Seven Days

by Charles, Rhoda

  Milan speared a baby carrot and looked up through her lashes at her companion. They hadn’t spoken too much over lunch, just exchanged the regular pleasantries and de rigueur questions about work and people they knew in common. She kept things light and relaxed throughout the meal, but she was keenly watching Luke and listening for any tidbit of information about Julian, whom she hadn’t heard from since he snuck out of her apartment Sunday night.

  Julian’s behavior was a real concern. Something was up with him, but she didn’t know what and that scared her. She hated feeling unprepared and not in control of situations around her. Luke’s unexpected call, for example, had thrown her at first, but then she remembered their kiss the other night and knew exactly why he’d called. Immediately, she agreed to meet with him. Luke’s crush could be just what she and Julian needed. Maybe Luke’s feelings would wake Julian up and he’d stop taking her for granted.

  Luke leaned back in his chair and watched her reapply her lipstick. She wondered if he was even aware that he was staring. “Thanks for meeting me,” he said, suddenly leaning forward and dropping his gaze.

  Milan smiled; points to Luke for being self-aware.

  “This has been nice, which makes it that much harder to go back to that hot studio to take pictures of table lamps.”

  “Table lamps, eh?”

  “Yes, the ever-exciting life of a commercial photographer.”

  His self-deprecation was charming and so different from Julian, who oozed confidence. “I don’t envy you your hot studio. They keep it nice and cool at the store. I must admit, though, I am ready for this heat to break.”

  “I know. It’s been so hot that Jules and Carolyn have started running at night!”

  “They have?” Milan couldn’t hide the surprise in her voice.

  “Well, I should say they went running on Sunday night. I don’t know if it’s a regular thing or not. It’s just that the heat is making people do strange things. If I ran at night I’d be way too keyed up to ever get any sleep.”

  “Me too,” she plastered on a tight, controlled smile. “You’ll have to let me know when they do this again so I can be prepared for Julian to be up all night. Forewarned is forearmed as they say.”

  “I know what you mean. Carolyn likes to keep me up when she can’t sleep. Boy can she talk when she wants to.”

  “I bet she can,” Milan grabbed her purse, “Well, I need to get back to work. I’ll see you soon?” she said and dropped some bills on the table.

  “Oh, yeah. Soon. This was fun,” he said, rising, but Milan was already on her way.

  ***

  Milan’s mood may have been bad before Luke’s call, but she was downright surly by the time she got back to the shop. All she could see was Julian and Carolyn having some cozy midnight run last night. She could hardly believe it. After all that talk about him being sorry for being such a jerk the night before and then he sneaks out to go running with that little…

  Milan sat at her desk in her cramped office, which was really a tiny section of the storeroom in the department store where she managed women’s clothing.

  She had never liked Carolyn James. She hated the way the woman seemed to manipulate the men around her. Luke, Rhys and Julian all bent themselves in knots to make sure little Carolyn was taken care of and it was sickening to watch. Even that so-called boyfriend of hers, Mark, was wrapped around Carolyn’s pinky finger.

  Milan could understand Luke and Rhys’ devotion to her, she was their sister after all, but Julian was a different story. Yes, she knew Julian was close to the Jameses and that they had all grown up together and whatever else. But Julian needed to realize that Carolyn had two brothers to take care of her and didn’t need a third. The fact the Julian didn’t see that irked Milan to no end.

  Of course, she could never tell Julian that Carolyn was not his responsibility and that his time would be better spent focusing on his own girlfriend rather than his little buddy. Something had to be done. Clearly, she would have to deal with Carolyn herself. Right away.

  In fact, she might just have to extricate Julian from the Jameses completely. If Julian remained in contact with one, there was no way to ensure that the others would stay away. It was going to be tough—Julian and Rhys’ bond was very strong. However, there was nothing like a woman to come between two men, was there?

  She reached for the phone and her PalmPilot at the same time, happy now that she had actually entered Carolyn’s contact information into her PDA.

