Montana Love: Multicultural Romance (10 page)

Chapter 25

Cynthia was on the way back from Billings.  After looking at office spaces, she was quite pleased at the rate per square foot for the downtown commercial lofts she’d snooped around. It was premature, but looking at spaces did make it seem all the more real, and it gave her some hard and fast figures for her business plan. 

She knew it wouldn’t be easy, but after meeting with a few employment agencies, she also felt confident she’d be able to pull together a savvy temp staff to help her get her doors open. Having saved aggressively, she figured she’d be able to finance her small start-up by cashing out one of her investments. Just thinking about selling her condo gave her hives; she loved the unit, the location, and the steal of deal she’d gotten on it. Nope; she’d hold onto it and consider selling only if she had to.

Dex had offered to finance the new company for her, but she needed to do this on her own.

“But I’m going to be your husband,” he reminded her.

“And I will spend plenty of your money,” she teased. “I promise, but this I have to do on my own.”

Cynthia believed, ironically, the least difficult part would be getting the business. With an undergraduate degree in Marketing, she felt pretty good about things.

She smiled and glanced down at the boulder on her finger. She could hardly believe how her life had turned around. She’d met the man of her dreams, and in a little over a year, they would be husband and wife.

Maybe children, in time, would not be a bad idea, after all, she smiled. Three, maybe four years. She knew Dex wanted children, and after spending time with Carson, she did, too.

Glancing at the gas light, Cynthia knew she had to pull over for gas.  She’d driven Dexter’s Patriot, and he’d told her she might need to put gas in on the way back, but she’d plumb forgotten. Thank God they had those little warning lights. Being from New York and living in a walking enclave of San Francisco, she hadn’t had to drive in a long time. It was usually just on close, city-to-city business trips in Cali, and just every once in a while. Thankfully, the highway signs pointed to a gas station just a few miles down the road.

Cynthia pulled off the main road into the service station.

Her older sister’s face came to mind.

She and Gail didn’t keep in touch nearly as much as they should have.

Instinctively, Cynthia dialed her number.

“Hello?”

“Hi Gail,” Cynthia said. “How are you doing?”

“Cynthia!” Gail said.  “It’s good to hear from you.” 

Her sister sounded really good. There was a strength in her voice she had not heard in a long time. 

“It’s good to hear your voice,” Cynthia said. “How have you been? And my nephews?”

“We’re good. You know I’m back in school. Even though most of my classes are online, I’m loving it. I feel like my old self again.”

“That’s good, Gail. I’m proud of you.”  Cynthia wrangled with the gas pump, her brows furrowing. Lord, had she forgotten how to put gas in a car?

“Thank you. That means a lot. But I couldn’t have done this without you.”  She was referring to the money Cynthia had been sending her monthly over the past few years.

“That’s what sisters are for,” Cynthia said, finally easing the nozzle into the tank.

“Yeah, but you went over and beyond, Lil’ sis. I mean, I’m the older one. I should be--“

“Stop; it,” Cynthia said. “We’re sisters and we help each other. Period. Besides, though my intentions were good, I have to admit some of it was for my own selfish reasons, Gail.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know now that I gave to you to make my own self feel good about what I had not done for you. We are sisters. I should been there for you emotionally; not just then, but throughout the years of me trying to quote-unquote make it.”

“I won’t let you pull that guilt trip on yourself Cynthia. We both had…“ Gail corrected herself. “We both
have-
equal opportunity. I made choices to take my life in one direction and you did another. We are equally responsible for our own place in life.”

“I know that, but this is a thing I guess between me and God. Part of my giving was for me to help myself feel better.

She thought about some of Dexter’s comments during their argument.  “I know that now.”

“Well, I appreciate what you’ve done, no matter why you did it. More than you know,” Gail said. “It feels good to be off the system and it feels even better to know I’ll have my degree soon.  I’m on track to graduate sooner than I thought.”

