The Man of Her House

by Constance Masters

  “Alyssa?”

  “Uh-huh?” Alyssa held up her hand to halt Jesse while she finished her conversation and hung up the phone.

  “I need to talk to you about something.”

  “Oh?” She couldn’t help the excitement that was starting to build. Maybe this was it. Maybe he’d actually planned something.

  “I had an email from my uncle.”

  “Oh.” She wasn’t expecting that at all.

  “They were supposed to fly back from Greece in ten days.”

  “Supposed to?” Obviously they weren’t now. She held her breath while she waited for the penny to drop. Surely her mom couldn’t have made any more life changing decisions.

  “Yeah. They’ve decided to stay there another few weeks.”

  “Really. Has my mom won the lottery or something?” This must be all costing a fortune. It was very confusing. She still cared about her mom, but she didn’t want to think about what would happen when she came back; the house being sold, Jesse leaving, and then dealing with the school mess.

  “No. I think this trip is from my uncle.”

  “Oh. Okay then, I guess. Did you reply to the email?” This news didn’t really change anything, but it would if Jesse actually told his uncle about her being there. She supposed the uncle would tell her mom.

  “I did.”

  “Did you happen to mention that I was here?” Please don’t let him have told. She wasn’t ready for all this to end just yet, and there was no telling how her mom would react.

  “No. Not that I would have lied, but it didn’t come up, so you’re safe for now.”

  “So we have a little longer.” Oh, thank God.

  “Yes, we do,” Jesse said with a giant smile.

  “Good. I kind of like playing house.”

  “Me too.”

  Chapter Five

  “Hey. I had an idea.” Alyssa spun around on her chair to face him, hanging on to his jeans to stop herself.

  “What’s that, pretty girl?”

  “I thought we could do something tonight.” It would be nice to go on a date, like a real couple. Like to a movie or out to dinner.

  “I’m sorry, honey. I can’t tonight. I have a job.”

  “At night? Where? I don’t remember booking any nighttime jobs.” She racked her brain for something she might have missed or forgotten about, but she knew that she hadn’t.

  “No, I got this call on my cell. Someone must have recommended me.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” She searched his eyes. Was he hiding something from her?

  “I just did.”

  “Okay, I guess.” Alyssa pouted a little, rearranging her desk with a thump of each item.

  “Come on, Alyssa, it’s work.”

  “Fine. It’s work. Nothing to worry about. You go ahead and look after whoever needs looking after.” She picked a book off the shelf next to her and then jammed it back.

  “Don’t pout.”

  “I’m not pouting. I have work to do.” She turned to face the laptop. She knew she was being childish, but she didn’t seem to be able to help it.

  “You’re being silly.” Jesse kissed her cheek. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

  “Heard that before,” she grumbled under her breath. Something about a perfect night of romance…

  “Pardon?”

  “Nothing.” If he didn’t remember what she was talking about, she certainly wasn’t going to tell him.

  Jesse sighed. “Okay, well, I’m off to the Ronan’s to build their shelving. I won’t be late. Maybe we can watch something on TV when I come home.”

  Alyssa didn’t answer. She stuck her hand up in a backwards wave like the work she was doing was more important than anything else in the world.

  * * *

  “Stupid. Everything’s stupid,” she griped to the empty room. When the phone rang she rolled her eyes and snatched it up, answering in a less than enthusiastic voice. “Hello.”

  “Hi,” a young woman said. “I was wondering if I could speak to Jesse.”

  “Oh?” Alyssa narrowed her eyes. Suspicion immediately pricked her senses. “Can I help you?”

  “No. I’ve been expecting him, and he’s a little late.”

  “What exactly were you expecting him for?” Dinner? Maybe something more?

  “He’s coming over to fix something for me.”

  Me. No plural there. He said he was going to the Ronan’s. Ronan’s being plural—as in more than one—a couple. “Are you married?” Alyssa blurted out.

