The Hidden Room

by C S Joseph

  “We probably should have someone start in here.” He gestured to the room. “We’ll need to be able to eat.”

  “Shouldn’t I be the one making decisions about that?”

  “Of course, but I’m just giving some direction.”

  She silently groaned. “I’m going to look around the rest of the house and see what I have to work with. If I have to live here while you go back to live in a penthouse with takeout every night, then I will have to see what I can live with.” With that, she walked out.

  †

  Aiden had his own story to play out now. Having Zachary and Reese near it was too risky. If this worked, they would be headed for a windfall. More money than any of them could spend in a lifetime. This was the big time for Aiden. If his wife and son were nowhere near while the deal went down, he could walk away and still maintain his lifestyle. He had been assured that her assets would stay separate from his per their prenuptial agreement. He could get his divorce and not have to worry about getting screwed over. Of course, he had made sure to set up a secret off-shore bank account as an additional insurance plan.

  Aiden paused before a dusty and yellowed mirror. Any potential value of the antique held no interest for him. The greying hairs defied his control, but he kept the classic cut precisely combed. He heard a commotion and walked into what he assumed would be the dining room. Zachary came running in. “Dad, this place is awesome!”

  Aiden smiled at his son. “Glad you like it. Hey, Zachary, I want to talk to you about something. I’m gonna need you to make sure that Mom is taken care of while I’m gone. You gotta be the man of the house, understand?”

  Zachary nodded. “Hey, Dad? Do you think Julia will come out and visit?”

  Aiden tightened his jaw. “I’m sure she’s gonna be pretty busy with work, bud. But she’ll probably manage a visit or two.” Zachary smiled and headed off into the house to keep exploring. Aiden slowly released the fist he had unconsciously made at the mention of the woman. He’d met her on a few occasions. She seemed nice enough, but there was something about her that he did not like. They’d had it out a few times; they just did not get along. She did hold Reese’s attention enough to keep her from asking too many questions when he was absent from another dinner. That was the only thing she was good for. He knew that she had feelings for Reese.

  Maybe he should suggest that Julia visit for a few days, while he was in Portland. Keeping both women away from his business was all the better.

  He walked into the large entry hall. He looked around the room and up the curved staircase that led to a balcony above him. Reese appeared on the top landing. “When are the movers supposed to be here? I would really like for them to start moving things in. You didn’t tell me that you had someone come up here and clean the bedrooms.”

  Aiden smiled at his wife. She looked beautiful in that moment. “Of course, I had someone come and clean where we are going to sleep. The upstairs is in pretty good condition. The bathrooms upstairs have been cleaned as well.” He glanced at his watch as Reese reached him. “The movers should be here any moment.” He reached out and grabbed her hips, pulled her in, and kissed her. “Do you still hate me?”

  “I don’t hate you, Aiden. I could never hate you. I just don’t understand why this move is necessary.”

  “I know. It’s weird and sudden. Tell you what. How about we call Julia? See if she can come up for a few days after I leave. Maybe she can help you guys get situated. While Zachary is in school, maybe she can be here with you and the contractor. Didn’t you say she builds stuff with wood?”

  “She has a hobby of making wood tables and benches. They are rather lovely.”

  “She can help with the kitchen and downstairs.” He smiled and pulled her close again. He kissed her a little harder and felt her tense at the slight pull. “Well, maybe she won’t actually do the work herself, but she can still keep you company. Perhaps, she could build us a new dining room table. I could call her myself.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. “What’s the number?” He knew that Reese did not want him to call Julia.

  “I’ll call her in a bit. I just want the van and the truck emptied, so I can get Zachary ready for school.”

  He stuck his phone back into his pocket and kissed her again. “Good! Now, how about you and I go upstairs and maybe christen our new room?”

  She smacked his chest, and he chuckled. “No! There is no bed in there, and I don’t have time for that. You leave in the morning, and I need your help today. Would you and Zachary please empty the van for me?” He nodded, and she pulled away from him.

