by Tiana Cole
As he settled in the taxi James decided that he’d have to make a decision about Deja, let her know what he wanted and see what she wanted, sooner rather than later. He’d make a decision on the other piece quickly too. Both had to be in front of Shen Liang.
James felt a bit of relief. For the first time in several days, he understood the game he was being asked to play. He sank back in the seat. All he had to do now was be the man he thought he was—be strong and do what was right.
Whatever that was.
* * * *
The next day James wanted to see Barbara again. “We barely got a chance to say hello yesterday,” he said.
Deja seemed pleased. “You like her, then?”
“So far. What’s not to like?”
They headed to the hospital, arriving to find her with the doctor. “She’s very tired,” she said. “Please keep it short. She needs your kisses and love, but don’t make her have to work hard. She’ll put on a brave front for you and that exhausts her.”
“We’ll keep it brief.”
They did, doing little more than say hello, but again, even in that brief encounter, James was taken with the way the sisters brought out the best in each other. Clearly Deja’s visits made Barbara happy and stronger; a smile from Barbara seem to melt any stress Deja felt, and she came away from the visits magically energized—better equipped to deal with life.
Before they left, Deja told Barbara a short version of her nightmare, and Barbara found it funny.
“If they disassemble me, they are required to put me back together,” she said. “So no need to worry. And maybe they’ll get me right this time. Watch them close and throw away the pain module when they aren’t looking.”
And they both laughed.
James laughed too, but he was jealous of them and delighted by them.
Outside of the hospital, they got in a taxi. On the way back to the hotel, she stared out the window. He took her hand and she simply let him hold it, not encouraging him, but not objecting. Distracted, he thought. Her mind was on her sister and she felt helpless. Helpless and sad.
As they pulled up in front of the hotel, James held the door for Deja.
“Listen, my lawyer, Kieran Oliver, the guy I called, was supposed to fly in today. I left instructions for the hotel to let him in my suite. He’s probably up there now.”
She shrugged. “I assumed I’d meet him sooner or later.”
“I think we should all have dinner together,” James said. “Is that okay?”
“I get a choice?”
“Of course. That was an invitation, not a command.”
“So you didn’t plan a dinner for three so that you two can gang up on me.”
“No. This is the onset of my charm offensive.”
“Really?”
“It is. I’ve reluctantly accepted that I can’t do much about the business deal—nothing at all, that I can think of. Eventually Shen Liang will make a decision and I can’t do anything to influence it one way or another—I’ve already done what I can, so I’ll let that go. Meantime, you and I need to work out our…relationship, situation, whatever it is.”
“I feel the same way about our ‘whatever it is,’ as you so romantically refer to our marriage. I’m not sure I have anything to work out. I gave my word to do what you want, so I’m waiting to see what you decide. I won’t fight you.”
“But I don’t need to act like an ass while we decide what that is. My problem is that I can’t quite figure out what to do about you, us, on my own, because it isn’t just about me. Even if you are happy to do what I want, my only hope of doing anything sensible is to learn more about who you are.
I haven’t been patient with you. I assumed you knew what you wanted and when I get sharp with you, tried to make you tell me, you’ve gone on the defensive and shut me down. So, seeing as I can’t force the truth from those lovely lips, I’ve decided to charm you into letting me see who you are.”
She looked relieved. “Okay, then. I can deal with being charmed.” She looked flushed. “You certainly charmed me last night.”
The memories of the night made him flush. He wanted her again. “And that managed to complicate a situation that I thought couldn’t get any more convoluted.”
“Why?”
“Because it shows me that I’m still infatuated with you. But infatuation isn’t love. Of course, it isn’t not love either. It’s a confusion.”
She put a finger to his lips. “Then let’s be confused for a while. I rather enjoyed your confusion.”
He kissed her. “I need to run a couple of errands before dinner. Do you think you could go to our suite and introduce yourself to Kieran and entertain the man until I get there?”
“I suppose he’ll want to cross examine me.”
“The nature of that beast, I suppose. Don’t take it too seriously. He won’t make my decisions for me.”
“He’s also a friend whose opinion you value. But sure, I can deal with an LA lawyer.”
“Just pretend he’s an old friend. And if you can also manage to pretend he’s handsome, you’ll get along great.”
“I’m not sure flirting with him would be the best way to win him over. It wouldn’t exactly convey the impression I’m trustworthy.”
He laughed. “Probably not. Do the best you can and I’ll be back in a couple of hours.” Then he kissed her, and noted how the touch of her soft lips on his made his head spin and his heart pound. If he didn’t love this woman, there was something in their chemistry that made being with her more special than he ever thought possible.
James stood in front of the hotel and watched her walk inside, thinking how lovely it was to simply see her move. Her elegant body and purposeful stride got to him more than he liked. She was definitely under his skin, and when he was around her he did things he shouldn’t. He’d either have to hold her so close they moved as one, or push her far, far away. The thought of that doing made him grow icy cold. But it might be necessary.
