Читать книгу Deadly Deception - Brenda Gunn - Страница 9
ОглавлениеIt was the day she had waited for, dreamed about, for years. Now everything would be sublime. Brenda had polished the house to a high gloss and worked day and night to get caught up at work so she could take some time off.
After applying a little gray eye shadow and some lip gloss, Brenda checked her watch and fluffed her shoulder length brown hair with her fingertips. She kept her hair long enough to dress up when she had a date yet short enough to sweep back out of her way when she wore her nurse’s uniform. The movement was just enough to release the scent of her shampoo—vanilla.
She took an Art Deco hair comb from the vanity. It was gold, shaped into a fluted leaf and highlighted with five diamonds. Her grandmother, who had given the comb to her, said she had bought the ornament in 1940 from Cartier and Brenda should wear it as “something old” on her wedding day. Now Brenda swept the comb through the side of her hair, then flipped its direction and pushed it in. The comb held the lock of hair in the perfect position. The diamonds sparkled, adding a nice contrast to her dark hair.
Brenda was finally in love and she would show off her man to her family and friends. Those people who hadn’t met Glen would be shocked that she could land such a good-looking guy. She heard the voices in her head of the kids at school chanting, as they had so many years before, their own version of the Carly Simon song; “You’re so plain, you probably think this song is about you, Brenda.”
“Glen thinks I’m pretty,” she told herself and shoved the memory of her classmates’ cruel words and how they had hurt aside.
Brenda gazed into the mirror where her milky white skin, pale blue eyes with flecks of gray and the strong jawline she had inherited from her father’s side of the family were reflected. But Brenda shook her head. All she could ever see when she looked in the mirror were her flaws. She thought her skin was too pasty, her hair too limp and stringy, her face too angular and her hips too broad.
When she was in high school, her big sister had told her she would grow out of her self-conscious nature, but Brenda never did. Even though she had read Our Bodies, Ourselves six times, along with a ton of other self-esteem books, she still was over-critical of her face and body, especially today. She wanted to look perfect for him.
She let her fingertips dance across the form-fitting bodice she was wearing. She closed her eyes and wondered if her great-grandmother had felt this aroused on her wedding day. Had this outfit made her feel sexy? Had she been nervous, too? Had her body ached for her lover’s hands to cup her breasts? Stroke her inner thigh? Had she longed to be in her lover’s arms?
Brenda let out a deep breath and opened her eyes. She hadn’t worn this outfit just because it was an heirloom. No, she really liked the gown and hoped to hand it down to her daughter someday. It would be wonderful to say that five generations had worn this same outfit.
The dress was beautiful. Made of creamy ivory lace, it had a high collar and tiny, peach-colored satin roses lining both the collar and the mutton sleeves. Brenda fluffed the sleeves, then tugged at the corseted waistband of the skirt. She wished she’d had the time to lose ten pounds. She told herself the pale, peach-colored chiffon skirt flowed smoothly over her hips and made her look taller and thinner, but nevertheless she agonized that he might think her heavy.
Brenda imagined the man she loved and was marrying making love to her. Because she had wanted this to be so special she had convinced him to wait. He was tall and muscular from lifting weights each day and she had no doubt she would enjoy making love to his body. The question was, would he enjoy hers?
She nervously twisted the platinum engagement ring on her finger and the light caught the diamond, making it sparkle. She couldn’t believe they were actually going to be married.
“Billy Gunn’s old-maid daughter is finally going to get married,” she said and thought back to the day she had first suspected that Glen might propose.
She had gone to visit him in Kansas City. Two months before that day, he and Brenda had met almost serendipitously. Glen had arrived in Kansas City only a few days before, and was reading a map while driving. Brenda’s car was in front of him and when she suddenly stopped he rear-ended her car. Since it wasn’t serious and only her bumper was damaged, they didn’t bother calling the police but did exchange insurance information. Brenda had been feeling lonely and overworked that day and Glen was charming, assuming full responsibility for the accident, promising to have her car fixed and seeming to care so much that she might be injured. They began to see each other regularly. The first time she realized that he might be getting serious was at the ice-cream shop, when they were picking out the flavors of their cones. Brenda had ordered cookies-n-cream and Glen had requested rocky road then turned to her and said something that stuck with her all the next day: “I have something very important about our future to talk over with you tomorrow.” Then he had smiled, looking into her eyes. When she had questioned him, he had refused to tell her what he was referring to. “It’s a surprise!” he’d said.
