Your Eyes Don't Lie

by Branton, Rachel

  Makay decided to say nothing about Harrison’s excellent directions. She just smiled as Harrison made introductions.

  His mother, Sherry Matthews, was a slender, attractive woman with blond hair and a narrow face. She wore a feminine green and white flowered dress that was cut in the latest style. Her jewelry wasn’t ostentatious but reeked of expense. She smiled at Makay graciously as she took her hand. “I’m so glad to meet you.”

  Makay nodded. “Thank you for having me.”

  “Are you kidding?” Tianna put in. “We’re just glad Harrison is finally bringing someone home.”

  “Yeah,” put in her husband, “maybe now we won’t have to endure that monkey routine on the chandelier.”

  “Oh.” Sherry Matthews waved her son-in-law to silence. “Chad’s just teasing.”

  Eli Matthews extended a hand. “Pleased to meet you.” He was a man of average size, with thinning white hair and a slightly ruddy complexion. Unlike his wife, he appeared to be on the verge of losing control over his weight and already flab had begun to show in his face.

  Makay returned his greeting, feeling she was under a microscope and that he hadn’t decided yet whether to throw her out or study her some more.

  “This is Nate,” Harrison said, pulling their attention from her.

  Makay’s heart warmed as Nate dipped his head politely and said, “It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for letting us come. I’m excited to see your pool table.” Even Eli shared Nate’s grin.

  Harrison laughed. “We’ll play a game after we eat.”

  “Shall we go to the dining room?” Sherry asked. “Girls, help me carry in the rest. No, not you, dear,” she added as Makay stepped forward. “You’re our guest.”

  Makay let Harrison lead her through an adjoining room into an elegant dining room with a banquet table. “It’s okay,” he murmured, and she realized she was gripping his hand too tightly. She forced her hand to relax.

  Dinner went surprisingly well, though Makay noticed that whenever Eli announced an opinion on any topic, the conversation ended. He didn’t seem overbearing or hateful, but she could tell his children and even his wife treated him with deference. Makay vaguely remembered the chicken being tasty, but when the meal was over, she couldn’t remember exactly what she’d eaten. Nate was in heaven, however, taking two helpings of pretty much everything. Often, Makay found Sherry Matthews watching him.

  “Teacher?” Nate raised his hand. “I mean Harrison’s mom. Can I have another roll? Please?”

  “Nate,” Makay said, “you already had two.”

  “Okay,” he said in resignation.

  “He can have another one.” Sherry passed him the plate. “If that’s okay with you. As many as he wants. It’s good to see a child with an appetite. Reminds me of when Harrison was small.”

  Nate looked at Makay, waiting for her nod before he dug in.

  “We do have some dessert,” Sherry added as he took a bite. “So save a little room.”

  “Okay.” Nate’s face shone.

  “Aren’t you going to ask what it is?” Harrison said.

  Nate shrugged. “I’m sure it’s good. I like everything.”

  Sherry rose from the table, a bemused smile on her face. “I’ll get the dessert.”

  “I’ll help.” Harrison went with her. When they returned, Sherry’s eyes appeared a bit reddened to Makay, but no one else seemed to notice. In a few minutes, a slice of chocolate cake, dripping with icing and caramel syrup, sat in front of each person. Nate told Sherry it was the best chocolate cake he’d ever eaten, and Makay had to agree.

  “You’ll have to take some home with you,” Sherry said. “Otherwise it will go to waste. Eli and I are watching our weight.”

  “You mean you’re watching our weight,” Eli said. Everyone laughed.

  After dessert they moved to the family room to talk. Rock work and tan colors peered from every surface, and wealth exuded from the lush carpet to the framed pictures of their family on the wall. Now that Makay had relaxed enough to begin enjoying herself, she realized something was different about Harrison. As always, he kept near her, touched her often, and even held her hand, but occasionally when she asked him a question, he seemed to have to drag his mind back from someplace she couldn’t go. Twice, she’d seen him share a look with his mother that made Makay’s heart ache. What was wrong here?