  †

  Reece grabbed her phone and walked out onto the front porch. She pressed the contact icon on her phone.

  “Hey there!” Reese felt a rush of relief when her friend picked up the phone. She didn’t realize just how much she’d missed her until she heard her voice. Reese balanced her toes on the edge of the porch and closed her eyes.

  “Hey Reese. Did you get to the new house alright?”

  “Yes. We made it up here safely.” She smiled to herself. “How are things there?”

  “Everything’s great. I haven’t heard from you in a few days. Not since your going away party. Everything getting squared away?”

  “Yes. The movers should be here soon.” Reese felt herself starting to get emotional. She didn’t know exactly why. She missed her friend and wanted nothing more than to see her. “Jules?”

  “Yeah?”

  Reese paused for a moment. She couldn’t quite make out the words that she wanted to say. Emotions were draining her thoughts, and all sensation flooded into her chest. She held down a sob.

  “I miss you, too. A-fucking-lot.” Julia’s voice cracked slightly at the curse word.

  “You know that I don’t like it when you say things like that.”

  “What? That I miss you?”

  “No, Julia. You know full well what I meant.” Behind her closed eyes, Reese could visualize Julia’s smirk, and she smiled. Reese was not a fan of curse words. She felt strongly that they indicated a lack of intelligence. One could make their point just as well with a plethora of other words. “I miss you so much already.” There it was. The truth had come out of her mouth. She couldn’t take it back, and suddenly, she didn’t want to.

  “Reese…”

  There was the warning, the same warning Julia had been giving Reese for the last four months. It was as if Julia felt she needed to be the adult in the situation. Whatever the situation was.

  “I know. How’s Caitlyn?” Reese knew her own voice had betrayed her. She did not like bringing up Julia’s girlfriend. That hurt. I just want you here with me. When they were together, Reese didn’t need Julia to say anything out loud. She was especially adept at reading facial cues. To everyone else, Julia had a perfect poker face. Reese somehow got through the wall and read Julia as if she were an open book.

  From the moment she saw Julia, she knew there was something special about her. The ease of their conversations was something that Reese had not experienced with any other human being. They made one another laugh.

  Both women knew that the situation was not going to change. Reese needed to keep her family intact for Zachary’s sake. Being Julia’s friend would always be enough. Talking about emotions had become taboo; there were never admissions of what either of them was truly feeling. “She’s good. She’s finally nearing the end of the research for her article.” Caitlyn was a freelance journalist, with the luxury of working on an article for months before submitting to a magazine or other publication.

  “Oh, good for her. She’s been working on this for a long time.”

  “Yeah,” Julia said. They both knew talking about Caitlyn was superficial, yet necessary.

  “Julia?”

  “Yeah, Reese?”

  “Do you think you could come up here for a few days and help me get the house ready?” She rushed the question out, as if saying it slowly would cause a horrible reaction. “
I mean. I know you have a lot of vacation time stored up. Aiden is going to be in Portland for the next few months, and Zachary will be in school. I just figured if you wanted to…if Caitlyn didn’t object...” She was babbling. She couldn’t even try to stop herself. She didn’t want to seem too needy or make Julia feel uncomfortable.

  “Yes.”

  The response was so abrupt. “What?”

  “Yes, I will come help you. You already knew that I would.” Julia’s smile came over the phone in her soft voice.

  “Thank you, Julia.”

  “I’ll talk to the boss tomorrow. Cait won’t mind. She likes you, you know. She’ll be glad that I am such a good friend to you.” Julia didn’t say that she didn’t care what Caitlyn thought, but Reese heard her. They always heard what wasn’t said. They never spoke about the magnetic pull between them that began that first night at the bar. Against the rules, the undeniable tremors lingered just under the surface of every conversation.