“Well
of course
you are. You’re the smartest person I know. That’s great, Gail!”

“Yep. I put the pedal to the metal and decided to just burn the midnight oil, you know. Remember what mama used to say?”

“If you want something different, you have to do something different,” the women said at the same time.

“I remember,” Cynthia smiled replacing the gas nozzle in the pump.

“What are you going to do after you graduate?” Cynthia asked, an idea in mind.

“Find a job, as soon as I can.”

“Do you plan on staying down South?”

“Yes; it’s all I know.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to settle there.”

“Why, what do you have in mind, Little Sister?” Gail asked. Though they weren’t in close contact anymore, she was still able to tell when her sister had something up her sleeve.

“I was thinking, you can come out here.”

“Where, Cali?”

“No, Montana.”

“Montana!”

“Yes, Montana.  Remember when I told you weeks ago I was going on vacation?”

“Yes, to watch your godson.”

“Well, I’m still out here?”

“What? That’s a mighty long vacation for you.”

“Actually, I’m staying.”

“
What?”

“You heard me,” Cynthia said, tucking the cell phone under her ear and getting into the car.

“You mean in the little two-hick town you told me about, the one where you said there would probably be two hundred white people to every one black person?”

“Well, it’s not quite like that. I exaggerated.”

“Okay, what’s his name?” Gail asked.

Cynthia laughed. “Dex. Dexter Callahan.”

“Oh, sexy name,” Gail said.

“And he’s looks the part,” Cynthia chuckled.

“Come on, do tell. Give me the dirt!”

“Okay, let me call you right back okay? I’m at the gas station and want to pull over to the parking lot. 

After moving the car, the sisters talked on the phone for a long time.  Cynthia filled Gail in on the marriage proposal, the partnership fiasco, and her plan to open her own firm. She also asked her to consider working with her.

“I’m so happy for you, Cynthia. But just take it slow though. Sounds like you have a lot of changes on the horizon.”

“I know, but we’re not getting married right away, and I still have my condo. I’ll be back and forth as I make the transition.”

“But still, you’re uprooting yourself, giving up your life in San Francisco, sis,” Gail said, worry in her voice. “Are you sure about this?”

Cynthia couldn’t ignore the fact that her big sister was making a lot of sense. But she thought about her ‘life’
in San Francisco.

“Sis, if I had a life out there, you would be so right. But the fact is, I didn’t. All I did was work, work, work, and everything I thought I was working for was handed to someone else. I’ve lived more in these past few months than I have in a lifetime. And this beautiful man that God has graced me with, was there and willing to be there for a lifetime for a child that’s not even his on a dime. That says everything I need to know about Dexter Callahan. I’m sure.”

“Aren’t you nervous and scared, though, making a move like this?” Gail asked.

“I’m nervous, sure, but I am not afraid. And you know why?”

“Why?”

“Because I feel God all around me.”  Happy tears sprang from Cynthia’s eyes.

“Well if you’ve got the good Lord in your corner, you’re good to go,” Gail said, getting emotional as she felt God’s presence, remembering his hand guiding her through her own plight.

“So what’s this about a job?”  Gail asked.

“Not a job, a career.”

“What?”

“When you finish your undergraduate, you should go on to law school. You were always the smarter of the two of us, Gail.”

“I don’t know, Cynthia.”

“Sure, why not. Even if it takes you a few extra years, because you have the boys, that time is going to pass anyway.  I’ll be growing the practice and you can work next to me in the meantime, learning everything I know.”

“You think I can do this?”

“I
know
you can,” Cynthia said. “It’s a long-range plan, but why on earth not?”

Gail thought about it.

“Well if there are fine men like Dexter Callahan running around out there on the open range, I will seriously consider it,” Gail laughed.

