Authors: Claude Dancourt
“You owe me then.”
“Chase your true nature; it comes back in a flash”. How more self-centered he could sound? He wanted to bang his head on the bed head.
His answer seemed to shake her and the cloud shadowing her aquamarine stare dissipated. She really had incredible eyes…
“I guess. I make a sinful chocolate cake if you…”
Was she offering to cook for him? Arthur sat up in the bed.
“I like cake but only if it’s shared with friends.”
Friendship was good; safe. Friendship lit a spectacular smile on her lips. His mouth dried completely. Friendship was stupid.
“I think it can be arranged…I promised Matthew I’ll visit him today. Will you come with me?”
The mention of the child’s name finally cut through his disturbing thoughts, until her question sank in.
“No.”
The abrupt word immediately dismissed the comfortable atmosphere in the room, chilling the air between them for an excruciating minute. Maya shifted toward the cupboard to pick up her clothes, unwilling to let his attitude spoil her day.
Arthur realized that she had misunderstood his answer.
“I can’t. I’ve got to join my father, we’re…” She glanced up at the edge in his voice.
“We’re…going to the cemetery.”
All of a sudden she remembered that every year Robert insisted that he and Arthur visit Abigail’s grave on Arthur’s birthday. An unexpected emotion squeezed closed her throat and Maya approached him to put one hand on his arm.
“Do you want me to come with you? I can see Matthew later…”
The spontaneous offer brought a hesitant smile and his eyes cleared to a softer blue. Arthur finally shook his head.
“It’s a f…”
He was going to say “family” and changed his mind. Maya was family; at least she used to be. What she was now, he was not ready to name.
“It’s a father-son thing. But don’t think you’re going to escape the baking. I’ll pick you up at the hospital afterward to take you home.”
The young woman leaned against him to kiss his cheek gently.
“Deal.”
The contact lasted a second or two before she moved off the bed, just long enough to tempt him again. Why the heat was suddenly so comforting, he had no clue.
***
Maya hung up the phone and smiled at Isobel. “Sweet as pie…Arthur will come here directly…He said about one hour.”
Her friend grinned with mischief. “And he didn’t even complain about the change of plans? Seriously Maya, whatever you’re doing to this guy, don’t stop on my account…”
Tristan frowned while Maya flushed furiously and busied herself with her food processor. Isobel sat on the counter to watch as she expertly cracked an egg to separate yolk and white. Maya slapped her hand away when she wanted to sample the chocolate chips on display.
“But are you sure you don’t want to spend the evening alone? Just the two of you?”
Maya cracked another egg. Tristan cleared his throat and Isobel glowered at him.
“Tristan, how can I get the juicy details if you help her get off the hook?”
“We don’t need details. What’s between Arthur and Maya is strictly between them.”
“You’re no fun. Why don’t you go set the table or something? So we girls can talk.”
She kissed him soundly on the mouth, and shoved him out of the kitchen. Then Isobel turned to Maya, threatening her with a rubber spatula.
“Now, I WANT details. It’s not like Arthur to spend a Saturday night at home over home-made dinner, especially on his birthday.”
“Nothing’s wrong with that.”
Maya added sugar to her mixture and hid behind the buzz from the processor. Isobel handed her the next ingredients but refused to recoil.
“Oh come on, Maya…There’s something cooking between you two and I’m not talking about birthday cake.”
The raven-haired woman checked the oven before she added flour, butter and cocoa to the mix and pretended to focus on her recipe. Two minutes later, she was done, and put the mixture to bake. Isobel picked up the dirty bowls to wash them, while her friend started on the frosting.
“There’s nothing to tell, really. We…We’re just…We’re trying to figure each other out, I think. This thing between us, it’s…unexpected.”
Maya paused. It was hard to explain without telling the entire truth…She wanted to tell Isobel and ask for advice but she had promised…Her next words came out even more softly.
“I don’t know what to make of him. One minute he is irksome and obnoxious and a complete jerk and the next he’s so…”
“Lovable?” Isobel offered.
“Talking about me?”
