The Offer (5 page)

“Maybe,” he
says, running his long fingers over his dark stubble. He’s got a
very manly-looking chin, but I quickly chide myself for noticing.
“But when I bought the place, I was hoping to…well, doesn’t matter
does it? What’s done is done.”

And luckily
before he has any chance to ask me about my non-existent job, we
pull up in front of Steph and Linden’s building. Just as I’m
lifting Ava out of the car, the doors open and Steph comes out,
wobbling a bit in her strappy heels and carrying two glasses of
wine.

Married life
looks good on her. She’s gained some weight, but it’s all gone to
her boobs, so that’s not really fair. Her hair is dyed mermaid blue
(or baby blue, to be more specific) and she always looks happy and
flushed like she’s just had some good sex. It’s a wonder I don’t
hate her.

“Nic!” she
yelps and comes speed-walking over as fast as she can without
spilling the wine. She hands me a glass of red and says, “Here,
drink this. We’ve got you.” She looks me deep in the eyes and I
feel momentarily calmed.

And that’s why
I could never hate her. She’s pretty much the best friend a girl
could have.

She glances
over at Bram and gives him a quick smile before beaming down at
Ava.

“Ava, you look
like a princess!”

“I am a
princess,” she says. “You’re just a mermaid.”

Steph
lifts her head in mock supremacy. “No one is
just
a mermaid.”

Ava seems to
consider that for a moment then eyes the glass of wine in my hand.
“Can I have some? I’m thirsty.”

“
You’re
always thirsty,” I tell her. “This is mommy’s
adult
drink. I’ll get you some juice when we’re inside,
okay?”

She nods and
licks her lips. She’s always been a thirsty child, but seems so
even more lately. That and she gets just about as hungry as I do
when I haven’t eaten. I don’t know where she puts all the food
either. She definitely didn’t inherit her mom’s curvy calves and
thighs. She’s all chicken legs and twig arms, something my doctor
said is totally normal for a girl her age.

I turn, about
to thank Bram for the ride. After all, he didn’t have to come get
me, but he’s back in his car and driving away, the sleek façade of
the Mercedes disappearing down the hill.

“Where’s he
going?” I ask Steph. “My booster seat is still in the back.”

She takes a
lengthy sip of wine. “To pick up his girlfriend of the week from
her job. He’ll be back.”

“Right,” I say
slowly. “Let me guess, supermodel?”

She shrugs.
“Dunno. Probably. Haven’t met her yet. What’s the point when they
never last very long?”

“I thought you
were sending me an Uber.”

“He
volunteered, actually,” she says, turning back toward the building.
“He’s tonight’s designated driver.”

I can’t help
but snort. “Why would he do that?”

“He’s changed
a lot since he’s moved here. He’s a lot closer with Linden and
since it’s his birthday, I guess he’s just trying to be a good
brother and make up for lost time.” She shoots me a wry look over
her shoulder. “Why all the questions?”

Was I asking
questions? “No reason.”

“You don’t
like Bram much, do you?” she notes as she swipes her key card and
the door buzzes open.

“I like Bam,”
Ava says, mispronouncing his name. I don’t bother to correct
her.

“No you
don’t,” I say. “You just like shiny things, like his car.”

“
I
like
Bam,” she
says again, this time more forceful.

I look at
Steph who is watching me with interest. “What?”

“I don’t know.
It’s just after the wedding, every time his name comes up, I can
literally see you shudder. Did something happen?”

I shake my
head, trying to keep a straight face.

“Because,” she
goes on in a conspirator tone and peers at me closer, “Kayla says
she saw you and Bram come out from behind the bushes. You were
holding onto his arm.”

“Is Kayla
here?” Because I’m going to kill her.

“She’ll be at
the bar later,” she says. “So, was that true?”

“
That
was like, six months ago. I don’t remember. We may have talked but
that’s it, I swear.”
And way to wait that long to bring it up with me,
Steph
, I add in my
head.

She raises her
eyebrows. Most people aren’t usually very good at reading me. I
guess I don’t give them enough to go on. But Steph has always been
succinct at getting through my layers and it takes a lot not to
look away.