  “Hello, can you connect me with Carolyn James, please? This is Milan Maynard.” Milan tapped a pencil against the desk while she waited. “Hi Carolyn, it's Milan.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Carolyn saw her first. She was waiting at the Bobbi Brown makeup counter in Nordstrom, their agreed upon meeting place. It always amazed Carolyn how effortlessly put together Milan was, never a hair out of place, always completely accessorized yet she never looked like she was trying. It was an art, truly.

  Carolyn put on her happy face and mustered up the strength for this girls’ day out. She called out to Milan.

  “Oh, Carolyn,” Milan sounded surprised, “you're here. I'm so glad you could come. You look great.”

  Leaning in for an air kiss, Milan swept an assessing gaze over Carolyn so quick you would have missed it had you blinked, but Carolyn was paying attention and she registered the silent judgment.

  Though she hadn't planned on it, her appearance was the exact opposite of Milan’s. She had come to the mall straight from the gym where she worked as a personal trainer in the summer. She was dressed casually in light blue sweat pants and a matching hoodie, her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail held in place with an elastic. No makeup, no jewelry (except her sports watch) and her most comfortable pair of running shoes.

  “Thanks, and thanks for asking me. I haven't been shopping in the longest while.” It was true. Carolyn was not a big fan of shopping. It was a chore rather than a pastime and she was always too busy to spend hours in the mall. However, today's call from Milan intrigued her.

  Carolyn had been disturbed after Sunday's talk with Julian and if there was some way that she could help her friend she was willing to try, even if it meant spending the day with his high-maintenance fiancée. Milan’s call had given her the perfect opportunity to see what was going on with the couple.

  They ventured into the mall and meandered along its halls with Milan exclaiming at the items in the storefronts they passed. They hadn't gone far before Milan grabbed her arm and steered her into the FAO Schwarz.

  “Look at all this stuff,” she waved her arm towards the wall of dolls. She picked up a special-edition Cinderella, “You know it may not be long before I'm buying Barbies for my own daughter.” She gazed adoringly at the doll as if she were looking into her future motherhood and found the answers to all her questions.

  Carolyn watched Milan clutching the pink box, not quite sure what to make of her. As if suddenly aware of Carolyn’s scrutiny, Milan’s eyes snapped to hers, “Julian is going to be such a wonderful father. I just know it. He'll take such good care of our family.”

  Before Carolyn could respond, Milan tossed Cinderella aside and picked up a small leather holster with two toy guns in it. Spreading her legs in a wide stance and bracing the holster against her hips Milan did a quick draw and pretended to shoot Carolyn. “Of course, we'll have a boy and a girl, one for me and one for him. And Julian and Jr. will play cowboys and Indians in the backyard.”

  “While you're fixing a pitcher of lemonade on the veranda?”

  Milan paused to think about it, “Yes, I will make lemonade. I may even wear an apron. I'll cook dinner and I'll have a garden.” She replaced the holster as she talked and moved down the aisle. Carolyn followed.

  “My dad had a garden when I was growing up,” Milan continued. “Actually, it was my mother's, but Dad tended it more than she did. He let me have a corner and I grew cherry tomatoes. I love cherry tomatoes. I'd pick them right off the
vine on Sundays and put them in the salad. We used to have family dinner on Sundays.”

  “I had no idea you were so domestic, Milan. It sounds nice, quite peaceful actually. I think Jules would really like that. Sunday dinner with vine-ripened tomatoes.”

  “You think so? I suppose you would know; you've known Julian for a long time.”

  Carolyn smiled, “Almost all our lives, and now you guys are getting married. It's hard to believe. One of us is actually growing up. He's very excited, you know. We all are.”

  Milan looked at her.

  “I’m serious, we’re all really happy for both of you.” Carolyn walked over to the other side of the store and began rooting around in a basket of small toys. “Remember these?”

  “Rubik’s Cubes?”

  “Yes! We had these when we were kids and we used to compete to see who could solve it the fastest. I haven't seen one of these in years. I'm going to buy them and surprise the guys.”

  At the register, Milan watched a very pleased-with-herself Carolyn have all three of the cubes wrapped and placed in separate gift bags.

