by Morgan Henry
“You’ve only failed if you walk away,” her mother pointed out helpfully. “You’re better than that. We raised you better.”
“Besides,” chimed in Bob, “what are you doing now anyway? You don’t have another job, do you?”
“How are you paying for your condo? What are you living on anyway? Surely you have some sort of rent to pay for in Hardwick Bay? Or are you living with that sister of yours?” Her mother said “that sister” as if she were referring to dog turds.
“I’m helping out in Karen’s store and living in the apartment above it—“”
“Well, that’s just wonderful,” interjected her mother sarcastically. “Using your higher education to be a retail clerk. You might as well work in Wal-Mart. At least there you might advance to a manager.” LeeAnn sniffed derisively.
Mary’s temper flared a little. “So what if I was working at Wal-Mart? At least I would be working and supporting myself. There’s no shame in that. Plenty of people do it. It’s just snobs like you who look down on them, for no good reason.”
“It would be a complete waste. You are capable of more, and you will go back to the firm where you belong.” Her mother pronounced this like she was a judge handing out a sentence. Mary could almost hear the gavel.
“I’m an adult, and I should be making my own decisions.” Mary’s voice wavered a little, and the grip on her coffee tightened.
“Now, Mary, LeeAnn. Let’s just step back for a moment here,” Howard said, trying to soothe the two women.
“What if there was another option?” Bob asked. “Mary clearly thinks she should leave and get a new job. Maybe, though, what you could do is go back to the firm but not as the head of the department. You could take a less stressful position under the woman who took over from you. Then we could still work together but not have it be so hard for you.”
Mary wanted to throw her coffee at patronizing Bob. “There is no we, Bob.”
Before Mary could say anything else, her mother spoke again. “Perhaps Bob is right. You in a lesser position for a while might be for the best. I thought you were made for much more responsibility, but clearly I was wrong. Since you’re so interested in forensic accounting, perhaps you should focus on that and become more of a specialist in the firm. You would have the prestige of a responsible position, but you wouldn’t have to deal with staff issues.”
Howard added his sage advice. “Your mother’s got a good idea there, Mary. Having a niche is an excellent strategy for stable employment. You could bring in clients that need your particular services and be quite an asset to the firm.”
Mary couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
“I saw that!” snapped her mother. Eye rolling was a particular pet peeve of LeeAnn’s.
“I think we’re done here,” Mary said heavily.
“So you will consider going back to the firm but not as department head?” LeeAnn wasn’t going to let it go.
Mary didn’t have enough in her to argue. “I’ll think about it.”
* * * *
Derek had discovered that Mary liked action movies, and they already knew she liked pizza.
He and Logan had a serious collection of movies and a subscription to an Internet movie service. Two of the summer blockbusters were out, and they planned to abduct Mary and force her to watch them, snuggled between the two men on their couch.
Derek consulted his list.
He liked lists. He was a detail-oriented person in pretty much all aspects of his life, and lists helped him remember all the little crap. He went through it and crossed off a number of items then flipped the page over to start reading some interesting additions.
Scrub the shower with a toothbrush until it shines.
Press my pink tutu.
Buy a box of extra-small condoms because Logan’s extra-large are too big for me.
Clearly Logan had found his list. At least he had just added some things instead of tearing it up.
The stupid thing was Logan was just as detail oriented as Derek, but only when it came to Logan’s work.
The shop was obsessively tidy, the marquetry and cabinetwork he did necessitated attention to the minute measurements, and he kept track of every minute he spent on a project to bill accordingly.
For whatever reason, Logan just didn’t extend it to the rest of his life. He was far more spontaneous and relaxed than Derek. Which was probably good. Otherwise Derek would be wound up way too tight, and Logan would have the heat cut off for forgetting to pay the bills.
Derek checked the dough. It was rising nicely for their homemade pizza and should be ready when they were.
He headed to Logan’s shop. Logan was pushing to finish a St Andrew’s cross for a customer. He was getting a bit of a reputation online for producing quality kinky furniture.
Derek knocked on the door and entered at Logan’s “Yep.”
“How’s it going?”
“Just finished.” Logan gestured with the brush in his hand.
It was beautiful. Logan had inset some lighter wood as decorative accents into the darker wood, transforming the piece from starkly beautiful to extraordinary. Derek walked over to inspect it further.
“Don’t touch,” warned Logan. “It’s not dry yet.”
“It’s amazing. When are they picking it up?” Derek could see the shine of the varnish, or whatever it was that Logan had coated it with.
“Next week. It can dry over the weekend and be fine to move.”
“So, you ready?”
“Yeah. I’m still not so sure about this though,” Logan said as he racked the brushes to dry.
Derek sighed.
“Oh shut up,” Logan said, irritated. He was starting to give up on Mary. “She keeps driving us away. I like her, a lot, but this kind of relationship takes more commitment than a twosome, and if she’s not into it, then what’s the point?”
