“What do we do on this coffee date?”
“They can talk to you, ask questions, maybe get advice. Maybe they just absorb your amazingness.” He shot her a doubtful look. She gave him a sweet smile and batted her lashes.
He sighed. “I guess I don’t have much choice. But I won’t forget this, Ms. Barrett,” he said.
She could see the quirk in his brow and wasn’t as worried as she usually was when he called her that.
“You owe me. Big time.”
“Me? Sheila is the one you’re doing the favor for! Why doesn’t she owe you?”
“Because she’s your friend and you’re the one who asked me when I was clearly distracted. And,” he leaned down to whisper in her ear, “you’re the one I want.”
She looked at him in shock for a moment before realizing they were in front of their building. He quickly tugged her inside before she could respond.
**
In mid-February, two weeks after the auction, Harper sat in his office listening to Evelyn run through his schedule and newly received invitations.
“Shall I book you at your normal hotel, then, sir?”
“Yes. Just the one night. I want to get out of there as soon as possible.”
“All right. You’ve also received an invitation to Mitzi Stanfield’s annual fundraiser. It’s the twelfth of March. Shall I forward it to Mrs. Harper?”
He leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment. “No, don’t forward it and don’t send anything to Mitzi. I’ll take care of it myself.” He extended his hand for the embossed invitation. Evelyn looked surprised for a moment, but quickly schooled her features and handed it to her boss. “That will be all for now, Evelyn. Thank you.”
“Yes, sir.”
After Evelyn had gone, Harper sat tapping the invitation on the edge of his desk, an idea forming in his mind. Every March, Mitzi Stanfield held an odd sort of talent-show-style fundraiser to benefit the local cancer society. She invited every well-heeled, blue-blooded person in the tri-state area. Those who had any kind of talent, and some that had none, performed for the audience. Everyone voted on their favorite and the winner got some ridiculous trophy and bragging rights until the next spring when it all started again. Last year he had been out of town, so they hadn’t attended. The year before that he’d gone, but Liz hadn’t been in his life at the time. His mind made up, he quickly made the call.
Later that week, Liz was looking through the mail when she saw something unfamiliar addressed to her. Ripping it open, she read the letter with increasing confusion.
“Babe?” she called down the hall and stepped into William’s study. “I just got the strangest letter. Do you know someone named Mitzi Stanfield?” she asked.
“Yes. Why?” he replied, turning around in his chair to face her.
“She’s sent me a dress rehearsal schedule and says I need to get my back-up music to the sound guy by March eighth. What back-up music? What is she talking about?” She handed him the letter.
“Oh, this. I signed you up for Mitzi’s annual fundraiser. It’s a talent show of sorts. If you win, you get a big trophy.” He made a face and smiled, then turned back to his desk.
Liz was silent for a moment. “You did what?” she asked.
“I signed you up—”
“I heard that part!” She grabbed his shoulder and pulled him around to face her again. “Why on earth would you do that?”
“I seem to recall you saying I could auction you off to whomever I wanted,” he said with a thoughtful expression, not the least bit put off by her manner.
She stepped backward, a look of horror on her face. “Oh, no. You’re getting revenge!”
“I like to think of it as evening the score.”
“What? That’s the same thing!”
He shrugged.
“You getting auctioned off was an accident. I thought you agreed to it. You deliberately did this to me without my permission!” she said angrily.
He shrugged again. Liz was beginning to find it a maddening gesture.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’m sure you’ll be great.”
She clenched her jaw and glared at his smirking face. “DON’T call me baby!”
She turned and stormed out of the room, ignoring Will’s laughter behind her. She quickly grabbed her keys and went for a walk, fuming the first three blocks.
She knew his coffee date had gone badly, but revenge just seemed so… petty. There was another voice in her head telling her it was also pretty funny, not to mention a great way to deter her from volunteering him for things in the future, but still, she was not happy about this. So the guy he’d had coffee with had turned out to be an obsequious, sweaty little man who’d spent the entire hour pitching Harper on his latest great idea, but it was one hour of his life. She was going to have to spend hours rehearsing for this, and then perform in front of hundreds of people she barely knew and didn’t particularly like. What song would she even do?
When she got home from her walk she went straight to her old room and locked the door behind her. She was too mad to face Will without saying things she would later regret, so she kept her distance.
When Will heard her come in, he waited to hear her voice calling to him or to at least hear her stomping about in the kitchen. He didn’t. He came out of his study and looked around, wondering where his wife was. He noticed her old bedroom door was shut and he saw a light shining in the crack underneath. He felt a moment of panic, wondering if he’d gone too far, and had to stop himself from turning the handle to see if it was locked.
No, she’ll come out when she’s cooled off, he told himself. He pushed down the gnawing fear in his gut and went to the kitchen to eat dinner. Liz had put some sort of layered dish in the crock pot. He spooned himself a generous helping and sat down, waiting for his wife to join him. When she never came out, he got ready for bed on his own. When she wasn’t reflected in the mirror beside him as he brushed his teeth, he felt inexplicably alone. He climbed into bed on his side and read for a bit, hoping Liz would come in.