  When they drank, Reese was always daring Julia to make a move but never wanted to be the first to cross that line. Julia had started dating Caitlyn four months ago. Reese tried to be supportive of the pairing. She was not going to ruin a chance for Julia to be happy. Reese was an adult and could control her feelings. Even if they flirted with one another, no one was getting hurt. Reese convinced herself they would make friendship work.

  “Why don’t you call me once you know the dates? We can sort out the details then? I see the moving truck coming up the road.”

  “Sure thing, Reese. I’ll call you later tonight, okay? I miss you and Zach. Tell him I miss him, ok?”

  Julia’s sincere love for Zachary always warmed Reese’s heart, but she was almost surprised that Julia brought him up on her own. She wished she had met Julia sooner. In another world, another life, maybe they would have had their own family. Reese pushed the thought from her mind. She needed to focus on Aiden. She needed to give herself to him. They needed to make this marriage work. “I’ll tell him. He already wanted to know when you could visit.”

  “Tell him it’ll be very soon.”

  “I will. Have a good rest of your day, and I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Reese…”

  “I know. You too.” Reese shoved the phone back in her pocket, as the truck pulled to a stop near the front porch. She smiled to see her car being towed behind.

  A couple of men jumped out of the cab and walked over to the porch. “Mrs. Davis?”

  She rolled her eyes at the name. She had never been Mrs. Davis. “Yes, you found the place well enough, I suppose?”

  The man nodded. “Can we just pull up along here and pull the ramp out onto the porch?”

  “That sounds great.” She wished she could muster some genuine excitement, as she turned and went back inside.

  Chapter Three

  Everything was finally in the house. Haphazard arrangements of furniture filled every room, and boxes were stacked in weird places with little pathways between them. Reese was upstairs in Zachary’s room. “Will you hand me that bag of hangers?” she asked her son.

  He stepped over a couple of smaller boxes and grabbed a plastic bag of hangers. He handed them to Reese, as she sat on his bed. She grabbed a shirt from the box she’d just opened and buttoned it onto a hanger. “Zachary, I talked to Julia earlier. She is going to see about coming up to visit us, to help while Dad is back in Portland. She said she misses you.”

  “Maybe she can still help me with my release and follow through. I saw the field over there.” Zachary’s face lit up. “I miss her too.” He pointed to his window. “Perfect place to practice.” In the last year, Zachary had become a huge Mariners fan. Julia had taken him to a few games and started working with him on his pitching. He played on the school’s baseball team. Reese knew he only played for Julia; he loved that she attended all his games.

  Reese smiled at her son. “I’m sure she will find time to help you.” She pulled out another shirt. “You know, we only have tomorrow to get your room put together before you start school. So, I really need your help. Open that box and start putting your pants in your dresser.” He did as he was told.

  “Mom, do you think Julia will bring some of her dad’s lasagna? Mr. Alex makes the best food. There is no way yours even comes close.” She grabbed the nearest soft object and threw it. He laughed and ducked as a shirt flew by his head. “I love you, but you can’t cook like Mr. Alex.”

  “I know, Zachary, he is a chef with his own restaurant. We’ll see how things go. We’ll be able to visit them sometimes, too. This isn’t forever. We’re only a few hours’ drive away.” She realized that every time she said this to her son, it was really a mantra to calm her own worries. She knew from experience that being this isolated would not be easy.

  Reese struggled to stay focused on their conversation, as she helped Zachary set up his room. She really needed to get a hold on her emotions. She needed to stop thinking about Julia all the time. She knew this. She knew it was inappropriate for her to be so incredibly attracted to the woman.

  She couldn’t help her body’s chemical reaction to Julia. Her olive skin tone, her dark eyes, her elongated, athletic limbs and strong, facial bone structure were all so impeccable. Reese often felt that Julia had missed her calling as a model. She was absolutely stunning. The way her eyebrows quirked during simple conversation would convey her sarcasm. When her dimples shown through, that was when the smile would reach her eyes. Reese learned these facial cues over the time they had become acquainted. What really did Reese in was Julia’s voice. No one spoke the way Julia Porter spoke. Her inflection was the sexiest sound Reese had ever heard.

