Biker Babe in Black (16 page)

Margie sat on the curb along the street in front of the condominium and waited for the cab to come pick her up. She gazed at the night sky and marveled at the clear, crisp map of stars. The Big Dipper and Northern Star were so easy for her to pick out of the sky without the smog from the city blocking them from view.

Since she left her family, all her spare time had involved working or searching for one job after another. Now, here she sat—star gazing, in love, and almost to her personal goal of owning a house. It dawned on her that she didn’t need to wish upon a star. Everything she ever wanted was now in the palm of her hand.

Someone else enjoyed the night with her, going by the giggles that drifted to her in the wind. She spied the dark shapes of a couple strolling along the sidewalk in her direction, too far away to distinguish more than that they held their arms around each other. She smiled. Remy promised her a jaunt in the moonlight too, and it made her happy to think another couple loved each other tonight the same way she loved Remy.

The couple got closer to where Margarine sat, and she stood and moved back into the driveway to let them continue on their outing without disturbance. She tried to mind her own business, but something about the way the man carried himself seemed familiar. He held his head high and had a purpose to his stride, even though it was obvious he slowed his walk to accommodate the woman with him.

She studied the couple. The woman broke out in giggles and threw herself at her companion. Margie stepped out of the shadows, drawn to the man. How could he seem so familiar? This was her first time in Tahoe.

His broad, proud shoulders resemble Remy’s, that’s all.
She turned to move out of sight.

“Gloria, hang on to me.”

Margie stopped and stared. Her hand came up to touch her throat. Bile rose, and she held her breath.

No!

Margie stumbled in her scramble to get back to the house. She shut the door, stood with her back against it, and tried to catch her breath. Clay’s words of warning came back to her, and the fact she’d never confronted Remy about what Clay Barrett told her the night of the opening haunted her.

“How could I be so stupid?”

Margie smacked her forehead with her palm. She paced behind the closed door. Any moment the door would swing open and she’d spot the truth on Remy’s face. This whole time they’d lived together, slept together, planned a future together…he’d stayed involved with his ex-fiancée.

How did things go from point A to Zone Red? Remy had told her he would call before he came home, yet he never did, and now he was off romancing Gloria.
Why is Gloria here?
I’m such a fool.

Margie checked her watch for the fifteenth time and swore she wouldn’t look at it again; it only forced time to move at a snail’s pace.

An hour had passed since she’d run back into the house and cancelled the cab she’d called earlier. She wanted answers, and the longer she waited for Remy to return, the more pissed off she became.
What’s keeping him? Or should I say ‘who’? Ugh, I know who…
Margie had pushed her suspicions to the back of her subconscious after she’d woken up and found Remy in her bedroom this morning. But the bottom of her world had fallen out the second she’d recognized Remy tonight. Her eyes didn’t lie.

She covered her mouth and ran for the bathroom. Barely getting the toilet seat lifted, she lost everything in her stomach—what little it contained. Dry heaves clenched her stomach in an iron fist.

Margie inhaled and exhaled a few times to test if her stomach settled and turned on the bathroom faucet. She splashed cold water on her face, gave up her wait for Remy to arrive home, and lay down.

A soft click of the front door woke her from her restless nap, and she lay still and pretended to sleep. She opened her eyes enough to peek out without Remy knowing. He padded into the bedroom in his socks, his shoes held in his hand.

The two-timing jerk!

Remy disappeared into the bathroom, and the rush of water told Margie he stepped into the shower. She fought the tears and the desire to pop out of bed and slam him upside the head. Did he really think he could wash off the smell of his love affair with Gloria?

The shower shut off, and the smell of soap tickled her nose. She willed her body to relax. She didn’t want Remy to suspect she lay awake. The bed dipped, and the blankets shifted on Margie. Remy’s arm came over to circle her waist, and she rolled over onto her stomach, no longer wanting his touch after she knew he came from holding Gloria.

The digital clock on the nightstand read two thirteen. Margie had listened to Remy’s slow and deep breathing for the last two hours. It would be safe to get out of bed without waking him.