  “You know I never beat them either. Luke actually was really good with these and of course Rhys and Jules had their rivalry going. They'd put all sorts of conditions on themselves to up the ante like holding your breath while solving it and stuff like that. They are going to get a kick out of these!”

  They went back to strolling through the mall and eventually ended up back at the makeup counter in Nordstrom. Milan was carting several bags and noticed that Carolyn hadn’t bought anything since they’d left the toy store. That fact alone was annoying, as if Carolyn were doing her a favor by coming to the mall. Once again she took in Carolyn, in all her sweat-suited glory—a look Milan had never worn, even to the gym—and inspiration struck. “Let’s get makeovers.”

  As suspected, Carolyn had never had one and after a few half-hearted objections—

  “Alright, I'll do it.”

  —Carolyn gave in and rested her small gift bags on the floor next to the counter.

  Immediately, two very done-up women, Viviane and Marie, came over and asked what kind of look the women wanted.

  “I'm getting married in a few days. How about wedding makeup for me and my friend here is very conservative,” she turned to Carolyn and said seriously, “It's about time you tried something different. Live a little. Come on, go for something dramatic!”

  She’d issued the challenge without thinking, just a warning strike wrapped in tulle that she had expected to fall flat at Carolyn’s feet and remain there untouched.

  “Well, I usually prefer the natural look, but maybe she's right,” Carolyn pinned Milan with knowing eyes and Milan saw that she may have just planted a land mine. Sweet Carolyn wasn’t as clueless as she seemed. “Why don't we go for a nice evening look? Maybe I'll make the guys take me out tonight.”

  Milan sat up straighter, a steel rod draped in the ribbon of innocence, and prepared to meet the challenge that Carolyn had taken up.

  Viviane took charge and sat Milan on a high tufted stool. She started to swab her face with a large cotton puff. “We're going to have to clean you up first to make you over. You’re wearing a lot of makeup. Let me clean it off so we can see that pretty little face of yours, okay?”

  Positioned so that she was facing Carolyn, Milan watched Marie, a tall, middle-aged woman with a soft voice and a ready smile, apply makeup to Carolyn’s face. Her persona was calm and relaxed and she suggested color palettes that would work best with Carolyn’s honey skin tone.

  “You've got such beautiful clear skin, dear. Viv, look at her skin.”

  Viviane turned from Milan to inspect Carolyn, “She's a beaut. My daughter should have such skin, but she's with the chocolates all the time. I wish she was here now so she could see,” Viviane turned back to Milan and continued. “The skin is your foundation, if you don't take care of it, no matter what you put on top of it won't make much difference. You got to take care of your skin,” she wagged a finger in front of Milan, then kept talking.

  Milan wanted to strangle Viv, who told story after story about her candy bar-eating daughter and the virtues of perfect skin—the kind Carolyn has.

  When Viviane finished her version of a wedding look, Milan slapped down her credit card and bought whatever cosmetics Viviane suggested just to shut her up. She was ready to go.

  “Milan, look at this,” Carolyn squealed, “Marie you're a miracle worker, I never thought I could look this different! Thank you. I really like it.”

  “It looks great,” Milan said through a tight smile. “You ready to go?” she asked, unsuccessfully camouflaging the impatience in her voice. Carolyn rushed to sign her receipt.

  While Carolyn was getting last-minute tips from Marie (and a few extra samples tossed in her bag), Milan noticed Carolyn's gift bags on the floor. Bags with gifts for the guys.

  Carolyn hadn't bought anything for herself today except for some makeup from Marie. Meanwhile, Milan was laden with purchases of items all strategically chosen to reinforce in Carolyn's mind the bond between her and Julian. It irritated her that Carolyn had bought a trinket for her fiancé.

  Still waylaid by Marie—Viviane had moved on to another customer—Milan watched Carolyn admire herself in a mirror. She wasn’t being vain, Milan recognized. The woman was genuinely awed by how she looked. In truth, she did look good. Very good, actually.

  In the mirror, Carolyn caught Milan’s eye and blushed, “Shall we go then?”

  Milan hesitated, knowing that Carolyn was going to remember her bags any second.

  “You ready?” Carolyn prodded.

