Save the Best for Last

by Bettye Griffin

  “Oh, right. So what do you suggest, the Poconos?”

  Genevieve felt blood rush to her face. She’d heard about the Pocono Mountains. Romantic boat rides for two, glorious sunsets over the mountains, candlelit meals, suites with elevated tubs for two shaped like champagne glasses, and oversize round beds surrounded by netting.

  She immediately pictured Dexter lying naked in the center of a huge round bed, his hands folded beneath his head, his ankles crossed...and his penis jutting out from a bed of curly dark hair, full and erect, just waiting for her. For a second she closed her eyes, then forced them open. What they needed was someplace with less sex and more anonymity, someplace with two rooms that would allow them to spend plenty of time apart. “I remember reading something about no waiting period in Maryland. How do you feel about that?”

  He shrugged. “I hear they’ve got great seafood on the coast.” With a grin, he added, “And I can decide which cake I like better, Lord or Lady Baltimore.”

  Since Dexter had the day off, after lunch they headed for the subway, their destination the downtown shopping district to pick out rings. Genevieve didn’t want to spend a large sum on a ring she would slip into her purse the moment she returned to New York, so she suggested Kmart. “Fine with me,” Dexter said. “I just have one request.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Between the hat and the sunglasses, you look like Beyoncé trying to be incognito. I think one or the other is okay, but both is overkill.”

  “Oh, all right.” She reached up and pulled her plain cap off her head and stuffed it inside her shoulder bag. “Better?” she asked testily as she finger combed her hair, trying to capture the strands that had come out of the coated rubber band she’d caught it in. “I must look a mess.”

  He grinned lazily at her and reached out to tuck a loose tendril off her cheek. “I don’t think that’s possible.”

  Once they agreed on matching brushed gold bands, Genevieve slipped Dexter the bills to pay for them.

  “I love it when couples come in for rings,” the cashier, a sixtyish woman whose nameplate identified her as ‘Gretchen,’ said dreamily. “With all the couples living together nowadays, I’m happy to see that marriage is back in fashion. Have you two been dating long?”

  “No, not at all. We’ve only known each other a few months,” Dexter said. To Genevieve’s amazement he slipped an arm around her and pulled her close to his side. He smelled of soap and skin. It didn’t surprise her that this just-the-basics fellow wore no cologne, but he didn’t need any. He had a wonderful natural scent, all fresh and clean and undeniably male. She found it a refreshing change from Barry’s ever-present fragrance, which to her only smelled like money.

  Actually, Dexter’s entire appearance, so rakish and unconventional, felt like a breath of fresh air after spending so much time around Barry with his starched shirts, Oxford gray suits, always shiny shoes, and immaculately trimmed hair.

  “Yes, it was a whirlwind romance,” Dexter declared to the saleswoman. “I fell in love with this woman before you could count to seventeen thousand, two hundred and thirty-seven.”

  Genevieve looked up at him, making sure he saw her scathing expression. She knew why he’d used that particular number—it was the exact amount of the tuition she would be paying for him. Dexter clearly needed some lessons in being discreet.

  But he merely chuckled, ignoring her. “We’re going to drive out of town next week and have a quiet ceremony,” he explained to the beaming woman. “We’ll surprise everyone when we come back. My grandparents will be thrilled. They always said they want to see me settle down before they leave this life.”

  Genevieve, unable to communicate for him to stop talking so much, took advantage of her close proximity to him to elbow his side. He responded by grabbing her hand with his free one, holding it in a secure grip she couldn’t break.

  “Oh, I think that’s just wonderful,” the saleswoman said. “I’m so sorry we don’t have the rings in stock in the sizes you need, but we can have them in by Tuesday. Just fill out these papers with your name and address, and I’ll do the rest.” She handed Genevieve a two-part order form and a ballpoint pen.

  Genevieve decided the order should be under Dexter’s name. She began to write, then stopped, panic rising in her belly as she realized she didn’t even know his last name. He bent slightly so that his lips grazed her ear. “It’s Gray. G-R-A-Y.”

