by Lauren Wood
“I understand that and I was fully prepared to marry her, but then fate stepped in and changed everything. I didn't see it coming.”
“You didn't see what coming?”
I took a deep breath and tried to figure out how to frame it. My father was not the hopeless romantic and he may not take what I was about to say the right way. Or rather he would take it the right way and see right through it.
“An old high school sweetheart of mine. Do you remember Anna Chivro?”
I knew damn well that he didn't know who she was, but the fact was my father didn't really know anything about my life. He was what you would called a hands-off parent and he was going to agree with me, just so it wouldn't show how badly he didn't know me.
“Of course. She was the blonde one, right?”
“No, black hair. We dated almost all of senior year. You met her several times.”
He agreed with a mumble, but I was having fun with it. He was just trying to get through it.
“While she was at the party last night, just started talking. That same spark was there from before and one thing led to another...”
Before I could finish the sentence, he blurted out that I shouldn't have slept with her.
“That is not what happened.”
“Then what did happen son?”
“I didn't have sex with her. I married her.”
There was silence from the other side of the phone and for a moment, I was afraid that something had happened to my dad. He had already had a heart attack before, and I did not want to be the one to cause another one.
“You what?!”
The older man on the other side of the line was sputtering with anger. I didn't have to see him, to visualize his face clearly. He had been mad at me before.
“I got married last night dad. So, there was no way that I could marry Lexie. I tried to break it to her as gently as I could, but I would imagine that she is not taking it very well.”
“You can bet your ass that she's not. Charles has already called me three times today. He does not seem very friendly at the moment. He tends to think that this is all your fault and you purposely hurt his daughter.”
“That wasn't my intention at all. I don't know what to say about it, but something clicked between us. It was magical and it just happened.”
Of all the things that my father was expected to say, I didn't think that he would agree with me.
“You know son, you're not the only one that has fallen in love before. If I had a nickel for every time I did, I may be even richer than I am now. I can't say that I am so happy with you, but at least you're honest with me. That is something that I can respect.”
I was a little surprised to hear that coming from my father. I almost never heard anything positive from him.
“And she isn't just a stripper dad. She is about to get her degree in business. Anna is very intelligent. I will bring her by if you ever want to meet her.”
“Of course I want to meet her son. I am very interested in who you spend your life with. You know that I've always said it is one of the most important decisions you will ever make.”
I agreed with him, but I didn't say anything about the fact that he had been married so many times before. Obviously it did not apply to him.
We talked for a few minutes, but I had a feeling that I had taken up my allotted time for the day. He was always on the run an had somewhere to go and today was no exception. For some reason, it went a lot easier than I thought it would. I thought he was going to rail on about keeping my word, but he didn't say any of that. And he said that he actually did want to me Anna.
I was about to walk back into the kitchen to finish dinner, but then I wondered why he was being so unnecessarily nice. That wasn't like my father. He must have something up his sleeve or Jeff has put something in his ear. Either one could be the case.
Anna
I gathered a few things together and looked back at my place one last time. I know that my apartment wasn’t that much, but it had been mine for several years now. Ever since I started at college, I'd lived there. While everyone else was getting dorms and sharing rooms with other people, I have decided that I would sacrifice, so that I had my own space. Now I was giving it up again and for what?
After I had some time to think, I was starting to wonder if I had lost my mind. Had I really agreed to live with someone that I didn't even really know? And for what? Just because his brother had made me mad? Was it really worth it?
I had a million questions running through my mind and not one answer. I never had any answers. All I knew for certain was I told Scott that I would be over not much later than eight. He had a very tense conversation with his father and left not too long after that. I was worried about what was going to come of all of this, but the one upside that I could think of at the moment was I didn't have to go to work.
It had never been my favorite place to go and any stretch of time that I didn't have to find myself dancing on men, was a good time. Considering I only had two semesters left, if I could figure out a way to get next semester’s tuition raised in time, I’d never have to do it again. That was the dream anyways.
But for now, I had to focus on the task at hand. I was moving and bracing myself at the same time. I have no idea where I was moving too. All I had was an address and I promise that his driver would be there to pick me up in a little bit. When I looked at the clock, I realize that I only had a few minutes left.
It didn’t seem like enough time. I wanted to start another pot of coffee and just be, but that wasn’t in the cards. I felt like I was leaving something behind, something important. I just didn't know what it was.
The doorbell rang, and I couldn't believe that my time was up. I was on my second cup of coffee, but I must have spent half of it staring off into space. I was still trying to figure out what the hell I was doing. It didn't make sense, not really.
I went to the door and smiled at Ernest. At least it was the same driver and I knew who he was.
“Just give me a second and I will grab the bags.”
