Reflections

by Susan Griscom

  “She didn’t, did she?”

  He shrugged. “How the hell should I know what she knows and what she doesn’t? Why would I even think it necessary to mention it? Look, Maia, you can’t believe I opened the door in my shorts intentionally, knowing it was her.”

  “No, I don’t.” But why would Careen come here like that, if she even considered Maia would be here? What if she had answered the door? What did Careen hope to gain? If she knew Gerry as well as she claimed to have known him, surely she would know he was not an easy mark. Or was he? God, what if she hadn’t been home? Would Careen’s naked body have tempted Gerry? Careen was a beautiful woman, there was no denying that, and Maia felt fat and unattractive. All the talk this afternoon in the restroom, Maia wanted to strangle the woman right there, the way she went on about “Gerry and she this,” and “Gerry and she that.”

  “Do you think she was telling the truth?”

  “I doubt it. Finn’s never been a belligerent drunk. In fact, he’s usually just the opposite. More of a sloppy-lover type of guy—obnoxious sometimes, but never violent.”

  “Hmmm. So what does Careen mean to you, Gerry?”

  “Nothing, she means nothing to me anymore. I don’t know what her game is. Finn says she’s here with him, that they’re a couple now.”

  Anymore? “You two had a relationship in the past? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “There is nothing to tell. We had a fling; it was nothing more than a fling.” He crossed the room, pulled Maia in close, tilting her face up to his. “She means nothing to me. Nothing.”

  ***

  Cael walked into the dark bedroom and switched on the bedside lamp. Addie followed him into the room pulling her T-shirt over her head. She unzipped her pants and let them fall to the floor. Stepping out of them, she sat on the bed in her underwear. He unbuttoned his shirt, shrugged it off and hung it over a chair. Shaking his head, he picked up her pants and T-shirt, placed them over his shirt, then sat on the bed and pulled off his boots.

  “Who is this Careen person, Addison? And why are you so upset about her?”

  “I don’t know. She just showed up with the guys in the band. It appears she and Gerry had something going a long time ago. She walked straight up to him, planted one right on his lips, and then tried to act all intimidating and arrogant toward Maia and me.”

  “But you saw through it, of course.”

  “Yeah. She changed her tune after spilling her coffee down the front of her dress.”

  “I don’t suppose she was just careless with her cup.”

  Sighing, Addison gathered her hair off her back and squeezed it into a ponytail, then let it fall back down. “Well, I guess she had a little help.”

  “I see.” Cael placed his hand on her bare thigh. Even though he was angry that she’d used her powers so carelessly, he couldn’t resist the urge to touch that soft white skin. “Addison, you know you’re not supposed to use your abilities around people who don’t have any, especially someone you don’t know.”

  “Oh please, no one knew I did it, except Maia. You should have seen the woman.” Addison grinned, looking very impish. “Though ‘woman’ is probably too nice a term. Skank, ho, slut.”

  “Enough.” He stood and faced her. “Whatever she is, that’s not the point. Don’t use your powers on unsuspecting people.”

  She sighed and stood in front of him. “Okay, okay, but I just couldn’t let her get away with the way she flirted with Gerry and brushed off Maia when she was introduced to her and her sarcastic tone when she called me “a sweet young girl.”

  “Addison, it has just occurred to me …” He swiped a loose hair off her cheek before brushing his thumb over her lips.

  “What?”

  “That I’m in love with an imp.”

  She snorted. “That’s not nice. Maia would have done it if she could have.”

  “Exactly. Maia can handle herself. There are other ways to get back at people without using abilities. Which leads me to … why did Gerry slug Finn?”

  “Oh, I guess Finn kept it a secret that Careen was coming with them and Gerry was pissed. Something’s not right with this whole situation. It feels wrong, like something bad is about to happen.”

  ***

  “Did it work?”

