Coming in Handy

by Emilia Beaumont

  Before I could answer, our waitress had arrived filling our coffee cups.

  “Maybe for your first day, I should order for you? Give you a taste of a real American breakfast? Tanya, give us both the works will you?”

  The waitress nodded and scribbled fast on her notepad. “You got it, sweetie. I’ll be right back.”

  Tanya was true to her word, in what seemed like mere seconds she was back with plates brimming with pancakes, bacon, waffles. It was a mountain of food and my eyes bulged as my mouth watered. It had been months since I’d seen so much food, I almost drooled with my saliva glands working overtime.

  Sebastian chuckled as I didn’t wait on ceremony and dug in, attacking the feast with my knife and folk, wielding them like weapons.

  As soon as the fluffy pancakes touched my tongue I moaned and rolled my eyes. It was so good to be home.

  “Whoa there, don’t they feed you in Russia?” Sebastian said, a smile on his lips as he watched me demolish the stack. In comparison, his plate was practically untouched and I mischievously snagged a piece of his bacon.

  “So good,” I said with a mouthful of food, hoping my fake accent was still intact through the mumbling.

  “You’ll have to ease up there if you want to fit into the dress for the wedding,” Sebastian said, an easy smile on his face.

  I suddenly stopped chewing. This was actually happening. He was serious. There was going to be a wedding, a dress, probably a church. And now that I’d kissed him, willingly, he probably thought I was eager as a puppy to head down the aisle. I nodded and washed the sticky remnants down with strong, hot coffee.

  We finished our meal, my eyes starting to droop from all the traveling and the hearty food.

  “I know this isn’t ideal, especially since it’s your first day in a strange country,” Sebastian said as we walked back to the car, “but I need to go into work today. So I’ll show you around the apartment, but then I have to go. Is that all right? Tomorrow I promise I’ll figure out a way to take some time off, to show you around the city. Get you settled in properly.”

  That sounded like heaven to me. All I wanted to do was crash and have some time with my thoughts without the danger of accidentally blurting something out in my regular and very American voice. Acting was hard!

  I wasn’t expecting riches or anything fancy, but his apartment a few blocks down from the diner was the prettiest building I’d ever seen. We rode the elevator up to the thirty-fifth floor and from the well-maintained hallways and public spaces I presumed the same would continue into his apartment. But then he opened the door.

  “Here’s home,” he said having the good grace to wince and look slightly ashamed. “I’m sorry it’s such a mess… I didn’t have the chance to tidy up before you arrived. I’m barely here if I’m honest.”

  Standing stock-still I stared into the apartment. Holy crap, did this man-child not have any pride? And yet considering his appearance and slick, expensive suits, this was the last thing I thought he’d be. He was an utter slob. He gestured for me to enter further. I stepped over discarded tennis shoes, then a trail of running gear that stank of old sweat, as I made my way down the hallway and into an open kitchen and living room. The same kind of mess continued. A few stacks of pizza boxes lay on the kitchen counter, clothes were everywhere, not to mention all the empty glasses on every surface around the place.

  “I know, I know, I’m not giving off the best impression right now am I? Would you believe it if I said the cleaner was on vacation?” he said and smoothed the hair at the back of his head. Then he darted forward, claiming a sliver or red material. He stuffed his catch in his pocket. A ladies’ man, huh? Either that or he had a kinky pastime wearing women’s knickers.

  I smothered a chuckle, but it did nothing to diminish my frustration. Had he ordered a bride or a maid? Maybe he wanted a woman to clean up after him, cheap labor who took care of all his needs—in the bedroom and the kitchen. I bristled at the thought.

  I sucked in a deep breath and let it out knowing there was no way I could live in this kind of place without cleaning up first. It was annoying, but it was a small penance to pay to have a roof over my head for the foreseeable future. Hell, I’d been doing the same thing back in the hostel. This wouldn’t be any different.

  “Shit, I have to go.” He paused looking at me. “Will you be okay?”

  I nodded.

