by Mary Davis
Meghann couldn’t wait to escape into the sanctuary, to get away from any prying eyes. Once in the pew, she found herself wedged between Bruce and her mother.
Singing the opening hymn wasn’t nearly as refreshing as it usually was. That hymn was followed by another before the welcoming and announcements were made.
The Scripture reading was from Colossians 3:1–12. Meghann felt adrift without her Bible, but Bruce slid his over so it straddled both their laps.
As the man read, Meghann followed along until verse 9. Her brain came to a screeching halt. “Do not lie to each other.…” It echoed in her head over and over, louder and louder, until it was all she could hear.
Bruce cupped her elbow to bring her to her feet. Everyone around her was standing. She got up quickly and looked at the hymnal Bruce held open. The hymn was unfamiliar to her, but she found the place and joined in. Her voice trailed off on the second verse when one of the words was lies. When the song finally ended, she slumped back in the pew. This was going to be a long service. One where God’s piercing darts of truth seemed aimed straight at her heart.
Meghann shifted uneasily as the pastor began to preach. The closer he got to verse 9 the more fidgety she became. Her mother gave her the look she had received many times as a child. It meant sit still and quit squirming.
“Do not lie to one another,” the pastor quoted. Did he really say it louder than the rest or was it her imagination? “What about bending the truth? If it is not 100 percent the truth, it is a lie. Even Satan speaks truth 95 percent of the time. It’s the 5 percent you have to watch out for. Though you may never get caught, it will eat you up inside. It will haunt you and hound you, plaguing your innermost being. If you are a child of God, He won’t let up until you confess and make yourself right with Him and others.”
How could she tell the truth now? Her lie was so big. It involved so many people. It was only supposed to affect her, but lies have a way of growing and being found out…and hurting people. She wanted to run and hide. To start over.
She breathed a sigh of relief as they exited the church. It was finally over. She always looked forward to and even longed for Sunday morning worship. It was life and breath to her. This morning it was all she could do to endure. The verdict was in—GUILTY!
Next Sunday she planned to be sick.
The weight of Meghann’s lie pressed in on her and wouldn’t let up. It kept nagging, “Thou shalt not lie. Thou shalt not lie.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. She hadn’t come right out and said she was married to Bruce. Okay, so she didn’t set her mother’s misconceptions straight, but that wasn’t the same thing. Was it?
She knew the answer before it came, but it came all the same.
It’s still deceit.
Okay, but what about honor thy mother?
What about it?
This was honoring her. This was what she wanted.
No. She wants the real thing for you…just like you do.
That went without question. Meg’s mom was so happy with this marriage…but it was a joy that lacked foundation. It wasn’t right to let her go on thinking Meg was settled when she wasn’t. Not by a long shot.
Though it would break her mother’s heart, it was time to come clean.
When they returned to Bruce’s apartment after church and brunch, Meghann wanted to get it over with.
“Mom, we need to talk to you.” Meg glanced across the living room at Bruce. He was leaning against the dry bar. For someone who said he would stand behind and support her in this decision, he was certainly far enough away. At brunch when her mother was away from the table, he agreed to help her break the truth to her mother. She supposed she was alone in this. After all, it was her lie and it was up to her to tell the truth. “Actually, it’s me. I need to tell you something…about Bruce and me.”
“This sounds serious.” Her mother sent a worried glance to Bruce.
“Well, it is.”
“I’d better sit down.” Her mother touched her hand to her chest and sank down on the couch, her breathing shallow and controlled.
A swift alarm pierced Meghann. “Mom, are you all right?” She moved to sit next to her, taking her mother’s hand in her own.
Her mom patted the back of Meg’s hand, but her face was definitely paler than it had been. “It’s just a little spell. It will pass.”
Bruce knelt in front of them with a glass of water. Meghann waved it away. “I’m not thirsty.”
“It’s for your mother.”
