Contract for Love, page 3
“Shut the damn door,” Steve barked from inside. “The wind is blowing the shit off the table. Come on in, Sherry.”
“No thanks, Steve. I…” She fought the urge to shout out her frustration. “Andy, could I borrow your car? Jake is sick and—”
“In or out!” Steve yelled. “Now!”
“Fuck off and give me a sec,” Andy called over his shoulder. “It’s my trailer you’re sitting in, so shut the fuck up!”
“’s cool,” Steve grumbled. “I just thought you might wanna have another drag. And with all this wind going on in here…”
Andy clumsily stepped out and closed the door.
Sherry took another step back so she wouldn’t collide with him.
“My car? We could drive around if ya want.”
His stale breath almost made Sherry gag.
“Andy, Jake is really sick. I need to take him to the hospital.” Sherry folded her arms in front of her chest when Andy kept staring at her breasts.
Andy’s gaze jerked to Sherry’s face. “Jake’s sick? I can drive you.”
“That’s really nice of you, but you’ve been drinking.”
“D’you think I can’t drive?” He moved closer, but Sherry sidestepped him again.
She had to be careful what she said, or he wouldn’t lend her the car. “I don’t want to interrupt you or Steve.” She forced a smile. “Of course I will fill up the tank to compensate for any gas I use.”
“Will ya join me later?”
“Huh?”
Andy leaned against Steve’s camper, obviously not caring about the dark stains on it. “We really would be good together, ya know?”
She had feared that he would hit on her again. Hopefully, he would still lend her the car when she turned him down. After all, she’d told him repeatedly that she wasn’t interested. “That’s, um, nice of you to say, but I really have no time for this. And Chloe—”
“She’s a fucking slut! Forget her.” He winked at her. “I already have.”
To try to talk reason into him was going to be useless. “Andy, my boy is really sick. Will you give me the keys or not?”
He inspected the gravel yard before focusing on her once more. “For a kiss, you get ’em.”
Oh, God! The thought of kissing him brought bile to the back of her throat. She swallowed. “Please give me the keys.”
“Kiss first.”
“Please, Andy.”
“Totally up to you,” he said in a singsong voice as if this were all a big game.
While she peeked over her shoulder to her trailer, one thought kept repeating itself: Jake needs me.
Andy was already bending forward to seek his reward, but Sherry held him back by laying her trembling hand on his filthy shirt. “First give me the keys.”
Andy, who had pursed his lips, frowned. “Don’t trust me, huh?”
She wanted to smile, but her lips probably formed a pained expression at best. She just wanted to cry.
He hesitated, but then he rolled his eyes and dug the keys out of his greasy pants. “Here.”
Sherry gripped the keys as if her life depended on it. Who knew how sick Jake really was this time? It could be that his life depended on these damn keys.
With any luck, it would be over soon. When his face came closer, the stench of cigarettes, cheap booze, and the weed he and Steve smoked threatened to make her gag.
Andy’s rough lips and scruff were on her before she could take another breath. His slimy tongue stabbed inside her mouth while one of his hands grabbed her butt hard.
He pulled her closer and moaned.
“Let go of her, you brute,” Rita Mae shouted.
Sherry lurched away from him and held on to the trailer to stay upright. Her stomach roiled. But if she retched, it would make Andy furious for sure, and she couldn’t risk him taking the keys away from her. She took a deep breath, then another.
Rita Mae’s salt-and-pepper hair flew in the wind. She stood on Sherry’s doorstep like an overweight avenging angel.
“Damn, bitch, we’re busy. Can’t you see that?”
Sherry took a deep breath. Then another one. She wouldn’t vomit, she wouldn’t vomit, she wouldn’t—
“So, where were we?”
Sherry stumbled backward. “Thanks for the keys,” she croaked, and tried to walk back to her trailer.
Andy grabbed her arm. “Not so fast.”
“You said one kiss.”
“Doesn’t count. That bitch ruined it.”
“Andy, please. My boy needs to go to the hospital.”
Andy stared at her with his cold eyes. Finally, he nodded. “You can pay me later.” His yellow teeth became visible when he grinned. “But try better next time. You kiss like a dead fish.” He laughed at his own joke and started coughing. Then he took a rattling breath and repeated, “That’s it. Like a dead fish.”
Sherry pulled away and ran toward her trailer as fast as her shaky legs would allow. On her way, she spat a few times on the dusty underground beneath her to get rid of the horrible taste in her mouth. “Thank you so much.” She wrapped her arms around Rita Mae’s comforting form, and when they let go, she held up the keys like a trophy.
“Would you like me to come with you?” Rita Mae followed her inside the trailer.
“No. When we’re back, he’ll probably need fresh pajamas. Could you ask Sue if she’ll let you use her dryer? Tell her I’ll give her the money later.” This month was turning out to be a financial disaster. Nothing new there.
“Okay.”
“We gotta go,” Sherry said. “Who knows how long we’ll have to wait this time? And my shift at the market starts tomorrow at seven.”
“You work too much.”
A hysterical laugh threatened to bubble out of her. “My bank account wouldn’t agree.” Sherry took a deep breath and slid open the folding door to the bedroom.