“Good, but he may just be that needle in the haystack,” Cynthia chuckled.   “Seriously though, just back-burner it, graduate, do what you have to do, and if you’re still open to the idea when it’s time, I’ll help you choose a school and get settled out here. The cost of living is palatable, and though Cattlewood is a tiny town, Billings is a nice, thriving city. There are some good schools for my nephews, and I think the change would do you well.”

“It would be nice to be near each other again,” Gail said.

“Yes, it would.  I love you, big sis,” Cynthia said. “And I’m so proud of you.”

“I love you, too,” Gail said.

After they hung up, Cynthia drove the Jeep on toward Cattlewood.

Chapter 26

Apple Callahan’s truck pulled up into the yard about the same time as Cynthia returned from Billings.

Dexter smiled when he saw his fiancé, but a daunting feeling crept in when he saw Apple get out of her truck. He could tell she’d been drinking.

She was wearing a wide-brim straw cowboy hat to cover her pale skin and a pair of tight-fitting jeans with a too-tight t-shirt.

“Hey almost sister,” Apple chuckled at Cynthia as they walked toward the porch. “Congratulations. You’re getting a fine man in my brother,” she said.

“Thank you,” Cynthia said. “I know.”

“I hope you do honey because if it weren’t against the law to straddle kin, I would have taken advantage of Dex a long time ago.”

Apple’s joke startled Cynthia because part of her believed Apple meant what she said. “Well alrighty then,” was all Cynthia said, trying to make light of it.

Dexter just shot his big sister a disapproving glance while shaking his head.  His heart dropped because he knew his sister pretty much had ‘a fuck the world’ outlook on life, and she more often than not did whatever she damn well pleased no matter what.

Apple waved a hand at him, dismissing his chastising. Her eyes zoomed in on Martin.

She’d missed him.

“Hey sugar,” she said to Martin,” ignoring Thelma sitting on the porch, too.

Martin shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

“Apple,” he nodded hello, feeling in his gut there was about to be some trouble.

“I thought you were dead. Why didn’t you contact me?” Apple said, laughing to keep from almost crying. 

Apple cared for Thelma’s husband, because during their brief affair, he didn’t treat her like a piece of meat. He listened to her when she spoke about her childhood. She remembered everything that had been done to her and he really listened and tried to convince her she hadn’t done anything wrong.

“It was not her fault, you were a child,” he would say.

Thelma looked up at the woman addressing her husband as if they were still lovers. 

Her eyes bored through Apple’s but her question was directed at her husband.

“Aren’t you going to answer the woman?”

Martin couldn’t speak. He couldn’t believe Apple was there, making a scene like that. 

Apple stumbled past Thelma to sit in Martin’s lap. Before he could do anything, she planted an open mouthed kiss on his lips. “Why didn’t you call me?” she asked, cradling his head in her bosom.

Before Thelma could dive in their direction with her one leg, Dexter bolted out of his seat.

He put one hand on Thelma’s shoulder to keep her in her chair and the other he used to hoist his sister out of Martin’s lap.

“Come on, sis,” Dexter said, apologizing to Thelma with his eyes. “You’ve had enough, let’s get you home.”

Dexter decided then and there his sister was getting some help, whether she liked it or not. What their father had done to her and what their mother had chosen not to see was hurting her, eating her alive, and she didn’t even know it. 

He thought about the comments he’d made to Cynthia. He was so caught up in his own hurt that he had neglected to be there, fully, for Apple. He didn’t realize it until that moment.   He was her brother, and he would not abandon her. She was getting help, if he had to sit on her in every session.

Apple was a good person; she was just hurting, that’s all.

Thelma looked around as if she were looking for Carson. She didn’t want him to see the commotion.

“He’s playing in the side yard. I see him,” Cynthia said, coming to stand by her friend.

After Dexter drove off with Apple, Thelma began to talk. Martin sat in silence as his wife studied him.

The truth was, he hadn’t had any dealings with Apple that his wife didn’t already know about. And that was a long time ago.

