Chapter Twenty-Five
Noah
The next morning, I woke up early. Jess was still asleep next to me. Memories from the night before flooded my brain. Jess’s soft, silky skin felt good under my fingers as we made love on the beach. That had been something unexpected for me. I had so much more to learn about Jess. Her wild side had contrasted with her sweet self a few times since I knew her, especially when it came to our sexual encounters. I’d never felt so passionate around anyone, not even Wendy. I loved Wendy, but Jess was different. She was perfect for me at this time in my life. Being with her made our little family complete.
I watched Jess gently breathe in and out for several minutes before I slipped out of bed. I quietly put on pants and a shirt and headed out into the hallway. I started the coffee and was surprised that Chloe was still asleep. Though knowing Gina, the older woman was probably exhausted after spending the entire night with a chocolate-fueled three-year-old.
I checked the refrigerator for milk when an idea came into my mind. Since Chloe was a bad flier—something she informed us about on the ride home from the airport—she most likely wasn’t going to visit us anytime soon. So, to thank her for her hospitality toward me and Gina, I decided to make everyone an American breakfast as a slight gesture for everything she’d done for us this trip.
I just started cracking the eggs before I heard a door open behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Gina coming into the kitchen.
“Morning, Daddy,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “I didn’t hear you leave the room.”
“I, uh—I didn’t want to wake you, honey.” Jess and I still hadn’t told Gina of our new arrangement. I was risking her catching us by staying in Jess’s room, but after last night, Jess and I were closer than ever, and I wasn’t willing to leave her side quite yet after we got home last night.
“Whatcha doing?” she asked, climbing up onto one of the kitchen chairs.
“I’m making breakfast for everyone; want to help?”
“Yeah!” she exclaimed.
I shushed her, and she slapped a hand over her mouth, and she slowly turned around toward the hallway.
“Bring your chair over,” I said. “You can whisk the eggs.”
While I had to correct Gina’s whisking methods a few times, she was able to complete the task with little mess.
Chloe came into the room shortly after. “What is this?”
“It’s a small token of my appreciation for everything you’ve done for us.”
She placed a hand on her chest. “Well, it’s that sweet. It’s me who should thank you for getting my daughter down here and all that.”
The toast popped up from the toaster, and I started to butter them so they would melt and remain soft until we all sat down.
“Can I help ya?” Chloe asked.
“No!” Gina said, firmly. “You should sit.”
I smirked. “You can help yourself to some coffee.”
Chloe wagged her finger at Gina, and my daughter squealed with delight. I had done the same gesture before I tickled her. She assumed a tickle was coming from Chloe too.
“If you would allow it, chef, I can squeeze some fresh orange juice.”
“I love orange juice,” Gina said. “Can I help?”
“You can watch,” Chloe said. “The juice press loves to eat little fingers.”
Chloe pretended to eat Gina’s fingers, and she giggled. The two of them set up on the opposite counter, and Chloe started cutting up oranges.
When the breakfast was plated and ready to be served, Jess still hadn’t emerged from the bedroom. I put everything on the table and excused myself to go get her. I had the urge to be in her general vicinity at that very moment. Last night was wild, and my attachment to her had grown immensely. I hoped to make her a permanent fixture in my life when we returned to the States. And since Gina loved Jess so much, I didn’t think my daughter would have a problem with our new arrangements.
When I opened the door to the bedroom, Jess was sitting up in bed.
“Morning,” I said and sneaked a kiss on her lips.
“Morning,” she said, raking her fingers through her hair. “Did Mom cook again?”
“No,” I said. “I did.”
“You did?”
“Yes, now hurry up before it gets cold.”
Jess pulled the sheets aside. She’d slept in the same oversized t-shirt from the previous night. After our beach escapade, we were exhausted when we got home, and she pulled on the first thing she saw.
I went back out into the kitchen and Jess was close behind.
“Mornin’, sleepyhead,” Chloe said.
“Mornin’,” Jess returned.
Jess ruffled Gina’s hair before sitting down. “This looks great, Noah.”
“It does, but it’s the last time you commandeer my kitchen, love,” Chloe said.
I placed my napkin on my lap. “Duly noted.”
Gina dug into her meal first, and the rest of us followed.
“Did you two have fun last night?” Jess asked.
“The s’mores were so good!” Gina said.
“I had to limit the little one to two. Though I was sure she’d have the entire lot,” Chloe said. “How was dinner?”
Jess and I looked at each other. Her eyes sparkled.
“It was exquisite,” I said. “Thanks for the recommendation.”
“Did you do anything afterward?” Chloe asked.
Gina looked at Jess expectantly. “We walked on the beach. It was a beautiful night.”
“I bet that was romantic,” Chloe said.
Jess’s eyes narrowed at her mother.
“I can’t believe we’re leaving tomorrow,” Jess said in an effort to shift the conversation.
I nodded in agreement. “I had such a good time, though.”
“Me too,” Gina said, chomping on a piece of toast.