She wondered all the next day. Is he going to ask me to marry him? No, that can’t be it. It is way too soon. We’ve only been dating for two months. But, what if he does? What will I do?
That night, he did propose and presented her with the engagement ring she now wore.
She had wanted to throw her arms around him and scream at the top of her lungs, “Yes!” But instead, she remained calm saying, “You know this is crazy. We hardly know each other.”
“Do you love me?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Then how can it be too soon? We aren’t teenagers. We know what true love is.”
She couldn’t argue with that. She was thirty-five and had never been married. In fact, she’d never even been a bridesmaid. He was forty, had been married and divorced, but that didn’t bother her. She knew the chances at her age of finding a man who hadn’t been married before were unlikely.
He grinned. “I’d like to go to a Justice of the Peace tomorrow.”
“No,” she answered softly.
His face dropped.
“I want to wear my great-grandmother’s gown and have a real ceremony—small, but perfect.”
He smiled. “Then I guess you’d better introduce me to your father so I can formally ask for your hand.” She’d nodded, brimming over with emotion.
And now they would start a life together. She loved him—everything about him. She liked how his tan made his teeth seem stark white, the way he always sent presents, cards and flowers for no special reason. The way he always knew what she was thinking. In fact, they often said the same thing at the same time. They were perfect for each other.
We’re getting married and I’ll never be lonely again. We’ll never be apart.
Glen’s eyes scanned the houses along the street. Pretty nice, considering it’s such a tiny town, he thought. He glanced at the address on the piece of paper he held—234 Sunshine Street. Glen muttered the numbers and looked over at his buddy driving the car. Manfred Simmons, or Manny, as he preferred being called, liked fast cars and even faster women, but he and Glen usually got along well and had been friends for years.
“Do you see her house?” Manny asked.
“We want 234. The evens are on your side.” Glen saw the number and yelled, “Stop! There it is. I recognize her car.” Glen pointed out the car window for his friend to see.
The Cadillac skidded to a stop and left black tire marks about eight feet long on the street. Manny often boasted that he’d never been passed by any car and only two trains. The motor of the car had been souped up and it could move.
“Back up,” Glen said.
Manny put the car in reverse and stopped in front of Brenda’s house.
“Well, isn’t this cozy?” Manny said, looking around.
The ranch style house bore a fresh coat of white paint on the wooden shingles and an antique red swing hung from the porch ceiling swayed in the breeze. A garden full of red and pink flowers decorated the front yard. In its center was a very large stone birdbath with a long crack in it, so it held almost no water. “She definitely needs a handyman around here. I can fix that like new,” Glen murmured.
He reached in the back seat and tugged the tuxedo hanger. The plastic wrapping was caught on the car’s garment hook and he was having trouble getting it loose.
“Thanks for the ride,” Glen said, finally ripping the plastic free. “Just be back at five-thirty sharp so you’re early for the ceremony, Manfred.”
“Don’t call me that! Nobody calls me that but my mother.”
“Sorry,” Glen said. Usually, he would have told Manny where to go, but he didn’t want to get into a hassle and provoke his friend’s quick temper. Not today. “I didn’t mean anything by it, Manny. I’m just a little nervous,” Glen said, and pulled up on the door’s handle.
“Nervous about what? Maybe you’re afraid your big score won’t go down,” Manny winked.
“What are you talking about? There’s no score here,” Glen said, trying to assure him. “I’m a changed man. I’m marrying Brenda because I love her. That’s all there is to it,” Glen said, darting him a You don’t know what you’re talking about look.
Manny grinned. “Just wanted to be sure you’re sure.”
When Glen didn’t say anything, Manny continued. “Remember you and I have a rich history.” He slurred the last words, toying with Glen. His friend looked at him.
