by Natalie Wild
“Right,” said Candice. “It is, isn’t it.”
Mia nodded. Blaine looked between the two women like a cat watching a tennis ball. “Umm—well, maybe we should wrap it up.”
“Right,” said Candice. “I need to get to the airport, anyway.”
Blaine threw a twenty on the table and the three of them walked toward the exit. Blaine excused himself to use the bathroom, and left Mia and Candice on the little porch outside the restaurant. Mia took her sunglasses from her pocket and retreated behind a wall of protective tinted glass.
“You don’t need to be nasty to me, Mia,” said Candice.
Her bluntness took Mia aback, but she recovered quickly. “I’m not being nasty. Or any nastier than you were the other day. I just want to make it clear where we all stand.”
Candice lowered her own sunglasses. “I know where we stand. Blaine loves you. He’s made that pretty clear.”
“Oh—okay.” Mia felt a strange combination of a warm heart at Blaine’s proclamation and pity for Candice.
“He and I have been friends for a long time. Keep that in mind. We were married for three years, but we dated for two before that. And we met ten years ago. When he was just leaving Microsoft and going out on his own. So I’ve been in his life a long time.”
“Well, that’s fine. But I don’t think you need to be contacting him all the time. Especially after he gave you all that money and you blew it.”
Candice smiled. “That simple, huh? My fault.”
Mia squinted through her sunglasses. “Well, there are two sides to every story—”
“Right. How about my part? How about the fact that Blaine wanted kids and we tried, but nothing happened?”
“So you’re saying—“
“I suggested adoption, but he wasn’t into it.” Candice smiled. “Blaine wants to throw his colors, if you know what I mean. I’m thirty-six. His age. We tried for two years. Guess he figured my time was up.”
Mia didn’t know what to say. Blaine had firmly placed the blame for the divorce on Candice and her lack of real love for him. He’d told Mia she never really loved him at all.
Candice went on. “Look, I played my part. I’m not a very affectionate person. I’m practical, not romantic. I couldn’t keep up with Blaine’s—” To Mia’s surprise, Candice blushed. “Uh—energy level. The more tension there was over our fertility issues, the more of a bitch I became. But he’s the one who pulled the plug. Maybe if we’d had a baby, he wouldn’t have.”
“I’m sorry,” said Mia. “That sounds painful.”
Candice shrugged. “It’s over now. And I made mistakes with the money afterward. But I have a lot of people in my family and no one is wealthy. I probably gave too much away…anyway, I need a bit of help from him now. I learned my lesson, and I really think I can make this massage therapy thing work. So, I gave you a leg up with him. Maybe you can do the same for me.”
Candice refreshed her lipstick as she got into the rented coupe. She drove off in a swirl of red and chrome.
Blaine emerged from the bathroom. He put a hand on Mia’s shoulder. “She’s gone?”
Mia nodded. Candice was gone, but she’d left a lot of questions in her wake.
*
That night, over a dinner of takeout Thai food on the deck of the Wanderlust, Mia had to ask Blaine about Candice’s revelations. He swallowed and nodded as Mia talked.
“That was a bit out of line. Her telling you all that.”
Mia was oddly defensive of Candice. “Well, she wanted me to understand where she’s coming from. Why she still feels like you owe her something, I guess.”
Blaine took a long drink from a can of Bud Light. He grimaced. “This stuff is shit,” he said.
Mia pressed on. “So you left her, because she couldn’t have children?”
He threw up his hands. “Yeah. That was part of it.”
“Blaine—that’s awful.”
“What am I, on trial?” His nostrils flared. “That was personal business between me and her. You really don’t need to know that about our marriage. I haven’t even talked to my brother or sister about it.”
“I thought you were going to be honest with me!”
“Jesus, Mia. There’s a difference between me being honest and telling you every personal detail of my life. If that’s what you want, I’m not your man. It’s not even healthy, anyway. Now you’re going to obsess about it.”
“Well maybe I should. Maybe you just want me for my eggs.”
