Chapter 6
The next two weeks Roy only texted Ettie, he didn’t call and she missed his voice. She worried that the awkward moment between them had ruined something. Then out of the blue he called her.
“Hi Ettie,” he said.
“Hello. How are you?” she asked.
“I’m good. Been busy,” he added.
“So have I. Lily is out for the summer and she’s been bouncing off the walls in excitement.”
“That’s actually why I was calling,” Roy said. “I was wondering if you needed any help with your things.”
“My things?” Ettie asked confused.
“You know. To move in this weekend,” Roy replied.
“Oh. Oh!” Ettie exclaimed. She had forgotten all about their agreement.
Roy laughed. “Did you change your mind?” he questioned.
“No. I just have been preoccupied.”
“So. Do you need any help?” he asked again.
“No. We got it,” Ettie said.
“Great. I’ll send you the address,” he said.
They said their goodbyes and Ettie sighed. This was going to be difficult.
Roy hung up the phone and sighed. He had missed her. He wasn’t busy. He had been avoiding her. He didn’t like the feeling he got when he had touched her the last time he saw her. It wasn’t fair to Melissa. In fact it was Melissa who asked when Ettie would be moving in this morning before work. Roy had to admit the thought of seeing Ettie everyday was both exciting and scary. He had to get his feelings in check. But it might be a good thing. Sort of a buffer. Melissa had been cold towards him these past few weeks and he thought having Ettie around would get her more involved with the baby. Might even get her to start acting like herself again.
On Saturday with the car packed, their neighbor and Gina promising to look after the house Ettie, Andrea and Lily with their suitcases packed made their way to the Gardner's house. Ettie had to admit she was extremely nervous to see him. As they pulled up to their neighborhood they were greeted by a security guard, their community was gated. Ettie felt like she was being scrutinized. As they pulled up to the address Roy had sent her Ettie looked around at the house in wonder. Beside her Andrea let out an audible whistle.
“This is their house?” she asked
Ettie rang the doorbell and could hear it echo from inside. An older lady in a stylish black dress answered the door.
“Hello you must be Henrietta, Andrea and Lily,” she said smiling at Lily who grinned shyly. “I am Ellen and I am the Gardner's housekeeper. Please come in.”
A young man smiled at them and took their bags. To where, Ettie had no clue.
“That’s my son Kevin. He helps me out from time to time. He’s on break from school,” she explained.
She showed them into the open foyer which led to a spacious sitting area on one side and a formal dining area to the other. This was all framed by a sweeping staircase.
Ettie looked around and already began to feel uncomfortable. They didn’t belong here. How could she have let them talk her into it? Uprooting her whole life. Quitting her job and bringing her mother and Lily here was definitely a bad idea.
Before her flight mode could be activated however, Ettie was stopped by Roy who had come to greet them. The way he looked at her sent shivers down her spine.
“You’re here,” he said smiling. “We are so glad to have you. Melissa had to work but let me show you around. I got it from here Ellen,” he said warmly.
Ettie could only nod. Afraid her voice would betray her.
“Andrea nice to see you again. And you must be Lily. I have heard so much about you,” Roy said beaming at her.
Lily smiled back and shook his hand he offered.
“So I thought you guys would be more comfortable in the guest house. For privacy. Kevin has taken your bags there,” he said leading them through the kitchen and through two wide french doors.
“Mom. Mom,” Lily said jumping up and down, “look at the pool.”
The pool was huge. Ettie had only seen pools that big at hotels. There was a large barbecue area and a covered gazebo. Behind that was a small house, the same style as the main house.
“There are two bedrooms, but if you want your own there are three bedrooms in the house,” he continued. “I didn’t actually think about it. I’m sorry.”
“No, this will be perfect,” Ettie said.
As they entered the guest house, Ettie was impressed. It was like a tiny condo, complete with living room, flat screen TV and a full kitchen. There was a hallway which Ettie was sure led to the bedrooms and bathroom.
“I stocked the kitchen,” Roy said. “I made sure there is plenty of chocolate milk,” he said smiling.
Ettie blushed. She had been craving chocolate milk for the past few weeks.
“Well, I’ll leave you guys to get settled. Was there anything in particular you wanted for dinner?” Roy asked.
“Whatever you planned is fine,” Ettie said. “Please don’t go to too much trouble.”
“I want pizza,” Lily piped up.
“Lily,” Ettie admonished.
