Stormy Surrender

By 11am, she had a mover ready to meet her in the following week at the colonial house she had once shared with Blaine, who had seemed incredibly agreeable when it came to furniture and knick knacks. And since he had assured her that she could take whatever she wanted, she knew she would need a moving van. There was no way she could afford to buy all new furniture to decorate a house the size of her new home. It would drain her life savings just a little too quickly.

Once the movers were scheduled, she made the appointment with her new lawyers. That should be fun. Her stomach soured just picturing how the next few days were going to go. And the last decision she had to make was how to get there. Would she fly, or would she drive? It was a tough choice to make since she was traveling alone. Sighing, she called the airlines and purchased a round trip ticket out of Charlotte.

The mystery get-together with Joe was starting to look like the highlight of her day. Though she was already in a foul mood, she fixed her hair, applied some make up, and dressed in one of the new outfits she had chosen. The results, when she consulted the mirror, were surprising. And while she never would have guessed it would happen, she found herself smiling. There was a new air of confidence about her as she walked down the staircase on the way out of Hope House.

“Well, look at you!” Keely exclaimed when she saw her. “Hot date?”

She laughed. “In jeans?” She shook her head. “No, I’m just going to meet Joe over at the house, check the progress. That kind of thing.”

Keely had been dusting the parlor. She set the Swiffer duster on the end table and walked over to Marti with a serious expression on her face. “Listen, I love Joe, but be careful.”

Letting out a hollow laugh, she replied, “I’m married.”

She nodded. “Yes, but not for long. Rumors swirl in a town this small. There’s not much going on to discuss but the people. And you’re new, which makes you the topic of discussion. It hasn’t gone unnoticed that you aren’t wearing your rings and that you are spending so much time with Joe.”

Marti opened her mouth, but Keely just raised a hand to silence her. “Now, hear me out. I love Joe. I call him my doll baby, but honey, he’s broken. And though you strike me as someone who loves a good project, I’m afraid that trying to fix him would only end up hurting you. I think he likes his life the way it is. I think he has decided that this is the way to protect his heart.” She sighed. “He does have a big heart, the dumb oaf.” The way she looked at her, Marti knew she was supposed to reassure her.

“You don’t have to worry about me. I have enough projects right now. The house and the divorce are quite enough, thank you. And really, Joe is just my contractor.”

“Well good. I just don’t think he’s capable of more than fun these days.” She smiled warmly.

That statement only put ideas in Marti’s head. Fun sounded like a nice change about now. It had been a long time since she had done anything fun. Fun is not a word she would use to describe Blaine. And because she had been with him for so long, she didn’t know if it was a word that would be used to describe her anymore either. Ah, but people change. And she could change. No one knew her here. This was her chance to be anyone she wanted to be, live any life she desired. There were no predetermined expectations. For once she could do what she wanted. And all she had to do was figure that out first. Unfortunately, she had no idea where to begin.



By the time she reached her house, the only thing she had decided was that she was too worn out to make any decisions. She prayed this would not be one of those impromptu days where Joe tried to take her shopping for the house. Her confidence had been shaken as of late. The clothes and hair helped, but the closer it came to the time she would have to return to Vermont, the worse she felt. She pulled into the driveway and Joe walked right over to the vehicle.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that,” he began. “Can you back in?”

“I suppose so. I’ve never really tried. Why should I back in?” She hadn’t been here for more than thirty seconds and already he was annoying her.

“Well, see those overgrown bushes and foliage at the end of the driveway?” He paused and she could see that he was waiting for her to nod or react in some way. She moved her head slightly, deciding that would have to do.

He looked at her and then continued. “There is just enough traffic on this road that you could get into an accident backing out. You really should back in and then you won’t have that problem.”

Stepping out of the vehicle, she all but growled. Instead of taking his commentary as concern, she was feeling controlled and her natural instinct was to dig in her heels. “What if I get a circular driveway, or maybe have the area landscaped, or just not drive? I could get rid of this stupid ugly vehicle and then all my problems would be solved!”