Blaine burst out laughing. “Are you kidding me? Look. If that’s what I wanted, a baby, and that’s it, I’d hire a damn surrogate and do it that way. A hell of a lot less complicated!” He stood and started collecting the tools that lay around the boat.
Mia felt stupid. “Okay, fine. That’s not really it. It’s just—when you marry someone you stick it out. Through thick and thin.”
“Okay, fine. Yes, our inability to have children affected my decision. If that’s selfish, so be it. If Candice thinks that’s the primary reason, maybe I didn’t make it clear enough to her. But the fact is, I never felt loved by her. Maybe our ways of showing it were just so different that we couldn’t reach a middle ground, but I never felt it. I’m a romantic. I want passion. I want a soul mate. She’s practical. All business. She’s not affectionate. We were not going to meet each other’s needs.”
Mia couldn’t believe how accurately Blaine and Candice had described each other. Maybe that’s what you got after ten years of knowing someone.
“I could have stayed with her, and adopted, if we’d been happy. But why give up my dream of having children for someone who wasn’t the right person?” He sat down again. “And believe me, Candice would never have married me in the first place if it wasn’t for my money. If it had disappeared, she would have disappeared with it.”
Mia took a deep breath. “Okay. I understand. Are you going to help her?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I am. I do feel sort of guilty for how it ended. If that makes me too nice, whatever. One last gesture, and I’m done.”
Mia watched the dark water. She needed to decide if she was okay with his reasoning. She thought of Candice’s obvious sadness and Blaine’s obvious need to do the right thing by someone he’d known most of his adult life. In the end, Mia decided that life was complicated, and there could be no harm in Blaine helping an old friend. As long as she got one final validation from him.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Mia said. “I won’t discourage you. But I want to know one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“That you love me, and only me. That we’re going to move forward without anything hindering this. Us. Priority number one.”
“I do love you. There’s no other woman for me. You’re it, Mia,” Blaine said. “It’s crazy that I feel this confident about it so early, but I do. But I have something to ask of you.”
“Yes?”
“Give me the benefit of the doubt. And let me keep a bit of my old hurt to myself. I just don’t think we need to be constantly rehashing the details of each other’s pasts. I’ll do the same for you.”
“Okay,” she said. And he was right. While she wanted Blaine to be honest with her, sometimes knowing the brutal truth only made her more insecure.
*
Two days later, Mia stepped off a small private jet and onto the runway at the airport in St. John. The temperature and the smell of flowers were familiar and comfortable to her Florida girl’s nose. She gripped her purse and her carryon bag and looked over her shoulder. She’d never taken private air transportation. She hadn’t the faintest clue where to go next.
“Miss Mia?” asked a tall black man wearing khakis and a dark blue polo shirt. “Miss Mia Tennyson?”
She nodded.
“I’m James. Mr. Daniels’ assistant here on the island.”
“Oh!” said Mia. “Yes, right. Wonderful. I’m so glad you found me right away!”
James smiled. “That’s my job,
Miss. Keep everything smooth for you two while you’re here. I already have them taking your luggage to the car. Why don’t you head this way?”
Mia followed James to a Mercedes SUV. She climbed into the back seat while he directed the men who handled her luggage. She took out a few dollars for tips, but James waved it away. “Mr. Daniels already sent me money to handle all that. You just relax.”
Thirty minutes later they arrived at the beach cottage Blaine had rented for them. Mia gasped as they pulled through the gate. The three-story pink stucco house was surrounded by palm trees and flowering bushes. As James led her through the front door, she marveled at the cozy mix of elegant island themed furniture and beautiful bright artwork on the walls. Wide windows let in a view of the sea, a mere twenty yards from the house’s back porch. The back porch itself opened onto a beautiful slate patio and infinity pool.
“Oh, my gosh,” Mia said.
James showed her she and Blaine’s bedroom. It faced the beach and had its own porch, so she overlooked the palm trees before she met a vista of the wide-open ocean. A breeze played over her skin and lifted her hair.
