Reckless desires:THE ODEN LEGACY

Chapter nine

Amiriam

Me: Hey! I need my sisters today. Who's available?

Rita: I should be available. What are we doing, and at what time?

Me: Shopping and in an hour.

Christiana: …you shouldn't have said it was shopping.

When Amiriam read her eldest sister's message, a soft laugh escaped. She could almost hear Christiana's sarcastic tone in the message, and it did nothing but enhance her amusement. All the Swenson sisters were free spirits, but Christiana was by far the straightest arrow of them all. She hadn't always been like that.

Her fingers flew across the screen in reply.

Me: It'll be worth it. Promise. I've got some juicy gossip and a credit card to pay for the whole thing. Mimosas anyone?

Rita: Yes, please! Where are we meeting?

Christiana: Fine…you had me at GOSSIP.

Amiriam smiled.

Me: Meet me at the bridal boutique on Main, and I'll give you ALL the details.

Rita: Ooo…I'm intrigued. See you in an hour.

Christiana: BRIDAL BOUTIQUE?! Why would we need to meet at a BRIDAL BOUTIQUE?!

Amiriam laughed.

Me: See. Told you there would be juicy gossip. See you then!

She set her phone down on the bathroom counter and stripped before starting the hot water. When she first started watching James, she had been living in a small, one-bedroom apartment a few miles away. But she quickly learned she'd be needed on a moment's notice on a daily basis, and the late nights were starting to wear on her. She mentioned her concern to Jackson Oden, and he insisted on giving her a one-bedroom suite in his home––and a killer raise––so they could use her at their convenience. She knew they were desperate and set down a few ground rules. To begin with, Sundays were hers. They were her own special sacred 'me' time, and she would not let them encroach on that. Secondly, she got three weeks of paid vacation and could take it whenever she wanted, provided she planned ahead and gave them reasonable notice. And thirdly, they had to take James with them on at least one of their vacations each year.

He accepted her atypical condition, and she was in a couple of weeks later. She had been living in the apartment across the hall from James ever since. Fortunately, her parents were banished to a suite on the main floor, so she still had what she felt was a decent level of privacy.

Her mini-suite had a bathroom and a walk-in closet that was perfect for her. The decorator had painted soft purples, cool whites, and accents of silver as her color scheme. The combination gave the room a feminine feel without being too in your face. Once she was in her birthday suit, she padded across the tile and leaped in the shower. As she shampooed and conditioned her hair, her thoughts turned to a certain someone who seemed to have a hell of a lot more secrets than she'd initially given him credit for. Let's stick a pin in the fact that he'd been lying to his parents about his visits and focus on the little deception she had enlisted for. She hadn't set out to do it on purpose. It just kind of happened. All the same, she couldn't help but speculate on how long this charade would go on. Was she really tying herself to a man she hated? He drove her crazy. That smug smile that got him away with murder. Those absurd muscles that he wasn't afraid of showing off to any woman with a half-decent s*x drive.

Once her makeup was perfect, and her hair was dry, she slipped on a pair of sandals and headed for the door so that she would not be late to meet her sisters. A black credit card with a Post-It Note on it attracted her attention. She felt curious and stooped down to pick it up.

This'll be the last bill my dad ever pays, so go crazy. Thanks again. - Luke

Go crazy? Challenge accepted.

Having parked her car in the empty space next to Rita's white SUV, she opened the driver's door and nearly had a heart attack when a hand smacked the passenger window on the other side. She grabbed her chest, eyes wide with shock, and looked in the direction of the sound to find Christiana grinning from ear to ear.

"Gotcha!" she yelled through the glass. Amiriam glared back prior to getting out of the car and hitting the lock button on the fob.

"Christiana, you scared the crap out of me!" she chided.

She shrugged. "Meh. I owe you for leaving me hanging during our little texting session."

"I did not leave you hanging".

"Yes, you did," she objected. "You dropped this huge fat bomb on me by getting us to meet here, then didn't respond to any of my texts that were begging for information!"

"Oh. That."

"Yeah. That." She rolled her eyes. "So, spill."

"I will in a sec. "Where's Rita?" Amiriam said. There was no point in answering her questions until she had both sets of ears.

She lifted her hand and motioned to the front of the shop. "She's already inside. You know as well as I do that she's just dying for Frank to propose and is probably already selecting dresses for herself."

Amiriam chuckled. "Alright, fair enough. I'll catch you up on the juicy gossip when we get inside."

"Deal," she conceded.

The doorbell above the entrance jingled as they stepped into the little shop draped in white stuff along the gold-colored walls. Lace. Chiffon. Satin. You name it; they had it. There were some mannequins silhouetted in the window, and Amiriam paused to look at the different styles of dresses the shop stocked.

Yup. Any one of these will do the trick.

"Hello. "Can I help you?" a voice called, pulling Amiriam's attention away from the mermaid-cut dress that was hugging one of the mannequins. A woman wearing an olive green dress that made the green in her eyes pop sashayed towards them. Gray short hair and kindly laughlines around her eyes had Amiriam immediately warming up to her, and she opened her mouth to say hello when Christiana shot her a warning look.

Wait. Did she ask a question? Oh. Right.

"Oh, um…I'm looking for a wedding dress.

"Congratulations! When is the big day? I am Lidia de Jager, by the way. Nice to meet you both."

Amiriam felt her sister searing a hole through the side of her head, but she ignored her and focused on Lidia instead.

"Umm…," she stalled. When was the wedding day, again? She had absolutely no idea. Making a face, she asked, "How soon can you have a dress made?"

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion before smoothing out in the time it took to beat her heart. If Amiriam hadn't been looking so closely, she was sure she would've missed the look altogether.

Smooth, Lidia. Real smooth.

