“And spending a couple of months with a woman, any woman, Pierce, would be just like having a girlfriend, or a wife, for that matter. And now my wheels are spinning because I’ve found something I can do for you. I can test your limits, Pierce. I can push your commitment boundaries while you push my sexual ones.”
I’m not sure if I want that. But then a bright idea pops into my head to make sure Jade decides being my girlfriend, or worse, my wife isn’t a thing she’d want to be.
“Okay, let’s do that, then. We’ll have a 24/7 exchange of power for the matter of two months. I’ll have a contract drawn up, and you can sign it online before I send the private jet for you. You’ll bring nothing with you. As my woman, I’ll take complete care of you. And you’ll dress the way I want you to. I’ll purchase everything you’ll need.”
“So you and I will play house for the summer?” she asks.
“You and I will definitely play house, and I’ll introduce you to life with me as your husband. A list of rules will be sent to you so you can read over them and understand what I demand in a wife. Is that what you want, Jade?”
“Yes, it is. Now I feel as if I can be as useful to you as you’ll be to me.”
“Great,” I mumble as my mind whizzes with what all I’ll have her do as my ‘wife,’ and we’ll see if she falls in love or runs away once our two months is up. I’d bet on the latter!
* * *
To be continued…
* * *
This story will be published in May
Bonus - Exile
When single father Avery McKenna moves with his seven-year-old daughter, Hattie, to a secluded lighthouse one hundred miles from Seattle, he realizes he is ill-prepared to raise a child on his own. Hiring teacher Miro to both home-school and care for Hattie, he is drawn to the young and beautiful woman, who soon becomes a best friend to his daughter. Can he risk beginning a relationship so soon after his movie star wife leaves him, or will he ruin Hattie’s chances of happiness if the relationship goes wrong?
* * *
Miro Harper finds herself drawn to this little family, and to Avery, but will her past come back to haunt her?
When Hattie falls seriously ill, all thoughts of romance are put aside, and when Hattie’s mother comes back to claim her child, will it leave their fragile little family fractured forever?
It was one hundred and eight miles from Seattle to their new home – a converted lighthouse in a remote part of Washington State. Avery tucked Hattie into the back seat of the car. Fresh snow had begun to fall as he steered the car onto the interstate.
Avery let her ride shotgun and tried to persuade her to sleep. When that didn’t work, he switched on the radio and let Hattie choose the station.
She found a station playing Christmas carols - -Christmas had fallen three days ago - and left it on that. Then she and her father sang along quietly.
An hour later, they had fallen silent and Avery looked over at his daughter. Hattie was still awake her bright eyes watching the lights of the other cars on the Interstate. Since Lydia had left him – left them – Hattie had been more reserved than her usual exuberant self. The divorce, so sudden, so cruel, had been a shock, and when her mother had bid them both farewell, something in Hattie had been broken. A trust. He loved his daughter very much but, for now, he didn’t know how to reach her, to comfort her.
Avery sighed. At thirty-nine, a writer for a comic book series, he’d been blindsided by Lydia’s affair with one of her co-stars – then devastated by the revelation that it hadn’t been the first time she had been unfaithful. Lydia McKenna’s star shone bright in Hollywood and Avery had been happy to play the faithful husband, the low-key one of the two of them. He didn’t want the limelight or the fame.
Now he wondered if he could ever have been so naïve. Damn it, Lydia, how could you do it to Hattie? That had been his over-riding thought, and when Lydia had left, she hadn’t left quietly. They had been hounded out of the Seattle home they had loved by the press; even after Lydia had moved out, they never left Avery and Hattie alone, watching them like hawks, commenting on every decision Avery made – people on message boards in China, for god’s sake, telling him how to bring up his daughter.
The worst thing was that Hattie began to be bullied at school. Jealous of the attention heaped on her by the press and the teachers who tried to protect her from it during school hours, the other kids got nasty. Even some of her close friends turned on the confused girl.
‘What did I do?’ She asked Avery one day after a particularly nasty incident, the look of fear and confusion in her eyes broke his heart.
So, when the opportunity to exile themselves away for a few months presented itself – a friend who lived in the converted lighthouse on the Oregon coast was travelling around Asia and needed a house-sitter – Avery asked Hattie if she would like a change. They both agreed they would.
Avery felt both relief and nervousness now as he drove along the snowy road; he still wasn’t sure he was doing the right thing but it was done now and they had to make the best of it.
‘Pa?’
He looked over at Hattie and smiled. ‘Yes, Bub?’
‘Do you think there’s a heaven?’
Avery was surprised. ‘Where did that come from?’
Hattie shrugged. Avery was quiet for a moment before he spoke. ‘Well…hmm. Depends on what you mean. Where you go when you die?’
‘Maybe.’
‘Well, I guess we’ll find out one day.’
Hattie wasn’t happy with that answer. ‘But do you think there is one? An actual place?’
‘I’d like to think so; it’s a nice idea, isn’t it? But big pearly gates and angels? I’m not sure.’