“All your things are here, Miss Mia,” said James. “If you want to unpack. I stocked the refrigerator. If there’s anything, anything at all, that you need, you just call me.” He handed her a card. “I just live right down the road. Oh—and Mr. Daniels asked me to schedule you a massage. Later this afternoon. Once you’re settled. The masseuse will set up by the pool, if that’s alright with you.”
She smiled. “It’s very, very alright.”
James laughed. “Anything you want, we’re here to help. Mr. Daniels wants you to be happy as a clam until he gets here in two days.”
Mia thanked him and flopped down on the bed. She sunk into several layers of silk sheets and blankets. She watched the ceiling fan swirl, and wondered how she ever got so lucky. To think, she’d almost turned down this experience! Thank goodness I didn’t let my own fears get the best of me. She loved her little Florida hometown, but this place was paradise.
*
The rest of that afternoon and the next morning passed in a haze of pampered relaxation. Mia read a book and several magazines. She ate fresh fruit until she was sure she’d turn orange from so many mangoes and pineapples and bananas and berries. Blaine called twice from the boat to check on her, and she blessed him for texting every couple hours as long as he had cell service. She never had time to get too worried as he motored toward St. John in the Wanderlust.
As mid-afternoon approached, and Mia returned from a walk up and down the house’s private beach, she heard the front gate buzzer ring. She answered it. “Hi, James!”
A female voice with a British accent replied. “Oh—hello?”
“Yes?”
“Is this Blaine Daniel’s house?”
“Ah, yes. It is. Can I help you?”
“Is he hanging about?”
“No. He won’t be here until tomorrow.”
“Oh, damn.” Mia heard whispering in the background, but she couldn’t make it out. “Will you buzz us in?” the woman said. “We have a housewarming gift for him.”
“Ah, okay,” said Mia. She pressed the button and went to the front door.
Two women got out of a BMW convertible. Both wore sheer cover-ups over thong bikinis. The first had red hair, the second, a short flippy blonde ‘do. They hoisted a gigantic floral arrangement from the backseat of the car.
“Hold the door?” shouted the blonde.
Mia opened it wider and backed away. The women struggled under the weight of the arrangement. They argued amongst themselves about where it should go, before finally settling on the kitchen island.
“There we are!” said the red head. “Smashing, isn’t it?”
“Lovely,” said her friend. Mia thought they both sounded out of Downton Abbey. Minus the fact that she could see their bare asses through their cover-ups.
The redhead got to the point. “Who are you, dear? Watching the house until Blaine arrives?”
Mia blushed. Of course a woman like this would think anyone who looked Latina was the housekeeper. She took a deep breath. Blaine had brought her here, and she was just as worthy of being in this house as these women seemed to think they were.
“No. My name is Mia. I’m Blaine’s girlfriend.”
Both women’s eyebrows lifted. “Really?” asked the blonde.
Mia refused to cringe. “Yes. I’m staying with him this month.”
“Well, I’m Vanessa,” said the redhead. “And this is Camille.” She pointed at her blonde friend.
“Nice to meet you,” said Mia.
“We’re friends of Candice, Blaine’s ex-wife.”
Mia’s stomach fell further toward her feet. “Okay. I know Candice.”
“I didn’t realize Blaine had a girlfriend,” said Camille.
“Yes. He does.” Mia didn’t elaborate. She raised her chin. Let them skewer me. I can take it.
Vanessa clapped. “Wonderful!” Mia’s eyes widened as Vanessa trotted across the room toward her. She embraced Mia. “Welcome, welcome!”
Mia stiffened, and then hugged her back. Camille repeated her friend’s embrace.
“So tell, tell,” said Camille. “How did you two meet, all that?”
Mia giggled nervously. She told Camille and Vanessa the story. They watched with round, excited eyes. “How sweet!” said Vanessa. “That’s so like Blaine. To take care of you when you were sick!”
Mia laughed again, and this time it felt genuine. “It was so embarrassing.”
