by Amy Starling
Our meals arrived at long last. Anna, always thinking of her and the baby's health, had ordered baked salmon and a medley of vegetables with a baked potato. The moment she put a dab of butter on her potato, though, Ruby reached across the table and smacked her hand.
“Dear, butter is the last thing you need right now. If you put on any more weight, you'll look dreadful on video,” she scolded. “Don't you know the camera adds ten pounds?”
I stared at her meal – a giant breaded hunk of some unidentifiable meat, plus mashed potatoes smothered in gravy.
“I don't know why you're gaining so much lately, sis.” Rachael saw fit to rub it in further. “After all, you barely eat anything these days. And it's funny, too, that I haven't seen you pick up a glass of wine in months now. I wonder where all the pounds are coming from.”
Trey frowned. “C'mon, Ray. Leave her alone. Why don't you tell everyone how they named you employee of the month at the office?”
This diverted attention away from Anna, but the damage had been done. She picked at her food when she should have been stuffing her face, doctor's orders. I put my hand on her leg.
“Don't you listen to them,” I said quietly. “You eat all the butter you want.”
She smiled a little, but it was just to shut me up. I understood, and I could see the worry in her eyes and the dark rings beneath them. She'd been sleeping so poorly lately, tossing and turning loud enough to wake me at night.
My job was to fix things, to make stuff better. That I couldn't do a damn thing to help her made me feel useless – as if the wheelchair didn't do a good job of that already.
As we ate, I kept feeling someone watching me. Every time I looked up, I caught Rachael staring straight at me with the oddest look on her face.
She chewed her food slowly and gazed at me, eyes narrowed and brow furrowed, like I was a puzzle she was working real hard to figure out.
“So, Max,” she said at last, between bites of her cheese-drenched pasta. “I just can't believe you and my sister are a couple. You sure managed to keep it hidden well. I mean, Trey and I had no idea.”
Trey nudged her, but she wouldn't take the hint. Anna's jaw fell. She had no idea how to rebuff that comment; neither did I.
Luckily, at that moment, Daniel got another phone call. He answered it right there at the table and began talking loudly about selling some company's stock before it was too late.
“Well, we didn't want to upset anybody,” Anna told them. “Max is a good man now that he's grown, but the whole town's aware he was rather... wild in the past.”
“She's trying to say she was embarrassed of me, so she didn't want anyone to know. Right, darlin'?”
She cast me a sideways glance. “Something like that.”
Ruby giggled. “Well, I suppose what's happened between our families is merely water under the bridge now. But if things don't work out, dear, there are plenty of fine men in San Diego. Wealthy, ambitious types that know how to take care of a woman.”
She was trying to rattle my cage. I wasn't having it, so I threw my arm around Anna and held her close.
“Things are gonna work out just fine, Mrs. Southwell. I may not have a lot of money, but I can take care of Anna, that's for sure.”
I could especially take care of her in the bedroom, but I didn't even go there. Somehow, I doubted anyone at the table would be amused.
Ruby clucked her tongue. “Of course. It's just that the last thing a mother wants to see is her daughter destitute, living in a trailer with six snotty kids and a bum for a husband.”
Trey leaped to her defense. “C'mon, now. Anna won't become destitute. She works real hard on the farm. Up every day at dawn, seven days a week.”
“She wouldn't need to work so hard if she stayed an attorney in New York. And she'd be getting paid far better, surely.”
“Money isn't everything, mom.” She stared at her half-eaten fish. “I wasn't happy there. Being on the farm, working with the land, that's what I was meant to do.”
Rachael gave a fake, sickly sweet smile. “I think it's cute, what you're doing. The chickens, and the vegetables, and now you've got bees. But I do worry about you, sis. It always seems you've got something breaking down, or you need some expensive equipment to handle the job and you simply can't afford it.”
What the hell was this, “pile on Anna and make her feel like shit” night? I longed to give them a piece of my mind, but then thought of her. She wanted me to behave, to be a good boy and control myself. Guess I'd do it just to make her happy.