“Pizza? I love pizza,” Roy said laughing. “What do you like on it?” he asked Lily.
She looked at Ettie who nodded before answering “pepperoni” shyly.
“Then pizza it is,” Roy smiled. “Lily I’m going swimming. Did you want to come with me?” he asked.
“Mom can I go?” Lily begged.
“Sure,” Ettie said, grateful for Roy making them feel comfortable.
“I don’t know how to swim,” Lily said suddenly frowning.
“Well then I guess I have to teach you,” Roy replied. “Why don’t you get settled and I’ll meet you ladies out there in a half an hour.”
“Okay,” Ettie replied quickly.
Roy left and immediately Lily ran to the bedroom.
“Where are you going?” Ettie called after her.
“I have to get my bathing suit,” she called back.
“Ettie. What’s going on here?” Andrea asked unexpectedly.
“What do you mean?” Ettie asked.
“I saw the way you looked at him. You’re not falling for this man are you?” Andrea asked with a frown.
“Of course not mother. He’s a good friend,” Ettie said blushing again.
“I knew this was a bad idea,” Andrea said folding her arms.
“Mom stop it. Not this again. I’m tired I don’t want to talk about this. Nothing is going on. He’s married.”
“I hope not. I’m going to go get my bathing suit,” Andrea said walking towards the bedroom.
Ettie sank to the couch. What was going on between them? The truth was she was falling for Roy. She thought about him all the time. If her mother saw it, did that mean that she was transparent? Did that mean that Roy also saw it? And what about Melissa. Would she be able to tell when they were all together? Suddenly Ettie wanted nothing more then to be back in the safety of her own house. Away from Roy. She was stupid. She was letting her emotions get the better of her. She decided she would avoid him as much as possible.
Roy knocked on the door about forty five minutes later. They had unpacked and Andrea and Lily was already wearing their suits. Ettie had changed into a sundress, not wanting to swim. Roy was even more stunning in his swim trunks. His chiseled chest was exactly as Ettie had imagined. Oh boy, Ettie thought. This was bad.
Roy spent the afternoon teaching Lily how to swim. Ettie enjoyed watching them together. He was patient and by the time they were done for the day Lily had made progress. She was able to doggie paddle and float on her back. Ettie felt a small pang, she had regretted Lily growing up without a father. She touched her belly. At least this child would be spared that fate. Andrea had gotten tired and went to sleep early, the swim and the Texas heat wearing her out. Lily had showered and changed and was enjoying delivery pizza in the kitchen with Roy and Ettie when Melissa finally came home.
“Hi,” she said walking into the kitchen.
“Hello,” everyone said in unison.
“So are you settled in?” she asked warmly.
“Yes. Thank you,” Ettie responded.
“And you must be Lily. Hello,” she said smiling at Lily.
“Hi,” Lily responded. “Nice to meet you. I like your pool.”
“Great. I’m glad. No one really uses it,” Melissa laughed.
“Really?” Lily asked astounded. “I’m going to swim every day,” she declared.
“She’s beautiful,” Melissa said.
“Thank you,” Ettie said.
Roy kissed Melissa and Ettie concentrated on her plate.
“Want some pizza?” Roy asked.
Melissa wrinkled her nose.
“No I ate at my meeting. I’m going to go take a shower. Welcome Ettie. I hope you make yourself at home,” she said. “Roy can I talk to you alone for a moment,” she added.
Roy followed Melissa out of the kitchen.
He was gone for a few minutes and when he returned he seemed upset.
“Is everything okay?” Ettie asked.
“Yes,” he replied but Ettie could tell he was lying. She silently wondered what was bothering him.
After pizza Lily asked if she could watch television and Ettie gave her permission.
“I’ll clean up before I go back to the guesthouse,” she said.
“You don’t have to do that,” Roy protested.
“I don’t mind,” Ettie said. “I do this all the time at home,” she insisted.
Melissa came into the kitchen at that moment. She looked stunning in a red cocktail gown. Ettie suddenly felt very plain.
“I just came to say goodbye,” she announced.
“Melissa has a work function,” Roy said tight lipped.
“Yes, Roy was supposed to come with me but he didn’t want to leave you alone on your first night,” Melissa said sharply.
“Oh no. I’m fine,” she said to Roy. “If you have a previous engagement, please don’t miss it for me. Us staying here is not meant to disrupt your life.”
“I didn’t know there was a party until thirty minutes ago, so no you’re not disrupting anything.”