He took a deep breath, shook off the unusual feeling of being overwhelmed, then hailed a taxi. The text from Shen Liang said he wanted to meet now.
* * * *
At first glance Deja loved the way the Irishman’s eyes sparkled with a boyish mischievousness. She’d come up to the room and found him sitting there. As she entered the room, he stood up and held out his hand. “You must be Deja Fontaine. I’m Kieran Oliver. I’m sure James has told you all about me.”
“I do know who you are, but the truth is that James has hardly said a word about anyone. If I hadn’t been in the room when he called you to find out the least painful and most proper way to scuttle our marriage, I wouldn’t even know who you were.”
“I knew it. His rudeness and jealousy know no bounds.”
She laughed. “Rudeness and jealousy? Is that what it is?”
“Assuredly. In this case, I imagine his fear of having me sweep you off your feet strikes fear into his cold heart. He can’t stand the idea of competition.”
She laughed again, enjoying the banter. “It might also be that he’s had enough to think about without taking time to extol the virtues of his friends.”
“There is that. And now he is off doing God knows what while we are thrown in together and forced to fend for ourselves.”
“You might have been thrown, Mr. Oliver, but I’m afraid that I put myself here. However inadvisable my actions, I did it to myself.”
“I love how you cut to the chase! No false sentiment, no fake humility. By God, I adore you already. I can see why he likes you.”
Hearing that from the lawyer surprised her.
“He likes me?”
“I’d say so. On a scale of one to ten, my guess is rates you at about a twelve.”
She had to take the idea with a large grain of salt, but the possibility teased and tormented her. More and more she found herself hoping for some miracle that would allow him to like her, or at least not be totally angry with her. “I’m not sure that he
does. Especially under the circumstances.”
“I can read him. The man is an open book.”
“Really? To me, James seems so controlled and keeps things so close to the vest that I suspect his real emotions might be a mystery even to him.”
“I was just being silly. You’ll learn that about me. And you’re right. Isn’t it maddening as hell when he does that? He’d never make it as an Irishman. We need to speak our minds even when we are being pig headed or just plain wrong. It’s genetic, I think. Still, I’ve known him for years now.”
“Yet, an Irish lawyer probably has developed clever ways to express emotions that aren’t necessarily the ones he feels.”
Kieran broke out in a loud and startling laugh. “Despite what I might’ve anticipated, I see you are the sworn enemy of bullshit. Well, my hat is off to you. And you are right, I was fishing around there, trying to sound you out on the subject of my client.”
“And did you learn anything useful?”
“Oh yes. I did do that. I learned that I don’t want you in court on the witness stand as a hostile witness.”
“So even pretending to be candid, you don’t back off on the flattery.”
Kieran looked shocked. “If I abandoned flattery, what on earth would I say? It’s my stock in trade.”
“I can see why James gets annoyed with you, Mr. Oliver. That act does get a bit over the top.”
“Well, even if my thinking is muddled and my words offensive, my heart is pure.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Pure what?”
His laugh told her that he honestly did seem to like her. “Back to my original point—if James didn’t have a weakness for you, I’m sure he would have shown you the door long ago. Whatever spell you weave on him, intentionally or simply by being who you are, you do it well enough to have gotten yourself and my client in this tangle.”
“James is angry because it ruined his business deal. The marriage is incidental. I think if Elvis had been a phony minister as well as a phony Elvis, the situation would be quite the same, except that he wouldn’t need to pay you a hefty fee to do some paperwork.”
“Perhaps you are right. And here I am being unsociable. Might I pour you a dram of your husband’s fine Irish whiskey.”
The idea made her queasy. “I think I’m off alcohol for a while, but thank you.”
She saw his eyes register something and waited for him to speak. “Well, I think that is rather immoral, but you need to follow your own code.”
“I try to.”
“Are you usually successful?”
“It varies.”
The door opened and James walked in. “Well, I see you two have met.”
“And your darling wife and I are already thick as thieves.” Kieran laughed.
“I see that. I’m just wondering if that is good or bad.”
Deja stretched, enjoying Kieran’s continual reference to her as James’s wife and wondering if he was using it as a dig, or to remind James that this was serious. “I suspect it’s like your lawyer told you regarding me, James. You have to know what outcome you want.”
“I didn’t tell you what he said.”
“No, but I was quiet as a mouse so you could talk with him, and dear Mr. Oliver speaks loudly enough that I heard him rather plainly.”
James shook his head. “Crap.”
“A drop of Irish for you, James?” Kieran asked. “It might do you some good.”
“I’m off booze for a bit,” he said.
“Well, the only value teetotalers add to life is that there is more good Irish for sensible people.”
“Like you,” Deja said.
Kieran stood and went to the bar. “Like myself.”
“I think I like your lawyer, James. If you don’t want to be friends with him, I could use a friend. You can keep the lawyer part.”
“This girl is a darling, James. A real darling of a wife with sparkling eyes.”
“Whose side are you on, Kieran?” The teasing tone in his voice made the question innocuous.
“On the side of truth and beauty, as a true Irishman should be.”