“
Just
talked,” she muses and jabs the button for the elevator. “All right
then. Well, I’m glad you
just talked
because you know he’s bad news.”

“You were just
going on about how much he’s changed!”

“Yeah, and he
has. But I still wouldn’t let any of my friends date him. Well,
Kayla maybe, but not you.”

“Well you
don’t have to worry about that. He’s definitely not my favorite
person. And you know how I feel about guys like him.”

“I do know,”
she says. “But I have to watch out for you, that’s all. Remember
when you had a crush on your gynecologist? You would have said
something to him if I hadn’t made you promise.”

My cheeks grow
warm at the memory. “He was such a nice guy. And so mature.”

“He was mature
about your vagina and that’s because he had to be.”

Moments later,
we step into her apartment and I’m glad for the change of subject.
Music thumps from the speakers and we find Linden, his best friend
James and his girlfriend Penny in the kitchen drinking beer and
laughing.

“God, it’s
loud!” Steph screeches and runs over to the stereo to turn it down.
She shoots me an apologetic look and the rest of them a scathing
one. It tickles me to see how overprotective of Ava she can be
sometimes.

“Sorry!”
Linden yells and then when he sees me, gives me a wolf whistle,
looking me up and down. For a second there I think he’s a lot like
his brother – the same cheeky smile with dimples, the same dark
brows, thick hair and masculine jawline. But when he comes over and
pulls me into a hug, I feel no judgement or ulterior motives. So,
no, nothing like Bram at all.

He pulls away
and holds me at arm’s length. “You’re looking pretty spiffy,
lady.”

“Spiffy?” I
repeat. “Never heard that one before.”

“I’ve always
been original,” he says with a wink.

He then says
hi to Ava who smiles at him shyly like she always does. Ever since
she learned he can fly in the sky, albeit in a helicopter, she’s
been bashful around him like he’s some kind of superhero.

I say hi James
and Penny, complimenting Penny on her new cherry red and rhinestone
glasses. The two have always been a bit more alternative than I’m
used to and I always feel a bit uncool around them with their
tattoos, piercings and fun lives. James runs our “local” bar, The
Burgundy Lion, and Penny apparently now works in web design for
porn sites. Luckily, they’re hella nice.

I quickly get
Ava a cup of orange juice cut with water (I don’t like her to have
much sugar) and spend the next half hour sipping my wine slowly and
listening to people’s conversations. When someone starts talking
about work, Steph deftly switches the subject, knowing I’m not
ready to talk about what happened.

While Linden
makes my hungry monkey pasta with cheese and I scarf down the
sliders and prawn rolls he prepared for the rest of us, my mind
keeps wondering when Bram is coming back. It’s just that I want to
know that I’ll get my booster seat at the end of the night (those
things ain’t cheap), unless he’s also volunteered to drive me home.
I’m not sure how his new girlfriend, or whoever she is, will feel
about that but I guess it’s sort of a given when you’re dealing
with someone like him.

As if he’s
heard my thoughts, suddenly the front door opens and in parades
Bram, all smiles, with a lean chick dressed in a silver sequined
dress, giant silver hoops in her ears and her blonde hair piled
high above her head, fastened with silver clips. If she walks under
the lights in the middle of the room, she’ll go off like a damn
disco ball.

I make
my usual snap judgement in two seconds. Her boobs are fake. Her
lips are fake and her teeth are fake
. She’s fake, period
, I think, then I wonder when I became so
bitter.

I roll my
shoulders as if to physically shed the unwanted feelings from me,
and attempt to play nice as Bram introduces her to the room as
Astrid. Astrid says hi, we say hi, and then the two of them
disappear into the kitchen.

So, as it is,
I’m the only single person here. I can’t even bug Ava because she’s
scarfing down more food that Linden prepared. Steph makes sure to
occupy most of my time, though, chatting about purses and shoes
even though I know she’s secretly dying to talk about the real
issues in my life. Still, she stays true to her word and doesn’t
bring it up.

Eventually it
starts getting late. Ava sort of stumbles toward me in an apparent
food coma and tugs on my jeans.

“Mommy, I
can’t find my bed,” she says.

“That’s
because you’re not at home,” I tell her. Just then Steph announces
to everyone that they’re moving the party to a bar in the lower
Haight. Perfect timing.