  “Okay, I’ll be back around six. It might be best for you to stay in, don’t go wandering around. Not just yet at least. I’ll figure something out about this mess, I promise. And I’ll get you a key made up.” Sebastian took an uneasy step forward, placing his hands on my upper arms. “Make yourself at home. And Anna, I’m happy that you’re here.”

  A waft of his aftershave fluttered around my head, making me feel woozy, but that was nothing compared to when he leaned down and kissed me again. This time, my hands completely free, I clutched him. Suddenly I didn’t want him to leave. It was insane, and I’d only just met him, barely said two words to him. But the last thing I wanted was for him to be gone, even if that did mean I had to be silent for the rest of the day.

  He gave me a cocky grin and stepped back. “See you soon, Anna.”

  “Holy shit,” I muttered thinking he was gone. But his head popped back around the corner.

  “Did you say something?”

  Vehemently I shook my head and gave him a wave, hoping to god he hadn’t heard me properly. Thankfully he didn’t seem suspicious. He nodded and this time I heard the door shut. That was close.

  Trying to relax, and release the tension I felt like I’d been holding since the moment I’d met him, I paced around the apartment. Looking at the place a little closer, now I could see that it wasn’t so bad. The mess was mostly a top layer of abandoned stuff that hadn’t been tidied away. There wasn’t—thank goodness—a layer of grime hiding beneath the detritus. It could’ve been a hell of a lot worse, I told myself. But still, I had my work cut out for me if I wanted to feel at least partially comfortable here. I rolled up my sleeves and began to gather up the abandoned clothes, shirts, and socks that were strewn over the furniture. Thankfully, there was only the smell of stale sweat that made me wrinkle my nose when I picked up his clothes.

  Heading to what I thought were the bedrooms I looked around for a hamper. Sebastian’s bedroom was as to be expected for a workaholic who seemed to spend little time at home—a large bed, a dresser, and minimal accents. I dumped the dirty clothes and went exploring some more. There was a small office space in an alcove, and when I opened the next door along, expecting another bedroom, I only found a closet. It was jam-packed with sports equipment and random tools. I spun around counting the doors. There were none left to explore.

  “You have got to be kidding me,” I growled as the realization dawned on me.

  There was only one bedroom. And only one bed.

  Well if he thought that I would be sharing one with him straight away—if ever, I corrected myself—then he had another thing coming. I’d sleep on the sofa if I had to.

  You can do this, I told myself. I’d suffered much worse than having to sleep on a sofa in the last few weeks. Partly feeling like I’d been transported into some fairytale, emulating Cinderella, I swirled my hair into a high topknot and headed to the corner of the kitchen to find the cleaning supplies. No time like the present to get this place ship-shape. It was then I saw on the stainless steel fridge a card for Big Jim’s driving service and got a better idea instead.

  Chapter Seven

  Sebastian

  Josephine stared at me as I walked past her desk doing my best to ignore her. She was practically bouncing with anticipation, her mouth firmly closed as if she were trying to stop herself from asking what happened, if I’d gone through with meeting and picking up Anna from the airport. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of knowing and kept my stride until I made it safely in the office. But it wasn’t long before the door swung open and my peace was shattered.

&n
bsp; “Why are you smiling?” she asked from across the room.

  “I’m not.”

  “You so are. You look happier than I’ve ever seen you.” Josephine stepped closer and peered at me, scrutinizing me like I was a lab rat, her little experiment.

  “Josephine, get out of—”

  “Oh my god, you did it. Picked her up and… you two got along, didn’t you? You liked her!” She waggled her finger at me, her eyes lighting up. “What happened, did you pick her up at the airport and it was all love at first sight?”

  “Grow up. Don’t you have some work to do?”

  Jo ignored my question and sank into the chair opposite me. “So what’s she like? Tell me everything.”

  I clenched my jaw and counted to ten, letting out a slow, long breath. She would be like this all day, annoying me, if I didn’t tell her. And she was the only one I could talk to about it. She was the only one who could know the full extent of where Anna had come from.

