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Part VIII

Another two weeks passed and Paul called to let them know that some technicality had been found in the contracts and they had to draw up all new ones and resign them. The divorce petition was rejected, the judge finding something suspicious about wanting the marriage annulled so soon after the marriage, so that had to be signed again as well.
Coral and Marshall didn’t care. They were enjoying the other’s company too much to worry about some petty legal documents, that really didn’t mean all that much to them in the long run anyway. How useful was a marriage license or a divorce petition while they worked on a house and she cooked?
“So, you’re friends are coming on Monday, we need to do a little shopping then,” Coral reminded as they were sipping their coffee in the dining room, where they’d taken to eating all of their meals. It was Friday morning and they were supposed to start work on Hailie’ s room soon.
“All right, you want to go after we’re finished?” he asked putting down the paper he’d been scanning and looking sideways at her, where she usually sat, at his side, while he took the head of the table.
“Actually, we can go later, I was thinking about something, since we’ve finished up the living room and finally got that entertainment center all set up, and the stereo plugged back in, I want to hear some of your music,” Coral replied and he watched her intently as she spoke.
“I guess we could, you’ve really never listened to rap?”
“Nope, I’m yours to mold,” she smiled and him and he returned it.

Marshall sat looking at his albums and was trying to find the least offensive song to play for her. He didn’t want to shock her too much, after all, she was the all American-country-listening-ponytail wearing-innocent-girl next door type.
“Don’t hold back on me Marshall, I want to hear what you got.” He laughed slightly and popped in a random album.
They spent the morning listening to his albums, Coral taking the time to talk to him about his lyrics and comment on them, asking him questions. By the time they got to Encore, they were lounging on the floor, sitting back against the couch, Marshall looking over the words to his own songs as she listened and followed the words as well in the little booklet.
“You really hit it with this one Marshall,” Coral said as the album came to a close. She looked over and him and nodded in approval.
“Yeah?” he asked.
“Yeah.” She nodded with a grin.
“To tell you the truth, the first album you played for me. I hoped that it wasn’t all that way. I mean, you got talent, raw, there’s no question, but I just didn’t get the feeling yet. The talent was there, but the subject, it was immature. And then ‘Brain Damage’, god, and ‘My Fault’. Shit Marshall, I felt it, right here. And right up into ‘Mockingbird’, your stuff, just, got better as you went along. You kept getting better. I can’t imagine what you’d do next,” Coral spoke with such a passion that Marshall nearly felt his jaw unhinge in shock.
“Actually, there is one more song, that was the most recent, about a year ago, but you know.” Marshall said quickly getting up to avoid her gaze as he popped the song in. He sat back down and waited until the open strains of “When I’m Gone” flowed out of the speakers before looking back at Coral.
She fell into the music, felt her head nodding to the beat, and her heart responding to the words, god it was too beautiful. Marshall watched with rapt fascination as her eyes closed and she sunk willingly into the abyss of his voice and syllables.
Then he saw them. Caressing her cheeks, and the curl of the corners of her mouth as her hand pressed over her heart. Tears cascaded down her cheeks and she shook her head as the song ended and she opened her eyes. She turned to him and smiled.
“Yeah, you got it. You definitely have it Marshall,” she said with a reassuring smile. She laughed slightly and wiped away the tears.
“That’s the best song I’ve ever heard, ever.” She added when he didn’t respond. He just watched her, amazed at her reaction.
“Whatchu crying about?” he asked, slightly laughing.
“There’s just nothing else, I can’t even describe it Marshall, it’s amazing, you are amazing and you got something. If people want to know you, they don’t have to look any farther than that song, cause you’re in there in every word, every beat.” Marshall was uncomfortable with such praise. He rubbed the back of his neck.
“Well at least for a girl who only listens to country music, you can identify a good rap song.” She burst out laughing.
“Yeah, I suppose I do. And I guess it’ll be my turn soon to show you a good country song, huh?” Coral asked.
“If you can find one,” Marshall laughed.
“Oh, I will.” Coral smiled and laughed through the tears, and then Marshall wiped some of them away with his own hand.
“Don’t cry,” he said softly.
“When something invades your soul it’s hard not to.” She laughed. Marshall felt his chest constrict again.

