The Arrangement (New Hampshire Bears Novella)

by Mary Smith

  I nod.

  “Do you even like Dacey?”

  “She’s nice,” I answer.

  “Do you see a future with her?” Apollo continues his questioning.

  “I guess.” I shrug.

  “Come on, mate.” Gerald rolls his eyes. “You’ve got to know if you do or don’t.”

  “I can’t give a direct answer. We may have been together since we were ten, but it doesn’t mean I know the answer.”

  Gerald seems confused by my answer and glances at Apollo.

  “Okay, let’s not argue about it. How about we start at the beginning?” Apollo has always been the levelheaded one of us. “You two have been on dates, right?”

  “Like four, maybe.”

  “Four,” Gerald scoffs. “Why not more?”

  “Oh, sorry, I’ve been busy with hockey,” I smart off, causing Gerald to give me a dirty look. “I’m not making excuses. I’m simply telling you the truth.”

  “Are there any other girls?” Apollo asks in a low tone.

  “No,” I answer, ashamed.

  “Good.” Gerald growls at me again. “We need to figure this out.”

  “Or what?”

  “Or Dacey’s mum is going to call it off,” Apollo states, and my world stops.

  Chapter Three

  Dacey

  I stare at the card again. I’m not sure why, maybe because I expected more when I saw the flowers, but I’m wrong.

  “Mum’s outside,” Aimee calls from down the hall.

  “Coming.” I sit the card back on the dresser and follow my sister out the door.

  I stumble on my heels when I see Mum and Mrs. Pemberton, Vance’s mum.

  “Girls.” Mum opens her arms and hugs us both. “Laura has been kind enough to join us tonight.”

  “Dacey.” Mrs. Pemberton is next to hug me. “How are you, love?”

  “I’m outstanding.” I fake smile at her, hoping she buys it.

  “Wonderful. Now, let’s go enjoy our evening.” She loops her arm with mine, and we stroll off to Mum’s car.

  On the way, Aimee goes into great detail about her wedding. I’m glad the attention is on her, because there’s a bad feeling bubbling up in the pit of my stomach.

  Mrs. Pemberton and Mum sit across from Aimee and me. I can see everyone eyeing me, making my cheeks heat up. When the waiter came up, I’m the first to order a glass of wine.

  The talk of weddings lasts until the entrees come. As I cut into my chicken, the feeling I had is now a full-fledged fire, as Mrs. Pemberton asks:

  “So, Dacey do you have thoughts of yours and Vance’s wedding?”

  “A few,” I lie. “But Mum’s done such an amazing job with Aimee’s, I’m sure she can come up with better details than I can.” I already know Mum will control everything anyway. It’s pointless for me to even suggest or think of anything.

  “How are things going with you and Vance?” Mrs. Pemberton eyes me over her wine glass and Mum’s staring at me just as hard.

  “Great!” I exclaim, just a little over zealous. Everyone seems shocked by my answer. “I mean, it’s obviously hard with him in Canada, but we’re making it work.” With minimal texting and talking and an argument in the mix.

  “Have you spoken to him in the last four days?” Mum asks.

  “Um…” I pause looking at Vance’s mother. “I’ve sent a text or two, but he’s been busy with his trainer.”

  “And his brothers,” Mrs. Pemberton adds.

  “His…what?”

  “Gerald and Apollo have been there for the past four days. Vance will stay until Tuesday, but the boys will be back on Sunday,” she informs me tightly.

  “Oh…well…that’s great.” I plaster my fake smile back on. “Brother time is exactly what Vance needs right now,” I say cheerfully taking another drink.

  “Dacey.” Mum takes a deep sigh. “Cut it out.”

  My fake smile drops.

  “Laura and I are well aware of the true nature of your arrangement.”

  I hang my head.

  “Now, Vance’s brothers have been giving him a lot of pointers on the ins and outs of being in a relationship. I feel as if you need the same structure. Aimee, Robyn, and Leeza will be spending time with you to…help.” Mum explains, and I can see the discontent in her eyes.