Her hands were waving about dramatically. Years of being told what to do and how to do it by Blaine had finally taken their toll on her. She would be happy if no one ever presumed to tell her what to do ever again. And here was this stranger, this man who barely knew her who always seemed to be bossing her around. Instead of taking a step back, Joe took a step forward. Instead of getting as far away from her as possible, he gathered her in his arms. And then, though she had been tense and stiff and angry, having him wrapped around her, that warmth, his scent...some mixture of soap and deodorant and man…the way her head fit so nicely tucked under his chin, she could just feel it all just dissipate. She breathed a few more times, and then looked up at him, since he didn’t seem likely to release her any time soon.

“What was that for?” She was calm now. And that sense of impending doom seemed so much farther away than it had before.

“You looked like you needed it.” He spoke seriously and evenly.

Leaning her head against his chest once more, she murmured, “Good eye.”

The crew would be returning from lunch soon. Their alone time would be over. Worse, if anyone saw this, the women of the town would be up in arms. He smirked as he imagined Keely toilet papering his house or Laurel egging it. Reluctantly, he released her from his embrace. “So when do you leave for Vermont?” He asked.

“I took your advice. I won’t be heading out until next week. Why?” She leaned against her orange best of a vehicle and kicked at a stone with the toe of her black ballet flat. The sharp stone bit into her toe through the thin fabric, but at the moment it didn’t matter.

“Well, I thought of something else that we need to do before you go.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. He waited to see if she was going to say anything. When she didn’t, he just finished his thought. “Let’s go get you a different vehicle, something that is more you.”

A smile spread across her face. He knew she was interested. “I don’t know how it worked in Vermont, but we should be able to get you a new vehicle today. Then…I’ll buy you dinner in Charlotte. How about that?”



They arrived at the car dealership within the hour. And while she walked the lot at CarMax, she could see that he was studying her. It was all she could do to try to imagine her in any of them. She pressed her face to the glass. She studied the pricing and features on the sticker. She walked around and studied the color and the shape.

“Want to sit in any of them?” He asked her.

Marti looked up at him and smiled. “I don’t know what I want. I mean…I really have no idea.” She sighed. “Okay, I’ve never chosen a car before. Blaine always picked the vehicles. Cars were his area. I took care of the house, remodeling, decorating, all that.”

“I guessed that. When it came to picking what you wanted for the house, you knew exactly the products and colors. It was nice.” He smiled at her as he looked over her shoulder at a salesman walking their way. He waved the man away before he could even get close.

“Thanks for that. Oh, and thank you for whatever you did to get all the materials here so quickly.” She walked toward a blue Ford Escape. “I don’t know how you managed it. I thought that the windows would have to be special ordered. I asked for some pretty specialty stuff and yet you were able to fulfill my wishes so quickly.

He walked around to the other side of the vehicle. Somehow he knew that she was someone he’d never be able to lie to, someone, he’d never be able to keep a secret from, someone, he’d never want to. It was strange and new. Once again he found himself lost in thought, comparing Marti and Finn. At the car lot, Finn would have wanted the flashiest, sports car she could find. Everything about her was designed to draw attention. She fed off of that like no one he had ever known. And he never felt guilty in the least about lying to Finn. He knew…he absolutely knew that she lied to him. How many times had he caught her out when she was supposed to be in studying? How many times had he tried to surprise her only to be shocked to discover she was out at a party with friends…usually male friends?

“You were just lucky,” he said slowly. “Someone ordered those for a project that was never completed. And you are benefiting. It’s that simple.”

“Oh, that makes me sad,” she said seriously as she walked around.

“What’s sad about it?” He was truly baffled by the way she thought sometimes.

“Well, for someone to have taken the time to have selected those windows, that trim, the transoms and doors…to have planned and imagined a life that now wasn’t happening…that’s sad.” She sighed. “I’ve never been one to take advantage of someone’s loss. It doesn’t feel right. Why can’t everyone have their dreams?” She was staring at him across the hood with sad brown eyes.

“Not everyone gets what they want.” He shrugged. He had pondered that same question more nights than he cared to admit. And still, he had yet to discover a satisfactory answer. Why couldn’t he have his dream?

“I saw this quote once. I don’t know who said it or wrote it or where it came from, but it made a lot of sense to me. It was something about how what kept people most often from truly being happy were that they couldn’t let go of the way they thought their life was supposed to be and embrace the good in the life they had.” She stared at him for a moment. “It spoke to me.”

