• Twenty-Five •
· Twenty-Five ·
This was all too easy. Too … pleasant.
Briar
A fancy shopping bag was sitting outside my bedroom door this morning, containing panties, a bra, a sundress and even a pair of sandals. I took them out of the bag and was surprised to find the sizes were all correct. Even the bra. Then, I saw the designer labels and balked. I might not be able to afford clothing like this, but I’d dated men who supplied me with nice things.
After an internal struggle, I finally decided to put the things on. I didn’t want Maeme to think I was ungrateful. It was just these items seemed new even if they had no tags on them, and the underthings smelled freshly laundered. Whoever they belonged to might not appreciate my borrowing them.
Looking in the mirror, I ran my hands over the luxurious material of the dress. I had always loved nice things, but the cost that had come with them wasn’t worth it. The taint behind knowing I had those things because of a man who was buying me had taken any pleasure I might have had wearing them.
Stepping out into the hallway, I noticed the door to the room Dovie had slept in was open. Peeking in the door, I found her bed was made neatly, and there was a similar shopping bag folded up at the foot of the bed. I wondered what Maeme had found for Dovie to wear. Turning, I headed toward the stairs to go find her. She’d been comfortable enough to dress and leave the room alone this morning. That was a good sign. I’d worried over her being okay here until I finally fell asleep last night.
Once I was downstairs, I followed the sound of voices and found myself in a large, bright kitchen with Dovie smiling at something Maeme had said. There was a plate of pancakes in front of her, and the fork was in Dovie’s hand.
“How do I sign that?” Maeme asked her.
Dovie placed her fork down on the plate and signed, “Library.”
Maeme dried her hands on the red checked apron she was wearing, then repeated the sign. Dovie beamed at her and nodded. My chest squeezed at the sight. Other than me, Dovie hadn’t known any kindness. The world she’d lived in for eleven years was ugly. The past four years, she’d been locked away with only me as company.
The thought reminded me of what Storm had said last night. I could have done a better job. He was right. I’d failed her in so many ways.
“Good morning,” Maeme greeted me when she noticed me standing in the doorway. “Don’t you look pretty as a picture?” She waved at the stool beside Dovie. “Sit down. I’ll get you a plate fixed right up.”
“Thank you,” I told her. “For all of this. You’re already giving us somewhere to live. You don’t need to dress and feed us too. I don’t want to be a burden.”
Maeme scowled. “Burden? Shut that up right now. This house is too empty most days. You two have given me some much-needed company. And I cook every morning. It’s my love language. The boys stop by when they can, and I always have them a good hot meal ready.”
I ran a hand over the sundress I was wearing, then looked at the white linen shorts Dovie was wearing with a sleeveless blue top and Tory Burch flip-flops. She was in designer clothing too. Maybe not as expensive as mine, but for a teenager, that was stuff dreams were made of.
“The clothing,” I said with awe, “it’s beautiful.”
Maeme smiled, turning quickly from me to pick up a plate. “I’m glad you’re pleased with it. I hope everything fit okay.”
“Yes! Surprisingly so.”
Maeme continued smiling as she put way more food on a plate than I could possibly eat. Walking over to take the seat by Dovie, I studied her closely, making sure she was as good as she appeared to be.
“Do you see my shoes?” she signed.
I laughed and nodded.
“These pancakes are delicious,” she signed.
“Better than Pop-Tarts, I take it?”
She nodded her head vigorously.
“Of course they are,” Maeme said, placing a plate in front of me. “Good home-cooked food beats that ole processed junk every time.”
I didn’t disagree, but I felt a twinge of guilt that Dovie had had very little of that in her life too. I’d not cooked for her enough, and our groceries weren’t exactly healthy.
Dovie nudged me with her arm, and I turned to look at her. She picked up one of the strawberries on my plate and stuck it in her mouth, grinning. She was trying to lighten my mood. When you lived running with no one but each other, you got to know each other really well. I didn’t have to tell Dovie what I was thinking. She’d already figured it out.
“Is there something we can do around here to help? Clean? Yardwork?” I asked Maeme, wanting to pay her back for all this.
Maeme placed a cup of coffee in front of me, prepared the way I liked it. Had she really remembered that small detail from my apartment? It seemed she was incredibly perceptive. This shouldn’t surprise me. She’d noticed Dovie’s shoes after all.
“I was thinking we’d relax. Let you girls get settled,” Maeme said with a smile. “I thought of going to the nursery and picking up some perennials. If one of you has any interest in that, I could use some help in the gardens.”
My ears perked up at the idea of getting to plant something that wouldn’t be left behind and forgotten. I’d always loved flowers, but after planting them and having to leave them so many times, I had stopped trying. It made me sad to think they’d be forgotten and neglected. Like I had been.
“I love gardening,” I told her. “I’m sure Dovie will enjoy being outdoors as long as she has a book in her hands.”
Maeme beamed at me. “Then, we have our day all set.”
This was all too easy. Too … pleasant. I’d learned a long time ago never to get comfortable.
A day filled with sunshine, gardening, sweet tea, lunch on the back porch, and lemon cookies couldn’t have been more out of place for both Dovie and me. Although Dovie hadn’t done much in the way of gardening. She had read mostly while sitting on the porch swing. During lunch, Maeme had shown interest in communicating with Dovie. She’d asked Dovie how to sign several things. Seeing Dovie this relaxed and enjoying being around other people gave me joy as much as it did guilt. I’d been unable to give her this life.
While I sat in the bedroom and thought about our day and how all too perfect it had seemed, I worried that I was making a mistake, trusting this. Letting my guard down wasn’t a luxury I could afford. Even if Dovie had been given a day unlike any she’d ever had. As much as I wanted all of this for Dovie, I knew it would be fleeting, and we’d have to leave here soon too. What if she got too attached?
My phone dinged, alerting me of a text, and I picked it up to see Storm’s name on my screen. I’d not put his number into my phone. So, that meant …
Scowling, I wondered how long it had been here. Since he’d put the tracking on it?
Getting a new phone needed to be at the top of my list once I had my things back, and hopefully, the money I had stuck under my seat in an empty tampon box was still there. If men were raiding my car, they’d overlook a tampon box. Right? God, I hoped so. Why hadn’t I kept the money on me? But then where was one supposed to hide a pound of one-hundred-dollar bills?
Did you have a good day?
I read it twice before responding.
Why is your number in my phone?
Because seriously, this was just another invasion of my privacy. I didn’t want his number.
I put it there. Now, answer my question, little siren.
Little siren. I couldn’t decide if that was an insult or not. Sirens weren’t good mythical creatures, and they led men to their death. I was assuming it wasn’t meant as a complement.
It was lovely, thanks to Maeme.
I caught myself watching to see if he was typing and dropped the phone as if it were suddenly on fire. I didn’t care if he was texting me or not. Standing up, I walked over to the curtains to close them before changing into the silk pajamas that Maeme had left on the bed for me.
My phone dinged, and I glared at it as if it had offended me for several moments before going back over to pick it up. I should ignore him, but right now, I unfortunately needed his help.
Sleep well.
That was it? Sleep well? Did he care if I slept at all? I doubted it. The man just liked to keep me confused. I swore he got off on it.
I will sleep just fine, Storm Kingston.
I turned my phone off and placed it on the nightstand before taking off my clothes. The pajamas felt and looked expensive. Did Maeme have nothing but designer hand-me-downs in this place? Although much like the things I had worn today, this didn’t appear as if it had ever been worn before. It smelled of lavender when I held the luxurious fabric to my nose.
This life could spoil you fast. I hoped Dovie wasn’t getting too attached.