Heart Of Marley (9 page)

“Want to get out of here?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

I glanced at the clock on the wall of the church basement, noting that the service wouldn’t be over for another twenty minutes. There was no way in hell that I could go back in there.

Smiling, I nodded.

“Good. We’re both going to get into so much trouble, but I don’t give a fuck.”

I placed my hand over my chest in faux shock. “Cameron Michael Bowen,” I said in my playful gentile voice, “how dare you say the word fuck in a house of God! I do declare.” I batted my eyelashes at him and my heart warmed at the smile on his face. I knew that no matter what I was going through, I could get through it as long as I could look at Cam and see him smile.

“Come on, Mar. Let’s go break a few rules. Go big or go home! And I’m pretty sure you don’t want to go home. Am I right?”

I nodded once more and before I knew it, Cam was hauling me out of the church basement, the potluck organizer glowering at us in disgust because we were ditching early. Cam must have noticed her displeasure and he turned around quickly. “Oh, Mrs. Dumond?”

I looked over his shoulder at her smug grin.

“I do hope you enjoy your Sunday potluck, but Marley and I are unable to attend. You see, Marley was molested and abused nearly every night for three years right after she turned eight, and certain sounds set her off. So, if you feel the need to spread lies and rumors about why we left, think about how you would feel if that were your daughter.” There was a brief pause as her jaw dropped open in shock. “Brush that under the fucking rug, if you will.”

He spun around and grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the church and toward his Wrangler. After opening the door and helping me in, he ran around to his side and started the engine, looking at me with a grin of satisfaction on his face. “I’m breaking
all
the rules today, Marley Jane. No matter what, we’re going to get in trouble so let’s make it worth it. What do you want to do?”

My eyes beamed with excitement. “Want to go on a road trip?”

He put his car in first and drove out of the church parking lot. “You bet. But, first, we need to make a few quick stops to stock up on provisions.” He winked and I could finally shed the person I was forced to be for the last half-hour while I sat within those four walls of judgment.

“A
RE
WE
ACTUALLY
GOING
to do something, or are we just going to drive around town all day?” Marley huffed.

I looked into my rearview mirror at the back seat of my Wrangler, Marley’s hand firmly enclosed in Doug’s, and shook my head. “Mar, patience. We’re leaving now.”

She winked at me and reached into the front seat, grabbing Brianna’s arm. “I’m so glad you were able to get out of the house.”

Brianna smiled nervously. “Anything to escape for a minute.”

“Where are we going?” Doug asked.

“Road trip.”

“Go big or go home!” Marley exclaimed, repeating my words from earlier.

“We’re going to Charleston. It’s our last Sunday before starting school. We may as well enjoy the lack of homework while we can!” I pulled onto the interstate and headed south, the wind rustling through the open-top of my Jeep.

“How did you get away from church and everything today?!” Brianna shouted, glancing at Doug.

I chuckled. “Doug’s Jewish. You didn’t know that?”

Her face turned red. “No. I’m sorry, Doug. I had no idea.”

He shrugged. “It’s okay. It’s not a disease or anything. And I get more holidays than all of you! My family’s not really that Jewish. I mean, we do some holidays, but it’s mostly for the food. I’m a sucker for a latke.”

We all erupted in laughter and, for a little while, everything felt perfect. The miles between Myrtle Beach and Charleston passed with ease as we fought over who got to control the radio, Marley constantly leaning from the back to try to find Madonna, singing at the top of her lungs when she finally stumbled across a radio station playing
Vogue
. I laughed at Brianna and Marley and all their hand gestures as they sang along with the “Material Girl”.

After a fun-filled two-hour drive with musical accompaniment that ranged from Janet Jackson to Metallica and everything in between, I finally pulled off the interstate and drove through the historic streets of downtown Charleston. Finding a public lot off of Market Street, I parked the Wrangler and our small little party went in search of amusement on that sunny, warm August day.

“Where to first?” I asked as we walked down a narrow cobblestone sidewalk, a horse-drawn carriage going by as it gave out-of-towners a tour of one of the most haunted cities in South Carolina.

“You know where,” Marley replied, raising her eyebrows at me.

Groaning, I glanced over my shoulder at Doug, his eyes trained on Marley as if something horrible would happen if he looked away. “Hope you like to shop. Marley’s got a thing for the central marketplace.”

“It’s fantastic, Cam!” she protested. “Where else can you look at table after table of homemade goods, instead of that crappy commercial stuff you get everywhere else? I’m all about supporting the little guy. And I plan on supporting them with my latest paycheck!”

“Fine. But if Doug and I have to suffer through this, can we at least eat first?”

“I suppose.”

“Actually,” Brianna said, finally joining in on the conversation, “I’m kind of hungry, too. It
is
past noon.”

“That settles it. We eat first. Crab House, Mar?” I asked, looking back over my shoulder.

She nodded in agreement. “Is there anywhere else? You know I’m a creature of habit.”

I led the way across Market Street toward the Crab House. The hostess sat us at a table outside and we finally relaxed for the first time all morning.

“So,” Doug said, breaking the ice a bit, “is there a reason y’all played hooky from church today?”

I noticed Marley’s back become rigid and she gave me a cautioning look. Even if she hadn’t, I wasn’t going to say anything. It wasn’t my place. “No reason.” I shrugged. “I figured it was too nice a day to waste it in some church basement, socializing with people we hardly know.”

“Yeah,” Brianna said, rolling her eyes. “Marley and I will have enough of that in the coming months with all the functions we have to be at for the Jessamine Court.”

I turned to her. “Your step-dad’s on the committee with my aunt, isn’t he?”

