by Michelle Day
It turned out to be a very pleasant afternoon resulting in Gavin falling to sleep shortly after his evening meal with Luke following only moments behind having exhausted himself at the birthday party. Paul even managed to have an amicable conversation with Helen over dinner then the three of them settled down to watch a film.
When Carmen and Helen began the nightly ritual of securing the house, Paul stretched and asked, “Where am I sleeping?”
Carmen shot a glance in Helen’s direction before answering, “My room, I took your bag up there earlier.”
Not giving Paul a chance to reply, Helen cut into the heated looks the two exchanged, “Why do you insist on doing this to yourself? I’ll admit he’s great with the kids but seriously Carmen, he is no good for you whatsoever, I’ve said that from the beginning.”
“I want him in my life Helen, it’s where he belongs.”
Luckily for him, Paul’s thought of I don’t think so never made it out of his mouth before Helen started in on her again.
“That’s bullshit and you know it, you can’t fill your loneliness with a boy and one who forgets about you the moment you are out of sight, you’ve seen for yourself what he gets up to when he goes home, he will never be faithful to you and if that’s what you think then you are kidding yourself and you are an even bigger fool than I’d originally taken you for.”
“We haven’t discussed our relationship so at the moment, he has no reason to be faithful, I’m sure when we get down to the nitty gritty and solidify this thing between us he will stop his philandering ways.”
“Whoa, hang on a minute.” He’d had enough and stepped into the conversation knowing that what he would say would positively guarantee he didn’t get any nookie but knowing he had to say it nonetheless. “Firstly, I am in the room and you don’t have to talk about me as if I wasn’t. Secondly, what goes on between us is none of your bloody business Helen so I suggest you shut up and butt out. Thirdly, we have a child together Carmen, we do not have a relationship nor do I want to enter into one with you at this point and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make those sort of assumptions without discussing it with me first.”
“Told you.” Helen smirked at Carmen before she left the room.
“What the hell did you mean by that little outburst?” Carmen asked, hands planted firmly on her hips.
“Just what I said, apart from being parents to the same child, there is no relationship between us. What I do when I’m not here is my business, my prerogative, it has no reflection on who I am when I’m here. Don’t get me wrong, I do have feelings for you but right now, I’m having trouble figuring out exactly what they are so until I do that, I think it’s best to keep relationship talk to a minimum.”
“Are those “feelings” she made air quotes, “Solely confined to the times we spend naked?”
“Ah Carmen, the sex is mind blowing but it isn’t to be confused with anything other than physical gratification and perhaps that’s where we don’t see eye to eye.”
“Really.” She said dryly. “Just so you know, until you can man up and work out what your feelings are with me, you’ll be sleeping in the spare room and the only sex you’ll be getting while you are here will be with your hand.” She flounced from the room.
Nice going Paul, he told himself as he mounted the stairs, you handled that really well, now you have two pissed off women to deal with all weekend.
Rising early the following day, he checked on his son and on finding him still sound asleep, Paul headed downstairs and made himself a light breakfast and was sipping his tea while contemplating the garden. Squinting up at the sky and judging that it would probably be a pleasant day, he quickly finished his tea, got dressed and headed out into the garden.
That’s where Carmen found him. The lawn had been cut, the edges trimmed and Paul was on his knees weeding the flower beds. A serious wave of déjà vu swept over her as she watched him work and replayed the previous evening’s conversation in her head.
“He must have got an early start.” Helen commented, standing beside her.
“I guess.” She shrugged, “What do you have planned today?”
“Nothing really, thought I’d catch up on the ironing but other than that, I have no grand plans for the day.”
“I think I might make a picnic and lay it out on the lawn, it will do Gavin good to be out in the sun. I’ll keep an eye on Luke if you want some space.”
“A picnic sounds good actually, mind if I join you?”
“I’d be glad of the company; heaven knows what sort of mood he’ll be in.” She gestured to Paul.
Engrossed as he was, Paul didn’t notice the presence of the others until Luke plopped himself on the grass beside him, grabbed a handful of mud and threw it in his general direction.
“Hey little man.” He sat back on his haunches and wiped his muddy hands on his jeans, “No, no, you don’t want to eat that.” He prised Luke’s mud filled hands from his mouth as he seemed to find the dirt rather tasty. Paul looked over his shoulder to see a full scale picnic being set up in the garden complete with chequered rug and wicker basket. Coming to his feet, he lifted Luke into his arms and together they made their way to the rug.
“Good morning.” Carmen smiled up at him, “You must have been awake early to have achieved so much already.”
“Er yeah, I had trouble sleeping.” He put Luke on the rug and watched Helen clean the boys’ hands and face as he shuffled his feet. “About last night, I think I may have been a little harsh in attempting to sum up our situation.”
“Yes, you were. Sit down Paul.” Carmen paused as he sat and handed him a drink. “You hurt my feelings.”
Painfully aware that Helen was watching him with her eagle eye, Paul attempted an apology. “It wasn’t my intention to hurt you, it never has been or will be but that doesn’t detract from the fact that although I meant what I said, I could have been a little more diplomatic about it. It was wrong of me to phrase it the way I did.”
