Rent-A-Bride (4 page)

“It’s no use. I tried to break the code but you’d have to be a rocket scientist or something.” Amelia turned to see the petite, older man who lived in the room across the hall from her was standing next to her. She’d never actually spoken to the man before which was the case with most of the tenants.

“What happened?” Amelia was embarrassed to hear her voice crack as the tears threatened to return. But seriously, considering the day she was having who could blame her?

“They came by about an hour ago and forced us all out. We’ve all tried to call that sorry excuse for a landlord, Vic, but his phone is disconnected. I just paid my rent yesterday and he didn’t so much as blink!” The man ran a shaky hand over his balding head. “He could’ve at least given us some kind of warning.”

Amelia swallowed the lump in her throat. “But all my stuff is in there.”

It wasn’t much but still it was everything she owned in the world, a few shirts and jeans, her toiletries and makeup - she was currently wearing her best outfit, a button up cream colored silk blouse and peach colored slacks with matching heels. She kept the rest of her nicer clothes packed in a suitcase under the bed along with her few keepsakes like pictures of her brother, Byron, having fully expected to be evicted eventually just not like this.

“I know. Me too. They didn’t even give us any time to pack. Said they would be back next week with a couple of sheriff’s deputies and then they would let us all go in one at a time and get our belonging. But what are we suppose to do until then?”

Amelia glanced back at the people on the sidewalk. Many of them were on their cell phones, some were mingling in small groups talking and some were just standing around looking as lost as confused as she felt. Occasionally a car would pull up and one of the people would get in and drive away. But there would be no one coming to pick her up. She had nowhere else to go.

Suddenly there was a big commotion as a group of people ran to the back of the house. Not sure what else to do Amelia followed them and found a young Hispanic man scrambling up the side of the house to climb through a partially opened window.

Once he was safely inside he pushed the window all the way up, he turned and spoke to the group crowded below. “Okay, I don’t know how much time we have before someone calls the cops so I’m only gonna get the stuff you
really
need.”

“My medicines!” An older woman called out. “They’re on the dresser in room twelve.”

“Hang on.” The young Hispanic guy reached into his back pocket and pulled out a piece of paper that looked like a receipt of some sort. “Anybody got a pen?”

Amelia reached into her purse and handed him the pen she used to fill out application forms.

“Okay, room twelve?” He glanced at the older woman as she nodded.

“Can you get my suitcase under the bed in room four?” Amelia called out.

He nodded and scribbled something on the paper. Suddenly everyone in the group was calling out items and the guy scribbled away. Two hours later just as the sun was setting the last duffle bag was tossed out of the window to the older man Amelia spoke to earlier.

“Okay, that’s
everything
.” The Hispanic guy called out. He was covered in sweat but despite his original intention he had managed to bring out almost everyone’s property including Amelia’s one neatly packed suitcase and a second hastily packed suitcase created when he dumped all the rest of her stuff into it.

When the second suitcase hit the ground it landed on the locking mechanism. Amelia tried to open it to organize her possessions and tuck everything neatly inside when she realized the lock was jammed making it impossible to open.

“You broke it.” She frowned up at the guy where he was still standing in the window.

“You’re welcomed!” He snapped before turning to climb down out of the window. Once he reached the ground he turned to her and hissed. “And maybe if you got yourself a
real man
you wouldn’t be so heartbroken over it!”

Amelia stood staring after him with wide eyes. “What the hell is that suppose to mean?!”

But his retreating back was her only answer. As everyone scattered with their belongings Amelia dragged her mix matched bags to the front and stopped when she reached the curb.
Now what?

This situation was far worse than when she’d arrived in Los Angeles because at least then she’d had some money to hold her for a while. This time she found herself homeless with no money and no prospects. Suddenly the idea of masturbating in front of a group of people didn’t seem like such a big deal. Although, she was pretty sure that wasn’t even an option anymore.