Like a pro, she responded, "It would all depend on the dress and the alterations we'd need to make in order to fit your vision. Usually, we ask our future brides to make an appointment so we can go over all the details. But I'm free now, so it looks like you came by at the right time. What exactly are you looking for?.

"Umm…. " Man, she'd been doing that a lot today, she said to herself. She coughed and tried to help her out and give her some idea of what kind of dress Luke's family would deem appropriate. "Something…expensive?"

That's what Luke had said to her, hadn't he? Her face twisted in distaste the instant the word slipped out of her mouth, but that's what Luke had ordered. Something expensive. Something his family would enjoy. Still, the thought of spending someone's money just for the sake of spending it made her feel…tacky.

Since when did everything have to be about money? Since the Oden family entered her life. That's when.

Lidia smiled. "Let me go get you some champagne. We'll get underway immediately."

She raised her arm to escort them to the dressing room when Amiriam stopped her. "Is it possible that I could just share with my sister?"

"Sister?" Her gaze snapped at Christiana, but Amiriam shook her head.

"No, my other sister. Pink hair––"

"Oh! Yes, of course. The eager browser. She winked. "She's this way. Already have a room full of options."

Amiriam smiled. "Great."

In the center of the room was a small platform surrounded by mirrors. Two leather couches were placed a few feet from it, along with a side table that was scattered with the latest bridal magazines. Christiana stepped forward and grabbed the closest one before tossing it at Amiriam.

Flailing, she caught it as Christiana said, “You know…since you’re getting married and all.”

Lidia gave her a querying look before she knocked on the shut dressing room door. "Excuse me, Ms. Swenson, you have visitors."

There was shrieking, the door pulled open by a very excited Rita in a stunning white gown that clung to her figure like a second skin. Her pink, curly hair flowed down her back like a flowing river as she staggered towards them with open arms.

"My girls! My favorite girls! Are we ready to get drunk and try on dresses? Are we? Are we?"

Laughing, Amiriam hugged her. Christiana also joined in with a big smile as Amiriam muttered, "Pretty sure you're already there. Love the dress, by the way."

She moved back and gave Amiriam a stiff curtsy. "Thanks. So what is this tasty morsel of gossip? And if you tell me Frank purchased a ring and is planning to propose, you will not hear me complaining."

Amiriam's cheeks ached from smiling so broadly as she looked up and down. She dipped into her back pocket and pulled out her phone. "Frank hasn't said anything to me, but I'm pretty sure that if he could see you in this dress, he'd be on his way to the nearest jeweler. Look sexy for me, Rita. I'm going to take a picture".

Face red, Rita blew a dramatic kiss to the camera, and Amiriam snapped a picture. Then, because she was drunk and believed she was hilarious, she collapsed into a fit of giggles, and Amiriam took a few more. Looking down at her screen, she examined her work before smiling with satisfaction.

Perfect.

She opened a text to Frank and forwarded a few of her favorites.

Me: So, do I go ahead and change your name on my phone to brother-in-law now? Or….

Within seconds, Frank had sent a screenshot of their conversation, but when her name was meant to be Amiriam on his phone, it was future sister-in-law.

Frank: Soon, Amiriam. But not soon enough. Tell her to buy the damn thing, so I can take her out of it tonight.

Me: No deal. Not until she says, 'I Do,' so you'd better get on with the whole ring shopping thing.

Frank: No need. I've had it for a month.

Amiriam's eyes flicked to Rita as she danced with Christiana in the center of the mirrors, singing along to the lyrics of a Danielle Bradbury song drifting from the speakers.

She quickly texted a response before pushing her cell into her jean shorts.

Me: I knew you were a good egg.

"Hey! "I thought it was my special day, not Rita's. "Way to steal the spotlight, sister," Amiriam teased, jumping onto the platform with them.

Christiana crossed her arms and presented her mother's hen face. "Okay. I'm ready. Rita's ready. We're all ears. What's the news? Why is today your special day? And why on earth would you possibly need a dress?"

"Umm…I'm getting married."

There. Ripped it off like a Band-Aid.

They both gasped.

"To whom?!" Christiana shrieked.

"To my arch-nemesis?" Amiriam said, looking as unsure as she felt.

Tripping towards her in her heels, Rita caught her arm and shook her. "What?!"

"Umm…."

"Spit it out, Amiriam! And when you say arch-enemy, do you mean Luke? Luke Oden? Luke Asshat Oden?"

She nodded.

"How in the world did that happen? "You despise him, don't you?"

Christiana and Rita had been hearing Amiriam gush about Luke since he came back home, so Amiriam did not blame them for their shocked expressions. But a part of her wanted to reach for her phone and snap another picture of their faces because they were priceless.

She shrugged in reply. Apparently, words were not available today.

Grabbing her hands, Rita and Christiana drew her to the couch, where they collapsed in a heap as Christiana insisted, "Start at the beginning. We want all the details."

So, she told her. Everything. They didn't keep secrets from each other, and they knew Amiriam too well to think she'd really marry Luke Oden for love. For that matter, Amiriam was pretty sure he wasn't capable of it in the first place.

So, you're getting married to someone to help a guy that you don't even like simply because he just so happens to have one redeeming quality in the fact that he helps children in Africa?" Christiana reiterated in disbelief.

"Well…not just Africa, but yeah. Pretty much.".

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Christiana asked for the thousandth time, her flawlessly penciled eyebrows furrowing in the center as she fought to keep her mother's hen instincts in check.

"Probably not," Amiriam laughed. But I really cannot back out now. Not without making both of us out to be liars. I'd probably lose my job if the Odens found out, and you both know how much I love James. That would devastate me."

“You’re practically raising that kid,” Christiana conceded. Amiriam could see her reservations about the idea, especially when she considered her past and how badly she had been burned by the opposite s*x.