Melissa looked at him coldly.
“Well I’m leaving now. Ettie again make yourself at home,” she said turning on her heels.
Ettie suddenly felt very uncomfortable and was beginning to understand why Roy was upset earlier. She turned back to the dishes, her face flushed.
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Roy said quietly.
Ettie turned to him, biting her lip. She didn’t know exactly how to respond to him.
“I should go check on Lily,” she said finally.
“Yes. Of course. I’ll be in the den if you need me,” he said, a sad smile on his face.
Roy sat in the den his hands in his head. Melissa had asked him to go to a networking party. In a way he thought she knew he would say no. What he didn’t expect was for her to still go without him. What was happening between them? Melissa was so distant. She was always working. They didn’t even talk anymore. She was always preoccupied lately. Her first priority was always work and never him. It wasn’t even about the baby all the time. Just everyday conversations. She seemed annoyed with him. About every little thing. There was this chasm between them and he wasn’t exactly sure how to fix it.
Melissa still hadn’t returned several hours later. It was almost midnight. He went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water when a movement caught his eye. It was Ettie. She was sitting by the pool, her back to him, dipping her feet in the water. He walked outside.
“Hi,” he said.
She jumped.
“Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Roy said sitting beside her.
“Mom and Lily are sleeping. I couldn’t sleep,” she said as way of an explanation.
“I couldn’t sleep either,” he said sliding off his shoes and dipping his feet in as well.
“Is Melissa back?” Ettie asked. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean…”
“It’s okay. And no she isn’t. These network things could go on for hours,” he replied.
“I’m sorry you didn’t go. Seriously you don’t have to obligate yourself to us. We can take care of ourselves,” she said.
“Can I tell you a secret Ettie?” Roy asked.
“Sure.”
“I hate those things. You actually saved me,” Roy chuckled. “I only go to galas because my father insists. If I had it my way I would rather be here. Teaching my son to swim,” he said with his million dollar smile.
Ettie swallowed.
“I’ve never been a party type of woman myself,” Ettie added.
“No. I didn’t think you were. So are you comfortable? Do you need anything?” he asked.
“Yes. Thank you. Everything is fine. I just have trouble sleeping in a new place.”
“Thank you for doing this. It was a lot to ask.”
“I understand. And in a way it’s good for Lily. She has been bugging me to teach her how to swim.”
“She’s a great kid. She reminds me of you in many ways. Not just that she looks like you, but her feisty spirit,” Roy said.
Ettie smiled. They sat in silence for a while, just enjoying the peace and the company.
“Ettie,” Roy said after a while. “Do you want a Roy Gardner famous midnight snack?” he asked.
“Well that depends,” she laughed, “what is it?”
Roy jumped up and helped Ettie to her feet.
“It’s a secret,” he said winking.
Ettie sat at the counter while Roy went about making them something to eat. His famous midnight snack turned out to be grilled peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches, complete with two frothy glasses of chocolate milk. They had a great conversation. Ettie teased him about his choice of snack and admitted she thought it would be some fancy contraption with truffles or some other ridiculous ingredient. He jokingly called her a snob. They were eating and laughing when Melissa unexpectedly was standing in the doorway.
“Mel,” Roy exclaimed. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I just got back,” she responded.
Ettie smiled at her, she didn’t return the gesture.
“We were just having a snack. Neither of us could sleep,” Roy said.
Ettie cleared her throat. She suddenly felt very awkward.
“Thank you again. Goodnight Roy. Melissa,” she said making her way back to the guesthouse.
“Do you want a bite?” Roy asked Melissa.
“No. I’m tired. I’m going to bed,” she said.
“How was the party?” Roy asked.
“Fine,” she replied. “Are you coming?” she asked.
“Yes. Just let me clean up first.”
“Ellen will get it in the morning,” Melissa said pointedly.
“Okay,” Roy said putting the dishes in the sink.
He followed Melissa upstairs but not before turning towards the guesthouse. Goodnight Ettie, he thought to himself.
Roy laid in bed waiting for Melissa to get out of the shower. She sat on the bed applying lotion naked. He loved these little moments. She threw on a simple lavender nightie and slipped in beside him.
“So did you get any new client’s?” Roy asked.
“Yes. I’m meeting with one of the owners of The Dalton group tomorrow for dinner,” she replied.
“Another meeting?” Roy asked sighing.
Melissa looked at him coldly.
“What?” she asked.
