Lined With Silver Read online

  “You know I couldn’t say no.” Sondra let the curtains fall and moved to sit on the bed.

  “Oh, Sondra. Do you really mean it?”

  “Of course I do. Tell me what I need to do.”

  The next several minutes were spent with Nikki going into details involving an embryo transplant. When the conversation ended, Sondra fell back, her mind swimming with the idea of doctor visits, immunization booster shots, blood tests, possible hormonal injections, invasive procedures, with the end result one she could only enjoy as an aunt.

  What had she agreed to?

  Chapter Four, Small Lies

  Sondra’s ringing alarm woke her at 6:30 a.m. The phone had switched to the new time zone. Sondra’s body didn’t switch so easily. It was still 4:30 as far as it was concerned.

  She shut off the insistent alarm and buried herself in her warm bedding. She wasn’t ready to move. After a few minutes, she rolled out of bed and opened the heavy drapes.

  The sun hadn’t yet risen, but the glow of city lights sparkled in the falling snow. The city was a wonderland. Despite her experience with the muggers the night before, the world looked like a new, vibrant place, and she was anxious to start the day.

  She’d picked out a white cashmere sweater to go with a simple winter white suit she’d bought the night before. Even though the ceremony wasn’t meant to be a lasting one, she couldn’t bring herself to treat the occasion with indifference.

  When she was showered and dressed, she called the number she’d added the day before. A groggy male voice answered. “Whassup?”

  “It’s our wedding day. I thought it should start early.”

  “Can’t it wait until a more reasonable hour?” Irritated. He definitely sounded irritated.

  Sondra swallowed a nervous chuckle. “It’s nearly 7:00. I’ve already found the closest county clerk’s office.”

  He was silent a moment, and then growled. “All right. All right. Give me a few minutes.”

  “I’ll order breakfast. Was there anything you wanted?”

  The mention of food woke him up. “Bacon, eggs, and pancakes sound good. I’d like orange juice as well. Bill it to the room. I have an account.”

  Sondra shut the phone without saying good-bye. This time, she was paying, and he wouldn’t be there to argue.

  When breakfast arrived, Sondra paid for the food and included a generous tip. This trip was meant to be on her dime. The whole marriage thing had been her idea. She didn’t want to add the guilt of the trip expenses to the package.

  Zack knocked on her door a couple of minutes after breakfast arrived, his hair still wet from a shower. The swelling around his eye was down, but the surrounding tissue was definitely the wrong color. His lip looked almost normal.

  Like her, he’d dressed for the occasion. The suit he was wearing looked different from the one he’d worn the day before, and Sondra wondered how he’d kept it immaculate in the suitcase he’d carried.

  “Did I pass?” Zack’s voice broke into her thoughts.

  “Was I obvious?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “I was thinking you look remarkably undamaged for taking out three thugs last night.”

  “Practice makes perfect.” He drawled.

  She shuddered. “Let’s not get any more practice.”

  He laughed. “I wasn’t planning on it.” He reached for the tray and lifted the cover. “Perfect. How’d you know I like my eggs sunny side up?”

  Sondra wished her face would quit betraying her. Her warm cheeks could’ve cooked his whole meal. “You liked it during Trek.”

  Zack’s brows rose in surprise. “That was a long time ago.”

  She lowered her gaze to her own plate, which blurred suspiciously. Her practice in court kept her voice steady. “The years have flown by.”

  “They have.” He stared at her a moment, and then turned to his plate.

  The worn and tattered picture of their Trek family had been relegated to her junior high scrap book. But her memories were as fresh as the strawberries decorating her breakfast tray.

  As they left her room, Zack detoured to his own room and came out with a bouquet of white roses. “I had just been down to order them at the shop downstairs when I saw you load onto the elevator last night. I hope you like roses. I didn’t think to ask.”

  Sondra breathed in the heady scent. “They’re beautiful. I love them.” She hoped he wouldn’t notice her shaking hands as she balanced the bouquet during their elevator trip and short walk to the front where they met the valet with their car.