“Where do we go from here?” Carmen asked.
He reached to run his fingers through his hair, stopping when he saw how dirty they were and smiling gratefully at Helen as she passed him the damp cloth she had used on her son. With his hands clean, he dragged them through his hair and half sighed, half groaned. “I don’t know, Christ, I have feelings for you, strong feelings and the more time I spend here, the harder it is for me to leave but once I’m home I revert back to my classic behaviour and I’m comfortable with that. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about this, us. I want to be here as much as possible, I want you and not just because you are smoking hot but because you stood up for me, you defended me and you gave me a son. I’m confused Carmen, I don’t really know for sure what I want.”
“I appreciate your honesty and I won’t push you on this at the moment, you obviously have things you need to work through but bear this in mind while you deliberate, I love you and I will be here when you decide what you want but I won’t wait forever.
“I understand.” He nodded.
In between amusing the boys and finishing the garden, they spent an excellent morning together until the phone rang with the result of Carmen having to cover a shift for one of the weekend teachers who had called in sick.
“Sorry, it’s my turn on standby.” She explained as she readied herself to leave.
“It’s ok, these things happen.” Paul answered.
“We’ll be fine Carmen, honestly.” Helen assured her as she walked with her through the house.
“You’ll be nice to him?”
“In light of his admission earlier, yes. I can see he’s confused and needs to work things out. I am only looking out for you when I say the things I do.”
“I know. You are such a good friend Helen and I don’t want us to fall out, even over him.” Carmen hugged her friend, “See you in the morning.” She called as she left.
Returning to the garden, she couldn’t help but smile as Paul rolled a ball to his ow
n son and was attempting to teach Luke how to catch the one he threw in his direction.
“I’ve been trying to teach him to catch but he’s happier picking it up from the floor and throwing it back, he seems to have mastered that bit.”
“Yeah he has. I’ve been thinking that the garden’s a little bare for these guys. How do you feel about getting some age appropriate garden toys in?”
“I’d love to but I can’t afford it.”
“Helen, can I give you a tip?” Paul asked and waited for her nod. “When I’m making suggestions about getting things for these guys, it generally means I want to do it and that includes paying for it so with that in mind and money not being an issue. How do you feel about getting some age appropriate garden toys in?” he grinned when Helen actually laughed.
“I think that would be an excellent idea.”
He bounded to his feet, “Sweet, hold that thought, I need to make a call.”
Paul disappeared into the house, returning a few moments later sporting a broad smile as he plopped back down onto the rug and tickled his son.
“What are you up to?” she asked.
“I put in a call to one of my guys up here. They have just finished the landscaping for one of the local parks and have a contact in the area of children’s play equipment; he’s on his way over with the catalogue.”
“Nothing quite like striking while the iron is hot.”
“Exactly.”
“What happens when they outgrow it?” Helen asked.
“Well, if you approve of what I have in mind, bits can be added and changed as they grow so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“You seem to have thought of everything.”
“I want the best for my son.” He shrugged. “Whilst we are on the subject of kids. It was noticeable yesterday when Luke wasn’t here. Gavin was a bit of a handful without his partner in crime. It got me to thinking; I’ve set up a trust fund for Gavin so that he’ll have his own money when he’s older or if anything happens to me, he’ll have financial support when it’s needed. With your permission, I’d like to do the same for Luke.”
“Why?” She asked, sceptical.
“It’s clear, even at this age that they are close and I imagine that bond will only increase as they grow, it’s almost like they are brothers.” He paused and sat up from his prone position. “Ok, cards on the table Helen. Money is no object for me. My businesses are going well and I have another venture in the pipeline which has the potential to make me a very rich man. I want the absolute best for Gavin and I’m fortunate enough to be able to provide that. However, I’m aware that you are in the unenviable position of providing for your son from pay day to pay day. I’d rather Luke didn’t grow up envious of Gavin and everything he has and trust me, he will have everything. They are being raised together and I’d like them to be treated the same, to have the same advantages in life that are going to come naturally to Gavin. I don’t want Luke to be the poor relation, always on the sidelines looking in and wondering what if.”
“Oh, wow.” Helen just stared at him. Clearly there was much more to this young man than met the eye, his perception and deep thinking absolutely floored her. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Yes would be a good start.” He said softly. “Your friendship and support means the world to Carmen and it doesn’t matter to me that you and I don’t always get on, this isn’t about us in the long run, we are all trying to do what is best for our kids. That having been said, I don’t want you or Carmen to ever worry about money, don’t ever be afraid or too proud to ask.”
“I see now why Carmen likes you so much. Aside from your obvious physical attributes, you are actually a kind and insightful young man. It would ease my mind a lot if I knew that Luke would be provided for in the event of something happening to me. Carmen has already promised me that she would raise him and care for him as her own in that event but for him to have financial stability would be marvellous.”
“Is that a yes?” He smiled.
“Yes and thank you.” She leant in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Doesn’t mean I’ll let you hurt Carmen though.” She warned.
