Tainted

by Tess Thompson

  “Yes.”

  “Tell me. Say it,” he said, roughly.

  “I want you to do it again. Now. I’ve had enough words.”

  Chapter Five

  Lance

  * * *

  AT THE FRONT door of his house, Lance stopped and looked over at his bride. “You ready?”

  Mary folded her arms across her chest and offered a stubborn shake of her head. “You’re not carrying me inside. Absolutely not.”

  “Come on. Carrying the bride over the threshold’s a tradition.”

  “Nothing about this union is traditional.”

  “You can’t deny me this. We agreed we were going to have fun. Remember, that’s good for the baby.”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake, you’re such a baby. Go ahead.”

  He grinned and swept her up into his arms, kicked the door open with his foot, and stepped into the entryway of his house.

  “Welcome home, wife.”

  “Thank you, husband. Now set me down. I have to pee.”

  While she used the facilities, he brought her bags and a few boxes in from the car. They’d stopped by her dad’s cottage to pick up her clothes and a few other items, including a stack of books. Apparently, the rest of them were in storage up in Oregon. Some girls collected shoes. This girl collected books. If his plan worked and she fell in love with him, they were going to have to turn one of the empty rooms into a library. He could have a rolling ladder installed so she could stack them all the way to the ceiling.

  On the drive home from the airport, they’d agreed to announce their marriage in person, starting with his mother, Doc, Brody, and Kara. His mother, coincidently, had asked him to come to dinner. When he’d mentioned bringing Mary, she’d politely agreed. If she only knew why. Her father and Flora were due to arrive back from Oregon in the morning. Mary had arranged to have breakfast with them at the cottage. She didn’t add that Lance would be by her side.

  The Dogs would have to wait until tomorrow.

  By the time he’d lugged the last suitcase into the house, Mary was in the kitchen drinking water from a glass. She belonged in a kitchen like this one, refined and elegant.

  “Where do you want to sleep?” he asked.

  She almost choked on her water. “Sleep?”

  “My room or the guest room? I mean, after last night, I thought you might like to sleep with me.” He slid next to her and took her into his arms. “I’d like you to sleep with me.”

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Her voice sounded hollow and shaky.

  “Why?”

  “Because…because I don’t know how I feel.”

  “Then, I’ll put your things in the guestroom. Just know the invitation’s always open.” He pecked her on the lips. “You’ll fall in love with me yet, Mary Hansen.”

  When he turned up Doc’s driveway for dinner, he looked over at Mary. “Remember why we’re doing this. Don’t be scared.”

  “I feel sick to my stomach. I’ve just never been good at lying.”

  “Let me do the talking,” Lance said.

  “Are you good at lying?”

  “Not particularly.”

  They laughed as he parked next to his mother’s sedan.

  Mary shivered beside him and let out a long sigh. “I don’t want to go in,” she said.

  “Me neither.”

  “Let’s just get it over with.”

  His mother was at the stove when they entered the kitchen from the back patio. Since his mother’s marriage to Doc last year, she’d managed to redecorate the house, including a new kitchen. She’d gone for a traditional look, with white cabinets and light granite countertops.

  “Welcome, Mary,” his mother said, hugging them both in turn. “It’s not often one of my boys comes over for Saturday dinner, so it’s an extra treat to have you. I made soup and a salad. And there’s bread from the bakery and pie for dessert.”

  “Smells great,” Lance said.

  “Thank you. I’m learning slowly.” His mother wasn’t much of a cook. Flora had made every meal for their family for forty years while his mother was busy saving the world as a human rights lawyer.

  “Good for you.” Lance stepped nearer to the stove. On the counter were empty boxes of premade soup. “Mom, making soup doesn’t mean opening a box.”

  “It does when I make it.” She laughed and tapped her manicured nails on the countertop. “Who has time for cooking when there’s so many books to read.”

  “I agree completely,” Mary said. “Speaking of which, I brought you something.” She pulled the latest paperback of his mother’s favorite mystery series out of her bag. “Just came in today.”

