Page 7 of Honey Bun
Maddie
All morning, my mother gave me chores she needed done. I was not in the mood to help her carry boxes, as the bruises on my belly still stung, but I hopped from the spare bedroom to the attic or to clean the oven, doing what she asked me to do. I was staying in her house and had no place else to be, so in my book, it was a good day. I had yet to dodge a fist, and as of yet, Bob hadn’t found us. Maybe he never would.
I went from project to chore in a distracted, haphazard fashion. It seemed I couldn’t complete anything. My mind raced, and focus seemed something I’d lost along the way even though I wasn’t living in constant state of fear and I wasn’t facing a constant threat.
My mind went to Arman, and I checked my email every five minutes. He was a hero, and while he was stronger than Bob, he would never hurt me. I knew that. I wanted to be near him, but I wasn’t sure it was a good idea.
Perhaps it was the wine we’d had that had made him mention a job. Or maybe it was his sympathy for me. I wasn’t sure. All I knew was I’d watched Arman closely and waited for one, just one, flaw to surface that would annoy me. Sure, he’d been confident—a quality that oozed off him—and privileged. But I’d seen nothing truly horrible.
The clock read ten thirty in the morning, and I still hadn’t received the promised email. Maybe his flaw was that he made promises when he was out and then hedged on them later. Sweet lies were easy on the body but hard on the soul.
I wiped my eyes and mopped the hallway, deciding to finish this small job. As I put my phone down, it beeped. I picked it up again, and this time, on the cracked screen, his name popped up.
He was a sweetheart, and my soul was lighter. My heart raced as I opened it and read the contract.Six figures.I dropped the mop, and it thudded on the floor, but I kept reading.
Executive assistantmeant, basically, I did whatever he needed, from filing to typing to scheduling events. I could handle this, as it mostly meant keeping Arman on a tight schedule, though his belief that I could create meetings for him seemed misplaced. That required a different life skill.
I heard footsteps in the distance. If we’d been back in Montana, that sound would have made me shrink in fear, wondering what I hadn’t done to my husband’s satisfaction. As I blinked, I saw my sweet Aurora and her long blond hair standing in front of me with her arms crossed.
“Mom, why are you laughing?”
Secrets were no longer part of our life. I’d sworn we would always speak honestly with each other, so I handed her the phone to read. “I promised we wouldn’t be here long, and I was reading over a job contract that looks pretty good.”
She scrolled and started to bounce on her feet. “We’d live in the city?”
I nodded. I imagined waking up every day and getting to see Arman. We would never be intimate, but I wondered if his kisses would match my memory of them. I’d thought of him every time I’d been with Bob, doing my wifely duty.
My face heated. “Yeah.”
She rocked, and her eyes went wide. “Damn. And we’d be rich.”
I took my phone back, picked up the mop, and I shook my head. The last thing I needed was for Aurora to believe a lie. I would never be rich. I was not Arman. “Not really, and don’t let your grandmother hear that word coming out of your mouth. If we go, remember, New York is expensive.”
She shrugged. “Money means we’re free. You’ll be a great executive assistant, and I’ll get to go and see museums, the zoo, and Broadway. In fact, I need to make a list.”
At least I’d taught her that accomplishing anything meant focusing on one step at a time. I swallowed. “Thanks, sweetie. First, I need to digest this, so don’t get your hopes up. I need to take the job, but I promised your grandma I’d get her groceries.”
She stopped at the door to her room. “You sure you don’t need any help?”
My angel had done a lot to help me these few months, and honestly, I was still standing because of her. It was my turn to take care of her. “I’ll handle it. Finish reading that book of yours.”
“Okay. Take the job.”
I had no choice. My mother was being nice, but I knew how quickly that could change. The last time I’d been with her was on my wedding day. I was scared because I’d seen a glimpse of Bob’s temper and was afraid that I was making a mistake. I went to my mother, hoping for sympathy and guidance. She told me that I’d made my bed, so it was mine to sleep in. She’d closed the bedroom door in my face. She had always been like that—nice, then cold—but on that day, I’d really needed her to be there for me. Her illness hadn’t been diagnosed at that point, but I’d lived with her ups and downs.
It would be better for all of us if Aurora and I found a safe place of our own. I could help my mother more from a distance and could be more like my old self. I put the mop away and washed my hands.
I didn’t know how I felt about Arman yet, but I knew that my mother would not approve. She would tell me one minute to go home and make it work with my husband, and then she’d promise to let us stay forever. I could hear her saying, “You married for better and for worse. In God’s eyes, you are a married woman. You need to honor your vows.” Then my mom’s other side would return, and she would tell me, “Stay, sweetheart. I love you and your daughter.”
I shook my head. Either way, she would never accept Arman. And she would never know I had nothing to hide. He’d offered me a job, not a grand romance where he’d swept me off to some teahouse or to see a Zoroastrian fire temple in his home country.
I grabbed the shopping list and found my mother in the garden. “Anything else you want to add to this before I head out?”
She bloomed with happiness near her greenery. She always had. But her lips thinned as she walked out of the garden, leaving her bright-yellow gloves where she’d worked, and came to stand in front of me. “I heard you went out with Arman Norouzi last night.”
Heat rushed to my face, and I hoped I didn’t blush. But there was nothing to hide, so I nodded. “I did. He offered me a job.”
She turned her head like she was ignoring me, a move she’d done most of my life. “That’s not what he wants from you.”