  “Ah, yes. I am. Does that matter?”

  Yes, Alyssa thought. It matters a lot. “Is your name Ronan?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Is your husband home?” Alyssa held her breath while she waited for the answer.

  “No, he’s working tonight.”

  “Jesse is on his way.” And so will I be as soon as I can get organized. If Jesse was doing something underhanded then it was better she find out now before their relationship went any further.

  “Oh, good. Thank you.”

  She sounded pleased. That could be because she was looking forward to having work done, or it could be because she was excited to see Jesse. Her Jesse. Hang on, she didn’t even know where these Ronan’s lived. “Wait! I’m um, going to need your address for the paperwork.”

  “Jesse has it.”

  See? Something completely sneaky about this woman. “I know, but I thought I could get a head start on things from my end. I do the bookwork.”

  The woman rattled off her address and then hung up.

  We’ll just see what you’re up to, Mrs. Ronan. Alyssa ran upstairs to get changed. Luckily, she had her mom’s car. Jesse had filled it with gas for her so she could get around if she needed to. Well, she needed to right now.

  * * *

  It seemed like Jesse had already started work when Alyssa parked the car across the road from the Ronan’s house. She’d stopped on the way to get supplies; a slushy and a burger and fries. She’d found a pair of binoculars in her mom’s car. Her dad used to use them when he went to a ballgame. It would have been great if she had something that helped her to hear what was going on, but she didn’t. Clearly, she wasn’t a proper spy. She had to make do with keeping her eyes open and drawing her own conclusions.

  Even without the help of the binoculars, she could see Jesse immediately in one of the upstairs bedrooms. She hoped he didn’t see and recognize the car. Finding her here was probably the last thing he would expect.

  She used the glasses and watched him for a while, but she had to admit there wasn’t much to see. He appeared to be on a ladder putting up shelves. Feeling a bit silly and guilty for judging him, she was about to drive away and had almost turned the key in the ignition when a young blonde appeared in the room. Alyssa almost spilled her drink in her panic to get to the binoculars. What she saw when she actually had them in place was a very pretty young woman. Not as young as herself, but young. She was smiling and pointing. Alyssa badly wanted to know what she was saying and what she was pointing at. It could have very well been related to the shelves or something else to do with the room, but she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling she had.

  Alyssa sat there, not able to turn the engine on. She wanted to leave and give Jesse the benefit of the doubt, but she just couldn’t. Jealousy was a curse, and it forced her to sit there with clunky binoculars held up to her face, waiting to see what happened next. She picked at her fries and wished she’d eaten them while they were hot.

  The woman left the room. That was good wasn’t it? Alyssa unwrapped the burger and took a bite, but by the time she looked up Jesse was gone from the upstairs window. He wasn’t on the ladder any more. Her heart beat so fast she thought it might just thump right through the wall of her chest. Her stupid phone was ringing. “Damn it not now!” She turned it off and threw it back into her bag.

  “Oh no.” Jesse was back, only this time he wasn’t in the top window, he was downstairs in what
appeared to be a dining room, with the blonde woman, Mrs. Ronan. He was carrying a large dish of something, and the woman was holding what looked like a salad. What was her Jesse doing with another woman’s food? What to do, what to do, she thought. Damn. Jesse sat down at the table.

  * * *

  “You sure your husband wouldn’t mind me staying for dinner, Mrs. Ronan?” He’d had clients offer him a cold drink or a cup of coffee, but never a whole meal.

  “Call me Lisa. No, of course not, it was his idea,” Lisa said while she planted a large slice of lasagna on Jesse’s plate. “It was good of you to do this at night.”

  “I’m gathering up all the work I can get at the moment.”

  “What about your girlfriend, she won’t be planning dinner?”

  “I tried to ring her. She didn’t answer her cell or the house phone.” That was unusual. She hadn’t mentioned going anywhere. Maybe she went out with Krys to a movie or something.

