The Bargaining Path

by T. Rudacille

  ***

  Later that morning, Savannah and I helped James walk out into the sunshine. Wearing his aviator sunglasses and sporting that tousled, just-out-of-bed hairstyle, he looked like a rugged, All-American, perfectly middle-aged male model, and I could not help but laugh to myself.

  “Are you laughing at the fact that I need you two ladies to help me walk?”

  “No. I am laughing at the fact that you are painfully good-looking, even when you do not try to be. Even when you are very sick.”

  He looked down at me and grinned.

  “Look at how nice you’re being to me today. I should get sick more often.”

  “Shut up, James.” I replied through a laugh.

  “There it is!” He said, and I laughed again.

  “Oh, just get married, you two!” Nick said wearily behind us. “You two are so sickeningly cute and affectionate, I could throw up. Literally. I feel like I am going to throw up…” He turned to the side and dry-heaved, causing me to bury my face in James’s chest to avoid seeing him vomit. The sound of it splattering onto the ground was enough; I covered my ears to stop myself from gagging. When he was done, there was a long silence in our group, broken only by the sounds of Alice’s soft cries.

  “Okay, so no more being cute and affectionate.” James informed me, deadpan, after Nick finished throwing up. I laughed, as always.

  “Does that mean I should take my arm from around you? Let you walk by…”

  “No.”

  I giggled again.

  “You two really should just get married, though, despite what Nick’s vomiting would have us believe.” Violet told us, “But James has to ask me for permission!”

  “Why you?” I asked.

  “I don’t know, because Dad’s not here and Eli sucks. That leaves me!”

  “But considering that you just told us that we should get married, we already know what you are going to say.” I replied.

  “It doesn’t matter! James, you have to ask my permission before you can marry Brynn.”

  “Duly noted, darlin’. Brynn has to give me reason to ask for permission.”

  “Maybe when we get to wherever we are going.”

  “Ooh, that sounded mysterious. Like we’re going on a quest. Like we’re looking for Narnia, or something.” Violet said, and then her head snapped in my direction, and I found that she looked utterly dumbfounded. “Wait, what?!”

  “Yeah, seriously. Wait, what?!” James echoed her.

  “I said nothing. You heard nothing. I am just tired and still experiencing the fear for his life that I felt last night, so I am saying the first disgustingly sentimental things that pop into my head. I simply need a nap, and then I will admonish myself for saying something so out of character.”

  “Oh, Brynna… We will talk about this later.” Savannah sighed.

  My jovial mood immediately turned sour when she spoke. All morning long, I had been avoiding her, but when James had been unable to walk on his own, I had been forced to ask for her assistance. I was surprised that with her astute observational abilities honed so effectively over her long career that she could not gather how uncomfortable I was in her presence; I did not know how she could not tell that something had changed between us.

  When we returned home, Violet turned to me and opened her mouth to speak.

  “Of course he can stay with us, but he sleeps on the couch, Violet Mae.”

  “Yay!” She exclaimed, and she threw her arms around Nick’s neck and squeezed, burrowing her head against his and squeezing her eyes shut as she grinned.

  “Oh, for the sake of God or the Gods…” I murmured, “I have a feeling I just wrote the beginning of an episode for Teen Mom.”

  James burst out laughing, and Violet frowned at us.

  “What did she say, James?”

  “Nothing. Nothing at all. Sometimes, she’s just funny for no reason.”

  “Shut up, James.” Violet said.

  “There it is again!”

  Savannah left us alone after we had laid him down on the bed in our room.

  “I am going to get you some coffee, and then I am going to go get Alice and Quinn.”

  “You’re so tired, baby. I should be doing all this.”

  “You most certainly should not, and I am not that tired. I still have plenty of adrenaline stored up from last night. It is slowly releasing itself into my system, and I am fine.”

  “As soon as you get back, I want you to come in here and go to sleep.”

  “Are you demanding that I sleep, James Maxwell? Would you dare to assert yourself so aggressively by demanding that I obey your commands?”

  “Yes, I am demanding it, and yes, I do dare to…” He sighed heavily, and rubbed his eyes, before finishing his sentence, “…do whatever it is that you just said, Brynna Olivier, and you can scowl all you want, but I am only demanding that you sleep out of love and concern for my beloved and potentially future betrothed.”

  “Was that you attempting to talk like me?” I asked, and I covered my mouth as I laughed somewhat hysterically.

  “It was, and why don’t you just cackle at my temporary stupidity, you evil woman?”

  “Why don’t I?” I replied, and I uncovered my mouth and laughed harder. “Oh, I positively adore you, James Maxwell. Truly, I do.” I kissed him rather hard, broke free from that kiss with an obnoxious lip smacking sound, and left the room, holding my stomach because I was laughing so hard.

  “I adore you when you’re not picking on me while I’m vulnerable!” He shouted after me, and I laughed even harder.