by T. L. Haddix
“He’ll move on before therapy ends.”
She was big enough to admit that thought made her a little sad. As she pulled on a soft summer dress, she sighed. “Someday… everything will come together someday and when it’s good and ready to, as well. Today’s too pretty a day to let that kind of speculation ruin things.”
Satisfied with her appearance, she headed for her room to grab the bag of books she needed to take back to the library and then out the door. There was no point in worrying about things she couldn’t control. The weight of the world could rest on someone else’s shoulders for a change.
Chapter Twenty
Despite a somewhat rough night, Eli was up by eight Saturday morning. He was in the kitchen fixing an omelet when his father came in, still unshaven but dressed in an old T-shirt and shorts.
“Morning,” John said around a yawn as he made a beeline for the coffeepot.
“Morning. You hungry?”
John glanced over his shoulder into the pan and sniffed. “I could be.” He laid a hand on Eli’s shoulder briefly, then ruffled his still-short hair. “Good to have you here.”
Eli smiled, but he didn’t say anything as his father went back to the other side of the island and sat down. John never had been very talkative first thing in the morning, and it was something of a comfort to see that hadn’t changed.
“Mom still asleep?” he asked as he got a plate down and slid the omelet onto it, then passed it to his father. “Want toast with that?”
John stared down at the plate as though it had appeared out of nowhere. “I think this is the first time since you were little that you’ve cooked for me. And yes, please, on the toast. She’s in the shower.”
“Given that the last time I remember ‘cooking’ for you was when I made macaroni that was half-boiled, I think you’ll find this an improvement,” Eli told him with a grin as he put two slices of bread in the toaster. He passed John the bottle of hot sauce without being asked, chuckling when his father scowled.
“Hot sauce? On an omelet?”
“Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. The eggs take some of the heat out of the sauce, and what’s left is pure magic.” He started another omelet. “Are you sure it’s okay for Sophie to visit?”
“Mm-hmmm. Oh, this is not bad,” John said.
When Eli glanced over his shoulder, he was pleased to see his father tucking into the food. “She’s not like Erica, Dad. But I don’t want to cause problems.”
John paused, lifting his gaze to Eli. “I know. I’ve always liked Sophie. She’s welcome here.”
“Thanks. Hey, Mom,” he said as Zanny came in. “Want an omelet or some scrambled eggs?”
She wrinkled her nose. “No, thanks. I’ll fix my usual in a bit. How’d you sleep?”
“Okay. You?” He’d been up at one o’clock, unable to get comfortable thanks to some intense muscle cramps in his arms and across his shoulders, of all places. While he’d waited for the muscle relaxer to kick in, he’d gotten some air on the porch. Zanny’d also been unable to sleep, and she’d joined him for a while.
“Like a rock after we talked. Have you told your father what you and your brother did yesterday?” she asked with a grin. She poured a cup of coffee for herself, then went to sit beside John. “I can’t believe the two of you did that.”
Eli slid his own omelet onto a plate, then put the eggs and other perishable ingredients up, shaking his head as his mother laughed. “You’re getting way too big a kick out of that.”
“Honey, I’d have paid damned good money to see it. Honestly and truly, I would have.”
John stood and came around the island for more coffee. “Okay, one of you tell me. I’m dying with curiosity here.”
Eli took the seat he’d vacated, careful to prop his injured leg up on the third stool so that it wasn’t dangling. “Noah has this little problem, you see. Apparently, there’s a circle of women who are friends here in town, and they all have rich husbands. Doctors, lawyers, you get the picture. They’re bored, and they have these games they play. And chasing Noah has become one of their favorite pastimes.”
“Okay. Chasing him how?” John asked, scowling.
“To get him into their beds, apparently.” Zanny shook her head. “Stupid women. Noah would never be tempted by that kind of trick.”
“Or by married women,” Eli added quietly. “Most guys, even if they weren’t interested, they’d be flattered. He sees it as an insult.”
Zanny touched his hair. “Yes, he does. But that’s not part of the story.”
“Well, this one client, she’s been plaguing him. He didn’t want to tell me about it, but I could read it on him. It really bothers him. And from what he said, she was pulling out all the stops. I guess this has been going on for a long time now, close to a year.”
He was glad Molly was spending the night with Sydney, as he didn’t want to share the story in front of her. Even though she was an adult, there were some things he didn’t want to discuss with his baby sister.
“Remember me telling you about the woman whose husband wanted the countertop to match her eyes?” Zanny asked John drolly.
John’s lips twitched, but he just nodded and sipped his coffee. From the look he sent Zanny, it had been an interesting discussion, one Eli wasn’t about to ask for details on. He picked up the story instead.
“After Noah picked me up yesterday, he had to go back out there one last time to finish up the job. Knowing that was the last time she’d get a shot at him, I figured she planned something big. And honestly, I think he was this close to telling her to… well. To take the job and shove it, call it done, and never go back. So I went with him.” He grinned as he thought about the encounter with Missy. “It didn’t go as she’d hoped.”
“Do you mind going on up and letting her know we’re here?” Noah asked after they’d parked in the driveway. “I’ll get my tool kit and be right on in.”
