The Hidden Room

by C S Joseph

  “Little man, why do you want me to pick out songs like that?”

  He rolled his eyes and leaned in to her again. His eyes briefly swept toward his mother, then back to Julia. “Because, she needs to know. I don’t think she does.”

  Julia, bent her head close to his. “Know…what exactly?”

  “That you two should fall in love and get married.” Julia stood up and took a sharp step backward, her eyebrows reaching for her hairline. She looked at Zachary, then back to Reese, who was sitting in the booth carefully considering the menu. She looked beautiful with her blonde hair resting perfectly along her shoulders. She glanced up and flashed a smile that made Julia’s heart jump in her chest. The Platters’, ‘Only You’ spilled from the diner’s speakers. Zach smiled at her, then ran over to the booth and sat across from his mother.

  Reese looked up at Julia. Their gaze held until the song was over. Julia realized she was still standing by the jukebox like an idiot. She walked over and stood at the end of the table, looking between mother and son. Reese moved over so Julia could sit down.

  “Thank you both for the song,” Reese said. Zach looked at Julia with a bright smile on his face. Julia was dumbstruck and just nodded.

  “We picked out five. This next one is from just Julia.” Zach grinned, and Julia looked up in panic. I’ll Never Find Another You, by the Seekers began to play, and she held her head in her hands. She glared at Zach until she felt Reese’s hand find her thigh. Julia calmed a bit. With her elbow up on the table, she grabbed her menu and opened it. It was going to be a long night.

  Chapter Eight

  Aiden grabbed his briefcase from his desk and headed for the door. As he walked by his secretary’s desk, he asked her to hold all calls and cancel all meetings for the following morning until he arrived in the afternoon. She nodded and pulled up his calendar. He caught the roll of her eyes as the elevator doors closed. He walked out the front of the building and toward the parking garage. Once inside his vehicle, he pulled out his phone and held it to his ear. “Hey, I have the morning off. I’ll come with you. No. Don’t worry about it. I’ll still see you for dinner? Yep, an hour.” He pressed END and tossed the phone on the passenger seat.

  Pulling out onto the street, he picked up the phone again. He waited a few seconds for the voicemail greeting to finish. “Hey, Reese. I just wanted to let you know that I miss you and Zachary. I’m swamped at work. I’ll be in meetings all morning, so maybe I’ll call you tomorrow. Tonight, I’ve gotta get this proposal finished before Don takes my head. I love you.” He ended the call and wiped his hand over his face. Tomorrow. He was beginning to sweat. After tomorrow, he could make his decision. It was not going to be easy. He hoped tomorrow would bring the answer he wanted.

  Reese could destroy him in court if she found out. He drove home and changed his clothes. Soon, there was a knock at the door. He opened to a blonde woman who stepped forward and kissed him. “Hey, babe,” she said. He grabbed her waist, pulled her inside, and closed the door.

  She laughed against his lips. “You did it. You got your wife and kid out of the city. I was starting to think you were playing me. One of those guys who never really wants to leave his wife.”

  “Now she’s going to be up there with my son and her little girlfriend.” He walked over to the counter and grabbed a glass. He poured himself a whiskey from the beautiful cut crystal bottle.

  “Why do you hate the girlfriend so much? Isn’t she going to make it easier to leave your family? To know that Reese won’t fight you in court over the divorce?”

  “She wants to sleep with my wife!”

  “But you don’t even like your wife. At least that’s what you tell me.”

  He took a sip of his whiskey and considered her. “She is frustrating, she irritates me, she is beautiful, and I’ve wanted her for as long as I’ve known her. She’s just too vanilla, not like you. I want you more.”

  “You don’t like that she’s in love with a woman.”

  His face scowled.

  “And that’s fine. I can definitely see why Reese fell in love with her.”

  He took another sip, then growled as he rolled his eyes. “Can we not…talk about Julia? Or Reese? I want to know what to expect at this appointment tomorrow.”

