Trust Me

fingers collided lightly. The fleeting contact sent a tremor through Desdemona. She looked up quickly and managed an overly bright smile.
    Stark did not return the smile. He met her eyes with an unblinking gaze. For an instant Desdemona could not look away. She saw the shadows brooding over his soul. The vision chilled her.
    She knew then that somehow Stark had sensed her growing uncertainty about the wisdom of their marriage plans. He knew she was having second thoughts. Just like the others.
    Desdemona loaded jalapeno peppers and hot sauce onto her taco, but when she took a bite it was all bland and tasteless.
    At that moment something settled inside her. She could not leave Stark to his lonely fate. She loved him. No matter what the risks, she would not abandon her work in progress. She had begun the task, and she would finish it.
    “Stark asked me and Kyle to be best men at your wedding,” Jason said around a mouthful of taco.
    “Really?” Desdemona asked. “Two best men? That will be unusual.”
    “He says we have to wear tuxes,” Kyle said. “And we have to make certain he gets to the altar on time.”
    “A big responsibility.” Desdemona concentrated on her taco.
    “Who makes certain that the bride gets to the altar?” Jason asked.
    Desdemona nearly strangled on another bite of taco.
    Stark watched her.
    “The bride has to get herself there.”
    Desdemona swallowed the last of the taco and met Stark’s eyes.
    “Don’t worry about this bride,” she said firmly. “She’ll be there. You can count on a Wainwright. No one in our family would ever miss the opening of a show.”
    Stark searched her face for a moment, and then the fierce anguish seemed to fade in his eyes. He smiled slightly for the first time since Dane McCallum had been arrested. “So I’m told.”
    The doorbell rang.
    “I’ll see who it is.” Stark got to his feet and walked out of the kitchen.
    “Please pass the cheese,” Kyle said to Desdemona.
    The murmur of a woman’s voice caught everyone’s attention.
    “Hey, that’s Mom.” Jason dropped his taco, shoved back his chair, and leaped to his feet.
    “Mom’s here?” Kyle let the spoonful of grated cheese fall back into the bowl. “I hope the shrink isn’t with her.”
    Stark walked back into the kitchen before Jason and Kyle reached the door. He was accompanied by an attractive, dark-haired woman in her late thirties. She was stylishly dressed in a camel-colored pantsuit and a ruffled blouse.
    There was no sign of a shrink.
    “Hi, Mom,” Jason said. “I thought you were on vacation.”
    “I decided to come home early,” Alison said. “I wanted to see you two.”
    “This is our Mom,” Kyle said to Desdemona. “Mom, this is Desdemona Wainwright. She’s going to marry Sam in a few weeks.”
    Alison Stark smiled at Desdemona. “Is that so?”
    “Yes,” Desdemona said very firmly.
    Stark looked at her. Some of the shadows disappeared from his eyes. He turned to Alison. “Want a taco?”
    “Why not?” Alison said.

    A couple hours later Desdemona, Stark, and Alison were alone in the kitchen. Jason and Kyle had finally wound down and had excused themselves to watch television.
    Desdemona made coffee. She moved about quietly, sensing that Alison was preparing herself to say something important to Stark.
    “Jason and Kyle seem to be doing well.” Alison poured cream into her coffee.
    Stark accepted his cup from Desdemona. “They’re good kids.”
    “Yes.” Alison stirred her coffee. “They’ve had a rough time of it for the past few months, and things aren’t going to get any better in the future. Their father will never come back.”
    “No.” Stark sipped his coffee.
    “I suppose you know that better than anyone,” Alison said.
    Stark said nothing.
    Alison looked down at her coffee. “Boys need a father figure.”
    Stark did not respond.
    “Jason and Kyle appear happier than they have for months. I think Dr. Titus is right. You’ve become a substitute for Hudson in their eyes.”
    Stark made no comment.
    “I think they need you,” Alison said.
    Stark sipped coffee.
    Alison glanced at Desdemona as if seeking support.
    Desdemona smiled encouragingly. “Stark is an excellent father figure. He has a real talent for the role.”
    Stark gave her a surprised look.
    “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately,” Alison said. “What would you say, Sam, if I told you that I’d like to move my interior design business here to