She dropped her leg over the side and scooted off the bed and onto the floor. She quietly glanced over. Remy still lay with his arm spread out on the mattress where she’d slept. She tiptoed to the kitchen.

With the light on over the stove, Margie got busy and searched the cupboards deeper than earlier to come up with something she might munch on. Her stomach burned, upset from nerves and not having anything to eat.

The search through the cupboards for the second time came up empty. She leaned against the counter in defeat…then smiled. Right in front of her eyes sat a can of coffee beside an automatic coffee maker. Coffee would do in a pinch and wake her up.

The coffee pot stopped spitting out coffee, and Margarine poured herself a mug. Time allowed her to come up with two different ways to deal with the deception. Either ignore what she’d witnessed last night or do something about it. Never one to ignore a problem, she knew what she must do.

Margarine sat at the kitchen table, and a few hours later, Remy walked into the room. She nursed her fourth cup of coffee and prepped herself for what she needed to get done. Let him try to fool her again.

“You’re up early.” Remy swept a chaste kiss on her forehead and reached in front of her for the unused coffee cup Margie had placed there earlier.

“You must be feeling better. I bet the sleep really helped.”

Remy’s cell phone rang, preventing her answer. He rushed from the room to answer it. She groaned. Fine, she’d sit here until he realized something was wrong, and she’d calmly explain how she knew he’d lied…and she wanted him to take her back home.

The second time Remy ambled his way into the kitchen he came back fully dressed, except for the necktie he attempted to tie around his neck.
Now what?
He’d made plans with her for today, so why was he wearing business clothes?

“I have to go out for a bit. The lead foreman at the construction site needs to see the permits we obtained last night before he’ll allow his men on the property.” He scowled and pulled at the mess he’d made of his tie. “Babe, can you tie this damn thing?”

Seemingly invisible to him, she stood and retied his necktie. Of course he didn’t notice how upset she was. With him pulled in all directions…business, Gloria…she came last on his list. The housekeeper-turned-lover couldn’t compete with business.

“Thanks, babe.” He hugged her, gave her a quick kiss, grabbed his cup of coffee, and yelled he’d be back in a little bit.

The slam of the front door broke her resolve, and the lone tear she held back slipped down her cheek. She brushed it away and sniffed. Business came first for Remy, and she admired that trait. It was one of the major turn-ons for her. Her family only kept jobs long enough to gather enough money to hit another town or to stay in a motel for a few days. She liked the fact Remy worked so hard for everything he owned.

This time she didn’t wait around for Remy but instead took off for a walk along the lake. For her own sanity, she needed to figure out what to do. She needed to set boundaries.

All the television therapists advised other people who suffered with relationship issues to set limits and expect nothing else. Maybe it would work with Remy and her. She’d forbid him to have any contact with Gloria and give him one more chance. She loved him. She didn’t deny it. She also believed he loved her—in his own way.

Although, if she’d learned anything from her parents growing up, she would stop trying to do the right thing and just have a yelling match with a couple of dinner plates thrown at each other’s heads. The fight would come to a stop, they’d have great make-up sex, and afterwards they’d go on living life. She’d seen that method work a lot.

The waves from the motorboats speeding too close to the shoreline forced the water to come up and over Margarine’s feet. She jumped the wave to save her rolled up jeans from getting wet, but didn’t act fast enough.

She waded out into the cool water of the lake and sucked in her breath at the shock of the temperature compared to the outside air. She didn’t dare go out past her knees.

She’d never learned how to swim in her childhood. Her one lesson happened the time her parents threw her in the motel swimming pool and shouted for her to flap her arms. She finally figured out her feet touched the bottom of the pool and stood up, but not before swallowing half the pool water. Ever since, she’d remained scared to death of having her head below the surface of the water.

She examined her arms. More time had passed than she’d thought. Her shoulders had already turned a shade of pink, and the way the skin on her nose tightened when she squinted against the glare of the sun told her sunburn was in her near future.

Margie followed the pebbled path back to the condominium and strolled around to the front. She withdrew the key from her pocket and almost ran into Gloria, who exited the house.

