Chapter Nineteen

Sam

“Are you absolutely sure all that stuff isn’t going to bankrupt you?” my sister asked quietly, eager to be heard yet not wanting to wake up the sleeping beauty in her backseat.  After pigging out on the best meal I’ve had in a week and then shopping until we nearly dropped, my boss closed her eyes for a quick cat nap and was soon snoring quite loudly.

“She really did win some money, Chrissie,” I soothed.  “Trust me, if cash was in short supply then none of that stuff would have been purchased.  Leandra knows how to handle finances better than anyone I’ve ever met in my life.”

“I thought you were calling her ‘Lee’ now instead of ‘Leandra?’  Can we keep doing that?  I like it better.  ‘Leandra’ sounds so formal.  When I use ‘Lee,’ it’s like we’re friends or something,” she admitted enthusiastically.

“You like her, don’t you?” I asked, already knowing the answer.  It didn’t take a genius to notice the puppy dog adoration my sister displayed for my fake wife.  It was as plain as the freckles on her face.

“Yes.  I like her.  I mean…like…a lot.  When you first rolled up and jumped out of the truck, I was so excited that my brother finally came home safe and sound.  But then I saw her, you said she was your wife, and I nearly died inside, Sam.  All kinds of thoughts started running through my head.  Like ‘what kind of lady marries a man without meeting his family first?’ and ‘what if she tries to put a wedge between us and wants you to cut off all communication because the wife usually likes her family better than her husband’s and never lets him go home for the holidays?’ and stuff like that.”

“Are you still concerned?”  I knew my sister had a lot to worry about and I didn’t want to add to her misery.

“At first I was.  I mean…Lee is so pretty and she can come off as bossy and kind of scary.  But then I got to know her better and she’s just…just amazing in so many ways.  One of the first things she told me was to be myself and be honest with her.  I have to admire that.  Most people aren’t so genuine right away.  They can be two-faced and have a hidden agenda.  But I just feel like she is who she is, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.”  That’s one of the things I liked about Leandra…you always knew where you stood.  She wore her heart on her sleeve, no matter how well she tried to hide it.  If you were in her good graces, it was roses and sunshine.  If you pissed her off…then you better fucking duck and cover.

“Most of all, I like how she tries to give advice and teach me about life.  It makes me understand what it would feel like to have a big sister.  She doesn’t have to take the time to listen to me or help, but she does anyway.  I tend to be pretty quiet and blend in to the background sometimes, but Lee doesn’t let that happen.  She really sees me.  I like that,” she confessed shyly.  “Some of her conversations about intimate topics might be a bit uncomfortable, though.  I’m glad you came back with the food when you did!”

I nodded in agreement.  As far as I knew, my sister was very inexperienced when it came to members of the opposite sex.   Being the protective older brother, I liked to pretend she’d never even been kissed.  Life was just easier that way.  Leandra was the complete opposite.  I had little knowledge of her colorful history, and no desire to hear all the graphic details.

“I know.  Leandra’s led a pretty crazy life, but that’s all the more reason to listen to what she’s telling you.  If you need anyone to answer your ‘woman questions,’ the lady snoring in the backseat probably has some valuable wisdom.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she promised, turning to look out the window as we got closer to home.  We rode in silence for a few miles until my sister started up with the interrogation again.

“Is she always so much fun?  Is that why you married her?”

Even without Chrissie elaborating on her use of the word ‘fun,’ I knew what she was referring to.  Once our hunger was satisfied, the discussion turned to a debate over the best location for a shopping spree.  Leandra requested a list of fine retail establishments, to which my sister replied, “Wal-mart,” to every single query.  Much to my surprise, the weary woman caved in and we ended up at the big box superstore. While I expected Leandra to piss and moan over the low quality merchandise, she seemed grateful for the opportunity to stock up on much needed supplies.

“She always goes a bit overboard when shopping,” I confessed.  That was the honest truth.  Leandra thought nothing of dropping thousands at high end fashion houses, ranging from shoes to purses to everything in between. This trip was a bit different than her usual outing. I’ve never seen such enthusiasm when throwing cases of bottled water, jars of peanut butter, or basic necessities such as underwear into the shopping cart.

