Part 2 (2/2)
Callie started to walk towards the living room, but remembered her manners and waited for Fawn to lead the way. ”You could have just called. I would've taken your call.”
”Oh, I left early this morning and I didn't want to wake you. Besides, this is too personal to talk about on the telephone.”
”You left...were you in Austin?”
”Yes. Parker and I are going to be in Austin until this legislative session is over. There are some very big bills that the legislature is going to consider, and he's working harder than I've ever seen him.”
Privately, Callie didn't think that having lunch, c.o.c.ktails and dinner const.i.tuted real work, but Parker was a lobbyist for the pork producers and that was the nature of his profession.
”You didn't have to drive this far, Fawn. This is something Marina and I have to work out on our own.”
”I know that, but I'm not sure you know how much you mean to her.”
Trying to keep the annoyance from her tone, Callie said, ”That's something I should know from her, isn't it?”
”I know, I know.” Fawn's hands fluttered like a baby bird learning to fly. ”I'm just not sure how good she is at telling you how she feels. She's a deeply emotional person, you know, but it's hard for her to express herself.”
Marina could explain her way out of almost anything. She had a silver tongue that could get her whatever she wanted. But Fawn couldn't see that since she was the one frequently talked out of substantial sums of money.
”That's not how I see her. I think she's really good at saying what she wants.”
”In some ways. But I don't think you see the real her. She's very needy.”
That was crazy. Almost delusional. Marina was one of the least needy people in the world, but Fawn needed to be needed and Marina definitely liked being pampered. Callie had often thought that Marina would have been more well-adjusted if she hadn't been an only child. As it was, her mother and, to a lesser extent, her father, focused all of their hopes and demands and energies on her alone.
”I'm touched that you came this far just to talk to me. I really am. But...”
”Look, honey,” she said bluntly. ”I know all about your agreement, and you have to admit that this little dustup isn't very serious in the whole scheme of things.”
Callie's mouth dropped open and she had a brief fear that it would stay that way. How could Marina reveal something so private? Then she recalled that she'd just told her father. That reminder set her mind reeling for a few moments and she had to compose herself enough to speak.
”I had no idea you knew about our...”
Fawn's hand flipped a few times, as though shooing flies. ”She tells me everything. I know about her other girls too, sweetie, and if she cared one whit about this girl in Boston, I'd know about it.”
”That may be, but she cheated on me, Fawn. She has all the freedom anyone would need, and she cheated.”
Fawn leaned towards Callie and her voice grew softer and more earnest. ”That's one way to look at it, honey, but another way is that this is like a country road, and Marina just went past the mailbox a little bit.”
”That's not how I look at it. How would you like it if you found out that Parker was sleeping with another woman?”
To Callie's surprise, Fawn gave her a look that was almost sympathetic. ”When I was just a little girl my grandmother told me that there were two kinds of women. One kind you married and one kind you didn't. I didn't really understand what she meant then, but I came to. Men have a drive. A drive that no respectable woman could meet. I'm surprised you didn't learn that before you met Marina, you being with men and all.”
”I learned that a lot of people have strong s.e.x drives, but part of what makes us human is our ability to control our urges. We're not solely driven by instinct.”
”Of course not. But we're not very far away from barnyard animals. A bull might have s.e.x three hundred times a year, but he sure as heck isn't with the same cow. I don't know what Parker does when he's away from home, and I will never, ever ask.”
Stunned again, Callie said, ”Really? You're not even curious?”
”Not at all,” she said, making all sound like two syllables. ”I think part of your problem is that you talk about these things too much. ” She reached out and touched Callie's hand, squeezing it gently. ”Marina is very much like her daddy. If you let her have her head, she'll be wonderful when she's back in the paddock.”
Callie wasn't sure what part of this barnyard discussion was making her head spin, but she'd had all of it she could take. She stood up. ”I'm being a terrible hostess. What can I get you to drink?”
”Oh, nothing, sweetheart. I'm going to go by our house, fix myself up, and meet a friend for some shopping.” She lowered her voice as though someone were listening. ”There isn't a thing to buy in Austin.”
Urging Fawn towards the front door, Callie put a hand on her shoulder. ”I truly appreciate your coming by. I think it's great how much you care about Marina.”
Fawn gave her a robust hug, enveloping her in a cloud of floral perfume. ” I care about you too. You've probably never suspected this, but Parker and I had a hard time accepting some of Marina's choices.”
Most of the Metroplex knew that the Boltons were devastated when Marina came out to them, but it wouldn't do any good to try to relieve Fawn of her delusions. Callie merely nodded.
”But both Parker and I love you. You're exactly the type of person that Marina needs. You're so much more understanding than the women she's been with before.”
Understanding or a sucker? Being understanding wasn't a fault. Being a sucker was. Marina couldn't push her that far. Self-respect was something she'd never give up. For anyone. ”I appreciate that,” Callie said, making herself smile. ”I'll certainly consider everything you've said.”
Fawn patted her on the cheek and started for the door, turning one last time to say, ”Don't forget about how they keep that bull happy.”
”Oh, I can honestly say that I'll never forget that.” Even though I'll try.
On Monday morning, Callie was sleeping peacefully when she was startled awake. The bedroom was dark, but there was just enough light to see a figure standing in the doorway. She was trying to find the breath to scream when she heard what sounded like a sob.
A rough, hoa.r.s.e voice murmured, ”It's me.”
”Oh, dear G.o.d.” She tried to convince her heart that it had nothing to fear, but it didn't believe her and continued to race. ”I tried to scream and nothing came out.”
Marina approached the bed tentatively. ”I'm so happy you're here,” she whispered. ”I was sure you were going to be gone.”
Callie sat up and pushed her hair from her eyes, confused by the darkness. ”What time is it?”
”Uhm...six forty-five.”
”There aren't any flights that get you in at this time of day. Where've you been?”
”I was scheduled to come home this morning, but I knew I'd never be able to sleep, so I caught the last flight to Los Angeles, then got the redeye that left LA at one a.m. For a change we were right on time.”
Drily, Callie said, ”Maybe that should be your new schedule.” Part of her wanted to bash Marina's head in, but another part-a part she couldn't make sense of-was glad to see her. There was some kind of pull that Marina had over her, and she could no more resist it than she could explain it. Just being in the same room with her relieved some of the pain. There was a real connection between them. That was irrefutable.
Still looking very tentative, Marina said, ”Can I get into bed with you? I can't even tell you how much I've missed you.”
Feeling some of the barriers start to come down, she extended a hand which Marina took. ”Sure.”
With remarkable speed and even more remarkable disregard for her clothing, Marina stripped in moments and climbed into bed. She settled into Callie's embrace and began to cry. The tears seemed to flow unabated, which was surprising. Callie had only seen Marina cry a few times during their history and each time it had been out of frustration, not sorrow or pain. Seeing Marina allow herself to be vulnerable was touching in a way that a boatload of apologies never would have been. She tenderly rubbed Marina's back and let her cry until they finally fell asleep in each other's arms just as the sun began to peek into the window.
Late the next morning they sat in the bright, sunny kitchen, eating brunch. Three cups of coffee hadn't helped Callie wake up enough to go over Marina's sins. But Marina seemed fixated on making sure she explained what she'd been thinking when she'd slipped and how determined she was to never screw up again.
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