Like a dog on a leash. That's what I was turning into.
“I know you think you're meant to putt about on the farm, dear.” Ruby patted her hand. “But sometimes, your passion just isn't enough to pay the bills. You simply must start thinking of your future. What on Earth will you do when it's time to retire?”
“She could come work with me,” Rachael added. “They're hiring for a secretary. Pay's twelve bucks an hour, and you won't get better than that around this town.”
“No, I told them I can't be there tonight. Are you kidding? I'm at dinner with the family in Texas.” Daniel snapped at his caller. “The meeting will have to wait. This is good publicity, Frank. Just the kind I need if I want a chance at winning.”
That guy sickened me sometimes. A meal with his family was little more than free attention for his campaign – plus a chance to preach his morality to the rest of us.
Everyone went on to finish their meal, except for Anna. She normally ate with gusto, but barely picked at her plate now. Had her mother's comments really gotten to her? The doctor told her weight gain was a good thing right now. She knew that.
“More wine?” Rachael giggled as the waiter held out the bottle. “Oh, why not. This is a party, isn't it?”
Trey sighed. “One of us has to drive home, babe.”
“Oh, big deal. We can get a hotel room if you want. It'll be like a vacation. You haven't taken me anywhere in years.”
This was the second time I'd seen Rachael totally drunk since I arrived here. If I recalled, she was quite fond of the bottle years ago, even when she was just in high school. She used to brag about stealing whiskey from her dad's liquor cabinet.
She took another swig of her wine and stared directly at me. I didn't like it, so I stared right back.
“Something on my face?”
“Oh, no. I was just thinking about how much you've changed.” She laughed. “Remember when the cops busted you for illegal street racing? And you didn't even have a license.”
I tensed. Anna held my hand, probably telling me to ignore it, but she was starting to go a bit too far. I could only put up with so much before my temper exploded.
“And then there was the time you forged your dad's name on your report card so he wouldn't see your crappy grades.” She rolled her eyes. “Plus all the times you got caught with a girl, making out behind the bleachers. I swear, you were in detention every single week.”
My jaw clenched, and I could feel my blood pressure rising. If Rachael weren't a woman, I wouldn't be holding back right now. Family or not, nobody started shit with me like this.
“I can certainly see why Anna chose to hide her relationship with you,” she continued. “A reputation like that is hard to overcome, especially in a small town.”
Ruby was looking at me now like I was no better than an insect to be squashed. Trey, the poor fool, was helpless to shut his girl up.
Anna was a saint, however. She just smiled and kissed my cheek. “He's exciting, at least. Always a good time when he's involved.”
Rachael huffed. “Yeah. If your idea of a good time includes the cops coming to break it up.”
I'd had too much of this. I shoved away from the table so forcefully that the plates rattled and a glass of wine nearly tipped on its side. Everyone gawked at me.
“Rachael, I really need to talk to you. Alone. Now.”
She smiled in her saccharin way and sashayed off to the restrooms. I fol
lowed her, thinking Anna would yell at me to come back, but she didn't. Even she knew I didn't deserve her trash talking.
I found Rachael in the hallway between restrooms. She was busy pretending to fix her makeup in a mirror.
“Okay, what's the deal with you? Why are you being such a bitch?”
She gasped. “How could you talk to me like that? I'm sure Anna won't be happy to hear this.”
“Enough! You're trying to get me in trouble with your parents, and don't you dare deny it. Why can't you just leave the past in the past? Anna's happy, and you're gonna ruin it.”
She wouldn't look at me. Apparently, her lipstick was more interesting.
“I don't believe for one second you two are really dating. Now, I don't know why you'd both make up this elaborate lie, but you need to stop it. It's insulting.”
I growled. “Believe what you like. Yeah, I know she was with some asshole right before me. Maybe we jumped into a relationship too soon. It's not my fault we hit it off so well.”