“You can’t be serious,” Janice blurted.
“Why not?” Madison shoved another forkful of apple pie into her mouth. “Mm-hmm.” After she swallowed, she said, “It tastes really good. You sure you don’t wanna try?”
“Very sure.”
“Your loss. Anyway, everybody would get what they want.”
“That’s bullshit.”
Madison paused with her fork in midair. She wasn’t sure what surprised her more: Janice’s choice of words or that she didn’t agree with her. She decided to focus on the latter. “What’s wrong with my plan?”
Janice looked at her as if she were trying to explain to a child why it wasn’t proper to scratch your butt in public. “I don’t know where to start.”
“At the beginning?”
“Fine.” Janice pushed her half-empty coffee cup to the side. “Nobody will believe it. I mean, you’ve done a lot of crazy things in the past, but this—”
Madison let her fork clatter onto her plate. “There’s nothing crazy about it. I’ll pay this waitress a nice sum of money to play my girlfriend. You can buy anybody for the right price.”
“Let’s pretend for a ridiculous moment that you’ll be able to talk her into going along with your silly plan. The idea that you of all people could play a loving partner and stepmother is absurd. You wouldn’t make it through even one week without parties and booty calls.”
“You’re exaggerating.” Madison pointed her fork at Janice. “Besides, I don’t think Grandmother Eileen will live much longer. How old is she? A hundred and fifty?” She chuckled at her own joke. “And how hard can it be to play a boring family person?” Just thinking about the role she would play with Sherry brought a smile to her face. Maybe playing the waitress’s partner would be anything but boring. Sherry wouldn’t be the first straight woman she had enticed into her bed.
She looked Janice directly in the eye to convey that she was serious. “There’s a lot of money on the line here. I can make it happen. Trust me.”
“I would bet a year’s salary that you’ll fail.”
“Sure, why not?”
“Stop making fun of me. Even if the waitress does accept your offer and you stop being, well, you, how will you get a job and—”
“Wait! I didn’t say anything about getting a job.”
Again, Janice looked at her as if she were a little child. “How are you planning to convince your grandmother you’re taking responsibility without getting a job? Believe it or not, responsible people have responsibilities. You’ll never be believable as a housewife or stay-at-home mom, so that means you need a job. Don’t tell me you didn’t think of that in your oh-so-fantastic plan.”
The apple pie sat like lead in her belly. It wasn’t that she was lazy by any means—not really. But working? She’d never had to work and never wanted to either. “So, um, you think a job would be a must to make it believable?”
“Your question alone proves that you have no chance of convincing your grandmother.”
Anger bubbled up deep inside of her. She would prove Janice wrong. At any cost. “What do you make in a year?”
“Why?”
“Come on. How much?”
“Seventy plus bonuses. So about a hundred. Why?”
“What? That’s all?”
Janice inspected her hands. “It’s just my third year after graduation. In smaller firms, I would make even less.”
“Your father is a partner. Shouldn’t he pay you more?”
“He said I have to make it on my own. I was lucky he got me a job at his firm at all.” Janice starred into her half-empty coffee cup.
They had known each other since their last year of high school. It was the longest friendship she had ever had with anybody. Besides Danielle. Madison shook her head to get rid of the memory and focused on Janice instead. They had never slept together. Maybe that was the reason why their close friendship had lasted so many years. Close friendship? Really? In this moment, she had no idea what Janice might be thinking. It doesn’t matter what she thinks. Focus! Madison extended her hand. “I bet you one hundred thousand dollars that not only will I go through with it, but I will also get what I want in the end.”
Janice’s eyes widened in an almost comical way. “Are you out of your mind?”
“Why? Afraid to lose?”
“Ha. Never.” Janice hesitated but then grabbed Madison’s hand. “Ten. I bet you ten thousand dollars that something will go wrong. Either you don’t get the waitress to do it, you mess up, or your grandmother won’t fall for it.”
“Deal.” Madison pumped Janice’s hand wildly. After she let go, she ate the rest of her pie. A giggle threatened to escape her lips. Yes, this would be a piece of cake or, in this instance, perhaps a piece of pie. She stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“Where do you think? I have to ask where I can find my better half.” Madison strolled to the counter.
Less than five minutes later, Janice couldn’t stop her snickering while they walked across the parking lot. She stopped abruptly and tapped one finger against her lips.
“What?” Madison growled.
“Oh, I was just thinking about what to do with my ten thousand dollars when you lose this bet.”
Madison clenched her fists. Everybody could be bought. So why hadn’t the stupid guy at the diner told her where to find Sherry? Who cares? She wouldn’t give up so fast. “Hold your horses. The game has barely started.”
“If you say so.”
Without giving her a second glance, Madison stomped toward her BMW convertible. She pressed the key fob, tore open the door, climbed in, and pulled the door closed with more force than necessary. As soon as the engine was running, she sped from the parking lot as fast as the car would allow, her hair flying in the breeze.
Think! Where can I find her? Her son was sick. Yes! That’s it. Sherry would take him to a nearby hospital. It was at least worth a try.