“I’ll give you
a ride,” Bram says, seeming to appear from out of nowhere. He looks
at Steph. “It’s on the way. I’ll take whoever.”

I can’t help
but glance at Astrid to see what she thinks of this but she’s still
smiling. For a moment I’m envious. Not of her toned body and glossy
limbs, but because she doesn’t seem like the jealous type and Lord
knows I am.

“Mommy, who
are these people?” Ava asks. My heart skips for a minute, then I
remember how confusing these kind of gatherings must be for a
child.

“Mommy’s
friends,” I explain. “We’re going home now, okay? Bram is going to
drive us home in his shiny car, remember? Bam?”

She doesn’t
nod, just stares at me with a dull expression. Poor kiddo must be
so tuckered out. So am I. When a party is over, there is nothing
you want more than your bed, making the time between getting from
where you are to getting under your covers seem to stretch for
eternity. It’s a physical ache.

Thankfully
it’s not long before we’re in Bram’s car. Astrid is in the
passenger seat and Ava, me and Steph are squished in the back. It’s
not exactly meant for three people back there, let alone a booster
seat, so Steph is half-sitting on me and giggling.

It’s been
about five minutes into our drive as Bram takes the sports car up
and down the hills when Ava makes a gagging sound. The distinctive
smell of fruit fills the air and I look over to see Ava has thrown
up on herself.

“Jesus,” I
say, “Ava, are you okay?”

I try to turn
in my seat and put my hand on her forehead. It feels hot and clammy
at the same time and her eyes are wild as she takes in short, sharp
breaths.

Everything
inside me freezes, wanting to take me hostage in a panic-induced
horror, but it doesn’t last. I push it aside. I function.

“What is it?”
Steph yells in my ear and Bram immediately turns off the radio and
starts pulling over to the side of the road.

“I don’t
know,” I say, my voice trembling. I keep brushing Ava’s hair back
from her face and once we’re parked, Bram flips the light on in the
car.

Now I can see
better and I’m absolutely horrified. Vomit covers the front of her
dress and she’s pale as anything. Her chin keeps dipping down and
when she looks up, she’s looking at me like she doesn’t know who I
am.

I don’t think
I have ever been so scared.

“Mommy?” she
finally asks, sounding breathless.

I grab her
hand and squeeze it. “It’s okay, angel, mommy’s here.”

“Do you have a
doctor?” Bram asks. “Or should we go to the hospital?”

I don’t want
to admit right now that I don’t have insurance. “Let me try my
doctor,” I say, trying to fish my phone out of my bag but I drop
it, my hands are shaking so much.

Steph picks it
up and says, “Let’s take her to the emergency room.”

I shake my
head. “No. Just…”

But I know if
I try my doctor, he won’t answer. I don’t have his home line and
the clinic is closed.

“Nicola, it’s
okay,” Steph says, squeezing my leg. “Let’s take her to the
hospital. Just in case. This could be an allergy.”

“She’s not
allergic to anything.”

“But they pop
up all the time when you’re a kid, right?”

“That’s
right,” Bram says and I finally look over at him. He’s trying to be
casual but I can see the concern threaded through his brow. “When I
was a wee one, I suddenly developed an allergy to strawberries. I
threw up in class in front of everyone including Mrs. Haversham
whom I had a mad crush on.”

I can’t even
smile at that admission. I just nod, knowing I have to do what’s
best for Ava, even if it’s going to cost me an arm and a leg.

“Let’s go,” I
tell him. “Any hospital, it doesn’t matter. Whatever is
closest.”

He nods and we
speed off down the street. Bram is driving like an absolute maniac,
or like he’s trying to recreate scenes from “Bullet.” I’m not
paying much attention, though. I’m listening to Ava breathe, trying
to keep her focused and calm even though I’m not.

Soon, we’re
zooming up to the ER and I’m flying out of the car trying to get
Ava out of her seat. I lift her into my arms and run inside to the
hospital. The smells of rubbing alcohol and plastic and blood fill
my nostrils. Suddenly the cost is the last thing on my mind. All I
want is to see a doctor and to see one fast. My mind spins a
million different ways and all of them are bad.