  They drove in silence to the Virginia courthouse. Sondra occasionally peeked at Zack to see if he was having second thoughts, but his jaw was set and she couldn’t read his expression. Zack stepped around to open the door, and she had a sudden desire to run screaming down the street. This wasn’t at all what she’d planned for her own wedding. What was she doing?

  As they walked up the steps to the glass doors, Sondra’s stomach twisted in a knot, and she fought to control her emotions. This wasn’t how she’d envisioned her marriage with Zack. The steps she’d wanted to walk up led to temple doors.

  She couldn’t stop the tremor in her fingers, and Zack squeezed them slightly in what she assumed was some sort of sign of reassurance. How could she feel reassured when this wasn’t really what she wanted? She gripped her bouquet with her other hand. She was glad the roses were thornless. As it was, the stems cut painfully into her hand.

  The line to the clerk wasn’t long. When they reached the counter, Sondra released her death grip on the roses and carefully laid them on the counter. She fished through her purse for her identification and the prenuptial agreement she’d printed the night before.

  “Beautiful flowers,” the clerk admired.

  Sondra managed to smile. “Thanks…” she paused a moment to read her nametag, “Olivia.”

  “You can call me Livvy.” Her bright voice almost dispelled Sondra’s gloom. “Here is the license. Where are you getting married?”

  It was a good thing Zack took over because Sondra was having a hard time talking past the lump that had formed. “We were hoping you had a Justice of the Peace here who can handle it this morning.”

  “This morning?” She stared at him a moment, as if to make sure he wasn’t joking. “Let me check.” She squinted at her computer screen, and then looked up with a relieved smile. “It looks like Justice Turly is available this morning.”

  As they were signing the papers for the license, Sondra asked the clerk, “Could you also notarize these for me?” She pulled out the prenuptial agreements.

  Before the clerk could reach for them, Zack drew them off the counter and quickly read over the one-page agreement. “How did you know my legal name?”

  Not wanting to confess her youthful infatuation, she quickly ad-libbed. “I looked you up on-line. You have several pages of information on Google.” She crossed her fingers behind her back.

  Zack narrowed his eyes and stared at her a moment. “You don’t say…” he drawled and then handed the papers back to the clerk, who watched both of them sign the two copies and then notarized them.

  A few minutes later, they had the license and the agreement in hand and headed down the hall to see Justice Turly. The door was open. He stood to greet them. White hair was evidence of his age and of his life experience. A couple of stray clerks had been rounded up to act as witnesses. The women stood at the side of his desk.

  He grinned as he shook Zack’s hand. “So she had to knock you around to get you to propose, did she?”

  Zack caught Sondra’s eyes and flashed one of his half smiles. “Yep. That’s exactly how it happened.”

  Sondra was too nervous to laugh. She wasn’t sure if Justice Turly felt the deception in their marriage. She was sure he’d met with other nervous couples before, but she doubted if he’d ever officiated over what was meant to be a very temporary arrangement.

  She couldn’t concentrate on Justice Turly’s disc
ussion about the importance of family and keeping each other’s interest as their primary focus. Their arrangement was so far from that ideal Sondra had to bite back hysterical laughter. By the time he had finished his speech, she was on the verge of tears. She was an emotional mess. And she wasn’t even pregnant yet.

  Zack seemed to sense her emotional upheaval and kept her hand gently cupped in his. As the ceremony commenced, Sondra couldn’t stop the tears from flowing over.

  Zack reached up to gently gather the first couple of tears off her cheek with his thumb and then rescued her with some tissues from the box handy on the Justice’s desk.

  After the ceremony was over and the Justice said they could kiss, Zack bent down and offered a whisper of a kiss that barely touched her lips. His sweet tenderness nearly had her unloading another barrel of tears. Instead, she sent a watery smile in the direction of Justice Turly. They had already signed the necessary paperwork.

  Sondra asked one of the clerks to take a couple of pictures with the Justice and then some with just her and Zack.