  Careen looked up from examining the bruise on her shoulder in the mirror she sat in front of, every lamp in the room blazing. Finn squinched his dark brown eyes as he came in carrying a six-pack of Heineken under his arm. He pulled the wool hat from his head and his jet-black hair fell messily down his forehead, curling over his ears. He was pleasing to the eye, but not quite as handsome as Gerry. And he knew how to please a woman, something Careen found out one night when Gerry had been off on one of his “guys only” deep sea fishing trips. Finn had a broken wrist and didn’t go with them that time, so he brought over a bottle of wine to share. One bottle led to another and then, well … Careen smiled at the memory. She’d been a bad girl. It turned out that Finn was not the friend Gerry thought he was.

  “Did what work?”

  “Your scheme to win Gerry back.”

  She turned to him. “You shouldn’t have hit me. You’re supposed to be helping me, not hurting me.”

  “Aw, I didn’t mean it, love. You know I’m sorry. But you have to admit, it did give you an excuse to go there.”

  “Maybe.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means maybe I know you’re sorry.”

  “Did you tell Gerry I hit you?”

  “Course not. He’d never speak to you again and I need that friendship in order to stay here.”

  “So, did it work?” Finn asked again, bending to open the mini fridge, placing all the bottles in but two, handing one to Careen.

  She stood, took the beer, walked to the bed and sat on the edge, shaking her head. “I didn’t really get a chance to start anything. Gerry answered the door wearing only his boxer shorts and then that bitch came down the stairs, saw him standing in his skivvies looking at my bare chest and shoulder.” Finn’s involuntary flinch hadn’t gone unnoticed and Careen laughed to herself, recognizing the green streak that rose behind Finn’s eyes.

  Gerry still had the sexy physique she remembered, too. His ripped muscles had her flustered and it had been difficult concentrating on the actual purpose of her visit, until Maia appeared at the top of the stairs.

  “She ruined everything. Mumbled something about a whispering voice and threw me out. I couldn’t stop her, not with Gerry standing five feet away. She’s very territorial.”

  “Fuck. Weren’t you watching the house? I thought you planned to go there when she was asleep.”

  “I did. I sat in the car for almost an hour. The light went off in the bedroom and I saw Gerry in the kitchen eating cookies. His habits haven’t changed.” She smiled, remembering how he loved sweets late at night especially after sex. That last part made her frown as she thought of Gerry with that woman.

  Well, that’s unfortunate for you. Maybe I should get to know the little mum on my own. Since I can’t convince you to give up this foolish plot and stay with me. You know I love you.” He twisted the top off the bottle and took a long drink. He smacked his lips and shrugged off his jacket, throwing it over the back of the chair Careen had just left. He plopped down on the other side of the bed, stretched out, stuck his arm behind his head, and guzzled down the rest of the beer in the bottle.

  Careen stood. “Humph. Stay out of it. Besides, I need to make good use of this bruise you gave me. I’ll try again. Just give me time to think.”

  “Well, be a love and fetch me another beer while you do that, will you?”

  “What makes you think she’d want anything to do with you, anyway? She’s pregnant with Gerry’s kids. She’s not going to jeopardize anything.”

  “I can be very influential. I’ll claim that you started the argument. That would be very believable after your performance at the bar.”

  “My performance?
You’re an idiot. I didn’t get punched in the face by Gerry.”

  He rubbed his jaw. “He caught me off guard. I should have told him you were coming, would have smoothed things over a bit. He can hold a grudge a long time, that one.”

  “I never should have listened to you. I broke his heart, and now she’s about to saddle him with her two brats. All you’ve ever been after is money. And poor Raul, we shouldn’t have used the big lug that way.”

  “Raul got his due. You gave him what he really wanted … you. And Gerry, well, this is all good news. The statistics of men who cheat on their pregnant spouses is very high. Since he’s not even married, chances are even greater. You’ll get through to him. I have faith in you, love.”

  “Sometimes I wish I’d just come here a year ago instead of waiting for you guys to put the band together. I don’t know why I let you talk me into these things.”

  “My charm? You know you can’t resist me.”

