The China Doll (2 page)

Mitch nodded. "Yeah, sorry. Can you get the
ice cream? And don’t forget the soy stuff because the doctor hasn’t
cleared Hellie for dairy yet."

Jessie snickered and shook her head. "Like
mother, like daughter, huh?" Richard smiled when she said that,
because Jessie had no idea how much she resembled her own mother
right now.

At last, everything was ready. Richard ran
out to turn off the lights, and Mitch came in, balancing the cake
and candles, while Jessie followed with the ice cream.

"Happy Birthday, Hellie!" everyone shouted.
She clapped and everyone laughed while she tried to blow out her
candles. Zainab took Helen onto her lap while Emily cut the cake to
keep her out of harm's way.

Emily Graham handed the first slice to her
daughter. "Okay, Hellie, let Auntie Zainab help," Emily said. She
really didn’t want anything to happen to Richard’s very nice
furniture. Richard looked at Zainab and shook his head. Only Zainab
understood how much it meant to Richard to have laughter in his
house; he couldn’t care less about the furniture.

Next slice to Martin Shepard, Mitch’s best
friend. "Hmm, good cake," he said between mouthfuls. "But how come
we didn’t get one of your super vegan specialties, Em?"

Next slice to Richard. "For the same reason
we’re abusing Richard’s home today. Our kitchen is not ready to be
christened with cake baking just yet. Maybe for Richard’s birthday
though."

Richard smiled. "I will hold you to
that."

Next slice to Jessie. "And you’ll come, too,
Martin, won’t you?" Jessie said, seating herself next to Martin on
the couch. "To Richard’s birthday, I mean."

Martin swallowed uncomfortably. Jessie wasn’t
any easier to avoid at eighteen than she had been at sixteen.
"Well, of course," he said with an exaggerated enthusiasm. "I’ll
follow Emily’s baked goods anywhere."

"Whatever it takes," Jessie said quietly.

"Wow, Martin, we have so not had a chance to
catch up yet," Miranda said after she’d grabbed her slice. She
forced herself in between Martin and Jessie. Martin smiled, a
little grateful, a little resentful. "How’s grad school treating
you?"

Martin involuntarily looked in Jessie’s
direction. She was leaning over to listen. Martin blushed.
"Poli-sci is even more of a commitment in grad school than it was
as an undergrad. We’re way past major—it’s a way of life." Miranda
laughed. "And how’s the new job?"

Miranda rolled her eyes. "God, can I just
tell you, Richard is a God damned slave driver."

"Can we watch the language a little bit?"
Mitch said testily as he looked in his daughter’s direction.
Fortunately, Helen was too busy stuffing cake and frosting into her
mouth to notice anything.

Miranda smiled. "Sorry," she whispered, then
kissed Helen on the forehead. "I’m kidding of course. Richard and
his team are wonderful to work with. Of course, the fact that Emily
is with me is a huge plus."

Emily flashed a big smile to Miranda. "It’s
not a real job, just so we’re clear. I consider myself more of a
technobabble translator than anything else. And by the way, where
is the team? I told them four!"

Richard looked at his watch and shook his
head. It was five-thirty. "It’s either Carlos wanted to bounce some
prototype ideas off of someone, Vijay wanted to adjust the cells,
or Jordan found an episode of The
Black Adder
online."

"Here’s hoping it’s the latter," Zainab said
quietly, looking at Richard.

Richard smiled slightly. "I really do have
faith in Jordan to come through for us." Zainab tried to hold
Richard’s eyes, but he walked away. Miranda, who saw the silent
exchange, looked at Zainab. Zainab shook her head, and Miranda
nodded. She’d follow up later.

Martin went into the kitchen and before
anyone could say anything Jessie followed him. Richard started
walking in their direction, but Mitch held him back. "I don’t think
that’s necessary."

"He’s twenty six!"

"Which is why I don’t think it’s
necessary."

Richard sighed and grabbed another piece of
cake. "This all your fault," he said, waving his fork accusingly at
Emily.

She held out her hands in confusion. "Because
I invited him to the party?"

"No, because you’ve been interviewing him as
a potential boyfriend for Jessie since she was fifteen."

Emily made a face. "I haven’t offered him the
job yet, and by the way, I never said anything to Jessie about
that." She shrugged. "Can I help it if I’m always right?"