  “It’s just an ultrasound. Our baby’s first one.” She stood and put her arms around his neck and laced her fingers behind his head. “Thank you for coming with me. I love you, Aiden. I was starting to lose my patience. Then you bought that house and moved them out there. Thank you.” She pushed herself up on her toes and kissed him.

  “I love you too. I want to be a better father with this one.” He stepped back and put his hand on her abdomen. “Zachary is too much like her. He doesn’t get me. He loves her. He loves Julia. This is my chance to start over. We’ll get married and live in Seattle.”

  “Live happily ever after?”

  “Absolutely. I’ve missed you. Let’s go make up for lost time.” He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. She kissed him hard and pulled at the back of his head. He laid her on the bed. She smiled, as he climbed over her and pressed his hips against her.

  †

  After the fifth and final song that Zach picked out, their food was served. Reese’s hand frequented Julia’s thigh the remainder of the evening. Every thought in Julia’s head was focused on the feeling of that hand. The loving squeezes and light strokes had Julia ready to climb out of her skin. She didn’t even really know what the conversation was about. She saw Zach moving his mouth and knew he was talking about school.

  She ate her food slowly and carefully. She smiled and acknowledged when she thought she needed to, but in all reality, she was not paying attention to anything but the warmth beneath Reese’s hand. After she finished her burger, she wiped her mouth with a napkin and put it on her plate. She placed her hand over Reese’s and squeezed, pleased to be met with an open palm and fingers that entangled with her own. She looked at Reese, and they smiled at one another.

  “Mom, I said I have to go to the bathroom.”

  “What? Um. Yeah. Okay.”

  Zach slid out of the booth and ran toward the back of the diner.

  “We did not make it to get a lawn mower. I didn’t realize that the dining room was going to turn into such a production. If we have time, we can do that another day. The inside of the house is my first priority.

  “Julia, those songs were very sweet. I feel like you’re trying to woo me.” Julia blushed. She debated whether she should tell her about Zach’s matchmaking and risk breaking the spell. If she didn’t, Reese could get upset with her later for not saying something. She was thinking about her strategy, when Reese leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. “It might be working.”

  “Believe me, if I was trying to woo you, there is no doubt that it would be working.” She squeezed Reese’s hand. “I don’t wanna ruin this right now, but when we get back to your place, after Zach goes to sleep, we gotta talk.”

  “About what?”

  “About what your son told me at the jukebox. He picked out all those love songs. He said you needed to listen to the words so that you would know I love you. He said you didn’t know and that we should be in love and get married.”

  Reese’s head tilted, and Julia could feel her hand pulling away. She held on tighter. “Reese, please don’t pull away from me. I just wanted to make sure that you knew what he said. I…I just…I didn’t want you to…” She looked down at their hands. She marveled at how perfectly they seemed to fit, as if Reese’s hand was the one thing her whole life was missing.

  “I’m not upset Julia. We’ll talk about it at home, ok?” Zach came running around the corner and jumped on the booth seat, as the server dropped the check. They paid and headed home. Zach worked on his homework, and Reese busied herself in her room. Julia sat on the edge of the bed watching her.

  She wasn’t sure what Reese was thinking. Zach had dropped a bomb on her. He would be supportive. They coul
d have a chance if Reese divorced Aiden. They could be together. Julia wanted this more than she ever had wanted anything before. She imagined waking up next to Reese every day for the rest of her life, raising Zach as her stepson.

  Julia was an only child, whose mother had died when she was eight years old. Alexander Porter tried his best to maintain a balance. He ran his restaurant, keeping them fed and sheltered, while supporting Julia with homework and softball practices. It wasn’t easy to raise his daughter in the absence of his wife. Julia came out to him in her early twenties. He gave her a side-armed hug and said, “Kid, you don’t think your old man knew that? I love you.” That was it. Instant support. He would be the best step-grandpa to Zach. Maybe Reese would even have another baby with her.

  Reese slammed a drawer shut and walked down the hall to Zach’s room.

