After Hours (18 page)

“Are you okay?”

He glanced up and saw Amera. He still couldn’t figure out how she benefited from all this. “I’m fine.”

“Do you have a headache?”

“All the time.”

“Let me--”

He leaned against the headboard and stretched out his legs. “I’m fine.”

“Your brother’s about to give me a tour of the house. Want to join us?”

He closed his eyes. “No.”

“Okay,” she said, then he heard her leave.

He’d never been to his brother’s house before and this would be the last time so it didn’t matter if he saw it or not. He sat on the bed for a few minutes then grew restless and left the room. He found the living room, grabbed a remote and sat down. Before he could turn on the TV, a woman walked into the room then halted. She looked at him and gasped, covering the slight curve of her belly, as if she expected him to attack her. Her fear didn’t surprise or annoy him. He was used to it. “You weren’t expecting me?”

“No,” Heidi said. “I mean, I thought Kyle was showing you the house.”

“He’s showing Amera.”

“Yes.” She pulled on the hem of her shirt. “Would you like something to drink?”

Before Curtis could decline they heard a thud upstairs then a loud wail. Heidi turned and ran. Curtis followed her. She ran into one of the rooms where he saw a little boy and an overturned crib. The little boy had evidently tried to climb out of it and had fallen over.

“Oh my dear, are you okay? Mommy’s here.” She picked up the child and hugged him while Curtis watched. Kyle and Amera came running into the room.

“What happened?” Kyle demanded.

“He tried to crawl into the crib again.”

“Son, you get the big boy bed now.”

The boy’s tears continued to flow.

“But you don’t want that do you?” Curtis said. He understood the boy’s anger and tears, having felt them himself. “You don’t want the big bed and you don’t want to be the big brother. You want to be the baby again. I know. I didn’t want to be a big brother either.” He looked around the room then started to leave.

“Why?” a little voice asked.

Curtis slowly turned. “It’s a secret.”

The little boy wiped his eyes. “I’m good with secrets.”

“Secrets only big brothers can know.”

The boy looked at him and his eyes again filled with tears and his mouth moved but Curtis knew he was too young to have the words to share how he felt. “Come on. I’ll tell you outside.”

The boy grabbed onto his hand. Curtis felt awkward holding something so small, so trusting, but decided not to think about it. The boy needed space and so did he. “I’ll be right back.”

***

“Do you think we should follow them?” Heidi said.

“He’s not going to hurt a child,” Amera said.

“At least he got him to stop crying,” Kyle said.

“He took him outside,” Heidi said looking at them through the window. The two sat on the swing set.

Kyle joined her. “I wonder what he’s saying I’ve never seen Damon so still.”

“He probably likes the attention,” Amera said.

Heidi shivered. “You’d think he’d be afraid of him. I am.”

Amera nodded. “Most people are.”

“I should go down. It’s too cold for Damon to be out long.”

“It’s not that cold,” Kyle said.

“You think I can’t take care of my son?”

Kyle sighed. “No, but you do know how to ruin a good thing.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Amera looked at the couple feeling the tension in the air. “If you’re really uncomfortable I’ll go--”

“He’s fine,” Kyle said returning his gaze to the window.

Heidi headed for the door. “I’m going to--”

Kyle’s mouth fell open. “Oh my God.”

She spun around and rushed over to the window. “What?”

“He’s laughing. Curtis got him laughing.”

Amera looked and saw Damon doubled over in laughter. He looked up at Curtis with a big grin then fell on the floor and laughed again. “I wonder what he’s saying to him.”

“Whatever it is, it’s working,” Kyle said. “I can’t believe it.”

“I didn’t know your brother was funny,” Heidi said.

“He’s not,” Kyle and Amera said in unison.

“But this reminds me of something,” Kyle said in an odd tone.

“What?” Amera asked.

He shook his head. “I’m not sure.”

They saw Curtis stand and Damon raced up to him and grabbed his hand again. Curtis playfully pushed him away. He grinned and grabbed his arm. Curtis looked down at him and said something that had the boy in giggles again. When the pair rejoined them Damon announced,

“I’m going to be the best big brother in the world. Right Uncle Curtis?”

He nodded.

Damon giggled.

“What did you talk about?” Amera asked.

Curtis playfully patted her cheek. “It’s a secret.”

“I like secrets.”

He winked. “I know.”

Heidi took her son’s hand. “Come on, it’s time to start cooking dinner. Kyle, set the table.”

“I will in a minute,” he said.

She shot him a look. “I need you to do it now.”

He sighed then left.

Amera turned to Curtis. “I didn’t know you were so good with kids.”

“I’m not,” Curtis said, glancing around the room. “Can we go now?”

“We just got here.”

“I think we should leave before things get complicated.”

“What could be complicated about being with your family?”

He shook his head and opened his mouth to reply when the sound of shattering glass pierced the air followed by raised voices.

Curtis rubbed the back of his neck. “Now,
this
is the kind of family holiday I remember.”

Amera raced downstairs with Curtis behind her.

“I wasn’t the one who wanted a second baby,” she overhead Kyle say.
“So, now this is my fault?” Heidi shouted.

“Let me help you,” Amera said coming into the kitchen and taking the broom and duster from Heidi. Damon sat quiet in the corner tightly holding a toy.

“Sorry,” Heidi said. “We didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“It’s okay,” Amera said.

Kyle left the room.

When Curtis didn’t move, Amera nudged him.

“What?” he asked.

“Go,” she said in a low voice.

“Where?”