  “Dacey, there will be only a week or so before the PHL Draft for your mother and me to make our final decision,” Mrs. Pemberton voice cracks.

  “What? What decision?”

  “If we’ll keep the arrangement together,” Mum answers.

  Aimee and I both gasp, and she grabs my hand. Never in my life had I thought this would have been an option. No, my mother is too proud of a woman to discontinue our arrangement. There’s no way.

  “Does Dacey have other prospects?” Aimee asks for me.

  Mum shakes her head.

  “Vance?” My voice is barely a whisper.

  “No,” his mother answers.

  I close my eyes and squeeze my sister’s hand tighter. “Okay, what do I need to do?”

  “Fall in love,” Mum simply states.

  After the final plans are set in place, I’ll essentially be going through a How to Be a Wife training program. It’ll start tomorrow after my final exam at university. I’m thankful school is over, but I still didn’t know what I’m going to do with Vance. We can end this or we can spend the rest of our lives together.

  Fall in love with Vance in the time he’s home before the Draft? No one, for I don’t know how many centuries, has NOT fulfilled their arrangements. Well, a few leave before they’re arranged, but this is huge.

  I’ve known since I was ten years old who I’d marry. Period. Nothing else. No one else.

  What will happen if this dissolves?

  Where will I be then?

  I never really thought about a Plan B. Sure, Vance and I aren’t in love, be we still planned on marrying. At least, I did. Maybe I’m wrong, again. Maybe Vance never wanted this at all.

  I don’t know anything anymore.

  I change into my pajamas, twist my strawberry blonde hair into a messy bun, and study myself in the mirror. My blue eyes are a darker shade, like my dad’s, and I get my hair from Mum. I don’t think I’m ugly. Although, I’m no Rozanna Purcell, that’s for sure. She’s a supermodel and I’m…well…me.

  It’s possible I’m not Vance’s type. When we were ten, I was awkward and terribly shy. Yes, I’m still that to a point, but I speak up when I need to. Or when I’ve had enough.

  I stop the self-critique and crawl into bed. It’s only nine at night, but I had an exam tomorrow and I should rest after the evening discussions anyway.

  I pick up my kindle, but nothing seems appealing right now, and I turn it off. I sink deeper into my bed just as my phone goes off. Groaning, I reach out for it and sit right up seeing Vance’s name.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, Dacey.” He sounds tired.

  “Um...how’s training?” I’m not sure why he’s calling, so I’ll stick to my normal questions.

  “Fine. School?”

  “Good. Last exam is tomorrow.”

  “Right.”

  Normally, this would be the end of our phone conversation, but Vance continues. “I spoke to Mum.”

  “Oh.” I’m not sure what else to say because I’m not sure what she said to him.

  “Mum told me everything.”

  “I found out your brothers are with you.” I had to say something.

  “Yep.” He sighs. “I’m surprised they’re not trying to monitor this call.”

  I stifle a laugh. “I know what you mean.”

  “Listen, I…I don’t know what to say, but you and I need to talk. Just the two of us.”

  “I agree. You’re home Tuesday, right?” I ask even though I know he will be.

  “Yes. How about you grab me at the airport?” he suggests.

  “Sure. Okay.”

  “All right, we’ll talk then.”

  �
��Bye—”

  “No, wait.” He cuts me off. “I want to say this because it’s important.”

  “Um…okay.” I’m startled by his words.

  “I really want to give this one hundred percent. My brothers and I have really done a lot of talking, and I’m serious.”

  Tears build up behind my eyes. “Me too, and I start my Vance Class tomorrow,” I joke.

  He softly chuckles. “Well, I’ll see you Tuesday.”

  “Okay. Bye.”

  As soon as my exam ends, I met Robyn, Leeza, and Aimee at a coffee shop to begin my Vance Class, as I’ve named them. I take my place next to my sister where a cappuccino awaits. I greet them, take a small sip, and stare at each of their faces, waiting for something to happen.

  “Okay…well…let’s get this started.” Robyn, the oldest of us all smiles.

  “The question is where to start?” Leeza brings up a good point.

  “How about conversations?” Aimee suggests and the girls nod. “What you do two talk about?”