Colin entered the kitchen with a broad grin and an enormous plate in his arms.
“My famous spinach and ricotta chicken breasts…”
Maya kissed his cheek and took the plate off his hands.
“Of course we’re talking about you. Who else?”
He mimicked profound brainwork.
“Hum…You forgot to mention irresistibly funny, handsome and brilliant, so it could have been my other half.”
“The better half, you mean.”
Gavin picked up the spoon to sample Maya’s chocolate mix. Isobel laughed.
“Sorry guys. Party boy was the topic.”
Colin sighed heavily and hid his face in his boyfriend’s shoulder to fake a sob. Gavin patted his head and winked at Maya.
“So, what is it exactly between you and Arthur?”
The young woman felt her cheeks go pink again. Where did they miss their part that their friends doubted the pairing?
Or did Gavin know? Colin had surely promised Arthur not to tell anything to anyone but had he extended that to his boyfriend? If Gavin knew, why was he asking?
The oven beeped to signal it was halfway through the cooking-time and Maya used the distraction to evade the probing. She couldn’t explain more than what she already had confessed to Isobel. Arthur unsettled her. She never knew if he would act like an idiot or show he cared.
Because he did care under that mask of indifference he wore all the time. He cared about Matthew and about being honorable. He cared about living up to his father’s expectations. He concealed his heart to survive the impossible pressure of being the Heir of the Pendleton Empire, and it seemed to be eating him alive.
Suddenly, Maya wanted Arthur to be there, so she could close her arms around him and create a shelter for him to rest. The fact she enjoyed holding him would only add to the comfort. It couldn’t be a bad thing…
“By the way, Maya, I think an alien abducted half of your tree.”
Gavin’s remark pulled her out of her reverie. Tristan, who had followed, answered for her.
“No such luck. She did that on purpose…”
His cousin squared her shoulders and prepared for another battle about the rights of Christmas trees but the doorbell cut through her growing indignation. Isobel pushed her out of the kitchen.
“Here comes Prince Charming. Hurry up before he turns back into a frog.”
Chapter 20
Thanks to all their questions, Maya felt completely helpless in front of Arthur. He didn’t seem totally at ease either when he put one arm around her to hug her quickly.
His heartbeat was hurried under her hand and she refused to let him step away, holding him just a moment longer. Arthur brushed a kiss on her forehead and whispered, “I’m fine.”
She didn’t believe him. He was keeping her close and played his role even if they were alone in the room. He was far from fine. And he was so sure she was going to accept his bravado without asking and just walk away from him…
The idea he misjudged her displeased Maya and she frowned. Maybe Arthur sensed the annoyed pout against his shoulder, because she felt the grin which always preceded the banter growing in her hair.
“I saw Colin’s car outside. I hope you made two cakes…”
“The cake…The cake! Oh God!!”
She forgot instantly about Arthur and rushed to the kitchen. Left alone, Arthur stepped further into her living-room, leaving his coat on the back of the couch.
Someone had lit the tree. All the decorations made it look all the more quirky. You had to be Maya to resist the urge to chop it down. Only she could see more than there was in her pitiful tree…Or would offer comfort because she cared enough to know it was needed, even if she had no obligation to do so.
Arthur shook his head, dismissing the thought. He couldn’t allow her to fall for him. He couldn’t afford to care himself. With care came love, and love complicated things. It brought confusion and failure. Loss.
“Oh, no you don’t.”
The severe tone of Tristan stopped his gesture toward his coat.
“Maya went to a lot of trouble so you can celebrate your birthday like a normal person for once. So you will stay exactly where you are.”
Arthur sneered.
“The exact spot?”
“Don’t play that game with me.”
The door opened and Isobel entered the soon-to-be battlefield with some things to put on the table. She instantly detected the tension between the two men and came near Tristan, circling his waist.
The young man linked his fingers with hers, bringing her hand to his lips to kiss it lightly.
“Give us a minute Isobel, please.”
The blonde nodded and returned to the joyous chorus formed by Colin and Gavin’s laughter. The cheerful atmosphere of the kitchen starkly contrasted with the glacial living-room. Maya noticed at once the look on her friend’s face.
