The Davonshire Series 2: Loving Words (13 page)

The family only stayed a few days after the holiday.  The following morning, David’s horse transporter showed up and loaded Sir Galahad, Morgana, and Lancelot to be taken to the airport and flown to wine country.  Khalea and her brood headed off to Hermosillo and Willie stayed on an extra day before donning the Vanity Devons persona and heading back to her world.

Conchetta returned after the family left as a proud grandmother, showing off photos of her new grand bambino.  Elsie whispered to Wilfred, “I think you were bamboozled. That baby looks like it is 3 months old.  I think she just didn’t want to cook and clean up after your family.”  Elsie raised her eyebrows at him, nodding her head as if she had just spoken a universal truth.

Wilfred didn’t seem amused.  As each day passed, he seemed to smile less and less.  Elsie attempted to lighten his mood.

“Hey, boss, I really like this one manuscript, but it needs some serious tweaking,” she told him as she rounded his desk and stood beside him.  Close, but not touching.

“I have made a few adjustments.  For example, this paragraph here would flow much better if it was rephrased with an active voice, and it could provide some foreshadowing for the impending death of the main character,” she looked at him, but his face was taut.

“You are in my personal space, Elsie,” was all he said.  Elsie stepped back, apologizing profusely.

“The rewrite works.  Close my door on your way out,” he said dismissively.

Elsie only provided an uncomfortable smile as she left his office and was careful to stay out of his way for the rest of the day.  A few days later, the golf carts Wilfred had purchased for Elsie and Rod arrived.  Elsie was excited and changed her office hours to ten to six, which helped in limiting the amount of time she and Wilfred were forced into each other’s company.  Wilfred’s facial expressions had now turned into almost a grimace.

The change was noticed by many, including White Bear, who hoped Will and Elsie were moving further apart, but in doing so, his boss was not happy.  Elsie was fixated on her individual projects, focusing more on taking the lead on the new authors who had been signed to the new eBook division.  In between, she was working on the project she was hired to do and writing.  Friday night movies were still in play, but she noticed Wilfred was starting to withdraw a bit.

Three weeks after the cookout, she noticed the tension in her boss even during morning yoga.  He was well aware she knew he was W.E. Devons, but confused as to why she had yet to address it. 
What is she up to?  Any day now she is going to turn psycho on me.  I can just feel it.
 His sour mood had seeped not only into the days, but also everyone’s spirit.

After dinner, she looked at Wilfred sitting in the corner scowling.  Elsie rose and grabbed the keys to the Jeep.  “Hey, boss man, come with me.”  Wilfred frowned like a kid not wanting to take out the trash in the dark. 

“Where are we going?” he asked as he rose slowly from the oversized chair.

Elsie gave him a huge smile, her eyes twinkling with mischief.  “Do you trust me?”

He shook his head, “No, not really,” and started to take a few steps backwards.  Elsie giggled, and grabbed his arm, careful not to make contact with his flesh.

“Stop being silly and climb in, you are going to like this,” she told him as she opened the driver’s side door of the Jeep and climbed in.  She positioned herself behind the wheel and started the truck, and they headed out towards Sierra Vista. 

There was no way for him to hide his surprise when they pulled up in front of the Cinemark Theaters at the Sierra Vista Mall.  She looked at him as she parked the vehicle.  “Stay here, I’ll be right back.”  She trotted up to the window and purchased two tickets to whatever was showing next.  Elsie lazily walked back to the truck, grabbed his cowboy hat from the seat, and stuck it on his head, pushing it down over his forehead.  She smiled at him.  “I’m treating you to a movie with popcorn, sugary candy, and even a ginger ale.  Let’s go see a movie, boss.”

He could not remember the last time he had been to an actual movie.  Wilfred felt almost childlike with the small bag of popcorn and the box of Raisinets.  It was an odd moment of surrealism that brought back his smile and some of his trust in Elsie.

The movie was loud and in your face and made no apologies for its lack of plot and bad acting.  What the movie did have was lots of explosions, half naked women, and gratuitous violence.  Wilfred loved all two and a half hours of the nonsense.  Elsie was the first to comment, “That movie had no plot, just a lot of explosions and T and A.”

“Yes, and I loved every minute of it.”  That started a heated conversation that lasted all the way to the back porch.

“I don’t care, Will.  Everything is over-sexualized to the point that intimacy has been replaced with minutes of self-gratification with no substance,” she told him.

Wilfred was excited about their interchange and loved that she was disagreeing with him.  “You can find substance in anything you wish to, Elsie.  Even that movie, with its lack of plot, was a character-driven work about survival and redemption.  In the end, that is all most people want, to be forgiven so they can move forward with their lives.”

“Is that what you need to move forward with your life, Will, forgiveness?”

He stood in the kitchen, staring at her, knowing the answer but afraid his words would give away too much. “No, I need something else.  Good night, Elsie.”

It was after eleven when they finally entered the house, and his mood had improved. He found himself stimulated by her words and pondered her responses for several days.  Her rejoinders had brought back the joy of sharing his day-to-day existence with her.

The next two weeks went much more smoothly and everyone noticed the difference in Wilfred.  David had called the house and no one was around to answer the phone, so Elsie grabbed the office line.

“Hey, Elsie, I’m just touching base.  Is there anything you guys need down there?” David asked, and at first she was uncertain, then an idea came to mind.

“I am making Will pork chops on Thursday and this weekend, I may grill some duck breast.  Could you possibly send a few bottles of wine?”  It must have been the right thing to say.  She could almost hear David swelling up with pride through the phone as he went over some vintages that he had recently discovered.  “I will get those shipped to you right away, Elsie,” he said, but got quiet.