She never did.
He was left to ponder if perhaps he’d crossed a line. He had thought the whole thing would be a good joke. She’d performed without any preparation in Farmington their first Thanksgiving together. She had just gotten up and sung, and sung well. Of course, it never occurred to him that those were musicians she’d been singing with her entire life, in front of people she’d known her entire life, in an environment she was completely familiar with and comfortable in.
He didn’t think she might not enjoy putting herself on display for people who were often critical and sometimes hostile to her, nor that she might see him doing this to her as a sort of punishment suitable for an errant child. No, he did not think any of that. He simply thought that she had put him in an awkward position and he would do the same to her. His experience had had its funny side—he’d certainly relished telling the tale to Liz—and hers would, too.
But he couldn’t stop himself from thinking that maybe his actions had been just a little vindictive. She hadn’t meant to put him in an uncomfortable position, but he had certainly meant to do exactly that to her. An uncomfortable feeling of guilt swept through him and he told himself that if she said anything about it, he’d apologize. If it was really a problem, he’d call Mitzi and get her out of it.
Liz was not prone to long bouts of anger or anxiety, so she quickly began working out a plan. If Will thought he was so clever, she would show him that two could play that game. He might have meant to make her do something embarrassing, but she would show him that Elizabeth Barrett always rises to the occasion.
She spent the evening looking up songs and making a plan. She quickly drafted Sheila into singing back-up for her, since she was the one who had gotten Liz into this mess in the first place, and Jenny, being the amazingly supportive sister that she was, agreed to take the other part. She put a call in to Mitzi Stanfield and asked her to place her husband on the front row where she could
easily access him. Mitzi tittered at being in on a surprise for one of her guests and promised Liz that Harper would be at a table front and center.
The next morning, Harper walked in to the kitchen to find Liz making pancakes.
“Good morning!” she said happily. She quickly flipped a pancake and began filling a plate with bacon and eggs. “Here you go, sweetie.” She set the plate on the bar on the island and went back to her pancakes.
“Thanks,” he said suspiciously. “What are your plans today?” He didn’t want to ask why she hadn’t slept with him last night; he knew why, and he hated arguing. Best to avoid the whole thing unless she brought it up.
“I’m meeting an author at eleven and then I have to meet with an editor at Taggston at four-thirty. I’ll probably be there pretty late; do you want to go to dinner from there?”
“Sure. That sounds good.” He was still watching her carefully, but she seemed completely back to normal, if a little saccharine. “Where are we going?”
“It’s your turn to pick.”
“Is it just us?” he asked.
“We can ask Jenny and Andrew to join us if you want. I haven’t seen Andy in weeks.”
“I’ll see him later today and mention it. Let’s say Angelo’s at seven. Will you be done by then?”
“Yeah, I should be. I’ll text Jen and come by your office when I’m finished with my meeting.”
“Great.”
They ate their meal in silence, Will reading the news on his tablet while Liz read the latest chapters her author had sent her. They said goodbye distractedly and parted ways for the day.
**
Liz spent the next few weeks working on her routine, as she had come to call it. Jenny and Sheila were dancing and singing back-up, and Andrew, Peter, and Sheila’s son Simon had often played audience for them while they practiced, working hard to get it right. It ended up being a lot of fun, like memorizing dance moves to their favorite music videos when they were kids, but she wasn’t about to tell Will that.
Eventually, it was the big day and Liz arrived early at the venue. It was a large ballroom with a stage at one end and a wooden dance floor in the center with tables around three sides. She joined Sheila and Jen as they took their places in the green room. They were the second performers to go on, so they wouldn’t be mingling beforehand. The show was divided into three parts. The first happened during appetizers, then there was a break for more mingling and congratulating and a little dancing while the band played, then the main course was served and the second, longest act came on. More mingling and dancing, then finally dessert was served accompanied by the third and shortest act. It was basically a really fancy and expensive dinner theater, or at least that was how Liz had come to think of it.
They could hear the sound of laughter and voices from their places backstage, which was really just a small conference room next to the ballroom with the hall shielded by a curtain. The first act was called and Liz held hands with Jenny and Sheila, all three saying a quick prayer and wishing each other luck. Before they knew it, the stage manager was calling them out.
The lights were dimmed and Liz took her place in the center, Jenny on her right and Sheila on her left. The three of them stood with their backs to the audience, lights dark. The music started and they bounced one hip to the rhythm, the spotlights coming on a few beats in. Jen and Sheila began snapping their fingers to the side in time with their hips, long hair streaming down their backs and swaying with their movement.
Finally, Liz turned her head over her shoulder and began singing, red lips forming the opening lines to Hey, Big Spender. The crowd went wild when they realized what she was singing. She turned to face the audience and sashayed around, one long, perfect leg reaching out through the slit in her blood red gown. The three women moved in perfect time down the steps of the small stage and onto the dance floor, Jenny and Sheila moving to the sides while Liz walked directly toward her husband, moving seductively and singing every line slowly and perfectly. Before she got to him she backed up, meeting her partners in the center. Together they kicked and turned and sang the chorus in perfect harmony.
