By DocPaul
Chapter
Six: Folie A Deux…
“Hi.”
“Liz.”
Isabel rinsed the glass she was using and turned to stare at her future
sister-in-law. “How was work?”
“Tiring.”
Liz put her bag down and stretched her back. She was a small slim woman, and the
slight swell of her stomach was becoming more and more apparent. “Where’s
Max?”
“He’s
in the study. Shouldn’t you be taking it easy?” Isabel asked quietly. Liz
looked worn. There were dark shadows beneath her eyes, making their brown color
seem even darker than normal. Her long brunette hair, which was normally shiny,
suddenly seemed limp and dry. Uninteresting. “You look like you could use a
full night’s sleep.”
“I
know.” Liz went into the kitchen next to Isabel. “I’ll rest soon. Another
three months and I can no longer work. I was going to take off at seven months,
though now I’m thinking of working through my eighth month.”
“Why?
This is insane. Max has money. Take off. Enjoy the pregnancy. Set up house and
get ready for the wedding.”
Liz
sighed. “Oh yes, the wedding. How is that going?”
Isabel
laughed bitterly. “You’re asking me? Mother’s so busy making everything
perfect, you’ll be lucky to be married to Max before your second child
comes!”
“I
know. If she pushes the date back one more time, I’ll have to get the dress
refitted to compensate for my added girth.” Liz patted her stomach.
Isabel
pushed her into a chair, and took the milk. Taking down a pan, she quickly
stirred in the ingredients to make a milky hot chocolate with whipped cream.
“Sit. I’ll make you a treat. Did you eat dinner?”
“Hamburger.”
“Is
that healthy for the baby?”
Liz
looked at Isabel in wonder. No one ever asked her that. No one seemed to care
about her pregnancy except her. Not even her parents or her future in-laws. They
all assumed things were going along on schedule. Max barely noticed if she was
there or not.
“The
doctor said she’s doing well.”
“She?
A girl?”
Liz
smiled, and for once it wasn’t a pained smile, but a serene one. “Yeah. A
girl.”
Isabel
hugged Liz excitedly. “Names! You have to tell me all the names you’re
thinking of, even the ones you rejected.”
Liz
laughed softly, and for a moment, she didn’t feel old. Or tired. Or worn. She
felt her twenty-seven years, and it felt young. “Thanks for coming home,
Isabel.” Liz’s face went real serious. “Really. I’ve been needing a
friend.”
Isabel
stared it the hint of moisture in Liz’s eyes, and she quickly hugged her
again. “No worries. I’m here now, we’ll gang up on Mom and Max. You’ll
be married before you can change your mind.” Isabel turned back to stir the
chocolate.
“Too
late,” said Liz sadly under her breath.
~~~
Maria
had just finished a new batch of candles when she heard the bell announce a
customer. Quelling the lurching of her stomach, she muttered under her breath to
stay calm, not overact. Entering the main store, she breathed easier at the
sight of a customer that was not Michael Guerin.
“May
I help you?” Maria asked politely.
“I
hope so.” Brody Davis turned around to smile at Maria.
“Mr.
Davis.” Maria said, stepping back a little, uncertain how to react. “How
nice to see you again.”
“Brody,
please.” He wandered the store a moment of two looking at the shelves and
displays. “I never realized that glass and candles could be so variable.”
“Yes,
there’s a wide range of expression. I make some factory pieces I think you can
call them. That means pieces that are the same, almost produced in an assembly
line manner. Most of the ordinary tapers, and such.”
Brody
nodded holding a large exquisite candle in his hand and sniffing it.
“Jasmine?”
“Very
good.”
“There
is something else too. Something…earthy with a touch of green.”
Maria’s
weariness faded as did her caution. Standing next to Brody, she placed her hands
over the candle as well. “Can you name the scent?”
He
stared in her eyes, and Maria watched him as he blinked. “No. Tell me. What it
is?”
“Lemon
basil.”
“Does
that explain why I want you to rub olive oil all over my body?”