They quickly got away from what could have been a seriously awkward moment and decided to go food shopping. It took them the remainder of the day to get everything they needed, considering that instead of the usual two people in the house there would be seven, and for the extent of the week, Marshall’s house was relatively unprepared.
There were plenty of rooms and bathrooms, so no one would be stacked on top of one another. But Marshall had exactly three towels for himself, and only a few sheets.
“Yeah, I’m sure the guys will remember to bring their own towels and sheets, yeah right,” Marshall laughed as they looked at towels.
“Not exactly the home bodies are they?” Coral asked.
“Nope. As a matter of fact, I’m just gonna have a maid come in for the week. That way you don’t have to worry about dishes and she can do laundry. Cause none of them know how to do laundry, and I am not washing their clothes for them, plus, they are the not the neatest bunch in the world,” Marshall laughed grabbing a pile of black towels and placing them in the cart.
“Wow, you can do your own laundry?”
“I won’t be amused if you tell me your impressed,” Marshall snapped with a grin. Coral held her hands up in defense and giggled.
“No, I’ve just never met a man who did his own laundry, that’s all.” He pushed her slightly so that she pushed him back. The walked for a minute in the companionable silence, not a word between them.
“So you’re friends are going to immediately jump to the wrong conclusions about me living in your house, right?” Coral asked.
“Probably. Guys like us, we don’t much hire servants and things. Not really our style. Not that you’re a servant mind you,” Marshall added quickly, a tint of embarrassment in his cheeks.
“Hey don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re a great boss, and a great friend and a great person, you don’t have to worry so much,” she said patting him on the back. He was comforted by that small motion of thanks from her.
“I just don’t like having people think they have to do what I say. I had enough of that shit back in the day,” he replied.
“I’d hardly be the one who would do the things you say. Just take it easy. It’s okay to relax a little.” Wow had she hit the nail on the head. He nodded mutely and picked up another stack of towels.

“Okay, so you wanted to help me, so you can help me make up some pasta!” Coral said clapping her hands together. It was two days before Marshall’s friends were arriving and with her being the only one who cooked, she needed to have some stuff in reserve. While she liked to make things fresh, it wasn’t always compatible with schedule and the amount of people to be served and the time to do it in. Therefore she was going to make up pasta, bread dough, muffins and chips ahead of time.
“Fulfilling your promise for sure,” he laughed as she placed an apron around her neck and tied the string double around her waist. She piled her hair into a bun at the top of her head and went to the sink to wash her hands.
“There’s another apron in the drawer there,” she said nodding in the general direction.
“You’ve got to be kidding me?” he laughed.
“Just an option. Some people like to use aprons, some don’t. Unless I’m making something without flour, I usually don’t wear them either. But go ahead, wash your hands and we’ll get started.” Coral said with a conversational air.
They mixed and rolled and turned out more pasta than Marshall had ever seen. And it had been fun too. He wasn’t too much a fan of cooking, but with Coral, everything just seemed okay, seemed right, seemed easy. She made everything very easy.
After trying for the third time to get the pasta to come out of the press the right way, without dropping it before he could slide it through again, he put it down.
“Ah forget it,” he laughed.
“What’s the matter?” she asked as she sealed another batch of pasta into a container, looking up at him to see the pile of dough sitting in front of the press once again.
“I still can’t do this part right,” Marshall replied wiping his hands on the apron that he had put on. He laughed at himself inside his head. God, what had this girl done to him?
“Come on, I’ll help you, here, pick it up.” She stood to his side, and waited until he picked up the dough and then held her hand underneath his to guide it through the press. Marshall’s hand steadied as her hand guided his and again he felt his chest tighten. She moved his hand to the other side of the press and caught the dough, her hand carefully holding his to show him the movements.
“See, just nice and gentle, just like that,” she praised, and the knot in his chest constricted painfully, but a nice pain.