  She shivered. With him standing so close, the sound of his whisper combined with the touch of his lips felt so delicious, so intimate...for an insane moment her knees actually threatened to buckle. She had to brace her body on the counter by her forearms to keep from slithering to the floor.

  The only thing more dangerous than this man was the step the two of them were about to make.

  The saleswoman rang up the total and handed Dexter the receipt and the copy of the order. “You’re all set,” she said. “Thank you so much, Mr. Gray. I wish you both every happiness. Maybe you can come in on your one-year anniversary and pick out a diamond.” She focused on Dexter. “Every woman dreams of having a beautiful engagement ring, you know, and a lot of them are getting them after they’ve been married for years. Many couples just starting out can’t afford it.”

  “Funds are a little tight right now, but I promise, once I finish law school we’ll come back and get a proper ring.”

  The woman beamed at him. “Law school. How wonderful. Just remember, my name’s Gretchen. I’ll be glad to help you.”

  Genevieve nodded. She felt anxious to get away from the commission-eager saleswoman and her repeated references to the tradition of marriage. She felt another guilt trip coming on at the thought of how she was thumbing her nose at that tradition.

  The saleswoman moved on to assist another customer, and Dexter handed Genevieve the folded receipt inside. “Gen...what’s your last name, anyway?”

  “L’Esperance.” She decided there was no point in continuing to use Shane. That would only confuse Dexter. He needed to know her by her real name, or else it would be a mark against them when they met with the INS agents.

  “Lesper who?”

  She sighed. “Why do I have the feeling that you have difficulty with any name that isn’t Smith or Jones? It’s L’Esperance.”

  “Wow. Genevieve L’Esperance.” His pronunciation sounded almost musical to her ears. “I’ll bet when you were small the rest of the kids were finished with their papers by the time you finished writing your name.”

  She giggled. “Well, in préscolaire—excuse me, preschool—I did sit next to a girl named Liza Roussel, and she always finished her name well before I did.”

  They shared a laugh as they began to move, and Genevieve was caught unaware when Dexter suddenly took her hand, threading his fingers through hers. He couldn’t have missed her distressed expression, or the way her hand went rigid. “Relax. We’re engaged, remember?”

  Before Genevieve could respond, a female voice called her name, and her entire body tensed. The INS had sent a female agent to trail her, and she was about to pounce. She’d had to remove her sunglasses inside the store in order to see, and of course she’d already removed her hat. Her entire face was fully exposed. No doubt the government had possession of her passport photo and knew what she looked like. Why hadn’t she chosen to keep her hair covered and lose the sunglasses instead?

  Her shoulders relaxed as she realized she knew the woman rushing toward her. “Cesca?”

  “Gen! Oh, I can’t believe it! I thought that was you.” She threw her arms around Genevieve, too excited to notice how stiffly the embrace was returned. “When did you get back into New York, and why didn’t you call? My parents took early retirement and live in North Carolina now, but they kept the townhouse. I live in it now, with the same phone number I had when we were in high school.”

  Genevieve pulled away, her mouth falling open. “You’re back in New York? I thought you were in Atlanta.”

  “It was nice for a few
years, but I started to miss New York. When my parents decided to move South, they offered me use of their place, and I decided to come home. How long have you been back in New York?”

  “Oh, just a few months. A lot has changed for me.”

  Cesca smiled admiringly at Dexter. “Yes, I’ll bet it has.” She held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Francesca Perry. Everybody just calls me Cesca. Gen and I have been friends since high school. We were thicker than thieves.”

  “Hello, Cesca,” Dexter said warmly, shaking the petite dark-skinned woman’s hand. “I’m Dexter.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Cesca turned her brown eyes back to Genevieve. “Imagine, with all the people out shopping here today, bumping into you!”

  Genevieve smiled weakly and tried to sound cheerful. “Yes, imagine that.”

  “Wait ‘til I tell Livvy I saw you! The three of us just have to get together.”

  “Isn’t she out to sea?”

