She lowered her gaze to the floor and nodded. “Thanks.”
“Yeah, sure.” Ben continued through the apartment, remembering to close his bedroom door before stripping off the rest of his muddy clothes.
He wadded them up and tossed them into the corner, mentally awarding himself two points when they landed in the hamper.
After he showered and dressed, he headed back into the living room, where Maya was still curled up on the couch. “Do you have the key to Ian’s apartment?”
“Yes.” She retrieved the key from her purse and handed it over. “Could you do me a favor and also get the food I left down there?”
“Sure.” He left the apartment and headed downstairs. He slowed his pace when he approached the lobby area, pleased to see there wasn’t any sign of Rishi or his friends.
He let himself into the manager’s apartment, immediately struck by the lack of furniture. Maya hadn’t even had a place to sit down since Ian and Jessica moved out last week.
Maya’s small suitcase was right inside the door, and he noticed an air mattress in the far corner. A larger suitcase had been pushed against the wall and was lying on its side. Ben went into the kitchen and looked through the cabinets, finding them all empty except for a box of saltine crackers. He set that on the counter and opened the refrigerator.
He lifted an eyebrow. A yogurt and two sticks of string cheese. This was what Maya was worried about him bringing up to her? He remembered the yogurt he had found in his refrigerator when he’d first returned home and found himself wondering if maybe this was Maya’s favorite food.
Without anything to pack the groceries into, he slid the yogurt and string cheese into the half-empty cracker box. Then he gathered the two suitcases and headed back upstairs to his apartment.
When he entered, Maya was standing in the kitchen, a can of vegetable broth on the counter beside her.
“Here you go.” Ben handed her the crackers. “The stuff from the fridge is inside the box.”
“Thank you.” She motioned to the small saucepan she had set on the stove. “I was going to heat up some broth. Would you like some?”
Ben looked at her skeptically. After his workout, he needed something more substantial for dinner than soup. He hadn’t really thought about what he was going to have for dinner, nor had he adjusted his thinking to consider that Maya needed to eat too.
“I have a better idea. Why don’t we order out? Do you like Chinese food?”
“You don’t have to worry about me. I can eat this.”
Ben shook his head. “Whether it was for real or not, we did get married today. I think we can do better than a can of broth for dinner.” He opened a drawer in the kitchen and rifled through several take-out menus. “Here. What would you like?”
She looked at him hesitantly. “Actually, I would love some brown rice.”
“And . . . ?” Ben prompted.
“Maybe some egg-drop soup?” Maya suggested timidly.
“Don’t you want any real food?”
“My stomach still can’t handle anything with much seasoning.”
“What about some steamed vegetables? From what I’ve seen, you could use something more in your diet.”
Her cheeks flushed a bit. “Fresh vegetables are so expensive. I usually can’t afford them.”
Ben stared at her, a new layer of reality sinking in. Maya wasn’t just too thin because of the cancer; she was hardly eating anything because she couldn’t afford to buy food. Not quite sure how to respond, he pulled out his phone and called in their order. Then he lifted the two suitcases. “I’ll put these in your room so you can settle in.”
“Thank you.”
Ben just nodded. He carried the suitcases into what was now Maya’s room and found himself wondering exactly what he was supposed to do now that he was living with this stranger he had married.
Chapter 20
Maya sat at the table, savoring the taste of the steamed vegetables Ben had ordered for her last night. She had forgotten what it was like to eat something besides the few basic staples she had allowed herself over the past few months.
The portion of food in front of her barely covered a third of the small plate she had used to warm it up. After having dealt with nausea during her first two weeks of treatments and then having a limited food supply after that, she knew her stomach wasn’t ready to handle a full-sized meal—or even a half-sized one for that matter.
She finished her food, feeling more energy this morning than she had since before her treatments had started. After rinsing off her dish and sliding it into the dishwasher, she picked up her purse and started for the door. She heard Ben’s bedroom door open.
“Maya, what are you doing?” Ben asked.
She turned to face him. “I’m going to the hospital. There’s a shot I have to get every Tuesday.”
Ben cocked his head to one side. “And exactly how were you planning on getting there?”
She gave him a sheepish look. “I was going to walk.”
He shook his head and grabbed his wallet and keys off of the coffee table, along with a manila envelope. “Come on. I’ll take you.”
“Ben, I don’t want to be a burden on you.”
“I think you spend way too much time worrying about whether you’re being a burden on people.” He handed her the envelope. “By the way, here is a copy of my insurance policy for you to give to the doctor.”
“Do you want me to call the insurance company today so I can get added to your policy?”
“Actually, I was planning on holding off for a few weeks. I’m not quite ready to tell complete strangers that I’m married. I read through the policy, and it says you’ll automatically be covered from the date of the marriage. I just have to give them the information within sixty days.” He opened the door for her and escorted her into the hall. “How long does your shot normally take?”
“Just a few minutes.”
“Great. Then I can wait for you and bring you back home before I head downtown.”