  “She won’t be upset, I hope.”

  “No. This is work. She’ll understand.”

  “I think I spoke to her this afternoon,” Lisa admitted. “When you were a little late, I rang the house.”

  “Oh?” Something about the look on Lisa’s face told him something had gone on in that conversation, and judging by the mood Alyssa had been in when he left, he could imagine what.

  “Something wrong?”

  “Nothing really. Her tone was a bit short, and she asked a lot of questions.”

  “Did she now? She wasn’t rude, was she?” He wouldn’t have her being rude to clients. She knew better.

  “Not exactly. Just overly curious.”

  “Uh-huh.” I just bet she was curious.

  * * *

  Alyssa stood there outside the house, contemplating her next move. Every nerve in her body was screaming at her to get back in the car and go home, that she would ruin any trust that she and Jesse had managed to build. But she couldn’t. Her feet seemed to have a mind of their own, and when Jesse threw back his head and laughed at whatever the young blonde was saying, she lost the last shred of her common sense and stomped up the front steps and banged on the door.

  “Would that be your husband?” Jesse asked, placing his silverware together neatly on his plate.

  “No. He comes through the back. Probably someone selling something,” Lisa said.

  “Well, I’ll let you get the door. Thanks for dinner. I enjoyed it very much, but I better get back to work now.”

  * * *

  “Oh my God, you’re pregnant,” Alyssa said as the woman opened the door and her swollen belly came into view. She’d been ready to tear strips off her for luring workmen to her house on some sort of ruse so she could seduce them. But she was stopped in her tracks; instinctively she knew that she had got this all wrong.

  “Do I know you?” Lisa asked.

  “No. I’m just doing a survey. I’ve left my clipboard in the car. I’ll just go out and get it, and I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay.” Lisa looked confused.

  “Freeze,” Jesse said from the other room.

  Alyssa ignored the familiar voice and took off at a run. Maybe she could get away and get home. She could tell him that she didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. The idiocy of the idea hit her very fast when Jesse landed in front of her before she even got to the car. “Hi,” she said sheepishly.

  “Hi.”

  Alyssa gulped when Jesse folded his arms across his chest and glared at her sternly. “I guess you’re wondering what I was doing here.”

  “Oh, I know what you were doing here.”

  “I can explain.” Or try to, at least.

  “No, you can’t. You didn’t trust me, and you came here to check up on what was going on.”

  “But…”

  “But nothing. I said I was building shelves. I was building shelves for this couple’s new baby. Lisa was kind enough to offer me a slice of lasagna. I ate it and was about to go back to work.”

  “How was I supposed to know that?”

  “I told you where I was going. I tried to call you and tell you I was having dinner, and you didn’t answer your phone. Do you think that a pregnant lady who has done nothing wrong but to contract a person to build a few shelves deserves to be treated like this? Damn it, Alyssa, this borders on stalking!”

  “I could say sorry.”

  “Yes, you could, right now. And then you take your butt home and you wait in the corner. Move.”

  Alyssa looked over to where Lisa was still standing, who she guessed was either wondering what the hell was going on or enjoying the show. Maybe a bit of both.

  “Now, Alyssa.”

  “I’m going.” She took the first step that began her walk of shame. Refusing to look at Lisa, she crossed the road, watching the patterns in the asphalt move beneath her feet. When she reached the front steps, she had no choice but to look up into Lisa’s face. Interestingly, she didn’t really see malice there. But she saw pity, which was so much worse. It was confirmation that she’d made an ass of herself. “I’m really sorry,” she managed to choke out. “Really.”

  “That’s okay.”

  Alyssa balked when the woman leaned in and whispered in her ear. “I wouldn’t want him out of my sight either, but you’re safe with me. I have my hands full already with my own husband and this little guy.”

  It was nice of her to be kind, and it did soothe her. “Thank you,” Alyssa whispered. “I hope all goes well with the baby. I didn’t mean to upset you or anything.”