“It spoke to you,” he smiled and she could tell he was trying to tease her. “What did it say?”

She chuckled. “It said, ‘pay attention, dumb ass, this is important!’” And she walked behind the vehicle to meet him on the passenger side where the sticker was. “Huh. I like this. It’s the perfect size. It’s not fancy…”

“It’s a hybrid,” he pointed out, “so you can pat yourself on the back for doing your part to save the world.” He rested an arm around her shoulders.

She didn’t know if this affection came naturally to him, but after years of a loveless marriage, she was relishing it. She wrapped her arm around his waist at first satisfied with that, but then it wasn’t enough and she wrapped both arms around him. She buried her face in his chest and inhaled deeply. There was something about his scent that she wanted to imprint on her brain. She just needed to be able to access that memory for later use, this memory of time when she felt safe, a time when she felt at home.

The worst part was that he felt so comfortable that it made him uncomfortable. There was no way he should feel this at ease with her. He never felt this relaxed with anyone. Ever. It had always been a joke with his family. Where did you fine Joe in the family pictures? Oh, he would be off in a corner by himself. He would be on the far outskirts of group photos. And if he couldn’t feel at peace with his own family, was it any wonder that he had trouble interacting with the rest of the world? Here was Marti. She had been a boil on his behind since the moment they met…before they met actually. She had cost him a week of free breakfasts. She fell into him from the stairs. Why…if she had been three times her size, she might have crushed him. Of course, instead she was average build, average height, and before him average wardrobe and hair.

Marti was the complete opposite of Finn. She was never going to be the woman that was the life of the party. She was never going to strive to be the center of attention. She didn’t need life to be dramatic and exciting. She was someone who was just content to be. She could sit quietly by the fire with him and never ask who else was coming over or when the party was going to start. Because of how easy she was…he shuddered when he realized she really was easy to be with…he was more himself than he had ever been. That, after a week, was frightening.

Slowly, he pried her arms off of him, acting like he wanted to take a closer look at the vehicle. “The price is reasonable. Want to have them take a look at the Vue and see what we can do?”

Already, Marti was giddy. They hadn’t even struck a deal yet. He sighed. “Okay, first of all, let me teach you how this works.”

She made a serious face that made him want to chuckle and wrap her up in his arms again. That woman…she sure did know how to make him smile…and curse…and think about all kinds of things he was happier never considering.

He began again while shaking his head, “The first rule is you aren’t committed.”

“But I like this one. I like blue. And I think it’s just right!” She protested.

He raised his eyes to the heavens. This might be a lot more difficult than he had anticipated. “Car shopping…it’s a game. And we’re going to win.”

She looked at him playfully. “And will we win…a new car!” She acted as both model and master of ceremonies. She was practically bouncing up and down.

“This is never going to work unless you follow my lead. Will you work with me here?” He implored. He was seriously concerned that he would never be able to work a deal for her. And he was notorious for making deals. He would practically stage a sit in if need be. This was a game that he liked to win. The object was to get the lowest possible interest rate, the best trade in, and the longest warranty available. To date…he had won three times…twice for himself, and once for Finn. She wasn’t nearly this fun at a dealership. It was boring. She was bored. There was nothing to do, not enough people to talk to, and everything took too long. Then there was Marti, his little Energizer Bunny. It was impossible to be seriously angry with someone that cute.

The salesman had apparently been watching their interaction. He was walking over, while adjusting his tie. He had on his big salesman smile and held out his palm to offer up that strong salesman handshake. Joe shot her a look that reminded her to be quiet. She did her best to look disinterested and demure.

“I see you were eyeing the Escape. Care to take it for a test drive?” He grinned.

Joe looked at Marti. She looked at him. She sighed and shrugged. In that one moment, he wasn’t sure he ever could have been more proud of her. He imagined it was taking every ounce of self-control on her part. He almost laughed. Almost.

“So, babe,” he said. “Are you interested in this car or not?”

She took a step closer, a small, hesitant step. He could have reached out and kissed her. Damn she was good.