“Not at all,” Eli said as Noah handed him the crutches. He made his way up to the front door of the ornate, overstated home, whistling softly at all the intricate details that fairly screamed “nouveau riche.” After ringing the doorbell, he stood back and waited, clutching the small, worn, black book he’d brought with him in his hand.
When the door swung open, a sultry redhead was revealed… a nearly nude sultry redhead who was tremendously surprised to see Eli and not Noah. Her eyes widened and she brought a hand up to her chest, though she made no effort to cover herself up. She was dressed in a white, sheer lace outfit, and any modesty panels the dress should have included were nowhere in sight.
Eli jerked his eyes away from her “assets,” assuming as straight a position on the crutches as he could and stared over her left shoulder. “Ma’am. I’m Noah Campbell’s brother. He’s here to work on the kitchen. I guess we’re earlier than you expected, ma’am.”
“Oh, no. I was waiting for him. Please, come on in. Where is Noah?”
“He’s getting some tools. You might want to put more than that robe on, ma’am,” Eli said, deliberately playing ignorant as he waited for her to stand back enough that he could get through the door without touching her.
Thinking about Noah’s reaction to having her greet him dressed as she was made Eli cringe. And it made him angry on his brother’s behalf. Women weren’t the only ones who came across pushy-assed people who didn’t know how to take “no” for an answer when it came to sex, and that this was some sort of game…
“You don’t have to call me ma’am, you know,” she said as she finally let go of the door and sashayed her way down the hall, pausing on the bottom step of a grand, sweeping staircase. From the way she cocked her hip, she knew very well what the stance did to her curves. “My name’s Missy.”
“Well, ma’am, I don’t know that your husband would appreciate that fa
miliarity. I certainly wouldn’t want any stranger addressing my wife so casually.”
Her gaze shifted toward the front door as her lips moved into a bit of a pout. “You two can go ahead and get started, I guess. Noah, you know where everything is, right?”
“Yes,” he answered tersely, heading down a hall to the left of the stairs. “Eli, kitchen’s back here.”
“Ma’am.” Eli nodded in her general direction, then followed Noah as quickly as he could. He didn’t know if she’d put something less scandalous on or not, but he hoped she took the hint. Given what Noah had said, though, he had his doubts.
The hall was short, opening up into a large great room with a huge kitchen off to the side. The cabinets were stunning, elaborate, and classy. Eli gave a low whistle. “You did all this?” he asked as he eased to a seat at the low, table-height bar that separated the kitchen from the great room.
“Yeah. Not the tile work, the light fixtures, or the countertop. But all the cabinets, that’s mine. All I have left to do is finish some trim around the countertop.”
The countertop wasn’t bad, all things considered. It was a soft jade green, the granite polished to a high shine. It set off the dark cherry wood of the cabinets.
“I’m a bit jealous. This takes real talent, Noah.” Eli was impressed. “I can see why you want to redo Mom and Dad’s kitchen now.”
Noah sent him a side glance, his mouth turned up at the corner in a pleased half-smile. “Thanks. You need anything before I start?”
“Nope. I’m set.” He thumbed through the book, searching for the passages he’d marked the night before. “You ready for this?” He hadn’t told Noah exactly what he had planned, just asked that he go along with it.
“Yeah.”
They didn’t say anything else for a few minutes, not until Eli heard high-heeled tapping heading their way. He unfolded the list he’d marked the first passage with.
“I think that’s the criteria we need to consider. They need to be holy, pure. And modest. The importance of modesty cannot be overstated.”
Noah glanced at him over his shoulder, a puzzled frown on his face, and slowly nodded. “Okay.” He turned back to the trim he was setting up, then shook his head as though he’d misunderstood something. “Modesty.”
“Do you boys need anything?” Missy asked as she came through the door.
To Eli’s relief, she’d changed clothes. This dress was skin tight, the neckline plunging nearly to her belly button and the skirt barely covering her ass, but at least the fabric was solid.
“If I might have some water, ma’am, that’d be wonderful. Thank you. And yes, Noah, modesty. It’s a very important quality in a wife.” Eli smiled at her beatifically when she brought him the glass, and he thanked her again. “It’s very kind of you to wait on me like that. I’ll bet your husband dotes on you.”
She waved a hand flirtatiously as she preened. “It’s no problem at all. I swear I don’t know which of you is more handsome. Noah never told me he had a brother.”
Eli raised an eyebrow. Normally, he’d have taken that personally. But since he couldn’t see Noah giving this woman any information about his family, at least not voluntarily, he ignored it.
“We can’t really take any credit for our outward appearances, ma’am. The only aspect of ourselves we can account for are our hearts, and we strive to be strong men who follow the teachings of the creator. Our mother is fond of saying we’re a reflection of the creator, though, so we should take all compliments with a gracious smile and offer thanks. So thank you.”
Missy blinked at him. “Oh. All right, then. So do you live here in Hazard?” she asked with cheerful determination, though her expression had lost a bit of it’s warmth.
“I do, with my parents right now, at least until I can build a modest home of my own. Though Noah and I have been discussing the possibility of me moving into his house. Our mother thinks we’d probably have better odds of finding wives if we show women we can provide for them. Do you think she’s right, ma’am?”
