Live-In Position

by V. S. Tice

  Chapter Six

  CHRISTMAS WAS RAPIDLY approaching, and things started to get a little hectic. Victoria may not have had Spanish, but her piano instructor decided to take the hour on those Fridays to prepare her for the recital he put on each holiday season. In addition to everything else, there was the school holiday party and play.

  The school play was the Nutcracker. Victoria had a part as a snowflake. The school had sent a flyer home with the date and time of the play. I put it in Dr. Bishop’s mailbox along with the information about the piano recital, hoping he would attend.

  I signed up to help Victoria’s teacher with the holiday party and was asked to bring fifty cupcakes. The night before the party, after Victoria was tucked into her bed, I began baking cupcakes, waiting for them to cool, and then squeezing icing onto them. Making, baking, and decorating cupcakes become more difficult when there are so many. The heat from the oven mixed with moving around the kitchen finally caught up to me. I tossed my sweater on a chair and felt far more comfortable in my super baggy jeans and white tank top. My socks had already been tossed on the floor in hopes that the cool tile floor would relieve the heat. I had my ear buds in and was moving a little to the music while squeezing icing onto the most recently cooled batch when something in my peripheral vision scared me.

  I squealed and clenched my fist around the icing tube. A huge glob of green dropped onto the countertop. One hand on my chest and my eyes shut tightly, I tried to calm myself. Finally opening my eyes, I could see his lips moving, but the only thing coming out of his mouth was Bob Marley.

  “Sorry, I couldn’t hear you.” I held up the ear buds. “I didn’t realize you were there.” I forced a smile and started scraping the icing off of the countertop.

  I didn’t have to look to know he was still in the room. The mixture of chill and pull buzzed between us. The fidgeting began, but I stopped myself. It bothered me that he could invoke such reaction from me. I took a deep breath and looked toward the source of my irritation. His eyes were as intense as always. The green orbs were not the familiar hard emeralds but instead were swirling pools of lime distracting me from my irritation.

  “Was there something you needed Dr. Bishop or did you just want to help decorate some cupcakes?” I attempted to lighten the intensity surrounding us.

  His eyes shifted from my face down my body and then back up to my face. The hard emeralds returned.

  “Could you please try to keep your clothes on when you are walking around the shared areas of the house?”

  My mouth gaped open for a moment and then I snapped it shut. He gestured to my sweater and socks hanging on the chair. I looked down at myself. Anger boiled up from pit of my stomach.

  “I am clothed, Dr. Bishop.” I returned my focus to the cupcakes and tried not to take my anger out on the icing tubes. What I really wanted to do was get a Bible and beat the Antichrist with it.

  “I do not wish for you to roam around my home barely clothed.”

  I slammed the tube down on the counter and spun around. Gasping, I backed against the counter, realizing how close he’d gotten. Less than three feet away, his eyes were again swirling limes. I swallowed hard, fought the welcoming seduction of his eyes, and found my resolve.

  “I got overheated with the oven being on for so long. I don’t roam your home half dressed.” Quickly, I went back to the cupcakes before I lost the little resistance I had found. I could’ve sworn he stepped closer. Close enough for me to feel the heat from his body and his breath against the back of my right shoulder. I didn’t dare look back. Then it was gone – the heat, the breath, and the buzzing tension. I finally released a breath in reprieve of his departure, using the cupcakes to distract me from over-thinking whatever had just occurred.

  After the party, I didn’t hesitate in my next suggestion, having been thoroughly disappointed in the Santa Claus the school had hired.

  “So, what do you say we go see the real Santa Claus? I thought it would be a nice way to start your winter break.”

  Her head snapped toward me.

  “The real one?” she contemplated. “That wasn’t the real –”

  “Heck, no, that was just a helper,” I smiled broadly.

  We drove to the department store in the mall. Once we parked, I helped her out of the car and we maneuvered through hundreds of shoppers to get in line.