Jessie found Martin in the refrigerator.
"Something I can help you with?"

Martin jumped and hit his head on the freezer
handle. "Oh, God!" Jessie tried to open the door to get some ice
but hit him in the nose in the process. "Oh no!" she laughed, and
after a second, he laughed too.

"Wow," he said, rubbing his head. "I guess
you’re pretty dangerous when you want something."

Jessie shrugged. "I don’t know; I don’t
usually want things. I usually just take whatever strikes me as
interesting. I never have to think about it long enough to form an
opinion."

"You’ll excuse me if that doesn’t seem very
flattering right now."

"I’ll excuse you, if you really want me to,"
Jessie said quietly. She took a deep breath, making herself brave.
That was also something she didn’t usually have to do. "Did I ever
tell you that when I had my little breakdown a few years ago I
thought Mitch was you?"

Martin stopped rubbing his head but kept his
hand there. "No, you didn’t. Mitch said something though—at the
time I didn’t really get it."

"That’s fair, since that whole period is sort
of blurry for me too."

"I was really sorry when it happened," Martin
said, putting his hand down. "I would have come for a visit, but
Mitch said it wasn’t a good idea."

Jessie smiled and closed the refrigerator
door. "I guess it wasn’t. But it was sweet of you anyway."

Martin smiled in spite of himself. She was
just about as tall as he was. She had such beautiful grey eyes, and
such a nice, husky voice. "I try."

"I don’t think so. I think that’s just the
way you are." Before he could say anything, Jessie pulled him in
for a kiss. He was surprised, but he didn’t stop her. He put his
hand on her cheek and pulled her closer.

She pulled away after a minute. "That was
nice," she said softly.

Martin grimaced and pulled back himself. "And
that’s something I am too, Jess. I’m a nice guy, and there’s kind
of an unwritten rule about men my age and girls your age."

"I’ll have you know that I am now a sophomore
in college. Not only that, I voted in the last election, and I
refuse to be called a girl after that."

Martin smiled. "But I’m afraid you’re still
not allowed into a bar."

"Then I guess you’d be surprised at the
things I’ve gotten away with...or just done."

Martin blinked. He needed to leave the
kitchen. "Jess, I’m too old for you."

"I’m just a year younger than Emily was when
she married Mitch."

"And I’m three years older than Mitch
was."

"You know, there’s nothing I can do about
that, right? Is it fair to penalize me because I have to drink at
home?"

"I’m not trying to penalize you, Jess,"
Martin said softly. "I’m just trying to do the right thing."

"And why are you so sure this isn’t it?"

"I guess it’s that nice guy thing again," he
said a little sadly.

She shrugged. The thing about not being in
the habit of wanting things was the memory of how that felt. "Enjoy
that then." Before Martin could say anything, Jessie walked out of
the kitchen. He followed. Everyone was looking at the two of them.
Jessie frowned. "Oh for God’s sake! I kissed him, okay? He was a
perfect gentleman though, so perfect that it’s not going to happen
again." She grabbed her jacket and kissed Helen. "I’ll see you
tomorrow sweetie," and then she slammed the door behind her.

Richard folded his arms and looked at Martin.
"You kissed my eighteen year old cousin?"

"She kissed me!" Martin said pleadingly.

"And of course you stopped her, right?"

Zainab and Miranda couldn’t contain their
laughter. They knew exactly who had run that show. Emily was
looking down at the floor so she wouldn’t break out too. "Oh, quiet
you two!" Richard said scornfully.

"Richard," Mitch said calmly, "nothing
happened."

"Since when is a kiss nothing?" Richard said
with a fury so uncharacteristic even Helen stopped what she was
doing. Before anyone could say anything, Richard’s phone rang.
"Hello?" he answered. "Okay," he said before he hung up and looked
at Zainab. "I’m sorry, I have to go, something—"

Zainab forced a smile. "Something came up at
work," she said for him. He blinked, and then smiled. "It’s
alright. Just go—make sure it doesn’t get out of hand."

"Thanks sweetheart," he said, kissing her
forehead. She closed her eyes and patted his arm. "Sorry guys, do
you mind cleaning up?"

Emily waved him away. "We’ve got this—go put
out your fire."

"Thanks—see you all later." He grabbed his
coat and then left. Zainab turned around after the door shut and
Miranda and Emily looked at each other.

