Hard Cover

by Jamie K. Schmidt

  "Have you any property you need me to remodel? No? Are all the tenants in legal binding contracts? Yes? Are any stores empty? No? Did I do it all before the Fourth of July? Yes, as promised. Have a nice day."

  I left them sputtering, but I got a thumbs-up from Jeannine as I walked by.

  I deliberately left out the fact that I went toe-to-toe with her father this morning when I told Dawn about my day. I figured Jeannine would fill her in later. I was also going to be a prick and not tell her I invited her parents to dinner on my yacht on Friday. Hopefully, Jeannine didn't hear that part, or if she did, would decide to keep it a secret. The only thing I would have to worry about is to make sure Dawn wouldn't be naked when her parents got there.

  "I want to thank you for coming with me," I said, reaching over to grab her hand.

  "I'm looking forward to seeing Cammy again. But I thought her visitor list was limited."

  "We won't spend too long there. I figured it would be a treat to see her. I can't guarantee, though, how she will be. Some days are better than others, and since we're coming after dinner, she might not recognize us, or she might even be asleep."

  "I don't mind taking a ride with you." She leaned back in her seat and trailed her fingers over my arm. As always, her touch made me hard.

  "You look happy."

  "You make me happy," she said.

  She made my heart flip when she smiled like that. I was so stupid in love with her. I just had to convince her to stick with me after the summer.

  "I like that having Millie working nights frees you up some."

  "You and me both."

  We got lucky. Cammy was awake and watching TV. She even seemed to recognize us. She smiled, but didn't say anything. We watched Jeopardy for a bit. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dawn flipping through the scrapbook my mom had made. She had a slight frown on her face. I wish I could ask her what was wrong, but we couldn't really talk freely in front of Cammy.

  "Hey, Cammy," I said during a commercial break. "I wanted to tell you something. Austin Robinson is going to jail."

  She started to shake her head, and there was a frightened look in her eyes.

  "He was picked up tonight for selling drugs. They searched his house and found enough to convict him on distributing."

  "Are you shitting me?" Dawn said.

  "No, the son of a bitch is looking at ten to twenty-five years."

  Dawn's jaw dropped.

  "Good," Cammy said. It was the first word I heard that wasn't someone's name or a yes or a no.

  "You can understand me."

  She went back to Alex Trebek. Dawn sat down next to me and put her arm around me. It was all I could do not to cry like a baby. Cammy was tired, so we left when the game show was over. But for the first time, I felt hope that everything was going to be all right.

  Chapter 22

  Dawn

  Rory dropped me off at Tantric—no, Hard Cover—on his way to New York City. He had to go back and take care of a few things. He was only going to be gone overnight, but it would be the first time in three weeks we hadn't slept together. I was going to miss him. I made sure he took our video with him and I promised when he got back we'd make another one on his yacht.

  Before he left, I unbuttoned my shirt to show him I was wearing the nipple clamps to give him something to think about. I needed the distraction too. I had just bought two more of Destiny's oil paintings, and if they sold, I was going to use the money to get an apartment. Millie had the day off, so I was the only one in the store today. I had almost forgotten what that was like. In between checking that I would have another shipment of cosmetics before the Fourth gala, I clicked through the available apartments online. I was looking for furnished and in nice condition, local but far enough away I wasn't going to be paying waterfront rates. It was nice to be able to get back to normal. I couldn’t wait to christen my new apartment with Rory.

  There was one thing that was bothering me, and while it was none of my damned business, I picked up the phone and called anyway.

  "Hello, I'd like to speak with Attorney Simmonds please."

  "Who may I say is calling?" the secretary asked.

  "Dawn Nolan."

  "One moment."

  After a few moments of listening to some oldies station while I was on hold, the phone clicked through. "This is Attorney Simmonds."

  "Hi, I'm not sure if you remember me, but we met at Senator Crenshaw's dinner at The Ritz-Carlton last month. I was with Rory Parker."

  "Of course I remember you. What can I do for you Dawn?"