Feeling lightheaded Amelia slumped on the corner of the neatly packed larger suitcase and took a deep breath. Her empty stomach rumbled to life reminding her that it had been literally days since she’d eaten. As she sat there watching people climb into cars and wander off down the street dragging their tote-able worlds Amelia was beginning to understand how people became suicidal.

Just then her cell phone rang again. Reaching into her pocket she saw it was Terry and suddenly remembered the offer he’d made her. In the confusion of finding herself without a place to live she’d completely forgotten to call him back.

As the phone rang she considered what to tell him. Despite his heartfelt plea she didn’t trust Terry any further than the length of her arm. But right now she needed a friend and he was closest thing she had to one.

Still she knew she couldn’t take this so called role playing job. For all she knew his “client” was some kind of human trafficking kingpin and she could find herself chained to the wall in some sicko’s basement.

Today she’d been lucky. Mr. Sleazy hadn’t been nearly as sleazy as he could’ve been. But next time she may not be as lucky. Whatever his guy in Michigan wanted with her Amelia couldn’t believe it was simply to meet his dying grandfather.

The phone stopped ringing just as she remembered the other part of what Terry said. If she agreed to take the job he’d offered to buy her ticket …to Michigan.

She sat up a little straighter feeling the first faint stirrings of hope.

Michigan.

Home.

The phone started ringing again. Amelia glanced at the screen not surprised to see it was Terry. A thousand dollar commission didn’t land in his lap every day.

Despite her depressing situation she still had no intention of becoming some guy’s
fake fiancée
or whatever else he had in mind. But a ticket to Michigan was a ticket to Michigan. Her mind made up Amelia answered the phone and spoke before Terry could say a word. “Okay. I’ll do it.”

W
hat the hell am I doing?
Ed asked himself the same question he’d been asking for the past several hours. Ever since he’d put this hare-brained scheme into motion.

Even now as he stood in the boarding area at Metro Airport along with several other people all of whom were waiting for passengers to arrive from Los Angeles. And while holding a sign that read:
Amelia Young
, he quietly wondered if maybe he’d been body snatched because frankly nothing else made any sense.

He hadn’t had two solid hours of sleep in almost three days but even sleep deprivation couldn’t explain
this extent
of insane behavior.

For instance, since when had he become a pathological liar? He had no idea when but there was no doubt he had because the wild tale he’d spun of some beautiful, sports loving, nurse fiancée was about as pathological as it got. And then he’d gone out and found someone to help him bring the lie to life. Now to top it all off he was about to take that lie to the hospital and present it to his grandfather as truth.

I’ve lost my mind.

But no, that couldn’t be the case either because crazy people didn’t know they were crazy, right? And he was completely aware of everything he was doing and why. And there was the rub…

Why?
Because the one person he loved most in the world told him that this was his only regret in an otherwise satisfying life.

Why?
Because ever since he’d mentioned this imaginary fiancée his grandfather’s deteriorating condition had miraculously stabilized.

Why?
Because as much as Ed wanted to believe it was otherwise his medical training told him that this unexpected remission could only hold for so long and for however long it lasted Ed wanted to see his grandfather happy. And apparently, a fake fiancée was what it took to make that happen. Actually a real one would work better but since Ed didn’t happen to have one available at the moment fake would have to do.

Just then the doors from the Jet Way opened and passengers began pouring into the airport and into the arms of their waiting loved ones. The brief description Ed had given the Hollywood agent had not included any particular attributes other than talented.

Other than the woman’s name which he‘d scribbled on a piece of cardboard Ed had no idea who he was looking for. He just assumed he would recognize her. She was a professional actress so she would most likely look…
Hollywood.

Beautiful, glamorous, diva-
ish
.

Most of the people entering the airport looked like everyday folks. The kind he saw at the hospital day in and day out. Just your run of the mill T-shirts, blue jean and sneakers crowd. No movie stars.

Frowning he pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and read the numbers scribbled there. This was the right flight. So where was she?