  Finn loved her, always would, despite his occasional punch, slap or shove that was a little too hard. Sure, he got carried away once in a while, but he never meant to hurt her. And if things never worked out with Gerry, she’d still have Finn. She loved Gerry, but had let greed and Finn’s promise of fame cloud her mind. Now she had only one goal—to find a way to get rid of that bitch and win Gerry back.

  “Gerry’s twice the man you’ll ever be,” she blurted out and cringed. The last thing she needed was another slap in the face because of a stupid remark.

  Finn placed his hand over his heart. “Baby, that stings.” He shrugged, put the beer bottle to his lips and frowned, remembering it was empty. “That’s not what you thought two years ago.”

  “Well, you made promises, promises any woman would have a hard time resisting. But that’s all they turned out to be, empty promises.”

  Finn stood, and Careen stiffened, not sure of his intensions. He lifted her chin so her eyes met his. “Let’s not fight, baby. Some promises take longer than others, be patient.”

  Maybe Finn would be charming enough to win Maia’s affections. After all, he had charmed his way into her life, hadn’t he? And she was much more attractive and younger than Maia MacKenna whose ordinary brown hair hardly compared to Careen’s vibrant auburn. The fact that the woman would be getting fatter every day of her pregnancy didn’t hurt, either. Careen never wanted to be burdened with kids, and she shuddered at the thought. Getting plump and unattractive would never be a problem.

  Careen sighed.

  Finn brushed her lips with his whispering, “I love you Reenie. Never forget that,” before crushing his mouth over hers.

  There was no denying the passion that stirred in her, except … in her mind, it was Gerry’s voice whispering, Gerry’s lips taking, and she gave back with complete and total abandon.

  ***

  Maia lay awake in the bed, lounging a bit before tackling her morning errands. Gerry left the curtains closed to keep the morning sun out, telling her to sleep late when he kissed her forehead before leaving for the bar to meet with the construction crew. They wanted to get working on building the stage as soon as possible so Gerry could have the band performing by the end of month.

  She was warm and tossed the covers in a heap to her side, even though it was the middle of winter. Horrible thoughts flooded her mind; she was certain there was something about Careen that Gerry wasn’t telling her. Standing there by the door last night they had looked so comfortable together, so familiar with one another. What if she hadn’t been home? What would have happened then? Would that coat of Careen’s have slipped to the floor, revealing a slim, young, naked body?

  Maia gingerly pulled herself up from the bed and stood facing the mirror, staring at her puffy face and a naked body that was no longer slim. She wanted to cry. She placed her hand over her protruding belly, which seemed to have expanded to twice its size overnight.

  Face it Maia, things are only going to get worse.

  As the months went by would Gerry find her grotesque? Would her body ever get back to normal after the babies came? She wanted nothing more than to be excited and enjoy her pregnancy. The foreboding warning from the old woman and then the appearance of Careen forced all the happiness aside.

  She squeezed her eyes closed, willing all the bad thoughts away. Opening her eyes and turning sideways in front of the mirror, she gently traced her fingers over the two babies in her womb and gasped as she felt a slight fluttering movement from within. The sensation startled her at first, but once she realized what it was, she grinned from ear to ear. Oh my. Isn’t it too early for that? Could the doctor’s calculations be wrong? I can’t wait to see the look on Gerry’s face when I tell him they are moving. It was amazing to see the babies last night, their little heartbeats pumping away. Remembering her joyfully teary eyes, the affection and love in Gerry’s eyes, the way he touched her and spoke of the two little blurs—that’s what she should be focusing on, not her body. My body will be fine. I’ll stay in shape. Yesterday, the doctor told her until further notice, she could do as much walking as she wanted, so that’s what she would do. The trail through the park, beautiful this time of year with smells of redwoods and crisp clean air, would have plenty of joggers and walkers, as well as some seriously devoted cyclists, so anyone would feel secure walking alone.