  “Fine,” I said irritated and tried not to smile. “She’s very nice. Quiet but nice.”

  “Because of the no-talking-English thing?”

  “Yeah, no shit. I’m not sure how this is going to work. Anna’s obviously come here thinking she’s going to be my bride. God, this is all your fault. Meddling when you shouldn’t have.”

  “It wasn’t meddling. It was payback.”

  “Either way this is wrong on so many levels.”

  She shrugged. “You both get what you want, she gets out of the country, sees a new one for a while as well, gets some money, and you get a date like you asked for.”

  I rubbed my face, this was a nightmare, even if I was secretly buzzing from meeting Anna. I looked up. Something about Josephine’s earlier comment snagged on the edge of my mind. “Wait, what money?”

  “Oh yes… shit.”

  “Jo,” I growled.

  “Don’t freak out. I just forgot to tell you.” Josephine jumped from her chair went out to her desk and was back a minute later. “Here, you should give that to your new housemate.”

  I took the envelope she’d slid over to me on the desk. It was thick with hundred-dollar bills. Josephine stepped back a foot or two away from the desk as if it were about to catch fire.

  “What the hell? What is this?” There had to be at least a thousand dollars inside. Crisp bills, all new.

  “Her weekly allowance. What, you don’t think someone’s going to come all this way without some assurances, do you?” Josephine said as she rubbed her thumb and forefinger together.

  “But where did you get this?” I groaned, figuring out the answer almost immediately.

  “I took the liberty to draw it out of your expense account,” she said with a grin. “You can always pay it back from your own pocket when you get a chance.”

  “Jesus, Josephine.” I stood and paced behind the desk. “Sit down. You’re going to tell me everything. No more surprises.”

  “That’s it, I swear. You promised your bride a weekly allowance in exchange for the whole getting married thing.”

  “She’s not my bride, Jo. What else?”

  “Nothing! Oh, but you did have a phone call earlier.”

  “Let me guess immigration want a word with me?”

  Josephine chuckled. “No silly. Much worse. Sarah called.”

  Hell, what did she want? After seeing her at the airport, then the kiss that had driven her away, I never expected to hear from her ever again. But she was a jealous soul. Maybe she’d finally realized what she’d lost after all.

  “Well?”

  “She didn’t say much. Just asked for you to give her a call back when you could.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yeah, she wasn’t exactly chatty. Sounded pissed. Well, except she did mention seeing you at the airport. Hey, she didn’t see you and Anna did she?”

  I began to usher Josephine out of the office. “Go do some work.”

  She was stubborn and dodged my advance. “Wait, she did see her, didn’t she? Did you two talk?”

  I squeezed the bridge of my nose. Since when did I start spilling all my secrets to my secretary? “Yes, if you must know, she did see Anna, and yes, we talked.

  Josephine’s eyes went wide. “Does Sarah know?”

  “All she knows is that Anna is supposedly my fiancée. Which doesn’t exactly help me try to get her back. I could throttle you for messing this up.”

  “Hey, don’t look at me, you’re the one who screwed it up with Sarah in the first place. Thought you moved on anyway, especially after the rumors I heard… about your performance.” Jo waggled her eyebrows. I glared at her until she stopped. “Well, I suppose if you want Sarah back, maybe this is the way you do it? Kill two birds with one stone… and by stone I mean a ring.”

  Rounding my desk, I sank back into my chair. This was getting out of hand. The lies, the confusion… but maybe Josephine had a point. Maybe this all could work out for the best.

  “What exactly do you suggest I do? Buy Anna a ring and let Sarah think I’m officially engaged, make her jealous, then kick Anna to the curb once Sarah comes crawling back?”

  “Yes! Exactly that. If you want Sarah, you do what you have to to get her back. You pretend your ass off, let Sarah see that you’ve moved on. It’ll drive her mad. Trust me. This will totally work.”

  “I have no idea why I listen to you. You hate my guts.”

  “Because you know this could work.”