Maria
laughed at his charming accent. “Perhaps, but I think you’d be hard pressed
to prove that it’s the candle making you want that, and not a normal desire
for you.”
“Crushed.
You found me out. I have a unhealthy desire for herbal rubs.”
“Unhealthy?”
Maria said teasingly.
Brody
laughed. “I have a daughter.” He took out his wallet and showed a picture of
a young girl to Maria.
“She’s
lovely. About six?”
“Yes.
She lives with her mother in
“You
must miss her.”
“I
do.” Brody stared at his daughter’s picture. “Her name is
“Would
you like to buy her something special?”
Brody
looked around the shop. “I would, but I don’t think I should encourage my
six year old to play with matches.”
“Very
astute of you. How about a book about glass blowing written for young readers,
and a glass figurine? I have something I think she might like.” Maria took his
hand and pulled him with her to a special display that he hadn’t noticed
before.
Brody
stood in shock. The display was delicate crystal figurines. Dancers. Ballerinas.
An entire zoo of animals. Unicorns. Pixies. A world of fairies. “My God!
They’re like a world caught in light.” Maria smiled at his description.
“How do you do these?”
“I
don’t know, honestly. I sometimes start with a hot punt of glass, and I simply
allow it to become what it must be. Most of the time I’m more shocked than
anyone else on how it turns out. Look at this. I think your daughter would love
this.” Maria held up a strung wall of teardrops that hung like a curtain.
“Have her place them in her window, and they’ll bring in the rays of the sun
as rainbows.”
“Magnificent!”
Maria
and Brody wandered her shop slowly, building a very expensive basket for his
daughter. They ended up in the back in her workshop where she showed him how she
poured candles and blew glass.
“This
room is so big!” Brody looked to the right and back in amazement.
“My
shop runs behind a few of the other shops. Their store fronts are what you see,
and I rent them storage space. The building was originally a factory that was
later renovated into workable spaces. I bought my shop from the original
renovator. He used to build glider craft in here. The other shops came after
mine in the last few years. I didn’t need all the space.”
“You’re
amazingly talented.” Brody couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was so
animated when she talked about her work. The shadows that had lurked in her eyes
when she first turned to him were now gone.
“Not
really. This started as a hobby, more therapy I think. Something about creating
something pure. I don’t know. I never intended it to become a career, but
sometimes things in life happen, and mischance becomes opportunity.”
Brody
smiled at that. Yes. That was so true. That was what she was. Mischance that was
now an opportunity. “So I know you’re seeing Guerin, but…”
“Am
not!” Maria swallowed her initial
violent reaction to that. There she was all calm, and now with the mention of
that man’s name, her body was all heated again. Damn him. Damn his beautiful
warm brown eyes. If he…
“Sorry.
I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Maria
pulled herself away from her internal rant about Michael Guerin and smiled
pleasantly at Brody. He was a nice man. Smaller than Michael, and his strange
hair served more towards making him
more interesting looking than funny. His accent, the cleft in his chin, and his
smile were completely charming, but it was the clearness of his eyes that became
soft and enthusiastic as he talked about his daughter that sold Maria.
“You
didn’t. I’m sorry. I have issues with Michael Guerin. Unresolved ones.”
“Oh.”
Brody pushed his hands in his pocket and rocked on his feet. Amazingly, he
almost felt shy. “Then I guess asking you out on a date wouldn’t be a good
thing.”
“You
never know until you ask,” said Maria gently. Brody smiled.
“Then
how about we sort of bump into each other sometime, and at that moment feed
ourselves together?”
Maria
seemed to be thinking about that. “Okay.”
“When?”
Maria
looked at her watch. “I could use lunch.”
“Done!”
Brody clutched his purchases he spent a small fortune on from her. “Where?
Anywhere! You name the place.”
“There’s
a totally retro place around the corner. It’s like Planet Hollywood, but its
theme is aliens. The Crashdown. They do great sandwiches.”
“Excellent.”