The crowd whittled down to the final few stragglers and Ed was just beginning to believe she’d missed the flight when he saw her. He didn’t know how he knew it was her he just knew. There was nothing the slightest bit diva-
ish
about her. Instead of being glamorous she looked like a refugee from the cast of Les Miserable.

She was probably the most pitiful thing he’d ever seen in her bedraggled crème blouse and peach slack that had both seen better days. She was dragging along a small suitcase with a busted zipper that was only partially zipped as an assortment of colorful clothing items were peeking out between the openings giving the dark case a strange cheerfulness.

Her raven dark hair was piled on top of her head and being held precariously in place by a peach scrunchy. Her suitcase got stuck in the opening between the Jet Way and the airport and she swung her beige purse over her head and around her slender body so she could use both hands to tug it free.

Ed had just moved to help her when with one good pull—while an airline attendant pushed from the other side—the bag broke free and she stumbled backward and right into his arms.

“Are you okay?” He asked while at the same time some part of his brain registered that she was deceptively lightweight.

She nodded and Ed bit back a laugh as she looked up at him with raccoon eyes. What he could only assume was once mascara was now nothing more than perfect black circles around lovely hazel green eyes.

“Thanks for your help.” She glance at his
Amelia Young
sign and jerked away from his loose hold. “I got it from here.” With a brief but devastating smile the little hobo and her rainbow bag took off at a sprint.

What the hell?
Ed’s long legs covered the distance quickly. “Amelia? Are you Amelia Young?”

She shook her head and picked up the pace.

“Amelia Young—the actress?” He tried again.

“I think you got me mixed up with someone else.” Her sprint turned into a partial skip.

This is ridiculous!
He grabbed her arm and stopped her in her tracks. “I’m Ed Bouchard. I’m the guy who hired you!”

“Let go of me! I’m not who you’re looking for!”

“Why are you lying? We both know you are!”

“Let go of me!” She pushed at his chest as she struggled to get free but Ed’s hold instinctively tightened.

“Not until you tell me what’s going on?!”

With a heavy sigh she stopped struggling. “Look, I don’t know who this Amelia Young person is but it’s not me, okay?

My husband is right outside that door.” She pointed at the sliding glass doors at the end of the long corridor. “And if you don’t let me go right now.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a cell phone. “I’m going to call him and he’s going to come in here and kick your ass.” And then she smiled that same beautiful smile she’d flashed him before. “Now we don’t want that, do we?”

Quick as lightening Ed grabbed her cell phone and releasing her arm at the same time he spun away from her.

“Give me back my phone!” She clawed at his arms and shoulder but being at least a foot taller than her Ed found it easy to hold her back.

He quickly checked the recent calls on the phone. “I knew it! Terry Aames! I guess it’s just a coincidence that you’ve received calls from the agent I contacted to hire you?”

“Give me back my phone!” He turned to face her and she snatched the phone out of his hand.

“What’s going on? Why are you denying who you are? Is Amelia Young not your real name, or something? Because I don’t give a damn what you call yourself. But I don’t have all day to play these games with you. We need to get going!”

“I’m not going anywhere with you!”

It was too much. After the most stressful day of his life it was just simply too much. “I don’t know what kind of game you and Terry have cooked up but I hired an actress! And dammit! I’m going to get an actress!” He went to reach for her arm again but this time she must’ve anticipated that move because she stepped out of his reach before he could get a grip on her. Instead he grabbed the handle of her suitcase and pulled.

Holding the other end of the handle she pulled back. “Let me go!”

“No! You’re coming with me!”

Right there in the busy airport corridor with passengers from all walks of life moving to and from their destinations all around them the pair tussled over the raggedy suitcase like their lives depended on it.

In his peripheral vision Ed could see a security guard running in their direction but he didn’t care. Somehow in the past few seconds that sad little suitcase had come to represent everything that mattered and he had no intention of releasing his part of the handle. And neither did she.