up a bit. I’ll be fine in the morning.” Yeah, right, she said to herself.
“You know, I’ve got two strong shoulders just waiting to have someone cry on them,” Hunter said brushing his fingers along her cheek, making her heart melt with his gentleness.
“That’s sweet of you, Hunter, but I need some time by myself tonight.”
“If you say so,” Hunter said with obvious reluctance. “It doesn’t feel right to just leave you when you are upset.”
“I’m fine, I just need some space. I’ll still be here in the morning.”
“Me too.”
“But for how long?” Marley whispered as she watched Hunter walk away.
—
Hunter knew Marley was avoiding him. He had been at her door as soon as he woke up that morning. He had knocked politely, not using his key out of respect.
When he got no answer, he ran back to his apartment and got the key anyway. Making sure she was okay was more important than her desire for privacy.
There was no one home. She must have gotten up at the crack of dawn, because she was up and out, and Hunter hadn’t heard a thing. He had walked back to his apartment feeling a little dejected at missing her, but reasoned he’d see her when she came back. He waited for an hour before he gave up and hopped into the shower. Hunter had just stepped under the steaming spray when he felt the vibrations along the wall from Marley’s door shutting.