“You knew what happened to her – that married jerk dumped her – and you didn't give her any time to recover before swooping in on her?” She shook her head. “If that's true, you really are a predator.”
“Stay out of this.”
“I can't do that. She's my sister, and sisters look out for each other.” She finished her lipstick and moved on to mascara. “Here's another reason I doubt your charade. You've been a playboy for your entire life. And now you expect everyone to believe you met the woman of your dreams, changed your mind about love, and settled down with her in less than three months?”
“Hey, it surprised me just as much. I never liked the idea of monogamy, but Anna... She's worth it.”
I meant every word of this. It did sound ridiculous, and I guess if I were an outsider looking in, I wouldn't believe it either. If someone told me a few months ago that I'd soon be feeling this way, I'd have probably laughed in his face.
Most women would want their sister to be happy. Rachael, however, looked disgusted. She was also so tipsy that when she spun around, she nearly fell over my chair and into my lap.
Her expression softened, and she put her hands on my shoulders. I stiffened. Was she about to attempt strangling me? I couldn't wheel away from her fast enough.
“Where are you going? I only wanted to talk.”
“I think we're done talking.”
She grabbed my chair's handlebars and forced me to stop. Then she came around to my front and looked me over while licking her lips.
“You and me, we had some good times once.”
“Did we?”
She chuckled. “You were the bad boy all the good girls wanted. I think in junior year, I wanted you most of all. I crushed on you so hard, I had your picture all over my bedroom wall. In my locker, too.”
“Um, that's... real flattering, I suppose.”
Her hand settled on my neck and she played with my hair. I was too shocked to push her away. What was this crazy lady doing? Just how smashed was she?
“Then finally, you asked me to the homecoming dance. Oh, I was so happy, I spent all week getting ready. It took me days to find the perfect dress. Hours to do my makeup and hair, so I'd look pretty for you.”
Ooo-kay, this was starting to get seriously uncomfortable. I should've known she hadn't put the past behind her. This was precisely why I favored one-night flings where, come morning, I could run for my life and escape before the chick even got my last name or phone number.
“This is all very nice, Rachael, but we'd better be getting back. I'm sure the others are wondering where we are.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “I'll never forget that night. I thought finally, I'd be the girl who tamed you. Who made you realize what you'd been missing all along. I thought you'd be mine if I just tried hard enough.”
Waiters and other diners passed by us, giving us curious looks. A couple of old folks from a nearby table kept pointing and whispering. I loved being the center of attention, but not like this.
“But you tricked me. You told me all kinds of sweet things, just to get me naked in the back of your car.” She sobbed. “And then you left me to go flirt with the homecoming queen. By the next day, you'd already forgotten I existed.”
Her freshly applied mascara was running down her cheeks. If I didn't find a way to shut her up, her mother would probably blame her tantrum on me.
“Look, I know I did you wrong. I did a lot of girls wrong. You weren't the only one, not by a long shot.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“I'm just saying I made mistakes. Back then, I was a dumb kid who lived in the moment. I'm a changed man now.” I sat up tall. “I love Anna, I can assure you.”
“That's what makes me so sad!” Her wail could be heard across the restaurant.
“Shh,” I hissed. “What is your problem?”
“I never stopped having feelings for you. I still care about you, Max.”
Oh, God. Oh, hell no, this wasn't happening.
“Have you gone batshit crazy? You don't care about me. What you had was a girlhood crush on a player who didn't even deserve you.”
Maybe boosting her ego would help. Nope.
“I thought when you came back to town, it could be my second chance.”
She tried to pet my face. I backed up so fast that I crashed into the coat rack.
“Your second... You're dating my brother!”
“Yeah, I know, but I've always thought we had something special.”
My head was spinning. I hadn't gotten drunk nor high on painkillers enough to deal with this insanity.
“You and I would be good together,” she purred. “Let's try again.”
