by Faye Sonja
“It’s me, Ben,” Robert called. The cheerfulness in his brother’s voice came through the wooden door.
Ben rolled out from under the cool silk sheets of his bed, slipped on some pants, and then went to the door. He opened it a crack. He took Robert’s attire in. He was dressed in a brown golf suit with a light blue shirt underneath. His pants stopped at the knee and disappeared behind his long socks. “Golf?” he asked. His voice was full of sleep.
Robert nodded. “The other men are getting ready as we speak.”
“Who’s playing?” Ben ran a hand through his red hair, trying to tame it. He opened the door for his brother with the other hand.
Robert walked in, taking in the spacious room. “Just Joe and Tom.”
Ben nodded. “I’ll get ready and meet you downstairs.”
“Ben, you should really think about getting yourself a house.” Robert was looking around the room again. He turned to Ben. “We’ve been here for over two years. Haven’t you found anything you like yet?”
Ben shrugged. “I like it here,” he said. He looked around his own room. There was a table with two chairs. A bed. A wardrobe. What more could a man need? Everything else was just clutter. “It suits me.”
“If Florence ever tells you yes, I don’t suspect that you’ll be moving her in here, will you?”
Ben smiled. “No, when Florence says ‘yes’, we’ll purchase a home.”
Robert narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you think this game you’re playing has gone on far enough?”
“What game?” Ben asked. He went to his water basin and began to clean his face. Robert seemed like he didn’t want to stay. Ben didn’t much care. They were brothers. They’d dressed in front of one another for years.
Robert crossed his arms. “At Clara’s wedding, you said you didn’t want to get married.” He took one of the seats by Ben’s window.
Ben dried himself. “That’s still true.”
“Then why marry Florence?”
“Because, you were right. There are other things to think about. Like, the Manning name.”
“But why Florence?”
“Why not Florence? She’s my friend.”
Robert grunted. “I don’t think she describes you in the same way.”
Ben smiled. “She will.”
Robert frowned. “This is not about friendship. This is about her telling you ‘no’.”
“Perhaps.”
Robert shook his head. “Don’t do this, Ben.”
“I would never hurt Florence.” Ben pulled on a shirt. “I’m a better man than that. You know that. I always keep my word.”
Robert narrowed his eyes. “Yes, you do. But this whole Florence ordeal just seemed to come out of nowhere. You barely mentioned the girl’s name before Eddie ran out on her. Now, we talk about her almost every day.”
Ben began to slip into his pants. “She was off limits before Eddie left.”
Robert’s eyes widened. “So, you’ve been attracted to Florence since before the wedding.” It was a statement.
Ben almost slipped as he inserted his other leg into the pants. He swallowed, but didn’t meet Robert’s eyes. “That’s not what I said.”
Robert’s smile came slowly. “Oh, but Ben. That’s exactly what you said. Florence was off limits. She’s free now, so you wish to claim her?”
Ben went to the mirror and began to comb his hair into place. “I’m not going to deny that Florence is a beautiful woman, if that’s what you’re looking for.”
Robert stood and walked over to Ben. “That’s not what I’m saying at all. I just find it interesting. How long have you been attracted to Florence?”
Ben went to his wardrobe and pulled out a tan sweater. He put it back, deciding on the blue. Yes, the blue would look better on him; bringing out his eyes. “I don’t know. I don’t keep track of these things.”
“A year?”
Ben didn’t answer.
“Longer than a year?”
Ben sighed and pulled the sweater over his shirt. Tie. He’d forgotten a tie. He went to his drawers. “I’m not sure how long I’ve been attracted to Florence.”
“Because you’ve been attracted to her from the very beginning.”
“Perhaps.”
Robert sighed. He went over to Ben and looked into the drawer with him. He pulled out a tie and then turned to Ben, so that they were facing one another. Robert helped Ben put his tie on. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“What was there to say? She had Eddie.”
“Eddie was a terrible person. He should have been run off years ago.”
Ben smiled. “Like we chased off Jacob Peterson so that I could take Madison to the dance?”
Robert laughed. “I saw Jacob a few years ago.” He straightened the tie and then took a step back.
“Did you?” Ben’s eyes went wide. “How’s he doing?” Ben sat on the bed and put on his long socks.
“He saw me and ran; literally. It’s been more than fifteen years and I still don’t think the man has fully recovered.”
Ben smiled a devious grin. “That will teach him to mess with a Manning.”
Robert smiled. “So, you actually like Florence.”
Ben nodded and slipped into his shoes.
Robert shook his head. “Do you love her?”
Ben started for the door. “Why does the world seem so obsessed with love?” He held the door open for Robert, who shook his head, but followed.
They started down the hall together. A woman came out of her room and glanced at them and then started to walk away, only to glance at them again. This time when she looked at the brothers, her eyes were wide. Their mirrored good looks had that effect. The woman rushed down ahead of them and then turned down a corner, disappearing from sight.
Robert recaptured Ben’s attention. “Everyone wants to be loved, Ben. Even you.”
