Playing in Shadow (5 page)

“Grab a pizza on your way home. I’m craving pineapple again tonight.”

Trent’s face took on a resigned look as she nodded her acceptance. Bryce could hear Elton teasing her as they left.

“Yo, Mario! You’re-a gonna look-a like-a da pizza!”

Trent cuffed at his head while Elton danced out of her reach, chortling. Trent ignored him to wave at Scarlet, favoring her with a smile. Bryce wondered if that toothy grin had made Scarlet’s day.

“Bye, Trent. I’ll see you later,” Scarlet tossed back.

Bryce really wanted to know what later entailed but couldn’t bring herself to ask. Scarlet told her anyway.

“I’m taking over some of my nursery sketches I’ve done for them tonight. I have a feeling, if Trent gets the vote, I’ll be painting Epona riding into a Hyrule sunset.”

Bryce had no idea what Scarlet was referring to. “
Epona
?”

“Link’s horse. You know, from the Legend of Zelda?” Scarlet said, giving Bryce a considering look. “You don’t game much, do you?”

“Game, like in a poker game?”

“Game like in console games and a controller in your hands.”

“Not so much, no.”
Or closer to the truth, never
.

“That won’t last long once you meet my friends.”

Bryce wondered why Scarlet felt it necessary to include her. She stayed silent. She didn’t do groups, not now. Parties and get-togethers only led to trouble, and Bryce had had enough trouble for one year. She concentrated on what was left of her meal and hoped Scarlet wouldn’t press any further on them hanging out. Bryce needed to be left alone; it was safer that way.

Scarlet had visited Trent and Juliet’s home before, but this time she came prepared for a more professional meeting. She waved over the fence at her grandmother who had followed Scarlet out of her home and seemed determined to watch her safely to the house next door.

“You’ll come see me before you leave?” her grandmother asked for about the fifth time.

“Yes, Grandma. I’ve already told you I will.”
Ad nauseam
. Scarlet sighed.

“I’m just checking, dear. You know how forgetful I am.”

Scarlet shook her head at her blatantly pulling the “old lady” trick. “Grandma, you’re as sharp as a tack and you know it.” She grinned at the sparkle that lit up her grandma’s eyes.

“Go show them how talented you are, my girl.” Her grandmother peered over the fence and smiled at Trent who had come to the front door to invite Scarlet inside.

“Hello, Mrs. Tweedy,” Trent called, opening the door wider for Scarlet to enter.

“Hello, my dear. How’s that wife of yours doing?”

“Getting more beautiful every day,” Trent replied with a smile.

Scarlet enjoyed being around Trent and watching how she always treated Juliet with respect. Scarlet wanted that kind of relationship and that kind of love. She’d seen it in her grandparents and how her father had worshipped her mother. She wanted nothing less for herself.

Trent led Scarlet through to the living room. Juliet was sitting on the sofa and beamed when she saw Scarlet.

“Oh, you have no idea how excited we are about what you have to show us,” she said.

Scarlet laid her portfolio case on the coffee table and knelt beside it, waiting for Trent to settle in beside Juliet. “I just hope what I’ve come up with is what you were thinking of.”

“I’m sure whatever you’ve designed will be amazing. We’ve seen your photographs, Scarlet. You have an amazing eye for detail. You’re an artist with a camera in your hands. But that portrait you painted of Monica in her full Gothic regalia was just breathtaking.”

“Elton is still refusing to let Monica share it. He says she’ll have it when she finally decides to move in with him,” Trent said.

“He did commission it, but I know Monica was disappointed to have it leave the apartment when it was done.” Scarlet was pleased by the reaction her painting had received. To have people fighting over it was very satisfying. But Elton had paid for it so, even though Monica was her landlady, Scarlet had handed the painting over to its rightful owner. Considering how much time Monica spent at Elton’s house, it would only be a matter of time before they both had ownership of it. The subject had been Monica in a floor-length black spider webbed gown. Her long, straight hair fell over her bare shoulders, and her eyes were dramatically made up. The portrait was striking. Even Scarlet had been proud of her own artistry. Usually her portraits were done with her camera, but she’d started branching out.