“I don’t know. It seems pretty basic. And that looks like a lot of money for a really basic used car.” She walked around it slowly as if she was trying to detect every flaw. “And I always wonder with these vehicles that are only one year old, but sitting in the used car lot. I suspect that they were once rental cars and that they have been used hard, mistreated, and handled like the proverbial red-headed step-child.” She nodded in his direction. “No offense, of course.”

“Of course,” he agreed. He, too, walked around and nodded. “I assume you have a report on the previous owner? I wouldn’t want my girl driving around in a vehicle that is unsafe. She travels back and forth to Vermont a lot.” He nodded at the Vue. “See, that’s a vehicle that we can trust. She just is tired of the color.”

He glanced over at Marti as she ran her hand over an imagined imperfection in the paint. “Babe, what do you think of this color?”

She made a face. “It’s fine. You know…nothing special.” She shrugged and turned as though to walk away. “I just don’t know if I’ve found anything that really strikes my fancy. I mean…it’s not like I have to get a new vehicle. We can just go…”

If she didn’t stop it, he was going to throw her on the hood of the nearest car and have his way with her. He had never been so taken with a woman in all his life. Damn, she was sexy when she bargained. Crap. She caught him looking. Play it cool, Joe. Play it cool… “Babe, do you know what I’m thinking?”

She smirked and walked over to him. “I think I do. And I would much rather be doing that than car shopping. I just don’t think we can get a good enough deal to make it worth our while.” She walked into his arms and he crushed her against his chest. “Shall we?” She asked in a voice so seductive that he was convinced, and so was his penis. The way her eyebrow arched just then…suggested she knew it, too.

She backed away just a bit, and he was glad that she kept him covered. In fact, she turned around and wrapped his arms around her so that she was hiding him still. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I love you.”

Throwing her head back, she released a throaty chuckle. “Take me home and show me how much?” Then she winked.

Damn she was sexy when she wanted to be. He pulled her close a moment more. Dead puppies. Maggot filled garbage. Clogged toilets. He thought of anything that was gross and disgusting, anything that might just make his bulging erection go away. It worked. He just had to avoid looking at her. Forever.

He took her hand and started to walk away when the salesman stopped them. “We haven’t even talked numbers yet,” he complained. “Give me just a minute to see what I can do? And is that your trade in?” He pointed to the Vue.

They nodded in a very non-committal way, and acted like they were ready to leave. So he rushed. The salesman literally ran across the lot, back into the building.

Smiling up at him she said with a giggle, “Well, that ought to speed up the process.”

“Well, played. I swear I could have kissed you,” he said happily.

“Really? Because to me, it felt like you wanted to do a little more than that.” She smirked as she called him out.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” he said. “But seriously, you were amazing.” And he punctuated that proclamation with a kiss.

It was a great kiss. While he had blocked her mouth, prevented her from speaking the other day in an obvious ploy to distract her, this was entirely different.

He just got caught up in the role play, she told herself. It was nice to have someone think that she was attractive for a little while. It felt amazing to have the power to make someone as handsome and attractive and sexy as Joe get all hot and bothered. And because of that, she was feeling pretty awesome.

The salesman returned while they were sitting in the Vue talking. They did that because it was a bit windy out and still chilly for the season, but also because it was good for him to think that he had a very limited time with which to impress them.

“You should have seen me in action when I bought the truck,” he boasted while they waited for the Vue to be assessed. “I was there all day. And I mean, I arrived soon after they opened and didn’t leave until I had the deal I wanted a good hour after they closed. My father came and everything. He had to bring me the spare keys to the vehicle, so he stayed and offered his opinion. He was ready to crack long before I was.”

She shivered. The way he was looking at her, she knew he believed it to be because of the breeze that was growing increasingly cold as the day wore on. Ah, but in reality, she had just seen another side of him. So far, every side she had seen was so rugged and manly and wildly attractive…to the right woman. Not her, of course, ask anyone. He wasn’t one to settle down and she wasn’t one to play the field. At the moment, she shouldn’t even be in the stadium. She was still married.

And that’s when the thought occurred to her. “How is it you’ve never married? Did you just never find anyone that you liked enough to be tied to the rest of your natural life?”