  “It’s okay, hon, you didn’t.”

  Alyssa nodded and then turned to face Jesse who was waiting by the car for her.

  Lisa patted her shoulder and then went back inside, leaving her to face the walk back to her pissed off boyfriend on her own.

  She didn’t even have to get close to the car to judge Jesse’s mood. He had steam coming out of his ears. He held open her door and ignored her smile.

  “In,” he said smacking her bottom soundly as she attempted to do so. “Straight home. Corner.”

  “I am sorry, Jesse.” She wanted to talk about it, to tell him that she did trust him, but he put a finger to her lips to stop her.

  “Not another word. Home and wait for me.”

  Alyssa nodded, started the car, pulled away, and wondered how long it would take her to get to the Mexican border.

  * * *

  Alyssa did as she was told and stood in the corner. Unfortunately it gave her far too much time to think. Jesse was angry, really angry. She’d messed with his business and his clients. Maybe he’d think that was almost as bad as messing with his tools. God knows that had ended badly. He wouldn’t use a switch on her again, would he? If he was going to finish the shelves before he came home, maybe she’d have time to go cut down the peach tree and burn it. She giggled. Not a happy mirth-filled giggle but the nervous kind. Oh, man, why hadn’t she just taken his word for what he was doing and leave it at that? Contrary to the giggles that had come out of the blue a few minutes before, a tear escaped and ran down her cheek. She was screwed. She wanted that door to open and Jesse to come in so it could be over. Waiting was the worst.

  She’d been in the corner for what felt like hours when the phone rang. She stared at it blindly for a second, wondering if it was a trap. She realized that it could be either business or Jesse, so she answered it, hoping the decision didn’t make things worse.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi,” Jesse’s voice said.

  “I only got out of the corner to answer the phone,” she said nervously. “I was in the corner before that. I swear.”

  “I believe you. Listen, it’s late. Go to bed, and we’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?” she asked. She had to wait until tomorrow?

  “Yes, tomorrow. I want to finish here so I don’t have to come back tomorrow night.”

  “Are you going to spank me?” Did she want him to spank her? Shouldn’t the question be ‘You’re not goin
g to spank me, are you?’ Or, ‘do you forgive me?’

  “We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

  “Okay, I guess.” How is that okay? You leave me standing here worrying, and then nothing?

  “Bed,” Jesse said firmly. “No television or anything. Go to sleep.”

  “Okay, okay.” Alyssa hung up and wandered up the stairs. She should feel elated that she escaped Jesse’s wrath but she didn’t, she just felt cheated and alone.

  Alyssa was exhausted. She climbed into bed and went straight to sleep. Trouble was, she didn’t stay asleep. She looked at her phone and realized it was eleven-thirty. Jesse still didn’t seem to be home. She stood at the top of the stairs and listened. There was no sign of anyone downstairs. So she walked to her old room to listen and see if she could hear Jesse in there. He didn’t snore, but she would hear him breathing. He definitely wasn’t there. Maybe she should investigate and see if he’d been there and gone. Where would he go, though? He wouldn’t have gone anywhere, she reassured herself. Maybe she’d feel better if she could find something of his to sleep with so she didn’t feel so alone.

  She walked carefully into the now unfamiliar room. It was neater than she’d kept it when it was her room, but that wasn’t the only change. There was a beat up guitar in the corner of the room and a large duffle on the bed. The clothes were neatly folded in there, and there were dirty clothes in the pink hamper. Unaware of what she was really looking for she decided to start on the duffle. She’d know when she found it. Something soft that had his scent still on it, but nothing that was dirty and gross.

  It did feel kind of wrong, but she just wanted to be close to Jesse in some way. She wanted to cuddle up to something that was his. She moved aside sweat pants and dug deep to the bottom of the bag. As she slid her hand back out, she’d hooked a pair of his jocks on her finger. Her face blushed at the shape where his bulge had obviously stretched the material.