The Sanctuary (14 page)

Val stepped in between us. “Eve, you’re going to get arrested for assault. Let’s
go
.” He wrapped his arm around me and steered me toward the exit.

“Don’t worry, Eve. We’ll work this out. I know where you’re staying,” Jude said.

I turned to lunge at him again, but Val held me back. “If you come to my house, Jude, I will call the police. I want nothing to do with you!” I shouted.

“Your house? Don’t you mean his house? Oh, how you’ve changed, Eve. It took you four years before you lived with me. You moved in with him after what, a week? Did you come here to live out your groupie fantasies?”

“Fuck you!”

Val shook me. “That’s enough. We’re leaving.”

The producers approached us. “We’ll get him out of here, but we need you to finish the interview.”

“Give us a few minutes,” Val said, pulling me into the hallway.

We headed out of the studio into the freezing cold night. It sent a shock through my body.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” I inhaled the cold air. For the first time, there was an uncomfortable silence between us. “I’m sorry you saw that side of me. I hate him.”

“It’s ok. I understand. Ex’s have a way of doing that.” Val smiled.

I continued, “He always tries to play mind games. He thinks I’m one of his clients he can schmooze. I know the truth. I
know
he cheated on me. Why else would he have a girl in his hotel room?”

Val grabbed me and embraced me. “Stop. It’s over.”

I began crying in his arms. “I hate that I can’t have a normal relationship with you. I hate I have baggage.”

“We all have our baggage. Can I be honest with you?”

“Of course.”

“Kat, my ex, tried to kill me. She attacked me one night because she thought I was cheating on her. And honestly, seeing you explode in there triggered memories I’d like to forget.”

I realized the weight of his words. “I’m not Kat,” I said, my voice choking up. “And you’re”—I sobbed—“not…”

Val sighed. “I didn’t cheat on her. Maybe he didn’t cheat on you.”

The fall began to slowly fade to winter. The days grew shorter, the nights longer and colder than I was used to.

Our days normalized into a regular routine. Mornings were spent chatting over coffee before we began our own schedules. I began my days at the gym with Jenni, followed by Finnish classes at the university. Maaria taught me how to prepare traditional Finnish dishes, and dinner was always ready for Val when he came home from rehearsals or when he reared his head out of his art studio.

He added me as a signatory to his bank account, so when he was away, things that needed to be taken care of could be. Not only did living with Val domesticate me, but it also dissolved all of my stress. My pace slowed, and as it did, I began to appreciate how beautiful life was.

I also became more comfortable with the culture of the country. I studied Finnish whenever I could, practicing with Jenni and Maaria behind Val’s back. I wanted to surprise him.

But no matter how hard I tried, the language eluded me. The written language was different than the spoken language. Words were formed by combining words, similar to compound words in English, but the Finns removed letters and combined phrases in odd ways, making their words extremely long and difficult to pronounce.

Val entered the kitchen to get coffee. “Your nose is always in that book. Tell me what’s so intriguing about it.”

“I’m just reading.” I shut the textbook, which I had covered to hide.

Val sat down, sipping his coffee. “You’ve been very elusive about that,” he said, motioning to the book. “May I see it?”

“It’s research. It will bore you.”

“How can you be sure?” He eyed it. “
Kama Sutra
?” he teased.

I laughed. “Is that all you think about?”

“With you, yes.” A devilish grin appeared on his face. “Tell me what consumes you every night before we go to sleep, so much that I have to pull you away from it.”

I contemplated telling him. If I did, I could save myself an early morning trip to Jenni’s to finish my homework. I decided to keep the charade going. “It’s nothing.”

“I don’t like it when you keep secrets.”

“It’s not a secret.”

“Then what is it?”

“Research. That’s all. Why are you so curious?”

Val puckered his lips and eyed the book again, this time noticing paper sticking out of the top of the book. With a swift motion, he seized the book, flipped it open, and pulled my paper out.

“Val!” I whined.

“You’re studying Finnish? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted to surprise you.”

“Where did you get the book from?” he asked, interested in my new hobby.

“The university. I’m taking classes. And that’s my homework you put your coffee on.”

