by Pepper Pace
“Marty?”
“I’m on my way home.” He hung up. She looked at the receiver for a few moments before hanging it up and heading back to the kitchen to finish making her tea. Why was he coming home? Was he going to do that every time she complained about a freaking headache? She would have to convince him that she wasn’t a delicate china doll. Nicole stared at the lukewarm water in her mug. It had just been boiling hot, now it was lukewarm. What the…?
***
Nicole felt like she was being swung around in a circle like a kid on one of those playground torture devices. Gasping, she clutched at the nearest thing to her, which happened to be Marty. He was holding her in his arms a look of fear in his eyes.
“Marty?”
“You fell. When I came in you were laying on the floor.” She reached up ignoring the straining in her shoulder and felt the back of her head. It didn’t feel any more sore then normal.
“I’m taking you to the hospital.” He said breathlessly as he hurried to the door.
“No.”
“Nicole-“
“STOP!” He did, surprised. “Put me down.” Reluctantly he did. “Marty, I didn’t hit the back of my head.”
“Let me see.” He said, moving behind her and pulling away part of the bandage. Tentatively he touched her head. “Maybe you didn’t.” He pressed the bandage back in place. She decided not to tell him about the excruciating pain or he really would make her go to emergency.
“Nicole…that’s it.” His eyes narrowed. “I am not leaving you alone again.”
“Marty-”
He stalked away from her and walked back into the kitchen, picked up a fallen bar stool and angrily slammed it onto its legs. One minute she was risking a blackout in the shower, the next she was laying on the floor. Her head could have…
Nicole just stood in the doorway because his attitude reminded her of the tomato incident, when he was so angry at her. But this wasn’t her fault!
He glanced at her and then hesitated. “I’m not mad at you, Nicole…but I am pissed. I am so mad at that lady that hit you! I am pissed that she left you there all alone.” He raised his hands palm up. “And really, all I can think of doing is …is-” He sat on the barstool silently feeling useless.
Nicole sat down next to him.
***
For the next few days Marty did stay close to Nicole. He took her to her doctor’s appointment. He gave her his hands to squeeze when the Doctor removed the stitches from her scalp. He asked the pertinent questions about her seizures and blackouts and headaches and anything else he could think of. He made her healthy meals and even convinced her to go for walks around the neighborhood and eventually through the park. Donning sunglasses and a hat she was even persuaded to go out to a casual seafood restaurant that Marty loved. In the evenings they settled down to watch a movie on the home theater or she would do a few hours of schoolwork in his den.
Their routine was very comfortable and Nicole knew that she would never be able to see Marty the way she had prior to her accident. She wondered what it would be like once she went home and they had just a working relationship again. She’d miss him, that was for sure.
Although they never discussed work or each other’s past, she had grown to know him well, and he her. There was no more of the flirting but at times the sexual tension was tight. They both recognized that there was a mutual attraction. And they both knew that it was dangerous to play a flirting game.
By Tuesday morning Nicole’s bruising had virtually disappeared and she was becoming anxious to get back to work. She glanced at Marty who was scrambling eggs wearing a pair of loose fitting athletic shorts and a worn t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. He had just finished working out and his muscles seemed very pumped. With a swallow, Nicole tried to suppress her rising desire.
“Marty.” He raised a brow without answering. “Let’s go to work today.”
Silently he scooped the steaming eggs onto their plates. “Okay.”
She smiled, “Really?” He put the skillet back on the stove then sat down next to her.
“Yeah…But, Nicole. I think it’s too soon for you to start working-”
“But-”
“Hear me out. It’s just been a week since the accident. Three days ago you had a seizure. Let’s see if you can go the rest of the week without one and I’ll consider it. Deal?”
She hadn’t had any other incidents; no black outs, no seizures, not even a significant headache.
“I guess I can stay here and work on the computer-“
“I don’t think so. There’s a computer in my office at work.” He hadn’t been kidding when he swore never to leave her alone again. Even when she took a long bath he’d knock on the door after fifteen minutes or so to check on her.
Her sigh of frustration was real. “Marty, what’s everyone going to think when they see me sitting in the office and not working?” Really, if he was intent on keeping their relationship secret then that would be a dead give-away!
