Divining Elise

by Jody A. Kessler

  Bodie focused on Rob. “Do you know much about her history?”

  “Not really. That’s another area she doesn’t talk about much. Her ex is in prison or just got released. I know that messed with her head a little.”

  “There’s probably more to it than she’s told you. Treasure has a history that affects her actions. Sometimes you just have to be there and sometimes you have to give them space. It’s not easy, man. But if she’s worth it, then you’ll give her what she needs.”

  “I’m trying to be patient, but she won’t let me past some of her walls, if you know what I mean. I think I can help her, but she refuses most of the time.”

  “It’s not a problem,” Shane interrupted from his side of the room. “Take it as a gift from the universe. She blows your brains out, then goes home for a week. Sounds perfect.”

  “Shut up,” they said to Shane again.

  “Delaney had control issues, too, and you couldn’t handle it,” Bodie said.

  “Elise is totally different,” Rob said.

  “I’m glad to hear it. I like Elise. If giving her space is important, then do it. Take your time getting to know her, but you should find out about her history and make sure it’s something you can live with. And do it before getting too serious.”

  “Hey, if you two chatty hens are finished, we have to hang the last of the drywall. Then we have to tape and mud. Rob, are you staying around for a couple of hours or do you have to go pick up the baby?” Shane asked, dropping the subject of Elise.

  Rob checked the time on his phone. He had a few hours still before he needed to get Maisie from the sitter.

  “Go check on her,” Bodie said when Rob didn’t answer about helping with the drywall.

  “I think I need to do that. I might be back,” he said and started for the exit.

  Rob heard Shane say behind him, “He’s not coming back.”

  * * *

  Elise’s phone alerted with a new text.

  Rob: I’m heading over.

  A knock sounded on her door before she had a chance to reply to the text. Elise opened the door for Rob.

  “What are we drinking?” he asked.

  She appreciated his candor, or lack of tip-toeing around her emotions, even though they both knew she was a wreck after channeling grief for the departed souls of Roger Eyres and his family.

  “I can’t. I have to pick up Colton in a few minutes.”

  “Right. Children need sober chauffeurs.”

  “Yes, they do. You can drink whatever you want, though. There’s champagne left over from the party.”

  “Hmm...” Rob made a sound somewhere between thoughtfulness and a grunt. “Thanks, but I’ll pass. Maybe after the kids are in bed.” His gaze landed on her and held. “You changed out of the skirt.”

  “I’m surprised you noticed. I worked this morning and had a sales meeting. I was running late and didn’t have time to change before meeting with you and your brothers.”

  “I always notice what you’re wearing. And that skirt makes me want to do things in public that aren’t appropriate. My brothers almost received a show they didn’t buy a ticket for.” Rob stepped in close and placed his hands on her hips.

  “I guess I should be grateful you showed restraint,” she said.

  “I definitely did.” Rob spun his ball cap around then tipped her chin up to stare into her eyes. The redness from crying and the lack of makeup pinged on his radar. “Do you need to talk about what happened? You didn’t say much after we left the cemetery.”

  “I didn’t say much because I couldn’t speak. The loss and grief coming from Roger was overwhelming. It’s not fun living someone else’s tragedy in real time,” she said.

  “I can only imagine. Is that what happened? You felt their emotions?”

  “Mostly his, but believe it or not, I am much better now. I feel physically and emotionally drained, but there’s a lot of peace that came with Roger reuniting with his brother and cousin and passing on after all this time.”

  Rob wrapped his arms around her in an encompassing embrace and kissed her forehead. “I’m glad to hear that.”

  “And I’m glad it’s over,” she said and squeezed Rob back. He had a way of soothing her that no one else could do. Elise’s first instinct was to pull back and not let him know what she experienced, but she was too tired after the day’s events to hold her walls of distrust in place.

  “Does this mean you’re starting to believe in ghosts?”

