by Claire Angel
It was so refreshing to see the joy in Kayla’s face and to hear the giggles as she spilled her peas all over her table and picked up each one. She tried to feed Diane one of her mashed peas and, to my surprise, Diane accepted it and ate whatever those tiny fingers could push into her mouth.
Just after another mouthful of mashed carrots, Diane turned towards me. “Are you just going to stand there and watch, or are you going to come and join us for the force-feed marathon?” Diane smiled with a piece of a pea stuck to her chin and I couldn’t help laughing while I bent down to wipe it off.
“You missed a spot.” I wiped my finger off on the napkin, taking my seat next to Diane on the carpet. “You know, I actually had other plans for our lunch, but if this high-quality cuisine is tickling your fancy, who am I to argue?”
Diane grinned. “Miss Kayla has promised me a treat if I finish all her food and I can not let milady down after such a gracious offer.”
Kayla found the serious play-acting quite amusing and jumped off her chair to come and sit on my lap. She took my face in her two little hands and placed her little face in front of mine, almost touching my nose with hers, “Diny has to finish her food, else no treat, okay?”
I had to submit to the strong will of my little girl, so I raised my hands and admitted defeat. “I will not hinder Diny and she will finish eating with you.” With a happy smile and a kiss, my princess returned to her seat and continued feeding herself and Diane.
After Kayla finished most of her lunch and Diane had been force-fed the rest, Becky went to get the dessert from the tray. It was only a small cupcake and Diane gave it to Kayla. “I can't eat your beautiful cupcake; it is all yours.”
Without further hesitation, Kayla tried to push the entire cupcake into her mouth. Some of the frosting landed on her cheek and her nose, creating quite a messy situation. Diane laughed and wiped off Kayla’s cheek and nose with her fingers. While Kayla was still chewing her cupcake, she took Diane’s hand and licked the icing from Diane’s finger.
It was a sticky situation and my first instinct was to grab a wet-wipe, but before I could get up and start looking for one, Becky was there offering a packet of wipes. Diane appeared to be calm, collected and not minding any of the mess that she had been covered in.
Kayla went to sit on Diane’s lap after Becky cleaned her hands and gave Diane a hug. “Please stay.” I knew I had to tear Diane away. Otherwise, we would miss our own lunch reservation. There was still so much that I had to show Diane.
Luckily, Becky was on top of things as she said, “Kayla, Diane had to leave now, but she would come back as soon as she could. I will play with you and we will make a cake in your kitchen.”
Kayla’s eyes twinkled with excitement and she accepted the explanation. Becky took her to her room.
Diane and I stood up and walked towards the door. Diane stopped and looked back towards Kayla, who was walking towards her room.
“She is darling. How a mother can just leave her child behind is a mystery, but there must be some explanation. I just don’t understand it.” Diane looked back at me, “Thank you for allowing me to spend time with her. This has opened my eyes and one day I would like to have this as well. Maybe in the future, I’ll give love another chance. Perhaps there is happiness for me out there as well.”
Her words burned me, as she spoke them as if this was far away in the future, as if I was just a friend she was confiding in. The realization hurt and I wanted to shout at her for her ignorance. But then thought about our agreement and I knew she was just upholding her side of the contract.
I took Diane’s hand in mine and led her to the lift, “It is my pleasure, but now we really have to go.” She followed me and I opened the door leading to the private pool area and helipad. The helicopter was ready for take-off and we only had to get in and be on our way.
Diane froze just as she stepped out. She looked all around her and her hair was blowing in every direction due to the turbulence caused by the propellers.
“We have to go.” My voice drew her back to reality and she followed my lead, bending over slightly and walking towards the open door of the helicopter. Inside, I helped her put her headpiece on and adjusted the microphone towards her mouth.
“Are you okay?” I could see the emotion on her face as I knelt for a moment.
She looked at me with wide eyes, “Thanks, this was not a part of the contract but it is a dream come true. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to fly in a helicopter. I think this is all happening so fast that I forget to enjoy it all.” She was quiet for a moment and I realized how I’ve become so used to the luxuries over the past few years that I didn’t even notice them anymore.
“Thank you for allowing me to be part of your life, even if it is just for a short while. I will never forget these experiences.” With that, she took my hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. I couldn’t help myself, as she’d awakened a desire in me and I placed my other hand on her leg. This time she didn’t push it away, because she was too focused on the view as we were flying over the city.
After a ten minute flight out of the city, we arrived at the lodge in the woods. We were greeted by the lodge manager Ricardo, who escorted us towards the main building. Along the forest path between the helipad and the lodge, there were signs leading towards the various activities available on the ranch; hiking trails, fishing spots along the river and the stables.
“This place is fantastic. Do you come here often?”
I turned to face Diane as she was walking behind me, taking in all the scenery around the lodge. “I try to get here at least once a week, just to check if the business is still running smoothly and if the guests are satisfied with the service.”
She stopped walking and gaped at me for a second, then she regained her composure, “Do you mean this is your lodge?” I just smiled, nodded and winked at her.