  Happy-ever-after dreams dissolved into thin air, and Julia decided to get into her pajamas. She grabbed a shirt and shorts and made her way to the bathroom. When she returned, Reese was sitting on the edge of the bed looking at the floor. “Reese? Are you ok? I didn’t want to upset you,” she started quietly.

  “I’m not upset. Zachary’s down for the night. I’m going to get ready for bed.” She stood up and went into the bathroom. Julia went over to the bed. They’d shared a bed whenever she stayed the night because Aiden was gone on business. She laid her head on the pillow and wondered if she would be able to sleep. Reese came back into the room and closed the door. She went to her own side of the bed, peeled the covers back, and climbed under them. She settled herself on her side, facing Julia.

  “So, did you talk to him at all?” Julia asked.

  “Yes. He told me the same thing. He said that Megan at his old school has two moms and ‘it’s awesome.’ He said he wants me to just be happy. He settled down under his covers and said goodnight.” Julia was looking at the moonlit face of her friend.

  “I want you to be happy too.” She smiled warmly, hoping the sincerity was showing through.

  “I am happy when I’m with you, Julia.” Reese reached over and placed her hand on Julia’s cheek. “I’m going to kiss you now.” She leaned forward and captured Julia’s lips with her own. It was a short kiss. She pulled back, and Julia watched as she licked her lips slowly and sighed.

  “Goodnight, Julia. I’ll see you in the morning.” With that, she rolled over and turned off the light. Julia reached out and allowed her hand to rest on a slender waist. She scooted behind Reese and pressed her body along her back. She leaned up and whispered gruffly into her ear.

  “Maybe I wanted to kiss you goodnight.”

  Reese craned her neck around. Julia closed the distance and kissed her quickly again. Her hand slipped from waist to stomach, and she pressed herself against Reese. “Goodnight, Reese.” She settled herself, holding the smaller woman around the middle.

  †

  Each of the next few days were almost exact replicas of one another. The dining room was moving along. The new electric wiring and outlets were installed. The drywall was taped and sanded. Reece was watching Julia, who was standing on a stepladder holding up the crown molding against the ceiling. Pete was holding up the other side. Each of them tacked in an end with their nail guns. Julia popped the last nail and stepped backward off the ladder. “How does it look?”

  “Fantastic. One more piece.” She watched Julia, as they installed the last one.

  “I love this flooring,” Pete said. “I’ve never installed cork flooring before. It’s really nice.”

  Reese feigned a smile. She liked Pete a little bit. He was a good worker and took direction from her and from Julia. The two of them had gotten the room together in just four days. She wondered, for a moment, why she couldn’t just commit to liking the guy a lot.

  “So, Reese.” He walked closer to her. “Maybe we should celebrate or something.”

  That was why; he flirted with her relentlessly. It was as though he didn’t care that she was married. He didn’t care that she was a mother. He had no filter. Of course, what really irritated her was that she was all those things and wanted Julia. Pete never stood a chance. Reese was still distracted when Zachary ran down the stairs.

  “Mom, can Jules come outside with me yet?” he asked.

  “Are you too tired, Julia? You’ve been working hard all morning.”

  “I’m totally up for it. Go get your gear.”

  He ran back upstairs.

  “Pete, why don’t you keep working on the kitchen?” Julia suggested. He nodded and went into the other room.

  “I’m going to sweep and mop in here. Maybe start moving in some of the furniture, or just take a break and do a little light reading.”

  “Your little diary reading?”

  Reese tilted her head and shrugged her shoulders. “She interests me. I’ve made it up to her wedding day, which I would love to read about. The poor thing. She was struggling so much with losing her father and marrying someone she didn’t love. Did I tell you that she wanted to be a doctor? She was volunteering at the hospital every week, while Arthur was out here building this house. He never visited her until Christmas. She didn’t see him for months! Emma was there for her that entire time. She was so supportive. She reminds me of you, actually.”

  Julia walked over to her. “Like me, eh?”