Across the room, Noah coughed harshly. Eli barely glanced in his direction, keeping his focus instead on Missy, who was blinking at him rapidly.
“I-I suppose that’s true.” She lifted a hand to her throat. “I think I need a drink. Do you want anything?”
“Oh, no. Water’s fine. Thank you. We don’t partake of alcohol, ma’am.”
She frowned as she went to the wet bar in the great room. “I thought you were going to call me Missy.”
“No, ma’am. That wouldn’t be appropriate without your husband’s permission.” Eli thumbed through the worn Bible that had accompanied him around the world and back. “I had no idea that finding suitable wives would be so hard. Reading this scripture has helped, but I’m going to have to go back and read through some of the other religious texts, maybe a Hindu book or Wiccan. Or perhaps you could help us, ma’am?”
A grunt sounded from the kitchen, and Eli looked over in time to see Noah shoot him an irritated glare as he sucked on his thumb, then turned back to his task.
Missy stared at him for a second, then downed the shot of whiskey she’d poured in one gulp. “You’re looking for a wife, Noah?” she rasped as she poured another shot, then hesitated and added another splash.
“It’s expected,” he replied after a moment and without turning around. “Especially now that Eli’s home.”
She resumed her seat beside Eli with some caution, her eyes falling to the bible he was touching. “I didn’t know you were religious.”
When Noah didn’t answer, Eli spoke up.
“Oh, we’re not. We’re spiritual. Well… may I confide in you, ma’am? Missy?” he corrected quickly, leaning in.
Her pleased smile told him the tactic of finally using her name had worked. “Of course, darling. You tell me whatever you’d like.”
“Have you ever heard of a submissive marriage?”
Eli thought the flush that entered her cheeks was not one of embarrassment but excitement instead. “Um, maybe?” she said, biting her full bottom lip. “Can you explain it to me? It sounds exciting.”
He had no doubts that she’d heard submissive and thought BDSM. Oh, he was going to go to Hell for his behavior, but he was enjoying his part in this little drama so much…
“It is exciting. Like I said, we’re not religious, but we do have certain beliefs when it comes to womanhood and what’s appropriate. What the ideal woman is like. You see, our parents have a submissive marriage,” he explained, sending a silent apology to his mother and father, “and that’s what Noah and I want, ma’am. A woman who knows her place. Someone modest, pure, and holy. They need to worship us, cater to every need we have. I was married before.” He shook his head sadly. “She wasn’t a good wife.”
Missy was staring at him, her mouth agape. “Worship you?”
“Of course, ma’am. Don’t you worship your husband? I mean, he built this house for you, didn’t he?” Eli gestured around the room. “I’d like to build my wife a house like this someday. Well, a modest version. But she’d have to provide me with several children first to earn it. How many children do you have?” he asked earnestly. “I would think four is a good number for a house this size.”
The strangled response that escaped her mouth as she stood was so garbled, he couldn’t make it out.
“Ma’am?”
Her smile was tense. “Excuse me. Noah, I’ll be in my parlor if you need me.”
Once the sound of her heels had faded, Noah turned around, speechless, and stared at him.
Eli lifted his water glass. “Don’t break pattern now.”
“We need to have a talk about your interpretation of Mom and Dad’s marriage,” Noah muttered, snapping his measuring tape. “I have to cut some trim. Think you can stay out of trouble while I’m
outside?”
“Sure.”
By the time they left, Missy was practically ushering them out the door with a broom. Any flirtatious air that she’d had when they arrived was cooled to ice.
Noah groaned as he got behind the wheel. “I don’t know if that made it worse or better.”
“She got dressed, didn’t she? No more flirtatious looks, no more accidental boob slippages.”
“Where in the hell did you come up with that shit? Mom would have your hide if she heard you talk like that.”
Eli laughed as they headed home. “A guy in my unit a few years back believed it part and parcel. That’s how he and his wife lived, and he liked to alternate between bragging to us and preaching about how blissful his life was at home.”
Noah shook his head. “That’s twisted. I’ll be happy if it works, but God knows what the story will morph into by the next time one of them hires me. If they hire me.”
Eli grimaced. “I didn’t think. Surely this won’t hurt your business.”
“Nah. I’m in solid with too many good contractors. But it might work at getting them off my back. Modest and submissive. Sheesh. I’d thought about leaking the news that I can talk to the dead, but that would have had repercussions for other people, so I kept my mouth shut.”
“Hopefully this will do it, then,” Eli said. That Noah’d been so desperate that he’d have revealed his darkest secret made Eli more than thankful he’d been able to intervene.
By the time they’d reached John and Zanny’s, most of their amusement had died.
“Thanks for doing that today,” Noah told him. “Even if it doesn’t work, I appreciate the effort.”
“It was the least I could do.”
Now, as Eli told John the story, he sighed. “I hope it works. If Missy is any example of what he has to put up with, it’s disgusting. And I hate that I had to lie to get her to back off. But he said he’d done about everything he could think of to get her to leave him alone, and I thought it might be worth a shot.”