by G. A. Rael
"Jordan?"
Jordan quickly returned her attention to Chase, still reeling from the surreality of it all. Of all the times to be caught with her head in the clouds. "Yes?" she acknowledged him hoarsely.
The grin that spread across Chase’s face and the giddy murmurs of the crowd told her she had inadvertently given the right answer to the wrong question.
Chase rose to his feet and gathered her into his arms for a passionate kiss.
Not good. There was only one reason he’d be that happy…
"What did I just say yes to?" she laughed nervously.
Deep down she already knew, but the shock was making it impossible to react properly. The crowd was making it impossible to clarify the way she needed to. She couldn’t do that to him in front of everyone. They already had enough ammunition.
"To making me the luckiest man in Cold Creek, my love," he answered, giving her another affectionate peck on the cheek. He turned around and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, as if newly aware of the crowd. "Well, look what my spontaneity has done. Carry on, folks. Nothing to see here."
The crowd swarmed at his false modesty and before Jordan could process what had just happened, Chase was engulfed in a sea of men who were patting him on the back and muttering their congratulations. It was likely the first time he had been the center of the town's attention in a positive way.
A smaller crowd of women had descended upon Jordan and she tried her best to show her appreciation for the support and bestowals of congratulations for a decision she hadn’t made consciously at all. Fortunately, most of them seemed more interested in the ring she couldn't even remember Chase putting on her finger. She had barely even glanced at the thing, but when she did, she saw that there was a large blue stone in the center surrounded by diamonds and an elegant platinum band. It was certainly nothing like the austere wedding ring her mother had worn for years, even after her father had made millions off his congregants.
Jordan could only imagine what her mother would say about the ring, but reminded herself that it would probably be the last on the long list of things she would have to disapprove of when Jordan brought her back. It was likely that Chase—her accidental fiancé--would be at the very top.
When Jordan finally dared a glance at the clinic, both Darren and the woman in the yellow dress were gone. Jordan had a feeling she hadn't heard the last of either of them.
Thirty-Five
"So, explain to me again how you accidentally got engaged?" Hermes asked, taking a sip of the lime-colored drink he’d just ordered at the bar. He was filling in for Tina, who was at home nursing a cold and likely kicking herself for missing a chance to go out with him. True to his feline nature, Hermes loved nothing more than being worshiped.
Jordan was just glad for the chance to break the news to him in front of someone else. He’d confronted her about the proposal as soon as she’d made it through the door, and invited himself along when she’d tried to use girls’ night out as an excuse not to talk about it then.
“Yes,” Cindy agreed. “I’m dying to know how that one ended up happening.”
Great. Now Hermes had a partner in crime. "I don't know," she muttered. "I got distracted while he was asking the question and I asked for clarification, but I guess he thought I was saying yes to the proposal."
"If it was anyone else I wouldn't believe it, but since it's you I can kind of see that happening," Cindy mused.
"Thanks," Jordan said dryly.
"So, what are you going to do?" asked Hermes. "You can't just marry him because it's awkward."
“I can’t?”
"No," Cindy and Hermes cried in unison.
"Look," said Cindy, "before Henry, I had my fair share of boyfriends. One of my relationships started out as sort of a pity fling and got way too serious. I never accidentally accepted his proposal," she said pointedly, "but I did keep him on the line for way too long. Chase isn't exactly the deepest ocean on the map, and I still don't think he's the boy scout you think he is, but it's obvious that he's head over heels for you. If you don't love him, you have to cut him loose now. It won't get any easier."
“I can’t do that,” Jordan said quickly, knowing only Hermes would understand why. “And I don’t want to. I do care about him. I’m just not in a position to make that kind of commitment.”
"You didn't seem to have any trouble making a commitment to Darren,” Hermes remarked.
Jordan glared at him. She knew he was punishing her for trying to get out of their conversation earlier.
"He has a point, dear," said Cindy.
Jordan sighed. "Darren turned out not to be the man I thought he was. With Chase, everything is very straightforward. He's predictable."
"Most serial killers are," muttered Cindy.
"Boundaries, Cindy," Jordan warned.
"I know, I know. Just so you know, the rest of the town isn't going to respect the fact that the full-scale police investigation he went through is off limits once you're Mrs. Murderer.”
"It does have a certain ring to it," Hermes mused, popping the olive from his martini into his mouth.
"Laugh all you want, but neither of you know him like I do," said Jordan.
"Said every murderer's wife ever."
"Cindy!"
"I'm just saying, dear, you need to be sure you know what you're getting into. Marriage is a big deal. As sure as you are that Chase is innocent, you need to be just as sure that you can give the rest of your life to him."
"I'm not," Jordan admitted. "I'm not sure of anything except that I don't want things to be over with him. If I break off the engagement, they will be."
"You can't get married just because you want to keep him around," Cindy said in a disapproving tone.
"No," Jordan agreed, "but it's not like we've set a date or anything. There's no point in making any rash decisions when I could feel differently tomorrow. Or six months from now."
That was assuming he didn’t walk out the door as soon as he found out what she was. Hell, he didn’t even know her birth name.
"I think someone finally took a look at that ring," said Hermes.
