Brenda Jackson - Married Or Not?

She hadn’t realized how loud she’d gotten until she stopped. Her voice still rang around them. She took several deep breaths. I can get through this. Somehow, some way, I can do this. I’ve got friends. I’ve got…what, exactly? A broken arm and leg and I’m presently recovering from surgery. Oh, yeah. I’m in really great shape .

After a silence that stretched between them for several minutes, he asked, “Are you through?”

Oh, how she’d love to brain him over the head with her cast. With her luck, she’d probably break her arm again.

“Yes,” she muttered, looking out the side window so he wouldn’t see the tears that filled her eyes.

“What I think would work out best for you is to stay with me until, quite literally, you get back on your feet.”

She whipped her head around to stare at him so fast she’d probably added whiplash to her other injuries.

Horrified by the suggestion, she could only stare at him. So many thoughts raced through her mind that her head was spinning. The whole world had gone mad. Or at least her tiny part of it. Didn’t he know it would be impossible for her to live with him again? Was he so insensitive to her feelings that he didn’t understand how painful being around him would be for her?

She settled on one major objection that she’d already heard him explain about her apartment. “You live in a second-story apartment, too.”

“I’ve moved.”

“When? Yesterday?”

She saw his lips twitch. She was glad somebody was enjoying this nightmare.

“About three months ago.”

“Good for you.” She gazed out over the park. She could hear splashing from a nearby pool and saw people sitting in the shade. What she wanted to do was to get out of the car and walk away. And she couldn’t.

She was well and truly trapped by her own circumstances.

“Not really.”

“The move didn’t work out the way you hoped?”

“My great-grandmother died a few months ago and left me her home.”

“Oh, no! Millie’s dead?”

“Well, she was in her nineties, after all. She didn’t suffer. She just didn’t wake up one morning.”

“Oh, Greg. I am so sorry. You were so close to her.”

“Yeah, I know.” He waited a couple of beats and said, “Here’s what I would like to do, if you’ll allow it. As you know, there’s plenty of room for you and me to stay in the same house and never see each other. Once your casts are gone you can get back some of your muscle strength using the pool.

“Your doctor said that it would be a while before you’d be able to get along on your own. It makes more sense for you to stay at my place until you’re mobile. You’ll be comfortable there and I’ll be available if you need help.”

She knew she would need help. She still had trouble dressing, and getting a shower would be a major ordeal. But there was no way she would accept that kind of help from Greg.

Sherri shook her head. “It’s kind of you to offer, Greg, and quite generous considering the history between us. Sharing a place, no matter the size, would be tantamount to living together again and I can’t do that.” She looked away and repeated softly, “I really can’t do that.”

“Then where do you want me to take you?”

She rubbed her forehead where her headache had intensified. “I don’t have any idea, but I need to lie down somewhere. I can stay at your place until I figure out what I’m going to do, I suppose.” She’d be living a nightmare until she was able to find a place to rent. She had enough savings to pay for all the deposits and the first and last month’s rent if she was very careful. After that, she’d be without resources.

“Of course,” he said, pulling out of the parking space. “I know you’ve been through a terrible ordeal and this is far from being a perfect option, but it was the only one I could come up with for now.”

“Having you come back into my life when I’m in this condition hasn’t helped, believe me,” she said, rubbing her forehead.

She saw his jaw clench, but she was too exhausted to care if she’d been too blunt. Her emotions had been all over the place since she had seen him standing beside his car today and had discovered that he wasn’t going to be out of her life. At the time, she’d thought she could hold out another few hours. Not days or possibly weeks.

“Nice wheels. Did they come with the house?”

“The house came with a tidy sum from a trust fund.”

“It must be nice having money,” she muttered bitterly.

“Not necessarily,” he said in response.

They rode the rest of the way in silence. She recognized the neighborhood and thought about the times they’d visited Millie when they were married. She’d thought Millie was the only family Greg had. In fact, he’d told her Millie was his only family and she had been able to relate to being raised without parents.

Once Sherri had left Greg, she’d missed seeing the elderly lady. It would be strange to be in her house when she wasn’t there.

“Is Lorraine still there?”

“No. After Millie died, she said she wanted to retire. She’d looked after Millie for many years and Millie left her enough to live on in comfort.”

They pulled into a long driveway that ended at a three-car garage behind the large home.

Greg walked around and opened her door. She hadn’t thought about how she would get into the house because, frankly, too many other things were going on in her head.

He reached inside the car and effortlessly picked her up. There was nothing for her to do except put her arms around his neck. She was at the end of her stamina. All she could do was lie against his chest and close her eyes.

Millie’s place was so beautiful with its colorful flower beds and shrubs. Once inside the gate between the high privacy hedges, the view opened up to reveal a pristine lawn spotted with large trees and an Olympic-size pool.

“Millie always enjoyed her pool,” she murmured to herself. She closed her eyes again.

“She kept herself in great shape. Probably why she lived as long as she did.”

A wide expanse of floor-length windows and French doors looked out over the vista. As Greg stepped up onto the redbrick terrace, a woman opened one of the doors.

“Ah, Hannah,” Greg said, smiling. “Thank you for opening the door.” He looked at Sherri. “This is Sherri. Sherri, Hannah.”

So he was married. He could have mentioned that when she was going on and on about their living together. He must have found her quite amusing.

He could have told her at some point. It made no difference to their relationship, or rather lack of relationship. Sherri was glad to know that he’d found someone else. She didn’t know why she was so surprised. He was handsome, well-educated and now could give any woman whatever she wanted.

Being this close to him was so disturbing. He wore the same aftershave, the one that had haunted her for months after she’d left.

Greg carried her through the wide hallway toward the front of the house. A wide, curving staircase went up to the second floor. Before they reached the stairs, Greg stopped in front of a closed door.

He gathered her closer, if possible, and opened the door. This had been Millie’s room. She remembered it well. Millie’s light perfume still lingered. A motorized wheelchair was near the bed. She wondered if Millie had needed it during her last few months. If so, Sherri knew Millie would have hated to be confined to a chair.

He carefully placed her on the bed and stepped back. “I’ll be right back.”

She closed her eyes and was drifting in a sea of pain when she felt something move on the bed. Her eyes popped open and she gasped. Two cats had jumped on the bed and were daintily stepping up to her.