Almost Twins

by Gail Sattler

  “I really need you, Adelle. A few of the older ladies from church have been helping me with Raymond. Still, I’ve had to take this week off work. Monday is New Year’s Day, but by Tuesday I have to be back at work.”

  “This is a difficult decision.”

  His queasiness continued. He wasn’t going to beg, yet he didn’t know how to convince her. “If you’re worried about being here by yourself, my housekeeper is here for four hours every day Monday through Friday. You won’t be alone. I bet you two would get along great.”

  He heard her gasp. “You have a housekeeper?”

  He grimaced at her response and hoped his reply sounded natural. “Didn’t I tell you?”

  “Never answer a question with a question. No, you didn’t tell me.”

  “Well, she’s a great cook, and she’s here four hours a day, so that would take a lot of pressure off you.”

  “Now I know why you can’t cook anything that doesn’t go into the microwave.”

  Dennis slapped his palm to his forehead. “I thought it would make you feel better to know that you won’t be alone all day when I’m at work.”

  More silence hung over the line.

  “Rachel would have her own bedroom.”

  “She would?” He could hear her counting on her fingers. “You’ve got a four bedroom house?”

  It was a five-bedroom house, plus den, family room, and sauna, but he didn’t want to intimidate her. From what she’d said, her little house in Blue River was quite. . .modest. “Don’t worry. It’s a big house.”

  “Well. . .”

  He sucked in a deep breath. “Raymond misses you.”

  Silence again hung over the line, but this time he forced himself to keep quiet.

  “Oh, come on. Don’t you think you’re laying it on a little thick?”

  He grinned. It was a little thick, but it was working. He could tell she was weakening. “Seriously, he really does miss you. He doesn’t settle down for me the same way he does for you.”

  When she didn’t respond, he stiffened his back and squeezed his eyes shut. He had one thing left to say, and then he would start begging. “And I miss you, too.”

  “Oh.”

  He waited, but he found it harder than ever to stay silent.

  “To tell the truth, Uncle Bob is encouraging me to do it as a temporary thing, until I can decide what to do about Rachel’s support and all.”

  Dennis didn’t want this to be a temporary measure. He wanted her around permanently. Still, she seemed to be softening to the idea. He would deal with convincing her to stay once she arrived. “That’s great. When are you coming?”

  “The radio said the main highway is all clear, and Uncle Bob has a friend who can have the road to the cabin cleared by Friday so I can get my car out.”

  “Your car? But I can arrange all your travel arrangements from here. You don’t have to drive.”

  “I want my car, Dennis.”

  Dennis sucked in a deep breath. He wanted to buy her another car, one in better condition and with less miles on it than the one she was presently driving. Although, her little old car had done well in getting them safely out of the blizzard and to the cabin. “All right. But I’ll be nervous with you driving all that way by yourself. When can you be here?”

  “I have to take care of some things at my place, and I should be able to leave after church Sunday. I could be there Sunday night.”

  “Sunday night? But that’s so long.”

  “You said you didn’t have to go back to work until Tuesday.”

  “I know. Sunday will be fine, I guess.”

  He gave her detailed instructions on how to get to his house, and they hung up.

  “Yes!” Dennis yelled, raised both hands in the air, did a little two-step dance, and then froze, slapping his hands over his mouth. He listened, but no sound came from behind Raymond’s closed bedroom door.

  Sunday wouldn’t come soon enough.

  ❧

  Adelle double-checked the instructions and looked at the house again. According to what she’d written, this should be the place. The numbers matched, as did the color of the house, the description of the unusual tree in the front yard, even the decorative mailbox on the carved wooden front door.

  Everything was right except the house. This wasn’t, as Dennis implied, a “big” house. This was a mansion. The grounds were professionally landscaped. The driveway wasn’t plain old asphalt. It was cobblestone.

  The little house she rented in Blue River could fit into the attached three-car garage.

  She almost turned around to try to find a telephone when Dennis ran out the front door.

  “Adelle! Finally! I was getting worried about you.”

  She turned off the ignition and stood beside the driver’s door but continued to stare at the house.

  “Adelle? Your face is pale. Are you okay? You’re not sick, are you? Do you want to lie down?”

  She wanted to go home. The closer she got to his house, the more expensive the neighborhood had become. Not even in magazines had she seen such beautiful houses. One mortgage payment on any of these homes would probably pay her rent for an entire year.

  She felt like the country mouse just arriving in the big city. “I’m fine,” she mumbled. “A little tired is all.”

  “Let’s put your car in the garage and I’ll get your suitcases out of the trunk. How did Rachel handle the drive?”

  “Fine. She slept most of the way, so she’s probably going to be up most of the night.”

  He ran into the house while she settled back behind the wheel. Within moments, one of the garage doors opened.

  She studied the gorgeous new car parked next to hers. She didn’t know what it was, which was an ominous indication of what it cost. The third space was empty.

  “Why do you have a three-car garage when you only have one car? You do only have one car, don’t you?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “The garage came with the house.”