“Oh,” she said and quickly took it. Her mother rested a shaky hand on top of Meghann’s as she took an assisted sip of water.
“Maybe you should go lie down.” Lord, please, don’t let her relapse!
“I’ll be fine,” her mother said weakly. “Now, what was it you wanted to tell me?”
Oh no. No way. Not now. Not after what had just happened. If anything happened to her mother because of her, Meg knew she couldn’t live with herself. Now was not the time for making herself feel better. And after all, wasn’t that why she’d been ready to tell the truth? To get it over with? To get out from under this feeling of guilt and being wrong?
Well, she’d just have to deal with it for now. Her mother was what mattered most. Meghann would wait a few more days, until she was sure her mother was stronger. “Nothing. It’s not important. You go rest.” Yes, a few more days, then her mother could handle it better.
“If you insist.” Her mother held out her hand for assistance. Meghann helped her up and to the room. All of her intentions deflated. The weight of the lie settled solidly back on her shoulders.
Bruce watched as Meghann escorted her mother. He hadn’t been sure until Gayle’s last statement, that weak “If you insist” complete with a heavy sigh…all perfectly executed, perfectly designed to steal the color and confidence from Meg’s face.
Remembering the fear he’d seen in Meg’s eyes, he felt his jaw tighten and forced himself to relax. Gayle’s ‘spell’ was just too convenient. He’d suspected it had more to do with Gayle not wanting to hear any bad news concerning her daughter than it did with the woman’s health. And Meghann was playing right into her mother’s hand, too close to see what was going on.
A spell of self-induced ignorance. That’s what was happening. Gayle obviously had no idea what Meg had planned to say, but she’d picked up that it wasn’t news she was going to like. So she’d cut the bad news posse off at the pass.…
He didn’t like the way Gayle pulled Meghann’s strings. For a moment he seriously considered marching into Gayle’s room and confronting her, telling her he wasn’t going to allow it, that he wouldn’t permit her to play her daughter this way.
But the truth was, he didn’t have the right to do any such thing.
If he were really Meg’s husband, he wouldn’t hesitate to stand up to Gayle. Gently, of course. And with as much kindness as possible. But with a firmness that let her know all the spells in the world wouldn’t work on him—or on his wife. But he wasn’t Meg’s husband. Wasn’t even her fiancé.
He was a fraud, nothing more. And that didn’t give him the right to protect anyone…least of all the woman he was coming to care more for.
Eight
RING-G-G.
That was the third time the phone had rung in the past ten minutes. Someone was anxious to reach Bruce.
“Are you sure you shouldn’t answer that?” Meg’s mother looked from her to the phone for the umpteenth time. “It may be important.”
“No, Mom. It’ll be business stuff. They know to call him at work.” She hoped that were true. In any case, she just wasn’t up to dealing with answering Bruce’s phone. It would invariably involve deceit to cover herself, and she’d had more than her fill of that.
Besides, how would she evade the person on the phone while maintaining the farce to her mother, who was right here to hear her every word? Even if all of that miraculously worked out, she would no doubt cause some kind of trouble for Bruce.
She c
losed her eyes against the growing complications. Lies, lies, and more lies—where would it all end?
With Bruce gone, Meghann hadn’t known what to do the first time the phone rang. She was glad when the answering machine picked it up. The volume was down so she couldn’t hear who was leaving a message.
She decided to call Bruce and let him know about the calls in case they were important. As she picked up the phone to dial the hotel, a key rattled in the door. He’s home early. Relief swept over her as she hung up the phone. The door swung open, and she turned to greet him…then stopped short.
It wasn’t Bruce in the threshold. Instead, a short, round woman in her midforties stood there, eyes wide with painfully evident surprise.
“I’m sorry, miss. I didn’t know anyone was here.” The woman raised her brows and peered around the apartment, looking every inch the suspicious guardian.
Meghann stared at her, mind working frantically. Who was this woman and what was she doing here?
