Chapter 15 *
Jeff silently cursed to himself as he rolled over and saw the time on the clock. He had not wanted to sleep this late-what ever happened to Matt calling anyway? Oh well, he grumbled to himself as he made his way into the shower-better late than never. It felt so good to just let the warm water rush over his sore muscles, if he wasn't careful he'd let the water run until it turned cold on it's own, but then that wasn't such a good idea considering the water bill. Getting out reluctantly, he hastily dried off and threw on some old jeans and pulled back his wet locks in a bandanna. After a small breakfast, he made his way to he back room and opened up all the windows-the paint fumes needed a way to escape. He retrieved his portable cd player from the closet and threw in something mellow. Taping up the trim around the windows, doorways, and floors, he wondered what kind of progress she was making on the decorating of her own home. He was curious as to the designs and colors she must have chosen. He could picture the two of them arguing over it and ending up splitting the house in half. Who had helped them unload the furniture? He sincerely hoped they weren't trying to do it alone.
The phone interrupted his reverie and he ran to answer it.
"Hey bro, whatcha doing?"
"Man, I thought you were going to call me this morning-do you know how much time I lost sleeping in?"
"I'm not your alarm clock, you're a big boy now! Do you need me for anything yet?"
"Nah man I'm just painting and its kind of peaceful-do you mind if I do this solo for now?" "No problem, I understand. I'm going to call Amy and see if she wants to go to the gym-if you need me-call the cell."
"Ok, will do. Thanks." Jeff hung up and returned to the task at hand.
A couple hours later, he had finished the yard work. In order to let the paint dry and not suffocate on the fumes any more than necessary he had gone outside to re-do some of the trimming and mulching. An added bonus was that the more time he spent outside the better his tan got-no sense spending money on it when you could get it for free. Inside the house, he made his way to the master bathroom to shower again and noticed the message light flashing on the machine. He pressed play and heard his brother's voice.
"Hey Jeff, Amy and I are done at the gym and Amy wants to go see Kirsten- she feels like having one of those "girls nights out" so I am going to drop her off after she gets done cleaning up. Call me if you want to go along for the ride." Curiosity having got the better of him, he called Matt back and they settled on a time for him to be ready. He took his time showering and even touched up his designs with his razor. He dried his hair and pulled it back in a ponytail. Not sure what state they would find them in, he decided not to over do it on the clothing-jeans and a white tee would be sufficient. Just remember not to rub up against the walls-in either house. He was slipping his watch over his wrist as he heard Matt's horn in the drive. Jeff snatched his keys from the counter and double checked the lock before closing the door and descending down the porch.
Monique and Kirsten had spent the entire morning field daying the areas of the house they had no plans to improve upon. The spare room now contained all the boxes that were not essential for the time being. They had re- assembled Nicole's bed and set up her room so that she would feel as at home as possible when she finally got there. Her toys, were accessible, her books in alphabetical order and so were her movies. The child had a collection large enough to run her own video rental store. Her stuffed animals were neatly strung from the ceiling by a chain. Her brand new sheets and curtains freshly cleaned and smelling of fabric softener. The glow in the dark stars were a pain in the neck to put up-but they looked good. The kitchen and bathrooms were the next on the list. Since Dad was coming they wanted the rooms he needed access to suitable for use. They had gone grocery shopping and were waiting on the telephone company. The den needed new wallpaper so the two were immersed in glue when the doorbell rang.
"Gee I wonder who that could be?" Kirsten ventured a silent guess and in a split second had the door open. There stood their father and Nicole. Kirsten could barely hug their father before Nicole was hanging on her leg and yelling "I saw you, I saw you with blue hair." Monique arrived just in time to rescue Kirsten from the barrage of questions that were bound to come next.
"Hey punkin-how about a hug for me?"
"Momma!" Nicole promptly let go of her aunt and ran into her mother's waiting arms.
"I missed you!"
Moni thought she was going to cry, "And I you-did you have fun with your Dad?"
Nicole nodded yes but her attention span was drawn to the sight of her things set up in her room. She ran into it and soon all anyone heard was the inevitable mess being made.
The girls helped their father get the luggage into the house and got him settled in the recliner with some iced tea. They took a break and pelted him with questions about the goings on back home. Just as the discussion turned to thoughts of what to make or order for dinner the door bell rang again. This time the girls really didn't know who it could have been. Needless to say, they were shocked when standing on the other side was Amy with Matt and Jeff in tow.
Amy spoke first, seeing the shock on both their faces "Hey, I hope we didn't catch you at a bad time-I wanted to have a girls' night out and came to see if you were interested"
Kirsten said "Hi, this is a surprise, please come in and excuse the mess- it's still a national disaster area here." Monique involuntarily stuck a finger in her mouth and began chewing its nail. What the? How's this for timing? Dad, wondering what was taking them so long, appeared in the foyer causing the need for immediate introductions. Monique gestured to the three saying "Dad, this is Amy, Jeff and Matt. Some very nice people we met the other night. Guys this is our Dad." After the appropriate shaking of hands Kirsten guided everyone into the living room.