  Dennis grabbed two of the suitcases out of the trunk and she lifted Rachel in her car seat, then followed Dennis into the house. She’d never been inside such a house in her life. She couldn’t believe this was his home. As they walked down a richly carpeted hall, they passed a high archway that served as the entrance to a massive living room. The room was expertly decorated in graduated shades of greens against a creamcolored carpet so thick she could see footprints on it.

  Featured prominently in one corner stood the most beautiful Christmas tree she’d ever seen. At least ten feet tall, the top of it nearly touched the vaulted wood beamed ceiling. She glanced around the room. “How did you get that huge tree in here?”

  Dennis made a strange sound that wasn’t quite a laugh. “You don’t want to know. Come on this way. I’ll show you to your room.”

  Her feet wouldn’t move. The tree held her transfixed. Multicolored lights flashed in time to an electronic Christmas carol playing from one of the ornaments. There had to be hundreds of brightly colored ornaments, yet no two were alike.

  Dennis appeared at her side. “You know what? I think I like our little tree at the cabin better.”

  “This is beautiful.” She put the car seat with Rachel still in it down on the carpet and reached out to touch one of the cheerful ornaments, as if touching it would confirm its authenticity. She thought the tree at her church was spectacular, but it was nothing like this. From her spot on the carpet beside her, Rachel gurgled and waved her chubby little arms.

  Dennis made a low, comfortable laugh. “Look at her. Raymond likes the lights, too. Maybe I’ll keep the tree up all year.”

  In a daze, she picked Rachel up and followed Dennis down the hall to a huge bedroom containing a big double bed and maple furniture. The gray carpet here was as plush as the living room, the spread and drapes were a blue, green and pink combination, and the walls were the exact same shade as the blue in the fabric. The effect was gorgeous.

  “This is the guest bedroom. It�
��s yours.”

  The guest bedroom was bigger than her living room at home.

  He stepped across and opened a door beside the walk-in closet. “And here’s your bathroom. I hope you like it.”

  “This bedroom has its own bathroom?”

  “It’s just a powder room and shower. The bathroom in the hall has a soaker tub if you want to use it.”

  Adelle’s stomach churned. She was out of her element. She wanted to go home to what was familiar.

  “I’ll show you Rachel’s bedroom.”

  The bedroom next to the guest bedroom contained a pine crib with a matching dresser and changing table. The walls were a neutral off-white, and the curtains were the same shade as the teal carpet.

  She looked at the new furniture. “Dennis, I can’t let you give up Raymond’s room. She can sleep in the playpen, just like she did at the cabin.”

  He shook his head. “This isn’t Raymond’s room, this room is for Rachel.”

  “But the baby furniture. . .”

  “. . .is for Rachel. Raymond has his own room, and his own furniture.”

  Now Adelle really felt sick. He had bought a room full of baby furniture and she wasn’t even sure how long they would be staying.

  “Why don’t you start unpacking, and I’ll finish unloading your car? I can put Rachel by the tree to keep her occupied with that annoying electronic music and the flashing lights. I’m learning a lot about babies, you know.”

  His little grin made her foolish heart flutter. She didn’t know what to say or think so she nodded and ran into her new bedroom to be alone. It didn’t take long to put away everything she brought, both for herself and Rachel.

  By the time she was finished, Raymond was awake. Since she was now the official nanny, she didn’t wait for Dennis to tend to him first, but simply followed the cries into Raymond’s bedroom. This room had the same colored walls and carpet as the one for Rachel, and similar furniture in a darker wood.

  “Hi, little darling,” she cooed as she picked Raymond out of his crib. “I missed you. Your Uncle Dennis says you missed me, too. Are you hungry?”

  She gave him a big hug. She really had missed him. She would feel strange giving him a bottle after all they’d been through together. But that’s how it would be.

  “I haven’t had time to decorate the room yet. I guess it will be a while before I know if he prefers sports or trucks or clowns.”

  “Quite a while, yes.”

  She turned around to see Dennis in the doorway, holding Rachel. “I missed her. But I missed you more. You all settled?”

  “Yes, thank you,”

  “Then let’s go relax in the family room.”

  She followed him back to the same room they were in before, the one with the Christmas tree. Since he called it the family room instead of the living room, she had to assume there was someplace else in the house he called a living room. The unbidden idea flashed through her mind that she should ask for a map.

  He sat beside her on the overstuffed couch, not trading babies back to their rightful owners.

  “I know you feel kind of strange here. I didn’t want to tell you about the house because I didn’t want to scare you. It’s really just a big house. I’m not even sure why I bought it, except that I fell in love with the yard.”

  Now she was afraid to see the yard. If this mansion was what he called a house she had no doubt that what he called a yard, she would call a park. Fortunately it was already dark, and that gave her an excuse not to look until she was better prepared mentally.

  “If you can afford a house like this, you must have a pretty good job. You never did really tell me what you do, other than that it’s a supervisory position.”

  “Well, it’s a little more than supervisory. I own my own company. I started it when I was twenty, and God has really blessed it; we’ve done very well. You’re not mad at me, are you? I’m still the same old Dennis as I always was.”

