Payback (12 page)

Staring inside the oven, Marie could see that the chicken and leeks casserole was slowly cooking, turning a tempting
, crisp golden brown on top. It was almost done—perfect timing.

The door opened
, and she heard Caden call inside, “Marie?”

“Yes?”

“Jason is staying over tonight.”

“Fine. I’ll set a plate.” It didn’t surprise her that Jason was staying; there had been forecasts of a storm that might turn into a blizzard. Jason wouldn’t want to take the chance of not getting
back up the next day to finish putting out the larger, round bales of hay and straw for the cattle so that it would last through Christmas, which was just over a week away.

Setting the plates in front of the men, she asked what they wanted to drink.  Both asked for beers.  She went downstairs to the bar and grabbed two beers. While down there
, she looked over at the little tree she had cut down in the woods and dragged inside. She’d made a stand out of bricks and rocks in a bucket and strung popcorn as a garland. On top of the tree she had fashioned a star out of aluminum foil.  Caden didn’t use the basement very often and, with Marie doing the laundry, there was little reason for him to go downstairs. At night, he usually watched some television in the great room and went upstairs to bed to do some reading. Marie wasn’t sure if he had even seen the tree.

After handing the beers to the guys, Marie started to go back downstairs, but Jason stopped her. “Hey, Marie?  Chris wants to know if you like ham?”

“Ham?  Why would she want to know that?”

Jason shot a glance at Caden and then shook his head. “You didn’t ask her?”

Caden took a drink of his beer, refusing to say anything or look at Jason.

“My sister wanted to invite you to Christmas dinner.”

“Oh!” 

I’d
heard a lot about Chris, but I had never met her. She worked at one of the local hospitals as a nurse, but that was about all I knew, except that she had raised Jason after they lost both their parents when his father fell asleep at the wheel coming home from visiting friends in Helena.  According to Jason, Chris was four years older than him and was nineteen when she took on the job of raising a teenage boy who was a little too wild for his own good.

“I’m sorry
, Jason, but I won’t be coming.”

Jason shook his head and h
eaved a huge sigh full of anger. “Is it because of
him?”
The tone let everyone know that he was pissed at Caden.

“No, no. It’s because I have an offer from a
friend to spend it with her. Ona asked me over.”

His mouth dropped. “Ona?  She just lives five doors down from us. Maybe you could stop over for a drink later?”

Marie nodded. “I’d like that.”

“How are you getting to Ona’s house?” Caden asked, his voice slightly accusatory
, as if he knew I wanted to use the car.

“I was hop
ing I could borrow the Explorer.”

“Nonsense,” Jason insisted, his voice firm.  “Since Caden is just going to be up the street, you can grab a ride with him.”

Caden raised an eyebrow, but Jason narrowed his eyes and gave him a hard look. Caden wasn’t happy, but he finally gave Marie a nod that he would do it. Marie smiled to herself. 

Jason yelled out to the kitchen, “Caden said you moved into the house after the last big storm.  Which room are you in so that I don’t walk in while you’re trying to sleep?”

“I sleep downstairs.”

Caden began to squirm a little.  Unable to look up
at Jason, he stared down at his plate and began shoveling the food in fast and furiously.

“Downstairs?  There’s no bed down there
anymore.” He looked confused. Turning to Caden, he asked, “Is there?”

Marie almost laughed at the blush that passed over Caden’s face. “No bed. I sleep on the sofa.”

“
What the hell? Why?”
He was yelling at Caden. “You have three empty bedrooms upstairs. Why is she relegated to the sectional downstairs?  It doesn’t even make into a bed!”

Caden grew defensive, picking up his plate and taking it to the sink. “I don’t have to justify my actions to either of you. Marie knows why I don’t want her around me.”

“Caden, you are so screwed up.”  Jason pushed back from the table. “What the hell did she do that you can’t even let the woman who’s slaving away on your ranch sleep on a bed?”

“She can sleep on a bed in the tack room.”

“That’s not a bed! And even you said it’s too cold in there for her to spend the winter!” 

“I’m not having this conversation.” Caden stormed out, his cowboy boots clonking against the pine floor
as he stomped out to the foyer.

“Now you’ve done it.  Yo
u’ve chased him up to his room.”

“Marie, I don’t get it. What happened between you two?”

Marie turned white. “Jason, please.”

“I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have asked.”

She went downstairs and could hear the television turn on upstairs. Sitting on the couch, Marie finished her gift for Ona, a pair of crocheted slippers made from the warm, soft wool she had purchased in four different colors.  Ona liked mauve, and, although Marie wasn’t fond of the color, she had purchased it for Ona’s slippers.

But
after sitting with her own thoughts, she realized that Jason deserved an explanation…maybe not the full story, but he should know that Caden’s hate was well-deserved.  Climbing the stairs, she crawled into a chair near the sofa and tucked her legs under her. Jason turned his full attention to her.  She looked gray, gray and exhausted…depressed.  Whatever it was that she was going to say, it had eaten at her soul.

“I’m not the person you think I am.  I screwed up
royally, and Caden has every right to want his pound of flesh. I’m lucky he’s just being an asshole because I’m sure that he probably wants me dead.”

“Dead?”

“Dead.” Marie took a deep breath and said, “This is not easy for me to talk about.”

The pause in her voice made Jason uncomfortable. Judging from the pain in her face,
he wasn’t sure he wanted to know what had happened.

Staring down at her lap, Marie began, “After finally hooking up,
Caden and I quickly moved in together. For a year I couldn’t imagine two people more suited for each other even though we both had different temperaments. When I was in my early twenties, I was the one who flew off the handle easily.  I had no patience while Caden had tons.  I’m only patient now because it was my impatience and impulsiveness that eventually destroyed my relationship with the only man I’ve ever loved.”