  “He’s the real Santa?” Victoria looked up at him in awe.

  “Yep, he only makes it out on one special day and today’s it. That’s why we had to hurry to get here.” She turned back around, practically bouncing with excitement.

  When the elf approached Victoria, she got really shy and didn’t want to go with her. I grabbed her hand and we walked to Santa together. She hesitated to sit on his lap so I decided to show her how it was done.

  “See, Victoria, this is how you do it,” I sat down on Santa’s knee, and then gestured for Victoria to come over.

  She walked slowly but eventually climbed up on his other knee and whispered what she wanted for Christmas in his ear so I couldn’t hear. A picture was taken of us sitting on Santa’s lap.

  “Your turn,” she smiled.

  “My turn?” I raised my eyebrow.

  “Tell Santa what you want for Christmas.” She said it like I was stupid.

  “Oh…well…” I glanced at a chuckling Santa. “I want Victoria to get what she asked for.”

  Since I hadn’t heard a word from Dr. Bishop about Victoria’s holiday musical recital, I figured he wasn’t available, didn’t want to come, or would show up unexpectedly if he so desired. In my opinion he was an ass so I could care less either way. At least that’s what I said, though thoughts of him still nagged at the back of my mind.

  We picked out a red velvet dress and a white long sleeve button-up shirt with ruffles around the cuffs and collar for Victoria to wear. She had on white leggings and black Mary Jane’s. She looked positively adorable with her hair curled to perfect ringlets and a large black bow pinned to the side of her head.

  Victoria had to be there an hour before the recital began so we left at five-thirty. During the car ride, I could see her nerves starting to work on her. Once we arrived back stage, she clung tightly to me as the anxiety wreaked havoc on her tummy. I massaged small circles on her back and tried to calm her by telling jokes, but she just kept looking at me with widened eyes and a pale face.

  “It will be fine. You’re great, and you’ll show them how talented you are,” I encouraged.

  “I can’t do it,” she said in a strangled voice, shaking her head. “I can’t go out there in front of all of those people.”

  “Don’t be silly, Victoria, you can do it. You’re a Bishop.” Both of our heads snapped toward Allison heading toward us with quick steps. She knelt down next to Victoria. “You hold that head up high and go out there, okay?”

  Victoria’s fear filled her eyes with unshed tears.

  “There will be no crying. You will get out there and show them just how wonderful you are.” Allison smiled, but her tone was demanding.

  “Hey, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.” I pulled Victoria to stand in front of me so I could get her full attention. I heard Allison gasp, but I didn’t care. “But – you can do this. You have all of this courage buried inside of you. Just let it out.” I tapped her nose with my finger.

  Victoria’s nerves were starting to ease slightly, but not enough. The person acting as stage manager came over and told her she was up next. Instantly, tears returned to her eyes. She was panicking.

  Allison straightened to her full height – not that there was much height to her.

  “Victoria you will go out there and do this. Everyone is waiting on you. We all came to see you play. Now, you don’t want to disappoint your family, do you? Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Jonathan, Aunt Larissa and Uncle Max came just to see you perform.

  Victoria bit her lip to keep from crying.

  “Are you insane?” I stood to my full hei
ght over her.

  Shock painted Allison’s face but was quickly replaced with an angry glare.

  “Don’t guilt her. She’s just a child.”

  “Who do you think you are?” Allison started to yell, but when the stage manager shushed her she dropped to a lower, yet still pissed tone. “You’re not her mother so don’t tell me how to talk to my niece.”

  “I may not be her mother, but I’m with her more than you are. I take care of her and care that you are laying guilt on a seven-year-old child because of who your family is. It’s ridiculous!”

  Pulling myself together, I focused back on Victoria. Instantly my face softened. “What do you want to do?”

  “She’s going to perform. That’s what she is going to do.” Allison grabbed Victoria’s arm and walked her toward the stage. “Are you ready? This is so exciting.”