“Would you stop razzing me. I’m nervous enough.” Glen slammed the door behind him. “Dammit! You may be my best friend, but you can be a pain.” With the tuxedo slung over his shoulder, Glen walked up the sidewalk to the front of the house. He didn’t turn back, but heard the sound of the Cadillac’s revved-up motor racing away.
The doorbell startled Brenda and the dogs in the backyard started a cacophony of barking. She took a calming breath, put her hand to her mouth and blew into it to check her breath. It smelled okay. She straightened her shoulders, put on an air of confidence and went to open the front door.
Taped to the back of the door was a ‘to-do’ list. Brenda scanned it: flowers, balloons, wine and champagne, wedding cake and rice. She hoped she had remembered everything. She snatched the list off the door, wadded the paper up and hid it discreetly behind a vase on a nearby table. She grasped the brass door handle. It felt cool from the air-conditioning and she wondered if she had the thermostat too low. Then she realized that she was running hot because of her racing heartbeat.
Brenda paused briefly to steady herself, then opened the door. Framed in the doorway and glowing in the afternoon sun was Glen. His handsome, chiseled features, emphasized by a mustache and dark brown eyes, contrasted nicely with his light brown, wavy hair. What a perfect man, Brenda thought and sighed. She doubted that he knew just what a hunk he was, because he often seemed shy and unsure of himself.
He offered her a skittish smile and said, “You look beautiful.” He paused a moment looking at her, then went on, “Are we really doing this?”
Brenda flung her arms around him and shouted “yes.” Startled by the sudden gesture, Glen stepped backward, taking her with him, but she didn’t care. She was too excited. He took control of the moment, raised her chin and kissed her gently on the lips as she closed her eyes. It was odd, she thought, how he always knew just the right thing to do to calm her fidgetiness.
The heavenly kiss sent her soaring. When Glen broke away, she opened her eyes and he stood back staring at her. She saw the stain of her lipstick on his face. It reminded her of a Picasso painting. He looked funny and she giggled.
“I guess you better get in here, before we give the whole neighborhood something to talk about,” she said and gave him a little tug.
Glen stepped inside the house. He stood in one spot as if glued to the floor and scanned the room. He had never been to her house before. He had been living in Kansas City and since she worked there, they had always met at his place.
Suddenly, Brenda realized it was all strange to him.
“This is home,” she told him and looped her arm through his.
Brenda looked around the house, trying to see it through Glen’s eyes as she led him into the living room. Things she had never thought about before, she suddenly realized, had her personality stamped all over them. One whole wall held a mahogany bookcase filled with her books, her porcelain doll collection and the glass incense burners that wafted her favorite vanilla aroma into the room. In one corner stood a pink wrought iron birdcage and the exotic blue parrot in the cage squawked at Glen. Even he knew Glen was a stranger to this house.
Brenda hadn’t realized before how feminine the place was until she looked around now. Suddenly, she saw through a man’s eyes her delicate figurines—mostly of animal figures—scattered around the room and the canopy of flowering plants that hung from the ceiling. Each plant’s perfume saturated her nostrils as she walked under them.
When Glen reached up and felt a leafy fern, she said, “It’s real.”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” he asked.
“You might have thought it was silk.”
“What? Silk comes from worms, not flowers,” he said.
“I’ll explain later.” Glen seems more nervous than I am. I never thought about the groom having last-minute jitters. I need to think of something to help him relax.
He took her hands in his and looked in her eyes. “Brenda, I love you and I don’t want any secrets between us.”
“Oh, alright,” Brenda said. “I’ll tell you now. A lot of people have ferns made out of plastic or silk. I…”
He cut her off. “No, I wasn’t talking about that. I have something I’ve got to tell you before we get married. When I was younger and stupid, I made some mistakes…”
They hadn’t known each other but a couple of months. Her mind was racing ahead of him. Did he have AIDS? Was he not legally divorced? Did he have ten kids that she didn’t know about?
“I ran into a little trouble,” he said. “I got into debt and wrote some hot checks…It was more than just one check…It was…” he paused and looked at her. “Now my credit is ruined.”