He scowled. “There’s nothing natural about being tied down, nothing natural about marriage. Men were designed to go out and spread their seed…”

She could tell he was going to say more, but she interrupted him. “Oh good lord, are you one of those?”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” he said honestly.

“Is that what you really mean? Is that how you really think? You would never settle down?” For some reason, his answer to that question was more important than she could ever have guessed it would be. And it bothered her to think that somewhere in the back of her mind; she just might be a little more than interested in Joe Masters than she cared to admit.

He stood there looking at her for a moment. What did he believe any more? At one time he had hoped to marry Finn. He had asked his father for the ring that was passed down from his grandmother after she died. It was to stay in the family and he was the only male in the line, so it had been his since he was nine. That’s a long time to know that you are supposed to get married.

“I don’t know.” He realized he had answered far more honestly than he had intended. She seemed to be okay with his response, so he was more than happy to continue. “I thought I knew what I wanted. I thought I knew who I wanted, but instead of being the love of my life, she was my greatest disappointment.” He looked at her a moment before he continued. “And if it was just me, I guess I would have chalked it up to having chosen badly. Only, then I look at my father, and I start to think that maybe this is just how life is. He married three times before he moved here and gave up. I asked him once why New Hope? Why that town, that place, that house? And he had explained that he had come to find hope and stayed because while there was no way he was going to find true love, at least in his later years he had found peace. I guess for him, peace was enough.” He turned. He had said far more than he thought he would. And yet for Marti, it wasn’t quite enough.

“What do you think? Do you think you can find love?” She asked the question so gently that his heart very nearly hurt while considering it.

“I guess the answer is…that I thought I had. I dated a young woman. I was crazy about her. I told her and showed her how much I loved her every day in every way. And it wasn’t enough. It was never enough.” He walked over to the bench nearest the exit of the service department. They were alone and he was suddenly more acutely aware of that than he had been before. It was too quiet, too still. And he was too uncomfortable. “I don’t like talking about that time, or her.”

“I understand. So what was her name?” She looked at him completely without guile.

He could get lost in the depths of those bottomless chocolate eyes. Yet here she was badgering him. He had to give her credit, she was doing it so nicely that if he were a lesser man, he wouldn’t have even noticed. And for that he applauded her.

Before he had to divulge that last piece of information, the door opened and the salesman walked back in. “Let me sit down with you fine folks for a minute while we discuss the numbers.”

It was during the number discussion that Marti completely zoned out. She couldn’t do it. Numbers were never her thing. And now that she had to watch them so closely and wonder where more of these numbers on green treasury paper were going to come from, they were even more mystifying. It was one of those times she was glad to have a man around, even if he wasn’t her man, to handle all these incredibly tedious tasks. She had bigger and better things to worry about…like what radio stations were already preset and if the vehicle would need another coat of tint before it was comfortable to ride in the southern summer sun. All good aspects of vehicle ownership to consider.

Though he claimed to be ready to walk away, it took them three hours to do so. “That wasn’t bad,” he remarked as they drove away from the dealership in her cardboard temporary tags. “Look at that. And now you’re legal. You have a South Carolina tag and a home and tomorrow a license.”

“Why tomorrow?” She grumbled. “We should do something fun. We should go somewhere.” She thought for a moment. “Where should we go?”

He shook his head. “Sorry, princess. I have to work tomorrow.”

“Hey, last time I checked, I’m your employer. I say you need a day off.” She looked at him with a sparkle in her eye. “I am thinking…I’ve never been to Charleston. I hear…” her eyes positively gleamed with excitement, “that they have an aquarium!”

He thought about it for a moment. He had lived in Charlotte all his life, save the last few years where he was a half hour from there, and yet he had never been to Charleston or the aquarium. It was tempting.

“I was really good at the car dealership,” she reminded him. “Don’t I get a prize or something?”

“You did,” he teased. “Remember? You got…a new car!”

She laughed like he was the funniest person she had ever known. He didn’t know anything about her husband. For all he knew, he really was. And that made him feel special. What would it hurt if he took a day? After all, he was sure to get plenty done while she was gone to Vermont in less than a week. And one thought bothered him as it crossed his mind. He was really going to miss her.