“Yes?”
“This is Elise. We met a few days ago.”
“Yes, Elise. Of course, I remember. Please call me Diane. How are you? I felt so bad about our visit. I mean, it was good, but your revelation about your father was sad.”
“It was that. But I’m feeling better now. I’m back home in California. My boyfriend had a car accident and I had to cut my visit short.” She felt like such a fraud. Who was she fooling?
“I hope he’s all right.”
“Yes, he has a broken leg, but he should be as good as new in a few weeks.” She paused. Her life events, from the day she left the lady, was not why she called her. “Listen, the reason I called was that I needed to know if my dad ever wanted me. I mean, did he ever want full custody of me? I know it sounds weird. What does it matter now, anyway, you’re probably thinking. But I just wanted to know if my mother had a choice in keeping me or not. You see, my whole life I thought I was the reason he left.”
Elise’s eyes darted back and forth, and she waited for the answer to her incredibly bizarre question. She needed to know that her mother had wanted her in some way. Or, was she never given the choice not to have her.
“You poor girl. He always wanted you and you certainly weren’t the reason he left. You see, when he first left your mother, he didn’t even have a place to live. He stayed in a motel for a while. He couldn’t have taken you then. You were so small, and to take you out of your home and all you knew would have been selfish.”
“But I meant after you all got married. Did he ever ask to have me then?” The tone of pity rubbed between her words.
“Honey, he knew your mother wouldn’t let that happen. She wouldn’t even let him visit you, let alone take you.”
“But do you think he would have wanted to take me? You know, if he was allowed to?”
“Absolutely, without a doubt. You were his world, Elise. Unfortunately, you wouldn’t have known it, but he always smiled when he told me the stories of the times he shared with you. How he would ride you on his shoulders like an airplane and dance with you on the tops of his shoes. Honey, he adored you.”
Elise’s top lip began to quiver with the pictures of her dad in her mind. He was such an important person in her life for those six years. But that’s all she had with him. The rest were movies playing in her head. As time went on, the movies got shorter with memory loss. Now, he was practically a single thought in her mind.
“Elise, I would enjoy a friendship with you now. How about we keep in touch? Give me your phone number and address. If you don’t mind, I can call you sometimes and hear about your day or send you cards for holidays. Henry and I didn’t have children together and I would love some type of relationship with you now. In a way, I could share the memories I have with him, with you. What do you say?” Wiping the stray tear from her cheek, she responded to her stepmother’s olive branch of friendship. “I’d love it. Maybe I could visit you again.”
“Anytime. And bring in your friend the next time. I wasn’t aware you had left him in the truck until I saw you leave. Was that your boyfriend?”
“No, he’s just a friend.”
She gave Diane her number and address, got off the phone, and took a much needed stress reliever shower. Happy with the new bond she had made with her stepmother, Elise had something to look forward to without the need to dissect it.
She turned off the water and grabbed for her towel. How had one week changed her life to the point of being unrecognizable? The mirror was steamed, thank God. These past few days made it difficult to look at herself. What seemed so definite last week had been turned over and shaken profusely.
A cloud of steam trailed behind her as she opened the door to her bedroom. A red light blinked on her phone. Like the nanosecond of a coin being tossed in the air, Elise hoped it was Ben. Maybe he had thought things over and realized she had no choice in returning home.
That hope was lost when she saw it was a missed call from Kelly. A little bit of shame, mixed with the fact she didn’t want to relive the last couple of days, made her type out a text that she’d call back later. Elise hoped that her friend’s return from Tokyo would exhaust her enough not to call her for a couple days. By then, Elise hoped she would have the results to the corner she’d had walked herself into.
Elise dragged herself out to the living room. The bags from her trip remained on the floor beside the door. Unpacking them was not something that brought her joy. She carried them to her room and shook the things out on her bed. Each worn outfit brought back a memory attached to the day she wore it. Somehow, that damned blue dress made it to California. Perhaps burning it while shouting incantations would break the spell Ben and Kentucky had over her.
After she kicked the dress under her bed (for whatever reason it made her feel better), she found an outfit to wear the next day and stuffed it in her case. There was no need to pack her toiletry bag; it was still packed and ready for her next to the front door.
Slowly and with a lot of dread, she got dressed and did her makeup and hair. Visions of Darren’s ring and Ben’s naked body standing in the hall ran like a montage through her mind. How would she survive the earthquake that erupted this week with two men waiting for her to make a choice? Running sounded like a good option. Didn’t her company have offices in thirty other states?
She called Darren before picking up her bags to leave the house. “Hey, are you doing all right?”
“Sure, being trapped in bed with a legitimate reason not to work, yet not having you beside me is a real picnic. Of course, then you have a leg encased in plaster and no way of scratching it. When are you coming back?”
An anxiety attack bubbled up inside her, brought on by a guy on the other end of the phone whining to have her there. Why had God forgotten to give her wings? At least then, people could see she was meant for flying. Certainly not for staying grounded.
“Elise? Are you there?”
“Sure.” The sound of her name brought her around. “Are you hungry? I could stop somewhere and bring you something to eat.”