  Rhonda and Tianna also appeared to sense that something was wrong and their increased vivacity made up for any lack on Harrison and Sherry’s parts. Chad’s constant stream of lame jokes filled up the rest. Of the younger people, only Rhonda’s husband, Graham, was quiet, snuggled up in an easy chair with his son asleep on his chest. Every now and then he cast Makay a sympathetic grin, and she found herself appreciating the dark-haired man’s silent support.

  The conversation turned to politics, and Makay let her mind wander for a bit. How interesting to have a family like this. Harrison might not be fond of his stepfather, but Harrison had never come home from seventh grade to find him passed out in a drugged stupor. She bet there had always been something to eat in the refrigerator. Not that she didn’t think his problems weren’t real, but simply that they couldn’t be worse than the reality she’d endured. To have a stable place to sleep and food to eat was a blessing, and adding sisters and a mother who cared about them to the mix made Harrison very fortunate in Makay’s eyes.

  That doesn’t mean I can’t be a part of it. Strange that she found herself wanting the family almost as much as she wanted Harrison. Well, she thought with a smirk, not in exactly the same way.

  “The fact is,” Eli’s stern voice drew her back to the conversation. “The Civil War began because of slavery. And that’s why our men are overseas now, trying to stop similar wrongs.”

  Harrison exchanged a look with Graham, appearing almost regretful. “I think the Civil War began more because the South wanted to cede from the Union, which they had every right to do, I might add. So the civil war wasn’t about slavery but about forcing the South to stay. Slavery was used as an excuse, and the war, like the wars we are waging overseas today, was completely unconstitutional.”

  “You’re wrong,” Eli growled. “We have to fight to protect our country.”

  “The Civil War did end slavery,” Tianna ventured meekly.

  Harrison’s brow furrowed. “It would have ended anyway as it has everywhere else in the world, but because the South wasn’t allowed to do it their way, it ushered in an era of bloodshed and racism and segregation as people looked for someone to blame for all their pain.” He met Eli’s furious stare. “I know we want to help other nations, but the fact is we interfere way too often and we use American funds when we still have so much suffering here.”

  Makay could attest to that, but the anger in Eli’s face made her hesitate to speak up. He looked ready to explode, and she wondered if the only reason he hadn’t yet was because of her presence. The girls were looking anywhere but at their father, and even Graham stared down at his little son, as if willing him to wake or cry or somehow make a distraction.

  “Well, that’s all so interesting,” Sherry said from her seat on the couch by her husband. “But of course we have to help others when we can. Otherwise, what kind of people would we be? What I find really fascinating is how high gold and silver prices have risen through all of this recent turmoil. I’m so glad that Eli made some wise investments back before you girls were born. It certainly has helped us prepare for the future, hasn’t it Eli?”

  Eli nodded tersely, but he still gave Harrison the eye. Why can’t he let everyone have an opinion? Makay wondered. It seemed odd for the man to have so much and be so concerned with stuff that in the end really didn’t matter for survival or happiness.

  The conversation went on, and this time when Eli made any statement, no one refuted him. Harrison seemed even more withdrawn. “Were you going to show Nate the pool table?” she whispered. Sherry had found some books for Nate, and he was entertained for the time being,
but Makay was already anxious to leave, and she didn’t want to disappoint him.

  “Oh, yeah.” Harrison smiled, his melancholy slipping away. “Come on,” he said to Nate. “Let’s go have a game.” Nate jumped up and the two left together before Makay could protest.

  Okay, not exactly what I wanted. Being with his family alone wasn’t her idea of relaxation, though everyone had been nothing but polite and kind to her.

  Eli stood. “I have a few phone calls to make. I’ll be back.” He spoke to no one in particular, but he nodded at Makay as he left, and she returned the gesture. When he was gone, the tension seemed to dissipate, but maybe that was only in Makay’s mind.

  “So,” Sherry said, darting a glance at Eli’s retreating back, “Harrison tells me you’re taking care of your brother. How long has he lived with you?”

  “Since he was two.”

  “When your mother died?”

  “Stepmother.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  Makay shrugged. “We weren’t close. I only went there to take care of Nate. She was . . . not a good mother.”

