Sarah's Child (14 page)

Then, Ill help you by removing temptation, Sarah volunteered, rolling away from his hand and carefully sitting up on the side of the bed. Shed have liked nothing better than to stay in bed with him all day, but shed sensed that at any moment hed have moved away from her and gotten up, and abruptly she couldnt stand to have him leave her lying in bed one more time. The thing to do was to call a halt to it herself, to get up first and make the decision, as if she had other things to do. She stood up a little stiffly, her muscles protesting both the heavy work shed been doing and the vigorous exercise theyd had in the last couple of hours. As she walked across the room, Rome frowned when he saw the jerkiness in her usually fluid movements.

He left the bed and went to her, putting his hand on her shoulder as she selected her underwear from the dresser. Are you all right? he asked a little gruffly, and she understood the meaning of his question. He was a big, strong, highly-sexed man, and he dwarfed her in bed, in every way. He usually handled her slender, fine-boned body with a great deal of care and patience, but there were times when his passions were too strong and he took her with shocking powerfulness. That morning had been one of those times.

Yes, Im fine, she said, and because he was still frowning, she added, Im sore all over from working in the store, which is where I need to be right now. Youre not the only one whos late.

He dropped his hand, not liking the idea of her doing heavy physical work. Some women could handle it, but Sarah was too delicate, like a fragile, translucent piece of china. He wanted to see about this store himself, decide what had to be done, and hire people to do it. If Sarah wanted to supervise, she could do that, but he didnt want her to hurt herself. Only the knowledge that he didnt have the right to interfere kept him from laying down his strictures; if he used the dictatorial hand on her that he used at Spencer-Nyle, shed merely give him one of those patented iceberg looks and remind him of their bargain.

Id like to see the store, he began carefully, following her into the bathroom.

She gave him a surprised look. Of course. Ill probably still be there this afternoon when you get off work; why dont you come by? The name of it is Tools and Dyes, spelled with a y.

Ive seen it, he said thoughtfully. I always thought it was a machine shop. Hell, that place is a dump!

Was a dump, she corrected cheerfully, turning on the shower. When the water was warm, she stepped in and closed the door, which opened immediately. He got into the shower with her, his big body taking up most of the room and making her feel inordinately small. She looked up at him, her green eyes questioning as he took the bar of soap and rubbed up a rich lather in his hands.

Turn around, he ordered, and she did. He began sliding his hands over her back and shoulders, kneading her stiff, sore muscles, and she groaned aloud at the mingled pain and pleasure, her head hanging forward to allow him full access to her neck and shoulders. When she thought she couldnt stand it any longer, he knelt at her feet and gave the same thorough attention to her legs. She felt her muscles loosening as the pain eased, and she sighed in ecstasy. It was wonderful to have him pampering her, and not a day passed that she didnt pinch herself to make certain it wasnt a dream.

She wanted him to make love to her again, but he didnt. He was already late, and she knew that although she could probably entice him back to bed, hed resent it should she interfere with his work.

Rome had already left when Sarah went down to her car; hed hurried through breakfast and gone without even kissing her good-bye, an omission that totally destroyed the warmth left by their morning of passion. She reminded herself over and over that she had to accept the limits of their re-lationship; they were married, but he didnt love her, so she shouldnt expect him to act like a lover.

Marcie hailed her as she opened her car door, and she paused, her eyes narrowed against the bright morning sun as the other woman crossed the small brown strip of grass between the street and the building. The weather was still cool, but Marcie was in her shirt-sleeves, an abstracted frown on her face.

Good morning, she said, and that was Marcies total nod to conventional chitchat. She plunged right to the point. Sarah, were you going to hire anyone to help you in the store?

Of course, Sarah said readily. Shed have to, just to give herself time enough to eat lunch. One person really couldnt handle things, and even in its ramshackle condition, the little store had had a fairly steady stream of customers.

Would you consider Derek? He can only help you after school and on weekends, but Id appreciate it. I dont like that grocery store where hes working now, Marcie said worriedly. One of the cashiers is chasing him.

Id love to have Derek, Sarah said, and meant it. The boy was so strong and efficient, he could do whatever had to be done after school hours. She looked at Marcie and saw that her friend was really worried about her son.

How old is the cashier?

Marcie grunted in disgust. Shes closer to my age than she is to Dereks!

Does she know that hes only fifteen? He looks so much older.

I know, I know. Sarah, girls from his school follow him home! He takes it all for granted, but its getting harder for me to handle. He was my baby! she wailed. Hes still just a baby! I wasnt cut out to be the mother of aa Greek god! Italian god, she corrected herself, with scrupulous adherence to the facts.

If Derek wants to work at the store, Ill thank heaven for him every night.

Hed love to. He likes you, and he likes that sort of work. You dont know how I appreciate it!

Sarah smiled and waved away her thanks. Derek would take a huge load off her, and she liked having him around. Despite his spectacular looks, there was a calm, capable air about him that made her feel more comfortable. The only person who gave her a greater feeling of physical security was Rome.

Why dont you come by and see how the stores shaping up? she invited Marcie.

Thanks, I will. If you have time today, why dont I bring in lunch?

I never turn down lunch!

She was proud of the store, she thought, as she pulled her little car into the parking area in back of the building. It sparkled under new paint, now pristine white, with crisp blue trim around the windows and on the door. The windows had been cleaned with a mixture of vinegar and lemon juice, and they literally sparkled in the morning sun. The diamond panes gave a homey air to the crowded little store, with its raw plank flooring and old-fashioned bins for the merchandise.