“Okay, sure. How about a grilled chicken salad from Panera? Does that sound good to you?”
“That sounds great.” Her auto pilot tone answered without changing pitch. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” They decided to have lunch in the living room. The more she helped haul him from one place to the other, the easier it became. Well, almost easier. Darren laughed as she almost lost hold of him, trying to lower him to the sofa.
“I’m going to see about getting this thing shaved down. It’s ridiculous how cumbersome it is.”
“Darren, I’m sure it’s the size it is for a good reason.” She stepped back and used her forearm to wipe away a bead of sweat that had formed along her hairline.
He looked at the bags sitting on the floor beside the front door. A smile lit his face. Elise handed him his salad and utensils, then sat on the chair next to him. She picked at her food and turned on the television to break the silence that was too loud in her ears. When the big hand on her watch moved ten spaces she stood up.
“I’m going to get rid of this trash and hang up my suit for tomorrow. Can I bring you anything else?”
“Just you,” he said, reaching for her.
She knelt down on the floor beside him, conceding that he knew nothing of the changed circumstances in her life. Trying to keep her telltale eyes in check, she looked at the little space in between his eyes. Getting too close to the edge of his intent gaze meant she might fall deep inside.
He rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. “Is something bothering you, honey?”
“I’m just not looking forward to all I missed at work, I guess.”
“Are you sure that’s it? I know it’s a lot on you to take care of me.” He didn’t seem convinced work was her only problem.
“No, really, it’s work. You know how difficult it is to leave and come back to a million problems.” She rose up. Part of her explanation was true, at least
.
“Yeah, I’m not looking forward to my return after five weeks. I’m sure I’ll be double booked with all the appointments that are being canceled, as we speak.”
Five weeks?! She had been told, even read it on the paperwork and reiterated it to someone else, but five weeks?
Well, that was it. Five weeks to either move forward, stop, or move away. If she remembered, she’d pray extra hard for the answer that night in her prayers. Along with a prayer to stop being so indecisive about her love life. Pick a guy, for goodness’ sake. Either the one with forever in his eyes or the other one with forever in his eyes. Well, possibly the second guy had already extinguished that look by now. And what about her? Who was the face of her forever?
“I’m going to get those things done. Maybe we can watch that movie later.” She kissed him just west of the lips. She knew she’d never make it off the sofa if lip contact actually took place.
That night Elise came out of the bathroom in a nightshirt she brought from home. Non-silk and non-problematic for Darren. But fabric choice surely wouldn’t deter his efforts to bring her closer in bed. She scooted closer and laid on his chest, rubbing it in a circular pattern. Shouts of horrible name calling, from her conscience, rang inside her ears. Their pre-mating dance was interrupted by Darren’s phone ringing. God did answer prayers.
“You better get it, Darren.”
He brought Elise’s head up level with his and began kissing her lips. His hand tugged at her nightshirt, and he tried his best to pull it over her head. The phone continued ringing. Elise reached over him. took it off the bed stand and handed it to him.
“Mood killer.” He took it and pressed it on. “Hello.” His tone was short and unwelcoming.
“Mother? Of course, I’m all right. I just broke my leg and banged my head a little. No, it’s nothing you need to break your trip for. I’m fine. Yes, Elise is here and she’s taking the best care of me.” He smiled in between paused conversation and pulled more at her nightshirt. “Okay, I have to call you back tomorrow. I’m in the middle of something right now.”
He clicked the phone off and threw it to the foot of the bed, kicking at it until it jumped the edge and landed on the floor. He managed to turn semi on his side and ravish Elise with a passionate kiss, all the while slipping off her nightshirt. Before she could refuse, she became seduced by his fervent body language. His strong hands, and determination to make love to her, no matter what handicap he was given, made her putty in his hands.
It was amazing how much he was able to do half stationary from the unwanted bed guest they would have for the next five weeks. And it made for a little trickier positions from Elise. After it was over and he had fallen asleep, she slipped on her shirt and crept to her side of the bed. Morning couldn’t come fast enough for her wounded conscience and alert mind.
Guilty thoughts needled her like ice picks in her every pore. How could she do this? How could she sleep with Ben and then come home and sleep with Darren? Who was this girl? She wore an indention on her bottom lip while pressing these questions through her mind. Was it possible to love two men at the same time?
Janine was never a so-welcomed face the next day. Even the tight bun in her hair gave Elise a much-needed grin. The office hummed with busy people. Everyone was there to work. Something Elise needed to do to keep her mind busy from the patient she left at home and the lover she left in Kentucky. She just hoped the nurse was going to make it to Darren’s for the day. He made her leave without seeing that the lady was actually going to show up to help him.
“Janine, I didn’t get a chance to pick up anything for you in Kentucky. I had to leave in kind of a hurry.”
“That’s all right, Miss Newton. How is Dr. Masterson? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“He is home, in a cast, and finding it difficult to be the patient. But he will be fine.”
“That’s good. I put your messages on your desk and I’ll go and get your coffee now.”
“Sounds like heaven.”