“Let me take it for you Miss. I would never hear the end of it, if I let a lady carry her own bags. I will do it all for you, all you have to do is let me know when you're ready to get in.”
He talked to me with almost like a reverence and it was really weird. I had never had a driver or maid or anything like that and their very presence was disconcerting to me. It was just so out of the ordinary.
“Well I will take one bag and you can take the other, Ernest. I don't want you to throw your back out from all my shoes.”
He went along with me and I was thankful for that. I would have felt strange not carrying anything on the way out. Especially when it was all of my things.
I got into the back of the car and waved him off when he mentioned that he would open it for me.
“I still think I can work a door Ernest. You don't have to act that way around me.”
I could see his smiling eyes through the rearview mirror. “You know that is the exact same thing that Scott told me the first day that I started with him?”
His comment was a little shocking because I didn't see Scott in that way. While it was clear that he was born with money, it was also clear that he was comfortable with it. He certainly had no problem barking orders to Ernest where he wanted to go when I was around him. I had a feeling that he would be the same way with everyone else. Even me. That much I had found out when we had woken up in the same bed together. He had not been happy and have been far snippier then I was used to.
“I wouldn't have thought that.”
“I take it that the story about you two being long-lost love is not true?”
I didn't know much about drivers etiquette, but I did know that asking questions was probably not encouraged too much. I of course would not say anything, but I wanted to. I wanted to tell him that it was none of his business.
“No, I guess you can say that is not true.”
“So how
did the two of you meet?”
He was asking an innocent question and I was feeling defensive. I don’t know why I was acting this way. I was going to have to cool out though. This was my idea and if I was going to go along with it, I was going to have to do a better job than what I was doing at the moment. At the moment, all I could think about was the lie that I was supposed to tell.
“We met last night, and his brother conned us into getting married. May have been a roofie or two involved. So now we’re married.”
Ernest chuckled like I was saying something funny, but I didn’t say one way or another if he was right or not. He could think what he wanted.
“Well, I am glad to have you with us Mrs. Donovan.”
“Please call me Anna.”
“He needed someone to show him there is more to life than money and family obligation. All he worries about is what his father thinks. You know, some men grow up and never have that bond that they crave.”
“Uh huh.”
It was hard to think of Scott as a little boy. He seemed sure of himself and very much aware of who he was. Although at the same time, he did seem rather worried about things that he shouldn’t have been worried about. He was especially worried about what his father thought, and I’d thought that strange, though when he had laid it all out there, it wasn’t that hard to see why. He wanted to get the company, as well as piss off Jeff. I could see why all of that was necessary.
“Don’t let his reputation fool you Anna.”
“His reputation?”
“Yeah, you know, that he has all these girlfriends and such.”
“Are you telling me that he is some kind of saint?”
That made him chuckle. “God no, nothing like that, but he isn’t near as bad as you think he is.”
It was good to hear, but it was just another reminder that I was going to have to learn more about my husband. There was no better time, but now after all.
“Well hell, you know, you married him.”
“Yes, I did.”
Scott
I was nervous, something I never really felt, and I can’t say that I liked the feeling all that much. I knew that Anna was going to be here soon, and I had a lot to say to her. Before I knew what I was doing, I was changing and primping. It was two things that I just didn't do anymore. I guess my reasoning was that I just didn't care enough to do it. Whatever it was, something was different with Anna.
There was also the fact that we had started out on the wrong foot. That was basically my fault, because I have been taken off guard. I never really liked to not know what was going to happen next.
Now that I knew we were going to be together for a while, even living together, I knew that I wanted us to get along. As well as we possibly could anyways.
When I heard the car pull up out front, I wondered what she was going to think of everything. Most girls would love to be here. The place with huge and there were a couple of servants running around, but I didn't think that any of that was going to impress Anna. She was different than other girls.
That much I had figured out rather quickly and my money seemed to repel her, instead of attracting her like it would to most. I was going to actually have to have a decent personality, because with her, my money wasn't going to cut it. That was a notion that was hard for me to wrap my brain around.
I went to the door and opened it as she was coming up the stairs. She was trailed behind by Ernest and he only had a couple of bags with him.
“Would you like me to get the rest of it?”
“That's all of it.”
“Oh?”
I had never seen a woman travel so lightly in all of my life. Never.
“Is that all you're bringing with you?” Did she not think she would be staying long?
“Yeah, I just brought the essentials. It's only a couple of months after all.”
I was a little baffled by Anna. She looked well put together and I don't know how that was going to happen from two little suitcases. Unless she had a magic way of packing, it didn't make sense to me.
“What did you do with the rest of your stuff?”
“It's back at my apartment. I'm not going to get rid of it because of this.”