Brody took Maria’s arm after they exited the storefront and she put her closed
sign, back in an hour on the front door. “I’ve always felt like I was an
alien abductee.”
“Me
too!” Maria said. “But then I stopped drinking, and that feeling went
away.”
~~~
Maria
was laughing at something Brody said when she saw him. Faltering in her steps,
Brody frowned at her until he looked over at her storefront. Guerin. Pacing.
“I
thought you weren’t seeing him.”
“Well,
there he is, so technically, I can see him now.” Maria nervously put her hand
on her stomach. Oh, he looked…angry.
Brody
stopped her a moment. “Look, I know this is none of my business, but I think
you should know some home truths about Michael Guerin. He has six ex-fiancées
behind him. He’s not what most women would call a ‘good’ man.”
Maria
paled a little at that tidbit of information, but she looked at Brody
critically. “You know, what you just told me didn’t do you any favors. It
actually did you a bad turn, telling tales on a competitor.” Maria stopped and
held up her hand. “I know that your competition is professional, but now it
seems it’s turning personal as well. I’m not a bone to be fought over, used,
and then discarded.”
“Maria…”
“No.
Don’t. I know you, Brody Davis. I know about you professionally, just as I
know about Michael Guerin. I live and work in this neighborhood. Just who do you
think the Coalition is made of? Me. My roommate. All my neighbors. We’ve known
and dealt with you and your kind for over three years. But, that aside, I
didn’t judge you for your business practices. I let the man with a
Brody
swore under his breath. “I apologize, Maria.” Brody shook his head. “I can
only claim temporary insanity, which tends to revolve around Michael Guerin.”
“Well,
I’ll forgive you this once, but don’t let it happen again.”
“Yes,
ma’am.” Brody crossed the street with her. He could feel the moment Michael
saw them. The animosity was brutal. “Maybe I should leave you to deal with
your visitor, as you see fit. May I call on you again?”
Maria
frowned at the stare of an angry Michael. “You may. I am currently unattached,
but I make no promises.”
“Understood.”
Brody nodded at Michael and quickly kissed Maria’s hand before taking himself
off. Maria slowed her step, but continued towards her shop.
“What
the hell did he want?” growled Michael.
“What
a charming disposition you have. Not that it’s any of your business, but Mr.
Brody came to my store to buy a present for his daughter.”
“Your
store is here. You were there.”
Maria
opened the front door to enter. “I know exactly where my store is, thank
you.” Putting a hand on his chest, she stopped him from entering her store.
“If you want to enter, you’d better be here to buy, buddy.”
“I
was looking for a special candle. A present.”
Maria
smiled charmingly at him. “Lucky you. You came to the right place.” She
moved aside and invited him in. Taking a deep breath, she kept chanting
encouragement to herself under her breath. She could deal with him. She could.
Michael
looked around the room, turning he watched Maria put away her things. “So,
where did you go with Brody?” Well shit. He might as well bite out his tongue.
“None
of your business, but since I suspect you’re going to be obnoxious about it I
will say lunch. We had lunch.”
“A
date! He comes in and buys something and you go on a date with him? Hell, I
bought shit too! I didn’t know it came with a meal.”
“Careful.
You’re walking very close to the edge of insulting me.”
“I
hope that isn’t a threat of physical violence. I had enough of that today,
thank you.” Michael stared at the room. “I can’t find what I’m looking
for.”
“Another
basket to present some woman with hidden papers inside?”
“Exactly.
I want the candles to be black. Ugly. Suggestive of a life lived in a
dungeon.”
“Interesting
concept. A great way to serve a prenuptial agreement.” Yes. Live with him
could very well be a dungeon of dispair.
Michael
picked a few candles and sniffed them, frowning as he tried to think of what it
was he was smelling. He could do this. He could be calm. As long as he didn’t
stand to close to her. Didn’t smell her skin. Didn’t look at her. He could
do this. Ironman.