Chapter 4
Sherry pulled Jake’s overheated body closer into her embrace and looked up at the clock situated over the waiting room’s entrance. It was just after eight. They had been at the hospital for almost two hours.
A toddler screamed on the other side of the room and a few adults coughed. One loudly complaining drunkard was dragged outside by two security guards while various phones rang behind the sliding doors. The place was packed and smelled of old sweat, stale cigarette smoke, and vomit. She silently prayed that Jake wouldn’t catch anything further on top of his current infection. Not that Sherry could afford to be sick either. Lying sick in bed didn’t pay the bills.
Sherry’s belly grumbled as if agreeing. Or maybe it was simply hunger. She hadn’t eaten since… It took her a moment to realize that she hadn’t eaten since having a quick breakfast this morning.
Maybe, if they got seen shortly, they wouldn’t have to spend half the night here, like last time. She could then have a bite to eat back at home and get at least a couple hours of sleep before tomorrow’s workday.
Sherry caressed Jake’s sweat-drenched forehead. Despite this being a loud, stuffy place, Jake was sleeping. But his heart was beating frantically. God, he had to be fine.
“Finally!”
Sherry flinched and turned to see the strange woman, who had helped her with Fred earlier and had offered to drive her home, standing there staring at her with huge eyes.
Sherry stared back. The woman’s clothes looked expensive and her long, dark brown hair was windblown but seemed to have seen a stylist recently. Everything about her screamed money, so what was she doing in this waiting room? Surely she could afford much better treatment. Not that she appeared to be sick.
The woman stepped up to her. “This is the third hospital I’ve driven to.” She smiled. “At least you chose well with this one. My family has donated a lot to this one over the years.”
Sherry blinked. “Are you talking to me?”
Jake shifted in her arms, and she held him even tighter. “Is it our turn?” he mumbled.
“No, baby. Go back to sleep.”
He snuggled his face to her shoulder and nodded off again.
The strange woman held a fifty-dollar bill to the old guy sitting on the chair next to Sherry. “I have a feeling you want to sit somewhere else.”
The pale man ogled the bill, then snatched it out of the woman’s hand and jumped up with an agility that belied his fragile posture.
The woman sat down beside Sherry. “If you hadn’t run away from me earlier, your son would feel much better already.”
Was this woman mad? Sherry spun away. “Leave me alone.”
“I can’t believe this,” the mad woman said under her breath. In a hushed voice, she added, “Listen, I have a business proposal to make. If you agree, your son will get the best medical treatment there is.”
Mad, nuts, a total lunatic. That’s what this woman was. “I don’t know you and have nothing to talk to you about.” Sherry eyed the entrance to the waiting room. The security guards were still dealing with the drunkard, and her fellow waiting people gave no indication of wanting to help. Instead, they leaned back to watch the interesting distraction.
The woman extended her hand. “I’m Madison Fielding.”
“I am not interested in doing any business with you. Now leave us alone. Please.”
Ms. Fielding—if that was her real name—left the waiting room cursing under her breath.
Obviously, Sherry had found the right words. She relaxed. Rita Mae would never believe this.
Not even five minutes later, the woman was back. This time with a nurse in tow. “I’m Abigail Tayler. I want to apologize for keeping you waiting so long.” She half-turned to Ms. Fielding. “If we had known—”
Ms. Fielding waved her off.
Sherry glanced between the nurse and Ms. Fielding. What are you waiting for? Someone wants to help Jake. The rest doesn’t matter.
She stood. Her stomach roiled and stars appeared in her line of sight. It wasn’t the first time this had happened, so she knew what to do; she squeezed her eyes shut and waited. When she opened her eyes again, both women looked at her strangely.
She took a deep breath. “I’m Sherry Miller. This is my son, Jake. He’s got a high fever.”
“I see,” the nurse said. “Please follow me.”
Doing just that, she passed Ms. Fielding, who was grinning, making her look even more of a lunatic than when she had arrived.
“Is it our turn?” Jake croaked.
“Yeah, honey.” Looking over her shoulder, she realized that Ms. Fielding was following them. Her instincts screamed at her to say something to the nurse, but what if she sent them back to the waiting room then? No, she couldn’t risk that.
The nurse tapped her tablet several times. “You said your son’s name is Jake, right, Ms. Miller?”
“Yeah.”
Apparently, the nurse had found Jake’s information, because she nodded. “Please come this way.”
They walked past the treatment area, where each bed and treatment table were sectioned off by curtains, and entered a separate room that contained just one treatment table. It seemed to be equipped for much severe medical emergencies. Sherry had never been in the area toward the back of the ER. Probably for a good reason. Being treated here had to cost a fortune. Money that Medicaid certainly wouldn’t cover and that she couldn’t afford.
Carefully, she lowered Jake onto the treatment table. For a moment, he opened his blood-shot eyes before squeezing them shut once more.
Nurse Tayler slipped a thermometer into Jake’s ear and entered the result in the tablet. “The doctor will be with you shortly.” She hadn’t even left the room when the door was opened. A man in scrubs and a lab coat grabbed a tablet from a holder at his hip and asked for the patient’s name.