Hattie wriggled in irritation and Avery knew he wasn’t answering the question the way she wanted him to. Hattie was never a child to be fobbed off with vague answers; incredibly bright from a young age, Avery had been glad to see his daughter grow to be uninterested in Lydia’s celebrity world. Instead she buried herself in books and writing, like he had done when he was a kid. Avery looked at her now.
‘Look Bub, the way I see it is this - either there is life after death or there isn’t. If there is, great, we get another chance. If not, I guess, it’ll just be like being asleep but forever and that’s gotta be relaxing, huh?’ He grinned sideways at her. ‘Anyhoo, it’s not something you’ll have to worry about for a very long time.’
Their song came on the radio - ‘I’m a Believer’ by the Monkees. Avery started to sing softly. That did it. He saw Hattie’s eyes start to close. He had sung this song to her ever since she was a baby – he said it reminded him of the day she was born.
‘Never knew I wanted kids until I saw your face,’ he would say, ‘My whole life changed in that minute.’
With Avery singing and the warmth of the car heater in their faces, Hattie finally fell asleep.
* * *
She woke as the car pulled up to the door of the lighthouse. Perched on the cliff, they could hear the roar and roil of the sea, churning far below them. It was late. The temperature had dropped below freezing and the driveway was slick.
They dumped their bags and Avery brought the little hold-all in with their night-things and wash bags. In the kitchen, which was surprisingly large, Avery heated up tomato soup and made grilled cheese sandwiches, while Hattie changed into her pajamas and yawned as she sat up at the table. They ate in silence, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings. The lighthouse had an annex with a kitchen, the living room and utility room. After eating, they explored a little, despite the lateness of the hour. They climbed the stairs, past the little bedrooms built into the structure, to the lantern room at the top. Avery hugged his daughter to him in the freezing cold room. Hattie leaned back towards him.
‘I’m glad we’re here, Dad. Now we can start to get back to normal.’
Avery’s heart ached with sadness. ‘I’m sorry for everything, sweetheart. You didn’t ask for any of this.’
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Hattie said nothing.
‘How’d you feel about living here?’
‘I don’t mind, Pa. I like it.’
‘What about moving away from your friends at school?’
She shrugged, not meeting his eyes. ‘I don’t mind.’
Avery was silent for a time. ‘When we get settled, we’ll start looking for someone to come in and school you. I know you can do the math and science by remote learning but I think I’d like an English tutor for you here. Would that be cool?’
‘Cool,’ she agreed and he grinned.
After a little while, she looked at him. ‘Pa? What about Mom? Will she come visit us here?’
Avery sighed.
‘Bub…your mother…well look. I’ve got to make sure we make the most of the opportunities that come along, things that would be good for us as a family. Your mother knows that. Whether she agrees or not.’ This last he muttered under his breath but Hattie heard and nodded, understanding.
Avery kissed her forehead. ‘We’ll talk some more about it soon kiddo. Time for bed now, I’ll be in to see you in a while.’
* * *
Miro Harper knew the second she turned into the dark street, she had made a mistake. Take back the night, she had told herself when she decided to walk home from the bar, but things didn’t always work out like that.
She had shoved her long dark hair into the hood of her sweatshirt and walked assertively through the damp Seattle night, but now, downtown, walking down Sixth, she wished she had taken a cab.
There were two of them, and the fact they were obviously working together made her heart thump, her skin burn with fearful anticipation.
Fight or flight?
She didn’t get a chance to do either.
* * *
When her roommate and best friend, Anna, came to visit her in the hospital, she had taken one look at Miro’s bruised face and burst into tears. Miro just felt numb inside. The two men had beaten her, robbed her, assaulted her – but, thankfully, not raped her.
Thankfully. Miro shook her head at that. Like being robbed and sexually assaulted wasn’t equally as devastating. Like being told ‘Tell anyone and we’ll kill you…we know where you live’ wasn’t terrifying enough, knowing she’d been targeted. Like them debating whether to just kill her anyway, as she lay there bleeding and bruised.
Like having a knife pressed against her skin wasn’t bad.
Miro had been released from the hospital, and then the police had advised her and Anna to change apartments; the men who attacked Miro were known to them, were known to be vengeful. Four murders had already been linked to attacks like Miro.
Anna, terrified, had quit her job and gone home to Connecticut. Miro had moved into a cheap motel while she looked for a new place.
* * *
When she saw the ad in the Times, she knew she had to apply.
Wanted: Professional English tutor to live in with single father and seven-year-old daughter. Must be willing to take on some caretaking duties for child, and become part of the household. Appropriate salary based on experience, and free board and lodging. Please note: property is in remote location. Must be able to drive.
* * *
Miro Harper had been at the top of her college classes and was about to graduate when the terrible news had come. Her parents, her younger sister, killed in a traffic accident. Miro, the daughter of two renowned doctors, George Harper and Deanna Chu, had simply shut down. She sleepwalked through her graduation, watched as someone else gave the valedictorian speech she was meant to give, then moved across the country from her Harvard home, to escape everything that reminded her of her family.
Anna was the only friend she had let get close to her. Anna was soft and warm and had met Miro on her first day of teacher training. They both taught at a prestigious private school in Seattle at first but then Miro had moved to another school, in the city, in a more deprived area, wanting to make a difference.