“Thelma, you have to believe me,” he finally said. “I didn’t do anything.”

“I know,” she said. “I know that. But as God is my witness, I was planning to get rid of you on this trip,” Thelma admitted.

She felt lighter just saying the words out loud.

“What?” Martin finally spoke, staring at her in disbelief. “What do you mean?”

“I was considering killing you, Martin; you and eventually that woman, too.  I had it all planned out, as God is my witness,” Thelma said, her voice low and achy, almost apologetic.

Cynthia thought about the Google cache. 

“I don’t believe I would have gone through with it, but that crash was a blessing in disguise all the same.”

Martin was speechless for a long few seconds.  “But I didn’t
do
anything,” he finally said.

“I know that now,” she said. “Not this time, but you did initially, and it still hurts.” 

“I know,” he said. 

“No, you
don’t
.” Her voice was filled with pain.  “It’s still in there, and though we’ve moved on like everything is okay, I want you to know,
it’s still in there
, Martin,” she pressed her hand to her chest.

“I’m sorry, honey,” he said, reaching for her hand. “I’m not perfect.”

Thelma placed her hand in his. “I’m sorry, too,” she said looking at him. “You always remind me of that. Well I’m not perfect either. I’ve got some issues that I still struggle with.”

She thought about her mother and father.

Martin knew what she meant. His wife had long ago shared what she knew about her father hiring someone to kill her mother.

“Sweetheart, I’m not your father,” he pleaded for her to stop blaming him for her father’s mistakes.

“Well don’t act like him then.”

Martin pursed his lips in agreement.

“I’m so sorry, Thelma. I love you.”

“I know,” she said.

Martin came over and knelt beside her chair. “I’m glad you told me everything,” he chuckled nervously.

He still couldn’t believe it; his wife had planned to kill him. And he knew from the look in her eyes -- even if she didn’t -- she was capable. 
Note to self
, Martin thought to himself. 
Get Thelma’s anxiety medication checked for possible prescription mix-up.

“But no matter what,” he continued.  “I am not going anywhere. Our vows said for better or worse, and even though I feel like I have a bulls-eye on my back, I am not going anywhere.”

Thelma looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

“If you cheat on me again, you won’t have to leave, because I will … with Carson.  I won’t stay with a man who disrespects me.  I love Carson to death; more than you and more than my own self, and I will not teach my son that it’s okay to behave like you chose to as a man growing up in this world. And if I stay with you after infidelity again, that’s exactly what I would be doing. Do we understand each other Martin Hagen?”

“Yes,” he said. “And you have nothing to worry about. Tears rimmed his eyes.  “I love you Thelma.” He pulled her into his arms. 

“I love you, too.”

Cynthia knew it was time for her to ease off; she’d already heard too much.

As she stepped around to the back of the house to make sure Carson was not in earshot, she sighed. Boy, this marriage thing was a big deal, she decided.  A bigger deal than she’d realized.

She heard Dexter’s truck pull back up into the yard. Within moments, he was around back, too.

“Hi,” he said, kissing her on the lips as he tousled Carson’s hair. “I can tell they needed a minute,” he whispered, motioning toward the front porch.

Cynthia smiled and shook her head in agreement.

“All okay with your sis?” Cynthia asked.

“About as good as it can be, for now,” he said.

“Are you ready for this?” Dexter asked, clasping Cynthia’s hand in his.

She felt him fingering her engagement ring.

“You’re not going to get off that easy,” she teased, leaning her body back into his.  “Sure, I’m ready. More than I’ve ever been ready for anything in my life.”

“Good,” Dexter squeezed her in his arms before they took a seat on the back porch.

Cynthia filled him in on what had happened between Martin and Thelma and he told her about Apple and his plans to help her get into counseling.

He smiled as he was talking, knowing he was right when he sensed early on he and Cynthia needed each other.

After a little while, they left Carson in the backyard playing with his puppy as they filtered around to the front porch.