“It’s
not a prenuptial agreement. It’s a complaint. I’m suing your roommate, Tess
Hardy, for assault. I wanted to serve her myself. I thought a nice basket might
do nicely.”
Maria
stopped what she was doing, and stared at him in horror. “What?!” Going to
the store front, she quickly shut the door and turned the closed sign around
again. Grabbing his hand, she dragged him into the back room. Michael couldn’t
help it, his eyes automatically went to the stairs. “What happened? Tell me
everything!”
“She
showed up at my office this morning, and gave me marching orders to leave you
alone. Things got a little out of hand. A few insults back and forth, including
me accusing her of being a closet lesbian in lust with you, and then she kneed
me hard in the groin.”
“Oh,
God!” Maria back away from him in horror. Her hands seemed unable to find a
place to go. She picked up things. Put them down. Started to touch him, but
stopped. “Ice! I can give you ice to put on…” Maria waved to his groin.
Then her face turned red in embarrassment of the thought of him nude with
nothing but a strategic icepack. “Oh!” Covering her cheeks with her hand,
she circled her workroom desperately searching for something. Cedar oil. Taking
a small vial she sniffed it trying to inspire a calming effect.
“Listen…”
Michael frowned. Her agitation level seemed to be increasing instead of
decreasing. “Are you okay?”
Maria
laughed bitterly. “No! Do I look okay?” She bent over a little. “I
can’t…I can’t breathe!”
Michael
quickly went to her side. She wasn’t lying. Her face was turning red, and she
was hyperventilating. The vial hit the floor and shattered, as her wheezing
increased. Alarmed, he searched for something, anything to help. Finally, he
picked her up and carried her upstairs to the apartment above.
It
was a large open apartment with lots of light and windows. He didn’t have time
to really take account of his surroundings, he was too concerned by her wheezing
and distress. Pushing his fingers through his hair he looked around in alarm.
“Oh,
geez! Tell me what to do. What do you need?” Helpless. What to do? 911 or was
it 411? Shit!
“Maria?”
The door slammed. “Maria!”
The
Tess
pushed Michael away and knelt beside the sofa where Maria was struggling. “In
her bedroom, down the hall on the right, on the vanity, there’s a small vial
of pills with her name. Bring those.” Tess turned and looked at him. “Now!”
She rushed into the open kitchen and found a paper bag. Emptying it, she
returned to Maria. Michael was next to her.
“Water.
Refrigerator. There are bottles.” Michael nodded and went to get one. He
opened it as Tess took two pills from the vial. “Maria, honey, you’ve got to
calm down. Breathe. Take these. They’ll help.” Michael handed Tess the
bottled water while she helped Maria swallow the pills. Once the pills were
taken, Maria went back to breathing heavily into the bag while Tess stroked her
hair and murmured soothingly to her.
Michael
made a sound of distress as his golden eyes met Maria’s panicked green ones
over the paper bag, and slowly her eyes closed. Her hands loosened on the bag,
and she was no longer struggling.
“Maria?”
Michael reached for her to check her out.
“It’s
okay. She passed out.” Tess took the paper bag away, and stroked her hair
again. “She’ll rest. The pills will keep her a little sedated. She’ll wake
up in about an hour.”
“Should
we take her to the doctor? I can call an ambulance.”
“No.
She’ll be fine.”
“What
the hell is that?” Michael looked at Maria. She seemed to be resting
peacefully.
“That
was a pretty severe panic attack. It’s a result of post traumatic stress
disorder.” Tess sat back on her heels. “I should’ve guessed you wouldn’t
stay away. What happened?” Tess looked at him. The worry was etched heavily on
his face. He looked like he was on the verge of his own panic attack. “Don’t
tell me. You told her I kicked your balls into your throat.”
“Yeah.
I asked her to make a special funeral basket for you that I could use to present
you with the assault complaint.”
Tess
moaned. “Dammit. I really hadn’t thought this through.” Tess looked at
him. “I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have kicked you, but you invaded my
space. It was a natural response from being the only girl raised with six larger
brothers, and without a mother. I don’t take threats too well.”
