by Maddie James
“It’ll be all right, sweetheart.”
Their postures felt familiar to her. Had he tried to placate her last night with a Now, Cheris and It’ll be all right, sweetheart?
“Have we already had this conversation?” she snapped.
“No.”
“Something similar though. What was it?”
Geoff blinked at her. He ran a hand through his hair.
“What?”
“It was…it was about making love.”
Cheris’ jaw dropped in disbelief. What had he done to her last night?
He’d cajoled and talked her right out of her panties. That’s what he had done.
The ache in her head exploded, and she gripped her temples.
“I can’t talk about this right now.” She marched across the carpeted floor to the hallway and her bedroom. Behind the closed door she took a shuttering breath. No. She couldn’t talk about it, didn’t even want to think about it, wished she could wake up in the morning and find all of this was a very bad dream.
Geoff Arrowood could show himself out. She was done with him for tonight.
With jerky movements, Cheris stripped off her clothes, not even bothering to hang up her dress. She pulled on a nightshirt and collapsed on the bed staring at the ceiling lit only by the street lamp outside. She’d wait a little while for Geoff to leave then she’d go back out there to the bathroom, brush her teeth, take something for her head, and remove her make-up.
She’d give him twenty minutes.
He’d be gone by then.
Cheris turned on her side, and in the silence of the dark the events of the last twenty-four hours welled up from her heart and gathered in big tears which fell down her face.
At nearly eight the next morning, Cheris awoke with puffy eyes and mascara splotched all over her pillowcase. She yawned and stretched before sliding off the mattress and stripping it.
Monday was usually her day for washing sheets, but she’d rather erase the evidence of her tearful night. Today was a new day and the start of a new week. She’d do some laundry and go to church, maybe get some new insight on her situation.
She gathered the bedclothes in her arms and walked into the hallway to the shuttered doors which hid the cubby with the washer and dryer. Opening one side, she bumped it wider with her hip and dumped the sheets in the open machine. Then she pulled her gown over her head and shoved it in there as well. She started the load and stepped into the bathroom to take a shower.
Under the hot spray, she ruminated on Geoff’s words.
Everything looks better in the morning.
Yeah, it did.
She’d make an appointment with an attorney in the morning. She’d talk to Annie and explain to her what happened. Annie was the original Hip Granny. She’d been giving practical advice for years. She’d be disappointed in Cheris’ actions, but she’d probably have some ideas about how to handle a quiet divorce.
It’ll be all right.
Cheris smiled and shook her head in irony.
Geoff’s words again.
Well, Stanley, here’s another fine mess you’ve gotten us into.
He was funny, and, yes, he was cute, too. He had a way of adjusting his glasses that was endearing. She’d only seen him without them when he’d been asleep yesterday morning. And, well, when she’d pulled them off his face on the stairs last night. The color of his irises without the eyewear had mesmerized her.
Turning off the faucet, she pulled a towel from the rack and dried herself before wrapping it around her body and tucking the corner in front. With her hair still wet, she picked up a brush from the basket on the corner of the counter and pulled it through the dripping locks. Humming the tune from Laurel and Hardy, she headed toward the kitchen to turn on the coffee maker.
And screamed bloody murder.
Because standing there peering into her open refrigerator was Geoff. At her startled cry, he stood up straight and slammed the door shut, then tried to shield himself from the brush she threw at him.
“Geoff, what are you doing here?” She exclaimed. “You scared me half to death!”
“Sorry. “ He reached down and rubbed his leg where the brush had hit him.
Geoff wore the same clothes he had been wearing last night except they looked as if he had slept in them.
Slept in them?
“Do not tell me you spent the night here last night,” she demanded.
When Geoff stared at her without answering, she stamped her foot.
The towel loosened though Cheris didn’t notice.
“Answer me.”
Eye glass adjustment. “Was that a question? It sounded like an order.” Geoff turned away from her, leaned against the counter, and studied the wall across the kitchen from him.