Derek walked over to Logan and leaned on the workbench. “Look, I know there are potentially issues with Mary. I don’t want to waste our time with someone who doesn’t want a family. But here’s the thing. We know from Karen she does want a family eventually. We know that she’s ready to take her own path in life and ditch her parents’ conception of what her life should be. If we don’t explore this with her, how will we know whether this can work?”
“Being in a ménage is hard,” Logan said stubbornly. “Especially for you two. It’s not like you can go to your continuing education stuff with a wife and an extra husband in tow. Mary certainly couldn’t go to anything with both of us. How is she going to feel about that? Are the benefits of a ménage worth the downside for her?”
“Well, shit, how are we going to know unless we show her what the benefits are and ask her about the rest?”
“I just don’t want to get too invested in this, only to find that it’s not going to work.” Logan opened the door. “Let’s go. It’s too late to change plans now.”
Derek wanted to kick Logan’s ass. He never could figure out why Logan was so unwilling to invest anything in a relationship.
They had their share of girlfriends separately. They had shared a few women together but not as permanent relationships. Derek didn’t know of any particular woman who had broken Logan’s heart. So what was his deal?
Yeah, Derek didn’t want to waste time entangling them for years with a woman who didn’t want what they did, but you had to start somewhere. If it wasn’t going to work with Mary, so be it. But he thought it would, and she was certainly a woman who had the potential to fit in with them. She could be the best thing that entered their lives, and he wanted the Murray brothers to be the best thing in her life.
But they would have to persist and invest themselves to reap any reward.
That went for all three of them.
Chapter 15
Logan slammed the truck door and strode over to the front door of Karen’s Kandies.
He knew Derek was right, that he would have to invest at least a little of his heart into a relat
ionship with Mary. But he worried that she wouldn’t want to put up with the bullshit that would come her way.
And come it would. The women in ménage relationships like those that existed in Hardwick Bay always took flack for it. He knew that Lisa had been called a lot of names over the years she had been with Craig and Mike. Whore was among the kindest.
It would hurt her, the woman who stayed with Logan and Derek. It would wound her and cause her to question whether the two men were worth it.
Logan wasn’t sure he was.
He knew Derek wondered why he wouldn’t get more involved in dating. Logan was torn. He wanted a ménage family. Sexually, it was amazing. And he saw the advantages of one that worked well. The wife was taken care of all the time, and her needs were always met, as were the needs of their children. And, in turn, she was able to be the solid core that held the family together.
And yet, there was the public perception that it was wrong. And whom did they take it out on? The wife.
Logan had firsthand experience with that.
Years ago he had attended a weeklong session of master classes on marquetry. It culminated in a show of their work at a trade fair, and one piece from each participant was auctioned for charity.
Logan’s piece sold for the highest price.
When he met the buyer, the man had heard of Hardwick Bay and somehow knew about the ménages in town.
“I’m sure it’s not the whole town,” the man said. “But I can’t believe the rest of you put up with that sick, twisted shit. What kind of woman shacks up with two men and fucks them? She must be ugly, desperate, or just mentally ill. You should be running them out of town.”
Logan hadn’t said much, and he didn’t agree or disagree. He didn’t want to get into it in the public forum of the auction floor. But he always felt horribly guilty that he hadn’t defended the women of his town and the way of life he wanted. He’d never told anyone of the interaction, but he carried around the guilt. It was a brick in his gut that would heat with shame when he thought of Mary in any sort of permanent way.
He didn’t know what to do.
He didn’t want to sabotage Derek’s future with Mary, but was he really a good enough man for her?
He shook it off as they entered the store. Karen, Mary, and one of her student employees were closing up. Mary was at Karen’s computer, presumably doing something accountant-related.
“Hi, guys!” Karen greeted them with enthusiasm.
The student blushed and mumbled something then left. Logan saw her get into a car, which looked to contain the teen’s mom, out the front.
Mary looked up from the computer. An unreadable look flitted across her features, and then she smiled, but not in an excited-to-see-you sort of way. “Hi there. Can we get you something?”
Derek leaned on the counter, getting into her space. “We came to kidnap you for the night. There’s two movies cued up and ready to go, and we’re making homemade pizza. The weather’s supposed to be gorgeous tomorrow, and we’re going hiking.”
Mary didn’t answer right away. “I’m not sure,” she finally said, picking imaginary lint off her sleeve.
“Oh please,” interjected Karen. “It’s not like you had big plans for the weekend. You should have some fun.”
“But what about Sammy? I can’t just leave him.” Mary did love that little cat.
Logan liked him too. That little ball of fur had a hell of a personality.
He was about to suggest Mary bring him along when Karen spoke up. “I’ll be here. Of course I’ll feed him. He won’t die from not cuddling with you for one day. You might, but he won’t.”
“There, see? No reason you can’t come with us.” Derek grinned triumphantly. He leaned over and whispered one of the movie titles in Mary’s ear. He knew she hadn’t seen it and was pissed that she had missed it at the theatre in the summer.
That seemed to be her breaking point.
“Okay, but this is just a friendly movie night, right?” Mary fiddled with the neck of her sweater.
Logan was never, ever going to let Mary in on what her “tell” was.
