by Vivian Wood
To be known by him. To be cherished, even if it’s only temporary.
But that’s what it is. My mouth twists and I pull away.
I know that there are other women he’s still enthralled with. I know that he married me by mistake and now he’s just going along with it because it’s easier. I know that this meant nothing to him. So it should mean nothing to me… right?
“I agreed to pretend to be your wife,” I say, standing up. “But I never agreed to be your… your temporary distraction.”
He looks confused. “What?”
“This?” I point between us. “That’s what this is. You’re still hung up on Madisyn, or Chloe, or whoever else. And I’m not interested in changing who I am to slip into the place that she left empty.”
He scowls. “It has nothing to do with anyone else. We just fucked because we needed to.”
I shake my head. “You are delusional if you think that this wasn’t a mistake. A one-time only slip up.” I find my dress, pulling it down over my head. “Not to be repeated.”
“You know, you are fucking hot,” he spits out. “It’s too bad you always open your mouth and ruin it with words.”
I laugh a little, rooting around on the floor for my panties. “Yeah, that’s not helping. That just reminds me of how much of a jerk you can be.”
“Go, then!” he hisses. “Go lie in your bed, alone. And when you’re horny, you can fucking masturbate about the time you were with me.” He looks furious. “That’s the only action you’ll get from me from now on.”
Giving up searching for my panties, I huff. “Fine!”
“Fine!” he says.
I storm out of his bedroom angrily, wishing that we had never laid eyes on each other all those years ago.
19
Luca
The next week of work is a nightmare. Missing liquor shipments, employees calling out sick at the last possible moment, artist’s managers being hard to touch base with.
But by far the worst thing is having to watch Cate running around my bar, showing absolutely zero signs of regret for what she said in my bedroom. It kills me to be this fucking stressed out and know that when I go home, she’ll still be there. And she’ll be fine.
Smiling at everyone else but me. Chatting with them, getting really comfortable in her new job as a bar back slash waitress.
It pisses me off to no end.
Even now, as I finish prepping some extra lemon and lime juice for Bradford at the end of a rush, I spend the entire time glaring at Cate.
I mean, who does she think she is? With her easy smile and her quick service, she’s becoming one of Bradford’s favorites. But she essentially ignores me and avoids me, which really fucking irritates me.
I’m the one paying her. She’s living in my house. It’s only a few weeks until Madisyn’s wedding but I’m seriously considering just giving Cate her money and having my lawyer file for the annulment sooner than planned.
“Hey!” Bradford says, snapping his fingers. “You are bruising all the oranges!”
I look down at the crate of citrus I’m holding and realize that he’s right. I’ve been pressing the lid down on the crate and staring off into space for a few minutes.
“Sorry,” I say with a shrug. “It’s been one of those weeks.”
Bradford frowns and takes the crate out of my hands. “You don’t have to take it out on the innocent citrus fruit. They didn’t put your panties in a twist.”
I roll my eyes. “Is there anything else you need me to do?”
He purses his lips, giving me a once over. “We’re almost out of chai-infused shrub… Honey… maybe you should just go home. We’re at the end of the rush anyway.”
I glare at him. “You’re telling me to go home now?”
He crosses his arms, looking at the crowd skeptically. “I have no idea what exactly has crawled up your ass. I can only assume it has something to do with your wife. But honestly, I’d rather deal with being in the weeds alone than put up with your huffing and moping for another second.”
That sets me back for a second. Bradford is usually so cheerful. He is the last person on the staff to hassle anyone unless he thinks they’re intentionally being lazy or unhelpful.
Before I can formulate exactly what I’m going to say, the front door of the Attic opens. I turn, expecting it to be more bar flies.
But I freeze when I see my mother and father breeze through the door. They are dressed eccentrically, like a wealthy and dapper couple straight out of the 1950s. My mom is in a dark grey coat with a pink dress peeping out of the bottom. My father takes off his hat, his dark suit and dark overcoat making him look like Cary Grant.
“Shit,” I mutter. “This is not what I need right now.”
My father looks around with a scowl while my mother just looks confused; my mother has had so much Botox in the last few years that she can’t frown anymore.
The sourness in the pit of my stomach turns to acid.
Bradford straightens when he sees my parents. “Hey, isn’t that your mom and dad?”
My father spots me, making me clear my throat nervously. I nod.
“Yeah.” I look at Bradford. “I didn’t expect them, and yet… here they are. In my bar, which they hate.”
As my parents approach me, I hurry out to catch them before they hit the bar. “Mom!” I say, bending to kiss her on the cheek. She accepts my kiss, patting my arm.
“Hello, Luca dear. I see you’ve still got this old place.” She turns her nose up at the patrons milling around her, smiling vaguely. “Would you be a darling and get me a gin martini? The ride here was dreadful and now I find myself a bit parched.”
I force a smile. My mother is rarely without a drink. It’s always been that way. “Of course.”
My father extends his hand. “Son.”
I take his hand, shaking it firmly. As usual, he turns it into a show of strength, squeezing my hand so hard that my fingers turn white. It’s important that I don’t react, though. I learned that very early on.