Ben shrugged. “Perhaps, but I’m not obsessed with it.”
“But you still want it.”
“Of course.”
“And you see that as a possibility with Florence.”
It took Ben a moment to answer. “Yes.”
Robert smiled.
Ben shook his head as they started down the stairs. “I don’t understand how you manage to get so much information out of me. Information that I don’t even know is there.”
Robert laughed. “It’s because I know you. You calculate everything.”
Ben pushed open the door. “The odds are always better when the math is done ahead of time.”
Robert came out. “And how is the math with Florence checking out.”
Ben sighed. “She still refuses.”
Robert smiled. “Mom would like her.”
Ben smiled. “I think so, too.”
The brothers began to walk down the street as their conversation soon turned to other things, but in the back of Ben’s mind, he was replaying every fine detail of the conversation that he’d had with Robert in his room. He had been attracted to Florence from the very beginning. Only a blind man wouldn’t be, but Ben wasn’t much into taking something that didn’t belong to him, unless he had a good reason. Like the incident with Jacob Peterson. They were only boys back then, but when Robert and Ben found out that Jacob was hitting Madison, they took action. Needless to say, Jacob never hit another girl in high school ever again.
Ben would see to it that Florence never got hurt again. He’d protect her till he breathed his last dying breath. He knew he was the right man for Florence. Now, all Ben had to do was figure out a way to get Florence to say yes.
* * *
7
Chapter SEVEN
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“I can’t marry you, Benjamin. I don’t
like being alone, but I want to be
with someone who will love me.”
.
Florence stared at the material piec
es on the board; the designs, drawing, photos. Everything looked good, but it wasn’t enough. There were tons of submissions on the wall. Each designer wanted something else, and they were all good, but something was missing. “No. None of these are it.”
A large round of groans and other comments came from behind her. Florence turned around to look into the eyes of the team she’d assembled. It had been two months since the beginning of the fair ground’s project, and still, Florence couldn’t find the one thing that would put the design over the edge. The fair was only a month away. This project needed to be done before then, but something wasn’t right. “It’s not good enough.”
Jeremy sighed. “Maybe you shouldn’t be heading this…” His face was neutral. “You and your condition and all.” His eyes roamed over her accusingly.
Florence kept her face from showing how much his last comment had hurt. According to her last menstrual cycle, and the doctor’s measurements, Florence was about seven months along. The secret was out. Though she still carried small, gaining weight was no longer a viable excuse. Everyone was now fully aware of the fact that Florence would be having a baby out of wedlock. The only thing no one had dared to ask, was who the father was.
Ben cleared his throat. “I agree with Florence.” He was standing beside her at the board. Most of the other designers were milling around drinking coffee or sitting at their desk. They all looked tired and frustrated.
Estephanie, one of the youngest designers said, “I think the design is too normal.” Her Spanish accent was heavy.
Florence looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“Ms. Tilson, the design is missing Haines.”
Florence narrowed her eyes and looked around the room. She caught the eyes of each of the designers. Some of the illustrators and painters worked for Haines Press, but others were just really good local talent. And with that thought, the light went on in Florence’s head. Estephanie was right. The design was missing Haines. Haines, in itself, was dubbing itself as the art capital of Kansas, and the design should have reflected that. The design needed to include everyone’s talent. It needed to include a piece of everyone. She turned to Ben. “Get a new sheet on the board.” She turned to Jeremy. “Take down everything.”
“What are we doing?” Jeremy asked as he got up.
Florence grabbed a pair of scissors and smiled. Her eyes glowed as she looked at them. They were so shiny and were about to work wonders. She looked back at the room; everyone was staring at her. Their eyes all looked at her with caution, but that didn’t put one dent in her mood. “We’re going to use everyone’s design.”
Ben, who’d taken a few steps back from her said, “What?”
Florence’s smile grew. “We’re going to fit everyone’s design into one large master design. We’ll change the colors and make everything blend, but we’re no longer going with one design. We’re going to use them all; every last one.”
Ben smiled, walked up to her, and took the scissors. “Alright, but I’ll do the cutting.”
Florence frowned, but smiled again. “Oh, alright.”
Ben pulled out a chair. “Take a seat and direct everyone else.”
Sitting down sounded good to Florence. She took a seat in the middle of the room and everyone began to pull their design from the board. Then, with Florence’s direction, everyone brought their design back, one by one, piece by piece. There was tons of cutting and a lot was thrown out. People were mean and threats were made all the way up until Florence had her final masterpiece.
Hours later, the sun was going down. They were all tired and anxiously waiting for Florence’s approval.
The room was silent.
Florence said, “That’s it.”
Ben’s footsteps sounded loudly through the room as he made his way to Florence’s side. He placed a hand on her shoulder and then said, “You’re a genius.” Then, Ben began to clap. Slowly, others began to clap as well. The room’s applause grew louder, until someone shouted, “Alright, Florence!” Then the room thundered and Florence found herself crying. She got up and went to Estephanie. She put an arm around her. “Thank this girl! It was her idea.”