Cindy gave a wistful sigh. "What the boy lacks in depth, he does make up for in taste. A blue diamond. I didn't even think you could buy those."
"It's not the diamond," Jordan muttered. As a matter of fact, the only thing she liked about the ring was the fact that her fear of losing it was a distraction from her conflicted feelings.
"Then what is it?" Cindy asked. Jordan didn't appreciate her tone of utter bewilderment. "I know you're not the type to be drawn in by the money, but besides his looks, what could you possibly see in him?"
"Lots of things," said Jordan. "Not the least of which, he was my first."
"So he's comfortable," said Hermes. "We've already established that. If comfort is all you're looking for, you could just buy a memory foam mattress and save yourself the wedding. Or, you know, marry me and get my mother off my back."
Cindy giggled and Jordan shot Hermes another look. Was he just trying to make her life harder?
Dumb question, she realized. Jordan knew her friend wouldn't be laughing if she had any idea that Hermes' mother--if he even had one--was probably old enough to have had a front row seat to the dawn of man. He had taken to the role of “gay best friend” visiting indefinitely from out of town with great gusto. Only Jordan knew he had a darker side.
At least one of them was having fun.
"It's not just that," said Jordan. "He's sweet and attentive and he accepts things about me that no one else ever could," she said pointedly, hoping to remind Hermes that he needed Chase around just as much as she did. "Yes, he's predictable, and sometimes he's almost too understanding, but I think the only reason I have a problem with any of that is the fact that every other man in my life has tried to change me in some way. Even Darren. If I wanted an aloof authority figure who always looked down on my beliefs and changed moods like most people change clothes, I could just marry
my father."
The silence that followed left her uneasy. "Guys, that was a joke. Arkansas isn't that bad."
Cindy laughed. "I was just thinking it's interesting that all the things you find most appealing about Chase could be boiled down to the fact that that he's not Darren."
"I was thinking the very same thing," Hermes said thoughtfully.
Jordan groaned, waving to the bartender to bring her another drink. “Keep ‘em coming.”
"You know we're just giving you a hard time because we love you," said Hermes.
"True," Cindy agreed. "Soon enough, Tina will be back on her feet championing Team Chase, so I'm just getting in as much of a say as I can."
"That's just it," said Jordan. "There is no other team. In case neither of you have noticed, Darren is knee-deep in wedding invitations and cake samples and they have set a date. Even if I was still carrying a torch for him--which I'm not--he's moved on."
"Cake samples," Hermes said wistfully. "I want a wedding."
"I could introduce you to the florist," said Cindy.
"Thanks, but I'm allergic."
"To flowers?"
"To commitment."
The bartender returned with a drink Jordan needed as much as she needed air.
"Anyway," said Cindy, "I'm not sure Darren has really moved on. Allison is like poison candy as far as Darren is concerned. She tastes sweet and makes him all loopy, but in the end she always leaves him puking up his own blood and guts."
Jordan winced. "As much as I appreciate the imagery, Darren is a big boy and he certainly doesn't need me playing Glenda to Allison's Elphaba."
Hermes gasped in feigned surprise. "Do you hear that, Cindy? Our little girl is all grown up and making pop culture references from the last decade."
"I never thought I'd see the day," Cindy said, smirking.
Jordan rolled her eyes, leaning on the bar. “Yeah, well, Chase took me to see the play in New York. He loves the arts. See? That's an original quality that has nothing to do with Darren. The man wouldn’t know the difference between a Broadway play and a soap commercial.”
"If by original you mean gay, then yes, your fiancé is very ‘original.’”
“Hermes!”
"All I'm saying is, he loves Broadway and I've never seen the man wear the same suit twice," he said defensively. "Popping The Question after a few months is a total closet case move in and of itself."
"He has a point," said Cindy.
"Trust me, Chase is not gay." Their sex life had made it clear that he had another side to his personality. It just wasn’t the one everyone else thought.
"Ah, so that's it," Cindy said knowingly. "He's good in the sack."
Jordan sighed. “He's a very skilled lover and that's all either of you need to know."
"I bet it's huge," Hermes whispered loudly.
Jordan raised a finger under the bar and set the tattered hole in his jeans ablaze. He put it out before anyone could notice and gave her a venomous look. She smiled smugly into her drink. Suited him right.
“I’m beginning to get a better picture of his appeal," said Cindy. "Don't try to deny it, either."
"Okay.” Jordan shrugged. “I won't."
Cindy's mouth fell open, scandalized. "Well," she said with a small laugh. “Someone’s turned into a metropolitan woman. Must be all those trips to the Big City.”
“I wouldn’t go that far. I’m just done blushing every time a man looks in my direction. Chase and I are both adults who enjoy spending time with each other. It doesn’t need to be any more complicated than that.”
Learning the truth about her destiny was only one part of it. Chase might have been the one who’d taken her virginity in the official sense of the word, but Darren was the first man who’d touched her, the first who’d made her heart flutter with desire with a single glance. The further she got from that naive state, the sooner she’d be able to dismiss the ghost of his fingers down her spine and the hole he’d left when he’d torn out her heart by sharing her most intimate secret with another woman.
