Page 18 of The Marriage Sham
Chapter Ten
Fen
“Let’s go to Savannah next week.”
We’re making dinner again, where all our important conversations seem to take place. I lob the question out there, knowing I’ll have to convince her, but sure this is the right thing to do.
“What?” She looks at me with her nose wrinkled up, like she’s confused and wondering if I’m joking.
I put down the spatula and put my hands up. “Okay, hear me out. Earl wanted to see our honeymoon pictures last night. And it got me thinking. To everyone else, we’re truly married, so we’d obviously take a honeymoon, right?” She nods but folds her arms across her chest. “I made a few calls today, and the nurse that stayed with Earl yesterday is available next weekend. I know there are some really beautiful spots off the coast, and Savannah is a great little weekend getaway. Just say the word, and I’ll book the hotel I found and we’ll do the weekend in Savannah, coming home with all the pictures Earl would ever want to see.”
Seconds tick by as she stares at me straight faced. I don’t know why I have my heart set on the weekend out of town, but right now, there’s nothing more I’d rather do. Alone time in a romantic city with Frances? Time for us to talk and get to know each other again? Pure heaven.
She takes a deep breath through her nose, and I brace for her refusal. “We just talked last night about my work piling up. I just don’t know that a trip out of town is in the cards for me right now.”
As far as rejections go, that was a pretty nice one. I take it as a “maybe” and sell it harder. “How about we table this discussion for tonight, and you take a look at your calendar and see if you can swing it.” I turn back and stir the pan on the stove, hoping I sound casual and not like my hopes are wrapped up in her saying yes. “I just hope Earl doesn’t bring up the pictures again at dinner. I don’t like seeing him riled up like that. Can’t be good for him.”
I hear a snort behind me and I hide my grin.
“Real smooth, Whittington.” She lets out a long sigh. “I’ll check my calendar right now. That means you’ve got kitchen duty.”
I look back to see her leave the kitchen, crossing my fingers she can make the trip happen. She has no idea how much I enjoy cooking dinner with her or sitting around the table eating together. I’ve been lonely for years, and she and Earl are providing the companionship I’ve been looking for. Sometimes I get the sense that we’ve reached the level of friends, but then she’ll back away and I wonder if she even likes me. A weekend alone together might be just what we need to figure out what we are to each other.
When dinner is ready, I plate up our dishes and wander out to the study downstairs to find Frances. She’s got her phone glued to her ear while she simultaneously pulls up a document on her laptop and flips pages in a notebook on the desk in front of her.
“Yes, I know you wanted an over-the-top champagne fountain, but the largest the hotel can accommodate is six feet high. And there’s no way the health code will allow the dancers to traipse through the fountain.”
I put a fist to my mouth to keep from laughing out loud as I hover in the doorway. Is her client insane? I don’t know how Francie puts up with people like that.
“Yes. Um hm. Well, I already spoke to the dance company, and they’re fine dancing around the fountain and they promise it would be just as dramatic. The six-foot fountain is available, and I already put it on hold in case you want it.” Frances turns and sees me, rolling her eyes. “Okay, good. I’ll book it right now.”
Coming up behind her, I brush her long hair off her shoulder, noticing my touch makes her shiver. I use one hand to massage her shoulder, not wanting to jostle the phone, but seeing she’s super tense and could use the cue to relax. Besides, I love any excuse to touch her, to be of help, to simply be close. If she’d let me, I’d do so much more.
“Before I go, I wanted to let you know I’ll be out of town next weekend. I’ll call you Friday to make sure everything is good before I go.” I give her shoulder an extra squeeze to let her know I heard her and definitely approve. “You-you want to come here?”
The tension is back, and not even my strong grip can bring her shoulder down away from her ear.
“Um, okay, sure. That could work. Three weeks from today? Okay, got it on the calendar. We’ll meet and go over every last detail.” She hangs up her phone and drops her head.
“Went that well, huh?” Now I use both hands to rub her shoulders, noticing how she jumps when I touch her. That’s either a good sign, or a really, devastatingly bad sign.
Her answer is muffled, coming from between her two arms and the desk. “She’s unbelievable. And she’s coming here to finalize everything.” She whips her head up and twists around, dislodging my hands from her shoulders. “Can you freaking believe that?”
My hands instantly miss the connection with her skin. “I’m sorry she’s being unreasonable. But the good news is you don’t have to fly out to meet her. She’s coming here instead. And I know you. You’ll have everything ready to go, so she’ll have nothing to complain about. You’ve got this, Francie.”
She takes a deep breath and tries out a smile. “Thanks, Fen. I’m glad one of us is confident in my abilities.”
I chuckle, knowing she’s joking. She knows she’s good at what she does. She just needs to vent. “Come on. Dinner’s getting cold. Actually, it’s cold chicken salad, so maybe it’s getting warm.”
Offering her my hand, she lays her small hand in my palm, letting me help her up and lead her into Earl’s room to get him up for the evening.
While I’m excited to know she’s able to make the Savannah honeymoon trip work with her schedule, I’m struck by a new thought, one that plagues me throughout dinner. What if she can’t do her job from Love? What if, in order to excel in her line of work, she really does need to live in a big city? After Earl is gone, will there be anything to tie her here? Or will she run back to Atlanta the first chance she gets?
It seems entirely too soon to tell, but if she leaves, she may be taking my heart with her.