James looked at Deja and scowled. “I think his Irish blood is fake. The closest he gets is in what he assimilated from eating potatoes.”
“Shame on you, James Andrews, disparaging a man’s heritage. And to think I came here to help you out.”
“And where are we?”
“I’ve got a briefcase full of forms and more ideas that you can shake a stick at. But until I know what you two want, I can’t do a lick of work.”
His words startled her. “Us? I get a say?”
“Darling, you do get a say. No one in this crowd will coerce you into anything. I work for James, and I’ll be doing my best to represent his interests, but it’s your future we are talking about just as much as his.”
The look on James’s face was almost comical, as if he hadn’t seen things that way before.
Deja smiled. “That will take some thought.” She smiled at James. “I rather like the way this lawyer thinks.”
James laughed. “I need to go out again. I have another meeting, and you two obviously need time to conspire against me.”
Kieran nodded. “Leaving me here with your lovely wife? That might not be wise.”
“I haven’t used much wisdom lately, and it’s probably a bit late to start. When I get back we’ll go out to dinner.”
* * * *
“The doctor said we can talk now.”
Barbara smiled. “I think she finally satisfied her daily requirement for torture.”
“I take it Deja told you about what happened? About us getting married?”
Barbara looked at him and grinned. “Of course. She tells me everything. And I hope she’s told you everything now.”
It was a struggle to hide his surprise. “You wanted her to tell me?”
“Of course. She should have known better than to do such a thing right from the start. If I’d known ahead of time, I’d have made her see how wrong it was. She told me that that man who said he is your friend claimed it was for a prank, but that was no excuse. Taking money for doing it made it even worse. She wanted to believe it was true and that it was okay.”
“She only did it for you. To get your treatment.”
“And she’s got you defending her. The reason she did it is of no importance. Naturally it warms my heart that she wants to help me, but I can’t allow my sister to behave so disgracefully, to trick someone about something as important as love. It isn’t just being married, I told her, it’s the love part that’s important. She didn’t see that she was lying until afterwards. Then she was so ashamed.
I told her the only thing to do was tell you the truth, that she owed it to you and herself to make amends as much as possible.”
“Even if it means you die?”
“I’ve been dying for some time now. That isn’t new, and there isn’t a guarantee that this new thing they want to do will work.”
“The doctor thinks it will.”
“Even so, how could I accept her gift? The cost to the two of you is far too high.”
“You don’t know me.”
“Deja and I were not taught that it was all right to be dishonest with people you don’t know or allow them to be tricked on your behalf.”
“So you are the voice of reason?”
“I’m the fading voice of the things that have to be said. As eldest sister, I take some things on myself. Besides, it was so obvious that she cares for you, and I can’t stand to see her destroy that. And if I won’t be around long, it’s important that I make sure she learns this lesson before I’m gone.”
James noted the pain than he saw in Barbara’s eyes, but this was a new kind of pain. It was that of a caring parent. “You think it is obvious that she cares for me?”
The possibility that Deja might have real feelings for him shot through him. Could she really?
“Well, it’s obvious to someone who knows her. The
girl can’t keep a secret for shit. Doing what she did, and seeing that she’d hurt you, was eating the stupid girl alive. Took her long enough to come to her senses, but now, apparently, she decided I meant it when I told her she had no right to do such a thing to save me. I have no idea if that puts things right between you two, or even what that would mean. At least she seems to be trying.”
“Yes. She came to see me in my room and, as far as I can tell, bared her soul, regarding what happened.”
“And so far you haven’t hit her or walked away from her, so maybe you care for her.”
He laughed. “You are being rather nosy, Barbara.”
“I am, indeed. That’s my job. After all, she is my kid sister. Besides, I’m bored to tears with daytime television. Like it or not, you are my entertainment.”
He shook his head. “This has to be the craziest situation I’ve ever been in. It could make a good movie. And yes, I certainly didn’t like being used, but if I’m honest, this couldn’t have happened unless I was attracted to her—the woman, not the game she played.”
“And realizing that hurts you. There is a loss of innocence, of what might have been.”
“Finding out I was being used hurt, for sure. That bruised my ego in a bad way. There were repercussions that she had no way of knowing about that caused far more pain—both emotional and, to a smaller degree, financial. Now that I understand her motivations, now that I’ve met you, I find it hard to hate her for what she did.”
“Even though you are upset with her.”
“Anger takes time to dissipate. And trust takes a long time to rebuild once it’s damaged.”
Barbara rolled her shoulders back, trying vainly to get comfortable. “Dear James, that sounds very nice and lofty, but I’ll ask you to bear in mind that while I can sympathize, I don’t have a lot of time left, and I have a vested interest in how this plays out.”
“So you are impatient?”
“Damn right I am.”
“So…if you had more time, do you think you could be a bit more patient?”
She laughed. “Sure. I can do that. Buy me a year of time and I’ll be patient as a cat waiting at a mouse hole. Buy me a year of time without pain, or the option of being doped into oblivion, and I’ll make Job seem impatient.”