  “I see.” Sherry looked thoughtful. “It’s nice Nate has you then. Such a sweet child. You’ve done a good job with him. It’s not easy being a single mother.”

  Rhonda and Tianna exchanged a glance, and Rhonda said, “Who’re we kidding? It’s hard to be a mother any time.”

  “Yes, dear,” Sherry said. “But when you do it all alone, there’s never any break.” Shadows seemed to speak from her eyes, but Makay didn’t understand what they meant. Probably connected with the time before Sherry married Eli, when it had been just her and Harrison. Makay had little doubt as to why she’d married the guy in the first place, but obviously there was something good between them if their marriage had lasted so long.

  “Anyway, I’m glad you came today, Makayla. Maybe having met you, Harrison will stick around.”

  Tianna laughed. “That’s right, Mom, butter her up. I definitely want Harrison here when my baby comes. He’s our first choice for babysitting.” Spying the frown on her mother’s face, she added, “After you, of course.”

  Taking advantage of the lull in the conversation, Makay said, “Do you think you can show me where Harrison and Nate are? I promised to beat them both at pool.”

  Tianna jumped to her feet. “I’ll show you. I hope you really do beat Harrison. No one else can.”

  She led Makay down a wide, carpeted hallway and up a flight of stairs to a second family room above what Makay thought must be the garage. Sherry and Rhonda followed, leaving behind Chad, who had dozed off on a couch, and Graham, who’d turned on the television, the baby still on his chest.

  The game room had table tennis, a pool table, and double hoops where they could shoot mini basketballs. A round table with chairs sat near a shelf of games, and a long couch soaked up sun under a large, unshuttered window. It was all so foreign to Makay, seeing something like this inside a house, that for a moment she felt disoriented. Was this the type of house her birth mother lived in now? A hard little knot of anger formed in her chest.

  “Makay!” Nate ran over to her. “I almost beat him! It’s fun. But I want to play ping pong now. Can I? Can I?”

  Makay laughed. “Sure.”

  “I’ll play with you, Tianna said. “You and me against my mom.”

  “No fair,” Sherry said. “How about Nate and me against you?”

  Nate giggled. “We can take turns.” Makay’s heart twisted at how much he seemed to be enjoying himself. It made her wonder what might have happened if her mother hadn’t died or if her father had held it together long enough to create a real family. What if she had a sister or brother who could help her make decisions for Nate, someone who loved him as much as she did?

  Harrison came up behind Makay, his arms going around her. “He’s not half bad for a six-year-old. Whoever taught him did a good job. You ready for your lesson?” His breath was hot on her neck.

  “That depends. Are you ready to get beaten?” There was a little more hardness in her voice than she intended, and he slid around her to look into her eyes.

  “Is something—oh, was it because I left you?” He glanced behind him at his mother and sister. “Was it awkward? I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “That’s okay. You’ll pay soon enough.” She tried to make her voice light.

  He laughed and the sound filled her with warmth. “Come on, then. You want to break?”

  “Nope.” She shook her head. “Unless you want to sit this one out.”

  “Really? That sure of yourself, huh? I want to see this. Go ahead and break.” He stepped to the rack on the wall and took out a cue, handing it to her.

  Makay took it. “Piece of cake.” Her first breaking shot sent two solids and a stripe crashing into the pockets. “Just to make it fair,” she said, “I call stripes.”

  “Hey, don’t do me any favors. I won’t go easy on you.”

  She laughed. “You’re assuming you’ll get a chance to play.”

  “Well, that was a pretty lucky break. If you’re that sure of yourself, why don’t we make a wager?”

  “Oh?” She arched a brow.

  “Loser makes the other one a nice dinner.”

  “Okay. But two out of three.”

  He laughed. “Ah, changing your tune already.”

  “Just trying to make it more fair.” Makay loved it when people were so sure of their ability. It made the victory even sweeter. Of course maybe Harrison was that good, but somehow she didn’t think he’d ever played for food before, and she had more times than she could count.