  “Now she is, but she’ll be home soon. You know how they do on the cruise lines. She works for maybe four or five months and then gets two months off. She’s going to stay with me while she’s in town.”

  “Why not stay with her parents?” The Oliveiras had a two-bedroom apartment in the Upper East Side building where Mr. Oliveira served as superintendent.

  “They changed jobs a couple of years ago. They work for Bernard Price now.”

  “The publisher?”

  “Yes. Not too shabby, huh? Mrs. Oliveira provides nursing care for old Mr. Price—he had a stroke just before they were hired—and does housework, and Mr. Oliveira takes care of the house and grounds.”

  “Well, absolutely then, we’ll have to get together,” Genevieve replied lightly, but inside her stomach churned. First Cesca, then their mutual friend Olivia Oliveira. Everybody and their mother would soon know she was back in town. This, after she’d tried so carefully to keep a low profile. And Cesca was bound to want to know all about Dexter. What on earth would she tell her?

  Cesca glanced at the display just a few yards behind them, where Genevieve and Dexter had made their purchase just moments before. Her expression turned knowing. “So what brings you two to the jewelry department?” she asked, grinning widely.

  “Oh, noth—” Genevieve began.

  “Actually, Cesca, I just asked Jenny for her hand, and she graciously accepted,” Dexter said.

  It was all Genevieve could do not to gasp audibly. Who asked him to answer? And where did this ‘Jenny’ crap come from all of a sudden? She wished she could evaporate, like a cloud of steam. Whatever would Cesca, the pampered only child of a fund manager and a judge who lived in a floor-through townhouse on an exclusive block, think of their buying rings at Kmart, of all places? She sneaked a peek at Cesca’s shopping cart, which contained things like shampoo, a paperback novel and a box of number ten envelopes...the types of things most people bought at discount stores.

  If Cesca thought their choice of a jeweler was odd, she didn’t show it. She practically jumped in obvious delight. “Oh, how wonderful! I’m so happy for you both! Gen, I always knew you would be the first of the three of us to get married.”

  “Well, you have to promise not to tell anyone,” Dexter cautioned. “We’re going to do this quietly, and on a budget, since I’ve got one more semester of law school. We’re eloping to Maryland next week. Jenny didn’t think it proper for us to have a big wedding, not so soon after her father passed away.”

  Cesca’s expression immediately turned somber. “Oh, Gen, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I’m sure my parents didn’t know, either, or they would have told me.”

  “It happened at home in the islands,” Genevieve replied, glad that the subject had been changed. “That’s why you didn’t hear. I didn’t even have anything put in The Times.”

  “I understand. Well, are you at least planning a reception when you return? I don’t think that would be disrespectful.”

  “We haven’t really thought about it...”

  Once again Dexter intercepted. “You know, that’s probably not a bad idea. Maybe we’ll consider it.”

  Cesca pulled a pen and notepad out of her shoulder bag. “Here’s my card. I’m writing my cell number on the back. You give me yours, and we’ll get together when you guys get back, after Livvy’s home. Are you living in your dad’s condo?”

  “Yes.” Genevieve glared at Dexter, half expecting him to elaborate, not letting a little thing like not knowing its location stop him. She accepted the pen and pocket-sized notepad Cesca produced and, carefully holding it out of Dexter’s line of vision, wrote down her address and cell number.

  “There you are, but we really have to go now, Cesca. We’ve still got a lot to do yet before we leave.”

  “Sure, I understand. Have a wonderful honeymoon. I’ll see you soon.”

  Dexter took Genevieve’s hand once more as they moved to the front of the store, past display racks of women’s casual wear. She angrily tried to shake it loose, but he held firm.

  “What the hell was that all about?” she demanded. “Here I am trying to say as little as possible and trying to get away from Cesca, while you’re telling her things she doesn’t need to know. Why do you think I haven’t even tried to contact her in all this time? The fewer people who know about my situation, the better.”

