“Not at all. I understand perfectly.” I thought about the way I felt when Daniel and I made love. The bond between us surpassed a mere physical connection.
Patty crossed to the stalls. “I suppose while we’re here, I ought to use the washroom. Run the water for me, will you, dear? And don’t you leave me in here alone.”
I turned on the tap and smiled. “I won’t abandon you, don’t worry.”
While Patty was in a stall, Penny burst into the washroom. “Daniel sent me to make sure you’re all right.”
“We’re fine. Patty’s just using the washroom.”
“You know Daniel. Worry wart.”
“How are things?” I bobbed my head toward the dining room.
“The usual Grant hysteria. I’m quite happy to leave the boys to it for a few minutes.”
Patty emerged from the stall and bustled over to the sinks to wash her hands. “And how are you coping, Penny?” she said. “Wedding plans sorting themselves out?”
“I think so. I can’t wait to be married. Silly isn’t it?”
“It’s not silly at all,” Patty said. “But try to enjoy this time as well. The wedding day will be here soon enough.”
“I’m trying, Patty.”
“I’m sure you are. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders. So do you, young lady,” she said, patting my hand. She gazed at us pensively. “You know, while I’ve got you both here, perhaps you’ll let me give you a piece of advice my mother gave me. It’s one of the most valuable things she ever told me.”
We looked at her expectantly.
“Whatever you do—in your relationship, raising children, around the house, no matter what, start as you plan to continue,” she said seriously. “Whatever habits and behaviors you establish now, be prepared to maintain them.”
She turned to Penny. “If you have no desire to spend your life—oh, I don’t know—ironing and starching Bradley’s shirts, for example, then, for the love of God, don’t do it now. He’ll expect you to continue, and then you’ll be resentful if you feel you have to. If you one day stop ironing his shirts, he’ll wonder what happened to the woman he once knew. You’re neither a maid nor a cook. Of course, you’ll have to compromise from time to time, but demand balance and equality right from the outset. It’s not nineteen fifty-five anymore, thank heavens.”
Penny and I smiled, and Patty took our hands, lowering her voice.
“And I suppose this is as good a time as any to give you a piece of advice best not shared in mixed company. Never, ever, fake an orgasm.”
I almost fell over, but Penny didn’t even flinch, responding as if Patty had just advised her not to let Brad leave the toilet seat up.
“You don’t know your grandson, Patty,” she said, smiling wickedly.
“Grandsons,” I added, reasoning that if Penny could be blasé, hell, so could I.
“Good. Selfish men aren’t to be endured.” Patty looked at me. “So, I gather the oil is being changed now?”
“Regularly.”
“Excellent. And the engine?”
“Running beautifully.”
“I’m happy to hear it. I must say, he appears quite relaxed. Amazing what releasing pent up sexual tension can do for a person.” She squeezed our hands. “Well? Shall we?”
We retrieved our purses and returned to the private dining room where the Grants awaited our return, looking at us with interest as we crossed the room. Daniel held my chair out for me, and as I sat down, I surveyed the table. Brad had been busy in our absence.
There wasn’t a single crumb of food left.
“Julie, you should have been there.”
“I’m so pissed that I missed it. Was Gwen surprised?”
“Definitely,” I said, switching my phone to the other ear as Daniel passed me a glass of Perrier. He sat beside me, pulling my legs onto his lap. “Not as surprised as we all were to hear about you moving in with Jeremy, though. What the hell? Why didn’t you tell us last night?”
“We didn’t know. We were up for hours talking on the phone. I was in tears thinking about how much I was going to miss him, and we sort of decided out of nowhere to look for a place in Toronto when I get back. He was so nervous about telling everyone. How’d the news go over?”
“His dad looked peeved at first. He doesn’t like being out of the loop. But other than that, I think it was cool. Patty and I went to the washroom, and I missed the rest of the convo.”
“I can’t believe I haven’t met her,” Julie said.
“Jesus, she was on fire today. In the washroom, she told Penny and me to make sure we never fake an orgasm.”
“No way!” Julie shrieked.
Daniel shook his head and snickered.
“I’m serious. If you’d been there, she would have said the same to you, so you keep that under advisement, you big faker.”
“Holy shit, Aubrey, I’m dying.”
“She’s unreal. You’ve got to meet her.”
“I can’t freaking wait, seriously.” Julie yawned loudly. “I’m sorry to do this, but I’m gonna bail. I’m fried. I have to crash early.”
“Yeah, I think we’ll be doing that too,” I said, jumping as Daniel’s roaming fingers reached the ticklish spot behind my knee.
“I bet,” Julie said suggestively.
“That’s not what I meant,” I said, watching his hand creep up my thigh.
Hmm. Maybe that was what I meant…
“Look, keep in touch, okay?” Julie said. “I’m gonna go crazy alone here for two weeks.”
“I’ll call you every day. Twice a day. And I’ll text you and email you and send smoke signals every morning.”
“Perfect.”
“Night, Julie. Sleep well.”
“You too. Give Daniel a smooch for me.”
I laughed as I hung up, and then I scooted down the couch, giving Daniel a long, hot kiss.
