Poppies -Chapter 32-
By: Deena Thomson
Tags: Fiction Series, Fiction, Writing, Fiction Writing, Novel

Fiction Series

Poppies -Chapter 32-

Photo owned by Author

-Chapter 32-

The patio to Mara-Joy and Chad’s house was lit up with small wooden garden torches. Mara-Joy was a fine decorator and had to have quality things.

Needless to say, the outside of her home was as richly assembled as the inside.

Cherry wood wicker furniture with deep emerald green cushions furnished the terrace. A half-empty wine glass sat on the little wicker table with a dirty ashtray beside it.

Joanna stood surrounded by her sister’s things. Everything reeked of Mara-Joy.

She swallowed hard, her heart pounding a mile a minute.

What was she thinking? Did she really think she could pull this off? Joanna shook her head. It had all seemed fine and dandy at the time. Take away the one thing that could hurt Mara-Joy: her husband. But now she felt ridiculous.

Shaking, she sat down on one of the wicker chairs. It creaked under her weight. She reached across the table and took the wine glass, gulping down most of the liquid. Leaning back against the chair, she closed her eyes and let the wine slide down her throat and relax her.

Faint memories of long ago filtered through her head.

Memories of Oliver and Shawna sitting outside their old house. Talking with her parents about Mara-Joy. Talking as though Oliver were . . . as though Mara-Joy wasn’t . . .

Joanna sat up and opened her eyes. She sipped the wine that remained in the glass, enjoying its fragrance. She looked at the full ashtray and began to rummage through the butts. Searching for a salvageable smoke.

“I didn’t know you smoked,” a deep voice said behind her. Joanna jumped with a gasp. Her sooty finger flew to her chest, smudging her cream-colored dress.

“Chad . . .” she stammered, trying to contain her embarrassment.

He was leaning against the side of the house. His hair was ruffled, as though he had been running his fingers through it. He was still wearing the undershirt and slacks he wore at the grocery store.

“Yes, my dear sister-in-law?” he smiled, looking down at the slim girl. She reminded him of a fawn lost in the woods. He took a smoke out from behind his ear and handed it to Joanna.

“For you. It wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of me to let you smoke Mara-Joy’s butts.”

“Thanks,” Joanna forced herself to speak. She reached out and took the cigarette.

Cautious, she put it into her mouth and searched in vain for a light. She stopped when Chad leaned over with a lit match.

“Thanks, again,” she said, taking a deep puff. She tried not to inhale for fear of choking.

Chad looked at her, amused, and lit up a cigarette for himself as he sat down in the chair across from Joanna’s.

He inhaled and looked across at the girl. She looked green and ready to spill her cookies at any moment. This one did make him laugh. Every time he saw her he couldn’t help but remember their conversation at the wedding.

She’d seen right through the facade and had hit the nail on the head when she blasted him that night. Then he had been too stunned to appreciate the ball of fire she was. He was too jolted by the fact that he had just made the biggest mistake of his life.

“Enjoying that cigarette?” he smirked, trying to hide his smile behind a cloud of smoke.

Joanna turned crimson red and crushed the cigarette out into the ashtray.

“I…I have had enough.” She sat up straight in defiance. She wasn’t going to let him laugh at her. She was no longer a little child and he wasn’t going to treat her like one. She had been a fool to think she could entice Chad. He thought she was nothing more than a joke.

“Well, have you had enough wine too, or would you like some more?” He leaned forward and grinned at Joanna.

She did not know if he was serious or teasing her still. Her mind whirled and she felt a little sick from the cigarette.

“As a matter of fact, Chad, I would like some more wine.” She sat up straight. It irked her how he patronized her. “But unlike my sister, I prefer white to red. So if you could be so kind, I would love a glass of white.”

Chad’s raised his eyebrows in mild surprise.