  His mother’s face lit up. “I cannot wait. Did you know there are rumors this might be the last of the series?”

  “I’d heard that, yes. I’m hoping it’s just gossip,” Mary said. “I can’t imagine life without this series to look forward to.”

  “Oh my gosh, me too,” his mother said.

  He stopped listening as the conversation veered into further discussion of books he’d never heard of. He wandered over to the beverage refrigerator and grabbed a beer.

  Kara and Brody arrived, carrying a bouquet of flowers and several bottles of wine.

  “What’s Mary doing here?” Brody whispered in his ear as they slapped each other on the back in way of greeting.

  “She’s my date,” Lance said.

  “Dude, you don’t have to save every stray cat,” Brody said.

  Lance ignored him, hugging Kara instead. “Good to see you.”

  “You too,” Kara said.

  The women greeted each other with a hug that wasn’t a hug, as no actual body parts touched. He said a silent prayer. Please God, don’t let Mary get hurt.

  Doc arrived from the garage entrance, carrying a bag of groceries. A baguette teetered and fell from the bag. Brody snatched it before it hit the ground. Lance took a moment to study his brother. Since his retirement, he’d been down, but he seemed more like his old self tonight. He bustled behind the counter, giving his mom a big hug that lifted her partially off the ground and shaking Doc’s hand with his usual vigor.

  “Good of you to bring the wine,” Doc said when he spotted the wine on the counter. “And you decanted it for me?” The corks had been removed and stuck back in half way.

  “I cannot tell a lie,” Brody said. “Kara did it.”

  “Good girl.” Doc kissed Kara’s cheek, then turned to give Mary a quick squeeze. “You both look beautiful tonight.” His eyes narrowed, like he was suspicious. “Glowing.”

  “Who wants a glass besides Doc?” Brody asked from behind the island.

  “I’ve got a beer,” Lance said.

  “You boys seem as nervous as Mexican jumping beans,” his mother said. “Like you were when you were young and had done something naughty.”

  Lance peeled the label from his beer and avoided eye contact.

  “Just a small bit for me,” Mary said, beside him. They’d agreed she wouldn’t make herself conspicuous by refusing wine. This night was about announcing a marriage, not a baby.

  “Me too,” Kara said.

  When everyone had a drink, Doc invited them into the dining room. They all sat while he helped his wife deliver bowls of soup. Next to Lance, Mary trembled. Under the table, he set a hand on her knee. She placed her cold hand over his. As soon as his mother sat, he would come out with the news. Get it over with.

  His brother beat him to the punch. As usual.

  Brody clinked his glass with a fork and cleared his throat. “Kara’s pregnant.”

  “Really?” his mother asked. “Am I dreaming?”

  “No dream, Mom. It’s for real,” Brody said.

  “Well done,” Doc said. “Well done.”

  “When are you due?” his mother asked.

  “Well, it’s very early still,” Kara said. “We shouldn’t even be sharing since it’s so early, but Brody couldn’t wait.”

  “Let’s
just say we had a good New Year’s Eve,” Brody said.

  “Brody!” Kara flushed pink. “End of September. Around the twenty-fourth.”

  “We’re so psyched,” Brody said.

  How was this possible? Despite himself, given the circumstances, a jolt of joy surged through him. They would have babies at the same time. Cousins who would grow up together.

  “That’s great news,” Lance said. “I’ve always wanted to be an uncle.”

  Under the table, he slipped Mary her ring. It was time.

  “We have some news too. I know this will come as a bit of a shock.” He wrapped his arm around Mary’s shoulder. “We got married yesterday in Vegas.”

  “What did you say?” Brody’s face had darkened in an instant. “Married?”

  “Married? In Vegas.” Kara asked.

  Mary’s shoulders stiffened. He held her tighter.

  His mother appeared frozen in shock, with her glass of wine in midair.

  Doc recovered faster than his wife. “Well, yes, it’s a surprise, but congratulations.”

  “Have you been dating?” his mother asked.