“I could tell!  When she told me to get my own cart, I just assumed it was because I had to pay for anything I wanted.  I was fine with that.  How was I supposed to know she needed two carts for all the junk on her shopping list?”

It was total madness.  On at least three separate occasions I had to remind Leandra that we were only in town for a short period of time and not stockpiling for the zombie apocalypse.  By some miracle, I got her down to four cases of water, two jars of peanut butter, a hundred dollars worth of food, and enough clothes to last for a week.  The toiletries were horrendous, according to my picky boss, and not worth a nickel.  She was forced to settle with ‘cheap shit shampoo,’ ‘sulfate-laden conditioner,’ and ‘cotton granny panties,’ which made it sound like suffering in the ninth level of Hell.  I bit back my amusement at her ‘roughing it like a local’ and tried not to laugh and take pictures with her burner phone to use as blackmail later.

“Did you see some of the stuff she got?” Chrissie asked in awe.  “A lot of it was high-end brands that I’ve never even heard of.  One little bottle of shampoo was twenty-five dollars!  I didn’t even know they sold shampoo at Wal-mart that cost that much money!”

“You would go nuts if you had any idea what she spent on perfume and face cream,” I confessed, feeling my dick twitch as the memory resurfaced of my last solo sexual encounter.

“Doesn’t it bother you?  That she spends so much money, I mean.”

“No, not at all.  Leandra works hard.  Who am I to deny her anything?”

“That’s romantic,” she gushed.  “I can tell you really like her.”

“You can, huh?”  Maybe I’m a good actor after all.

“Of course.  I see the way you look at her when you think she isn’t watching.  It’s all sweet and loving and stuff.  I hope some guy looks at me like that one day.”

What the fuck is she talking about?  I look at her like any bodyguard keeping watch over the person signing their paycheck.  Nothing more, nothing less.  Although it was a bit alarming when Lee got quiet at dinner.  I didn’t like it.  She’s always boisterous and speaks her mind.  I put her in her place when she tried giving Chrissie sex advice, but I sure as hell didn’t expect her to back down so easily.  I still don’t understand what upset her so much. Maybe she’s just homesick.

We finally arrived back to the farm at ten o’clock, all three of us completely exhausted and ready to hit the bed.  Well, I should revise that.  Two of us were barely able to keep our eyes open while one snoring person was already fast asleep in the backseat.

I told Chrissie to head up to her room while I carried all our purchases and a sleeping Leandra up to bed.  As I gently unbuckled her seat belt and lifted the beautiful woman into my arms, she instinctively snuggled her body closer to mine and sighed with contentment.

Forcing myself not to breathe too deeply, lest a scent of barbecue sauce, sweat, and the unmistakable aura of Leandra intoxicate me into lewd thoughts, we made our way to my room.  Slowly lowering her onto the bed, her hands wrapped around my neck and she refused to let go.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her warm breath teasing my ear.

“It’s nothing.  You’re light as a feather,” I replied.  It’s not the first time I’ve carried her to bed.  She’s either been drunk or exhausted from working too hard.

“No, not for that.  Thank you for today.”

“I should be thanking you for helping with the tree,” I insisted, feeling like a jackass for not showing my gratitude earlier.

“It was my pleasure.  I enjoyed every single second of it.  Meeting new people such as my buddy Betty Jo, eating bologna and barbecue, bonding with your sister, doing manual labor…it was all worth it just to learn more about you, Sam.”

“You’re overtired.  Go to sleep,” I ordered, not wanting things to progress any further because I didn’t know if I could stop myself from touching her the way I wanted to.

I pried her hands off my neck and excused myself to finish unloading the stuff she bought.  I had almost made it out the door, when she shared one final thought.

“Chrissie isn’t the only one who noticed how you look at me when you think I’m not watching.  That’s the thing, Sam.  I’m always watching you.”

Fuck.

Keeping my hands off her for the rest of the time we’re here is going to be a lot harder than I thought.