I don't know why I thought that it would be different. It was silly to think that she was going to give up her apartment to stay with me. It was only supposed to be temporary, so why was I so miffed about it? I didn't want her to have a backup plan if things didn't work out. I didn't have one.
“Well let me show you to your room. You can choose another one if you like, but I figured it would be best to have one close to me. Just in case something happens and we have to play house. There is a bedroom that is attached to the master bedroom and I thought that would be good.”
She didn't seem to care either way where she was staying. There was something on her mind and I wondered what it was.
But like most marriages, I decided to say nothing. I took her to the room that I had the maid freshen up and add a few luxuries to make her feel like she was at home. The weird part was, I started to realize how little I knew about her. I didn't even know her favorite color. These were things that the husband should know about his wife.
“Thanks Scott. It's great really. I am just going to freshen up a little bit before I come back down. Or maybe I can see you in the morning?”
I wanted to talk to her about some things, but from the look on her face, I could tell that she needed some time to yourself. It was a lot for both of us to take on, even though it was her idea, that didn’t mean that she wasn't second-guessing it all right now. I know that I was.
“Of course. I will see you in the morning Anna. Is there anything in particular you would like the cooks to make for you?”
She looked at me as if I were speaking in tongues and just kind of shook her head that she didn't want anything. Maybe the culture shock was a bit too much and I bowed out of the room to make it a little bit easier for her. It seemed like my presence was hard for her to take. I could say the same thing about her, but of course I wouldn't.
When I was walking away, I was more confused than anything else. What had happened since I talked to her last? She had seemed so sure before, but I could tell now that she wasn't sure about anything. I don't know if I was either.
Anna
After Scott left, I looked around the room and still couldn't believe where I was. This was not like me. I did not stay in places like this and I was almost afraid to touch anything. If I broke anything, I certainly wasn't going to be able to replace it. Everything looked either super modern and high tech or super old. It was a weird mix to have a flat screen TV on the wall, above old chests that must have been a couple of hundred years old. It was a weird mix and the more I looked around, the more I wondered whose personality it showed.
I was worn out from the day and all of the excitement, but there was still a curiosity in me that I couldn't shut off. For one reason or another, good or bad, I wanted to poke my head in through to his bedroom and see if it look like it did in here.
I wasn't going to do that though. I knew better. But I did realize very quickly that I didn't know where the bathroom was, and I was going to need that.
I called out to Scott and he didn't answer, so I went back into the hallway and tried to remember where I had seen a bathroom before. He told me that there was four bedrooms and four bathrooms, but I couldn't for the life of me, remember where one of them was. All I needed was one of them at this moment.
“Anna? Are you lost?”
I didn't want to admit it, but I had to. I had no idea where I was and the house was apparently too big to guess. It seemed even larger because it was full of twists and turns. It may have only had four bedrooms, but there were many other rooms as well.
“I am trying to find the bathroom.”
“Well you are a long way from there. Let me take you back to your room and show you. There is one in between our rooms that we share, so all you have to do is go in throug
h the door by the back wall.”
I had no idea what he was talking about, but we were already moving back into the room that I was staying in. He walked up to the side of the bed and then pushed a panel that I hadn't noticed before. Now that I knew it was there, I could see it for what it was, but before it had just been a wall.
“Wow. I never would have guessed that was there.”
“I think it is a good feature. At one point, this room was for the mistress. I think they were able to sneak out and be together in the middle of the night here.”
He gestured at the floor that we were standing on and I don't know why it bothered me so much. Maybe it was a look in his eyes or the set of a gaze, I really don't know. All I knew, was that it was suddenly a very small bathroom and I needed some privacy. Scott got the hint after a moment and excused himself. I was left standing in front of a large mirror, looking at myself in the reflection and trying to get myself together. That seemed to be something that I did a lot of when I was around him.
Why did he have to tell me that I was staying in the mistress suite? Did he say it just to bother me? Or was it some way of telling me that he was going to have a mistress?
A shower was sounding better every minute and I let the hot water ease the tension in my neck and shoulders. I wish it worked as well for my head. I knew the only thing that was going to make it better, was a good night sleep. This time I was going to be waking up next to a strange man, and in a strange house. Hopefully it didn't end up the way I thought it might, the way I hoped it wouldn't.
The only good thing about how busy a day it was, it made sleep come very easily to me. Even though I had so many things to think about, I didn't think about any of it. I lay down and closed my eyes. I don't remember anything else.
The next morning, I was getting ready and it didn't feel as strange as I thought it would. If I was somewhere else, I would have to work tonight, but I didn't have to now. I could actually stay home and do my homework like I was supposed to do. This could actually be the best thing I had done in a while. That's what I thought anyways, before I saw Scott in the kitchen.