Monique decided to get this over with-"Amy your invitation sounds really tempting, but I'm afraid I can't go, I'm sure Kirsten would like a night on the town-she can be my eyes and ears this time so to speak. I'd like to stay here with Dad, seeing as how he just got here."
"I understand that completely." Amy said turning to Kirsten "Do you think you'd want to accompany me tonight? If that is cool with your Dad of course."
"We would have called, but under the circumstances." Jeff trailed off feeling exactly like an outsider on a family visit.
"Don't worry about it. It's ok." Monique was just about to suggest that Kirsten hurry up and jump in the shower so as not to keep them waiting long, when Nicole bounded into the room. Every eye in the room turned to focus on the little girl causing the various conversations to trail off. Monique shot a glance toward Jeff to take in his initial reaction to the child. She was sure it wouldn't take him long to figure it out. Nicole was undoubtedly a miniature version of Monique. They had the same eyes, an attention grabbing shade of blue. Their long hair was the same shade of light brown-Monique's being extremely curly while Nicole's was only slightly curled at the ends. Nicole may have even inherited her mother's nose-one would be able to judge that better in a few years. The only visible difference was in their builds. Monique was petite, 5'4" and maybe 120 lbs. Nicole in strict contrast was a stocky toddler-possibly destined to be several inches taller than Moni upon reaching full physical maturity. Without seeing or knowing the father, one couldn't be sure for now. Amy just smiled. She had known from the very beginning. Call it woman's intuition or whatever.
Matt instantly knew the minute she ran into the room. He wasn't stupid. The toddler was the spitting image of Monique. No big deal-in fact it opened a little insight further into why she had issues with men. The child's father could have been abusive, or even refused to accept the baby. A million legitimate explanations could fit here. He was open minded enough to give her the benefit of the doubt. Jeff's statement resembled that of someone who had just gained some miraculous insight into a question he had been stewing over. Then his countenance flashed mixed emotions. First, a tiny bit of relief, then apprehension. He had never been interested in or involved with a woman who had a child. It wasn't something that turned off the initial attraction he felt-he was just unsure how to go about getting to know her now. It's not as if she was free to take off for any period of time at a moment's notice. Arrangements would have to be in place beforehand. "There goes spontaneity." he thought. Was the child's father going to be a problem?
Jeff silently cursed to himself as he rolled over and saw the time on the clock. He had not wanted to sleep this late-what ever happened to Matt calling anyway? Oh well, he grumbled to himself as he made his way into the shower-better late than never. It felt so good to just let the warm water rush over his sore muscles, if he wasn't careful he'd let the water run until it turned cold on it's own, but then that wasn't such a good idea considering the water bill. Getting out reluctantly, he hastily dried off and threw on some old jeans and pulled back his wet locks in a bandanna. After a small breakfast, he made his way to he back room and opened up all the windows-the paint fumes needed a way to escape. He retrieved his portable cd player from the closet and threw in something mellow. Taping up the trim around the windows, doorways, and floors, he wondered what kind of progress she was making on the decorating of her own home. He was curious as to the designs and colors she must have chosen. He could picture the two of them arguing over it and ending up splitting the house in half. Who had helped them unload the furniture? He sincerely hoped they weren't trying to do it alone.
The phone interrupted his reverie and he ran to answer it.
"Hey bro, whatcha doing?"
"Man, I thought you were going to call me this morning-do you know how much time I lost sleeping in?"
"I'm not your alarm clock, you're a big boy now! Do you need me for anything yet?"
"Nah man I'm just painting and its kind of peaceful-do you mind if I do this solo for now?" "No problem, I understand. I'm going to call Amy and see if she wants to go to the gym-if you need me-call the cell."
"Ok, will do. Thanks." Jeff hung up and returned to the task at hand.
A couple hours later, he had finished the yard work. In order to let the paint dry and not suffocate on the fumes any more than necessary he had gone outside to re-do some of the trimming and mulching. An added bonus was that the more time he spent outside the better his tan got-no sense spending money on it when you could get it for free. Inside the house, he made his way to the master bathroom to shower again and noticed the message light flashing on the machine. He pressed play and heard his brother's voice.
"Hey Jeff, Amy and I are done at the gym and Amy wants to go see Kirsten- she feels like having one of those "girls nights out" so I am going to drop her off after she gets done cleaning up. Call me if you want to go along for the ride." Curiosity having got the better of him, he called Matt back and they settled on a time for him to be ready. He took his time showering and even touched up his designs with his razor. He dried his hair and pulled it back in a ponytail. Not sure what state they would find them in, he decided not to over do it on the clothing-jeans and a white tee would be sufficient. Just remember not to rub up against the walls-in either house. He was slipping his watch over his wrist as he heard Matt's horn in the drive. Jeff snatched his keys from the counter and double checked the lock before closing the door and descending down the porch.