“Sorry.” He removed the cup from the paper and glanced down at it. “This is wrong. You need to…”

“And that’s why I didn’t tell you about it.” I snatched the paper out of his hand.

“You’re being silly, I can help you.”

“
Haista vittu
!” It was the equivalent of “fuck you.”

“I’m glad to hear my sister is teaching you all the proper things a girl needs to know.” He winked.

“How did you know Jenni was helping me?”

“My mother told me when I spoke to her last week. She said you stopped by with your homework because Jenni was working. She found it charming that you’re trying to assimilate.”

I pouted. “She promised she would keep it a secret.”

“Well, she
lied
.” Val laughed as he leaned in for a kiss.

“Speaking of your family, Thanksgiving is Thursday. Can we celebrate?” I asked.

“We don’t normally celebrate Thanksgiving. That’s an American holiday.”

I was disappointed. “Well, I’d like to celebrate it, but I couldn’t find any turkeys in the market.”

“You’re probably not going to find any unless you special order one. You should be able to find a butcher in Hakaniemi that can do it.”

“Do you mind if I invite your family to celebrate too?”

“If you want to.”

“How’s seven o’clock? I don’t want to disturb your schedule or theirs.”

He thought for a moment. “Seven o’clock can work. I think I’m rehearsing that day though.”

I knew if he was in the studio rehearsing, he probably would lose track of time. “Will you promise to be home on time?”

“If it will make you happy, then yes.” He kissed me on the cheek. “I have to go back to work. If you need help with your homework, let me know.”

“I will.” I paused. “Don’t stay too long in that studio of yours. I would like to spend time with you tonight.”

Val’s hand rested on the doorknob. “You know the exhibit is in two weeks. I have to finish before then.”

I heard the frustration in his voice and saw the exhaustion in his eyes. “I know. I’m going to finish studying and head to bed. I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”

He walked over and planted another kiss on my cheek. “Sweet dreams, darling. I will be up later. I promise.”

I waited until he left before I called Jenni. I needed her help to find a turkey. I knew with Val’s work schedule he wouldn’t be of much assistance.

“
Hei
, what’s up?”

“What are you doing Thursday?” I asked.

“Why? Are you planning a birthday party for Val?”

“No. It’s his birthday?” I was surprised.

“He didn’t tell you?”

“No. But why didn’t you?”

“I thought he would have told you.”

“Thursday is Thanksgiving. I wanted to celebrate it.”

“So do both. Surprise him with a cake after dinner,” Jenni said.

“I need your help though. I need to find a turkey.”

Jenni laughed. “We’ll go shopping after your class.”

“Speaking of which, I need to come by early tomorrow. I’m struggling with the lesson. By the way, your mum told Val I was studying Finnish.”

“I figured she would when you told me you had stopped by. Next time go to the shop. Dad is better at keeping secrets. Val is Mum’s favorite. You know how that goes.”

Unfortunately, I didn’t. Having no siblings and no real family to speak of, I didn’t understand the inner workings of a family. “I suppose. I’ll see you in the morning.”

I tapped my nails on the granite countertop. His birthday was four days away, and he hadn’t told me. But that point was moot now. I needed to find him a present, something that came from my heart.

I began to flip though my phone’s contacts. Who could I call to lend me inspiration? Andy’s name lit up on the screen as I scrolled. I looked at my watch. It was midafternoon in New York City. I dialed his cell phone.

“Eve! Where have you been?”

“In Helsinki with my other boyfriend!” I laughed. Andy was a dear friend to me.

“So I’ve heard. It’s been awhile. What’s going on?”

“You’re not on a shoot, are you?”

“No, but even if I was, I’d stop for you.” He laughed softly.

“Aw…Andy. How much do you love me?”

He chuckled. “What do you need?”

“I need you to photograph me. Is there any way you could come to Helsinki tomorrow?”

“You know I’ve always wanted to photograph you for my show.”

I knew he was trying to negotiate. “And you know I can’t because of business.”

“Really, Eve, what does business have to do with it? Sex sells. You know that.”

“Fine. If you come tomorrow, I will let you use something. But it has to be tasteful.”

“When am I not tasteful?”

He made a valid point. He was one of the top boudoir photographers. His work was outstanding and artistic.