  I nodded. “Okay. Do you know any good jewelers? I think I’m in the market for an engagement ring.”

  Josephine grinned like a Cheshire cat. “As a matter of fact, I do. I know the perfect place.”

  “Good. Get me the details.”

  I paused, running over everything in my mind, trying to figure out if there were any flaws to my plan. Of course, there was a big one, I knew right away. And she was already in my apartment. All the others involved would get what they wanted. I would maybe get Sarah back. Everything would go back to the way things were. Gerard and his fiancée would get the wedding of their dreams, with the right number of supporting cast members, Josephine would get her bonus…

  But Anna, who albeit was a total stranger and who was completely in the dark, would end up with the short end of the stick with a plane ticket back to Russia. Could I do that to someone else, be so ruthless so I could end up happy for a change?

  There was only one way to find out. I would have to roll the dice and hope to god I didn’t lose everything.

  Chapter Eight

  Anna

  I lifted the handset and cleared my throat, then hesitantly dialed the number from the card in my hand. A male voice answered, “Big Jim’s executive car service, how can I help you?”

  For a second I almost answered in my newly acquired Russian accent. But there was no need to disguise myself, not over the phone. Well, I still had to make sure to cover my tracks, so I pretended to be the concierge I’d passed on the way up to the apartment when Sebastian first led me inside.

  “Hello, I would like to order a car for a resident, please. As soon as possible. It’s quite urgent,” I added, thinking on my feet. The sooner I got to see my gran the sooner I would feel the knot inside my stomach loosen. Or at least I hoped it would. I needed to see her with my own eyes, make sure she was okay, and that they weren’t going to evict her without talking to me first.

  Big Jim asked for the passenger name, and I provided him with Sebastian’s, as well as the address, though he assured me it wasn’t needed. Big Jim obviously drove Sebastian around plenty of times.

  I wondered if I was making a mistake using this particular car service—someone who Sebastian knew—but then again I still didn’t have any money to take a taxi, let alone a bus, up north past Medford to the nursing facility. Sebastian hadn’t exactly been prepared for my arrival, and the promise of the allowance hadn’t been forthcoming. I made a mental note to remind him of that the moment he came home.

  At least this way, using Big Jim, the
charge would be put on Sebastian’s account, and it would be days, maybe weeks before he found out I’d taken a trip without his permission. I certainly didn’t need the extra scrutiny right now. I needed for this to work. I needed the money he’d promised me. And I wasn’t going to get that if Sebastian became suspicious, wondering where I was going when I supposed to be new to the area.

  Big Jim promised that he would be there in an hour. I complained, but he said it was the best he could do with the last-minute notice. I reluctantly agreed and ended the call, my eyes skimming the surface of the messy apartment. Well, I certainly knew what I could do to whittle away the time, I thought.

  By the time the actual concierge called up to the apartment to let me know a car was waiting outside for me, I’d managed some fair progress in the apartment. I’d tidied away and paired up the scattered shoes and sneakers, piled up clothes ready to go to the dry cleaners—or for me to wash in the laundry room I presumed the building had somewhere. I’d also busied myself emptying the fridge of leftovers, as well as finding enough fresh food to start prepping a meal for the evening. I’d cook it all when I got back, but at least the chopping was done and the chicken was marinating. It had been a long while since I’d been able to make a proper meal and I’d found myself humming, happily, as I’d wandered around Sebastian’s kitchen.

  Before I could consider that I needed a key to get back into the apartment I was already in the elevator on my way to the ground floor. I pushed the small problem to the back of my mind for now. There were other much more pressing issues at hand.

  “You’re not Sebastian?” Big Jim said as a thick crease appeared between his thin eyebrows when I stood by the car I’d only earlier gotten out of.

  I nodded and greeted him with a big friendly smile, hoping he wouldn’t ask too many questions. I also sent up a little prayer that he wouldn’t find it necessary to contact Sebastian and let him know.

  “Anna,” I said and pointed to my chest, laying the accent on thick. “Sebastian not here. Said to explore new home.”