“You wouldn’t be much of a friend if you did.” He came to his feet as a male voice called him from the gate at the side of the house. “Helen, this is Art, he’s my foreman here, Art meet Helen, she and Carmen share the house and raise the boys together.
Introduction made, Art hunkered down onto the rug and proceeded to guide Helen through the range of suitable play equipment while Paul amused the boys.
Pausing to take a drink, Art observed his boss with the two young boys, “He’s good with the kids.” He turned to Helen and smiled thinking that she was very pretty if a little on the skinny side.
“Yes, he surprises me every time he is here with just how in tune with them he is.”
“I thought he only had the one, I didn’t realise he’d had one before Gavin.”
“Oh no, Luke is my child, my ex husband, Luke’s father, left shortly after he was born but Paul treats both boys like they are his which I appreciate.”
“I see. My wife left me within two years of our son being born, not that I blame her; I was a bit of a twat if I’m honest, I see my boy once a month, not by choice you understand but she has re-married and lives a fair distance away and while Paul is very generous with time off, when I’m not working, I’m not earning and I like to treat my son when I see him, it’s a double edged sword.”
“That is a shame but at least you do get to see him.”
“Yeah, don’t get me wrong, he’s far better off with his mother and the new husband treats him well, it would be nice to be a bigger part of his life but its getting easier as he’s getting older, she’s letting him spend a few weeks with me over the summer holidays, he wants me to teach him to fish, I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to it.” He smiled at the thought.
Helen returned the smile. She wasn’t one to make snap judgements on people but she liked this man, the more he spoke, the more she liked him. “Sounds like you two will have a fantastic time.” She said, she looked away from Art and over to her son who was currently riding Paul around the garden like a pony whilst Gavin sat on the lawn, podgy legs spread out in front of him and roaring with laughter at the antics of the other two. “What’s Paul like to work for?” she asked.
“When he first bought the company we all thought it was a joke, this young kid in charge of us but he didn’t come in ham fisted and start giving orders, he took his time, got to know each and every one of us then he pulled on his work gear and mucked in, which was what finally won us all over. We were used to being given orders and told to get on with it and then in comes this young upstart who is more than prepared to get his hands dirty with the rest of us, spoke volumes about his character. I mean yeah, he gets annoyed and raises his voice when something goes badly wrong but that’s only happened once and like he says, we’re only human, we make mistakes, most of the time he just goes, “What will it take to put it right?” and gives us the go ahead to do it, he’s a good kid, he definitely has my respect.”
Art grew quiet as Paul approached, Gavin on his hip and his hand wrapped firmly around Luke’s.” I think he might be hungry.” He said as he dropped to his knees and placed Gavin on the rug. Delving into the wicker basket, he pulled out a knife and an apple and began cutting slices off, sharing them between the two little boys. “Have you decided what you want?” He asked Helen.
“I think so, I didn’t realise there would be so much to choose from, Art has marked the pages of the things we will need.”
Paul passed the apple to Helen and reached for the catalogue, flicking though the pages to see the marked items. “Can you get this ordered for me and supervise its construction?” He asked Art.
“Of course but won’t that put the other job back a bit?”
“Building this will take what? Two days at the most? I think the other guys can manage for that long Art, besides, by the time
this stuff is delivered, the other job should be winding up, I may even have you all here building it rather than use the installers.”
“Won’t you be here?”
“I might be for the tail end of it but I have something else I’m working on that’s going to require my attention for a few weeks. How long do you think it’ll take to get it here?”
“I’d say a week to ten days, depending on stock.”
“OK, call me when it’s here and I’ll see if I can shuffle some things around to be here, I may even bring the other crew up with me and we can have ourselves a good old fashioned barn raising.” He grinned.
“Yeah ok boss, whatever you say.” Art chuckled. “I’m going make a move; I’ll order this on Monday.”
“Cool, oh and Art?” Paul waited for the older man to turn back to him. “Put in a time sheet for today, you’ve been on the clock.”
“That’s not necessary, I wasn’t doing anything today anyway, it was nice to have some company.”
“You were here in an official capacity and I interrupted your weekend so you’re going to get paid for it.” He stepped closer so only Art would hear him, “Use the extra cash to take Helen for a drink perhaps?”
Art scowled at Paul but it quickly turned to a smile, “How very perceptive of you to notice that I like her.”
“From the way she was giving you googly eyes, I’d say the feelings mutual and she hasn’t even got the excuse of having to find a baby sitter.” Paul nudged Art, “What have you got to lose?”
“Alright, whatever, see you later Paul.” Art was sporting a grin worthy of a Cheshire cat as he strolled to his car.
It was morning when Carmen returned home. Dropping her bag in the hall and carefully hanging her keys on their designated hook, she kicked off her shoes and made her way to the kitchen. Not immediately being spotted by her friend, she took the opportunity to observe her with her young son, noting the boy’s development and resemblance to his mother but she knew from experience that Luke looked a lot more like his absent father than Helen liked. If Luke continued to develop and mature as she suspected he would, he eventually would end up tall, big boned and completely drop dead gorgeous.