She looked up at the framed photograph hanging above the fireplace in the living room. She’d managed to capture a private moment between Trent and Juliet at a party Elton had thrown. The scene caught through Scarlet’s lens showed Juliet leaning back in Trent’s arms while Trent’s hands were wrapped protectively around both Juliet and their growing child inside her. Their love was all too clear on their faces, and Scarlet had almost deleted the shot because it looked so intimate. She had decided instead to get the picture blown up and framed for them as a gift. Their reactions had been worth it. The photo had caught a moment in time for them and had captured the couple perfectly.

“I’m hoping what I’ve designed here will be what you’d choose for such a special room.” Scarlet opened her case and slipped out the first design. She heard a soft chuckle from Juliet and a stifled groan from Trent. “Now, I went the traditional route first,” she explained as she pointed out the more familiar nursery patterns of teddy bears and building blocks. Then she pulled out another sheet. “Then I went to the other extreme.”

This artwork showed a room painted to resemble the landscape of Hyrule, home to Link and his Princess Zelda.

Trent pulled the paper closer to examine it. “Forget the baby’s room. That would be perfect in my gaming room.”

Juliet leaned in to look. “Sweetheart, you don’t have any wall left in there this could go on because of all the games you have lining them.” She brushed a finger over the sketch of a heroic young man in his green uniform. “I think this would be more suited to an older child, but, Scarlet, just this sketch alone is amazing.”

Scarlet pulled out a few more sheets, each with its own specific design for either a boy or a girl or a more neutral room for a baby of unknown gender.

“The flower border in this one is lovely,” Trent said. “And appropriate because of Juliet’s job.” She ran her hand over Juliet’s arm. “It would be nice to have something that meant something to you on the walls.”

Juliet leaned into Trent. “You just don’t want bunnies and bears lining the walls.”

Trent bumped her good-naturedly. “You know I want something unusual for our kid. They’re going to be awesome. They don’t need something ordinary to look at every day like all the other kids out there do.”

Scarlet had left what she considered her best piece until last. She slid the paper in front of Trent and Juliet and waited for their comments. Trent didn’t disappoint.

“That’s the one!” she said emphatically, looking to Juliet for agreement.

Juliet nodded. “Scarlet, that is so perfect for Trent’s child.”

The nursery art was a simple plain wall in a pale mint green. In a border that ran around the room was a procession of highly colored Yoshis, the little dinosaurs that inhabited the Super Mario games. They were running, jumping, flying, sleeping, or eating brightly colored apples, each one a different color until the pattern repeated.

“I know from the Yoshi’s Island game that there were all these colored Yoshis so you could have almost a rainbow flag symbolized here.” She scrutinized her own drawing. The little characters all looked happy and playful. She’d been pleased with how effective a design it was for something so simple.

“Do you think this will suit your baby, Trent?” Juliet held the artwork up for them both to consider.

“I love it and it’s perfect for our child. Who wouldn’t love Yoshi?”

Juliet laughed as Trent mimicked the voice of the little green dinosaur perfectly. Scarlet was astonished by Trent’s surprise talent and joined in the laughter.

Juliet’s eyes never left the paper. “It’s got to be this one, Scarlet. It’s perfect for us.”

Scarlet was relieved. She’d been unduly worried they wouldn’t like any of her work. “To be honest, that’s the one I thought you’d go for.”

“Lots of happy little Yoshis.” Trent pulled out her phone and began working on a message.

“Who are you texting?” Juliet asked then rolled her eyes. “As if I didn’t know.”

“I’m telling Elton he’s got to order in every color of the plush Yoshi toys we can get in the shop. If they’re going to be painted on the walls we’re going to need a cuddly version on shelves in there too.”

“I can get shelves made up to resemble Mario blocks,” Scarlet said and loved the joy that lit up Trent’s face. She noticed Trent deferred to Juliet again though.

“What do you think?”

“A Mario theme. I like it. It’s a relief quite honestly. Considering how many graphic and violent games you play, I’m all for the happy Yoshis playing instead of soldiers fighting or zombies on the rampage.”

“I wouldn’t want anything like that in the baby’s room. Although…” Trent flashed Juliet a sly look. “Our bedroom could do with a makeover, maybe?” Trent moved quickly to escape Juliet’s swift playful slap at her arm.

Scarlet laughed at them. “Can I go measure the room? Then I can work out the dimensions of how big the border should be and how many Yoshis it’s going to take to circle the walls.”