“I thought we had plans to go to dinner at the club,” he said.
“Well why don’t you just take Ettie,” Melissa snapped.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Roy questioned.
“You guys looked pretty cozy earlier,” she said pointedly.
“Seriously Mel? We were having a snack. Neither of us could sleep. Stop being ridiculous.”
“She’s very beautiful,” Melissa retorted.
“You’re very beautiful,” Roy said. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“Nothing is going on,” Melissa said avoiding his gaze.
“Mel I know you. What’s bothering you? You’ve never been a jealous person. You’re pulling away from me and I don’t know why. We need to fix this. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Nothing is wrong Roy. I’m just tired and snappy. I’m sorry,” she said.
They both didn’t say anything for the rest of the night. As Roy lay beside Melissa he could tell that she was having trouble sleeping too. Whatever was bothering her he hoped that she could confide in him.
The next morning was a lazy Sunday. Ettie, still feeling awkward about last night, didn’t want to go up to the main house. She decided to make breakfast in the guesthouse instead. Roy didn’t come looking for her and she wondered if he felt awkward as well. Andrea wasn’t feeling well and stayed in her room watching television with Lily. Ettie explored her new living area. There was a bookshelf with worn books, they were not just for decoration. Someone had read these. She ran her finger along the spines trying to find something interesting. She settled on The Alchemist and sat down to read. At some point she had fallen asleep. The knocking on the door roused her. She yawned and went to open the door. It was Melissa.
“Hello,” she said.
“Hi,” Melissa said. “May I come in?”
“Of course,” Ettie said opening the door wider and taking a step back.
“I was just checking on you. Roy is at the club playing golf,” she said a weird expression on her face.
“Oh,” was all Ettie could muster.
“I was just wondering if you would be coming for dinner. I wasn’t sure what you guys liked. Ellen is off and I’m not a great cook. I can order something,” she added.
“My mother isn’t feeling well so I was just going to make something simple. You and Roy are welcome to join us if you’d like,” Ettie said.
“I have an event for work so I won’t be here. I’m leaving in a few minutes. But please don’t go to any trouble. I can text Roy and tell him to eat at the club.”
“That’s fine,” Ettie said.
“Okay well I just wanted to see how you were doing. Please call me if you need anything. I can be back in twenty minutes,” Melissa said.
“Thank you Melissa,” Ettie said smiling.
“Thank you Ettie,” Melissa said smiling sadly, closing the door behind her.
Ettie made a simple meal of baked chicken and vegetables. As usual, Andrea barely ate. After dinner Lily was watching television with her grandmother while Andrea snored quietly. Ettie spent the night thinking, she wondered why Melissa had looked so sad and hoped that she wasn’t the reason. She vowed to avoid Roy as much as possible. Their conversation was innocent but she remembered the look on Melissa's face when she had come home and found them in the kitchen together. She was regretting coming here.
The next few weeks were better. Melissa and Roy were usually busy all week at work. That meant Ettie could feign exhaustion by the time he got home. It was the weekends that were the problem. She fixed that too, and although she felt bad about leaving Andrea alone, she found loads of stuff to do with Lily close by that wasn’t swimming. Andrea didn’t mind. She liked sitting by the pool reading a good book. She too had found the collection and was a much faster reader than Ettie. And of course Lily didn’t protest, she had all week to swim and while Ettie retreated to the guesthouse Roy came home to help Lily. Several times she caught herself peeking out the window, enjoying how great he was with Lily. Still she resisted the urge to join them. The only problem was that Melissa was barely home too and Ettie didn’t want to be caught in another awkward situation like the last time.
She felt bad for leaving Roy to his own devices. She thought he might have figured out what she was doing by the sad looks her gave her every time he saw her. She couldn’t avoid him altogether as Melissa and Ellen had invited them to several dinners. Still she made it a point not to be left alone with him. She had to admit though she missed their conversations and their lunches. It was crazy how much you could miss someone who was right there.
Then on one of her doctor visits she found herself alone with him once again. She had started to feel the baby more often and when Dr. Blue asked she had avoided looking at Roy. He looked at her strangely though and she knew he was wondering why she didn’t share the news with him. After the appointment, she thought he would head straight back to the office after dropping her back to the house but instead he turned in the opposite direction.
“Where are we going?” Ettie asked more sharply than she intended.
“The Mexican cantina. We haven’t been there in a while would you like to go somewhere else?” he asked.