Camille waved a hand. “We’ve all been there, darling. I fell down the stairs on my second date with Brian.”
“Who’s Brian?” Mia asked.
“My husband,” said Camille. “He went to Cambridge with Blaine. So did Vanessa’s husband, Nigel.”
“Oh!” said Mia. “So you know Blaine very well.”
Vanessa smiled. “For years! Dear, do you have a glass of wine? I can only have one small glass because I’m nursing—”
“You have a baby?”
Vanessa smiled. “Yes. She’s nine months old.” She poked Camille. “This one can’t have any!”
Camille sighed. “Damn, don’t remind me.” She rubbed her flat belly. “Pregnant with the first. Just found out!”
“How wonderful!” said Mia. “Congratulations!”
She poured a glass of wine for herself and Vanessa and listened to the two women chat about their husbands and Blaine and their many escapades over the years. Finally Camille put a hand on Vanessa’s arm. “I’m so tired, love. Nappy time.”
“Of course!” said Vanessa. Mia walked them to the car. Camille gave two cheek kisses and sat in the convertibles passenger seat. She closed her eyes, and Mia wondered if she was already asleep.
Vanessa hugged Mia. “We’re so glad you’re here. It’s time for Blaine to move on. Find a nice girl. We all loved Candice, but they weren’t right for each other.”
Mia smiled. “Thanks for the welcome.”
“I remember Candice was so nervous when she first came down here with Blaine. It was all new to her.”
Mia nodded. It was funny how she could sometimes feel so threatened by Candice, yet commiserate with her at the same time. “I can understand that.”
“You’ll be fine,” said Vanessa. “Anything comes up, just call me or Cam.” She winked. “Any girl stuff. The kind of stuff Blaine can’t handle. Or James, either.”
Mia thanked her again and waved goodbye to the BMW as it zipped down the driveway. As she went back in the house, she reminded herself of the old adage about books and covers and all that. Those women surely weren’t what she’d expected when they walked in the door, but she was definitely glad she’d let them in.
*
Mia wanted to make sure Blaine’s arrival the next afternoon was perfect. She prepared sandwiches made with fresh goat cheese and grilled vegetables, and even had James pick up the ingredients for her to make a simple fruit cobbler. By
the time she finished and cleaned up her cooking mess, Blaine had texted that he was on the way from the marina.
She was finishing her personal prep as she heard him enter. A final spritz of perfume and a straightening of her long white maxi dress, and she was ready. She heard Blaine calling her from downstairs.
“Mia? Baby?”
“I’m coming,” she said. She found that the closer she got to the stairs, the faster she went. She smiled when she saw Blaine at the bottom of the staircase, waiting for her. She picked up the pace.
The dress was too long. Halfway down the stairs, she stepped on it. Her ankle rolled, and down she went.
“Mia!” Blaine cried. He caught her before she could hit the last stair. She grabbed at her ankle. “Baby, are you okay?” Blaine lifted her and carried her to the couch. She wiped at her eyes.
“Oh my gosh,” she said. “That was not how I wanted to welcome you.” She felt like crying. “How ridiculous. Just like Camille. Falling down the steps.”
She filled him on her meeting with his friends. He held her ankle in one hand and rotated her foot. “Those birds. Quality ladies…both of them. Does your ankle hurt?”
She shook her head. “My pride is wounded. Not my ankle.”
“You’re beautiful and amazing whether you’re sick or falling down or standing there like the perfect goddess you are.”
She gasped as he kissed the arch of her foot. He knelt on the floor before her. His kisses trailed up her leg. He pushed the white dress out of the way as he went. “Perfect,” he said.
Mia gave up worrying. She gave up having to be graceful and elegant all the time. Blaine thought she was perfect, and that’s all that mattered.
She watched him spread her legs farther so he could better pleasure her. His tongue stroked her clit in small circles. His slid on finger, then another, then another inside her. “You’re so tight. It’s only been a couple days. I need to make sure you’re ready again. Do you want to come now, like this?”