Well, if that’s the worst thing about him…I didn’t dare tell him about the time I miscalculated my checkbook and bounced seven hundred dollars worth of checks. I had never been more embarrassed than calling all those people and trying to convince them it had been an honest mistake.
She could see the concern in his eyes. Isn’t it sweet? He wants to start our life together with a clean ledger. “Glen, we all make mistakes,” she said. “I wish it hadn’t happened, but over time you can get your credit back. I’ll help you.”
He picked her up and twirled her around. “I love you. You just made me the happiest man in the world.”
They kissed and Brenda was certain she could forgive him just about anything—she loved him so much. Maybe even too much if there was such a thing. A loud lion’s roar parted them.
“What was that?” Glen asked.
“That was Katula, my mountain lion. Remember I told you I take in abused animals and raise others for zoos?”
“Oh, right. I forgot,” Glen said. The mantle clock chimed a sweet tune. He looked at it. “It’s getting late. I’d better change clothes. Where’s the bathroom?”
“Would you like to tour the place first?” Brenda asked.
Glen nodded. “But we’d better hurry,” he said, then stuffed his hands in his pockets and nervously jingled his change.
She showed him the kitchen area. Old farm implements hung around the ceiling—a cotton scale, sickle, horse shoe, ice tongs, a wagon wheel. The walls were painted a cheerful yellow and white eyelet curtains adorned the windows. The room was cozy and rustic.
“Would you like something to drink?”
“Iced tea, if you have it.”
“Peach or lemon?”
“Peach or lemon what?”
“Tea.”
“I’ve never had either. I’ll take what you’re having,” he said.
She made them each a glass of peach tea. Glen took a sip and grinned. “It’s good.”
Brenda swallowed some of hers. The sweet, fruity bouquet drifted up from the glass and added to the flavor.
An antique curio cabinet in the corner housed her salt and pepper shaker collection. Glen bent down. “I’ve never seen so many salt and pepper shakers in my life.”
“I have almost four hundred pairs,” Brenda said with pride. “I started collecting them when I was eight years old. These were my first,” she said, pointing to a pair of pink pumpkin-shaped porcelain ones with hand-painted roses on the sides.
They continued on the tour and the last place she took him was her bedroom.
The walls were papered in a tan palmetto pattern. To give the feel of the tropics, gauzy curtains covered the windows and filtered the sunlight. Centered on one wall sat a wrought iron bed, encased by a sheer canopy.
Glen looked away. She offered an embarrassed smile and quickly changed the subject. “Do you like our bedroom?”
He shrugged. “Kind of frilly, isn’t it?” Glen fingered the sheer netting draped over the bed.
Brenda glanced at the alarm clock that sat on her nightstand. “The Justice of the Peace will be arriving any minute. You can change in here and then I’ll show you the backyard.”
“The backyard?”
“Remember we’re going to make our vows out there as the sun goes down. If that’s still okay with you.”
“Sure,” he said.
She left him alone to change into his tuxedo and went into the bathroom to touch up her lipstick. Somehow, his disclosure about his bad credit nagged at her. After all, if it didn’t matter, why hadn’t he told her from the start? Still, she truly loved him. She told herself the credit thing didn’t really matter. Their love was the most important thing in the world. They would make their marriage work.
When she turned around, he was standing in the doorway staring at her.
“I can’t believe, you wonderful woman, that you are going to be my wife,” Glen said, a bashful smile playing about his lips.
“Wow! You look great in that tuxedo!” she said, and ran her hand through his silky brown hair to smooth out a wayward strand. “Perfect.” Glen was lean, athletic. His expensive watch and clothes made him look like a model. Only, he didn’t have the conceit of such an attractive man. He was caring and a little shy. That’s what she liked about him.
He took her hand in his and rubbed it. “God, your skin is soft.”
Smiling, she led him through the house and out the back door to the patio.
“Surprise!” her father and mother, who were ensconced in two beribboned seats set near the flowered canopy, and a host of people shouted. Manny was among them, smiling.
Glen’s shocked face had a dazed look. Brenda reassuringly wrapped her arm around his slim waist.
“I wanted to have my family and some friends come to our wedding.”
Glen paled and broke away, bolting back inside the house.