“Dad,” I greet him simply.
He looks around at the now-empty stage and the slowly dispersing crowd. “It’s too bad about this place. Really solid idea, I suppose. But maybe your next venture will pan out.”
His analysis sets my teeth on edge. “We’re doing just fine here, Dad.”
He looks at me, an air of puzzlement surrounding him. “Oh? Well you wouldn’t know it. Maybe we are just used to something different. You know, we’ve been on the Continent for so long now, spending our days at sea and our nights in establishments that are more…” He sniffs, casting a glance at the crowd. “Elegant.”
The way he says the last part gives me rage. But I do what I always do and stuff it down. I only see my parents every couple of years; there is no reason that the couple of days they’ll stay should be unpleasant.
I cross my arms and say nothing.
“Do you mind getting me that drink, dear?” my mom chimes in. “Or should I perhaps try that little place down the street? It looked like an adorable sort of wine shop—“
“Your mother needs to sit down,” my father says, looking around with a frown. “Preferably somewhere that’s not in a dusty old attic.”
My jaw clenches. I shoot a look at Bradford, then raise my arms toward the doors. “Yeah, that wine bar is fine. Let’s go there.”
My mother is already heading for the exit before I finish the sentence. I roll my eyes, wishing like hell that Luna was here. She is the golden child and usually helps to bail me out of this kind of situation.
I almost make it out the door before I hear Cate behind me, calling my name. “Wait, Luca! If you’re going home, I need a ride there—”
I cringe and then turn toward her. “Not now, Cate.”
My father doesn’t miss a single trick. “Who is this, Luca?” He casts an eye up and down her body. “Some kind of angel that you know?”
I’m surprised by that. I hadn’t thought to introduce Cate to my
parents. Honestly part of me fears whatever kind of judgment my parents will pass on her. They have always hated anyone I chose to introduce them to as my girlfriend.
Especially Madisyn.
But my mother comes tottering back inside the front door to see what’s holding us up and now she and my father are looking at me expectantly.
I clear my throat. “Mom, Dad, this is Cate. She’s… uh… living with me.”
Cate flushes, extending her hand to my mom. “It’s temporary! Just while I figure out… you know, what needs figuring out.”
“Nice to meet you,” my father booms. “You’ve got a nice handshake there, sweetheart.”
My eyebrows rise. Sweetheart? And since when does Cate have such a magical handshake?
“So nice to meet you guys,” Cate says. “I was just trying to catch Luca—”
My father barks at her. “Nonsense! You must be close with Luca here if you’re staying at his house. Come have a drink with us.”
“Oh yes!” my mom says, lighting up. She grabs Cate’s elbow and starts steering her out the door.
“Oh no,” Cate tries to protest. “I am still working—”
My father claps me on the back so hard that it stings. “Luca will forgive you for cutting out early. Isn’t that right, son?”
He doesn’t wait around for me to agree though. He pushes through the heavy door, rushing to catch up with my mom and Cate.
I trail after them, watching anxiously as my mom leads the way into the dimly lit wine bar. The place is pretty romantic and intimate, with lots of little black leather booths and a few tables peppered here and there. Behind that is a wall of wine bottles, organized by wine varietal and region.
Without waiting to be seated, my parents pick a booth, my dad squeezing in with my mom on one side. I sit beside Cate across from them, a sigh on my lips.
“Is there even service here at all?” Mom asks, peeling her coat off. “I swear, Luca, once you’ve been in the Greek Isles for a while, you get used to their style. They like fast service, bam bam bam.”
She squints around. A waiter comes up as she is saying it, smiling pleasantly.
“Good evening,” he begins.
“Yeah, look. We need a bottle of your finest beaujolais, stat,” my dad interrupts. “And some kind of bread.”
The waiter looks unruffled. “Very good, sir. Four glasses for the table?”
“Yes!” my mother says. “Now go, go go.”
She shoos him away. “I’ll tell you, I wish we were back home. They know our order without asking us. When we get into any restaurant, they have someone opening our bottle before we even sit down.”
She waves her hand. I glance at Cate, who looks like she thinks that if she’s quiet enough, she will legitimately disappear.
Under the table, I put a reassuring hand on her knee. She blushes but when she looks at me, she seems grateful.
I repress a sigh. “That’s nice, Mom. Speaking of that, why are you two in town? And with no notice on my part…”
The waiter comes back, pouring the bottle of wine into four glasses and setting down a basket of breadsticks. My mom immediately gulps her wine, so my father steps up to answer.
“We have to spend at least three days here to maintain our residency. Don’t worry, we’ll be on a plane tomorrow to Hawaii.”
My mom smiles. “We haven’t been there for almost eight years! Aloha.”
“Wait, I thought you had to be here for three days?”
“Well, we have been. We’ve just been busy.” My father sips his wine, staring at his glass. “I’m not sure that this is what I asked for.”
So they were in the state of Washington, they just couldn’t be bothered to tell either of their children? I would be shocked, but honestly that’s pretty typical for my parents.
“Cate, dearest, tell us all about you,” my mom says. “Where did you grow up?”