“Do we have a deal?”

“Exactly what are we talking about here?”

“A few of hours of shooting. Ultimately, I need a large framed print, and I need it in hand for Thursday.”

“Ouch. You’re killing me, kid.”

“Shall I book a plane ticket for you?”

“I can make it in Tuesday. But I have to be on the plane no later than Wednesday afternoon.”

“Perfect, I’ll send you an e-ticket in a few. By the way, can you bring a turkey for me?”

“A turkey?”

“Yes, frozen too. It can defrost on the plane.”

“Why?”

“I can’t find a turkey here. We have all the reindeer you want, but no goddamn turkeys!”

“Hello…I can’t pick you up. I have a Vespa. Go downstairs and grab a taxi. See you in a bit.”

Val lit a cigarette waiting for an answer to a question he implied with his eyes.

“A photographer I know is flying through. He’s in town for the night before he leaves tomorrow for the States. I thought I would meet him for lunch, and he brought a turkey for Thursday.”

“And does he have a name?”

“His name is Andy.” I didn’t want to give his full name in case Val decided to search the Net for him.

“And he brought you a turkey?” Val looked at me as if what I said was strange.

“I asked him to. I couldn’t get one from the market until next week.”

“Let me get this straight. You got one of your friends to fly here to bring you a turkey for Thanksgiving?”

I laughed. His statement sounded completely ridiculous. “No. He’s got a shoot today, and I asked him if he could bring a turkey since he was flying in.”

“Why don’t you stop by for lunch so I can meet him? I’ve never met any of your friends.”

“But you’ll be in the studio all day. I don’t want to disturb your creativity.” If we had to take time off to meet Val, it would cut into our session.

“I’m sure the guys would like a lunch break too. Anyway, I have to run. I’m already late because of you.” He smiled warmly. “
Mä rakastan sua
.”

“I love you too. I’ll call you later.” I kissed him and wondered what excuse I could use to divert his attention at lunchtime.

“Say it in Finnish,” Val teased.

“I don’t know how to.”

“What do you mean you don’t know how to? You just heard me pronounce it.”

“I don’t know how to add the ‘too’ into the sentence. As in, ‘Finnish is
too
hard.’”

Laughing he responded, “You could say, ‘
Minäkin rakastan sinua,’
which is proper, or you could say ‘
rakastan sua.’
”

“Or I can say ‘I love you too.’ Now go to work.” I playfully pushed him away.

As soon as the door closed, I ran upstairs to get ready. We didn’t have much time, about seven hours for shooting, editing,
and
finding a shop that could produce a framed print by tomorrow.

I rushed to get dressed in the white lace lingerie I’d purchased yesterday. A short, sheer white robe with marabou trim and matching heels finished my ensemble. I curled my hair into long, loose spirals and put on a single strand of pearls. Just as I finished, the bell rang.

I rushed down the stairs. I was happy to have a friend here. I flung open the door.

“What are you doing here?” My heart jumped into my throat.

“I forgot my keys.” Val eyed my outfit. “Why are you dressed like that?” He searched my eyes for an answer as he closed the door behind him.

But the doorbell rang again before I could respond.

“Oh, is this him?” Val walked to the door and flung it open.

“Hi,” Andy greeted Val. He was holding a box marked “perishable,” and his camera bag was flung over his shoulder.

“I’m Andrew. You must be Val.” He extended his hand to Val. “I didn’t realize we were doing a couples shoot today.”

Val turned his attention to me. “A couples shoot?”

My voice dropped. “It was only going to be me. It was supposed to be a surprise birthday gift.” I sighed. My surprise was ruined. “Val, I’d like you to meet Andrew. He’s a good friend of mine and the best boudoir photographer in America.”

Val shook his hand. “A pleasure to meet you. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“I completely understand. This happens more than you know.” Andrew chuckled.

“Is this my turkey?” I interrupted, grabbing the box and packages out of Andrew’s hand. I kissed Andrew on the cheek. “You’re the best.” I walked into the kitchen and placed it on the counter, turning around seductively to Val. Maybe him returning wasn’t a bad thing. “Val. Why don’t you stay home?” I egged him on. “Call out sick.”