  “I ask him about hockey or training. He usually says fine or good. Then he’ll ask me about school. Generally, I say the same thing and that’s it.”

  “That’s it?” All three exclaim.

  “Yes.” I sit back scared of a possible attack based on their expressions.

  “Nothing else?” Aimee asks.

  I shake my head.

  “Holy Mother, this is going to take a lot more effort.” Robyn rubs her temples.

  “What about when you’re together. Is there more talking then?” Leeza tries to be helpful.

  “They’re not together a lot,” Aimee answers for me. “Vance is gone. A lot.”

  “It’s for hockey, though.” I defend him and his passion.

  “We understand, but he needs to think of you too. He can’t be selfish all the time.” Leeza seems angry almost. “Look, I love Vance. He’s my little brother, but this is serious.”

  I close my eyes. I’m aware this dire situation needs to be fixed. “We spoke last night; he told me when he got back we’d have a serious discussion. He wants me to pick him up.” I figure this will make them happy.

  “Just don’t make out the entire time,” Leeza quips, but Aimee and Robyn gasp.

  “Lee,” Robyn grits.

  “What?” Leeza asks innocently.

  “We’ve never…” I trail off, and I feel my entire face heat up.

  “Wait. Hold up. Are you telling me you’ve never made out with Vance?” Leeza face is still in the shocked expression.

  I shake my head. “I’ve never kissed him.” This is a lie. Our first kiss was a disaster, and I keep it blocked from my memories.

  “They’ve hugged and held hands.” Aimee furthers my humiliation.

  “Shut the front door.” Leeza stares at me. I look at anything else but her face.

  “Our Dad is quiet strict.” Aimee comes to my rescue.

  “But you’ve done stuff with Ned, right?” Leeza is still stuck on the topic.

  “Now, sure, but not until the wedding was set.” I can remember the arguments between our parents and Aimee about Ned and her going out. I didn’t even touch the subject with the few dates I had with Vance.

  “Let’s move on from this topic and focus on something else.” Robyn nods and thankfully, we do, but it still is embarrassing for me. I’m sitting at the table with three beautiful, more experienced woman, and I’m really in the unknown here. Well, I know about sex and such, but getting there is the issues.

  For the next hour, my sisters and future sister-in-law gave me an abundance of information on how to engage Vance in more in-depth conversations. So much is being thrown at me, I can’t quite keep up, but I do my best to pay attention.

  Now, if I can just remember it all.

  Chapter Four

  Vance

  Tuesday came faster than I planned. I had to ship most of my belongings home. Gerald and Apollo left earlier than I did, since I had my last day of training.

  Now, I’m waiting at baggage claim to grab my suitcase. Thankfully, mine is one of the first, and I easily pick it up and roll it out toward the doors. Dacey texts told me where she is parked, and I find her by her father’s car.

  She doesn’t see me at first. She stands at the trunk staring at the ground. Her strawberry blonde hair is much longer than I remember. On Facetime she usually keeps it up. I prefer her hair down, but I’ll keep that to myself. I study her body. She’s short— only five-five, but I like her petite frame. Her jeans are tight and her top is hugging her in all the right places. The girls I’ve been with were so much different. However, I need to remember what Gerald and Apollo told me: I can’t let my family down.

  I take a deep breath and make my way to her. Dacey raises her head, and I notice she checks me out before recovering with a simple smile.

  “Hey, Dacey.”

  “Vance.” She nods and opens the trunk. I load my bags in before getting into the car. “Do you want to go to your parents or one of your brothers?”

  “How about some food?” I suggest.

  “You just flew all the way from Toronto; aren’t you tired?” She backs the car out of its spot and heads toward the exit.

  “No, I’m hungry, and we need to talk.” I dread this, but we need to put everything on the table. I continue to chant over and over in my head what Gerald and Apollo told me.

  Be engaging, caring, and pay attention.

  “Where do you want to eat?”

  “Nando’s.” I smile at the name of my favorite place to eat when I’m home.

  “Okay.” She drives off toward Nando’s. “How was the flight?”