“That’s Mrs.,” her mother said, coming alongside Meg, clearly intending to defend her daughter. “Mrs. Bruce Halloway.”
Oh, good heavens! Meg didn’t know who the woman was, but if she had a key, she obviously had a reason for being here. And she’d obviously know there was no Mrs. Bruce Halloway!
Before the stunned woman could react, Meg stepped forward. “Please call me Meghann.” She walked to the door where the woman still stood. She didn’t like the woman’s skeptical look. “And you are?”
“Mrs. Barr. I clean Mr. Halloway’s apartment. He never said anything about a wife to me,” she said with pursed lips.
Oh, dear. She mustered up her most persuasive smile, the one she used on particularly upset hotel patrons. “Likewise, I’m afraid he failed to mention you.” Desperately, she pasted an isn’t-this-a-funny-mistake? look on her face. “We usually stay at my place.” The explanation didn’t quite sound right, even to Meg’s ears. She recognized the look in Mrs. Barr’s eyes: It was the same one her mother had had when she found out they had two places.
“We haven’t had time to look for a bigger place,” Meghann explained, hoping to ease the suspicion from the woman’s face.
“Humph. I clean now or not at all. I have another place to clean.”
“Now is fine.” Meghann stepped out of Mrs. Barr’s way, and the round woman came in. Please, please…Meg bit her lip. Don’t let Mom think anything is out of the ordinary.
But her mother seemed to accept the situation with aplomb, moving to sit on the couch, out of Mrs. Barr’s way. With a relieved sigh, Meg went to join her, determined to corner Bruce when he came home and find out if there were any other surprises she should know about.
Twenty minutes after Mrs. Barr’s arrival, Bruce sauntered in and set his briefcase by the entry table. “I’m off for the day.” In contrast to Meghann’s turbulent emotions, he seemed calm and relaxed. He handed her a dozen red roses and kissed her on the cheek.
Her frustration over Mrs. Barr’s unexpected arrival faded as Meg buried her nose in the fragrant blossoms. She gave Bruce a quick smile and headed for the kitchen to find a vase.
He really was the most considerate man. She smiled as she eased the stems into the vase. She’d never received so many flowers before.
It looks good, remember? Appearances are everything.
Her smile faded. Of course. He wasn’t bringing her flowers because he cared about her. It was to keep up appearances. But then, what did she expect? Did she think getting the man into this ridiculous situation would endear her to him?
No way. More than likely, Bruce couldn’t wait to be free of her and their mock marriage.
She touched one of the soft, velvety petals, fighting the absurd urge to cry. She’d better enjoy the flowers while she had them. When the month was up, she could be sure Bruce’s attention would be as well.
With a sigh, she carried the roses back into the living room and set them on the table. As she did so, she heard Bruce say, “Where would you like to go, Mom? What do you most want to do in our fair city?”
Her mother touched her fingers to her chest. “Me?” Bruce nodded. “Anywhere?” Bruce nodded again. “I would love to go for a nice, quiet drive somewhere. I’ve been cooped up too long. And it would give your housekeeper a chance to do her job in peace without an audience.”
“Natalie’s here?” He gave Meg a quick look.
She responded with a sharp nod.
“That’s right. Today is her cleaning day.” He considered Meg thoughtfully.
Before she could say anything, her mother rose and smiled at the two of them.
“I’ll go change for our drive. You two decide where we’re going to go.”
Meg watched her leave the room, then turned her gaze back to Bruce. She opened her mouth, but he cut her off.
“I need to make a couple of quick calls while you ladies get ready.” With that he made a hasty exit.
Meghann sat herself carefully in one of the dining room chairs and hunched over the table, cradling her forehead in her arms. Staring at her dim reflection in the shiny black table, she began making faces at herself to release some of the tension for the trouble she had caused everyone.
Bruce joined her a few faces later. “Where’s your mom?”
“She’s changing clothes,” she said dryly and raised her head.