  “I can’t explain what I saw, but I trust my own eyes. I guess that means I’m a believer now.”

  She tightened her hold on him and said, “I need to pick up Colton.” Elise stepped out of his arms and went to slip on her shoes.

  “I’ll drive,” Rob said. “It’s the least I can do after everything you’ve done for me today.”

  Elise pressed her lips together, hesitating for only a moment, then agreed. She only started to notice her trust issues after Javier shattered her world. Once she identified her hesitations regarding men, memories of her childhood began replaying in her mind. Her father had broken her trust first, and Javier second. But she reminded herself repeatedly that she was moving forward with her life. Rob didn’t deserve to be weighed down with her baggage. “Thanks. Colton will be excited to see you.”

  * * *

  This had to be the place. Javier sat in his dad’s pickup truck parked across the street from the Sierra Nevada Academy for the Deaf and Blind. That bitch. The words replayed in his mind over and over again, ever since discovering that Elise moved to California with his son.

  It had taken a lot of investigating and constant searching to find out where she was. Elise’s family was obviously against him. Her mom, aunts, uncles, and cousins mouths were sealed tighter than a vault. He couldn’t get any of those damned pendejos to tell him where Elise was.

  He hadn’t been that upset with her for never writing or visiting him in the pen. He figured he deserved her silence after what he’d done, but he never thought she’d disappear and take his son without telling him. What a bitch. So what? He’d made one mistake and said a few things he shouldn’t have about Colton. She had no right to do what she did. The more he asked about where she was and the deafening silence that followed, the angrier he became. And that anger led him to seek out a contact he made in prison. Trev told him that when he got out of prison, he should stop by for a visit, and Javier had. He’d been ready to blow a fuse when he remembered Trev’s offer of help if he should ever need it.

  After being released from prison, everyone he knew from before fell into two camps: the sympathizers who felt sorry for him or those who shunned him for becoming a loser and a junkie after his dad died. Fuck all those people, Javier thought. Trev knew what it was like to do time and he had connections. The man was smart, too. Javier headed over to Trev’s address. Trev didn’t think he could find Elise and Colton, but he gave Javier advice on how to track them down.

  And so he had. Javier stopped by Colton’s hearing specialist’s office and made up a bullshit story about lost medical records during his and Elise’s last move. He’d been friendly, understanding, and even a little flirtatious with the office manager. She smiled back, but didn’t budge on giving him any information.

  “We can only give out medical information to the guardian listed in our file. I’m sorry, but you’re not listed as a legal guardian.”

  With a rod up her ass and her bitch face in place, Javier wanted to wrap his hands around the lady’s throat and choke the answers from her. He held his attitude in check and said he understood and that he would have Elise call or stop by. Then he’d experienced a moment of clarity. Javier leaned on the counter and spoke as politely as possible.

  “I understand what you’re saying and I wouldn’t want you to do anything you’re not supposed to. I’ve lost all my contact information in my old phone. I’ll be honest with you. Elise and I aren’t on good terms right now, but I really want to check in with Colton’s new doct
or and see how my little man is doing with his implants. I’d like to hear it directly from the doc. Is there any chance you have the phone number for his new specialist? I can wait for Elise to give me the number, but since I’m standing right here, would you happen to have it on hand?”

  The office lady dropped her gaze, then glanced at her computer screen. “It’s always the children who suffer when parents aren’t getting along. I’ve been through a divorce myself. I don’t have their number in front of me, but we transferred the records to the Sacramento County Audiology Center. You can contact them, but I’m not sure they will answer any of your questions. You have a nice day, now.” She straightened her shoulders and dismissed him without another word.

  With that, Javier had a decent place to start. He started researching deaf schools in the Sacramento area. He made telephone calls until he found them. Javier may not be as smart as his bitch wife and her fancy degrees in library science and business, but he could put two and two together.