  After the photography session, Sondra asked if the clerks wanted to participate in a bouquet-tossing ceremony. They giggled and gathered a few other single employees. Sondra hadn’t inspected the group before she tossed the bouquet behind her. Zack was handling the video portion during the event. To her delight, Livvy caught the bouquet. Her bubbly personality had helped Sondra through a rough spot. She hoped Livvy would have more luck in love than she had.

  Zack hadn’t even commented about her desire for pictures. She wondered how he was feeling about the whole event. She couldn’t read his expression.

  She hadn’t known what to expect during the ceremony. This heavy weight like she was carrying the world on her shoulders wasn’t something she planned on. She wondered if it had something to do with the fact their marriage was a sham. She shuddered. Perjury was a crime. She never pictured herself on the lying end of a legal document, but didn’t they both have good reasons for this temporary arrangement?

  * * *

  They stopped at a quaint restaurant not too far from the courthouse to enjoy their wedding luncheon. Sondra tried in vain to block out the thought her family should be there celebrating with her. She swished her food around the plate and tried to eat.

  After Zack finished, he noticed her full plate. “Aren’t you hungry?”

  She could only shake her head. He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully but didn’t comment. She appreciated his silence. Any word might have brought out another flood, and she already felt humiliated. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d cried, and it seemed to be all she was doing this weekend. You’d think I was already pregnant.

  He interrupted her thoughts. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to see my dad, but we have a stop to make first.”

  Sondra nodded. She didn’t trust her voice.

  When they parked in front of a well-known jewelry store, she couldn’t remain silent. “No. I won’t let you. You’ve already gone above and beyond what you need to do. I don’t want a ring.”

  “My dad would notice. You need to have one.” He wasn’t going to budge.

  Sondra took a deep breath. “Fine. But please make it cubic zirconia. I don’t need a diamond, and your dad would never know the difference.”

  “Your job is to pick the design you like. I’ll take care of the rest.” His no-nonsense tone had her tightening her eyes. She had a feeling Zack would do exactly as he pleased, but at least she’d made an effort to keep the costs down.

  As they sat down to look over the ring sets, her eyes widened. She’d never been ring shopping, and seeing so many diamonds sparkling at her lightened her mood. How could she feel down when there was beauty like this in the world?

  There was one particular setting which called to her, and when she tried it on, it felt exactly right. She held her hand out to admire the flashing stones. “This is perfect.”

  He smiled and told the hovering salesman, “We’ll take it.”

  “And get him a matching ring.” She caught Zack’s eyes. “A plain gold band?” He nodded. If they were going to pull this off, he needed a ring as much as she did. She pulled the rings off and handed them back to the man. She’d asked Zack for the cubic zirconia. She liked the setting, but she assumed Zack would honor her wishes.

  She watched as they walked to the back of the room to talk. The salesman disappeared into the back of the store, then reappeared a few minutes later. After ringing up the sale, he handed Zack two ring boxes.

  Zack tucked the white box into his suit pocket, stepped to Sondra, opened the black velvet box and wordlessly indicated a desire for her hand. She extended her fingers. “Thanks for agreeing to be my wife,” he whispered as he slid the rings on. To her surprise, he kissed her fingers before he released them. She blinked, wondering how this fit into their plans.

  Since her recent response to worry was tears, she clamped her thoughts tight and refused to think about it.

  As they walked out to the car, he slid his own ring on. She was grateful he’d performed the act himself. Any more ceremonies reminding her of what she desperately wished was an eternal reality would have been more than she could handle.

  * * *

  Nearly half an hour later, they turned into a neighborhood of elegant homes. Tucked inside a large yard, the one-story red brick building was surrounded by naked trees and snow-covered shrubs.

  The front walk had been shoveled. A cheery wreath hung at the door. The oak double door opened into a large room, where the polished wood floor glowed warmly. Colored lights twinkled on a tree next to a gas fireplace. Upholstered chairs were positioned around the fireplace. A gray-haired gentleman snoozed in one, the footrest holding his feet a comfortable distance from the gas flame.