She started to thank him but was distracted by his other comment. “Why are you going downtown?”
“I’m meeting a couple of the guys at Nationals Park to get in some batting practice and a workout.” Ben led her downstairs to his car and opened the passenger side door for her. Maya slid into the seat and wondered what she might do with her day now that she wouldn’t have to spend her morning at the hospital waiting for Henry to walk her home.
As though reading her thoughts, Ben asked, “What are your plans for today?”
“I don’t know. I’ll probably try to finish unpacking.”
“I thought you did that last night.”
She didn’t want to say she hadn’t had the energy to do much more than unpack her toiletries and pajamas. “I’m tackling that project in small doses.”
“It occurs to me that this whole living together thing might go a lot smoother if we sit down and go over our schedules. Do you think you’ll be up for going out to dinner tonight?”
“I thought you didn’t want us to be seen together.”
“I didn’t want us to be seen walking in and out of the courthouse together,” Ben clarified. “It’s not like I’m embarrassed to be seen with you or something. I just don’t want anyone to realize we’re married and living together.”
“Oh. In that case, I’d love to go out to dinner. Other than the courthouse yesterday, it’s been a long time since I’ve been anywhere besides the hospital and the apartment.”
Ben pulled up in front of the hospital. “I’ll let you out here and go park the car.”
“Do you want to just wait down here? I should only be about ten minutes.”
“Okay. Just text me when you’re on your way out, and I’ll pull up to get you.”
“Thanks.” Maya started to push the door open, but Ben reached across her and opened it for her. She wasn’t sure if he opened the door because he thought she couldn’t do it herself or if he was being a gentleman without
taking the time to get out of the car. She liked to think it was the latter.
Already looking forward to the idea of having someone to talk to tonight, she headed for the door.
* * *
Ben saw the sleek black limousine the instant it turned the corner toward the hospital. He pushed out of his car and jogged across the parking lot, already anticipating a confrontation. He reached the curb as Rishi climbed out of the back of the limousine.
The moment he saw Ben, irritation radiated from him.
Ben stepped forward, and the two men sized each other up. Ben closed the distance between them and spoke firmly. “I think it’s time you go back to India. Maya doesn’t want anything to do with you.”
“What she wants is irrelevant. She is my fiancée, and I will have her as my wife.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Ben said firmly.
“You have no business interfering in my affairs.”
“I think it would be more accurate to say you have no business interfering in mine.”
Rishi dismissed him with a wave of his hand and started toward the door. Ben cut him off before he had taken three steps.
“Let me pass,” he demanded.
“There is something you need to understand. The person you are looking for no longer exists.”
“Maya’s dead?”
The words and the casual way they were spoken hit Ben like a blow. Realistically, he knew there was a very real possibility Maya might not beat the cancer, but hearing the words spoken out loud evoked more emotion than he had thought possible. He didn’t have to know her well to be affected by the tragedy it would be for someone so young to die, and he didn’t miss that Rishi’s response wasn’t that of someone who had lost a loved one but rather that of someone who might have had a piece of art stolen from him.
Rishi’s eyebrows drew together, and he shook his head. “You are lying to me to make me go away.”
“I didn’t say she died.” The words tasted sour in Ben’s mouth. “I’m telling you there isn’t a Maya Gupta anymore.” Ben straightened his shoulders and forced himself to say the words that would hopefully get rid of this man once and for all. “Maya can’t marry you. She is already married. To me.”
“Lies!” Rishi’s eyes bulged, and he continued to bluster, his words gushing out in a foreign tongue.
The automatic doors slid open behind them, and a calm voice cut through Rishi’s words. Ben didn’t understand the words Maya spoke, but he turned to see her sitting in a wheelchair with Henry now standing protectively beside her instead of behind her.
“Do I need to go get security?” Henry asked Ben.
“I think that might be a good idea,” Ben said, shifting to Maya’s side as Henry headed back into the hospital.
Rishi switched to English, his words spewing venom at Maya. “You are making up stories to deceive me.”
Her voice was firm, and Ben was pleased to see that she wasn’t backing down. “No, I’m not lying to you about anything. Ben and I were married yesterday afternoon.”
Fury erupted on his face. “You were promised to me!” He moved forward, and Ben stepped between them.
“That’s far enough,” Ben said. Then he added a phrase that was foreign to his lips and surprised everyone, especially him. “I want you to stay away from my wife.”
“This isn’t over,” Rishi huffed.
“It is for you,” Ben countered.
The doors again slid open behind them, and two uniformed security men approached with Henry. “Is there a problem here?”
Ben kept his eyes on Rishi when he said, “I believe this gentleman was just leaving.”
Rishi looked from Ben to the security guards. He muttered something under his breath that Ben couldn’t understand and then motioned to his driver. While the rest of them looked on, Rishi climbed back into the limousine, and then the driver took his place behind the wheel and pulled away.
Ben turned to the guards. “I’m going to go pull my car up. Would one of you mind waiting here with Maya for a minute to make sure those guys don’t come back?”