  Javier made up another story to feed his mother about needing money for a deposit on an apartment. He took her cash to Trev and scored some crank. He didn’t want to use drugs, but didn’t see a better way to stay awake during his drive to California. Javier even waited to leave until after he checked in with his parole officer. He wasn’t going back to jail. He’d pay a little visit with Colton, as was his right, and be back to Arizona before his parole officer knew a thing. As for the crank, there were ways to hide drugs from piss tests.

  Vehicles began arriving at the school. Javier pulled the bill of his hat low and sank down in the seat to watch. He’d already seen his son on the playground a couple of hours earlier. Colton had been wearing a retard helmet. What the hell was wrong with him? After five years, he still couldn’t believe his son was a retard. It didn’t make sense. Javier didn’t have any physical problems. No one in his family was deaf. He hated that his son was “hearing impaired”, as the doctors like to call it, but the helmet drove him ape shit. As soon as Elise took him back, the helmet was trash.

  There she was. Elise stepped out of a pickup truck on the passenger side. Some white motherfucker climbed out of the driver’s side and held the door for her before entering the school together. His wife was with a gringo now. Javier’s mind went blank and something like sadness penetrated the recesses deep inside him. The feeling gave him a sense of weakness and that was unacceptable. He buried the hurt and let anger flood through him. She’s not going to get away with this betrayal. He’d sat in a tiny cell for years thinking about her and the mistakes he made and she’d been fucking some whitey. He’s probably rich, too. That truck wasn’t cheap. Qué mierda! He couldn’t believe he’d driven across country to find his wife with another guy.

  When the three of them walked outside, his son held both Elise and the bastard’s hands. Javier’s nostrils flared and he had to control the urge to confront her right then. Instead of causing a scene, something he knew Elise wouldn’t like, he followed them for nearly forty minutes until they turned into the parking lot of a shitass small town bookstore.

  Javier had more waiting to do and that pissed him off even more.

  Twenty-one

  “I’D INVITE YOU OVER TO MY HOUSE tonight, but both my brothers will be there,” Rob said. “Five’s definitely a crowd.” Rob leaned back against her kitchen counter, ankles crossed, and thinking he’d rather not sleep alone tonight. Even though they spent the entire afternoon together, he wanted more.

  Elise sorted through Colton’s backpack and looked at the artwork and drawings Colton made at day camp.

  As if Colton knew what he’d just said, the boy stood in front of Rob and signed, “You stay with me and Mom.”

  Rob looked between Colton and Elise.

  She signed and said, “Good idea, mijo.”

  Her smile and warmth made Rob relax. He didn’t even know he was tense. “I’ll pick up Maisie and the portable crib and be back in a few minutes. Can I pick up dinner?”

  “That would be a godsend,” she said. “I don’t want to cook tonight. Sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. I don’t want to cook, either.” He gave her a lopsided smile that said he understood and liked her more for speaking her mind. “Do you want take out from the diner or pizza from next door?”

  “Anything is fine for us.” She walked to the coat closet and stepped out of her shoes. As she made her way back to the kitchen, she swept up her long hair, twisted it around, and made a beautiful mess on the back of her head. The exposed skin along her neck and shoulders urged him to put his lips there and feel her heat against his lips. Rob refrained. Barely.

  “Sounds like sandwiches, fries, and chicken tenders are the winners. Do you want anything else?” He started for the door.

  She brushed a hand across his torso as he passed. “We’re good.”

  He paused and touched her fingers. With her only inches away, he smelled her perfume and breathed in her scent. “Be back in an hour.”

  Rob pulled out of the back parking lot and onto the street. He thought he’d seen the white pickup truck that was parked by his brewery earlier on their way back from Colton’s school. He stared harder, trying to pick out any distinguishing features. Nothing stood out and he couldn’t see the driver well enough to pinpoint anything memorable other than the guy wore a hat. Then he noticed there was no front license plate. If he saw the truck again anytime soon, he’d recognize it by the missing plate. Rob turned in the opposite direction from the parked truck and went to pick up his daughter from the babysitter.

