Chapter 15-Charm
H elen arrived at Lemon's Farm in Oxford, Ohio just as the girls Bria and Ayanna were about to load up for school. Helen waved to them as she pulled into a parking space near the home. The girls, excited, bound for the vehicle, grabbing the door to help Helen out.
“Cousin Helen, you're back! We missed you,” Ayanna said.
“Yeah, a couple of things changed around here while you were away,” Bria said. “A lot has changed. Will you be here when we get back from school?”
“Sure will,” Helen replied, adding a soft smile at the corner of her lips.
“Can you make us some meatloaf for dinner? I like meatloaf with mashed potatoes,” Ayanna said.
“So now I'm the cook?”
“No, but you know...she can't do much in the kitchen outside of the pressure cooker thing, sheet pan dinners or the air fryer,” Bria said. “It's nice to have, like, real food.”
“If you learn to cook, you can have real food all the time,” Helen said.
“True, but why do for myself when you do it so much better?” Ayanna retorted sticking out her tongue. “Hey, any word from that dude with the snake on his chest? Is he coming back too, like Mr. Jared?”
“Mr. Jared is back?” Helen said, trying to act surprised.
“Yeah, I'll wait and let her explain it,” Bria said. “Come on, Ayanna, we're gonna be late for school.”
Helen watched the girls drive off. In the back of her car, she had a few thoughtful gifts she’d picked up for each of them, including Colette, who stood on the porch watching the girls drive away. Her blond hair billowed in the wind as she attempted to harness the wispy strands. In Helen's bag, she had hair clamps and pretties for the girl along with a few new easy reading and writing books. Colette’s face lit up when she saw Helen taking her cases from the vehicle. Colette ran from the porch to greet her, stopping short of making physical contact.
“Hey,” Colette said, smiling slightly.
“Hey back. Did you have a good weekend?”
“It was okay. We went to the mall, but I didn’t have enough to really shop,” Colette said, looking down at her feet. “I missed you.”
“I missed you as well,” Helen said. “Would you like a hug?”
The girl looked up and smiled at Helen. “Yes, I would. I would like that a lot.”
“Well, get over here and let's make that happen,” Helen said, opening her arms wide. Colette walked into the embrace and held tightly to Helen. Helen didn't speak as she held onto the child, understanding her need for connection in a time of upheaval in her life. “I brought you a few goodies. Will you help me bring them inside?”
Colette sniffled and asked, “You brought me goodies?”
“Nothing major; a few hair ties, mascara, age-appropriate lip blusher, and a few learning materials,” Helen said. “You're so sharp, I know it won't take long to get your reading on point. Any word on the home schooling with Doc Myrtle?”
“We started yesterday, but she's used to teaching really smart kids science and chemistry, not a dumb kid like me about how to change the word jump or how to make jump into jumping.”
“Conjugating verbs,” Helen corrected.
“Conjugate,” Colette repeated, looking at her feet again. “The man came back.”
“I heard.”
“He's sleeping in the house now, on the couch most times,” Colette said.
“Is that a concern for you?”
“No. Not really,” she said.
“Have you spoken to him?”
“No. Not really,” she spoke softly. “Life has been hard for me. I want to have a simple life, so I won't make any waves. Doc Myrtle said no bullshit from me, so I stay out of the way.”
“This is your home too. You don't have to stay out of the way. You're a part of her family,” Helen said.
“Can I be a part of yours instead? I mean, do you have kids? A husband? A house?”
“I do, but your place is here. While I'm here, I will help you ease into your role in this house,” Helen said.
“Not sure if I want to,” Colette stated. “The other two, they are friends, almost like sisters. I'm not like them. I feel...weird. It feels weird to be here.”
“Do you feel safe?”
“Yeah.”
“Let's start there. Come on; help me with this stuff,” Helen said. They walked quietly to the porch and entered the home. The morning’s coolness required a small fire in the fireplace. Jared Bane stood at the mantle, a cup of coffee in hand, deep in thought. “Morning.”
“Oh morning,” he replied. “Welcome back.”
“Thanks,” she told him. “Let me get settled, Colette, and we can get started on your daily lessons. Also, I guess I'm making meatloaf for dinner, by request.”
“Is that Helen I hear?” Lemon called out, coming from the bedroom. She looked like the epitome of the black college professor. A smile covered her face at seeing Helen. “Welcome back. I can't wait to hear about your weekend. I take it everything went well?”