“Wow,” he breathed. “What was that for?”
“That was from Julie,” I said, smiling against his lips.
“Julie’s quite a kisser. Can I have another one?”
I rubbed my nose against his and gave him a little peck. “Watch it, bucko.”
“So, let me get this straight,” he said. “Patty told you outright to never fake an orgasm?”
“Yep.”
“Huh.”
“What?”
“Have you?”
“Have I what?”
“Ever faked it?”
“Are you seriously asking me that?”
“Sure. Of the twenty-odd orgasms I’ve witnessed, any of them fake?”
“Daniel Grant, you know I’m a terrible liar and an even worse actress.”
“This is true.”
“Besides, when a woman fakes it, she must want to get it over with.” I leaned into him again, breathing hotly in his ear. “I never want to get it over with when we’re together.”
“Oh yeah?” He relieved me of my glass and helped me onto his lap.
“Oh yeah.” I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he kissed me softly.
“Can you do me a favor?” he asked.
“Maybe.”
“Can you put those new shoes on, take everything else off, and meet me in the bedroom?”
“Gosh, I don’t know. What’s in it for me?”
“How about several very real orgasms? Sound interesting?”
“Sounds like business as usual to me,” I said, smiling playfully and heading to the front hall to retrieve my shoes.
Blisters be damned.
Chapter 7
Mad Slanderers
Now this ill-wresting world is grown so bad,
Mad slanderers by mad ears believed be.
(Sonnet 140)
DANIEL PULLED UP in front of the Starbucks and turned on the truck’s hazard lights. He took my hand.
“Look, I don’t know how long I’ll be. It’ll take a couple of hours to get to the cottage, then I have to hitch the boat, drive back, and sort out
docking.”
“Take your time. I’ll swing by Jackman after work, but I’ll be at the condo by the time you get home, okay?”
“Sounds perfect. How’re the blisters?”
“The Band-Aids will hold out until I get to Vic.”
“I can’t believe she makes you come down here to get her a coffee every day.”
“It’s just a way to get rid of me. She doesn’t even care if I stay on for two weeks to train my replacement.”
“Which begs the question,” he said, trailing off as he examined my face.
“I’m staying on because I know she doesn’t want me to.” I rubbed my hands together with an evil laugh and then gathered up my things.
“Try not to kill her. Homicide doesn’t look good on a résumé.”
“Excellent advice, thank you. So, you’ll stay in touch today?”
His hand flew to his forehead. “Oh, shit. I left my Bluetooth in my car.”
“Check in with me when you’re not driving. No texting and driving.”
“Yes, dear.”
“I’m serious. You’re not accustomed to handling this truck.”
He turned off his phone and stashed it in the glove compartment. “Happy?”
“Yes, thank you. Good luck with the boat. I’ll see you tonight.”
I reluctantly tore myself away and watched him drive off before making my way into Starbucks and joining the line. As I rifled through my purse for my wallet, I heard an indiscreet voice from somewhere up ahead. I’d know that officious tone anywhere. I peeked over the shoulder of the redhead in front of me. Yep, that was Elaine’s carefully coiffed bun, all right. She was getting her own coffee which meant she wouldn’t have even sent me out to get it! Damn.
“How do you think I feel?” she was saying. “I have to spend time with the tart.”
Typical. She was gossiping again, yammering away into her Bluetooth. Was there any point in staying? Should I grab myself a coffee anyway? She continued chirping shrilly as I nibbled my thumbnail, trying to decide what to do.
“Like I told you, it’s just a feeling. After what I witnessed last week, there’s got to be more between them than meets the eye. Did I tell you about the dress she was wearing on Friday? Judith and Charles? There’s no way the twerp could afford to buy that, but he could…”
My head snapped up. What the hell? Judith and Charles? She was talking about me! Me and some man who could afford to buy me expensive clothes. Holy fuck…Daniel. Was there something she’d witnessed? I knew he shouldn’t have dropped by the office! She’d sensed the chemistry between us. Maybe she even saw him wink at me.
I was rooted to the spot, listening with morbid fascination.
“You can say ‘I told you so,’ but I didn’t see the way he was looking at her at the party, did I? She was gone by the time I got there. If you say he looked guilty, then I’m sure he looked guilty…”
Oh, crap! The person she was talking to had seen Daniel looking at me guiltily at his father’s party, just as David had feared. I probably should have fled from the coffee shop at that point, but I didn’t. In fact, I stepped closer to the redhead, desperate to hear the rest of the conversation.
“I’m sorry I doubted you,” she said. “It all adds up. I wish they’d done something more damning when she got out of his car in February. Travis said there was affection between them, but if he’d seen them kissing, there’d be no doubt, right?”
Travis? That weasel had seen me getting out of Daniel’s car in February? What the hell was she talking about? And how did Travis even know Daniel? None of this made sense…
“You can’t go public with this sort of information without proof,” Elaine continued. “I’ll watch her carefully. I wish we’d known about this earlier, Aaron, when it could have helped you get the Provost position. They think they can behave however they please, buying their way out of their problems, but don’t worry, darling. They’ll get their comeuppance.”