Mrs. Barr came out of the kitchen, heading for the bedroom.
“Good morning, Natalie,” Bruce said.
She gave them a stern look and a curt nod while continuing on her way.
“You could have warned me you had a housekeeper coming!” Meg hissed at him once Mrs. Barr was out of earshot. “I didn’t know what to do.”
He looked at her, exasperation evident on his face. “I tried, but you wouldn’t answer the phone. I called three times.”
“That was you? How was I supposed to know?”
“Pick up the phone,” he said gently.
“I couldn’t just answer your phone.”
“Why not?”
“Because.”
“Because why?” he asked pointedly.
She squared her shoulders. “Because it wouldn’t be right. Because it could be awkward for you as well as for whoever is on the other line. Because it would be like snooping or prying.”
“Your mother must have thought it a bit odd that you didn’t answer the phone.”
“Well, what would someone think if they called you and a woman answered? What if your mother called?” She sniffed. “Unless women answer your phone all the time.” Where had that come from? She shouldn’t have said that but found she desperately wanted to know the answer.
“I’m ready,” her mother said cheerfully, coming from the bedroom into the dining room, abruptly ending their conversation.
Meg searched his face a moment for the answer. It wasn’t there. She would never know now because his love life was a subject she wasn’t going to bring up again. She hadn’t meant to say anything. It just shot out of her mouth. It really wasn’t any of her business. And the sooner she resolved herself to that fact, the better off they both would be.
Bruce held the back door of his Infinity open for her mother, which blocked Meghann from getting in the front. After closing Mrs. Livingston’s door, Bruce hesitated opening Meghann’s door just long enough to whisper, “You are the only woman I’ve had in my apartment besides my own mother and Mrs. Barr.”
He opened her door before she had a chance to respond. Her heart leapt with joy to know he didn’t entertain a lot of women up in his apartment, but that didn’t mean he didn’t date or have a girlfriend.
They drove through the Garden of the Gods and spent over an hour at the visitor’s center.
“Are you getting tired? Do you want to head back?” Bruce said to Meg’s mom.
His concern and thoughtfulness for her mother’s well-being touched her. It seemed so genuine, so sincere, she couldn’t believe it was a part of maintaining appearances. Bruce really did care that h
er mother was doing well. And that meant more to Meghann than she cared to admit.
“I’m a little tired, but I don’t want to go back just yet. Can we drive around a little longer?”
Meghann twisted in her seat to face her mother. “If you’re tired, we should go back. You shouldn’t overdo it.”
“Nonsense. What’s to overdo, sitting in a car and staring out the window? I’m not even driving. It’s very soothing and I’m quite relaxed.”
“But—”
Her mother held up a hand to stop her protest, then turned her pale face toward the window. Her eyes were droopy, and she just seemed plain worn out.
A touch on her hand drew Meg’s attention. Bruce clasped her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He smiled at her, and she eased back in her seat. That smile was her undoing every time! All he had to do was turn it on her, and her heart quickened and her muscles refused to cooperate.
“Where to, sweetheart?”
Sweetheart…If he only meant it. “Anywhere but the middle of town.”
He lifted her hand and brushed his lips across it with a featherlight stroke. “Your wish is my command.”
The feel of his lips on her skin sent a shiver coursing through her. Thankfully, he released her hand to steer the car out of the parking lot and back onto the road. She folded her hands in her lap, grateful for a chance to get her riotous emotions back under control.
The buildings shrank and slowly diminished into the more open countryside, then up into the trees that skirted the northwest edge of town. Meghann rolled down her window and drank in the sweet smell of the pines.
“Stop!”
Meghann spun around and a muscle in her neck felt like it snapped. “What is it, Mom? What’s wrong?” She had thought her mother was asleep; she had been so quiet.
Bruce came to a quick stop on the side of the country road. Fortunately the car behind them was far enough back to swerve around them and not rear-end them.
