Arianne sneered quietly and turned her head away to look at the road outside. “Nowhere! I don’t wanna go anywhere at all.”Mark finally caught on. “Hmm? Is there something on your mind? You’re a little bilious, aren’t you? Did I chaff you in any way?… I didn’t, right?”Arianne might not be able to tell him what was on her mind outright, but the fact that he had to ask at all made her feel even glummer. “No, you didn’t. And I’m not ‘bilious’, okay? You think I’d dare be bilious around you? Let’s just go back to eating, shall we? I still have plenty of drafts I haven’t finished, and I need to get back there.”To her frustration, Mark did exactly as she said! He went straight back into carving his steaks with (strangely) rapt attention!Arianne was so exasperated that she almost let out a loud “urrghh!”. Was this not the same guy usually known for his acumen? Why could he not read her mind right now? Fine, then—let’s see if he could go through his life without ever mentioning restorin
Tiffany did not think Jackson looked like he was lying, so she dismissed him with a wave. “Okey-dokey, then. You can go back to making tea now. Oh, make one of them a little bit lighter on the taste, please? That will be for me. And also, don’t listen in on our conversation, hon—we’re discussing womanly secrets. It’s the kind of stuff y’all boys are forbidden to hear.”Jackson laughed. “As if I’m interested to begin with! I wouldn’t want to listen to ‘em even if you wanted me to!”Since she got no lead from Jackson, Tiffany was just as at a loss of explanation now. “I don’t know how to say this properly, but Ari… You know what men are like, right? They are animals, you catch my drift? You said he hadn’t been seeing you or Smore for a while, and he keeps saying he’s got something to mind every day after work… Like, what work, man? Is he really so damn busy that he can’t even send you home? He’s not even talking about restoring y’all’s marriage anymore, the hell does that mean?… An aff
Tiffany was starting to get a bad feeling creeping up on her. “Are you suggesting… that he had a change of heart? But I’ve always thought—I mean, he’s always been pretty damn loyal, right?” she wondered aloud before adding, “Hey, look, even if there’s nothing between the two of you, and you can’t work in his company anymore, you still have your café, remember? You’re not exactly unemployed or in need of welfare assistance. You’ll definitely be capable of raising Smore. Besides, you’re uber-talented, Ari. There are gonna be lotsa companies who want you to be in their team, you can count on it! If I were you, I’d never worry. But ultimately, I think you should at least ask him and, well, see if he has really lost interest. If it’s true, you can start packing up and skedaddle outta’ there instead of wasting your precious youth with him, and get yourself a better man to marry.”Jackson, with teas on a tray, walked in at the right moment and caught his wife’s last few words. “What are you
Mark had brought with him a plethora of toys, which delighted Smore so much that he hopped in joy. Pleased, the man picked the kid in his arms and played with him for a bit, before finally admitting, “I thought the two of you would be at home, but it turns out no one was. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my key.”Arianne stepped forward in an attempt to open the door. However, fishing around her handbag for minutes had not produced her key, either, which bummed her out. “So did I. Call Mary, then. She’s probably grocery-shopping or something.”Mark did not look at all surprised. “Already did; she’s on her way back. She told me you left your key at home, too. Anyway, since you’re disinclined to eat out tonight, I figured I’d come over and have dinner at your place instead!… Hmm. You don’t seem very delighted, do you?”Delighted? How was she supposed to be “delighted”?Arianne leaned her back against the door and cast her eyes to the floor, avoiding his gaze. “There’s nothing for me
Mark, growing suspicious, shouted in the direction of the kitchen, “Ari, get over here!”Arianne pretended not to hear him, which prompted Mary to admonish, “Say something, dear. Before Mr. Tremont gets all miffed—”Arianne tossed the vegetable in her hand into a pool of water that formed in the sink. “He can be pissed off all he wants; I’m not scared! In fact, I’m the one who should be pissed! If he wanna, he can scram the hell back to the Tremont Estate and throw his tantrum there and save me from his stupid show of dominance! You might be scared of him, but I’m definitely not!”Her voice was so sonorous that Mary panicked at the thought of Mark hearing her. “Jesus H. Christ, turn down your boombox! What’s gotten into you? All I’ve been seeing is how normal Mr. Tremont has been acting—for Pete’s sake, he still buys you and Smore all these nifty knickknacks! How can something like that miff you at all? Gee, you’re crabbier and crabbier, aren’t you?”Not about to subject herself to
When dinner was ready, Mark tactfully told Smore to get his mother. With Smore taking up this quest, he was not the slightest bit worried that Arianne might not want to come out.Reality proved him right. Defenseless against Smore’s surfeit of Cute Tactics—babyish singing, dancing, all things an adorable toddler does—Arianne subsequently opened the door and came out. When her eyes met the smugness and provocative beckoning in his, she retaliated by eye-rolling in his face before filtering him out of her sight.Mary watched them wordlessly, adding no commentary about the whole situation except a tentative question, “Looks like you ain’t going nowhere later, huh? It’s pouring cats and dogs out there.”Mark nodded. “You’re right; I’m bound. It’s pouring.”Arianne was not going to believe that excuse in a million years, so she turned to the window and looked on skeptically—and realized that they were right! For some reason, a downpour had loomed over them since she-had-no-idea-when. Bu
Arianne was quick to deny. “I was not! It’s just you acting all… weird and bizarre and everything! You keep saying you’re busy, but like… what is it that you’re busy with? If it’s not anything suspicious then there’s no problem telling me what it is, right?”Mark’s eyes looked away as he chuckled lightly. “Oh, it shouldn’t warrant any suspicions, all right. But… it’s nothing I should tell you right now. Oh, look at the time! I should bathe. Let’s retire to sleep early! I’m beaten.”She watched him rise and head to the bathroom, and stole a glance at the clock hanging on the wall. It was only nine… And he was “beaten” already? He slept for long hours in the day and still could not keep himself awake—how was this even normal? Nope, this was absolutely abnormal!After his bath, Mark went straight into Arianne’s room and—proving himself clear of mendacity—plopped straight onto the bed and dozed off.Arianne was furious, yes, but at this point, all she could do was to ball her anger up
To hear a stoic, monkish man suddenly breathing words like that while they were on the bed immediately brought hot flushes to Arianne’s cheeks.The two of them were about to indulge themselves when Smore suddenly burst through the door. “Rise and shine, lazy bums! Mommy’s a lazy bum!’Arianne’s instincts took over and she shoved the man above her aside before bolting up straight to make a show of managing her messy nightwear. “Oh please, Mommy’s already awake. Up from her bed right this instant!”Smore studied the two of them with curiosity. “Mommy, Daddy, are you playing? I wanna play together!”Mark coughed to mask his embarrassment. “Well, Son, I’m afraid this is adult-only. You need to be much older to be… eligible. Regardless, let’s finish our breakfast quickly and get changed. Daddy will be bringing you for a hike.”Smore’s spirit soared the instant he heard his father promise some playtime. He skipped and hopped excitedly to Mary next—the child had forged a habit of pulling