"So, um, why don’t Mitch and I watch Helen
while you guys clean up?" Martin suggested awkwardly.

"That sounds great," Mitch said, collapsing
onto the couch and closing his eyes.

Emily sighed with exasperation. "Yeah,
Hellie, just listen to Uncle Martin and don’t get frosting on
anything, okay?"

"Okay, mama," Helen said before she shoveled
a handful of cake into her mouth.

Emily bit her top lip. Martin patted her on
the shoulder. "Em, I’ve got this."

The dining room was cleared out in fifteen
minutes, but Zainab, Miranda and Emily spent the next hour in the
kitchen. "Z, what’s going on?" Emily asked as they started loading
the dishwasher.

"I don’t think Richard wants me anymore,"
Zainab said at last. "Sometimes it’s like he can’t even look at
me."

Miranda frowned. "Um, it doesn’t sound like
that," she said delicately.

"What?"

"These walls are a little thin in some
places," Miranda said uncomfortably.

"God, Miranda, that’s just sex!"

Emily looked up at the ceiling, thinking. "I
don’t know why I never pictured Richard having ‘just sex’ with
anyone, especially you."

"Ladies, I hate to break it to you, but
Richard is a man, just like any other. Sometimes it’s wonderful,
precious lovemaking, and sometimes it’s just sex. Lately, it’s been
just sex. Good sex, but just sex."

Emily grimaced. "Wow, Z, and you’re not even
married yet."

Miranda turned away, pretending to look for
the dish detergent. It had never been just sex with Michael. Not
when it was bad, not when it was incredible. She closed her eyes.
She couldn’t think about Michael like that right now.

"And that’s the other thing," Zainab said
quietly. "Richard used to talk about marriage so much the first two
years. But when I graduated and got my pharmaceutical license, he
stopped talking about it altogether. He doesn’t use the future
tense when he talks about us, not unless it’s something happening
the next weekend. I don’t think there is a future with Richard, but
he doesn’t want to say it." She sighed. "And I don’t want to say it
either, but I guess I just did."

Miranda turned around and shook her head.
They weren’t talking about the man she’d known since she was five.
"Zainab, I don’t know what’s going on with Richard right now, but I
know he loves you. His work is crazy right now. They’re trying to
pull together the second-generation prototype, and he acts like
Michelangelo sometimes, so unsatisfied with what people are
producing. And it’s not free. Alex’s little cash influx bought them
some time, but they still need to find a distributor, not to
mention a manufacturer."

Zainab shook her head at her roommate. "I
know that, okay? And I know that Richard is good and decent too—you
don’t have to sell him to me. But it’s something else, I just feel
it."

"So what do you want to do?" Emily said,
sitting next to Zainab.

Zainab sighed. "I don’t know. I’d love to
talk to him, but the only time I ever get him alone is in bed."

Emily looked at Miranda, who shook her head.
"You can talk there too, you know."

Zainab grinned. "Richard’s not the only one
with needs."

~~~

Later that night, Miranda found Alex waiting
for her at the bar of a restaurant on Newbury Street. She kissed
him on the lips. "Sorry I’m late," she said a little breathlessly.
"We had a little more cleaning up to do than we’d planned."

Alex kissed her again. "I thought it was
something sweet like that." Miranda smiled as Alex took her hand.
"Ready to eat now?"

The maître d’ showed them to their table.
Miranda made a face as she looked over the menu. "Would you be
offended if I just got some soup? All that birthday cake is rearing
its ugly head now."

When the waiter came, Alex ordered for the
both of them before Miranda could say anything. "I didn’t say
anything about the chicken," she said once the waiter left.

"True," Alex said slowly, "but you don’t eat
enough."

Miranda blinked and smiled. "You know, it’s
kind of odd when you do that. One, because I’m not a little kid
anymore, and two because...well, I’m not a little kid anymore."

Alex tilted his head back as he looked at
her. "You most certainly are not. And don’t think authority figure,
think interested party. Maybe I just want to make sure that you
keep up your strength for tonight."

Miranda blushed. It was still so hard to
believe that Alex, the man she loved from the time she was five,
looked at her like
that
. Three years ago she would have
given anything for it. "I don’t know if tonight’s a good night,"
she said quietly.