We followed Ricardo onto the steps leading to the reception area, where he handed me our picnic basket. Then I turned back towards Diane, who was standing on the porch looking back into the thick forest surrounding the helipad and the main building. “Come, we have to get to the stables, it’s a ten-minute ride to the picnic spot.”
Ricardo followed us with the other items: a blanket and a small cooler. I decided to walk in front, this time leading towards the stables. Behind me, I could hear Diane and Ricardo were having a conversation about how long he had been working here and if he had a family living with him here on the ranch. Not sure if he responded out of a sense of duty, but he revealed his whole life story to her in the five-minute walk towards the stable that felt like a decade. I was so irritated or maybe jealous and when we got to the stable, I saw that three horses were saddled up. Now I felt like I was about to explode. “Why are three horses saddled?” Maybe my facial expression revealed my emotions because Ricardo gave me a frown and a guarded response.
“The instructions I received were that you wanted to show the working of the ranch to your new business partner, so I assumed that you might need the latest statements and guest book. I wanted to tag along if anything else was needed.” His answer made sense and I tried to regain my composure.
I quickly looked over towards Diane, who was focusing on the mane of the horse closest to her. I calmed down and nodded, “Excellent. I’m glad you thought about that, but I don’t think we will be getting into numbers today.”
Diane stepped closer and said, “I don’t mind the extra company. I would like to hear about the guest book and the popularity of the various activities available.”
I didn’t want to look like a jerk, so I agreed with him tagging along. The irritation returned and as I loaded the basket and got into the saddle of my horse, I turned to find that Ricardo was helping Diane onto the horse. She was giggling and he was touching her leg. “The most important thing about horse riding is to enjoy the experience. The horse will feel your energy and then he will be willing to follow your commands.”
The realization th
at I hadn’t even bothered to ask her if she had ever ridden a horse made me feel like a complete idiot. I was so preoccupied with being irritated that I’d forgotten why I was here, to impress her, not to embarrass myself. I was behaving like a real asshole and I needed to get my head into the game. Diane took the reins from Ricardo and with a nervous giggle she turned to the left and the horse took a step to the left. Her face lit up and she asked Ricardo, “Did you see that? I’m a natural.”
Ricardo smiled and got onto his horse and moved over to her side, “Are you ready?”
She nodded at him and then she looked at me. “Lead the way, cowboy.” My emotions were mixed up and swirling inside my head. On the one side, I felt like I wanted to whisk her far away, just the two of us, but another part of me wanted to leave her there doting over a horse handler. I turned my horse towards the trail without another word, afraid of my emotions that might be revealed if I open my mouth.
The rest of the way to the picnic spot, my thoughts and emotions were at war. I’d always thought all women are gold-diggers, but Diane was even interested in a lowly ranch manager, a horse handler. This made me smile at least she is not like Lolita.
We got to the picnic spot and I handed my reins to Ricardo without a word. He knew what to do. I turned to the other horse and helped Diane off. I tried to get her slightly away from Ricardo and whispered in her ear, “I don’t trust him with my personal life because the media and paparazzi would pay for any small lead on a story, even if it is all based on lies. That’s why I didn’t tell them you’re my wife.”
She looked up at me with slight disgust, “Fake wife, remember that. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. But it still doesn’t give you any reason to mistreat someone.” She finally said the last sentence through her mouth.
I was shocked. From where did that come from and whom did I mistreat? That means she had already heard me when I was shouting at Ricardo and didn’t react at that time.
The rest of the afternoon I was pissed and irritated. I didn’t really join in the conversations and just kept on listening as they talked about the ranch, the lodge, the guests and the horses. And dropped Diane home without talking much.
Chapter 14
Diane
The next day, Mimi was helping me in the café. I was pretty sure it was less “helping” and asking about all the details of my adventure the previous day more.
“So, how big is his house?” She stared at me as I sorted some baked goods into a glass case.
In between serving customers and clearing tables, I told her about his multi-story mansion and all its floors and different rooms and activities available. I showed her a picture I took with my phone from my bedroom and the view of the city.
“Oh my God. This man is far more richer than I thought.” Mimi said as her eyes widened.
She scanned through the rest of my photos and arrived at the picture of Kayla. “Oh. Wow. She really is a pretty little thing.”
The memory of our force-feed festival brought a smile to my face. “She is Kyla, Xander’s daughter. She is an adorable barbie doll.”
“Yeah, she is. But it looks like someone adores you more than anything.”
“What do you mean?” I blushed as she showed me pictures and Xander was staring at me in almost every picture. Mimi took me to a table with a cup of coffee, so we could talk without further interruptions.
Luckily, the new waitress we appointed was a fast learner and she was able to take over some of my tasks. “The funny thing was, while I was playing with Kayla, it felt so natural and easy to feel like I belonged there. Maybe it’s just my emotions getting in the way, but I realized I would love to be a mother one day.”
“Maybe you can be Kayla’s mother,” Mimi teased me, but I just shrugged her off.