That was the plan, in any case.
“Until you get married because you don’t know how to let him down,” said Cindy. “Then, complicated will be the nicest possible word for it.”
“Engagements can last a long time,” Jordan said, reciting the same argument she’d been telling herself since inadvertently accepting Chase’s proposal. “I’ve got plenty of time to figure things out.”
Cindy sighed, climbing down from her barstool. “Whatever you say. I’ve gotta run. Family dinner isn’t going to cook itself.”
“You’re cooking,” Jordan asked doubtfully.
“Well, no, but the staff never gets it right if I don’t supervise and the boys are coming over. I swear, they eat like a pack of wild dogs.”
Hermes started coughing, his hand on his throat as he choked down his drink.
“You alright, dear?” Cindy asked worriedly.
“Fine,” he said, giving her a pleasant smile he reserved for people who didn’t know him. “Have fun.”
Once she was out of earshot, Jordan turned to Hermes and asked, “What was that about?”
“You’ll find out in time,” he said in a melodic tone. “Now that she’s gone, let’s get down to the brass tacks. How many spare bedrooms are there at your new hubby’s place? Because I’m going to need a big closet.”
Jordan arched an eyebrow. “That’s all? No lecture about how I’ve ruined everything?”
“Not really,” he shrugged. “No more than usual.”
“Then what the hell was all that hazing about?”
“Just having a little fun,” he purred, running his finger around the rim of the glass with a flirtatious glance that made Jordan’s heart skip for the wrong reasons.
“So you’re not upset that I’m engaged?”
“Of course not. If it keeps up appearances and keeps the stiff happy, it’s none of my business,” he said with a shrug. “I just hope you’re prepared to come clean before the wedding or get cozy with breaking your vows in four different directions.”
“When I tell him the truth, he’s not going to want to marry me,” Jordan muttered. In fact, she was counting on it.
“You’re probably right,” he said thoughtfully. “Better not tell him at all, then.”
“What?”
“The man obviously moves fast and we can’t have him running off because he’s jealous. Or getting in the way of your other consorts, one of whom should be coming along any day now, if my hunch is right.”
“I can’t just not tell him!” Jordan cried. “That wasn’t the plan.”
“The plan changed. You can thank your excellent persuasion skills for that.”
“I’m going to tell him, Hermes,” she said firmly.
“That’s your choice. But just remember, his seal’s already unlocked and I don’t really need him,” he warned, raising his eyebrows.
“Are you threatening him?” Jordan growled, feeling the flames burning at her fingertips again.
“Simmer down. I’m just saying, accidents happen. All those winding rural roads, to say nothing of the things lurking in the woods…”
“Fine,” she gritted out. “I won’t say anything to him. Yet.”
“That’s a doll,” Hermes said, patting the top of her head. Jordan’s eyes narrowed and she focused on his glass, causing the alcohol to bubble over. He glanced down at the drink apathetically. “I’m glad you find ways to amuse yourself. The life of a mid-rate attorney’s wife is dull.”
“Go to hell, Hermes,” she said against her better judgment, gathering her things.
“Too easy,” he said dismissively, taking another drink as Jordan left the bar. Sometimes she wasn’t sure if the animosity between them was due to the fight from months ago that they’d never quite smoothed over, or simply due to their relationship dynamic in general. She decided it didn’t really matter. She knew what she was to Hermes now, the same as she did with Darren. At least
he’d been honest about it.
As Jordan set off for the store, if only to avoid running into Hermes at home, she was only half-conscious of her own attempt to keep her gaze straight ahead. When she realized she was avoiding the big blue building, she forced herself to relax, if only because she knew she couldn't avoid looking at the vet clinic for the rest of her time in Cold Creek. If she did go through with her engagement to Chase, that could very well be the rest of her life.
When something strange caught her eye, she told herself it was just one of the many townsfolk passing through the town square. When that strange something remained in the same position within her vision no matter how far she walked, that logical explanation seemed less likely.
Despite her best efforts, Jordan gave in to what seemed almost like a compulsion at that point and turned to see the woman in the yellow dress standing just below the street lamp. She was usually gazing up at the apartment, but this time she was looking directly at the clinic. It was a sure sign that Darren was at work inside, likely oblivious to the ever-vigilant presence that lurked outside.
Jordan screwed her eyes shut tight and quickened her pace toward the grocery store, more afraid of looking at the woman again than she was of tripping. The fact that Chase had seen her too should have been all the consolation she needed, but when Jordan had dared to ask Cindy earlier in the day, she gave the same response as ever. There was no woman in a yellow dress. Jordan was left to wonder if Chase had just been humoring her to avoid causing her more distress. When she finally did venture a glance back, the woman was gone.
After making it to the grocery store with a little more than ten minutes to spare before it closed, Jordan quickly filled a basket with the things Mrs. Herrin had requested plus a few ingredients of her own. She had taken up learning to cook in the time she had between Hermes' lessons and her usual routine. Chase had already assured her that he didn't expect her to be the domestic diva her mother had tried so hard to mold her into, but she doubted he would mind it. Maybe if she tried the role on in bits and pieces, she could better assess whether a wife was something she could or even wanted to be.