She threw herself at me in an attempt to cover me with sloppy kisses. I dodged the attack, and she toppled to the floor in a miserable heap. Her dress flew up so high that her pink-and-green striped underwear were visible to anyone who passed by.
“How dare you! You'll regret this.” She howled maniacally, like the villain of some kid's cartoon.
Though she blocked the hallway, I managed to wheel myself around her.
“If I were you, I'd clean yourself up and get back to the table. I'm gonna pretend this never happened. If you're smart, you will too.”
I felt somewhat bad leaving her there, but what choice did I have? If I stayed longer, she'd probably tell the waiters I hit her or something. It wouldn't have been the first time a girl lied about me like that, and I wasn't about to get busted for a crime I didn't commit. I'd spent enough time in jail for the ones I had.
Back at the table, I quickly realized I missed out on some action. Ruby and Daniel were arguing heatedly about what movie to go see after dinner. Trey stared at his phone, unblinking and wide eyed, as if he'd just witnessed the horrors of war.
Anna was still nibbling at her cold food. I put my hand on her back and she jumped.
“Where were you? Where's Rachael?”
“She's, uh, in the restroom.” Well, it was pretty much true. “We just had a little talk.”
Trey gazed at me. “Sorry about the way she's acting tonight. I seriously don't know what got into her.”
“I think she'll behave from now on.”
I couldn't possibly tell Trey that his girlfriend literally threw herself at me back there. That she'd confessed she still had feelings for me, and she was ready to cheat on him if I was willing to have her.
Not only that, she was trying to steal me away from Anna. Would she seriously ruin our relationship just because she had a crush on me?
“No, we can't go see that one, dear.” Daniel pointed to his phone. “See? It's got an R rating. That means it has foul language and nudity.”
“But we watch that stuff all the time at home,” Ruby protested. “And I keep finding movies on your computer that don't sound very Christian. What's 'Tammy's Girl-on-Girl College Adventure' about? I tried to open it, but it said 'password protected' or some such thing.”
&n
bsp; I snorted as I tried to hold in the laughter. Daniel's face turned almost purple with embarrassment. Looked like his wife had a bit much of the wine, too. So much for keeping up appearances in public.
“Oh, God. I really don't want to hear about dad watching dirty movies.” Anna buried her head in my arm. “I'll never see him the same way again.”
“Hey, ain't nothing wrong with a good raunchy movie. We should watch together sometime; heard it makes great foreplay.”
“It sounds humiliating!” She glared. “If you gotta have a discussion about porn, can we talk about it at home, please?”
I squeezed her inner thigh under the table. “We'll do more than talk – if you'll let me.”
Everyone was so distracted, we barely noticed Rachael return to the table. She'd fixed her makeup yet again, but her eyes were still bloodshot, and she hadn't cleaned all the black goop off her cheek.
Trey immediately stood when he saw her. “Ray, what's wrong? Have you been crying?”
She shot me a pissed-off glance. I looked away. Nope, I was not getting pulled into this. Way too much crazy for me.
Suddenly, her scowl turned into a smile. “Yeah – been crying tears of happiness.” She hugged her sister from behind. “I just can't believe you're pregnant, Anna!”
Everyone at the table fell silent. Cold fear filled my veins. Anna's eyes widened.
Shit, what was going on? How did Rachael know – and how dare she spill the beans in this way? Had Trey told her?
Daniel dropped his phone on the floor but didn't bother to retrieve it. His hands curled into fists. His face grew even more purple.
“Anna,” he said slowly, his voice clipped with barely-restrained fury. “Is this true? You're pregnant?”
She looked at me and rubbed her tummy. Our eyes met. Here was the moment of truth. They were going to find out anyway, but why did it have to go like this?
“Yes,” she admitted. “A little over three months now.”
Ruby gasped and fanned herself. “Oh, Lord have mercy, this can't be happening to our family! Who's the father?” She stared me down. “Don't tell me it's him.”
