Sixteen

Jocelyn heard the slap of flip flops on the tiled floors seconds before the doors to Shane's room flew open. Maria Malcolm stood at the door in her nightgown and a robe. She hadn't even knocked before entering the bedroom. Jocelyn groaned silently. She wanted to bury her head under the pillow.

"Sorry, I keep forgetting to knock. Where's Harvie?" She asked, her fingers playing with the belt of her robe. Jocelyn recognized that move as being nervous from the number of times she had done it herself.

"Is anything wrong? He's gone back to the office." Jocelyn sat up,   flinging the blanket off her before she stood up to continue her unpacking.

She put the last of her clothes in the space Shane had made for her in the closet. Maria eyed the clothes and her suitcases on the floor.

"Something came up at home. My plants are dying. I swore I paid a new gardener to come check them this week." Maria looked on the verge of tears. "Why can't anything I plant grow?"

Jocelyn looked at the woman. She hadn't ever seen someone so worked up over dying plants. "Maybe its the weather?"

Maria huffed, "Just last week my cat died. I think I'm a terrible caregiver. A terrible mother. Maybe that's why Shane doesn't come around that much?" She sniffed.

Jocelyn walked towards the older woman, clearly confused about how to handle the situation. "Shane's a great guy," she muttered and paused to think about it. Shane had been good to her so far, he really was a nice person. "And only a good mother can raise such a great guy," she continued.

Maria smiled. "You think so? Then why doesn't he visit often?"

Jocelyn shrugged. "I guess he's been busy. I'll talk to him if you want."

"Promise?" Maria asked.

"Promise." How hard could it be to convince a guy to visit his mother more often? Jocelyn thought to herself.

"I'll cut your hair if you don't? I don't like the length anyway."

Jocelyn smiled, she really liked Shane's mother. "I don't like it either, but I'll tell Shane. A man should visit his mom regularly."

"Good, I like you already. You are so better than those bimbos he usually dated," Maria added on her way out.

With Maria out, Jocelyn went back to the closet. She stared at the dress she had glimpsed before in Shane's side of the closet. It was a vibrant red in the shade of ripe tomatoes and two sizes smaller than her size. It didn't have a  label or price tag still on it, so she knew it wasn't new. And it certainly wasn't among the clothes they had picked up earlier. Which brought her thoughts to exactly how many women Shane had dated in the past. She wondered if that was how the public would see her, as another of his women, one who was only fortunate to be marrying him.

The telephone on the nightstand rang. She picked it up, curious as to who was calling.

"Shane?" The voice was deep, it was clearly a man's.

"He's not home. Who's calling?"

"Oh, its Eric. I was supposed to meet him at ten this morning and he's not in his office. I thought he was at home," the guy replied.

"Okay, have you tried his cell?" Jocelyn asked.

"Yes. He's not picking up. You're Josie, right?" Eric asked in return.

"Um, yeah." Jocelyn was about to end the call, not sure of who exactly was calling. She hadn't met any of Shane's friends or acquaintances.

"Josie? My girlfriend, Daisy is here. And she's bored, how does lunch sound. If you are not too busy?" Eric asked.

"I don't exactly know who you are, so maybe some other time?" Jocelyn frowned. She knew at some point, she was expected to have other acquaintances or friends amidst Shane's friends. But she didn't expect it as soon as this.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Shane and I are best buddies. Is his mom there? You can ask her." Eric was really persistent.

"Alright, Daisy can um... drop by,"  Jocelyn replied, then quickly ended the call.

She selected a floral patterned dress and was proceeding to the bathroom when the phone rang again.

She yanked it up and answered the call.

"Where the hell are you, Shane? I've been waiting at the Palace Restaurant for five minutes now." It was a lady this time and she sounded super mad.

"Shane's not here. Who are you?" Jocelyn asked, rubbing her forehead in annoyance. She didn't want to spend her morning playing secretary and fielding calls. She made a mental note to ignore any other call that came in.

"I'm Candy, duh. His girlfriend. Who the hell are you, anyway? You don't sound like his house keeper."

Jocelyn didn't know what to tell the lady. She was surprised and annoyed as hell.

"Oh, never mind. He's here." Candy ended the call.

Jocelyn held the phone against her chest, analyzing her reaction to the news. She was angry. Not because he had a girlfriend, anyway. Had she really been thinking that Shane didn't have some sort of relationship with someone else? The man was dripping sensuality, she wouldn't even be surprised if he had more than one girlfriend.

What she was angry about was the fact that he didn't tell her. Why would he hide something like that? They were getting married not because they loved each other, but because it conveniently suited both their purposes.

She pulled on the gown the exact moment she heard the doorbell. The quiet day she had planned for herself seemed far out of her reach. She sighed and hurried out.