“The weekend went well,” she said, winking at Lemon. “I'll put my things away and start the lessons with Colette. Anything on my schedule today?”
“Yes, Chemistry 101,” Lemon said. “We will start when I return from classes this afternoon.”
Jared looked over at Lemon and told her, “Don't forget your paperwork.”
Helen couldn't tell what the look between them meant. It wasn't her place to ask either; if Lemon wanted her to know, she would tell her. Jared, however, seemed a bit out of sorts.
“My things will be arriving this week,” he told her. “The work trailer should be here today. Any preference on where it shouldn't be placed?”
“It should be out of the line of sight behind the barn,” she told him. “You have my cell and here's my office information.”
“Okay, have an amazing day,” he told her.
“You as well,” she told him. “When do you officially start work?”
“Next Monday,” he said.
“Good enough,” Lemon said, picking up the envelope. It was then that Helen noticed the ring on Lemon's left hand as well as the one on Jared's. She looked left and she looked right.
With a bit of snark in her voice, Helen inquired, “What did I miss over the weekend?”
“He's now my husband,” Lemon said, walking over to the man and puckering up for a kiss. “Later.”
“Later,” he replied, returning the affection. “I'll get out of you ladies’ way.”
He left without another word. Helen looked at Colette. The girl's blue eyes pierced into hers.
“Her bedroom is below mine. He’s noisy.” Colette said frowning while shaking her head. “Seriously, can I come live with you?”
Helen hugged her again. She couldn't wait for Lemon to get home from work to explain and elaborate on how Jared Bane had become her husband. In the meantime, she unpacked her suitcase. Rarely did she climb the stairs to living space for the girls, but the gifts for them she left on the bottom of each of their beds. She spoke with Jared about moving the bed in Colette’s room to the room with the twin beds, so no one would be over their master bedroom. When he realized Colette could hear them at night, he moved with haste to relocate Collette’s sleeping quarters. The girl seemed pleased with the change.
The lessons with the Collette went well, and her reading made progress with consonants and verb conjugation. At three o’clock, she began to prep dinner. The ground beef she seasoned, adding in bread crumbs and an egg along with more ketchup as she’d seen Ruth Neary do for the meatloaf. At five minutes to four, she pulled the cornbread from the oven. Resting it on a trivet. She made two cups of tea before heading to the front porch.
All day she fidgeted, wanting to know. The excitement almost overwhelmed her at the four o'clock hour when Lemon returned from campus, to find Helen on the front porch holding a cup of tea, and an extra one sat on the table for Lemon. She walked up, taking a seat.
“So,” Helen said, “Dr. Bane, a chick needs to understand what happened, how you like him, and the calmness I see in your spirit. Most of all, does the Sheriff know?”
“Girl, I am still too in shock to process any of it. I will tell you what happened, as best as I can, because it is all a blur,” Lemon confessed.
Helen sipped at the tea, ready for the juicy details. She hoped Lemon didn't leave out too much. Jared Bane was a hell of a specimen, but he also said he started work on Monday. She also wanted to know what that meant.
“Okay, start from when he arrived on Friday and leave nothing out,” Helen prodded. “This is going to be good!”
****
F RIDAY... OXFORD, OHIO
Jared Bane sat in the cab of a brand-new Ford F-150, wondering how his life had gotten off course. At times, especially on days like today, he felt it was veering headfirst into a tree. He didn't plan to yank the steering wheel out of fear of over-correcting while in the midst of hydroplaning and end up kissing an electrical pole. He wasn't in a tailspin but heading in a direction in which he wasn't mad in the least at where he'd ended up. When he parked the truck, Jared Bane would be home with his family.
The small condo he owned in Louisiana, he'd rent out to one of his nieces or nephews since there wasn't a mortgage on the place. The address of record for him was actually in Texas, and no place really was a home to him until now. He'd felt more at home with Myrtle and the girls than he had in a long time. Myrtle would now be his wife.
He'd called a few days ago to let her know the Archangel pretty much had decided he was the only man worthy of Myrtle's hand. In any form of a life, well-lived or poorly planned, that form of an endorsement went a long way. Myrtle trusted the Archangel with her life. For the past ten years, if not longer, technically, Jared had also trusted the Archangel with his. Now, instead of being the man behind the trigger and the boots in the muck, he would be the voice on the other end of the line. He would be the one calling in orders. In a week or so, on Monday night, his new watch would begin. Now, he simply had to explain it all to his wife, then to their kids.