Oh. My. God.
Aaron? Not O’Connor! No, surely…not the eyebrow. The Teaching Assistant Coordinator for the English department! And she called him darling. Were they involved? Could this get any worse? They knew everything, and they were conspiring to bring Daniel down! And poor David. They seemed intent on ruining him in the process!
Aaron had jokingly said he’d been looking for some sort of dirt on David when they’d been competing for the position of Provost. Clearly, he hadn’t been joking. But they had no proof that Daniel and I had been romantically involved all semester. Surely there was nothing they could do now…
I spun around, my pulse throbbing in my temples as I tumbled onto the street. I needed to talk to Daniel. He would help me make sense of all of this. I crossed the road and dialed his cell, but then I remembered his phone was in the glove compartment. Shit.
I put my phone away and hurried back to campus, the blister on my foot screaming with every step. The closer I got to Northrop Frye Hall and the more I thought about Elaine’s treatment of me since day one, the more convinced I was that that I hadn’t misheard. I’d heard exactly right.
She’d been perfectly clear about her feelings for Daniel last week. So conceited. No wonder he’s always getting himself into trouble. What was I going to do? I couldn’t keep working for her. She was determined to prove that Daniel and I were an item and had been for a long time. The last place I should be was under her nose.
When I reached Northrop Frye Hall, it was twenty past eight. I moved around the office by rote, panic truly beginning to set in as I wondered how I’d be able to maintain my composure.
Calm down. She has no proof. It’s all hearsay. There’s nothing she can do.
But did she have proof? How had Travis become involved? And what had he even seen? Me getting out of Daniel’s car in February? I’d been in Daniel’s car the night of the Hart House play, but he’d been terrified of being seen with me in his car, never mind touching me. The only affection that night had been between me and Matt when he’d arrived to help take me upstairs. This wasn’t adding up.
I was still puzzling through the rest of Elaine’s one-sided conversation when she pushed the door open and strode imperiously around the counter.
“What a surprise,” she said. “You’re early.”
“I suppose I am.” It took every ounce of my self-control not to clock her on the nose.
She frowned at me over her shoulder as she fiddled with her key. “Everything all right?”
She was actually concerned about my welfare?
“Yep,” I said, my hands leaving sweaty smudges on the desk blotter. “Dandy.”
“Good. It wouldn’t be the best day to be feeling under the weather. The person who’s taking over for you will be here any minute. I’d like to get this training over and done with.”
So much for her being concerned about me. She went into her office and closed the door before I had a chance to say anything. Probably for the best. I needed to think. So, she’d already found a replacement. She wasn’t messing around.
I rested my head on my sweaty hands, hoping for a few moments of calm. No such luck. Within seconds, it seemed, the door swung open. I lifted my head and pushed myself out of my desk, preparing to deal with the poor sap whose fate was to spend God knows how long as Elaine’s new part-time employee.
And what do you know? It was him. Travis. The bastard who’d reported me getting out of Daniel’s car. I wanted to leap across the counter and claw his eyes out.
You rat fink. Why the hell did you have to open your big trap?
“Good morning, Aubrey.” He strolled around the counter. “I’m sure you’re surprised to see me again so soon.”
I regarded him coolly. “Remarkably surprised. I hadn’t taken you for a sadist.”
He raised an eyebrow and smiled. Arrogant prick. I knew there was a reason I’d wiped him from my memory. At that moment, Elaine came barging out of her office, jabbering into her earpiece.
“Yes, he’s here, right on ti
me.” She smiled at Travis. “Aaron, please stop worrying. I’ll talk to you later.”
O’Connor again? And why was he asking about Travis? Elaine rolled her eyes, and Travis frowned.
“Give him a break, Elaine.”
“Your dad is like a mother hen.”
“He’s concerned, that’s all.”
They kept talking, but their voices merely echoed in my ears—or was that my blood rushing through my veins?
Your dad is like a mother hen.
She’d been talking to Aaron. He was Travis’s father? Travis O’Connor. Of course! Holy hell.
I snapped back to reality as Elaine asked me a question.
“Pardon?” I said stupidly.
“Hmm.” She narrowed her eyes. “You know what? Perhaps while I get Travis acquainted with the space, you could dash to Starbucks. You know I can’t function until I’ve had my morning coffee.”
What. The. Fuck?
Was this her game? Had she been sending me for coffee every morning unnecessarily? I’d have to hit her. The lying bitch!
“Once you get back, you can start showing Travis the ropes,” she said, holding out a ten dollar bill.
Oh, I’d show him the ropes, all right. Then I’d take one, wrap it around his neck, tie it to a rafter at the top of Old Vic, and give him a push. Bastard. Forget the old adage to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I was done. I stood, ignoring her outstretched hand.
“You know what? You want me to show Travis the ropes? I’d be happy to.”
I grabbed the Swiffer from under the front counter and handed it to him. Then I jammed the watering can into his other hand. He looked at me like I’d sprouted a third ear in the middle of my forehead.
“Ready?”
He nodded dumbly, his eyes sliding over to Elaine. I didn’t follow his gaze. I couldn’t care less what Armstrong was doing.
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