  Here come the lies. “We spent a lot of time together, you know, getting the store ready to open. A friendship grew into something more,” Lance said. Come on, buddy. Now’s the time to pull out all the stops. Convince them this is the right thing. His brother’s intense stare threatened to wither him. He turned to his mother instead.

  “We were together every day at the store and that would turn into having dinner together or ordering take out and talking for hours.” All true.

  He was surprised when Mary took up part of the story.

  “As the months went on, we became closer and closer. Before I knew it, Lance had become my best friend. Not just here in town, but ever.” Her voice shook like a student giving her first speech. “Since losing my child, I’ve struggled with depression.” He kept his arm wrapped around her. “Books have been the only thing that truly gave me joy. Until Lance.”

  Was that true? He took his arm from around her shoulder to get a better view of her face.

  “One day, right after the store opened, I dropped by to check on her. She was with a customer, so I stopped to watch, fascinated by how she always finds the perfect book for anyone who comes in. The customer was this older man. He told Mary how he’d lost his wife right after Thanksgiving and was having a hard time facing Christmas without her. Could Mary suggest some books that might distract him? She asked him a series of questions. What kind of books had he liked when he was a kid? Did he like thrillers or mysteries? That kind of thing. She took all this time with him, even talking to him about grief and sharing some of her own story. I realized two things in that moment. One, we’d opened more than just a bookstore. Mary makes it a place of healing and compassion. Choosing the right book for a customer makes it personal and God knows we need human connection in a world gone mad.” He paused and drank from his water glass. “Second, I realized how deeply I’d fallen for her. I knew there wasn’t anything or anyone that would keep me from her if she would have me.”

  So far, all true.

  “But why keep a secret?” his mother asked.

  “We just wanted to keep it to ourselves until we knew for sure what it was. Selfishly, I wanted to cement our bond before we involved everyone else.”

  “Why the sudden marriage?” His mother had her lawyer face on, which scared him.

  “We just felt a sudden urgency to be married,” Lance said.

  “I don’t get it,” Brody said. “You got married without me there? Without Mom?”

  “We didn’t want to make a big fuss about it,” Lance said.

  “That’s not like you,” his mother said. “You’d want Brody and the Dogs there.”

  Lance glanced over at Kara, hoping for support. She nodded, understanding. “Maybe Mary didn’t want a wedding. Not all women do.”

  “I’d already had one,” Mary said. “It was an ordeal I didn’t want to do again.”

  Brody’s voice held the intensity of a rain cloud about to burst. “You were my best man. I was supposed to be yours.”

  “Honey,” Kara said. Her words were unspoken but clear just the same. It’s not about you.

  Brody didn’t take the hint. “Why didn’t you tell me? Or the Dogs? We tell each other everything.”

  “I didn’t need everyone weighing in with their opinion,” Lance said. “Sometimes you guys can be overbearing. Especially with me. Plus, you’ve had a lot on your mind. I didn’t want to bother you with this.”

  To his utter shock, Brody’s eyes turned glassy with tears. “You wouldn’t have bothered me.”

  “Brody, it’s…it’s complicated,” Lance said.

  “This is our fault,” Kara said. “You didn’t want everyone weighing in because you thought we’d disapprove.” Before he could answer, Kara continued. “We’ve not been particularly welcoming to Mary. Isn’t that right, Lance?”

  “That’s right,” Lance said.

  “It’s as much my fault if not more,” Mary said. “I acted terribly. My dad is all I have left. All I had left. Now I have Lance.”

  “And all of us,” Kara said.

  Brody’s piercing gaze skirted back and forth between Lance and Mary. “Why not an engagement? Why not a proper wedding where your family and friends could celebrate with you?”

  Mary shifted and knocked her bowl with her arm. Orange soup splashed onto the white tablecloth. The clatter of her fork against a water glass punctuated the tension that hung over the table. “We didn’t have a proper wedding because I’m pregnant.”

  Lance’s heart thudded. This was not the plan. No one moved or seemed to breathe for at least ten seconds.

  “What did you say?” Brody asked.