“What in the actual hell am I doing?” he said, pulling into the driveway. “Yeah, we need a garage for the vehicles.”
The vehicle for the girls wasn't there; neither was the SUV driven by “Cousin Helen.” He and Myrtle would be alone. For good measure, he'd stopped at a family-oriented roadside stand to brush his teeth and freshen up, just in case she wanted to get the marriage underway by truly becoming his wife.
Jared cut the engine and eased his way out of the new truck. It had all the bells and whistles with satellite radio, hands-free calling, and even a backup camera. An iridescent silver on silver icon of a Seraphim emblazoned the tailgate as a warning to all those who understood what it meant. He didn't need to be told what it meant; however, the woman who would be his wife would soon find out.
He reached the front door and knocked lightly. He offered a smile as Dr. Myrtle Kainker stood in the entryway of the home they would share and raise a family. A deep sigh left him at the thought of finally having a family of his own.
“Welcome home,” she said with a smile.
“It's good to be home,” he said, stepping across the threshold. He opted to play it safe by first passing her the manila envelope with the needed documentation inside. “All the paperwork is in order, including your new social security card, and your bank accounts under Myrtle Kainker for the household expenses have been changed to Myrtle Bane. The other stuff stays in your maiden name.”
“You're now my husband on paper. Also, I like the haircut. It makes you look totally like a different person,” she told him looking down at the paperwork which brings changes to her life. “You say it all with such ease, as if none of this is odd to you.”
“No, it’s not too odd, I guess,” he said, taking a seat. “Thanks for the compliment on the haircut. I need to look at the role of the Chemistry professor’s husband, and not like a side project when I escort you to the faculty holiday gathering. Once we get clarity on roles and moving forward, I plan to be your husband in every sense of the word. We can finish what we started on this couch.”
“Funny and speaking of roles, I am the Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry,” she added pausing, “How do you know I'm not a dud in bed?”
“Doesn't matter.”
“What do you mean it doesn't matter,” she said. “I could lie there like a petrified fish, barely moving. Are you telling me a warm hole will suffice for you?”
“You don't need to be good at that aspect,” he told her. “I am. I will ensure it is enjoyable for us both.”
“Arrogant.”
“No, based on your response to me on the couch, we know there is a reactive chemistry between us. What remains is which chemicals to stir in to make it hotter,” he said. “Doc Myrtle, would you like for me to make it hotter?”
“Listen here, Sir!” she said, laughing. '“You're my husband. Just like that, a man who sits in a dark room watching people has deemed you worthy of my hand, oh gallant knight. Did I ask how do you know him?”
Jared enjoyed seeing her smile. She was in fact a cute woman, bordering on attractive with the right hair and makeup, but as is, he found her to be simply, perfect. For no reason at all, he stood smiling at her. To stay on track, he answered her question about his relationship to the Archangel.
“He and I were roommates at Langley.”
“You were CIA?”
“Am,” he corrected her. “On another note, our marriage is no different from an arranged marriage. We both know why we are here. We want the same things. You have the house and land. We have a few kids. Hopefully, we can make a few more. I spoil you, and you learn to cook so I can get fat. I rent a big stupid camper for a family vacation, and we live happily ever after.”
Myrtle was squinting at him. “Cook for your damned self and stop, what do you mean, still am CIA?”
“When you make your little concoctions and send them out, my team and I were the recipients of your science,” he told her. “We get the calls, my team goes in, clears out and cleans out, then you get a few kids that we rescue to take care of and raise.”
“I never understood what happened in the middle of the operation once the Archangels are notified of situations or how the Technicians know who and where to go to make bad people take naps,” she said.
“My crew, or crews like the one I led, do the surveillance, ensure the targets are accurate, then we call it in,” he said. “Those days for me are over.”
“Who were the women who came looking for you?” she wanted to get clarity on that situation before anything else occurred between her and this new husband.
“Different crew,” he said. “All women. We went into Central America to shut down a pipeline of kids being auctioned off. However, I discovered for every two children they were placing in protection, one was being fed to the beast. I caught them, so I am being chased to keep me quiet.”
“Will you be quiet about it?”
“Too late. The wheels are in motion. All I need to do is sit still and wait,” he said.