As she sat on the interstate now, driving down to Oregon for her interview with Avery McKenna, she felt a spark of hope for once. Maybe this would be the new life she had been looking for, for so long. She had felt rootless, lost for so long now, that she was beginning to feel she would never belong.
A quiet woman, Miro had reached twenty-four without forming any long-term romantic attachments. Maybe because she was terrified if loving someone only to lose them again...
From the outside, no-one would ever guess that the beautiful young woman, with long dark hair, large chocolate-brown eyes and a sweet smile, would still be a virgin. Miro had guarded the one thing she had control over in her life and on the rare occasions she had dated, once the guys had realized they weren’t going to get her into bed, they lost interest, despite her good looks, intelligence, and warm personality.
Miro didn’t care and the longer she waited, the less important it seemed to be rid of it. She focused on her career, had enjoyed working with the less-well-off kids, until the attack. But she wanted out of the city now and this job – god, please let me get it – would be perfect.
She had covered up the yellowing bruises on her face with make-up, and now, as she pulled the car up to the lighthouse, she glanced in the rearview mirror to check they were still hidden. Getting out of the car, she looked up at the building. It was austere and forbidding to be sure, but there was something so inviting about it; the solitude, the strength.
The door opened and a small girl out came and smiled at her. Her dark curls stuck up in all directions; her smooth café-au-lait skin brought out the striking bright green of her eyes.
‘Hello, you must be Miro…I like your shirt. Pa said that if I came out to meet you first, then it might make you feel safer. Come in, please.’
Miro felt a warm feeling creep into her bones; the girl was adorable and Miro felt gratitude towards her father for his consideration. She shook the little girl’s hand, and she introduced herself as Hattie.
‘Not Harriet, because I hate that, just Hattie. I like your name.’
‘It’s Chinese, well, that’s what my mom used to tell me,’ Miro told her. Hattie had hold of her hand and was leading her through the ground floor of the lighthouse. Miro saw the warm glow coming from a door at the end.
‘We have a log fire,’ Hattie informed her, ‘because it’s so cold, and we do everything in the living room at the moment. Pa usually has his own room to write in, but it’s too cold right now.’
Avery McKenna was sitting at a desk at the far end of the warm room; he stood when he saw them come in, and Miro’s heart nearly failed. Tall, with dark, messy curls and the same green eyes as his daughter. Avery Harper was one of the handsomest men she’d ever seen. His crooked smile, half-shy, half-wary, made her stomach flip. He shook her hand, his warm fingers dwarfing hers.
‘Hi there, please come sit. It’s good of you to drive all this way out.’ His voice was deep, resonant, with a slight break Miro found endearing. Stop gaping at him like a lunatic, she told herself, realizing her mouth was hanging open slightly.
Hattie made them both coffee as they chatted; Avery asked Miro about her teaching experience, seemed impressed when she told him she had worked with underprivileged kids. Hattie sat next to her father, and Miro could see the child scrutinizing her. Hattie was wise beyond her years, she decided, and she smiled at the girl.
‘You look like the kind of girl who likes books, blanket forts, and reading past lights out. I was like that.’
Hattie looked delighted and Avery chuckled. ‘I think you just hit the nail on the head – although now I’m worried about the kind of influence you’d be.’
Miro laughed, not taking offense. ‘I will admit, full disclosure, that when it comes to reading, I would totally be a bad influence.’
Avery laughed and Hattie tugged on her father’s shirt. He looked at her, and a moment of unspoken communication passed between them. Avery put his hand on his daughter’s head, then turned to Miro, hesitating for a just a second.
‘Miro…I, sorry, we, we would like to offer you the position.’
Miro was surprised – she had figured she’d go back to Seattle and wait for his call – if he ever called. ‘Really?’
‘Really.’
Hattie laughed, and to everyone’s surprise, launched herself onto Miro and hugged her. ‘I know we’re going to be best friends.’
Miro grinned and hugged the little girl, smiling gratefully at her father. ‘I know it too. Thank you so much.’
* * *
Miro moved in two days later, and, from the start, Avery knew he had made the right decision. Even though Miro was an English teacher, she helped Hattie out with all her lessons, handling the correspondence with the online schools and raising complaints if needed. She reported Hattie’s progress back to Avery as they shared a bottle of wine after Hattie was asleep; it became a ritual before long.
Avery would be able to work nearly all day, undisturbed as Miro took care of Hattie. Once lessons were done for the day, they would hike along the cliffs or climb down the precarious stone steps to the beaches below and look for tide pools along the coast. Or, Miro would drive them into the nearest small town for hot chocolate, after which they’d go haunt the local bookstore. Avery often commented that Miro must spend all of her own money on Hattie and offer to repay her, but Miro wouldn’t hear of it.
‘We have a great time,’ she told him now, as they sat in front of the fire, a storm roiling around outside the lighthouse. ‘Hattie reminds me of why I wanted to be a teacher in the first place.
They talked about each other’s lives, slowly confiding their pasts. Miro couldn’t believe Lydia would just abandon her own child but Avery tried to excuse his wife’s behavior.
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