  An open dining area housed a long oak table. Its sides were lined with carefully carved wooden chairs, sentinels ready for the next meal. Beyond the table was a long hallway dotted with doors—some open and some closed. As they stepped down the hall, Sondra read a name plate posted on each door. Sadness echoed down the hall. Each name was a person. Someone waiting to die.

  Some of the open doors revealed a room with wood floors. Walls were decorated with personal items.

  Mitchell Wright Carlson’s door was closed. Zack reached down and touched the doorknob. He hesitated long enough for Sondra to sense his dread.

  The opening door revealed a wall hung with hand-drawn pictures from Zack’s nieces and nephews expressing their desire to have their grandpa home soon. Sondra steeled herself against another onslaught of tears. It was obvious the man with the gray skin undertone wasn’t going back to any earthly home.

  “Dad.” Zack’s voice was loud in the quiet room.

  The man in the bed started awake. Despite his visible illness, his eyes showed a clear understanding of his surroundings.

  “Zack. How good to see you, son.” His alert eyes rested on Zack’s discolored eye. “Did you win?”

  Sondra had expected a harsh man after the demands he’d put on his son, but the love he had for Zack glowed in his eyes.

  “Of course I did. You raised a winner.” He grinned at his dad, who smiled back. Zack rubbed the back of his neck, as if he wasn’t sure how to approach his father. His tone changed. “I talked to Grant yesterday.”

  A steely look entered Mitchell’s eyes. He asked in a voice firm even so near death, “How did it go?”

  “He let me know you changed your will.”

  “I did. It’s time you settled down. You should’ve married Hannah years ago.”

  “Dad,” Zack sighed heavily, “she married Doug. Remember? It was right after Mom died.”

  Sudden confusion shifted Mitchell’s focus. “Laurie isn’t dead. She was visiting me today. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Almost overwhelmed by this new bit of knowledge— that Zack had lost his mother and was clearly close to losing his father—Sondra willed herself to focus.

  Whatever had happened with Mitch
ell, Zack, and the will, she was sure he wouldn’t have made the choice in an earlier time. He obviously loved his son, and he also loved his deceased wife. The only unknown was Zack’s sister, and Sondra couldn’t make any judgments without having met her.

  Zack didn’t argue with his father, instead, he said, “Dad, I want you to meet my wife. This is Sondra.”

  Zack pulled her gently forward. When Mitchell reached for her hand, she was surprised by how firm Mitchell’s grip was.

  His voice shook slightly. “You’re as beautiful as Laurie. I wish you all happiness.” Confused, he looked over at Zack, Sondra’s hand still in his. “When did you marry?”

  Zack stepped over and put an arm around her. “We married this morning.”

  Still holding onto her hand like it was a buoy in a storm, Mitchell asked, “How come I never heard about this?”

  “Dad, you’ve not been well. I didn’t want to worry you with wedding plans.” He smiled at Sondra, his eyes challenging her to keep up the charade.

  She smiled at the ailing man, unsure of what she should say. He seemed to accept her quiet assurance as evidence of their commitment. He finally released her hand, looked up at his son, smiled, and drifted back into what she assumed was a drug-assisted sleep.

  Guilt washed over her. She wasn’t accustomed to playing parts, and deception wasn’t something she felt comfortable with. The story of Abraham and Sarah when they entered Egypt and claimed to be siblings sprang to mind. Sometimes, Sondra rationalized, a small lie for the greater good is justified. The problem, she reminded herself, is where those small lies lead.

  Chapter Five, Tours

  Zack tenderly stroked his father’s thick gray hair then bent down and whispered, “I love ya, Dad.” The light reflected off a single tear wandering down Zack’s cheek. He brushed it off as he turned to leave.

  Sondra pulled the blankets up over Mitchell’s hands and up to his neck, making sure the IV tubing was hanging free, feeling with some sorrow this might be the only interaction she would ever have with Zack’s father.