              *********************

“You can fly over after you finish the next episode,” Caden
whispered, as he held her in his arms.  “We’ll have our first anniversary of dating in Rome.”

Marie was still sobbing and had been sobbing for the entire week.
Caden stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.

“Honey, it’s just for four months. And
, besides, you’re going to come see me,” he assured her.

“You’re going to find some Italian model and fall in love.”

“I’m already in love with the most interesting woman in the world. Why would I want an Italian model?”

“You know why…for
hot Italian sex.”

He howled with a laugh so genuine
Marie pulled back to find out what was funny.

“What’s so funny about you nailing an Italian model?”

“Just that I’ve had a lot of beautiful women, but no one, and I do mean no one, gets me off like you do.  Sex with anyone else is like settling for Milk Duds when you can have Godiva.”

She hiccupped and then stuck her
lower lip out. “Yeah, but sometimes, like when you’re at a movie, you just want Milk Duds.”

“Well, I assure you that I’ll always prefer Godiva.”

“I love you so much.” She was trying not to sound so desperate, but the pain in her voice was like bamboo shoots under fingernails.

“Not as much as I love you. Come on, don’t cry. You’re the one that insisted I do this movie
,” he responded.

“
I know, but I didn’t stop and think what it would mean.” Marie leaned back from his chest. “Let’s screw our brains out.”

“Best thing you’ve said all day
.” He hoisted her over his shoulder and carried her to the bed.  Throwing her down, Caden gently stripped her body and made love to her.

“Ah
h!” she groaned when he was done. Marie always teased him about being too heavy to lie on top of her after their lovemaking.

“Oh, stop moaning. Y
ou’re okay.”  He rolled off and put his hand up to her chin. The little chin started to quiver against his fingers. Her sad face broke his heart.  He didn’t want to leave her, but his new film was starting to shoot in Rome in a couple of days and there was no getting out of it.  He would have taken her, desperately wanted to take her, but she had managed to land a gig writing three episodes of a new drama, one episode which was already in the can. She couldn’t leave just now.

The year had flown by
, but that was because every day he had something to look forward to—going home to Marie.  His life was a happy cliché now…the love he felt resembled a Hallmark movie. The relationship wasn’t perfect—they argued, they grumbled, they didn’t talk for hours when they were mad at each other.  But even when he was in the middle of a good fight, he never thought of
not
being with her for the rest of his life.  And even when they did fight, he felt closer, more secure in their relation than in any other in his life.  He knew that, no matter what, she was devoted to him. He trusted her and her uncanny wisdom about screenplays. Typically he only chose the screenplays that they both liked.

Marie had refused to let him help her swing
a deal for another screenplay. They were both disappointed when her brilliant screenplay for
Rowhouse
hadn’t led to more offers. But, as was typical in Hollywood, young male screenwriters were geniuses, young successful female screenwriters, a fluke.  So, instead, she spent her time talking producers into letting her write episodes for television. The last four had been for obscure cable shows, but the three-episode deal was prime time, and that meant she had to see it through in order to make her name in the industry. Until she was done with them, she wouldn’t be able to join Caden in Italy.

“Hey, Gordon said that he’d stop by and take you out, make sure you don’t waste away pining for me.  So stay busy, let Gordon entertain you.” He pushed the hair from her face and then kissed the tip of her
tiny nose. Caden couldn’t wait to get back from Rome. He was having a ring made for her—an engagement ring, and he knew she’d love it.  It was similar to the locket that he had bought her; the one she rarely took off.  Inside of the locket with the filigree over the ruby was a lock of his hair.  He found it old-fashioned and touching that she wore it.

They had talked about marriage but had come to an impasse over his desire for a prenup.
Always an optimist, Caden was sure that once he showed her the ring, she would relent and they would marry.

“I love you,” she said
, as he closed the zipper on his suitcase.

“I keep telling you—I love you more.” They embraced.  He had a hard time peeling himself away from her; she was holding on for dear life. “Okay, darling, I have to go.”

Marie searched his blue eyes for some sign of deceit, but all she could see was the man she loved and how much he loved her back. It still wasn’t real to her, but Caden Kelly loved her back. Not only were her friends jealous, but Caden’s fans were so jealous she was getting hate mail and derogatory remarks all over his fan site. He finally blocked the website on her laptop so she couldn’t see what they were saying.

After he reached Rome
, they stayed in touch through their laptops. Skyping was great until the crew moved to the mountains behind Naples and there was no internet, except for the satellite connection the director had on his laptop.  If Caden could find the director after-hours, he could usually squeeze in a few minutes with Marie, but because of the grueling filming schedule, it was getting harder and harder to get time on the laptop. Skyping was down to once a week.

Marie was writing like mad
, trying to keep from thinking about Valentine Cassidy, the new ingénue that had been cast as Caden’s co-star.  At five-foot-nine, Valentine weighed what the five-foot-four Marie weighed, except that most of Valentine’s weight was up top.  Marie kept returning to Valentine’s web page and marveling that any woman could have legs that long and beautiful. Even Valentine’s deep brown hair, which fell in relaxed curls five inches below her shoulders was perfect. Her brown eyes had a serious ring of golden amber that made her look like something out of a fantasy novel.

Then one day a new picture was posted on her website, a
picture of Caden and Valentine sitting outside a restaurant at a table, laughing.  He had his hand on his drink and she had her hand on top of his. Perhaps she was just touching him because they’d shared a joke or maybe they were sharing something more?