“So
you respond with violence?”
Tess
smiled ironically. “Shocking, isn’t it? Thought men were the only ones
violent by nature?”
“No.
I watch the Discovery Channel. I know that the female of the species tends to be
deadlier than the male generally. I just wasn’t expecting it.” Michael
nodded to Maria. “She offered to put ice on my…injury.”
“Figures!”
Tess said with a snort. “She has a total jones for you. God only knows why.
She sure as hell doesn’t. It’s disrupting her calm.”
Michael
was unsure whether he should be flattered or insulted. He decided to let it go.
He had already suffered worse from Tess than a few unkind words. “What’s
wrong with her?”
“You.”
Tess said nastily. Then she stood up and sighed. “No. I’m sorry. It’s not
you. It’s her. Maria hasn’t had a panic attack in almost three years. Last
time was when Nordstrom closed during a fire alarm. That was the extent of
stressful shockwaves in her life lately. She was doing so great. Then she met
you. She’s had so many since the night of the charity thing. It has me worried
she’s slipping away.”
“I’m
really that big a nightmare?”
Tess
looked him over critically for the first time. Oh Lordy. He was...well...he was
gorgeous. Handsome was such a male cliché. This man was sexy. Hot. Almost too
breathtakingly handsome to look at. At first look, he was okay. But up close and
personal, he was devastating.
“Yeah.
You are.”
“Then
explain it to me.”
Tess
looked at Maria and shook her head. “I can’t. Not my story to tell.” She
looked at the man and sighed. “You’re not going to leave, are you? Not even
if I threaten to beat you to a pulp.”
“No.”
He looked over the small woman with interest. “Could you do it?”
Tess
laughed. “Oh, hell yeah! I started martial arts when I was four. I’ve got
six brothers, and three of them are heavily into martial arts, with one actually
on the
“That
explains the wicked kick.”
“Actually,
no. That was ten years of ballet.” Tess smiled at him noticing that he was
sitting on the sofa next to Maria watching over her. “I came really, really
close to losing her once,” Tess said her voice suddenly deep with unshed
tears. “I can’t take that chance again. She’s the only sister I’ve ever
had.”
Michael
looked at Tess in shock. The tears were evident in her eyes. Crying women. Damn,
he was no good at this stuff. “You’re
not going to lose her.”
Tess
looked at Maria, and she smiled. “I hope not. I’ve known her my entire life.
You couldn’t understand.” Michael nodded. She was right. He couldn’t. Not
really. He had brothers and sisters he barely knew. It was difficult to see a
relationship as intimate as this one seemed to be that was not forged in blood.
But in truth, he was closer to Alex and Max than his own family. “So are you
going to give me the papers telling me how much you’re suing me for?”
Michael
shrugged. “Forget it. It’s not the first time I had my balls lodged in my
throat. I play basketball with my friends Max and Alex. That Alex is a bit rough
at times. Strange. In high school, all he could play was a killer dodge ball.”
Michael looked at the sleeping Maria. Damn. He was never going to get to talk to
her without it turning into a strange and bizarre event. “I guess I should
go.” Michael stood up, but he kept looking at Maria. “I’m really sorry.
I’m not even sure what I’m sorry for, but I guess, for whatever I do that
makes her panic.”
Tess
looked at him and then at Maria. “You know what? Stay. She’ll be awake soon,
and maybe we’re doing this wrong. Maybe she needs a normal conversation with
you. I would like my friend back to normal.”
“Are
you sure?”
“Yeah.
You stay here with her, and I’ll go cook.”
Michael
sat down to watch Maria. What was wrong with her? What was he getting himself
into?
~~~
“Hi,”
she said softly.
Michael
put down the magazine he was reading. “Hi. Welcome back to the breathing
world.”
“Sorry
about that.”
Michael
shrugged. “No problem. I’m used to women falling at my feet.”