“Find out what’s wrong.”

Curtis pointed to the floor. “That’s why I’m here.”

She nudged him again. “Find out what’s wrong with your brother. He probably wants to talk.”

“What if I don’t want to talk?”

She nudged him a third time. “Then just listen.”

Curtis folded his arms and kept his feet planted. “I don’t like doing that either.”

“It’s okay,” Heidi said before Amera could argue. “He doesn’t have to. I don’t want you two involved with our problems.” She sniffed.

Amera sent Curtis a stern look.

He blinked, looking bored.

She pulled him over to the side and whispered in his ear. “Please do this. Heidi looks really upset.”

“If I do what you ask, can we leave?”

“Your mother hasn’t seen you yet.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“Okay,” Amera said reluctantly. She could understand his unease. This wasn’t the holiday gathering she’d had in mind. She felt woefully ill-equipped to handle it--she’d take a business deal collapse over family drama any day.

“Promise?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Be careful,” he said before he left.

Amera didn’t understand the need for a warning, but was relieved that he hadn’t argued. She led Damon to the family room and turned on a cartoon then returned to Heidi who was standing by the kitchen sink. “Why don’t you sit down?” she suggested as she cleared up the glass.

Heidi covered her face with her hands. “I’m so ashamed.”

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, accidents happen and couples fight.”

“I didn’t expect it to be this way, but seeing you with Curtis makes me see how horrible my marriage is.”

“Kyle loves you and--”

Her hands fell to the table and she looked at Amera with red rimmed eyes. “Not as much as Curtis loves you.”

“Curtis doesn’t love me,” Amera said with a laugh, amused by the statement. Both Kyle and Heidi knew about Curtis’ memory loss and Amera’s deception. She lowered her voice. “Remember, our marriage isn’t real and--”

Heidi shook her head. “You don’t see the way he looks at you.”

Amera sat down at the kitchen table and took Heidi’s hand in pity. Perhaps this was why Curtis had warned her to be careful. Because Heidi was pregnant, her hormones were clearly all over the place and confusing her. She had to be gentle with her. “First, the man out there is not the real Curtis. Second, it’s easy to perceive what isn’t there.”

Heidi frowned. “What?”

Amera scratched her cheek, knowing she wasn’t making herself clear. “You’re imaging what you want to see. Even though you know my marriage is fake, you’re imaging what it could be. What your marriage could be.”

“The women aren’t my imagination.”

Amera released her hand and sat back in her chair, trying to process Heidi’s words. “I’m sorry?”

“Kyle’s cheated on me.”

“Are you sure? Maybe--”

Heidi sniffed and wiped away a tear. “He doesn’t even try to hide it anymore.”

Amera wished she knew what to say, but didn’t. Now all she wanted was to go home as much as Curtis did. Kyle cheated on his wife? He seemed so amiable and loyal. But why would she lie about that? Amera felt completely out of her depths. She was used to facts and figures. Affairs of the heart frightened her. “So you’re divorcing him?”

“No,” Heidi said stunned. She looked at Amera horrified. “I love him.”

“Has he threatened to leave you?”

“No.”

“Then what’s the problem?” Amera asked confused.

Heidi wiped her eyes with a napkin and said with a reluctant smile. “You’d make a terrible counselor.”

“I know. I’m not good at this. Let me help you with dinner,” Amera said going to the fridge, hoping Curtis was having better luck with his brother. Fifteen minutes later she received a text on her cell phone from Curtis asking her to meet him in their bedroom. When she entered their room she saw him opening the closet.

“We’re leaving now before it gets really ugly,” Curtis said grabbing their suitcases. He shook them. “Why are these empty?

“I unpacked them after Kyle gave me the house tour.”

“I forgot how efficient you are,” he grumbled opening a drawer.

“Did you know he’s cheating on her?”

Curtis placed his clothes in the suitcase. “And the second child isn’t his.”

Her mouth dropped open. “How do you know?”

“He had a vasectomy.”

“Without her knowledge? Isn’t that illegal?”

Curtis looked up at her and grinned. “What are you going to do? Arrest him?”

Amera placed her hands on the side of her face and held her head. “What a mess. I didn’t expect--”

“A dysfunctional family? Growing up you filled your mind with children’s books and expected sing-alongs by the fire, lots of presents around the Christmas tree and laughter, right?”

“I’m sorry.” She’d never considered that there may have been other reasons why he hadn’t wanted to visit his family all these years.

“Why? You’re not responsible for what’s happening. You didn’t make them that way.” He looked at her. “Why aren’t you packing?”

“I’m sorry because I lied. You didn’t want to come here.”

“I know.” He lifted a sly brow when she looked at him shocked. “I’ve lost my memory, not my mind.”

“Then why did you go along?”

“I figured it would be better for you to find out for yourself.”

Amera sighed, feeling the weight of her failure. “There’s something else you should know. I’m not--”

“So why didn’t you fall for it?” Curtis cut in.

“What?”

“My brother’s charm. My last two assistants did.”

Amera remembered the times his brother had visited his office, but although she’d found him friendly, he’d never tried to flirt with her. “I don’t believe you.”

“It’s true,” he said putting another item into the suitcase. “You can ask Owen.”

Owen knew a lot. Perhaps that was why he’d seemed less than enthused about her ‘holiday family’ idea. She should have paid more attention. How well did she really know Kyle? She couldn’t use her experience, she hadn’t been the kind of woman men flirted with, although he’d always been pleasant to her. “But they haven’t been married that long.”