Cate goes red, pushing her dark hair out of her face. “Here in Seattle.”
“Oh really?” My mom takes a sip of her wine. “Where did you go to high school?”
“Gatewood High.” She blushes again. “I have been friends with your daughter for eight years, ma’am.”
“Luna?” my dad says. “You have good taste in friends, then.”
Cate ducks her head. “Yes sir.”
He laughs. “And polite? I’ll wager this is the best girlfriend you’ve even introduced us to, son.”
“I’m not—”
“She’s not my—”
We start protesting at once, but my parents don’t listen. Truth be told, they aren’t even paying attention. My mom drains her wine glass.
“Be a darling and flag that waiter down, will you?” she asks my father.
I glare at them, unsure how to even respond. Then I feel Cate put her hand on my knee.
I glance at her. She gives me a sympathetic look, squeezing my hand.
Then she puts her hand back on my knee and sits up straight. “You know, Luna and I went to college together too.”
My father and mother both look at her.
“Oh yes?” my mother asks, beaming. “Luna is so smart, isn’t she? Going for her medical school degree is tough stuff.”
Cate smiles. “Totally. I’m always in awe of that. When we were in college, I had one semester of biology before I cried uncle.”
“She gets that from me,” my father brags. “I could’ve gone to med school if I wanted.”
“Definitely,” Cate says, nodding. “Luna is really smart. She’s going to make a great doctor. And she’s also very pretty…”
My mom reaches across the table and grabs Cate’s hand. “She is so pretty! And I am so glad to meet you!” She shakes a finger at me. “You hold onto this one, Luca. She’s a keeper!”
“Luca actually does really well with his bar,” Cate says.
My dad actually bursts out laughing, slapping the table. “Did you hear that, darling? She stuck up for her man! I love that quality in a girlfriend, don’t you Luca?”
My dad slides his glass of wine in front of my mom and my mom takes it, sipping it right away. He orders another bottle, though Cate and I don’t really touch our wine. Cate spends the next hour praising Luna and defending me. I spend the whole time quietly watching; she seems to have things well enough in hand.
By the time my parents leave, drunkenly staggering to a cab, my father has decided that they love Cate. “She’s a keeper,” he intones. “You’ve got to put a ring on that one, son. Best decision you could make.”
He hiccups as I roll my eyes.
“Okay, Dad.” I tuck his head into the backseat of the cab, feeling an incredible sense of relief when it finally pulls away from the curb.
I look down at Cate, a sigh on my lips. “Thank you. You saved the night, somehow.”
She blushes and looks away. “It’s alright.”
“No, it’s not. I owe you an apology. I’ve misbehaved since we hooked up. But you…” I shake my head. “You saved me tonight anyway.”
“Yeah, well.” Her lips twitch and she glances up at me. “It wasn’t that bad for me. As it turns out, they just want to hear about how great Luna is.”
I groan. “Yeah. They’ve always been like that. My parents could not be more self—involved, except for cheering on Luna.”
Her smile falls. “I am really sorry that you have to deal with that, Luca. I mean, I would argue that at least your parents are alive… but I don’t think you have the same kind of relationship with them as I did with mine.”
I frown. “No. Not even remotely.”
There is a flash in my head, of Cate and her mom arguing just before Cate got into my car years ago. I wish I had a parent that cared, even just for a little while.
Cate surprises me by pushing up on her tiptoes and kissing my cheek. Then she steps back, her face burning.
“What was that for?” I ask, perplexed.
She shrugs. “You just seemed like you needed it. That’s all.”
“Shit, I should take this,” I say, although Cate is a few feet ahead of me by now. “Do you want a ride home in a bit, though?”
She flashes a grin over her shoulder. “Yeah, that’d be great.”
Then she disappears into the front door of the Attic, leaving me to argue on the phone.
20
Cate
C—
Had to leave early to make a partner’s meeting at work. See you there later.
— L
I stare down at the note Luca left for me, my mouth pulled into a frown. It’s not a big deal that I didn’t get a ride to work.
No, my issue is that I’m starting to feel like he knows me a little too well. Especially when I found the note pinned to the coffee maker.
Yeah, he would’ve had to have known my morning routine. He set this note out and ground some coffee just for me…
And I don’t like it one bit.
I mean, I would’ve figured out that Luca had left even without this note. And the coffee filter and pre-ground coffee just seem mocking to me.
That, or like Luca thinks that he has a grasp on me and what I like. The thought makes me vaguely nauseated.
This is only supposed to be for four more weeks. That’s one month. Then things go back to normal, whatever that means. And one thing that is normal is that Luca and I hate each other…
Certainly the feeling I have in the pit of my stomach, which is not hate and is instead some mixture of lust and longing and a drizzle of starry eyed wonder… I am not supposed to feel this way.
Non-hate feelings were never part of the arrangement.
I still have hours before I have to be at work, so I ignore the coffee Luca laid out for me. Instead, I take the bus back to my grandmother’s house. While I’m on my way there, I lapse into daydreaming a few times.
Well, by daydreaming, I mean remembering what sex with Luca was like.