  “I said, I’m going to have a baby, but there are complications because of my health,” Mary said, sounding near tears.

  Lance glared at Brody from across the table.

  Why couldn’t you just leave it alone?

  “You’re right, Brody. Lance deserved a wedding with you and the Dogs and all the family there. But there was a sense of urgency because I have an incompetent cervix.” Her voice broke. “Which is why Meme was born at twenty-two weeks.”

  Brody’s intense stare was replaced by one of confusion. However, the two medical professionals and his mother understood what an incompetent cervix meant.

  “I’m so sorry,” Kara said.

  “I needed insurance.” Mary swiped tears from the corners of her eyes. “Or risk losing the baby.”

  Mary crying was enough to undo him. Why did Brody have to make this harder? “Not that it’s anyone’s business, but that’s why we decided to get married right away without any fuss. Mary’s health and the health of the baby are more important than a wedding. I’m sorry if it’s disappointing I did something without group consensus, Brody. But really, this is between Mary and me. I intend to do whatever it takes to take care of her and the baby.”

  His mother tented her hands over her chest, almost like a prayer. “You’re absolutely right. A wedding is one event. A marriage and family are a lifetime. We’re all in shock, that’s all.” She gave a tenuous smile. “After all, we didn’t even know you were dating.”

  Lance moved his water glass an inch toward the left. The condensation dampened his fingers and the tablecloth. He’d love to toss the whole thing against the wall, right next to Brody’s fat head. His brother had to accept he wasn’t privy to his every thought or choice or action. He was a man, not a little boy. Somehow that seemed to be lost on his big brother.

  “Whatever you need, we’re here to support you,” Doc said. “We’re delighted to welcome you to the family, Mary. And two grandchildren. Cousins to grow up together. How special.”

  Kara nodded. “It’s wonderful, really. We’re happy if you’re happy. Lance, you’re in a little trouble for not inviting us to Vegas to at least be witnesses, but I’ll get over it. Especially since you’ve now made me a sister and
an aunt.”

  Doc reached over to Mary and patted her forearm. “With proper care you can have a full-term pregnancy. Jackson and I will make sure to find you a specialist in the city.”

  “I always wanted a big extended family. I was an only child without a single cousin. Do you know your due date?” Kara’s smile from across the table warmed him and soothed some of the sting of his brother’s reaction.

  Mary’s mouth lifted in a slight smile. “I believe it’s around the same time as yours. End of September.”

  “No way? And Maggie and Violet are just a bit ahead of us. All the kids can grow up together. We’re so blessed.” Kara’s eyes misted. “I’m sorry. My emotions are all over the place already.”

  “It’s an amazing turn of events,” Lance said.

  “Yes, it is,” Kara said.

  He should have known Kara would come through for him. Kara had suffered great losses. She understood the broken parts in others.

  He looked over at his mother. She granted him an indulgent smile before turning to Mary. “Have you told Flora and your father?”

  “Tomorrow morning,” Mary said.

  “They’ll be as happy as we are about the baby,” Doc said.

  “Of course they will be,” his mother said. “As am I. Three grandchildren at once? It’s more than I could hope for. I can see it already. I’ll have to fight Flora for time with them.” She raised her glass. “To Lance and Mary and babies.”

  Brody raised his glass, but his eyes maintained the familiar flinty sheen of the famous quarterback looking for a receiver in the end zone.

  My life. Not his. I answer to my wife now, not my bossy big brother.

  Chapter Six

  Mary

  * * *

  AFTER DINNER, Mary escaped to the bathroom, then slipped out to the patio for a respite. Exhausted and unaccustomed to spending so much time with other people, she longed for a warm bed and a good book. Instead, she stood near the railing and breathed the cool, damp air into her chest. A layer of thick fog obscured the view of both sea and sky. Lights from town and the other houses that decorated the hillside twinkled through the mist. An occasional hum of an engine penetrated the silence. On a winter evening in sleepy Cliffside Bay, most residents were nestled indoors. Even the noisy seagulls rested.