Estephanie began to shake her head, but everyone ignored her as shouts of encouragement and more applause came her way. Florence made one more announcement. “And now, I thank all of you for your designs, because without you, none of this would have been possible.” The room applauded for itself as Florence turned back to the board.
This project was like her baby, and that thought struck another chord. Florence hadn’t just come up with the Haines’ design for the fair, Florence had just thought of her own design for the art contest.
Ben held up his hands and the room grew quiet. “I’m glad that we’ve finally got our theme, but this is not the end, but the beginning. Using this design template, let’s all get to work!”
Everyone groaned; including Florence. She was hungry. Ben held up his hands again, and the room grew silent. He began to speak. “But, to congratulate everyone on their hard work, we shall first feast!”
As if on cue, waiters came into the design room; rolling trays of things that smelled much too wonderful for words. The tags on their white shirts read ‘The Howard Hotel’.
Everyone broke out into happy laughter and conversation as they ate. Florence ate quickly and then left the room to get some air. The rest of the Haines building was empty, but the writers had kept the lights on. Florence was making her way towards the door and to the outhouse when Jeremy came up to her. “I should apologize.”
Florence shook her head. “We were all tired.”
Jeremy sighed. “No, I was being mean and wanted to hurt your feelings.”
“Why?”
“Because, I was jealous of you.”
“Why?”
“Because, I thought that Ben had only chosen you because you’re having his baby. I didn’t think that you’d actually come up with a better design than me, but you did.” He sighed. “You’re the better designer, Florence. So, I’m sorry.”
Florence’s eyes went wide. “You think Ben’s the father?”
“Of course. Everyone’s talking about it. Everyone in town has seen you eating with him at the hotel. Everyone knows he lives there too. People saw you go up to his room afterwards.”
Florence felt like she’d just been kicked in the gut. “What? I’ve never been in Ben’s hotel room,” she hissed. “That’s a lie.”
Jeremy gave Florence a dull look. “Florence,” he gestured at her stomach. “There’s no need to lie about it. The evidence is there.” Jeremy narrowed his eyes. “I just can’t believe that Ben hasn’t married you yet. It’s wrong to make you raise that kid by yourself. No real man would leave you stranded like this.”
Florence shook her head. She grabbed Jeremy’s shoulder. “But the baby isn’t Ben’s, Jeremy. It’s Eddie’s.”
Jeremy gave a laugh, which had nothing to do with humor. “Is that what Ben is telling you to tell people?”
“No, Jeremy. It’s the truth.”
“Eddie left months ago, Florence. He can’t possibly be the father.”
Florence sighed. She didn’t like that she had to explain herself to anyone, but this was exactly what she’d wanted to avoid. Florence hadn’t wanted people to think poorly of Ben, but now they were. She had to stop this ugly rumor. “I’m eight months pregnant.”
Jeremy looked at her stomach. “No way. You’re five at the most. Your stomach is way too small to be that far along.”
Florence crossed her arms. “I’m the pregnant one. I think I would know how pregnant I am.”
Jeremy placed his hands on her arms. “Florence, don’t let another man take advantage of you like this. You need to tell people the truth. You can’t let him get away with this just because he’s a Manning.” Jeremy drew his brows together. “He may dress up better than Eddie did, but he’s still a snake underneath.”
Florence felt faint. Ben appeared at her side. His impressive st
atue loomed over them both. His dark blue eyes were full of concern as he looked at Florence. “Are you alright?”
“Like you care,” Jeremy whispered.
“What?” Ben asked.
Jeremy turned and left, throwing a ‘Never mind’ hand over his shoulder.
Ben looked at Florence. “What’s his issue?”
Florence leaned against the wall behind him. “You, apparently.”
“What did I do?”
“Get me pregnant.”
“What?”
“That’s what people are saying. It’s the only reason you hired me for the job. I’m not talented. I’m just the mother of your child.”
“That’s not true. It’s not even my baby.”
“I know that. You know that. But everyone else believes differently.”
Ben leaned against the wall; facing her. He crossed his arms. His eyes held hers. “Well, forget everyone else. The only person we have to answer to is God.”
“But you shouldn’t have to answer for me, Ben. This baby has nothing to do with you.”
“Is that what you truly want?”
No, but— “It’s what’s best.”
Ben shook his head. “No, I don’t agree.”
“Why?”
“Because, you need me.”
“No, I mean, why me? Why do you want to marry me so badly?”
“I just told you.”
Florence narrowed her eyes. “Because, I need you?”
“Yes.”
Florence shook her head. “So, it’s that easy for you? I need you, so you agree to marry me? That’s how it works?”
Ben shrugged his free shoulder. “Pretty much.”
“I don’t understand that.”
“What don’t you understand?”
“You.”
“What’s there not to understand?”
“Why me?”
“Why not you?”
Florence let out a low, but frustrated shriek. “You’re so annoying.” She looked at him. “You’re not answering my question.”
“I’m sorry.” He came off the wall to stand directly in front of her. “Ask me again,”