  “I disagree. All right, so of course you don’t want to go around telling people you’re not legal. But as far as you and I being married, I say put it out in the open. Just getting married isn’t enough to solve your problem, Genevieve. The Immigration people are going to catch up to you eventually, and when they do they’re not going to be satisfied when you show them a marriage certificate. They’re going to ask questions of both of us, and they have to like your answers. It’s nice to be able to refer them to your friends. If no one knows you’ve gotten married, that’ll only raise their suspicions that it’s phony.”

  She sighed loudly, not wanting to admit he had a point. So he hadn’t been talking for the sake of talk; he’d wanted to convey certain bits of information to Cesca. If the Immigration people wanted to talk to Cesca and she told them what she knew, it all sounded on the up and up.

  But Dexter didn’t know all the background information. He didn’t know about the letter she’d written her super back in May that said she’d already gotten married. The INS would be sure to question her about that. It had seemed like a good idea when Barry suggested it, but now it would come back to bite her where it hurt. How would she explain the change in plans, that instead of going to California she’d gotten married in Maryland, and several months later to boot? It would raise a flag redder than an overripe tomato.

  Something else Dexter didn’t know about...Barry. She’d thought it best to keep Dexter in the dark as much as possible. And now he was confusing everything.

  “I’ll tell you something, Dexter,” she said. “I’d rather tell the INS I have no friends in New York rather than get Cesca involved. Surely not knowing anyone isn’t a crime.”

  “No,” he replied, “that’s not the crime.”

  He was obviously thinking about what they were doing, and Genevieve wondered if he was having second thoughts. She put herself in the hands of Fate, knowing she’d done all she could. Right now, all she wanted to do was get back uptown before she had the misfortune of running into anyone else she knew with Dexter at her side.

  Chapter 12

  Genevieve wrapped up what she could by Wednesday and informed her clients that she would be taking the rest of the week off and would not be available by either phone or e-mail. She did not share with them the reason for her mini-vacation; she considered her personal life off limits.

  At first she feared Brenda Smith might think it odd that both she and Dexter were going away for long weekends, a worry she discussed with Dexter. To her annoyance, he responded by saying, “Why not tell them the truth? Tell them that we’re getting married? Give them a big surprise.” He chuckled. “Hell, I’d pay to see the look on their faces.” T
hen he grew serious. “Like I said before, Jenny, if no one knows about us, it won’t bode well for us with the Immigration people. They’ll think we’re keeping it secret because it’s a sham.”

  Genevieve wondered if Dexter was aware that he called her ‘Jenny,’ or if it had been unconscious on his part. The first time he’d been putting on a bit for Cesca’s benefit, but now it was just the two of them.

  Jenny. Actually, she kind of liked it. Nobody had ever called her that before...

  She realized he was waiting for her to say something and quickly came back to the here and now. “Yes, but there’s no need to involve Stan and Brenda, Dexter. They’re our landlords. That’s like me telling my clients I’m getting married. We should restrict the news to personal friends.”

  Genevieve felt pleased with her explanation. Her real reason for not wanting to let the Smiths know, of course, was the one thing about this whole mess that troubled her the most.

  How would Barry, who’d given no signs that he accepted her change of heart, react when she told him she’d married someone else?

  Fortunately, Dexter accepted her reasoning, and in the end she and Dexter ultimately decided that if Brenda asked about his plans, he would say he was going up to Poughkeepsie to spend a few days with his grandparents, while her story was that she’d be weekending at the Maryland shore. She decided their landlords wouldn’t think anything of their being gone at the same time. After all, it was summertime, and people went away all the time.

  Genevieve deliberately held back on giving Brenda notice of her intent to move out. It would cost her two weeks’ rent, according to the terms of the rental agreement she’d signed, but she couldn’t risk Stan blabbing to Barry that she was leaving. She had to tell him herself, plus tell him why. That would really be the hard part. Lord knew she wasn’t looking forward to it.

  Still, it had to be done. She and Dexter were leaving in the morning. She couldn’t put it off much longer.

  Barry called that evening, as was his practice, but earlier than usual. “I’ve been invited to a friend’s for dinner, and it’ll probably be late when I get in,” he explained. “I just pulled up to the house, but I wanted to call you before going inside.”