Elise opened her office door and breathed in the smell of office supplies, commercial carpet, and radiation from her computer screen. It was great to be home. This was the place where she knew exactly what to do. No questions here except what code unlocked the variable needed to get the screen to look exactly like she wanted.
The day went by without a hitch. She called to check on Darren a few times. The nurse still hadn’t arrived at ten o’clock, but when she called at twelve, he was unable to talk for long. He was just sitting down for lunch. She was relieved the lady had finally arrived. Now, the third meal was all she was responsible for.
Dinner at the Mexican Cantina was waiting when Elise darted inside to pick it up. She was running late and hadn’t called to let Darren know, yet. She figured he’d be starving and she didn’t want to have to make up excuses until she got back to his place with dinner in her hand.
When she arrived, she noticed an unfamiliar car in the driveway. Maybe the nurse was still there. And she was driving a convertible Audi? What were they paying these homecare angels lately? She grabbed her attaché case and bag of dinner from the front passenger seat. The smell had kept her salivating the entire way to his house. She managed to skip lunch with her backlog of work.
The front door was left unlocked as she tried her key. Voices were loud coming from the atrium area. She set the bags down and walked to where they were coming from.
To her surprise it was Stacy Chadwick, still reigning model of County General Hospital. And beside her was a woman she had no clue as to her identity.
Darren looked up and stopped laughing. “Honey, this is my mom, Jane Masterson.”
Where was the lemon juice and razor blades when you needed them? Oh, yes, they were right there. Sitting beside her boyfriend. One on each side of him. Lemon juice smiled a coy smile at her and razor blades stood up to shake her hand.
“And you must be Elise.”
Elise took her hand. It was of the utmost moisturized and felt like a pillow as it gently squeezed hers. Wax lately or just every other hour?
“Yes, I must be. It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Masterson.”
“Call me Jane.” She sat down and patted Darren on the shoulder. “I’ve been so worried about my boy. I had to catch the next flight out of Tuscany and come home for him.”
“Mom,” Darren said. A teenage ghost of him cowered under her wing.
“Where were you today, dear?” Something evil lurked from behind her innocent question. Perhaps an accusation. After all, Jane Masterson knew the answer to the question. She just had to ask to make sure that Elise felt bad about it.
“I was at work. Did I miss your nurse, Darren? Did she already leave?”
Stacy raised her hand. “I’m still here.”
“What?” Did Elise miss something else? Was Stacy moonlighting as a man stealer on work hours and time off?
“There was a glitch in the hospital’s itinerary today, so I volunteered to come take care of him.”
“I could have killed her. She has patients. I could have taken care of myself,” Darren said.
His mother intervened. “Honey, you can’t even get up from the bed without help. I’m glad Stacy had the common courtesy to take off work to help you.”
Bam! In Elise’s poor-excuse-for-a-girlfriend face. After all, computer programming was so much more important than saving lives. Was there an emergency hatch door to release? Some kind of hole in the ground that would open up and graciously take her out of the snake pit of Nurse Covergirl and Mommy Dearest?
“Mom, it’s all good now. I’m fine. You didn’t even have to come. I told you that on the phone last night. And you certainly didn’t have to leave Italy.”
Elise stepped back inconspicuously toward the large opening toward the living room.
Stacy stood up. “Well, Darren, I have to go. I told the hospital I’d be in to do final rounds.” She extended her hand to Jane. “It was nice to meet you, Jane. I hope I get to see you before y
ou return home.”
“It was my pleasure, dear. And thank you for taking care of my son today.”
Elise took the hint and walked to get the bag of dinner. She was starving and the more she stayed in the company of these ladies the more her appetite was wavering on nausea.
Stacy passed her going to the front door. “I’ll see you later, Elise.”
“Yeah, see ya later,” she said, muttering something after that.
Darren came into the living room. His mother, by his side, helping him on his crutches. He hopped to Elise and stood beside her, waiting for her to stop pulling to-go cartons from the paper bag. She turned to him, giving a look that she hoped he could read loud and clear.
“I missed you today.”
Elise looked at his mother, who lingered around them like pollution. “I missed you, too. I’m sorry about the nurse mix-up. But it looks like you were well taken care of.” Jealousy nibbled at her. Not as much as before her time with Ben, though. How could such a venomous emotion mix with a guilty one? He was probably ignorant of Stacy’s obvious infatuation, anyway.
“I didn’t know Stacy was going to come.” He knew the look she had given.
“Thank goodness she did. I can’t believe you were here alone today.” Jane joined in the conversation.
Oh, the joys of mothers of guys you dated. You either got lucky and they minded their own business, or you got Jane Masterson. And to think she had the good fortune to avoid her for the past year. What a blessing.
“Mom, I’m not an invalid. I could have managed. It’s not like Elise never came back.”
“I’ll help you to the couch. I got you your favorite dish from the Cantina.”
Elise looked at the unwelcome guest who was winning points from the icy stares she was freezing her with. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were here. Would you like to eat my entree? It’s two soft shelled tacos with everything.”
“Heavens no!” she said, over the top. “Do you ever cook anything? I opened the trashcan and saw nothing but takeaway packages. Are there any groceries in this house?”
The Kentucky Cure Page 21