“Thank you,” he said softly.

“For what, David?” she asked unclear of why he was thanking her.

“I guess for just being you,” and he hung up.

 The wine arrived the next day via overnight shipment and instead of whole wheat pasta, which she absolutely hated on Wednesday, she made pork chops for dinner with sautéed spinach and rice pilaf.  She opened one of the bottles of wine.  “Compliments of David and Halley,” she told them as she poured glasses for Rod and Jaelon, even allowing Gianni to have half a glass.  Rita tapped at the door to drop off a manuscript that no one was working on and seated herself at the table. 

“May I have some of that wine, Elsie?” she asked, but was looking at Rod.  The expression on Will’s face was comical and Elsie had to turn her head to keep from laughing. Rita had a crush on Rod.

After dinner, with everyone seated on the patio, a group discussion ensued over
Loving Words—
the winner of the contest.  Jaelon was adamant as they discussed the main character in the book, “I find it unrealistic that a woman so smart could be so dumb in her decision making.”

Elsie said nothing for a minute, but decided to address the statement. “Jaelon, there is nothing more debilitating than making a critical life choice and choosing the wrong man.  It will make you forever question your judgment about every man you come in contact with.”

Elsie sipped at the wine.  “One bad choice can change you forever.”  Jaelon’s hand went to the scar on her face.  It was none of Elsie’s business what had happened to the girl, and in time she hoped to find out. Tonight, was not that time.

It also was a good excuse to call it a night.  She was uncertain if she had said too much, and she used it as a reason to call it an evening.

“Good night, boss,” she told Wilfred and headed to her room.

Elsie couldn’t sleep.  It was 1:30 in the morning. She was hot, hungry, and restless.  It was still uncertain to her what a swamp cooler was, but hers must have been broken. She preferred an old fashioned air conditioner, because this was miserable. The worn thin cotton gown that she’d owned since college only seemed to make her hotter and she needed to get up.

Her idea was to slip downstairs to grab an apple and head back to her room.  She looked at the robe on the bed and figured everyone would be asleep, so she did not bother to put it on.  She tiptoed down the front stairs, making her way to the kitchen.  The apples had been on the counter and she figured that because of the insane August heat, Conchetta had placed them in the fridge.  She opened the sub-zero door and bent over inside to pull an apple from the crisper when she heard a yell, or rather a grunt, “What the hell are you doing?”

Startled, she turned and found Wilfred standing on the other side of the counter.  She jumped, placing her hand to her chest.  “Will, you scared the bejeezus out of me.  What are you even doing up?”

“What are you doing out of your room improperly attired?”  His face was turning red and he was getting very angry with her.  Fear had frozen her in place and she was praying that he didn’t raise his hand to her or fire her.

It didn’t dawn on her that she was still standing inside the fridge door, unaware that her threadbare nightgown was translucent.  Wilfred was able to see all of her feminine glory.  He could not help but notice her full natural breasts.  The coolness of the fridge had hardened the nipples, which strained against the worn material.  The extra weight that had surrounded her waist when she arrived was now almost gone.  There was definition in her abdomen, which was smooth with an outie belly button.  Well-formed, generous hips that were uncovered by underwear revealed an all-natural woman which caused his body to react.  There were no stupid patterns, landing strips, or a clean shaven area. It was full, untrimmed and calling his name.  And those thighs. 
Thighs that could control a powerful animal with just a squeeze.  I want to be squeezed.  Squeeze me and control me, Elsie.

“Will, are you okay?” The look on his face was strained, causing Elsie a moment of concern.

“No, I am not okay!  You were told to never leave your room unless you are fully clothed, and here you stand, in a see-through nightgown!”

Elsie realized she was still standing in the fridge and quickly stepped aside and closed the door.  “I’m so sorry.  I didn’t think anyone was awake.  I’m headed back to my room.”

“You’re sorry?  Sorry?”

Elsie was taken aback by the intensity of his anger. “Boss, I said I was sorry.”  She started towards the stairs.  “It’s not that big of a deal.  I won’t let it happen again.”

But to him it was a big deal and based on what was filling his pants, it was getting bigger by the moment.

“Dammit!  It is a big deal!  And you have no right to prance around this house in that and think it’s ok!”

“Will, I didn’t think anyone was up.  Gianni is asleep and it’s not as if you’re interested in any of this anyway,” she said as she turned to go towards the stairs, but he growled at her.  Literally growled.

His eyes became extremely wide, but he remained standing where he was.  Through tight lips, he spat out the words, “And how did you arrive at that conclusion?”

“Because you’re gay!”  She had said it out loud and proud that she knew it.  “I’m okay with that– it’s your choice,” she said with confidence and feeling, showing him she accepted him as he was.  The elephant in the room had just trumpeted and she put her hands on her hips and stood her ground in defense of her newfound power.  Her power only lasted three seconds because he stepped out from behind the kitchen island and pointed to the largest erection Elsie had ever seen.

“Does this look like I’m fucking gay?”

Her mouth dropped at the size of his need.  She looked down at herself and realized he could actually see through her gown.  She dropped the apple while attempting to cover her breasts as well as the total realization that she wasn’t wearing underwear. She picked up the apple and tried to cover
there
. She futilely attempted to throw her arms across her breast and dropped the apple again.  When she bent over to pick up the apple, she realized she had given him a bird’s eye view of her…”Oh Dear Jesus!” She couldn’t figure out where to place her hands or what to do next.  Elsie turned to run.