  "You need to go see Cammy," I blurted out.

  There was a long pause. "Did you mean to call Kendrick?"

  "This isn't Kendrick?"

  He barked out a laugh. "No, it's Dom."

  Mortification flooded me again. "I'm so sorry."

  "Don't be. I get his calls all the time. He doesn't do private practice. He's with Weismann and Rivers. I can give you his number, but he never answers his phone."

  "That's probably better. I'll practice what I'm going to say and leave him a voicemail."

  "Why don't you practice with me?"

  I coughed self-consciously. "Well, it's personal."

  "I assure you, my brother has told me everything about his marriage."

  "All right, here goes." I took a deep breath. "You're her husband. She needs to see you. She's getting more aware every day. She's speaking more. But she doesn't get a lot of visitors. I think you should go, and bring Spence. Don't expect miracles, but maybe she'll play a game of cards with you or color with her son."

  "The Parkers don't want Kendrick there."

  "Aside from Rory, the Parkers don't visit that often. Please, even if he leaves Spence with a sitter, I think it would do her a world of good to see Kendrick."

  "They weren't in love."

  My heart sank. "Did they at least like each other?"

  "Yeah, they were best friends. But they were only married a year before the tragedy struck, and it's been five years now. Things change."

  "It doesn't seem fair," I whispered.

  "It was her idea to take that shit."

  "Was it?" I challenged. "She was in pain and she self-medicated. If she had been under a doctor's care, perhaps it could have been avoided. In any event, I think everyone involved has suffered enough. Stop blaming her."

  Dom sighed. "My nephew is growing up without his mother. I have a hard time forgiving her that."

  "You know what, Dom? Bugger off." And I hung up on him.

  I called the number he gave me for Kendrick, and basically told his answering machine the same thing I told Dom. It was out of my hands now.

  Later that night, I was lying on my futon missing Rory and his fifteen-hundred-thread count sheets. The cat was curled up on my chest and I pet her because I liked hearing her purr. I hoped Rory wouldn't be mad at me for butting in with Kendrick. It just didn’t seem fair to keep any of her friends and family away. I stroked the diamond necklace Rory had given me. I hadn't taken it off since he put in on my neck in New York. I was terrified of losing it. The nipple clamps, however, I took out after the first hour. It just wasn't any fun without Rory. I called him, but there was no answer. He hadn't called me back, so I sent him a picture of me masturbating with a studded dildo.

  Even that didn't get a reaction.

  I fell asleep and dreamed that Rory took me to London, but the streets were too foggy and we got lost. It was hot and getting hard to breathe, and there were sirens going up and down the street. I started coughing and realized that I wasn't dreaming. I rolled off the futon and the door to the back room was hot to the touch. I cracked it open and cried out in shock. The store was on fire.

  "Help!" I yelled. Then slammed the door. I was trapped. There was no way I was getting out through the flames. Fumbling for my phone, I called 911.

  I told the dispatcher my name, address, and that I was trapped in the back room. The smoke was coming in under the door now and I started to panic. T
aking in deep gulps of air, I grabbed a duffel bag, and after much protest, got the cat inside. I zipped it up. She was getting out of here with me. Except it was getting harder to breathe. I remembered to stay low, but the heat from the door was unbearable. I cowered back in the bathroom, wishing there was a window to crawl out of. I filled a bucket with water and splashed it on the door.

  There was a great roar and sounds of shouting voices. "I'm here!" I shouted, but my voice cracked. Coughs racked my body. "Help!"

  I heard sounds of the hose and firemen. The door splintered open and I bent over and dry heaved in relief. One of the fireman yelled, "I got her." He had to help me walk, because I was frozen in fear. I saw flames in my store as we sloshed out the back.

  "No," I said, twisting. The paintings! Then my knees buckled and he half carried me out the door. I didn’t even care that I was in my nightgown and flashing my fancy panties to all the bystanders watching the fire. It looked like the whole world was covered in soot and orange flames. I coughed again uncontrollably.