  * * *

  The doorbell rang from the back entrance. Elise thought Rob must have returned for something. She left Colton playing with his toys to let Rob back in. Elise turned the knob and opened the door. She should have paid more attention to the sudden chill raising the fine hairs on her forearms. She should have installed a security camera at the back entrance. She should have taken more precautions. All the shoulds skittered through her mind in less than a second as Javier stood before her.

  “Hi, cariño.”

  She slammed the door shut, but met his boot.

  “You can’t be here.” She shoved the door, but he didn’t budge. Where was her phone?

  “I wanted to check up on you and see that you’re okay. You can calm down, babe. I’m not going to do anything.”

  He didn’t force his way past the door, but she didn’t calm down. Neither would she run upstairs and scare Colton. Elise moved to block the open door with her body. He wouldn’t get in, she thought. Javier wouldn’t get to Colton. She’d never forget what Javier said about her son being retarded and born deformed. Javier didn’t love Colton and her son deserved more than that from a father.

  “I’m fine. You need to leave right now before I call the police,” she said, holding the door with a death grip.

  “I don’t see your phone,” he said.

  “Go away, Javier, and never come back.”

  “That’s so unfair, cariño. I miss you. I miss us. My son needs his father.” Javier laid his hand over hers. She couldn’t believe how different his touch was versus the similar move Rob had made on his way out only minutes earlier.

  “You should have thought about your son before you made the choices you did,” she said, pulling her hand out from under his.

  “You’re right. I made mistakes. You know what a mess I was after my dad died. I didn’t handle anything right, but I’ve learned. I’m better now. The drugs were a mistake. A horrible mistake.”

  “Yes, they were,” she said. “Now, please leave.”

  “You’re going to turn me away after driving all the way here to see you? I’m only asking for a chance. I’ll leave now, but I’d like a chance to show you that I’m doing better after serving my time.”

  He looked hurt, but Elise couldn’t, wouldn’t yield to his emotions. How had he found her? She’d been so careful. “No.” She shook her head and inched the door closed.

  “I’ll prove that I’m still the same person
I used to be.”

  “I can’t, Javier. You can’t go back to who you were after everything that happened. Even if you are clean now, I’m a different person.”

  “You don’t look different to me. You’re still beautiful and kind.” He backed up. “I’ll go. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “If I ever see you again, I’ll call the police. You’re not supposed to be here.” She shut the door and locked it before he had a chance to say anything else. Elise ran up the stairs, locked the door, and grabbed her phone. She held it to her chest and breathed through the fear and anxiety and trying her best to hold back the panic.

  Javier had always loved her. She knew that. The drugs had changed him enough that she didn’t recognize him anymore, but just then she could see a hint of his old personality. Elise didn’t want him to go back to prison. She knew how devastating his time served was to his life path. She didn’t wish that misery on anyone, especially someone she once loved. But in her mind and her heart, their break up had been final years ago. His words made her realize how much he held on to their past even though she made things perfectly clear. She didn’t want anything to do with him. The day he’d smashed up their living room was the final straw for her. Why couldn’t he move on?

  Elise wiped the tears away and stuffed her emotions where they couldn’t affect her. She joined Colton in the living room and reached out to him. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed him in a tight hug. His arms came around her and hugged back. He always did. No questions or hesitations. He’d always been a loving child. Javier never appreciated his son for who he was. He wanted the idealistic version of Colton. Once they learned Colton had a major hearing impairment, Javier couldn’t get over the idea that Colton was imperfect. But Elise knew Colton was created exactly the way he was supposed to be. Elise believed it to the core of her soul, and she couldn’t be with anyone who didn’t also believe the same thing. Javier made mistakes, and he did his time, but she couldn’t allow him in Colton’s life. All trust had been broken between them and she never wanted Colton exposed to Javier. In many ways, she was grateful that Colton didn’t remember his father.