“I
thought you were used to them running from you in hysterics.” Maria sat up and
Michael helped her, taking a seat next to her. He liked the wariness in her
eyes, the way she seemed slightly embarrassed, with a sort of humor directed at
herself. “I give a whole new understanding to the name bag lady.”
Michael
smiled slightly and picked up her hand. “Want me to leave? Is Tess right? Am I
something you can’t afford?”
“I
don’t know.” Maria closed her eyes and breathed in deep. Jake said to take
it slow. To honestly ask herself what she wanted out of this. Looking at him,
Michael was shocked at how her intense stare affected his own breathing. His
heart. His stomach. “No. Don’t go. I don’t want to deal with this by
running away.”
“What
is this? Do you even know?”
Maria
shook her head slowly. “Do you?”
“No
idea.” Michael leaned over and softly kissed her mouth, closing his eyes when
she moaned in his mouth. He liked that. He liked that a lot. Resting his
forehead against hers, he licked his lips, tasting her on them. “I only know
that I never knew my heart could beat so hard. That I could smell so many
things. That I could want to touch someone so much. What that means, I don’t
know, but I’d never forgive myself if I at least didn’t try to understand
it.”
Maria
was having a hard time not watching his mouth, especially when his tongue wet
his lips. “So this is how you got six women to say yes to marriage. I had
wondered.”
“I
thought you said it was brain damage.”
“The
jury’s still out.” Maria seemed to suddenly become aware of her
surroundings. “What is that smell?”
Michael
looked around. “Oh, Tess said she was going to cook.”
“Oh
God! A death threat on top of everything else!”
Michael
laughed. “I take it that eating Tess’ food is not a good idea?”
“Ingesting
botulism directly is a better method of suicide. Much more expedient. Eating
Tess’s food is a slow drawn out grueling death.”
“Wanna
go out? I’ll save you from imminent death.”
Maria
looked at him. “You serious?” Michael nodded. “I don’t know. That sounds
so normal and ordinary. Can’t we just go straight to sex?”
~~~
Michael
didn’t realize that they were back at her place. They had fought and bickered
the entire time since leaving the downtown sports center. They finally settled
on a hockey game, and it would’ve been more shocking if she actually liked the
same team as he did. Instead, they seemed to be adversaries about hockey as well
as other things.
After
Tess burnt the macaroni and cheese from a box, Michael kidnapped Maria and took
her to a local Italian restaurant point of disagreement between them. They ended
the evening at a hockey game where Michael was surprised to find his companion
actually involved in the sport.
“You’re
blind. As blind as the damn ref! He was roughing. No doubt about it.”
“That
was not roughing,” Michael argued. “He still had his helmet on, and did you
see any blood? No. Roughing…”
“Blood?
That is not a perquisite to determining roughing. It saved your team from a
penalty and stopped a power play. Of course you would side with that blind as a
bat ref. It’s to your advantage.”
“Advantage,
hell! You’re a sore loser! Oh, would you be so opposed if your team won? No. I
don’t think so.”
“You’re
a boob.”
“So
you’ve told me!” Michael looked at her. “Don’t think I didn’t notice
you dumping your beer down that man in front of us.”
“I’m
on medication.” Maria said reasonably.
“You
need to be.”
Maria
looked at the back of her store and home. “I’m home.”
Michael
swore under his breath, but held it back. He promised himself to go slow.
“Looks that way. Let me walk you upstairs.” He wasn’t going to rush her.
He wasn’t going to kiss her, because he knew what that would lead to. Nope.
Control. Strong. Ironman.
Maria
looked at him startled, but she shrugged. Taking the souvenirs he bought her at
the game, she let him go with her upstairs. He stopped at the outside door.
“Now
you’re going to be a gentleman?”
Michael
laughed. “I was trying to wipe away a bad first impression.”
Maria opened the door. She crossed the threshold and,
grabbing his shirt front, she pulled him inside with her. “Not all of them
were bad. I suggest you capitalize on those.” Michael kicked the door shut
behind him. Fuck Ironman. He always was more of a Spiderman fan.