  Rory was in the crowd. How? He was supposed to be in New York City. He was being held back by a cop. Two paramedics rushed out to get me from the firefighter who went back inside.

  "Cat," I said, hacking out the word. I handed the bag to the paramedic. They laid me down on a gurney and lifted me into the ambulance. I saw him open the bag and the cat's head popped out. She was all right. Then they put an oxygen mask on my face and the world went black.

  Chapter 23

  Dawn

  When I woke up in the hospital, my father was sitting by my bedside. Oh hell no. I closed my eyes and faked being asleep. But I was thirsty. In the end, I needed a cool glass of water more than I needed to avoid him. As I reached for it, he handed me a cup.

  "Go easy," he said. "You're lucky to be alive. You could have burned to death."

  "I think the smoke would have gotten me first," I croaked, and lay back in bed.

  "What were you thinking?" he asked furiously.

  "Can you be more specific?" I had a headache and I was groggy. I looked down at the IV in my arm.

  "Why were you sleeping in your store?"

  I couldn't do this now. "What happened?"

  "There was a fire."

  I resisted the urge to say no shit. "I'm so tired. Is the cat all right?"

  "Cat? What cat?"

  "The cat's fine. Jeannine has her," Rory said from the doorway. "Paul, can I have a moment?"

  Paul? He was calling my dad Paul? I swiveled my head to my father to see if he would correct Rory and tell him to call him Judge Nolan. But he merely sighed and stood up. My father looked old. Like a good ten years older than the last time I saw him. He patted my hand and shambled out of the room.

  "How long have I been out?" Had I hit my head? Had I been in a coma like Cammy? "What year is this?"

  "You've been here for three days," Rory said, sitting in the chair my father vacated. "In and out of consciousness. Your family and I have been taking turns sitting with you. You inhaled a lot of soot. They had to suction it out of your lungs."

  "I'm glad I wasn't awake for that." I leaned up to sip some more water. It eased the scratchy dryness of my throat. "How bad is the store?"

  "You should concentrate on getting better. You were lucky to have only minor injuries."

  "Rory," I croaked.

  Our eyes met and his slid away. "It's gone. So are four others."

  My eyes filled up with tears. "Was anyone hurt?"

  "Just you. Why were you sleeping there? You could have stayed on the yacht."

  I lay back down. "I don't have an apartment."

  "I know. It was obvious you had been living there once we clambered through the wreckage."

  "Does Larry know?" I clutched at the bedsheets.

  "We don't have to do this now."

  "Oh God, he does," I wailed.

  The nurse came in. "You can't upset her like this. You're going to have to leave."

  "He—he—he's not," I sobbed.

  But they already hustled him out and the sedative she put in my IV knocked me out again.

  My mother was sitting next to me when I opened my eyes again. She looked exhausted as well.

  “You should go home,” I said, trying to elbow up into a sitting position.

  Helping me adjust the bed, she tucked in the sheet around me. “Mr. Monkey Sex hasn’t left the hospital in three days. If he’s staying, I’m staying.”

  “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

  “You’re alive, that’s all that matters.”

  “I don’t have any health insurance. My store has burned down, along with everything I own. I broke my lease because I lived there, so I am jobless as well as homeless. That’s a lot of those things that matter.”

  “We’ll find a way to pay the medial bills. You can live with us while you look for another job. You should have come to us immediately.”

  “I can’t do that. I couldn’t live under dad’s roof after college, I’m not going to start now.”

  “Are you going to move in with Rory?”

  “No,” Rory said, again from the doorway.

  I closed my eyes so he didn’t see the pain in them.

  “I’ll leave you two alone.” My mother got up from her chair, brushed the hair off my forehead, and kissed it. “This was too close. Too close. No more risks.”

  Rory sat down in the chair. I was hoping he would hold my hand, but I guess that part was over once he realized I was lying to him.

  “How did the fire start?” I asked.

  “Arson. Hans decided if he couldn’t have his studio, no one would. But he forgot that there was paint remover in the storage room, and that’s highly flammable. It didn’t stop at one store.”