Now what was he doing? He can’t even look at me when I’m talking to him?
Cheris moved to stand in front of him and glared up at him. “Did you sleep here last night? Uninvited?”
“Yes.” Geoff inched away from her, sliding along the counter toward the stove. “I’m sorry. I was waiting for you to come back so we could work something out, but I guess I fell asleep on the couch.”
“You fell asleep on the couch.” Cheris took the place he had abandoned, facing him. When she leaned against the counter, the towel slipped about half an inch. “What is wrong with you? Why couldn’t you take the big, fat hint and leave?”
Geoff glanced at her from the corner of his eye and swallowed hard. “Sorry.”
His jaw was rough from a night’s growth of beard, his hair tousled from sleep. Sleep he had gotten on her couch. Her heart sped up a bit at the picture of him rumpled and…something else. What was it? Vulnerability maybe, or nervous tension. Her indignation softened, but she held onto it.
It was not okay for him to be here.
Definitely not.
He’d crossed way too many boundaries already.
“That’s just great. You’re sorry. Oh, well, that just fixes everything, doesn’t it?” Cheris stood staring at his profile waiting for him to say something else, but he was silent. A pulse beat in his throat.
The doorbell rang, and she stalked out of the kitchen.
“I don’t think you should answer that,” Geoff called.
“This is my home, and you don’t have a say in what I do in it, Geoff Arrowood.” Cheris wrenched open the door on the last word.
Her friend Janie waited on the front porch with a bag from the Jolly Pirate Doughnut Shop in her hand. Her mouth hung open in shock then she doubled over with laughter. Cheris narrowed her eyes at the greeting.
“What’s your problem?” she snarled.
“And good morning to you, too,” Janie said recovering from her chuckles. “May I come in?”
Oh, no. Not with your brother inside.
Janie would jump to the wrong conclusion.
As in leap the tallest building of wrong conclusions.
“No.”
Janie’s eyebrow rose at the answer. Cheris grabbed the first excuse which jumped in her head.
“I’m sick. I think I’ve got the stomach flu.”
Janie grinned. “Cheris, my friend, if I hadn’t noticed his truck in the parking lot, I would have figured it out when you were yelling at him as you opened the door.”
Cheris adopted an innocent expression. “Who?”
Janie rolled her eyes. “Please. How stupid do I look?” Janie pushed her way inside. “Don’t worry. I have enough for Geoff, too.”
Janie marched into the dining room and laid the bag on the table. She nodded to Geoff. “How about getting me a cup of coffee, Brother?”
Without a word, Geoff looked through the cabinets for coffee.
“This isn’t what it looks like,” Cheris said as she followed her. After Geoff had perused the third cabinet, Cheris entered the kitchen, reached up and took a canister from the top of the refrigerator and handed it to him. Her movement had caused the towel to slip dangerously low, and Cheris retucked it.
She opened the dishwasher and set three coffee cups on the counter.
Janie grinned like the Cheshire cat as she watched her. She chuckled. “Well, that’s good because from here it looks pretty damaging. Would you say so, Geoff?”
“Nothing happened,” Cheris responded before Geoff could. “He just fell asleep on the couch. Right, Geoff? Tell her.”
“Nothing happened, Janie.” Geoff winked at his sister and filled the coffee pot with water from the sink faucet.
Cheris punched his arm. She gripped her towel when it slipped. “Stop encouraging her.”
“Well, really, Cheris. If you want me to believe this is all so innocent,” Janie said as she studied her friend critically,” Then you better get your butt back there to your room and put on some clothes.”
Cheris glanced down at herself and gasped. Clutching the towel which hung precariously around her, she ran into the bedroom and shut the door.
Twenty minutes later, she emerged from her bedroom fully dressed. Janie sat at the table sipping a cup of coffee. When Cheris scanned the apartment for him, Janie spoke.