  “Good.”

  “And your last day of training?”

  “Good,” I say again.

  “Great.” She continues and we fall into silence until we arrive.

  Be engaging, keeps pushing through my head as we sit down and order our food. Dacey seems bored to tears and looks all around.

  Our food comes and we’ve still not spoken to each other. I’m screwing this all up.

  “Vance, what do you want to talk about? If you’re ending this, I’d rather you not do it in a restaurant.” Her voice is soft.

  “What? Why are you thinking that? I told you I’m taking this seriously,” I say firmly.

  “I just figured you thought it through.” Her cheeks are red.

  “No, we have time until the PHL Draft. We need to make this work.” I state the obvious.

  “I know. I’ve been in Vance classes for the past few days. And trust me, if one more person give me the sex talk, I may just lose my mind.”

  “Oh, trust me, I’ve been attending Dacey classes, etiquette classes, and more than enough talk about…sex.” I shake my head, thinking back to Apollo and Gerald’s talks.

  Dacey picks at her food. “This shouldn’t be so difficult, right?”

  I take a bite of food to delay my answer. “You’re right. It shouldn’t, but we haven’t had a lot of timer to make it easier.”

  “We’ve been arranged for eleven years.” She pushes her plate away from her.

  This is going horribly wrong, and I don’t know what to do. “Let’s just go.” I toss down my napkin since my appetite is gone. “Just take me to Apollo’s house.”

  Dacey says nothing else as she drives me to my brother’s. When she parks in front of his place, I look over at her, she’s staring forward.

  “I’ll call Mum when I get home. You don’t have to come to Aimee’s wedding either.”

  I remain silent as I get out of the car and grab my bags from the trunk. I watch her drive away, and I slowly make my way into the house.

  Leeza greets me and her smile quickly fades. “Apollo.” She calls for him and motions for me to come in.

  He comes around the corner and stops, dropping his head. “You obviously listened to nothing we told you.”

  “I did listen.” I throw my bags down. “She doesn’t want me. What the hell do you want me to do?”


  “Try harder.” Leeza stands next to him. “Where is she?”

  “Heading home, I guess. She said she was going to call her mum.”

  “Shit.” Apollo growls and grabs my arm. “Come on, we have time. Lee, call Aimee and get her to stall.”

  Apollo gets in his car, and like a Formula One driver, speeds like hell to Dacey’s apartment. He is mad, and I can it see all over his face. I know better than to open my mouth.

  We reach her place and make our way up three flights of stairs. Apollo knocks, and Aimee opens the door. I know her dirty look cuts right through me.

  “I have her phone, and she’s hiding in her room. Everyone is on their way.”

  I roll my eyes as we come in. About ten minutes later, Gerald, Robyn, and Leeza come walking in. No one is happy, and I’m wondering if I’ll be put in timeout. Aimee goes down the hall and gets Dacey. When she comes out, she sighs deeply, walking into the room.

  “All right, we don’t need to involve the parents.” Gerald crosses his arms. “But, you two need to figure this out.”

  “Look,” I jump up from the chair. “It’s not like we can turn on a switch and fall in love.”

  “Vance, this is our family tradition. You are held to the same standards we are.” Gerald still stands tall. “This isn’t a joke. She is your arranged, and you two will get this straightened out.”

  “Was it easy for all of you?” Dacey speaks loudly. “Did you all instantly fall in love? Did you?”

  No one answers.

  “You have been together since you were ten,” Aimee reminds us.

  “And he’s been gone almost all of it.” Dacey points at me. “Boarding school. Hockey camps. Hockey training. Hockey leagues. He’s not been here,” she shouts. “I can’t fall in love with someone over the damn phone.” She puts her hands on her hips.

  Everyone is looking at me. “What? Hockey is my life. I can’t help it.”

  “But now you’re home,” Robyn says. “That means from now until the draft, you two need to be connected at the hips.”

  “We can dodge the parents if need be to make sure you two stay together,” Apollo says.

  “But no sleep overs,” Aimee adds.

  “Or sex.” Gerald growls narrowing his glare at me.