Milan's Return

by Grae Lily

  *

  Milan watched as they unloaded supplies off their truck. He found their timing to be remarkably impeccable. Just as he'd hung up the phone with Lou, there they were, jovial and ready for their day back at work at the manor.

  Rob bore a smug grin on his face as he examined the front facade of the manor. Milan couldn't yet bring himself to move. He needed a few moments to gather his thoughts and calm his nerves. If he moved too quickly, he feared he may explode with rage. The information Lou gathered hadn't garnered the exact results he'd hoped for but did help to solidify his belief that Rob had more than an infatuation with Paulina. That in itself made him want to rip Rob to shreds, but doing so would defeat the purpose of having him investigated in the first place, so he had to do whatever he could do to not reveal what he knew just yet.

  The knock on his front door freed him from his internal struggle. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself to face the men at the door and let life lead the way for the time being. It was all he could do, lest his plans be ruined.

  "Well, hello, gentlemen. You're up bright and early this morning." Milan said by way of greeting the two Sanders men.

  "Sure are. Anxious to show this old girl some love," Rob answered readily, extending his free hand to Milan.

  "Good. Well, let's get started, then." Milan offered in response, not taking Rob's hand. "The first floor has been cleared out for the most part, save for some every day essentials that we'll need for now. I've cleared one side of the yard, if you want to begin working on the exterior. Over the next few days, I'll clear out the other side of the yard and Sarah will work on the upstairs level. The attic is clear too, if you intend to do anything on the roof."

  Both men nodded. Rob answered, "I think, if we can get up into the attic, we'll have a better idea on how to address the roof and get some insulation in there for you. How's that sound? That way, we're out of your way and you can do what you need to do."

  It was all Milan could do to get through the niceties and the small talk without exploding. As much as he wanted the work to be complete, he wasn't sure that asking Rob and his father to work for him was a good idea now. He'd had his reasons before, but now with them here, those reasons seemed far fetched and would require more patience than he thought he'd ever be able to muster.

  "Fine with me. Sarah should be back shortly. You do what you have to do and let me know if you need anything." Milan tried to force his mouth to smile, resulting in a strained expression that neither Rob or his father knew how to respond to.

  He retreated to the kitchen with no real purpose in mind other than to get as far away from Rob as he could. His hands trembled as he fumbled for the coffee pot to pour himself a cup and calm down.

  Seeing Rob again after all these years, brought back all of the disdain he felt for him before. Nothing much had changed in Rob. His eyes were still the brilliant blue color that Paulina had commented on several times when they were together. Rob's complexion was still as clear as ever, despite his ever-present tan from working outdoors most of the time. His clothing style hadn't changed much either. If Milan remembered correctly, he'd swear Rob wore those same grass stained clothes time and time again over the years.

  For the next several minutes, he listened to the sound of their footsteps as they walked in and out of the house, bringing in their tools and equipment. Their familiarity with his home was off-putting. While many people had spent a considerable amount of time at the manor over the years, none that he could remember aside from Sarah and a small handful of others had ever ventured into the attic space before.

  Rob seemed to have no trouble at all finding the attic and knowing exactly where the light switch was. He moved about freely as if he'd been there a thousand times. Milan's nerve endings were on fire as he listened to the humming of the men's voices far above his head. This, for them, was a pleasant job. It was money in the pocket. For him, it was an excruciating task to complete. This was the beginning of a major transformation that would turn the home, he loved into something altogether different and new. Its aim was to bring warmth to the cold, dark structure, so that another family would love it.

  Heavy footsteps pounded down the stairs. The hairs on Milan's arms rose as those footsteps made their way from the landing on the first floor and down the hallway toward him in the kitchen. This was the moment he hoped wouldn't yet happen.

  With his eye on the entrance doorway, he balled his fist and steadied his stance, ready to do whatever was necessary to right Rob's wrongs.

  "You have no insulation whatsoever in the ceiling up there. Do you want us to take care of that first? That's probably why your wife was always cold in here." Rob said, seemingly oblivious to Milan's gasp that followed his words.

  Milan swallowed, willing his mind to quiet the voice telling him to destroy Rob and make him pay for how he tormented Paulina.

  "Cold? Odd thing to say. Funny, Paulina didn't ever mention feeling cold in the house." Milan challenged Rob to say something else out of line, but Rob chose a different approach.

  "Well, I know my ex-wife would always complain about how cold our house got sometimes, and sure enough, it was the insulation. A raccoon got to it and tore it right up. I bet that's probably what happened to yours. Critters probably got into this old house, figuring no one cared about it and tore up everything they could, but don't worry, I'll fix it for you and everything will come back together nicely for you." Rob offered, doing a poor job of sounding sincere.

  "Ex-wife? I didn't ever realize you'd gotten divorced. Sorry to hear that." Milan answered, not at all surprised by the news. "She found herself a better man?"