  She proceeded to beat him in only a few more shots, sometimes making exaggerated moves with her hips, just for fun. He watched her as much as her shots, and his gaze seared her. When she was finished, she handed him the cue and said sweetly. “I win.”

  “Nice. I take it you’re the one who taught Nate?”

  “Of course. We play every week.”

  “I see.” Harrison broke and sank two balls, but he missed on his fourth shot, and she cleaned up the table.

  “Three out of five?” he asked a little sheepishly.

  “Sure.”

  “Where’d you learn to play?”

  “I hung out at the local bowling alley after my dad remarried. The place had a pool table.” She’d actually slept under one of them for weeks until she was discovered. “And one year I worked at a bar with a pool table. I used to beat all the patrons until my boss caught on and made me quit taking their money.” She’d been sixteen and working with a fake ID Lenny had given her for one of his blackmailing jobs. But the gig had ended when she’d been robbed at the cash register one night by a former employee she’d never met. With a split lip and choke marks on her neck, she’d barely eluded police and their nosy questions and had never returned to the bar, not even to say goodbye. Despite the traumatic ending, the place held some of her fondest childhood memories.

  Harrison touched her left wrist. “What happened?”

  “At the bar?”

  “No. Your wrist. What happened? I noticed when your sleeve slipped up at dinner.”

  She looked down at the mottled green and black marks that were mostly hidden by her blouse. It took her a moment to remember how Lenny had grabbed her in the hallway of her apartment building. She hadn’t realized the bruises were still so noticeable, though they explained the tenderness she felt in her wrist. Rubbing at the dark spots, she shrugged with practiced nonchalance. “Maybe it was those cans at Albertsons. I’ve had them since before Q Lounge. Guess you didn’t notice.” The nightclub had been dark, and she’d been wearing sweatshirts since then, so that wasn’t a big surprise.

  “Cans.” He sounded doubtful and that meant it was time to change the subject.

  “Another game?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “Naw, let’s get out of here.”

  “Good idea.”

  It took them a while to get Nate out of the game room, but they were so
on making their excuses.

  Even Eli appeared to say goodbye, and to Makay’s surprise, he was holding his sleeping grandson, though why that should surprise her, she wasn’t sure. Maybe it was the way Harrison blinked when he saw him. Was he remembering when he was young and wanted to be held by his father? Memories of cuddling with her own dad when her mother was alive, even if they weren’t real, made her forgive him for what came after.

  Sherry was the last to say goodbye, walking with them to the front door. She took Makay’s hand and said, “It was nice to meet you. You’re welcome here any time.” An understanding passed between them at that moment, something on a level Makay couldn’t explain but understood. One day Nate would grow up and bring someone home he was falling for, and she would share the same feelings Sherry was experiencing now—happiness and hope and also a bit of worry and longing for his childhood when she had been first in his life.

  “Thank you,” Makay said.

  “And you, too,” Sherry told Nate. “You can come to play any time.” She shook hands with Nate, which made him giggle.

  As Harrison started down the walk, Sherry stepped outside the door and said, “You’ll take care of that business tonight, right?” She seemed small and fragile standing there, though her vantage point on the porch made her appear taller.

  Harrison’s step faltered. “I’ll get it started. Don’t worry.”

  “Thanks, son.” Her mien clearly said that she would worry regardless of the reassurance.

  Makay felt Sherry’s eyes following them, but when she reached the car and turned around, Sherry had already gone back inside. What is that about?

  “Your mother’s nice,” she said to Harrison as Nate scrambled into the backseat with a picture book Sherry had given him to take home. “And the rest of your family. I like them.”

  “Even Eli?”

  She glanced at the house before saying, “I see what you mean about him, but given a choice between him and my father, I’d choose Eli.”

  “He’s always right,” Harrison said. “Even when he’s not, and if you don’t agree, it’s like you’re against him personally.” He sighed. “For the most part, we let it slide. It’s easier. But sometimes I wish he . . . well, accepted us as adults with valid opinions and wouldn’t see each of our opposing views as a personal affront. Or any mistake we make, for that matter. Everything reflects on him.”