The Unknown Malone

He’d waited for her? Why?

“Jenny is Josh’s sister-in-law. The one who had twins when I was here last time. A couple of little girls. They’ll be seven soon.”

She turned away, busying herself with another bag, not wanting him to see the pain on her face. Cody was seven. No! She couldn’t allow herself to think about him now. Later she would look at her album in the privacy of her room. “That must have been some night... I mean when Josh flew her to the hospital. Good thing his dad is a doctor and was along—” She turned back to place the last of the groceries into the refrigerator just in time to catch the same expression on his face that she’d seen last night... when Max’s name was mentioned.

“Would you like a glass of wine? There’s a bottle in there chilling.”

The change of subject was so abrupt that it caught her off guard, and she heard herself saying, “That would be nice” before she could weigh the wisdom of her decision.

Michael uncorked the bottle and poured while she set the table, took the dinner from the oven and placed the pottery dishes atop trivets on the table. When they were both seated at the small round oak table, Michael raised his glass to her and she lifted her wine tentatively. He clinked her glass and said, “Cheers.”

“Cheers,” she said back, unable to hold his intense gaze. What was this all about? She didn’t have to wait long to find out.

“So, Nicole,” he said, setting his glass down, “don’t you think it’s time you told me the truth?”

Five

Nicole nearly choked on her wine. “Wh-what do you mean?”

He gave her a sideways look. “You know very well what I mean—that whole act you put on when you applied for the job.”

She twisted the glass in her hands, not knowing where to start or how to answer his question without raising more.

“You’ve never worked at a place like the Purple Palace, have you?”

She glanced up, then back at her hands, finally shaking her head slowly from side to side.

“Then why those silly red spikes and that...that—” he waved his hand near her head “—pile of hair?”

Even though she felt foolish under his close scrutiny, at least these questions she could answer truthfully. “I...I just wanted to fit in. I didn’t want to look too straight. You know—someone who might easily be offended at what went on here—or what I thought went on here.” She could imagine how different she must have looked then compared to now. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Michael shaking his head.

And then he laughed, loud and long. Once he got his composure, he asked, “What on earth would a helper do at a bordello?” He took a sip of wine, swallowed quickly and then laughed again.

Nicole couldn’t keep a straight face any longer. Her charade had to have seemed comical, but watching Michael break up like this was even funnier. She never could watch someone laugh without laughing herself. And the harder she laughed the louder Michael got.