“He’s not here. He went back to the hotel.”
“Good.” Cheris walked into the kitchen and poured coffee in one of the two cups sitting on the counter.
“He said he’d call you later.”
“Whatever.” Cheris sat across from her friend and reached into the bag. Her fingers closed around a cruller. Mmmm. Yes.
“You don’t have to pretend with me.”
Cheris’ attention moved from the cruller to her friend who stared at her with a kind gaze. Cheris bit into the doughnut and chewed. “There is no pretending.” She swallowed. “I told you what happened. It’s all a mistake, and I’m going to see a lawyer tomorrow.”
“If you keep sleeping with him, then I don’t see how anyone is going to believe you.”
Cheris glared at her friend as she chewed. It was obvious she was happy to have Cheris as her sister-in-law.
Janie stayed until it was time for Cheris to go to church. They walked to their respective cars.
“You could go with me, you know.” Cheris unlocked her car.
“And spoil my reputation? Not on your life.” Janie smiled unrepentantly at her friend as she climbed into her own her own car and shut the door. She rolled down the window as she backed the car out of the parking space. “Besides, I imagine you’ve got some confessing to do to the priestess.”
“She’s a reverend not a priestess.” Cheris raised her voice to be heard as Janie drove off.
Janie was referring to the pastor at Trinity Church where Cheris was a member. Reverend Kelly Thomas was the same age as Cheris and had caused quite a stir when she first came to Cullsbaeir as she was the first female pastor the church had ever called. But in her two years at Trinity, she had proven herself to be a compassionate pastor and a gifted preacher. Everyone in the church loved her. Cheris stared thoughtfully at Janie’s departing car then entered her own vehicle. Maybe Janie was onto something after all. Maybe Kelly could offer Cheris some good advice about this mess in which she found herself.
After the worship service, Cheris shook Kelly’s hand and asked if she had a few minutes to talk. The minister affirmed that she did and to wait for her in the courtyard, an airy rectangular space carpeted in the middle with real grass, framed by blond bricks, and bookended with two dogwood trees. Cheris settled on one of the wooden benches and waited.
About fifteen minutes later Kelly, minus her black robe, heaved a big sigh of relief as she sat down next to Cheris. The woman leaned her head back and smiled as the sun shone on her face. For a few minutes they sat in silence. Kelly sighed again contentedly and turned to Cheris.
“Okay, I’m ready.”
“Ready for what?” Cheris asked.
“I’m ready to listen to you, to hear what’s on your heart.”
“Thank you because I’m in a big mess here.”
Kelly nodded but said nothing. Cheris began her story with videotaping Janie at the gala opening Friday night and ended with the fiasco in her towel this morning. Kelly made sympathetic noises during the telling.
“So you can see, I’m in way over my head.”
“Yes, it is a very difficult situation,” Kelly agreed.
“What do you think I should do?”
“What do you want to do?”
“I want to go back to Friday and relive my life over again.”
“Ah.” Kelly nodded. “How different all our lives would be if we could go back and undo the past.”
“The thing is, if I had not had the cake and punch that night, I would have never done anything so irresponsible.”
“Sometimes alcohol gives us permission to do the things we don’t think we’re capable of. Then if something goes wrong, we can blame the drink.” Kelly softened her remark by patting Cheris’ hand.
“Do you think that maybe somewhere inside I really wanted to marry Geoff? How could I? I didn’t even know him. A complete unknown to me.”
“He’s not a complete unknown now. From what you’ve learned about him so far, is he someone you can imagine yourself with?”
“Well, I don’t know. He seems really nice and considerate, but what kind of man would…well, you know, with someone who was too drunk to say no?”
When Kelly didn’t say anything, Cheris turned to her. “You don’t think I really wanted to…and I’m just using the Wonderland elixir as an excuse, do you?”
Kelly shrugged. “I don’t know that, but what I do know is you shouldn’t beat yourself up over what has already happened. You can’t change it anyway. The challenge before you is how you will make the right choices from where you are now.”