“Yeah.” Her voice was quiet and I could sense that she didn’t like speaking about her step-father so I tried to change the subject.

“How’s your father been? Is he teaching at the school again this year?”

She swallowed hard, her carefree demeanor still replaced by agitation. I could only assume that she was nervous about skipping out on her Sunday obligations with her family, as well. We would all pretty much be in the doghouse when we got home, with the exception of Doug. He definitely had the most liberal and understanding parents in town.

“Yeah, he is. And at Coastal Carolina University, too.”

“He seems to have his fingers in lots of pockets, doesn’t he?” Doug commented.

“He sure does,” Brianna replied.

“Whatever happened between you and Mason?” he asked.

Marley elbowed him. “Douglas! It’s rude to ask a lady about her ex-boyfriend when she’s in the presence of the new man in her life.”

“It’s okay,” Brianna interrupted. “I’m sure I’ll be getting that a lot once school begins. We dated for nearly two years so it’s definitely been the break-up of the year.”

“When did y’all end it?” I asked, trying to hide my unease.

“After Fourth of July. You guys weren’t around much because of your grams so you were out of the loop. Long story short, he’s not the same Mason I knew from first grade. It was more of a relationship out of obligation anyway, considering his mom’s best friends with my mom so she kind of forced me to date him. Every time I mentioned breaking it off, she would get all short with me and blame me for trying to sabotage her friendship. Sometimes I wonder who the adult
is
in our house.”

I grabbed her hand and her solemn expression was replaced with one of joy and hope.

“Well,” Marley’s boisterous voice broke through the tense atmosphere. “Look at us! Does this count as a double date?” She turned to Doug, his eyes wide at her mention of the word “date”. “I mean, it would have to count as a date first, I guess. I mean, if you’d want to date. I mean…” She took a deep breath. “Are we dating, Doug? I don’t want you to think that we have to date just because we finally kissed.”

He smiled at Marley and I could see the overwhelming affection he had for her. Given her past, I grew nervous at the prospect of her dating anyone, but I knew Doug better than any other guy with whom I went to school. He was the only one I knew who would treat Marley the way she deserved to be treated.

“I’d like to think so,” he said. “I mean, that is if you
want
to date me. I don’t want to say we’re dating if you’re not dating me, but I’d like to think that I’m dating you.”

“Okay.” Marley nodded. “You can date me. I approve. Because I am
so
dating your ass.” She giggled.

“Please don’t seal the deal in front of me,” I interrupted, not wanting to watch my best friend and my sister kiss right before our lunch arrived. There were some things I’d rather not see.

He winked at Marley. “I’ll get you later, Marley Jane.” Leaning over, he whispered something in her ear and a grin crawled across her face, making her entire being glow.

I raised my eyebrows at her and she blushed. This was the Marley I knew from all those years ago. Whenever she shut down or had an “episode”, as my aunt referred to them, I would take her far away from everything. I’d help her forget about the expectations placed on her shoulders and the old Marley would come out of the shell she had been forced to live in for the past six years. Barely anyone knew the real Marley. Doug saw her on occasion, and so did a few of her close friends from school. I should have counted myself as lucky for being able to spend time with the real Marley because she began to slip farther and farther away over the months to come.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Y
OU
REALLY
LOVE
YOUR
sister, don’t you?” Brianna asked, clutching on to my hand as we maneuvered our way through the crowds of people in the central market that spanned several city blocks, stopping at nearly every table for Marley to
ooh
and
ah
over different pieces of jewelry and homemade trinkets.

“Of course I do.”

“I think it’s cute how well you get along.”

I shrugged. “We’ve been through everything together,” I explained, my voice pensive.

“So…” she said, slightly hesitant. “What’s the real story?”

I glanced at her, wanting further explanation.

“I mean, I’ve heard the rumors. We don’t hear them as much as we did when you and Marley first arrived in our sleepy little beach community in sixth grade, but I still hear them once in a while.”

“What do they say?” I knew it shouldn’t surprise me that people talked about why there was a court order requiring us to live with our aunt and uncle, but it still irritated me that no one had anything better to do than gossip about other people’s struggles.

“Well, you can take your pick, really. That you and Marley were more than your parents could handle so they left you, and your aunt and uncle, being the saints they are, took you in.”

I shook my head in disbelief.

“Let’s see…” She wrinkled her forehead, deep in thought at the ludicrousness of it all. She felt it, too. “There’s also the rumor that your father was some hot shot in the movie industry, and he left your mom for some famous actress and she went off the deep end. And, of course, your aunt and uncle, being the saints they are, took you in… Notice a common theme, here?”

I nodded. “I’m starting to.”

“You should because every rumor ends with your aunt and uncle being saints.”

“Saints in public, maybe.”

“I know what that’s like,” Brianna muttered under her breath. “Put on a smile and pretend that everything in your life is like it should be so no one becomes suspicious that there’s something wrong.”

I stopped dead in my tracks. “What do you mean by that, Bri?”

“Nothing,” she answered quickly, avoiding my gaze. “I just… I’m sorry. I never should have opened my mouth. Everything in my life is fine. I just…” Her chin quivered and she took a deep breath. “I guess I just wish things were as simple as they were before. My mom and step-father don’t get along with my dad, and they use me as a pawn in their game of who’s better. My mom took my dad back to court, and both sides slung false accusations at each other. Who do you think it affected? Not them. Me. At least I’ll be able to get away from it all for a bit when school begins because I’ll be busy with theater and all the pageant stuff. I’ll finally be able to escape…I hope.”

“But you got out today,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. “I can’t think of anyone else that I’d want to get grounded for.” I nudged her gently and she turned to meet my eyes.