“Oh. I thought we were heading back to the house,” Ettie said.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Roy inquired.
“No,” Ettie said as her stomach grumbled betraying her.
She couldn’t help it, she laughed.
“Okay, maybe just a little.”
They had a delicious meal and great conversation. They talked about the baby and about Lily. Roy said he was so proud of her for being such a quick learner at swimming. He wanted to teach her tennis when she showed an interest in his rackets and Ettie agreed that he could. They talked about the books Ettie was reading. She found out that they were Roy’s, Melissa had banned the worn copies from the main house. She wanted the library to look more polished. Secretly Ettie thought the worn books were warmer, less clinical, but kept the opinion to herself.
Halfway through lunch she felt the baby kick and allowed Roy to feel. It took some time but finally he felt it. There were tears in his eyes when he looked up at Ettie in awe. His face was inches from her and the way he looked at her made the rest of the world disappear. Roy suddenly cleared his throat and pulled his hand away. Ettie suspected the moment had affected him just as much as it her. They sat in the restaurant for hours and only realized when Roy got a call from his secretary asking if he would be coming back. He told her no, which made Ettie oddly happy. When it was time for the check however, an unexpected wave of sadness hit her. It must have shown on her face.
“Is everything okay?” Roy asked concern in his voice.
“Yes I’m fine. Heartburn,” Ettie lied.
The truth was she was enjoying herself too much. She missed these moments and she was sad that it was ending. The ride home was quiet. Roy had sensed a change in Ettie and he was lost in his own thoughts. When they arrived back, Ettie thanked him for lunch and retreated back to her room. Roy seemed to avoid her the next few days as much as she avoided him except for the occasional cordial conversation at dinner. On Saturday Melissa was at another function. Ettie, who had gotten herself and Lily dressed, made lunch for Andrea and was ready to head to the local park, opened the door to Roy who had been about to knock.
“Hello,” she said shyly.
“Hi,” he said. “I was wondering if I could take you and Lily out. The fair is in town,” he explained.
“Oh. We were heading to the park,” Ettie replied.
Lily who had been standing behind her was quick to intervene.
“Mom! The fair! Can we please go? I love the fair. Please, please, please?” she begged.
Ettie bit her lip and looked at Roy who was struggling to hide a mischievous grin. She rolled her eyes and grinned back.
“Yes. I suppose,” she said.
They had an amazing time at the fair. They ate everything in sight from candy apples to cotton candy, funnel cakes and hot dogs. Lily got on every ride that she was tall enough for, the kid was fearless. Ettie couldn’t ride anything, being pregnant so she watched Roy and Lily from the sides. Roy won a giant panda for Lily on the ring toss and small purple dog for Ettie. They were enjoying themselves immensely when they walked up to one of the stalls that had a 'guess how many jelly beans' raffle. Lily insisted on entering. Her guess was way off until Roy whispered in her ear. She giggled and wrote the number down on the slip of paper.
“You have a beautiful daughter,” the lady at the booth said smiling.
Ettie was about to correct her when Roy thanked her instead. As he was writing down his guess the lady turned to Ettie.
“Do you know what you’re having?” she asked.
“A boy,” Ettie said automatically.
“Wonderful,” the lady replied. “The perfect family.”
Ettie smiled but inside her something cut deep like a sharp knife. No they weren’t the perfect family. In three months she would have to stop stealing glimpses of a borrowed perfect life and give up her son. Her son with Roy. Not my son, she reminded herself. Roy was quiet after the jelly bean stall. She knew why. Their situation wasn’t one that you could easily explain to strangers. Around that time, Lily began to yawn. Worn out from the day. They decided to head back home. She was soon fast asleep in the car. Ettie feigned sleep too so she could avoid conversation with Roy while soft rock played softly. When they got home Roy carried Lily back to the guesthouse. Ettie carried the panda. He laid Lily on the bed when she suddenly woke up. She hugged him tightly, surprising him and Ettie.
“Thank you,” she said. “I had so much fun,” before yawning and drifting back to sleep.
Roy kissed her lightly on her forehead.
“I did too kid,” he whispered.
Ettie was standing in the doorway when he looked up, a peculiar look on her face. She walked him to the door.
“Thank you,” she repeated. “This was a really great day for her.”
“For all of us,” he said. “Goodnight Ettie.”
“Goodnight Roy,” she said before closing the door behind him. She leaned heavily against it. Against her better judgment, she was falling in love with Roy Gardner.