“Sit still for how long? I mean, I work two jobs to have all of this, and you showed up with a duffel bag. How do you plan to support your family? Wait, did you say you were still working with the CIA? I mean, if you leave here needing to crawl into dark holes to pull out broken bodies and come home all fucked up in the head, you can get in your truck and get gone,” she asked, wanting to know the harsh truth.
“No, I am the new Hayseed,” he said. “Buckeye covers the top half of the state, keeping watch. As the newly appointed Hayseed, I am the Seraphim who shall oversee the lower half of the state, keeping watch on militias, religious organizations, and cultlike movements.”
“You will work from home?”
“I have an office coming. I will work from there, out of the house, so I won’t interfere with the girls’ lives,” he said.
“And Colette?”
“What about her?”
“She's terrified. The poor girl saw you and passed out,” Myrtle said, watching him as he stood. “I am really worried about her and you being in the house.”
Jared’s hand went into his pocket. He pulled out a black velvet box. Slowly, he opened it and showed it to Myrtle. Her eyebrow arched a bit, looking at the shiny stones in the case. Gently, he removed the rings and pulled her hand to his. He slipped the band and half carat ring onto her finger. He handed her a second box, which included his wedding band. Jared nodded for her to do the same for him.
“You're not answering my question about Colette, Mr. Bane,” she said, sliding the wedding band on his finger.
“Doc Myrtle, right now, you need to be worried about yourself,” he told her.
His hand slid into hers, pulling her along the hallway to the bedroom where she slept. She wanted to argue with him or even put up a bit of a fight. However, she wanted to know what it would feel like to make love to the man the Archangel had chosen to be her husband.
“Sir, just so we are clear, I don't appreciate your high-handed tactics,” she said, trying not to sound as if she were eager to rip off his clothes and ride him like a broken-necked hobby horse.
“Doc Myrtle, if it makes you feel any better, I will completely disrobe and let you have your way with me,” he said. “I'm giving like that. I also believe in sharing responsibilities equally, plus I fully support and respect you for being an independent woman. Your call, but right now, I need my wife.”
“Your wife?”
“Yes Ma'am, my wife. I'm starving, and I haven't been fed in a very long time. I want to gorge myself at the buffet. More importantly, I'm ready to make you mine,” he said, closing the bedroom door and engaging the lock.
“You said I needed to clear the house because things were going to get loud,” Lemon said, wanting to get clarification before going further.
“Yep. Sure did, but I will try to keep it down,” he said, grinning at her.
“Okay, can we slow it down a moment and talk about a few things?”
“I'm talked out, Doc Myrtle. I gave you three days to call it off, back out, and tell me to go screw myself. I'm here. You're here. My ring is on that finger. There's a manila...ah screw this,” he said, reaching for her.
The kiss was long, deep, and laced with a year's worth of sexual frustration. By the time the kiss was over, Myrtle Kainker Bane found herself undressed in her bed and anxious for what came next.
“I will love, honor, and cherish you all the days of our lives, and you shall want for nothing,” he told her. “The love will come, but I'm pretty close already. Tell me you're ready for us?”
She nodded her head. It wasn't enough. Jared needed to know the words from her, and he used every tool at his resource to make the woman scream how ready she was for what came next for them. He didn't stop until he knew she was pleased, and afterwards, cuddled into a sweaty ball, he whispered, “I'm going to love having you as my wife.”
*** *
“T HAT'S IT?” HELEN SAID . “I was expecting more.”
“More of what? More details? That would be unseemly.,” Lemon said. “Anyway, how did it go with you and that nasty ass love potion you made?”
“I made that stallion whinny,” Helen said, blushing. She looked at Lemon, who had a strange look on her face. Lemon shook her head no. “What do you mean no?”
Lemon's eyes were wide. “Stallion? Whinny? As in The Mustang?”
“One and the same, but I messed up, Doc Myrtle,” she confessed. “I think I made it too strong. One application and every time that man looked at me, his pupils dilated, and he had to juice the Cranberry. Morning. Afternoon. Twice one night. My back and muffin are sore as hell. I was anxious to get back here and play with toxic plants.”
“Hmm, sounds like he likes you a lot. Can I be a bridesmaid at the wedding? I didn't get one, just that Archangel paperwork bullshit,” Lemon said. “One of us needs to walk down the aisle in a pretty white gown.”
“Making a note,” Helen said.
Helen only nodded. She winked again. The meatloaf would be ready to come out of the oven, and Helen had also made a nice hot apple pie for dessert. It was time for dinner and the evening wrap-up of the day.