  “I can’t go out there!” Victoria cried.

  Allison halted her steps and looked down to Victoria with a sad expression.

  “Don’t cry, baby, please. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.” Allison was visibly upset with herself, but I was still too angry.

  “Victoria,” the stage manager announced her name, “you’re up.”

  I moved to her side and knelt in front of her, bringing us eye-to-eye.

  “What do you want to do?”

  “I don’t want to disappoint –”

  “Forget everyone else. What do you want? Do you want to do this? Because if you do then….well, then we’ll do it together.”

  Her face lit up. “Together?”

  And when her instructor announced her name, we walked out on stage hand-in-hand.

  “Miss…” the stage manager hissed. I ignored him.

  Straightening out my plum-colored wrap dress, I sat on the bench next to Victoria. She looked up at me, the lines of anxiety erased from her face. In the small glance we shared, nothing else mattered. I could care less if hundreds of people thought I was crazy or if Dr. Bishop would fire me for embarrassing him and his family. All that truly mattered was Victoria played, and she was phenomenal.

  Once her piece was complete, she stepped to the edge of the stage and bowed before the crowd. I clapped from the bench. She turned from the roar of applause, walked back to me, took my hand and guided us off stage. The minute we were through the curtain, I picked her up and swung her around.

  “I told you! You were amazing! You did so well!”

  “Thank you, Sophia.” She hugged my legs after I set her down.

  “What are you thanking me for? You were awesome!”

  “You came with me.” Victoria looked up at me with adoring eyes, her arms still around my legs.

  “That was nothing.” I waved her off. “But…you’re going to have to let go so I can walk.”

  Leaving the backstage area, hands entwined, we walked toward the waiting room for the performers who had finished. After another hour, all the performers were pulled back on stage for one last bow before they headed to meet their families. I grabbed Victoria’s hand and walked her down the side stairs and into the mass of people.

  “Oh, dearest, you were so fantastic!” Mrs. Bishop walked quickly toward Victoria. She stopped in front of her and patted her head. “Wonderful, darling, just wonderful. Don’t you think so Connor?”

  Looking past Mrs. Bishop, there stood an older, yet extremely handsome, white-haired gentleman.

  “Yes, yes, she was amazing! Come give grandpa a hug.” He knelt down and Victoria hurried to wrap her arms around his neck.

  “Connor, please. You are making a scene. Put the girl down,” Mrs. Bishop snapped. That right there shed some light on the coldness in the house I now lived in. It’s not every day you can say you’ve met the mother of the Antichrist.

  “Come, Victoria, we are taking you out to dinner.” Allison grabbed Victoria’s hand and then looked over her shoulder to glare at me. It took all the muscle I had to resist sticking out my tongue.

  Did Satan have a sister? Allison, Lilith, close enough.

  “What about Sophia?” Victoria dug her heals into the floor.

  “What about her? Now come on,” Allison insisted.

  Victoria released Allison’s hand and ran up to me.

  “Are you coming with us?”

  “Oh, Victoria, thank you, but this is for family, okay?” I rubbed her cheek. “I’ll see –”

  “You are family.” She looked up at me with a heartbreaking expression.

  My eyes widened and I couldn’t bring myself to look around at her family’s faces. I knelt down and kissed her forehead.

  “Thank you, sweetheart, but you should go. I’ll see you when you get home. Now, go get your Aunt Allison, okay?”

  She furrowed her brow and complied unwillingly.

  “Okay.” Her words were just above a whisper.

  I felt horrible for pushing her to go with them, but they were her family. As I stood up, that familiar pull that made me want to run caressed me. I groaned internally. He was here.

  “Sophia?” Dr. Bishop stood a couple feet from me. “Can I speak with you for a moment?”

  Nodding, I followed him out of the earshot of the crowd. Stopping abruptly he turned to me. “Did you yell at my sister?”

  I bit my lip and scrunched my brow.