“Even though I haven’t told anyone that you’re staying here with me, I’m sure they’ve figured out that I’ve not been around is because I’m with you. So tell them whatever you want. Tell them to mind their own business.” He glanced at her. “But you would never say anything like that to anyone, Baby Girl. You’re so sweet and nice.” His tone was playfully mocking. She thought he’d be truly surprised to learn just how UN-nice she used to be.
“You don’t care that they know you’ve been with me-short of them knowing that I’m staying here, of course?”
Marty’s look was guarded, but he smiled. “No. Maybe they’ll stop thinking I’m so mean. You think that will change their opinion of me, Baby Girl?” He was always poking fun at her about the mean issue.
Nicole smiled. “You are awfully mean, Marty.”
“I guess.” He placed a mug in front of her then filled it with coffee. She was having a difficult time connecting this Marty with the Marty from work. She guessed that she’d see the other soon enough.
***
Nicole kept sneaking looks at Marty as he drove them to the restaurant, trying to determine how he felt about this. He had turned on the radio to an oldies channel and was humming to an Eagles song. He didn’t even seem concerned. Well why should he be concerned? No one was going to be bombarding him with questions concerning the nature of their relationship.
Nicole wasn’t at the restaurant 2 hours before she began to regret her suggestion to come in, not that Marty would have let her stay home alone and she felt horrible keeping him away from work. But every time she began to get absorbed in her studies, the office door would pop open and someone would tell her how bad she looked.
When Kendall opened the door she was ready to scream, instead she just smiled. “Hey, Girlie.”
Kendall’s mouth just dropped. “Damn…”
“I look that bad?”
“No…but you do look like you got hit by an SUV. You okay, girl?”
Nicole shrugged. “A lot better than last week.”
“Well I tried calling you but your phone just rang and rang.” Kendall gave her a knowing look. She shut the door and sat on the corner of the cluttered desk. “Okay, Girl. Give up the goods.”
“What goods?”
“The goods on Marty.”
Nicole gave her an innocent look. “What in the world are you talking about?”
Kendall rolled her eyes. “Boyfriend closed the restaurant for you—for several days. Marty NEVER closes, not even when he had the flu!”
Nicole tried to appear nonchalant. “I don’t have a driver’s license. I guess I put Marty on the spot to help me out with Doctor’s appointments, getting medicine…I feel real guilty about it.”
Kendall just smiled. “Fred would have done any of that for you. I think he has a crush on you.” Nicole scowled. She was so off the mark. “So…You don’t think Marty sucks anymore?”
“I never said that he sucked! I just thought he was mean…But he’s be
en real cool to me, so I won’t complain.”
Kendall stood. Nicole could tell that her interest in the conversation had expired and she had moved onto something different. “Marty is more than cool. He is the bomb!” She squealed.
Nicole frowned. “The bomb?”
“Yes! He’s been training me. I don’t know what it is Nicole, but he hasn’t been his usual mean self…I think he wants me just as bad as I want him!”
Nicole was shocked but quickly concealed it. “Oh…really?
“Oh my god! He’s funny. He’s sexy. And he watches me so hard. Girl, I’m going to get him!”
“Kendall, Isn’t he old enough to be your father?”
“He’s only 39 or 40. That’s not old. And besides he doesn’t look it.” She leaned closer to Nicole. “I heard he’s rich, used to have his own investment agency. He was married and everything. But she died, real horribly; killed-”
Nicole’s brow furrowed sharply. “What? Kendall, how’d you find this out?”
“Fred told me. When Marty was out.”
Fred? “How would he know about something like that?”
Kendall shrugged. “I don’t know. I know that Fred quit another job to work for Marty when he first opened this place. Maybe they go way back.”
Nicole felt sick. Fred wouldn’t make up something like that. But why would Marty mislead her about his marriage because he sure made it seem like his wife had just dumped him for his partner.
Kendall looked at the clock. “I gotta get back on the floor. Nicole, what I told you has to stay between you and me.”
She nodded absently. “Okay, but what do you mean she died horribly?”
“She was attacked, beaten, maybe even raped. I gotta go!” Kendall hurried out of the office.
Nicole shook her head in disbelief. Marty’s wife was murdered? But why didn’t he tell her ? Maybe…it was for the same reason that Nicole herself had never mentioned Alicia.
About an hour later Marty came in. “How’s it going?”
She had been so absorbed in her studies and thoughts about Marty’s wife that she jumped.
“Good, but I’m so behind on everything.”