The lyrics rang out clearly through the ballroom, followed by the whoops of a few men, likely egged on by Andrew and Peter who were the designated cheerleaders of the night. The three of them continued to strut around the room, two of them meeting and sliding downwards back to back, Jenny reaching a leg out through her slit and sliding so low the audience was afraid she couldn’t get up, but then bouncing back with a bang. Sheila’s curvy figure and dark hair were the perfect contrast to Jen’s blonde willowy frame, and the audience clearly responded to the attractive trio.
Liz pointed at Will and sang directly to him, winking and making come here motions with her finger when she sang. He wouldn’t admit it, but he found the entire thing unbelievably sexy and had to shift more than once in his chair. Liz seemed to sense his discomfort and smiled her mischievous smile, walking up to him and placing one finger beneath his chin and tilting his face up to her while she sang and edged ever closer, stopping just an inch shy of his mouth. When she turned and danced away, he sat frozen for a minute, not moving until the people around him clapped and jostled him out of his stupor.
The girls ran back on stage as the music wound down, hiding behind the curtain until the very end when the final drum thumped and they each flicked out a long kick before giggling and running backstage.
The emcee took the stage and commented on how wonderful their performance had been and how all the other performers had some serious competition. They hardly noticed. The three of them were jumping and laughing backstage, thrilled with how well it had gone and high on the rush of performing.
“Did you see his face? He was completely surprised!” Jenny said.
“What was he expecting, anyway?” asked Sheila.
“I don’t know. Maybe he thought I’d just stand there and sing a little song.” Liz answered.
The three of them laughed and quickly changed out of their costumes and into their cocktail dresses. They joined the party during the first break between acts.
“You were amazing!” Andrew was the first to greet them, kissing Jen soundly on the lips, then bussing Liz and Sheila each on the cheek. “Very well done, ladies!”
Peter quickly joined them and added his praises.
“Thank you! It was a lot of fun. Has anyone seen Will?” Liz asked.
“Look behind you.”
She turned in time to see her husband headed toward her with a glass in each hand. He kissed her firmly as soon as he saw her, making everyone around them snicker softly. “You were magnificent,” he said quietly. He handed her a glass of champagne and tipped his in her direction, then congratulated Jen and Sheila. They all raised their glasses with a small cheer and a quick toast from Andrew.
After they’d drunk and accepted more congratulations, Harper smiled that enigmatic smile of his. “Point taken,” he whispered in her ear. “I won’t challenge you again.”
“Glad we understand each other,” she said softly.
The remaining acts were a mix of funny, entertaining, and difficult to watch. But it was all in good fun and for a good cause, so Harper happily wrote a check to the local cancer society and promised his attendance for the next year.
When the time came at the end to award the prizes, Liz was shocked when her name was called as the first place winner. She was sure one of the repeat performers or someone with more influence would win. Liz, Jenny, and Sheila thanked everyone for voting for them and held the trophy up high as they smiled and posed for photographs. When Mitzi Stanfield encouraged Liz to say a few words, she took the microphone with a mischievous smile.
“I just want to say thank you to everyone who voted for us and to Mitzi for making this event possible and allowing all of us to support such an important cause in such a fun way.” The audience clapped and a few cheered. “I will display this trophy proudly in our home. Thank you for encouraging me to do this, W
illiam Harper. I certainly wouldn’t have done it without your influence. Thanks again, everyone!”
The audience cheered and she took the heavy trophy back to their table where it stood proudly for the rest of the night. The remainder of the evening, people stopped by to congratulate her on her win and William on his choice of wife.
Will watched her with pride and a feeling he couldn’t quite describe. Sure, he was proud that she’d won, but it was more than that. She had taken his poorly thought-out revenge and turned it into something beautiful and worthwhile. She had risen above so elegantly—he was in awe of her and, in the end, he felt like he was the one who’d been taught a lesson.
God, she’s amazing, he thought as he watched her shake hands with yet another man currying her favor. I really love her. His eyes widened at his own thoughts. Oh, shit!
41
Oh, Mama
Last week of May, Thursday
2 Years, 1 Month Married
Liz had just shut her car door and turned to look at the wildflowers blooming in the neighboring field when she heard the loud smack of the screen door followed by a shriek.
“Lizzy!” Tiffany came flying out of the house and jumped into Liz’s arms. “Can you believe I’m graduating? Aah! Will!” She hugged her brother-in-law as he was slamming shut the trunk on the rental car. “Are you hungry? Mom’s been cooking all day! Where’s Jenny?” She looked behind them then continued talking. “Ryan’s going to be at the barbecue tonight! Do you want to meet him?”
“Tiffany, give your sister some breathing room,” Loretta called from the porch. “How was the flight down?” She hugged Liz and pulled William lower so she could kiss his cheek. She held his chin in her hand and turned his face side to side. “You look thin. What are you eating?” She gave Liz a sharp look. “Are you feeding him properly?”
Liz suppressed an eye roll. “Will actually knows how to feed himself, Mom, but yes, I do a fair amount of cooking. He’s just lean naturally. Leave him alone.”
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