  Rob sneered, noticing the smirk on Milan's face. "Yeah, that's what she claims, but you know how they are? Women are always hungry for the next best thing and, I can promise you, whoever he is will always be willing to oblige any woman that needs him."

  The two men stood quietly, looking into each others eyes, each loathing the other, each knowing exactly why.

  Rob broke the silence, sensing Milan would never back down on his own. "Well, let me get back to work, then, and let you drink your coffee."

  Milan didn't give him the satisfaction of a response. He remained standing, listening as the smug contractor found his way back up the stairs and into the attic. He listened so intently that he hadn't heard the front door open or the sound of footsteps approach.

  She cleared her throat, more to prompt herself to speak, but also to get Milan's attention.

  "You're back? I... I..." Milan started, but Johanna put her hand up, indicating she didn't need an explanation.

  "I need this job. I'll do what you ask from now on and stay out of your way. I'd like it if you could stay out of my way or did you want to call the FBI and have one of their agents follow me around?" Johanna's words bit Milan. He knew it would take a lot of time and effort to heal the damage he'd done and mend their relationship, what little there was of it.

  "I'm sorry." He offered.

  "Don't worry about it. You're the boss here. Now, which room do you want me to work on?" Johanna turned her back to Milan, leaving him wishing he'd never asked Lou to investigate her in the first place. She was an innocent, harmless in every way and he shouldn't have overstepped his bounds.

  Defeated, he answered, "It doesn't matter. Choose whichever room you'd like. It all has to be done."

  She answered, "Good. I'll do the nursery." She instantly regretted saying that. She didn't mean to sound so flippant and felt guilty, even though Sarah had told her that Milan didn't know the entire story.

  Milan inhaled a rush of air. The nursery was another room he hadn't been able to bring himself to face. He didn't know if Johanna knew that he suspected Paulina was pregnant at the time of her death, but if she did, he could only assume that by choosing that room in particular, she was trying to send him a message.

  Johanna grabbed her bag and carried it up the stairs, pretending not to hear Milan's gasp. She hadn't meant to be insensitive and wanted to
tell him so, but she wasn't yet ready to say any more than she had to at this point.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Milan watched as she tended to the garden, carefully removing every morsel of debris that found its way there. Dark, wavy tendrils escaped the ribbon used to hold them back and were blowing in the hot, summer wind. He couldn't help but think about Paulina and how he used to sit here in this very window and watch as she did the same, nurturing and tending to the plants as if they were born of her.

  She had a sort of sixth sense in very much the same way that Johanna did. It was as if they could see, feel, and read what nature and the world was trying to tell them. They saw the tenderness in moments that were harsh. They saw beauty in items that had long since been discarded.

  Chills ran up his spine as he watched Johanna use her small, tender wrist to wipe her brow. His breath caught at the sight of her pursed her lips to blow sweet breaths of air upon her flushed face.

  He couldn't help but be drawn to her. She was exquisite in every way. Her face bore an innocence, but her mind and her heart remained cloaked in the shroud she'd placed over them to protect them from whatever damage had reared its ugly head in her life before. She was strength and beauty combined with a vulnerability that could and probably did at one time or another make a grown man cry.

  Milan felt like a kind of voyeur as he studied her every movement, but the pull she had on him was too strong to resist. He had to watch her. It felt natural. It felt right.

  He wondered why she'd agreed to work for him at the manor. He was sure that someone would have warned her about all the sorrow that the manor had witnessed. Why, when everyone else for miles around feared and loathed him, had she chosen to be a part of this, at what would prove to be one of the worst periods of his life? Why had she stayed after the horrific discovery in the tunnel?

  The stories about her troubled childhood explained why she did many of the things that she did. He understood that, but he could not wrap his mind around the idea that she seemed to enjoy his company and wasn't at all sickened by the chaos that had surrounded the manor as of late.

  She wiped her brow again. This time, squinting up at the manor. Noticing him staring at her, she stood up, shielding her eyes from the harsh glare of the sun and looked up at him, smiling at first, then, suddenly becoming self conscious, she stopped and put her head down, pretending to be preoccupied with the plants.

  Milan wondered if he'd ruined the opportunity he had to study her every feature or, if he'd created an environment that would unnerve her and would make her want to stay clear of him for the remaining weeks or months ahead.

  Behind him, standing in the doorway, watching him, stood Sarah. This wasn't the first time she'd noticed Milan's interest in a woman. She'd seen him look at another woman in that same way before. She recognized what was happening and dreaded the heartache that was sure to follow.

  Soon, they would all have to go their separate ways. Milan would have to report back to work and Johanna would move on to the next adventure of her life and one day would only mention Merced Manor as a place she once worked. As for herself, she'd witnessed the best that life could offer here and survived the worst that life had to offer. As much as she loved the home and those who had filled the manor with love and laughter over the years, she too knew it was time to move on and learn to live with the memories, good or bad.

