“Not anymore,” she said.
Antonia’s head shook as he chuckled. “I meant for food,” he said, rubbing her back.
“Oh, that,” she said, smiling. “I guess I am.”
Brett sat up, taking Antonia with him. He pulled his shirt off the coffee table where it had fallen after Antonia pulled it off his shoulders. He put it over her shoulders and Antonia slipped her arms into the sleeves, rolling the fabric up several times so her hands were free. Brett pulled on his jeans and the two of them padded barefoot into the kitchen to eat.
“What did you make me?” she asked, peering into a pot that was simmering on the stove.
“Well, I have a confession to make,” he said, lifting the lid to another pot.
“You didn’t cook, did you?” she asked, watching him investigate with the same curiosity.
“Nope,” he said, and pulled down plates from the cupboard. “But Liza is a great cook,” he said and pulled a casserole out of the oven, peeling the foil off the top. “And it looks like she outdid herself tonight. I suspect that this is her famous chicken divan,” he said.
They ate the tender, spicy chicken in a cream sauce with broccoli while sitting across from each other at the kitchen table, chatting about nothing and everything. For dessert, there were simmered apples and some sort of crunchy but sweet topping in one of the pots with a caramel sauce in another. After dinner, Brett and Antonia made slow, passionate love in front of a roaring fire, sipping red wine afterwards.
Brett drove Antonia home around midnight, promising to make her dinner again tomorrow night. Antonia hesitated for only a moment before agreeing. She made the decision to spend as much time as possible with Brett before she had to disappear.
And that’s how she spent the next two weeks. The days were spent researching the housing and employment markets, the taxes, statutes that might affect investments and income benefits of the state of Maine and the Bangkok city area specifically. And each evening, she arrived at Brett’s house for dinner. They’d make love before and after, never getting enough of each other. As the time grew nearer for Antonia to leave, she became desperate to have him, needing the tender, passionate moments to get her through the rest of her life.
It was the Thursday before she was planning on leaving and Antonia woke up with a feeling of dread. She couldn’t attribute it to anything in particular, but the feeling wouldn’t go away.
Walking downstairs, she looked around but Sal wasn’t anywhere in sight. She assumed he’d already left for the office, so she walked into the kitchen to talk to Maria. But she wasn’t there. A note was on the refrigerator stating that she’d gone grocery shopping and would be back by ten o’clock.
Antonia found some fresh fruit and cut it up for breakfast, taking it to the patio to eat it as she watched the morning birds.
It was nine o’clock when Marsha and Jennifer came over. Antonia was still sitting on the patio, savoring the scene when they found her.
“What are you doing out here?” Marsha asked.
“Just sitting, enjoying the sunshine,” Antonia said.
“Didn’t you get the message?” Jennifer asked.
“No, what message?”
“We’ve found the perfect wedding dress for you. And we have appointments with three caterers this afternoon to taste test,” Jennifer explained, thrilled with the whole day’s plans.
“The perfect wedding dress?” Antonia asked, dumbfounded.
“You’ll love it. It’s much simpler than the one’s you tried on during our last outing,” Jennifer explained.
“Get a move on,” Marsha said, taking the empty bowl out of her hands. “You can’t sit round here all day. We’ve got things to do. Hurry up and shower.”
“But I’m not getting married,” she said, confused. Antonia hadn’t been paying much attention to the family lately but how could she have missed the fact that they were still planning her wedding? “What caterers?”
Brenda laughed. “Just come on and spend the day with us. It won’t hurt.”
Antonia did as they asked, simply because she was too depressed to argue with them. She showered and changed into slacks and a sweater, pulling her hair back with a clip, not knowing what else to do with the mass of curls.
She went back downstairs and was immediately herded into Marsha’s white Mercedes. She sat in the passenger seat, listening to Marsha and Jennifer discuss different meal ideas for her wedding, not caring what they chose since she wouldn’t be there for the reception. No one would, but she couldn’t tell them that.
She reminded herself that she was leaving Monday morning, heading north to Maine. These would be the last moments she’d spend with these women for several months. She tried to perk up and show some interest, but she was too tired to do anything. And now, the fruit she’d eaten earlier was churning in her stomach.
She had to get a grip on herself. She’d never make it out of the state, much less all the way up to New England if she couldn’t control her nerves better.
They arrived at the wedding dress shop that was almost overflowing with white dresses in every conceivable style. The owner pulled one dress out of the back room and presented it to Antonia as if she were presenting her with the royal jewels. It was gorgeous. And exactly the type of dress she wanted to be married in. It was a simple gown with a fitted bodice, scalloped edges around the neckline, short sleeves, then flaring out at the waist in a fairy type skirt, flowing with layers of silk organza, toile, and chiffon, ending mid calf.
It was a dress made for a Hollywood actress.
Jennifer and Marsha were ecstatic at Antonia’s reaction upon seeing the dress. They quickly pushed her into a dressing room and waited for the owner to help her into the dress.
As soon as Antonia stepped in front of the mirror, she knew that this was the dress she wanted to marry Brett in. If only he loved her, she thought. As soon as the thought came into her mind, she pushed it away. There was no use wishing for something she couldn’t have. She could only have the next three nights with him and then she had to push him out of her mind and her heart.
Marsha and Jennifer were already making appointments for Antonia’s fitting. It would take three separate fittings because of all the material on the skirt that needed to be hemmed and the waistline needed to be taken in an inch or so.
Once they finished making the alteration arrangements, they were on to the first caterer. Antonia tried one of the appetizers presented, but her stomach still didn’t feel very good, so she told Jennifer and Marsha to taste the items and make the decision, trying to hide the feeling of revulsion at the thought of food.