  “Guess you’re really shit out of luck on that crab puff recipe.” I tried for a joke, but it fell flat. “Look.” I sighed. “I know you must be angry with me.”

  “Angry doesn’t cover it.” A muscle in his jaw twitched and he looked away.

  “I never meant for this to happen. I was looking for a new apartment and everything.” Oh no, what was I going to do?

  “Concentrate on getting out of here,” Rory said in a calm but detached voice.

  Where would I go?

  “The stores won’t be ready for the Fourth of July will they?”

  He shook his head no.

  “Larry kicked me out on my ass, didn’t he?”

  Rory nodded. “I think you should take your parents up on their offer. At least, until you’re back on your feet.”

  “I lost everything,” I whispered.

  “You can file a claim for your merchandise.”

  “With what insurance?” I said bitterly.

  “Larry had a policy on the place. Granted, it’s bare minimum, but it might be somewhere to start once you get out of here.”

  “Thanks.” I reached out and grabbed his hand. “For everything. I’m sorry that I lied to you.”

  “I’m sorry too.” He kissed my forehead and left.

  I cried until the nurse upped my dosage and I drifted off to sleep again.

  Chapter 24

  Dawn

  I left the hospital in one of Jeannine’s maxi dresses and borrowed sandals. I snuck out before visiting hours because I didn’t want to face anyone. It still hurt to breathe when I overexerted myself, so I called an Uber from my hospital room to take me to my bank. I had five thousand dollars thanks to the last few weeks of sales. I was glad I made a deposit the night of the fire. It saved me from having that go up in smoke along with the rest of my things. I couldn’t bring myself to go down to the store and see the damages. The insurance check would come in handy, but I knew it could be months before it got to me.

  So instead of a quarter of a million dollars, I had five thousand. I asked the driver to take me to the library next to use their computers to see what that could buy me. I should buy a car. I could sleep in it and I could drive it far, far away from Haven. I could get a cheap apartment and hope
that I could find a job to make rent. My phone was lost in the fire too, which was probably a good thing. I didn’t want to talk to anyone anyway.

  I couldn’t take my father’s overbearing nature and his smug “I told you so” attitude.

  I couldn’t deal with Jeannine’s chirpy, syrupy roommates.

  I couldn’t bear Rory’s rejection.

  I decided to go to Job Lot, my favorite discount store. For two hundred dollars, I got a suitcase and a week’s worth of really cheap clothes. Finally, I asked the beleaguered Uber driver to take me to the train station. For three hundred dollars, I bought a ticket to California. Why? Because it was the farthest place by the water I could go and still get there by train.

  Worried about someone stealing from me while I slept, I carried my money in the front of my panties. I missed the diamond necklace around my neck. I had been wearing it when they took me out of the burning building. It was either stolen in the hospital, or Rory took it back, but it wasn’t with my things when I left. It was probably just as well; I wouldn’t have been able to bear hocking it for cash, and if I wore it, I’d probably get mugged.

  I spent the three days on the train, eating, wandering, and looking at the scenery. It was pretty, and the closer I got to California, my melancholy turned into excitement. I was on an adventure. I didn’t have to open up my shop at 10 a.m. sharp. I didn’t have to deal with irate customers. And I didn’t have to sleep on a lumpy futon and hide. Of course, the reclining seat on the train wasn’t much better, but best of all? No one was here to judge me.

  When I got off the train in Los Angeles, it was damned hot. But the sun felt good. I realized that I was going to have to get a phone, if only to search the Internet and call for rides. I took a cab to a strip mall that sold prepaid smartphones. I was able to cancel my old plan for this new one.

  “Do you want to keep the same phone number?” said the salesperson.

  Did I?

  “No,” I said. It was time for a fresh start. I would reach out to people once I was settled. But for right now, I was enjoying not having anyone’s expectations on me.

  “You’ve got several voicemails. Do you want to listen to them before I delete them?”