“Well, Miss Joanna, you are in luck.” He stood up and stubbed out his smoke. “Much like yourself, I too prefer white to red.” He stood up tall and sleek and disappeared into the house leaving her alone.

Joanna breathed in deep of the warm evening air. It was nice outside and she felt safe, semi-hidden in the darkness.

Chad returned swiftly carrying a bottle and two wine glasses. He placed the glasses in front of Joanna and proceeded to fill them to the brim with wine.

“Cheers,” he said, lifting his glass to her.

She lifted hers and raised it to Chad, taking a sip. He sat down in the seat next to her and sighed.

“Nice night,” he said to no one in particular.

“Yes,” Joanna said, looking around hoping the wine would calm her nerves. Now that she was finally there with Chad, she didn’t know what to say to him.

“So what brings you over to this neck of the woods? It can’t be to see your darling sister. I know how fond you are of her,” Chad said, sipping more of his wine. He was beginning to relax and was enjoying Joanna’s interruption.

He knew he should send the kid home. Mara-Joy would freak out if she knew Joanna was here alone with him. But he was lonely. He never saw his friends anymore and Mara-Joy was always off doing something or another.

Besides, Joanna was refreshing compared to Mara-Joy. She was soft where Mara-Joy was rough. Joanna was like a dove, where Mara-Joy was a hawk.

The two sisters are really not alike at all come to think of it, he thought.

Joanna was slim and graceful with straight golden-brown hair. Mara-Joy was slender, but she had voluptuous curves and arches. Her hair — that black mane of wild hair that encased her creamy skin. You would have thought the hair was enough of an attraction for one person, but she had those eyes. The eyes that ate into his soul. Never had he seen eyes like hers before.

He shook his head.

That was not true.

There was her uncle or something. What was his name?

Oliver.

That was it: Oliver. He was somehow related to Mara-Joy’s clan. Married her aunt, or something.

Come to think of it, Mara-Joy looked a lot like this Oliver fellow.

Chad grimaced. He didn’t like where his thoughts were going. Mara-Joy’s mother seemed very in love with her husband. Chad couldn’t picture her being unfaithful to him. There must be some story there. But what? How come it never had occurred to him before?

“Chad?” Joanna interrupted.

Chad looked up, chasing his thoughts away. He would have to investigate the matter later. Wanting to know more about this Oliver fellow seemed important and he didn’t know why.

“Umph,” he said, raising his glass to his moist lips.

“I said I was walking by and thought I would stop in and say ‘hi’,” Joanna answered. It was obvious Chad had been somewhere else and wasn’t listening to her.

“What’s that?” he asked confused. “Oh right, why you’re here.” He sat up straight and concentrated on Joanna’s company. He didn’t want to come across as rude. Joanna struck him as the sensitive type.

“What were you doing walking over here?” he grinned, knowing there was no one around his neighborhood that Joanna would know. They were very isolated, surrounded by trees and bush. Not neighbors.

Embarrassed, Joanna stood up, almost spilling the wine she clutched in her hand.

Surprised, Chad stood up too.

“Well…pardon me for being friendly,” Joanna stammered, feeling like an idiot. Chad stood mockingly in front of her.

“I will not pester you any longer, Mr. So-Important-I-Can’t-Have-Company…Guy.” Joanna blushed hating how stupid and juvenile she sounded.

Chad began to chuckle. “Sit down, Joanna. You have your feathers all ruffled for nothing. Whatever your reasons for being here, I’m glad. It’s nice having company, especially someone as lovely as you.”

Joanna’s head snapped up in response.

He thought she was lovely?

She looked at him staring at her with a mischievous smile. Something deep inside told her she should run. She was in way over her head. Her heart began to pitter-patter again. She had never noticed how handsome Chad was. She’d never really looked at him at all before. He had only been her brother-in-law and a means to get back at Mara-Joy. Never once had she thought of him as a personality behind his name? As a man.

She took a big gulp of her wine and sat down. There was no turning back, she was on a mission.