“We’ll take care of her.”
“Thanks for your help,” he said and then spoke to Maya. “I’ll be right back.”
Ben waited for a car to drive by and then jogged out into the parking lot to get his own. He thought of the fury on Rishi’s face and was surprised at the sense of satisfaction it gave him to tell this man he no longer had control over Maya. With this problem behind them, maybe now he and Maya could settle into a routine and his life could get back to normal.
Chapter 21
This was not normal. Ben led the way into the restaurant, and three different people greeted him by name. Judging from the friendly banter that ensued, Maya gathered that Ben must come here often. The hostess led them past several empty tables and waited for them to slide into a booth before handing them their leather-bound menus. They were barely seated when someone else approached their table and asked for an autograph.
Maya knew from Kari that Ben had been called up to the majors early last year, but she hadn’t realized how well known he already was. It wasn’t that she didn’t know about baseball. She had grown up watching her older brothers play when she wasn’t off somewhere playing tennis, and she had watched it frequently over the years since moving to the United States. Yet never before had she seen firsthand how Americans treated their sports heroes.
After Ben signed the requested autograph and said his good-byes to his fan, he flipped open his menu. Maya followed his lead, looking first at the salads and then zeroing in on the ala carte menu.
“Hey, Ben,” their waiter greeted him when he approached.
“Hi, Justin. How’s it going?”
“Not too bad.” He motioned to Maya. “Is this the new girlfriend?”
“Not exactly.” Ben glossed over the question and offered a piece of the truth. “This is my sister’s best friend, Maya. Maya, this is Justin. He thinks he’s a Red Sox fan, but we tolerate him anyway.”
Justin smirked and said, “It’s nice to meet you, Maya.” He held up his order pad. “Do you already know what you want?”
Both Maya and Ben nodded. Justin turned to Maya first. When she ordered only a small salad without dressing, Ben shook his head. He ordered his meal, including a baked potato as one of his sides. Then he added a second baked potato to his order.
“You’re going to have two baked potatoes?” Maya asked after Justin left them alone.
“The second one is for you.”
“Ben, the salad will be more than enough. Besides, you’re the one who said I needed to eat more vegetables.”
“I meant you should have a better balance in your diet. That salad is only going to be about thirty calories. You need something more substantial than that.”
“You’re starting to sound like the hospital’s nutritionist.”
“I’m just using common sense,” Ben countered. “Even if these treatments are working, you need to keep up your strength for them to take full effect, not to mention for when you have the surgery.”
“I know,” she agreed ruefully. “It’s going to take a little while to get used to eating normally again.”
Ben leaned back in the booth and asked, “Do these treatments always make you feel sick?”
“They did at first but not so much now.”
“Tell me what your schedule is like. I know Henry was bringing you home every day, but that’s really not feasible anymore. The weather is getting too cold.”
“How did you know Henry was bringing me home?”
“He told me,” Ben said. “Now about your schedule . . .”
Maya spelled out her weekly routine, the infusions on Mondays and Thursdays, the shots on Tuesdays, and blood work on Fridays.
“In that case, I’ll probably try to schedule my heavy workout days at Nats Park on the days you don’t have your infusions so it’ll be easier if my workouts run late.”
“Ben, I really feel bad
that you’re doing all of this for me. Isn’t there anything I can do for you?”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Clean the apartment, maybe.”
“Maya, you can barely walk twenty feet.” Ben shook his head. “I think it’s about time you stop worrying so much about letting people help you.”
“I just want to be able to help too.”
“I’m not sure you’re ready for that quite yet.”
“I could cook.” She thought about it for a minute and amended her suggestion. “That is, if you wouldn’t mind picking up some groceries.”
“Why don’t you concentrate on getting a little stronger first. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to try to stand at a stove for any length of time.”
“I can sit down when I need to,” Maya protested. “And I am getting stronger.”
“I’d hate to know what you looked like when you were weaker.”
“Some things are best not to think about,” Maya admitted. Their waiter arrived with their food. As soon as he left, she asked, “Do you always eat out?”
“Most of the time. During the season, I didn’t usually have time to cook.” He seemed to consider for a minute. “Tell you what. You make me a list, and I’ll hit the grocery store. That way if you feel up to it and you want to, you can cook. Besides, it would be nice to have something in the house besides juice, soup, and yogurt.”
Maya speared a crisp cucumber slice and nodded. “I agree.”
* * *
By the time Maya woke up on Wednesday morning, the refrigerator was full and Ben was nowhere to be found. He hadn’t mentioned anything the day before about his plans for the day, and she realized that despite having dinner together last night, she shouldn’t have expected him to consult with her when he went out. Sure, she was married to the man, but logically, she understood that she was really just a glorified roommate. She had so looked forward to the possibility of having someone here to talk to.
She looked at her watch, seeing that Kari would be heading to class right about now. Wanting some kind of human connection, Maya dialed her number, her heart lifting a bit when Kari’s cheerful hello came over the line.
Chances Are Page 13