“What are the right choices? Don’t you think I should divorce him and put it all behind me?”
“Cheris.” Kelly shook her head. “I can’t tell you what to do. What I can tell you is that sometimes things happen in our lives which we don’t choose and we don’t like, but God often uses those things for the good. Remember Joseph? His brothers sold him into slavery. His own brothers. But because they did that, he ended up in Egypt and saved an entire nation from famine.”
“So, you’re saying God’s hand was in this?”
“I’m saying God will work with us in any situation if we just give a little leeway.”
“Give a little leeway, huh? Like you were preaching today—erring on the side of grace?”
“Yes. However God leads you to do that.”
Cheris stared at the bricked border wishing it was yellow and led to a place where she could find the answers. “Guess I’ve got some things to think about.”
“I hope you will let me know what happens, and how I can help you.”
“I will. Thanks, Kelly.”
Cheris walked back to her car slowly as Kelly’s words ran through her mind.
Is he someone you can imagine yourself with?
Is he?
You again. Get out of my head.
I was here first.
“Shut up, both of you,” Cheris muttered as she settled herself in her car, put the key in the ignition, and turned it.
Nothing happened.
Cheris stared in disbelief at the dashboard.
What was wrong with her car? She hadn’t had problems with it in months. She turned the key again.
Nothing happened again.
Expelling a breath, she opened the car door planning to find Kelly and asking her if she knew any Sunday mechanics when Janie’s little Toyota pulled into the parking lot.
Janie’s car stopped next to where Cheris stood, and Janie rolled down the window. Cheris saw her own reflection in Janie’s mirrored sunglasses.
“What’s taking so long? I thought we’d go grab some lunch. I’ve been waiting at your apartment for, like, almost half an hour.”
“My car won’t start.”
“Yeah?” Janie parked her car and got out. She walked over to Cheris’ car and slipped into the driver’s seat. With the same r
esults as Cheris, she pulled the latch for the hood and walked around to the front and raised its lid.
“What do you know about cars?” Cheris asked as she watched Janie stare critically at the engine.
“I know gas makes them run.” Janie pursed her lips and shrugged. “Let’s take my car to lunch. I’ll call Bobby and ask him to come by and take a look-see. Leave your keys under the floormat.”
Uh-oh. Not the felon.
Bobby was Janie’s bad boy boyfriend. “My car’s not going to turn up missing, is it?”
“Don’t be a smart ass. Bobby hasn’t done anything like that since way before.”
Since way before what?
Cheris slid her key off of her key ring and put it where Janie had directed.
It was probably better not knowing.
Janie closed the hood and wiped her hands down the side of her blue jeans. Cheris didn’t trust Bobby, but he did know cars. Cheris suspected that he had worked in a chop shop at some time in his past and that was why he had to check in with his parole officer ever so often.
Cheris grabbed her purse and sat down in the passenger side of Janie’s car. When Janie started up the engine, she gunned the accelerator, and they were on their way.
“Don’t worry about the car. I’m sure it’s a little something. I bet Bobby will have it up and running before we get back from lunch.” Janie merged with traffic and headed toward town.
“I just hope he doesn’t commit any felonies while driving it.”
Janie didn’t reply. She bypassed the main thoroughfare in town where all the restaurants were located and continued north.
“Hey, where are we eating anyway?”
“Oh, just this place I know about. Great food.” Janie turned left into a little sub-division and drove down a tree-lined avenue.
“What’s the name of it?” Cheris asked. When Janie didn’t answer, Cheris repeated her question.
“Huh? Oh. Didn’t I tell you?”
“No, you didn’t.” The neighborhood seemed familiar. Large turn of the century homes dominated immaculately manicured front lawns. Unease prickled her skin. “Janie…Oh, no. Janie. If you’re my friend, you’ll turn this car around and take me home.”