“Looks like the experts were right. Butter does melt when left out of the refrigerator.” Gloria sneered and pointed at Margie’s sunburned cheeks.

Margie ignored the slut and stepped around her. The calmness she’d achieved down at the lake evaporated at the sight of Gloria.
How dare she come and go from the house Remy set up for us.

“What, no brilliant comeback? I’m disappointed.” Gloria wagged her head and stuck her lips out. “By the way, Remy isn’t back yet, and you shouldn’t expect him until two o’clock. He wanted me to come give you the message, since he couldn’t get you by phone.”

Margie turned around and stared down at Gloria from the top step. Remy wanted Gloria to deliver a message. Well, if Remy didn’t want to deal with her himself, she’d just deal with Remy through Gloria.

“Are you having an affair with Remy?” Margie waited for an answer, not surprised to see Gloria’s face light up and her smirk disappear.

“I wouldn’t call it an affair, really. We do go way back, dear, and your relationship with my Remy is so new…” Gloria patted her uptight hairdo.

“Are you fucking my man or not?” Tired of pussyfooting around, Margie demanded an answer.

“So elegantly put. I’m going to plead the Fifth and let Remy tell you that himself.” Gloria waved over her shoulder and sashayed down the driveway.

It really is true.

Gloria didn’t deny it, and Margie knew in her heart this charade of a relationship needed to end. If she stayed, she’d always wonder every time Remy left the house if he visited that bitch.

Margie wasted no time. She called a cab to come pick her up, threw her clothes in the suitcase, and waited outside the house. It all took no longer than ten minutes. Remy didn’t deserve a reason why she left. If he wanted to know, Gloria could tell him.

The bright yellow car from Lakeshore Cab Service pulled up to the curb. She threw her suitcase in the back seat and jumped in.

Margie didn’t have a plan on where to go until she closed the cab door. She’d find Reefer. He would always take care of her if she asked. “Destination, Miss?” The cab driver gazed in the rearview mirror and chewed on an unlit cigar.

“The closest train station, please. And hurry.”

The cab smelled of cigarettes and sweat. Margie pressed a hand to her stomach and cracked the window to inhale the fresh air. Her stomach didn’t sit well at all, and she worried she may be sicker than she thought.

She used the time in the cab to call Reefer on the cell phone Remy had given her. She hoped Reefer still stayed in Oregon.

She’d throw the cell phone in the trash at the train station in case Remy knew a way to track her through her phone calls. To stay with her parents was a chance she didn’t want to take. Her dad liked Remy and might give her location away if he contacted them. Plus, she wasn’t up giving to an excuse to why she ran away. Reefer never asked questions. He only watched her back.

The cab came to an abrupt stop. She grabbed the back of the driver’s seat to stop her descent to the cab floor.

“That will be thirty-eight dollars.” The driver held out his hand.

She handed him two twenty-dollar bills, left the cab, and caught her reflection in the glass separating the ticket office from the general public. Her hair was a mess of tangled curls, dark circles invaded the space under her eyes, and her nose shined bright red from the sun. She resembled a pile of shit and didn’t feel much better.

“I need a one-way ticket to Astoria, Oregon.” She slid her debit card through the open spot under the window.

The train departed in one hour. Her stomach tied up in knots, she hoped she could last one more hour before escaping the town without Remy realizing she’d left. If he found her…

Who am I kidding? Gloria keeps him too busy to worry about his housekeeper.

“Honey, I’m home.” Remy shut the front door with his foot, his arms laden with every type of food the Eat-n-Dine Family Restaurant in town offered on their menu. With work over, the rest of the stay would center on him and Margarine.

The house sat dead quiet, and Remy figured Margarine napped.

“Better get up, babe. Food’s going to get cold.” He removed the Styrofoam containers from the brown paper bags and set the array of food on the table.

“Don’t tell me you want to be served in bed.” He rounded the corner and came to an abrupt stop. He took two strides to the open bathroom, did a quick survey, and came up empty handed.
Where did she go?