  Reese shook her head. She often found herself oscillating between allowing these innocent little indulgences and telling herself that this needed to stop. She tended to slide back to the former. It was all just innocent, wasn’t it?

  †

  Once she gave birth to Zachary, she almost allowed herself to believe in a God. Almost. During the post-pregnancy hormone assault on her body, the lack of sleep was really getting to her. She was feeding Zachary at three o’clock in the morning. She combed his soft hair with her fingers and trailed them down his arm. She loved when he grasped her finger with his own. She thought there must be a God in the heavens for her to have this perfect little person in her life. The chance for him to exist was so small and improbable.

  Aiden rolled over and snored loudly. She quickly realized that, were there a God, Aiden Davis would not have been the one to provide the other half of Zachary’s genetic makeup.

  It had been over ten years since they married. Occasionally, she almost felt as though she could love him. He provided for his son and tried to be a good man. He was attractive, and he was able to please her in bed. She convinced herself that he was good enough for her. One of their main problems was that Aiden never wanted to be home. She knew that. He wanted to be out making money. He was obsessed with it.

  When Zachary was three, she was sorting through the laundry and found something red smeared on one of Aiden’s white shirts. She didn’t need a lab test to confirm the stain was lipstick. She knew it wasn’t hers.

  She wanted to be angry at Aiden. She wanted to tell him that it wasn’t fair that he could go out of their marriage, while she was stuck. But she realized that she didn’t really care what he did. He could do whatever he wanted; it made no difference to her. She still got up every day and took care of Zachary and went to work. She wrote a novel about a couple who dealt with this very issue. They, too, stayed in the relationship. She felt slight regret with writing that approach. Her publisher thought it was a good way to promote staying in a relationship, even when it’s hard. The cleaned shirt went back into the closet. She never mentioned it to Aiden.

  “Zachary, how about pizza for dinner? I think there is a place in town.”

  “Only if I get pepperoni on my half.”

  Reese smirked. “Deal. Go see what your father wants on his. I’m just going to hang
these up in your closet. We are just about done with your clothes. Tell Dad that he can go pick it up,” she called after him, as he ran out of the room.

  A few more boxes. One entire room was nearly put away. She was grateful that the interior of the house was not in as much disrepair as the exterior. The bedrooms had updated lighting, new carpet, and fresh paint on the walls. She walked out into the hallway and saw her son running back toward her.

  “He says he’ll pick it up. He already ordered, half pepperoni and half green pepper and sausage.” Zachary went back into his room.

  “I hate sausage and green pepper,” she said quietly to herself. She walked into her room to see her husband lounging on their bed with his computer on his lap.

  He looked up for a moment and must have noticed the look on her face. “You don’t really hate the sausage or the green peppers. You just act like you hate it. It’s what I want to eat, babe.”

  “You could have asked. I would rather have mushrooms and tomatoes.”

  “Reese, I wasn’t going to order two pizzas for three people. But I did get you a salad. I’ve gotta leave in a few minutes to go grab it. How’s Zachary’s room coming along?”

  She was grateful for the salad. “It’s coming along. We should be done tonight. That gives us some time tomorrow to get the downstairs more organized. That kitchen is a mess. It seems like they started the remodeling up here and left the downstairs alone.”

  “You aren’t far off. They almost gutted the kitchen and ran out of money. But I think we should pull the flooring up too. That pantry is a mess. I think they put everything in there to get it out of the way. They should have pulled up the carpet in the living room. It smells weird in there.”

  “Well, I meet with the contractor on Monday. I’m going to tell him what I want done in the kitchen. I want him to start immediately. I’ve got to be able to go to the store later this week and stock the house with food. You know that your son eats as if he’s starving, which is not possible because of how much he does eat.”