“Well, don’t work too hard. How’s your head? You don’t have a headache, do you.”
“No headache.”
“Good. We’ll cut out of here in about another hour, okay?”
She nodded. “How’s Kendall working out?” She tried to keep her voice neutral.
“Real good.”
“You know I’m coming back, Marty, and I want my job back.”
He chuckled. “I’m not replacing you, Baby Girl. She’s just filling in.”
“I hope she knows that.”
Another hour passed and Nicole needed to hit the restroom and get something to take her medicine with. Fred was working Marty’s station, it was pretty slow and he was working on a meatloaf. Kendall wasn’t at her station and she didn’t see Marty.
“Hey Baby Girl.” Fred said looking up briefly. “You’ve been studying pretty hard in that office.”
“Yeah, Fred. I got a lot to get caught up. Look at you, though. I hear you’re the man with being in charge and all.”
“You better recognize!” They both laughed.
She looked around. “Where’s Marty and Kendall?”
“Getting stock.” Nicole thought about how tedious getting stock had always been for her. Keeping the station replenished with fresh condiments, lunch meats, salad makings and bread was time consuming. She decided to help, itching to do something a little physical.
“I’ll catch you later Fred.” She went into the walk-in, but didn’t see anyone. The first part was the refrigeration unit, then behind that a second door led into a much smaller freezer unit. Rarely did she need anything from the freezer, most of her station was fresh. They must be out back getting carryout cups and trays. That could be pretty time consuming. She was about to leave when she heard a shuffle from the freezer. She opened the door and peeked her head inside.
Nicole’s mouth fell open.
Marty had Kendall against a stack of boxes, their bodies pressed together intimately, her arms around his neck and his hands gripping her buttocks while his pelvis rotated sensually against her. They were kissing wildly, unaware that they were being watched.
Quickly Nicole let the door shut silently. She turned and stalked out of the walk-in feeling a mixture of so many emotions, but mostly a hurt that was sharp like a knife in her heart.
Nicole went back to the office allowing the door to slam behind her as the only acknowledgement of her anger. She turned on the computer and tried to tune out the sight of Marty and Kendall together.
Whatever. She thought to herself angrily, humiliated. All this time she had thought Marty’s reserve was based on his high moral: not to make a move on an employee and someone under his care, but obviously that wasn’t the case. Obviously being employed by Marty didn’t stop him from screwing them!
Then it was true. The feelings she had were one sided. A tear slipped down her cheek and angrily she swiped it away. She was not going to cry—not over him, not when she had cried so many tears in her life.
Nicole wasn’t surprised when the door swung open. She didn’t look up from the computer and Marty stood silently in the doorway. Finally he cleared his throat.
“Were you just in the walk-in?”
Nicole looked at him briefly but didn’t respond. She pulled a disk out of the computer and put it in her book bag.
Marty closed the door behind him and then rubbed his shaved head with both hands sighing. “I know what that must have looked like. But…it wasn’t.”
“Can we go?” She said, putting the rest of her things in her book bag.
“Nicole…”
“I’ll be in the truck.” She said, moving past him and out of the office. Nicole went out the back door and didn’t say a word to anyone. Marty’s truck was locked so she climbed into the bed and waited for him to come out, trembling, wanting to scream at him or smack him. But scream what? Smack him for what? Choosing the pretty white girl over the beat up black woman on public aid?
In her entire life, all Nicole ever had was herself and then Alicia. She never grew up depending on anyone; parents, friends and especially not a man. Her sole mission in life for the last couple of years had been to better her circumstances, not physical comfort—but to be a better person. Marty had been a brief interruption. But now, she was putting herself back on track!
When Marty got to the truck she jumped down from the back and got in silently. She knew he was dying to speak so she just turned on the radio and looked out the window. They drove in silence.
He pulled into the drive-way but didn’t cut off the engine.
“Nicole, Kendall is not who I want to be with-”
“Marty, I want to go home.”
He swallowed. “Okay…But Nicole-” She turned to him suddenly.
“Thank you…for everything. I want to get my things, and after that will you take me home?”
He stared at her seeing only a cold, blank expression on her face. He finally turned off the engine and handed her the keys. Wordlessly she went into the apartment and quickly gathered her things, ignoring the pang in her chest. There were a lot of good memories in this home. But she refused to humiliate herself anymore by thinking of them or of Marty. He was just a man that had done her a favor and that’s all.