What's a Girl to Do? (Season 6)

Chapter Five: Remains of the Day

In the weeks that followed, I'd taken to spending my mornings and afternoons at the firm, and then coming in for the dinner rushes at the diner. Allie had been extremely accommodating towards Iana and the boys, and would even have them over in the late afternoons and early evenings, with Nicholas picking them up and taking them home at night. I'd come home around nine each night, take a shower, and crash, hating that I only had an hour in the mornings to spend with my children as I juggled the two jobs handed to me.

With the arrival of October, I had the rare opportunity to see my husband one day at the firm, when he came into my office. I was filing again, resenting what my attorney career had come to, and missing the diner in the early part of the day. My husband came into my office without knocking and I immediately got to my feet, and, wanting him to know that I was pleased to see him, went around my desk and promptly kissed him. The notion that he kissed me back in such a fleeting manner was not lost on me, and he gently pulled back from me and remained serious about the situation—now was no time for fun and games, apparently.

"I wanted to let you know that the preparations for the Halloween ball are officially in their final stages," he said informatively, and I gave a stiff nod to that.

"The speakeasy," I said, forcing a smile onto my lips at the physical, and emotional, distance between my husband and me. I remembered how, in the early days, the notion of keeping our hands off each other was entirely foreign, and now, of course, given what Ian and Lip had said about my relationship with Tommy and Nicholas's thoughts on that, sent a wave of bitterness through my psyche. I didn't want to believe that Nicholas would actually think that I would ever, under any circumstances, cheat on him...

"That's right," Nicholas confirmed. "Will you be inviting anyone? Naturally, as you and I are married now, and how much of an asset you are to the firm—and now that you're a Blomqvist—you can invite whoever you like."

An asset? I thought to myself. That's what he thought of his wife?! "Debbie wanted to come," I said quietly. "If that's all right."

Nicholas smiled. "Of course Debbie can come."

"She was wondering if she could leave Franny with our sitter that night..."

My husband nodded. "We'll just pay her extra. I'm sure it won't be a problem."

I hesitated for a moment, wanting to test the waters, as it were, as my suspicions on my husband's attitude towards it were slowly but surely eating away at me... "Maybe Tommy could come as well?"

Nicholas blinked. "Tommy?"

I nodded. "Tommy."

Immediately, his body language registered discomfort. "I don't know, Murphy. You see him at least once a week at The Alibi to do god knows what... Does he really have to come to the Halloween ball, too?"

I cocked an eyebrow then as I crossed my arms. "Why would that be an issue, Nicholas?" I asked him then, fighting to keep my tone civil. "Do you have an issue with Tommy? Because, if you do, I'd like to know about it."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, obviously attempting to keep his cool. "I take issue with anyone who physically attacks my wife, Murphy. I don't give a fuck if he was just doing his job. The man gave you a fucking bloody nose when he arrested you on those trumped-up charges. I won't stand for him being near you..."

"Tommy was just doing his job, goddammit," I fired back, glaring at him then. "Tommy is also a friend of mine, for Christ's sake. I don't see why it's such an issue for me to have a friend of the opposite sex, Nicholas."

"Dammit, Murphy," Nicholas said, dragging a hand through his hair. "You and I started off as friends and look where it got us—married with three children." He crossed over to me then, and made a grab for my arms, and staring down at me then, causing my breath to catch in my throat at our closeness. "I don't want that son of a bitch near you. Obviously, I can't tell you what to do or who to spend your time with, but goddammit if I don't say something, I'm afraid you'll think I don't give a shit, and I do give a shit, because you're my fucking wife."