New shelves lined the walls, however, and the pottery took up one entire wall. Bright hues of red and blue, earth brown, and a unique salmon color, were splashed against the wall like an abstract design, because all of the pottery had been colorfully glazed. Homemade quilts were draped across a couple of ladder-back chairs, while others were neatly folded and stacked on the woven straw bottoms of the chairs. There were nails, hammers, screwdrivers, nuts and bolts, scissors, pins and needles, and scores of other small necessities, but already Sarah had ideas for expanding the selection. She would carry supplies for macrame, cross-stitching, candlewicking, and knitting, complete with patterns. Doll-making was very popular, and that could be another section; there were two more small rooms in back besides the pottery room and the tiny office, and she could turn one into a doll room, with everything necessary to make anything from a soft-sculpture doll to china dolls. Stuffed animals were another possibility. She had so many ideas, she feared shed never have room for them all.

The small store brought her much more satisfaction than working in a large corporation ever had. Shed liked the demanding work at Spencer-Nyle, but the corporate structure really wasnt for her; it was far too impersonal. This small, homey, and homely store was very personal, uniquely hers even in the short length of time shed owned it. The soothing colors, the comfortable display of items, all spoke of her personal touch. She hadnt hesitated at all when shed learned by chance that the store was for sale; some intuition inside her had recognized that this was what shed wanted. Shed looked at the building, and at the stock and hadnt haggled. The price had been very reasonable, probably because of the condition of the building. Buying it had made a considerable dent in her savings, and the renovations had further depleted her funds, but she thought it was worth it. This was hers, something shed bought herself and shaped to reflect her own personality.

The old building was drafty, and she turned on the ancient furnace, thinking that here was something else needing replacing. It was only October; what would it be like during January and February? A new roof and insulation was a necessity.

The store had been closed while shed been cleaning and painting, and Derek had been putting in the new lighting fixtures. Shed been astonished that a boy his age would know how to do electrical wiring, but hed explained it and made it all seem very simple. It was only after hed done it that Sarah had gleaned from Marcie that hed never done any wiring before; hed simply read about it and decided to try it. As she flicked on the lights she noticed how much better the merchandise looked with the brighter, better-placed lighting. What would she have done without Derek? She wouldnt be anywhere near ready to open.

But as it was She took a deep breath and flipped the sign on the front door for the first time from CLOSED to OPEN FOR BUSINESS. Sarahs store was officially open.

The little store had its own regular customers, who were used to dropping in and puttering around whenever someone needed a pack of finishing nails or a skein of yarn. She was never overflowing with business, but the place was seldom completely empty either. There was a slow relaxed pace about it, with people comfortably looking things over, commenting on the changes. She kept a pot of coffee on the counter, which encouraged people to come up and talk to her while they drank a free cup of coffee. She especially liked talking to old people, who had fascinating tales of making almost everything by hand in days long past.

The time passed so quickly that when she looked up to see Marcie coming in the door, she was amazed to realize it was time for lunch. Past time, she thought; it was almost one oclock.

Sorry, Im late, Marcie panted. I was just leaving when I got a call from a magazine on a proposal Id submitted.

Sarahs eyes shone warmly. Do they like it?

They do, replied Marcie promptly. Now all I have to do is think of something to write.

Marcie was so organized, she could probably put her hands on a thousand pages of research material, so Sarah didnt take the last comment seriously. What type of article will it be?

Its for one of the slicks, a womens magazine. Ive been doing a lot of thinking about it. Marcie began emptying the paper bag shed brought, putting a paper plate in front of Sarah and then filling it with fried chicken and cole slaw, with hot rolls on top of it. Marriages of ConveniencePast and Present, is what I think Im going to call it. I know youve read something about them; at times theyve been more the norm than the exception. You can call them arranged marriages. The fact is, people get married for a lot of reasons other than love. Convenience is one of the more common reasons, which is probably why theyre called marriages of convenience. Two people combine their assets, support each other, rather like a business partnership, except its a marriage and they sleep together.

Amusement made Sarahs eyes sparkle with a soft green. You dont believe in marriages in name only?

Marcie gave her a disbelieving look. Do you honestly know a man whod be content with a platonic marriage? Im talking about a normal, healthy man.

Usually, no, though I do think there are some situations

Unusual situations, Marcie put in.

All right, unusual situations

I still dont think so, Marcie interrupted again with blithe unconcern. And you dont either, because I can see the way youre biting your tongue.

Sarah laughed, because she had indeed been trying to get an argument out of Marcie, who loved to argue. I give up. Lets get back to your article.

I got the idea from a get-together I had with six of my old high school chums. Wed been having a good time, and the martinis had been flowing freely, you might say. Now, these arent unusual women, just your normal, everyday sort of female. Of the seven of us, two had gotten married because of a pregnancy, one because shed never had many dates and thought his proposal might be the only chance shed ever have, one admitted that she just sort of drifted into marriage because shed gone with him for so long that everyone took it for granted that theyd get married, and one was very open about marrying her husband because of his money. She liked him, but his money was the main attraction. Thats five out of seven.

And the other two?

One was married because they were in love, and they still are. Theyre almost embarrassing, even after all these years. The other onewell, Im the other one. I got married because I thought I was in love. If you could see Dereks father, youd know why. But instead of love, it turned out to be sex, which was very good and remained good, but that just wasnt enough to hold the marriage together. For a rare pensive moment, Marcie rested her chin on her hand, thinking of her ex-husband. Dominic and I had some good times, but in the end, we simply didnt care enough about each other. But I think Id do it all over again, even if I knew wed eventually divorce, because Id want Derek.