“Sounds like a Professor Layton puzzle,” Trent said as she slipped the artwork off Juliet’s lap to look it over again. “Scarlet, I can’t thank you enough for this. It’s fantastic.”

“You’re welcome. Now let’s get the technical stuff out of the way.” She pulled out her tape measure. “Let’s get this nursery ready for the arrival of Baby Sullivan-Williams.”

*

Scarlet followed Juliet upstairs. The proposed nursery was bare except for a rocking chair sitting in the middle of the room. Quickly and efficiently, Scarlet worked her way around the room. She judged what she’d need and wrote herself notes as to how she could make the border work.

“Thank you for making this exactly what Trent would have wished for,” Juliet said once Scarlet had finished jotting all her measurements down.

“I didn’t think she’d be one for a regular nursery setup. But how about you? Is it what you want?”

Juliet nodded enthusiastically. “It’s exactly what I want. Games are such a huge part of Trent, and I’ve been introduced to so many of the worlds she plays in. Having some of the cuter characters from one is just perfect. I like Yoshi. He’s one of the good guys.”

Scarlet tucked away her stuff in her jeans pockets. “I’ll gather up the supplies and then I’ll set a date with you to get this room transformed.”

“You let us know when you need the money and we’ll get it for you.”

“Oh no, this is my gift to you both. You won’t pay me a dime.”

“You can’t do this for nothing, not with all the paint you’ve got to buy and your time.”

“I know a man who can get me the paint cheap,” Scarlet said with a grin. “What’s the point of being in the business if you can’t use it to your own advantage? The rest will be a labor of love. You and Trent have been such wonderful friends to me since I’ve returned home. This room is my gift to you for the little one I can’t wait to meet.”

Tears trickled down Juliet’s face and she brushed them away briskly. “Damn hormones,” she complained as she pulled Scarlet in for a hug. “Thank you. That is more than we could have wished for.”

“I can’t wait to start. It will make a change from my painting neutral colors in the houses Dad has lined up for me.” She looked about the room. “I think I might ask Bryce to come point up the walls a little so everything is smooth and clean for me to work on.”

“How is Bryce doing? I’ve seen her coming and going but haven’t had a chance to actually speak to her other than to say hello in passing.”

“She’s…” Scarlet didn’t know how to explain what she felt around Bryce. “She’s quiet. I can’t help wondering if that’s her personality or a result of the accident. And she’s very self-conscious of her scar. I’ve only seen it briefly before she covers it up again. ”

“It hasn’t been long since she was released from the hospital,” Juliet said sympathetically. “She went through a lot too from what I understand.”

“So Dad says. Something tells me Bryce will never mention it though.”

“You think she’s the strong and silent type?”

Scarlet hesitated. “More the ‘never admit there’s something wrong’ kind. I see her sometimes and she seems to be hurting, but she brushes it off. I don’t want to overstep with her. I don’t want to alienate the only other woman on Dad’s team.”

“It’s strange being with you guys on this job. Usually we come in after you’ve all packed up and left.” Juliet sat in the rocking chair and rested her hands on her belly. “It’s been nice meeting all the people your dad has working for him.” She made a face. “They all seem very concerned when I waddle past them. I think they’re just worried I’ll go into labor while they’re working!”

Scarlet laughed at Juliet’s exasperated expression. “I think it’s more of a case that they’re worried you’re going to attempt to lift something that you shouldn’t be touching.”

“Don’t you start,” Juliet grumbled. “I’ve got Monica watching over me like a hawk as it is.”

Scarlet decided not to needle Juliet any further on her apparent habit of trying to do too much. “You know Monica is so excited she’s going to be an aunt. The second that child enters the world it will be measured from head to toe for exclusive clothing.”

“I know Elton is equally as excited. He’d been collecting the Disney Infinity figures so that the baby has its own set to play with on Mama’s Xbox when they’re old enough. Seemingly, gone are the days of baby showers with diapers and extra bibs as the standard.”

“Your baby is going to be so loved.”

Trent walked in at that moment. “No argument from me there.” She cast a critical eye around the room. “I can’t wait to see this all done and painted.”

Juliet reached out to clasp Trent’s hand. “It will make it more real, won’t it?”