  Milan gripped the wiry handles of her own bags, still waiting. All she’d have to say was, ‘don’t forget you stuff.’ She opened her mouth and a tinkle of laughter escaped, “Yes, I think I'm all shopped out for the day. Can you believe it?”

  They walked toward the parking lot exit like two best friends. While passing through the inner set of doors, Carolyn's purse started ringing. “That's me, hang on a sec,” she rooted around in her bag frantically trying to find her cell phone.

  “Hello?” she panted into the receiver, “Oh Rhys, hi! What's up...nothing, I'm at the mall actually. I was just headed out to the car...yeah, I'm at King of Prussia, but I'm coming home now.”

  Milan observed Carolyn while she talked to her brother. It was so unnatural the way the Jameses watched out for each other, big brother calling to check on little sister. Milan had no idea where or what her sister was doing right now. She wasn’t about to call and find out either.

  “I should be home in about a half-hour. Actually Milan is here with me. We had a girls’ day out! I know, I know,” she laughed and smiled at Milan, “Want to say hello?”

  Milan smiled and shook her head, tactfully declining the offer to talk. The sooner she got home, the sooner she could wash Viviane’s clown makeup off of her face.

  Carolyn covered the receiver with her hand, “Rhys says 'Hi.'”

  “Hi Rhys,” Milan gave a listless reply.

  “Alright well, I'll see you all in a little bit then. Oh, I almost forgot I have a little surprise for you, you're gonna love it. Oh no!” she gasped and looked around. “Rhys, I've got to go. I'll see you soon...OK...OK, bye.” She snapped her phone shut. “Have you seen my bags? The ones I got at the toy store?”

  “Your bags?” Milan asked innocently and glanced around the foyer as if the bags would have somehow magically appeared there, “No, you don't have them?”

  Carolyn ran back into the store, ignoring Milan's warning that she'd never find the bags now. She hurried toward the makeup counter. Marie approached, relief on her face.

  “Oh, thank God, we found your bags on the floor. I was just coming to see if I could catch you.”

  “Milan, look how lucky I am! Thank goodness,” Carolyn breathed while hugging Marie. “Okay, we can go now. Rhys is at the house with everybody and they're going to wait for me to get home so we can go get something to eat. Do
you want to come?”

  No, not really.

  “Julian's at the house?” Milan asked and Carolyn nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like fun, I am a little hungry. I'll meet you there.”

  They gave Carolyn a hard time when she arrived about how hungry they were and how long they had been waiting, but their mock complaints quickly quieted when she held up the gift bags. She handed them out to Luke, Julian and Rhys, who unwrapped his first, “Hey, it's a Rubik’s Cube, I haven't seen one of these in forever.”

  “I know. Remember how we used to race to solve them?” Carolyn reminded them.

  “And remember how I used to always win?” Luke added, crumpling the wrapping.

  Julian cleared his throat, “Remember how I used to always win,” Julian corrected him.

  “You did not,” said Rhys. ” I was always the Rubik’s champ.”

  “In what lifetime?!”

  “In any lifetime, Jules.”

  “That's it. Carolyn, mess these up, please, I'll prove right now that I am and was and ever will be the Rubik's King!” Julian took the cubes and placed them in her hands.

  “Oh please, I've got you all beat and you know it!” she said, cradling them in her arms.

  “If I remember correctly,” Luke countered, “Your strategy was to rearrange the stickers. I don't think that counts.”

  “Luke!” Carolyn squealed, “I did not! Rhys, tell him.”

  “Sorry, kid. Your secret’s out.”

  Defeated, Carolyn confessed, “You guys knew?” she turned to Julian for confirmation. His knowing grin said it all.

  “Well, what do you know? All this time I thought I had you fooled. Cera, did you know, too?” Cera nodded and tried not to laugh but couldn’t keep it inside. They all followed suit.

  “What's so funny?” Everyone looked up and saw Milan standing in the hall. The setting sun's rays slanted through the open doorway and bathed her in golden light. Standing there, gingerly clutching her purse, she was mesmerizingly beautiful. “Looks like I missed the joke.”