“Don’t be ridiculous; this arrangement will soon be over. Anyway, I don’t know much about her real mother. It seems to be a very touchy subject and I don’t want to be nosy. So far all I know is that her name is Lolita and she left when Kayla was a few months old. I don’t know why she left, or why she came back. I didn’t understand how a mother could leave her child behind, especially a sweet and innocent little girl like Kayla. Sitting there with her yesterday made me feel so happy. There was a silly smile on my face that I couldn’t hide. At one point, I thought Becky was going to get nervous around me, looking like a psycho smiling the whole time.”
“But you are a psycho for not seeing all the signs from Xander. He likes you and he likes you a lot!” Mimi insisted as I rolled my eyes.
“Mimi, stop teasing me. He’s just a self-confident man who’s used to getting everything he wants. If Mr. Xander doesn’t get his way, he acts like a spoiled brat. I don’t think I want to spend my life with someone like that.” Mimi smiled at me knowingly and it irritated me to think that she knew I had developed feelings for Xander.
“Who is this hunk and where were you?”
“Oh, that’s Ricardo. We were on Xander’s ranch. Ricardo works on the ranch and manages it for Xander. He knows everything that happens at the lodge and really cares for all his guests. I think that is one of the reasons why the place is so popular.”
“I want to meet the ranch ranger myself; I think he would be popular with me, too.” She laughed and then winked at me, “Did you give him a ride as well, or only the horses?”
I was shocked at her rude remark, I quickly tried to change the subject, “Xander was quite upset when he tagged along and I’m sure I saw some signs of jealousy, which didn’t make any sense. Oh, which brings me to something I found quite strange. He introduced me as a new business partner, which is true contractually. But according to the law, I’m not just a business partner, but I’m his wife. Yesterday, he was rude, treating his ranch manager like dirt and then when I tried to be nice to him, he flat-out ignored me as well. Mimi took me to a table with a cup of coffee, so we could talk without further interruptions. His excuse was not trusting his manager. I couldn’t believe my ears. What nonsense, not trusting your own manager who had worked there even before he bought the ranch five years ago.”
“Yeah, that is strange. One moment he acts as if you two are really married and then the next he places you at a distance. I’m sure he is just trying to hide his jealousy behind rudeness. Thinking about it, maybe he’s just trying to protect his own heart, as you’re not giving him any proper indications that you are interested in him as well.”
Her words rang so true that it felt like she was there instead of me. How could I not have seen the signs? “I don’t know. What if you’re wrong and what if he really doesn’t want more than our current fake marriage? What if he’s just trying his luck because I’m vulnerable and in need of his money? Oh, I hate feeling like this, so ashamed that I’ve sold my soul and now he has my heart as well. This just sucks. To be honest, I think about him more than I’m willing to admit.”
Mimi had that teasing smile on her face again, “Are you referring to Ricardo or Xander?”
I just glared at her. “Sometimes life isn’t just a joke, you know.”
“Relax I’m teasing. I know what do you mean and my honest advice is you should go for it. Put your cards and your heart on the table and let him know without any doubt that you can willingly be his real wife. Don’t be so scared and careful. You don’t always have to keep things together. Let your hair down and take his breath away.”
I rolled my eyes. We’d finished our coffees, “I have to get back to the counter and check that the customers were still happy.”
Mimi laughed, “Okay… So, I have to leave now. I’ll see you soon.”
“Thanks Mimi for always being here for me. I could have never survived the situation without you.”
“Aww… Come here,” Mimi said and hugged me.
Then Mimi left for her home and I went back to the counter and continued with my duties.
After closing the cafe, I was going to meet Mom and ask her what should I do. She always had good advice and I trusted he
r opinion more than anyone else. The first stop was the accountant's office and after swiping the card I could literally feel the weight melt off my shoulders. The lady behind the desk looked up and probably recognized the feeling written all over my face. “Feels good when the insurance finally pays out, doesn’t it?”
I just nodded, not wanting to explain the details. But she was right, it did feel good, for the first time in a long time. Luckily, I created a separate account to easily keep track of what I spent. With time and hopefully with a bit of interest, I would repay Xander for every cent he gave me.
“Hey, Mom! How are you feeling?” Mom was looking good today and she smiled at me as I entered.
“My princess looks well-rested and refreshing today. What happened? You have to tell me your secret.” My heart soared and I could feel my face glowing, mostly because today Mom was her old self again.
“No secret, Mom, just lots and lots of love from you. I was able to make a deal with someone for financial assistance. He needs a favor and I’m able to help him in return. Once I am able to, I will repay him in full, but for now, it feels amazing to breathe and know that I don’t have to feel guilty when I leave the café.”
Mom got a concerned look on her face, “What type of favor, Diane?”
I looked down at my hands as I took the seat next to her bed, avoiding her eyes, “It’s a bit complicated and I’m not really sure how to explain it exactly.”
“Who is this man? Is he a lover?”
I quickly looked up at her. “Oh, no. No, it’s nothing of the sort, well, not like that.” I raised my eyebrows at “that,” thinking of selling my body as a sex slave.