“If that’s what you want,” he told her solemnly.
She gave him a little frown. “I’ll go and pack a bag.”
“I’ll pull the truck around back.” Derek went out the front door.
“Come on.” Logan pulled Mary to the back where the stairs to her apartment were.
While Mary packed, Logan petted Sammy and looked around the apartment.
Most of the wildly colourful furnishings of Karen’s remained, but Mary had placed a few of her own things around. There was a photo of Karen and Mary as young girls, arms around each other and looking as if they were laughing at something. There was a pile of papers that appeared to be for a course she was working on stacked on the small dining table, along with her laptop. A small painting of a river through a forest with a small cabin in the distance hung in the living room. Logan liked it. It was peaceful, yet there was a lot of life in the piece.
Sammy had a small scratching post in one corner. He wandered over to it and gave it a bit of a semi-enthusiastic scratch while Logan watched.
“I need to get him a new one,” Mary observed from the hall. “That one’s too small and not interesting enough.”
Logan couldn’t argue with that. It was small and kind of beat up. A thought that he could do better wafted through his mind as Sammy jumped back on his lap.
“We could go shopping in Port Seguin for one,” Logan suggested half-heartedly. He rubbed Sammy’s chin, and the cat started to purr.
“He likes you,” Mary said with a half-smile on her face.
“Why shouldn’t he?”
“He hated Bob. Even pissed in his shoes one day.”
Logan laughed at that. Trust a cat to express his opinion in urine. “But Bob was an ass, and I’m okay, right, Sammy?”
The cat flopped over in his lap, purring louder.
“I’d say that means you’re okay,” Mary agreed.
“Good. Ready?”
Mary hefted her bag, and Logan took it from her as they headed to the truck. He threw it in the master bedroom when they arrived home.
* * * *
Derek got to work on the pizza right away.
“Can I help?” asked Mary from the living room side of the breakfast bar.
“Get yourself a beer and decide on what toppings you want,” suggested Derek.
“Can I get you and Logan a beer?”
“That would be great. Logan likes the dark, and I like the light.” Derek worked the dough into a circle to fit on the pan.
Mary put his open beer next to him and handed Logan the dark brew when he sat at the bar. She surveyed the toppings on offer. “Meat extravaganza, eh?”
“We men. We like meat,” Derek intoned in a Neanderthal-like way.
“But we’re open to new pizza experiences. What’s missing that you’d like?” offered Logan.
“Well, I prefer some sliced tofu, low-fat cheese, broccoli, and a few marinated artichokes,” Mary said solemnly.
Derek was somewhat shocked. The way Mary had dug into the pizza at Karen’s wedding had made him think she liked, well, normal pizza. Logan seemed to be thinking the same thing, as he had frozen with his beer halfway to his mouth.
Mary burst out laughing. “You should see the looks on your faces!”
Logan and Derek joined in the laughter, a little less enthusiastically.
“You’re very funny,” Logan said with only a tinge of sourness.
“Seriously, is there anything missing that you’d like?” Derek asked, checking the oven temperature.
“What about some olives?”
“I like them, but Derek doesn’t,” Logan said.
“We can put some on one of the pizzas. Is that okay?” Derek asked.
“Sure. I can live without them, you know.” Mary leaned against the counter. Derek thought she looked good in their kitchen.
“No need.” D
erek got the jar out of the fridge. “Green okay?”
“Yep.” Mary took the jar and started slicing.
They fixed the pizzas together, with some laughter and argument of the topping arrangement. Mary teased him about his precise placement of the toppings.
“I just like to ensure even distribution of the good stuff,” Derek protested.
“You’re just frighteningly obsessive,” Logan countered.
“You don’t seem to mind when it means that the fridge is full.” Derek grinned at him.
“Okay, I can’t argue with that.” Logan snatched a piece of pepperoni out of the pile.
Logan cleaned up the kitchen as the pizzas cooked then cooled a little. Derek watched as he brushed up against Mary every now and then. When she frowned at him, and Logan gave her his confused, innocent look, it was all Derek could do to keep from laughing aloud.
They cut the pizzas and took them to the basement, along with the chips and beer. Logan and Derek had their home theatre system downstairs, where it was a little darker. They settled in on the sectional together.
Derek loaded two pieces with olives on a plate for Mary and cued up the first movie.
They squeezed Mary between the two of them. She was very intense when it came to movies. Derek could understand that. He didn’t like to discuss the movie while it was playing. He felt no need to talk to the characters, and he didn’t like people talking around him. Logan was a little more relaxed but not much.
“That was awesome!” Mary stretched as she approved of the first movie, bowing off the couch.
Derek admired her lovely form. She had put on a bit of weight, which he thought looked good on her. She had a bit more softness to her frame now that suited her.
He was suddenly eager to feel her soft skin against his and wake up warm under the covers with her and Logan.
Apparently Logan had the same idea since he slid his arm around Mary and pulled her toward him for a kiss.
For the briefest moment, Mary leaned in and responded to Logan, and then Derek saw her freeze and pull away.