Erin Shields surveyed her new bedroom with a sense of pride that quickly turned into melancholy. The redecorating had turned out exactly as she had planned it, yet it was all for naught. A dream she had hung on to for the past six months had burned into nothing but a pile of ashes.
The lovely blonde surveyed the room on which she had pinned so many hopes, dreams and aspirations. She steeled herself so that she would not cry. Yes, she was upset, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. Peter was a bastard and everyone had always told her as much. Why couldn't she see what was so obvious to almost everyone in her family and her friends? Her friends avoided them and most of the people the married couple associated with were his friends, business associates with who the young sculptor had little in common. Only a few of their "couple" friends appreciate Erin's sensitive, artistic nature. Most of the time, she sat in silence and waited until their evenings were over and she could be alone with her husband. It began to gnaw at her self esteem. Erin was only a young woman of 26 and deserved happiness.
She surveyed the room and a part of her bemoaned all the hard work she had put into it. She wanted to make the bedroom she shared with Peter conducive to a loving relationship, and perhaps, over time, lead to a family. The former Erin Brooke cherished family and yet, whenever she brought it up to Peter, he side stepped the issue.
The bed was large and inviting and she had changed the window to allow natural sunlight to peek through part of the day. The colors were warm and inviting, the chairs comfortable and the lamps could be dimmed to create an atmosphere. It had cost her a huge chunk of her savings to arrange for all of this, but she had managed to find some items in stores that took discontinued inventory. She looked for quality and with the eye of a decorator; she found everything and made sure it matched. Her fiery, vivacious sister-in-law constantly reminded Erin that she had missed her calling. "With your fashion and color sense, you should have gone into decorating," she often commented to Erin. "Any time you want to join the business, just say the word and I'll bring you in. Vince and I will be glad to have you as part of the family business."
Erin winced as she thought of her handsome, supportive, good-natured older brother. Glenda did all the planning and consulting with her clients and Vince did the grunt work. He was so efficient and fast that the couple did not lack for work. He often brought projects in under budget, so they were constantly getting hired for new projects. Erin felt like a heel as she knew what bad news she was going to have to deliver to her handsome older brother. She hoped that he wouldn't be too angry with her and she hoped that it wouldn't jeopardize their long-standing relationship. Since the age of 8, he had been looking after his kid sister. Bullies didn't come within 100 feet of Erin, because even as a child, Vince was built solid. He got that build from their father, a former pro linebacker and sportscaster.
Erin took stock of the room. The chairs were lovely and inviting; she had bought them at a discount and with Glenda's help, reupholstered them herself. The lighting fixtures were lovely; she had bought those at a going out of business sale. Everything that Erin had done was to make this room a fancy boudoir that would set the mood for sensual romance and lovemaking. In the end, it hadn't mattered. Peter had run off with his 21-year old secretary. To add insult to injury, he had cleaned out their joint back accounts. Her lawyers had frozen the remaining assets, but it left her with little to live on and the clothes in her wardrobe. Glenda had stepped up immediately and offered her beloved "sis" a job in the business.
Erin sat on the edge of her new bed and tried not to let emotions overwhelm her. Her marriage had been struggling along for a few years, she knew that now. She was tall, blonde, sexy, perky and vivacious; she would recover -- in time. She had the wardrobe to attract attention and being the adventurous free spirit she had been before marrying Peter, she would find her way soon enough.
As she looked around the finished room, the sadness came anyway. Not for herself, but for her favorite, cherished big bro. Vince had done all the work for her at cost -- he refused to charge her for the labor and her brother, being who he was, was meticulous. There wasn't a spot of paint out of place. How was she going to tell him that she couldn't pay him, at least for now? Maybe she could work out a deal? Glenda had many talents, but cooking wasn't one of them. Erin took cooking classes every year. Maybe she could give her sister-in-law some lessons or, better still, cook their meals for them and have the company of her family? She had to think fast because she had called Vince an hour ago and he'd be here soon. He just hoped her quick-tempered brother wouldn't hunt Peter down and tear him apart. His protective streak had not abated on iota since their childhood.
Peter had almost ruined her. All she had left was her own personal savings, barely two thousand dollars. It would give her enough to live on for a while, but not enough to pay Vince for all of his efforts. She had called him a while ago and asked him to come over so that she could give him the news in person. She had not told Glenda as yet just how bad things were. Vince deserved to hear the news from her own lips.
Vince arrived within a few minutes and only then did Erin allow herself to lose it. The tears came so quickly that she couldn't speak. Her older brother held her in a protective embrace until she stopped sobbing and could manage to find the words to explain that Peter had cleaned out their joint account and left her virtually penniless.
"That fucking bastard," Vince said as he clenched his fists in rage. "I'll wring his damned neck."
"No, no, don't bother," a now-calm Erin sighed. "You'd get arrested and I don't want that. I'm going to hire some shark attorney and drag his ass into court. By the time I'm done with Peter, he won't have two dollars to buy a cup of coffee."
"I know one, she's great," Vince said as he hugged his sister again. "I'll have Glenda give her a call in the morning. What are you going to do now?"
"I don't know," Erin admitted honestly as she went into her kitchen to fix them some coffee. "Working for you and Glenda will be a godsend, but beyond that and filing for divorce, I haven't a clue. I don't even know where Peter is right now, he isn't returning my messages and his secretary keeps blocking my calls."
"I bet you they're involved," Vince gritted his teeth. "The jerk was always telling me how cute she is and that she had a thing for him."
"She can have him," Erin said as the coffee brewed. "Poor Olivia, she's a nice young woman and she has NO idea what she's getting herself into. Knowing Peter, when she gets to be my age, he'll trade her in for a younger model."
"Hallelujah, she's seen the light," Vince joked and finally got a chuckle out of his kid sister.
"I'm just sorry that it took me so long," Erin sighed. "Why didn't I listen? Not one of my friends or family liked him." She looked at her brother and knew it was time to level with him. "Vince, I feel horrible about this after all the hard work you put in, but I can't pay you -- not right now, at least. He cleaned me out," she said and began to tear up again.