  Maia tugged up the long gray sweatpants and pulled on an old white sweatshirt she’d borrowed from Gerry, thinking it was time to buy some proper maternity pants. She’d make her walk short this morning and then go shopping. A few pairs of comfy leggings and tops should do it. With the styles today, maybe she could get away with some regular clothes instead of outfits designed for pregnant women. It would be better for her and for Gerry’s eyes if she kept up her appearance, no matter how frumpy she felt. Do all expectant mothers feel this way? In her mind, she didn’t look pregnant, just fat. With the flutter she felt a little while ago, though, she figured the doctor must have miscalculated and it was no wonder Maia was growing out of her clothes so soon.

  As she passed the mirror, she frowned. “Okay, that’s it. Before I do anything else, I’m going to buy some clothes.”

  Putting off the walk at least for a few hours, she grabbed her purse and headed downtown. A new maternity shop opened up about a month ago; she’d start there and buy some pants and leggings, then check out some other stores for some cheery and bright tops; definitely something more attractive than Gerry’s old sweatshirt.

  Chapter 9

  An Eager Beaver and a New Wardrobe

  The pounding was more than any man should have to endure. Gerry tried using earplugs but that didn’t help. The construction promised to quit every day before the lunch crowd came in. Gerry figured if the banging continued throughout lunch, he’d lose most of his customers. They estimated that the whole job would only take about three or four weeks to complete, but Gerry had his doubts. He’d secured a sign on the front door that read “Coming Soon - The Wave Runners. Sorry for the inconvenience while we prepare for their opening night” so people could see that the construction would only last a short while.

  Gerry checked the time, half-past ten. Maia should be up and about by now. He needed to talk to her, make sure she was okay. The visit from Careen last night upset her … hell it upset him. He didn’t want Maia dwelling on it. Careen meant nothing to him anymore, but she was relentless and he knew she’d continue to stalk him straight to the gates of hell, if he were inclined to go that way. Careen would never stop hounding him unless she found some other poor bastard that struck her fancy or until the day she died. Ahhh, death was not an option but he wished to God he could do something to make her disappear. Apparently, her relationship with Finn wasn’t cutting it.

  As his hand fell on top of the phone, Addie and Cael strolled in. Gerry frowned at Cael. “Don’t you have anything better to do? You need to get yourself a job or something, maybe go volunteer down at the shelter. They could use some help.”

  “Trying to get rid of me?” Cael smirked as he
sat on one of the vacant bar stools, while Addie went to the back to retrieve her apron. When there weren’t any murderers or maniacs trying to divulge the secrets of the Sectorium, Cael didn’t really have much to do. The man worked for the Sectorium and was paid very well to protect it and Addie, the most powerful extraordinary human being alive. So why did she really need his protection? She was quite capable of taking care of herself now that she’d learned to wield her abilities. However, he knew it was true, their gifts were more powerful when they were together than when they were apart.

  “Maybe, but if you really want to hang around, go over there and pick up a hammer. Tell Derek I sent you over to help. The faster we get this stage built the faster the pounding will go away and the faster my headache will stop.”

  Cael glanced over at the workers then down at his black trousers and shrugged. “Well, I don’t mind helping, but I think I’d like to go change my clothes first. If you had mentioned yesterday you wanted my help, I would have come prepared. But don’t worry; I’ll be back in a flash.”

  Gerry shook his head and smiled as Cael hurried out the door.

  “Eager beaver,” Gerry grumbled. For a guy with such extraordinary gifts, Cael could be such a pushover. Gerry turned to see Addie standing by the corner of the bar. Her arms crossed over her chest.

  “What?”

  Addie shook her head. “You know, he’s trying awfully hard to get you to like him. You needn’t bait him that way.”

  “Aw, Addie, I like him, plenty. It’s just that he makes it too easy for me. I can’t resist.”

  She put her hands on her hips, gave him an “or else” glare and said, “Well, try.”

  “Anything for you, sweetheart.” He patted her shoulder as he walked by her. “I’ll be in my office for a minute. I need to call Maia.”

  In his office, he picked up the phone and dialed home but the call went to voicemail. He pushed down on the end-talk button and dialed her cell phone.