“What’s the matter?”
She took one step toward the door but Isobel stopped her.
“Don’t. They need to clear things up by themselves.”
Maya agreed silently and returned to her salad, not completely at ease leaving Arthur and Tristan alone if they were on the verge of fighting. She was not sure who she pitied the most either.
Despite the coming argument, Arthur grinned.
“I must say you’re the first person I’ve seen her yield to.”
Tristan kept a straight face, but his opponent caught a flash of amusement (or male pride) in the dark stare. Arthur glanced toward the kitchen. Explanations or threats had to be quick. He settled for the truth.
“I don’t want to hurt her.”
“Then it is better you stop this masquerade now.”
“I can’t; not yet.”
“Why not?”
The question echoed in the room. Why not stop pretending they were an item? Isobel had obviously no intention of joining in their fathers’ plot, even less now that Tristan had entered the scene. It would probably take weeks or even months before Robert would come up with another suitable candidate.
Arthur snorted. He could walk away now, and spare himself the constant torture. He could deal with Matthew’s case from afar. Except (he didn’t want to) there was this other little problem…
“My father wants to close the Foundation. As long as he believes Maya and I are an item, he will let me handle the case.”
That was all Arthur could safely disclose. However, Tristan filled in the blanks bitterly.
“Because she is a member of the board and you can use her to access information privy only to us.”
Arthur chose to let the barely concealed accusation unanswered, not even nodding.
“Are you? Are you going to use her like that?”
The outraged question maddened him instantly. “Of course not! What do you take me for?!?”
Tristan sat on the couch with such a defeated air shadowing his features the tension between them decreased at once. Arthur narrowed his eyes. He was a member of the board and Maya’s cousin and maybe he was just as innocent…
“So it’s true.”
Arthur let him go on without interrupting.
“When we discovered P&A had had the account blocked, I tried to obtain some answers. But Moira…Let’s say she is less than cooperative.”
His instinct was telling him Tristan was sincere. Arthur stayed quiet.
“I asked the bank to provide me with the details of our financial operations.”
This time, the blond man reacted.
“Whatever is in those documents is very dangerous, Tristan, and I’m not talking about my father or Moira. I can help, but you have to trust me.”
He was asking a lot and he knew it. Arthur just hoped Tristan was sufficiently intelligent to put aside their differences and believe him. He wanted to help. He wanted to do the right thing. He wanted to clear the Foundation of the bastards who had hijacked it so the account could be unfrozen. Then Maya would be able to help more children like Matthew. And she would be happy.
“Do you know what’s wrong with Moira?”
The question broke Arthur’s train of thought.
“We have suspicions. But I don’t have any proof.”
The other man considered the evasive answer for an instant.
“I need to think about it. We’ll talk again.”
This was as close to an agreement as they could reach. A giggle came from behind the kitchen door. Tristan stood.
“They’re having fun over there. How about we join them?”
Maya watched her cousin’s face attentively when they entered but Isobel distracted him and he turned away. Arthur was also unreadable; she let him greet Colin and Gavin before approaching him.
“Is everything okay?”
“Sure.”
He put one arm over her shoulders, dragging her closer until their hips bumped.
“With a cousin like him, you don’t need a brother to warn your boyfriend to treat you like a queen.”
Maya laughed and escaped his touch.
“You’d better listen then. Dinner’s ready everyone!”
***
Arthur handed her the last dried glass to store and leaned with his back against the counter. The cosy situation set all his alarm bells ringing; wiping the dishes after dinner with friends had the exact glint of…He refused to label it commitment. Commitment meant obligation; compromise.
This didn’t apply to what he shared with Maya. What he had with her was a deal. They had a deal to save a life and help him out of his father’s grasp. Nothing more.
She took the drying cloth from his hand to fold it over the oven knob expertly. When she looked around to make sure all was in place, her hair danced around her face. She was lovely…
Satisfied with her examination, Maya started toward the living room before she noticed Arthur hadn’t moved.