  “Oh, I didn't hear you.” Milan turned to Sarah. “Did you need something?”

  Sarah moved forward, looking out the window and down at Johanna. “It truly is a remarkable resemblance, isn't it?”

  Milan swallowed hard, fearing his voice would crack if he said what he thought of Johanna.

  Sarah watched Milan's Adam's Apple move up and down in his throat. Her assumption had been correct. He was smitten with Johanna. She wondered if Johanna had noticed the way Milan looked at her too, even after their recent falling out.

  Sarah felt that this was the best opportunity to remind Milan of all that was at stake. While she had nothing against Johanna, she did fear that Milan was moving too fast for all the wrong reasons. No woman should have to live with the ghost of her lover's dead wife. She didn't believe that Johanna should be subjected to such a wounded soul in that way. Milan was not ready to move on yet. He still carried Paulina in his heart and it would be cruel for him to invite Johanna into his life in that way at this point. Now was not the time.

  “When will the Sanders be finishing up here? I'm sure your employees must miss you.” Sarah hoped he would understand what she was trying to say.

  “I've been in touch. I have a strong team and they are used to the fact that I do have to be away quite often.” His eyes met Sarah's. “What are you trying to tell me, Sarah? You're making that face.”

  She scoffed at him. “I don't make a face.”

  He draped his arm around her shoulders. “You do. That vein in the middle of your forehead pops out when you are upset with me. What have I done now?”

  “You are not funny. Leave my veins out of this.” She teased back, clearing her throat before continuing, “This will all be over soon. Johanna is trying to find herself. You have a life in California, I presume. Me? Well, my body is failing me. It's time for me to sit back and enjoy retirement. The house will belong to someone else.”

  He nodded, bracing himself for what he knew she was going to say.

  “You aren't ready for a relationship and she doesn't deserve to be left heartbroken.” She looked him directly in the eyes.

  “You think I'll hurt her? Why would you think that? I've never hurt a woman in my life.” Milan was troubled by her insinuation. He watched Johanna take snip a few flowers and wrap them with the ribbon she'd removed from her hair. She walked over to the tunnel and placed them at the opening, alongside a pile of stuffed animals and notes left in tribute to the girl.

  “You know that's not what I meant. What I mean is, you need to reconcile your feelings with Paulina. Right now, you carry her death around like a cross. It wouldn't be fair to any woman to have to live with that. And, I worry that whatever it is you think you feel for Johanna has nothing to do with her at all. I think her resemblance to Paulina has done something to you and you may not be thinking straight right now.”

  Milan raked his hands through his hair in frustration, his voice breaking, he said, “I know exactly what I've done. I know that I've hurt people, but I think I have every right to decide how I move forward now. You don't get to decide who I spend time with. It's no longer your job to make decisions for me.”

  Sarah gasped, shocked to hear Milan speak to her in this tone, but still willing to protect him from himself and from others if necessary.

  Neither of the two noticed that Johanna had made her way back inside the manor while they were discussing Milan's feelings for her.

  She hesitated as she approached the bedroom door, surprised to have heard her name.

  Both Milan and Sarah turned to look out into the hallway in response to the creaking they heard.

  She looked at them, hesitantly, unsure how to respond to what she'd heard.

  Sarah turned to her, feigning a smile, “There you are. The gardens are looking nice. Mrs. Merced would be very pleased.”

  Johanna's eyes narrowed. “Which one?”

  Milan chimed in. “Both. Thank you for all your hard work.” He walked around the two women, leaving them alone in awkward silence.

  Johanna's breath caught as he squeezed past her. The tingly feeling in her stomach startled her senses every time Milan was in close proximity to her. Sarah's eyes met Johanna's.

  “Still don't trust me? Seems to me that you may be the one people should watch out for.” Johanna and Sarah had still not hashed out their feelings about what Johanna discovered in the cellar and Milan's latest revelation only heightened her tendency toward defensiveness.

  “The diaries?” Sarah asked, knowing that's what Johanna was referring to. “If she wanted him to have them, she wouldn't have hidden them in the att
ic.”

  Johanna responded, “Yes, but obviously, she wasn't thinking clearly. Why are you hiding them from him? Don't you think he deserves to know the truth? You know, this place is like some sacred gathering place for all things that this family doesn't want disclosed. It blows my mind to think about how all of this stuff sat here in plain sight undiscovered for so long. Don't you think that's odd? I mean, if Sheriff Acker truly believed he had a murder on his hands, why didn't he ever search the attic or the cellar or anything? And, why have you let Milan spend all these years believing that someone murdered his wife when you know the truth? I just don't understand!"