  “Well, she has some characteristics that remind me of you. I understand and identify with Clara. She wanted to be a doctor, so she was intellectual. She was marrying someone that she didn’t want to marry.” She looked away. She couldn’t look at Julia in that moment. While she had been talking with her over the past few days with little stories and excerpts from her daily reading, she had completely left out Clara’s struggle with her feelings for Emma. It was too much like her own situation.

  Reese was so happy to have Julia with her. They were spending their days working on the dining room and their evenings with Zachary. They spent each night with each other. Reese had convinced herself kissing one another good night was harmless. Although, it was getting more difficult with each passing night not to lick Julia’s lip or stretch her tongue into her mouth. When she felt the urge, she would roll over and allow Julia to hold her. That was the best feeling in the world, Julia’s body pressed against her own while her imagination ran wild. How she wished she was free to kiss, touch, and just be with Julia.

  Reese almost wished that she had another friend. Someone that she could talk to about these feelings she had. Julia was it. She was literally the only friend Reese had. It was difficult to keep it from her. When they’d talked about it before, that was nothing more than a confession to each other that they both had feelings.

  Zachary was also becoming an issue. Each evening, when they went out to dinner, he was asking questions. It was getting difficult to explain to him that they couldn’t just get married. She still felt tugged back and forth between wanting to just give in to her feelings and needing to honor her moral obligation to her husband. If she was honest with herself, she had already crossed a line that she never should have crossed. She wanted someone to tell her what to do.

  Zachary came back down the stairs carrying his gear bag, and Julia followed him out the back door. Reese picked up the broom and began to sweep the floor. After the room was cleaned, she had Pete help her move the rug and furniture into their places. She placed a colorful vase in the middle of the table and sat in one of the chairs with a diary in her hand.

  Chapter Nine

  January 18, 1919

  The day has come. I marry Arthur today. I am to become someone’s wife. Forever. After the ceremony, we are to ride to the new house. Emma has been there for days, preparing our things, while her mother and I have been staying with a friend. The Thompson’s have been so kind to me over the years. I appreciate their hospitality, though my chest is aching. I am sitting at the desk, almost using this writing as an excuse not to leave the room. If I leave the room, the day has most certainly begun. I wish I could stay here, stay and dream of things tha
t I will never have. Imagine if people who are now gone were here and ready to walk me down the aisle.

  Father would be in my room right now, telling me that this marriage will help me to have a good life. A happy life. I may not realize it now, but love can and does grow from these things. I think that hearing him say it would not give me any comfort.

  There is a knocking at the door. I must go and sell my soul. Allow people that I don’t really like to polish me, so that I am shiny and new, as I walk out toward the rest of my life.

  January 20, 1919

  It is done. I wore a simple white dress. My hair was studded with flowers. Rouge upon my cheeks. Arthur stood at the apse of the church, the altar on the other side of him. He looked quite dashing. As I approached him, I felt my chest sinking with each step. I stood before him, and we looked at each other. He looked quite…happy. We exchanged our vows and were presented to the congregation. We recessed through the nave and out to the street. We were greeted with people tossing rice at us, as we made our way to our carriage.

  The rest of the day felt as though I was walking through water. Once alone in the carriage, Arthur grabbed my chest and kissed me roughly. He promised that we would enjoy our evening together. I sat there and smiled at him. He kissed me the rest of the way to our celebration. When the carriage stopped, he pulled away and grabbed my hand. He put my hand between his legs. He told me, “This is what your beauty does to me, my love.” He released my wrist and straightened his shirt and jacket before getting out of the carriage. He held the door open and held out his hand for me to take.

  My stomach turned. I reached out to grab his hand and took my step out to people shouting and whistling at us. I forced myself to smile and wished that I was back at home, safe with my father. At the party, I stood numb by his side, while people passed by and congratulated us. My mind went to Emma, who wasn’t there to witness this sham. I wished she was with me, because I could have looked to her for strength. I didn’t know at the time that was not when I needed Emma the most. That was the easy part, the celebration.