Monique and Kirsten had spent the entire morning field daying the areas of the house they had no plans to improve upon. The spare room now contained all the boxes that were not essential for the time being. They had re- assembled Nicole's bed and set up her room so that she would feel as at home as possible when she finally got there. Her toys, were accessible, her books in alphabetical order and so were her movies. The child had a collection large enough to run her own video rental store. Her stuffed animals were neatly strung from the ceiling by a chain. Her brand new sheets and curtains freshly cleaned and smelling of fabric softener. The glow in the dark stars were a pain in the neck to put up-but they looked good. The kitchen and bathrooms were the next on the list. Since Dad was coming they wanted the rooms he needed access to suitable for use. They had gone grocery shopping and were waiting on the telephone company. The den needed new wallpaper so the two were immersed in glue when the doorbell rang.
"Gee I wonder who that could be?" Kirsten ventured a silent guess and in a split second had the door open. There stood their father and Nicole. Kirsten could barely hug their father before Nicole was hanging on her leg and yelling "I saw you, I saw you with blue hair." Monique arrived just in time to rescue Kirsten from the barrage of questions that were bound to come next.
"Hey punkin-how about a hug for me?"
"Momma!" Nicole promptly let go of her aunt and ran into her mother's waiting arms.
"I missed you!"
Moni thought she was going to cry, "And I you-did you have fun with your Dad?"
Nicole nodded yes but her attention span was drawn to the sight of her things set up in her room. She ran into it and soon all anyone heard was the inevitable mess being made.
The girls helped their father get the luggage into the house and got him settled in the recliner with some iced tea. They took a break and pelted him with questions about the goings on back home. Just as the discussion turned to thoughts of what to make or order for dinner the door bell rang again. This time the girls really didn't know who it could have been. Needless to say, they were shocked when standing on the other side was Amy with Matt and Jeff in tow.
Amy spoke first, seeing the shock on both their faces "Hey, I hope we didn't catch you at a bad time-I wanted to have a girls' night out and came to see if you were interested"
Kirsten said "Hi, this is a surprise, please come in and excuse the mess- it's still a national disaster area here." Monique involuntarily stuck a finger in her mouth and began chewing its nail. What the? How's this for timing? Dad, wondering what was taking them so long, appeared in the foyer causing the need for immediate introductions. Monique gestured to the three saying "Dad, this is Amy, Jeff and Matt. Some very nice people we met the other night. Guys this is our Dad." After the appropriate shaking of hands Kirsten guided everyone into the living room.
Monique decided to get this over with-"Amy your invitation sounds really tempting, but I'm afraid I can't go, I'm sure Kirsten would like a night on the town-she can be my eyes and ears this time so to speak. I'd like to stay here with Dad, seeing as how he just got here."
"I understand that completely." Amy said turning to Kirsten "Do you think you'd want to accompany me tonight? If that is cool with your Dad of course."
"We would have called, but under the circumstances." Jeff trailed off feeling exactly like an outsider on a family visit.
"Don't worry about it. It's ok." Monique was just about to suggest that Kirsten hurry up and jump in the shower so as not to keep them waiting long, when Nicole bounded into the room. Every eye in the room turned to focus on the little girl causing the various conversations to trail off. Monique shot a glance toward Jeff to take in his initial reaction to the child. She was sure it wouldn't take him long to figure it out. Nicole was undoubtedly a miniature version of Monique. They had the same eyes, an attention grabbing shade of blue. Their long hair was the same shade of light brown-Monique's being extremely curly while Nicole's was only slightly curled at the ends. Nicole may have even inherited her mother's nose-one would be able to judge that better in a few years. The only visible difference was in their builds. Monique was petite, 5'4" and maybe 120 lbs. Nicole in strict contrast was a stocky toddler-possibly destined to be several inches taller than Moni upon reaching full physical maturity. Without seeing or knowing the father, one couldn't be sure for now. Amy just smiled. She had known from the very beginning. Call it woman's intuition or whatever.
Matt instantly knew the minute she ran into the room. He wasn't stupid. The toddler was the spitting image of Monique. No big deal-in fact it opened a little insight further into why she had issues with men. The child's father could have been abusive, or even refused to accept the baby. A million legitimate explanations could fit here. He was open minded enough to give her the benefit of the doubt. Jeff's statement resembled that of someone who had just gained some miraculous insight into a question he had been stewing over. Then his countenance flashed mixed emotions. First, a tiny bit of relief, then apprehension. He had never been interested in or involved with a woman who had a child. It wasn't something that turned off the initial attraction he felt-he was just unsure how to go about getting to know her now. It's not as if she was free to take off for any period of time at a moment's notice. Arrangements would have to be in place beforehand. "There goes spontaneity." he thought. Was the child's father going to be a problem?