  Back home, folks always considered the elderly couple who owned the co-op wealthy. The difference between their lifestyle and this was beyond her comprehension. She probably should have been angry with him for not telling her everything, but she wasn’t. While he may have been evasive, he hadn’t lied. She may not like his reason, but he was right. His affluence would have intimidated her, and she wouldn’t have opened her heart to him. Likewise, she wouldn’t have taken his problems and situation seriously, as wrong as that would have been.

  Long after both babies had been put to bed, they continued to talk. Before they turned in for the night they prayed together, asking God for assurance that they were doing the right thing and for His blessing on their time together.

  In light of the surprises the day had brought, Adelle thought she would lie awake for hours, but she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

  Monday passed in a blur, as the days had at the cabin. But, while much of their energy still focused on parenting duties, they now found more time to spent on each other, thanks to adequate facilities, hot water, and most of all, pizza delivery.

  Before Adelle knew it, Tuesday had arrived and Dennis appeared dressed in dress slacks and a silk shirt, complete with a hand-painted tie, and a briefcase in his hand.

  “I wish I didn’t have to go.” He paused with his hand on the door to the garage. “But I’m so far behind from taking two weeks off, I don’t know which end is up.”

  “It’s okay, Dennis. I understand that you have to work. You’re the boss, I know it’s important that you get back to the office. If you have to stay late, that’s okay, we’ll be fine.”

  He stepped closer, and cupped her chin with his free hand. “Knowing you’re here, the only way I’d stay late was if the place caught fire. I’ll be home just after six. See you later.”

  Before she realized what he was doing, he bent to brush a short kiss to her lips, then backed up. “The housekeeper will be here in an hour. Her name is Donna, and I think you’re going to like her. I’ll give you a little tip. If she cooks her special, secret recipe chili, don’t eat it unless you’ve got a gallon of water beside you. Gotta run. Bye.”

  She watched him drive away as the garage door closed all by itself.

  “Come on Rachel. Let’s check on Raymond. I think we’re going to have a great day today.”

  ❧

  Dennis signed the last approval sheet in the pile, pushed it aside, and pressed the intercom button for his secretary.

  “Jennie, can you hold my calls for twenty minutes. There’s something I have to do.”

  “Are you calling home again?”

  He grinned at the speaker, unable to stop himself. “Am I that transparent?”

  She muttered something he couldn’t hear, and the speaker went dead.

  Dennis reached out to dial, but his finger hovered over the numbered buttons. He wondered if this was what it was like to be married. Having two babies in the house presented challenges and responsibilities he could never have foreseen, but the past week had been the best of his life. For the first few days, Adelle had complained that, as much as she and Donna liked each other, she felt strange not doing the cooking, but that complaint didn’t last long. He grinned broadly at the thought that Adelle never complained about not doing housecleaning.

  Every day, he loved her more. He hadn’t yet told her how much he cared for her, but every morning he kissed her goodbye before he left for the office, and every night they prayed together before bedtime. The only thing that would have made it perfect would be if they were married and didn’t go into separate bedrooms.

  He punched in his home phone number and waited for a response. Today was Friday. Tomorrow he would take Adelle and the kids out somewhere, just for fun, and Sunday, they would go to church together, just like a family.

  And one day very soon, he would ask Adelle for her hand in marriage. When that happened, he would be the happiest man on earth.

  Seventeen

  Adelle smiled as she hung up the phone. Dennis was s
uch a sweet man. He phoned her at least twice a day just to talk about nothing in particular, and she liked it. She couldn’t help but fall in love with him. Hook, line, and sinker. Uncle Bob had been right to suggest that she take the job and be his nanny, because that gave her the opportunity to get to know him in normal conditions. Normal for him, anyway. In the past, she had only dreamed of such luxury, but despite his obvious wealth, he worked hard. Nothing fell into his lap.

  Donna did all his housekeeping and cooking, but she didn’t cater to him. Dennis had been right, first that she and Donna would like each other, and second, that Donna’s secret recipe chili really was awful.

  Throughout the past week, Dennis had treated her well, not taking advantage of her in any way, either as a nanny, or as a friend.

  Adelle sighed.

  She had fallen in love with the man and wanted more than his friendship, but she didn’t know what he wanted. For now, she would continue with the routine they had established, but eventually she wanted to know what the future held for them, if anything.

  The doorbell rang. Usually Donna answered the door, but she had gone grocery shopping so Adelle picked Rachel out of her crib, and hurried to the door.

  A tall, beautiful blond woman dressed in clothes worthy of a fashion magazine stood on the porch.

  “May I help you?” Adelle asked.

  “You must be the nanny.” The woman reached up to flick a blond curl out of her face, and in the process, Adelle caught sight of huge diamond ring. “We haven’t met yet. I’m Joanna, Dennis’s fiancée.”

  “Fiancée?” Adelle sputtered. “But. . .”

  Her mind raced. They hadn’t talked about Joanna since the cabin, when he had told her the engagement was over. Yet the woman still wore his ring.

  “May I come in? Where’s Donna?”

  Adelle stepped back to allow her entry. It hadn’t occurred to her that the woman would be a friend of Dennis’s housekeeper. “Donna’s not home, she’s gone grocery shopping.”

  Joanna checked her watch. “Oh, really? Should I wait?”