  Hell, yes, I put that harpy in her place!

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “That’s it? That’s all you have to say?” He looked exacerbated.

  “What do you want me to say? That your sister had Victoria on the verge of a mental breakdown before going on stage, and I got angry? Or, do you want me to lie and say I was being irrational and yelled at her for no reason at all?” I crossed my arms over my chest.

  He studied me with the same calculation as always, but there was a mixture of emotions splayed across his beautiful face before he resumed his familiar stoic expression.

  “I apologize for arguing with your sister,” I spoke quickly and turned to go. He didn’t stop me.

  Once in the car, I screamed at the top of my lungs to alleviate my built-up frustration. I let it all out and then slouched into the driver’s seat. After the moment it took to regroup, I started the car and drove back to the house.

  I was sitting in the living room of my suite when the front door shut and muffled voices carried up from the foyer.

  “Victoria, don’t run,” he said, with the ever-present ice in his tone.

  “Sorry, Daddy.” I heard the patter of feet on the stairs. Getting up, I headed out and went to meet her. She ran the other half of the steps when she saw me and nearly knocked me down with a bear hug. She giggled.

  “How was dinner?” I asked as she hugged me.

  “It was good, but I wish you were there. It would have been more fun with you there.”

  “Let’s get you changed for bed.” She followed me to her room.

  Heavier footsteps sounded behind me. I kept my course without looking back.

  “Okay,” she mumbled. I could see her struggling, trying to extend her arm behind her back to grab the zipper. “I can’t reach,” she groaned.

  “I’ll help you.”

  I pulled a nightgown out of her dresser and went to Victoria. Mid-stride, my feet hit the brakes when I saw him standing in the doorway. Victoria looked as surprised to see him there as I was.

  “I, uh, I wasn’t aware Victoria had invited you to dinner tonight. Not until we had gotten into the car and you were gone. You could have joined us.” He rubbed the back of his head.

  “That’s alright. It was a family thing, but thanks.” I began to work on Victoria’s zipper.

  “I told you, you are family.” Victoria turned her big eyes on me. I ruffled her curly hair.

  “Thank you. I think of you as family too, but still, tonight was for you and your family. We’ll do our own family thing tomorrow, I swear.”

  “Nanny Swear?” She grinned from ear-to-ear.

  I nodded with a light chuckle. I pulled her dress over he
r head, but while her arms and head were trapped inside, I tickled her sides.

  “Ahh…stop,” she laughed. “Quit it!”

  I stopped and finished taking her dress off. Turning to toss it in the hamper, I realized Dr. Bishop was in the way. I snapped my wrist too late and couldn’t get the fabric back in my hand before it hit him in the face.

  “I am so sorry,” I spluttered. “I didn’t realize you were still here. I thought you left when I started to undress her. I am so…”

  He lifted a hand to silence me.

  “It was an accident.” Then, I think for the second time since I’ve met him, his face cracked into a smile although I couldn’t be sure.

  Victoria’s giggles filled the room. My attempt to quiet her failed miserably and I too found myself on the floor with her in a giggle fit, holding our stomachs and struggling to catch our breath. For a moment, I thought I heard a masculine chuckle, but when I looked in his direction he was on his way out the door.

  The following day was the school play. With Victoria in full costume, we came down the stairs to leave and ran into Dr. Bishop when we reached the bottom.

  “You look nice,” he said as if he’d rehearsed it a million times. There was no emotion.

  “I’m a snowflake,” she beamed, spinning around to show the full costume.

  And then, I witnessed the Grinch’s heart grow three times. He genuinely smiled at her.

  “We were just heading to her school play.” Stepping around him, I reached into the coat closet, pulling out Victoria’s first. Once she was wrapped, I reached for mine. Dr. Bishop grabbed it first and held it open for me. I paused briefly, unsure of his behavior, before slipping my arms inside the sleeves and wrapping the coat around me tightly.

  “Um…thanks.”