“I’m glad you did,” Chloe said. “Maybe it will help you return sooner rather than later.” Chloe darted a look to Jess.
Jess didn’t say anything. She either ignored the look or hadn’t seen it. I knew their relationship was changing so I had a sense that she hadn’t seen it. Withdrawing into herself was Jess’s way of dealing with things.
“I was thinking of taking Gina to the beach this morning for one last time,” I said. “How about you two spend some time together today?” Even though it pained me to be away from Jess, I wanted her and Chloe to part with some good memories. And have the opportunity to finish hashing out their issues.
“I wanted to go to the Farmer’s Market if you wanted to come?” Chloe asked Jess. “It’s nothing fancy, but everything is fresh, and the people are friendly. I wanted to introduce you to some of my friends. Other than pictures, they don’t believe me that I have a daughter.”
“That sounds good,” Jess said and gave me an appreciative look. Over the past week, I started to realize that Chloe’s digs weren’t really digs at all. Her personality made her blunt and sometimes without tact. But at least she was consistent. I hoped the time alone would help draw the two of them together so when we returned home, they would have a better relationship than before.
At the beach, Gina and I built another sandcastle. She was very precise in how she filled the buckets and slowly turned them over to form the perfect structures. Several times, my mind wandered, and I found myself staring out at the ocean, trying to hold onto these moments with Gina. These little snapshots of our time together weren’t going to continue when we got home. My vacation had come at a strange time for work, and I had a lot to make up for when we got back. I briefly glanced at my emails that morning and saw they had doubled in number since the last time I’d checked. I’d quickly closed my laptop and shoved that out of my mind. It wasn’t something I normally did, but I wanted to be in the present with Gina and Jess for one more day.
“Daddy!” Gina’s voice broke through my thoughts.
“Yes, honey?” I said, smiling over at her.
She made a show of rolling her eyes. “You’re doing it again.”
She’d already caught drifting off into my own head twice that morning.
“Sorry,” I said, patting down the sand in the bucket in front of me.
“I wish we could be together like this all the time,” she said.
“Me too,” I said, flipping over the bucket and slowly lifting it from the ground. “But you know that when we get home, I do have to catch up on work.”
“I know,” she said.
“You do know I work this much so we can have everything we want.”
Gina sighed. “I know. Sometimes I really miss you though.”
“I always miss you,” I said, rubbing her cheek. “And one day, we’ll be together as much as we were on this vacation.”
Her eyes lit up. “Promise?”
“Promise,” I said, and I hoped I wouldn’t break my word. I’d figure something out.
Later that day, Gina and I returned home in time for tea. Well, in my case, coffee. I never liked the taste of tea, no matter how many different combinations I tried.
Chloe and Jess were already on the porch chatting when we arrived.
“You two look like you had fun,” Jess said, putting down her mug.
Gina raced over to her. “We did! Look at all the shells I got!”
After building our castle, Gina and I walked along the surf and collected all the “pretty” shells. They spilled over the top of the bucket, and I wondered if we’d left any of them on the beach.
“Those are lovely,” Jess said, looking into the bucket. “I like this purple one.”
“I got that one for you,” Gina said.
“You did?”
“Uh huh!”
Chloe stood up and patted the seat where she just got up from. “Take a seat, and I’ll get you some coffee.”
I sat next to Jess while Gina sorted through her shells on the front lawn.
“I’m really going to miss this place,” I said.
Jess nodded. “Yeah, I forgot how calm it is here. And the people aren’t running about as much as in the city.”
“It’s definitely different,” I noted.
Chloe returned and handed me a mug of coffee.
“Thank you,” I said.
Chloe looked over her shoulder and then sat down on the chair next to us. “For my own curiosities, what are you two? Do you have a label for it yet?”
I shot a look at Gina, but she was too far away from us to hear.
“Mom,” Jess warned.
Chloe shrugged. “Your relationship has progressed in the short time you’ve been here. I want to know that when you leave, my daughter is properly cared for.”
“She—” I started, but Jess silenced me by saying, “Noah, don’t answer that. She’s got her nose where it doesn’t belong.”
Chloe scoffed. “Is it so wrong to have my daughter open up to me?”
“You could have asked me, Mom. Me. You’re making this awkward for everyone now.”
Jess stormed away from us and went to Gina. “Gina, how about a bath before supper?”
She helped Gina put all the shells away into her bucket and took my daughter’s hand, shuffling her inside. She didn’t glance our way, but her jaw was set.
When they disappeared inside, I turned to Chloe. I could have said something to her about her question, but it made me think too. I knew I wanted Jess in my life, but I hadn’t thought much of the logistics of our future together. I wanted us to be more than just nanny and employer, but I wasn’t sure how to make that leap.
Chloe didn’t push the issue, knowing that Jess apparently didn’t want to talk about it. But with our daughters out of earshot, discussing this wouldn’t help anything. Jess explicitly avoided the question, but why?