Awakened by the sun streaming through the gaps in the curtains, I turn onto my back and stretch my muscles. I feel kind of achy and my head is stuffy this morning. When I feel a tickle, I quickly reach for a tissue, sneezing soundly. A second and then a third follow. After wiping my runny nose, I sit up and start to sneeze some more. Sighing, I get up to into the bathroom. Feeling a chill, I decide to take a nice hot, steamy bath instead of a shower. Reach for a bottle of shower gel, I squeeze some into the running water before agitating it with my hand to form some bubbles. Standing up, I take off my boxers and step in and sink down into the water. Laying my head back, I close my eyes, enjoying the feel of the hot water on my body.
When I hear a knock on the bathroom door, I lurch forward, having dozed off for a little while. I'm covered by bath water so I tell dad to come in. There's no one else it could be.
"Damon?" he asks, peaking his head through the door.
"Did you want something, dad?"
"No, I just wanted to tell you that Stefan and Caroline are downstairs. They came to take us out to lunch. You up for that?"
"I think I caught a cold from getting soaked to the bone yesterday. My head feels stuffed up but I am hungry so I'll go along." I chuckle slightly when he sneezes himself.
"You too?"
"I think so. But you know what, I wouldn't trade yesterday for anything. I had a great time with you and Anna. She's adorable and I like zoos myself," he laughs. "I'll leave you alone now so you can finish up and get dressed."
"I had a really good time too, dad. It's nice to take my mind off... once in awhile," I admit, looking at him sadly. He shares a sad smile with me before pulling the door closed, leaving me in my melancholy.
"This is a nice treat, thank you Stefan." Dad gives my brother a nod before taking a sip of his coffee. Stefan and Caroline took us to a buffet for lunch. It was nice of them to do so. Despite my cold, I am actually hungry.
"Dad, I have a question to ask you."
"Sure Damon, go ahead." After sticking a piece of roast beef in his mouth, his eyes meet mine. After swallowing down my bite of food, I wipe my mouth off.
Although a little hesitant, I set my water glass down before beginning. "I was wondering and I'm sure Stefan feels the same..."
He sets his fork down and urges me to continue. "Go on."
"The two of us, actually three with Caroline would like you to consider moving here. Lord knows my house has plenty of room now..."
"I agree with Damon wholeheartedly. Plus there's another reason for you to relocate," Stefan adds, turning to stare at Caroline while squeezing her hand. I wonder what he's about to spring.
"First though," he begins, turning his eyes to mine.
"Damon. I'm going to stay on with you. You're generous with my salary and you let me set my own hours pretty much."
Nodding appreciatively, I breathe an inner sigh of relief. "Stefan, thank you."
"And there's also the fact that Caroline is pregnant," he gushes, dropping a kiss to her lips. I'm stunned. That's the last news I expected to hear today.
"Tha.. th... that's great. Congratulations." Reaching over, I shake his hand while my dad stares at me for a moment.
"That is indeed wonderful news, son." I can see that dad is happy with the prospect of being a grandfather.
"I just don't think I should quit my job now. Are you okay with that?" Stefan asks, looking at me tentatively.
"Of course. You know I want you to stay. Yes, we'll continue to butt heads but you're my brother Stefan. I couldn't have kept my business afloat without you."
"Thank you, brother." He places his hand atop mine briefly, nodding approvingly. Wanting to change the subject I look at dad again.
"So dad, will you give relocating some thought?"
"I will, Damon. For you, I will." He wraps an arm around my shoulder and pulls me close for a moment.
"Let's finish eating now, shall we?"
"Yes." Taking a needed breath of air, I get up to go get myself some dessert. Pausing a little by the machine, I stare at nothing for a few moments till someone accidentally bumps into me. Shaken from my reverie, I take my turn at the ice cream machine, filling a bowl with vanilla. After putting a number of toppings on it, I slowly walk back to our table. By the time everyone is finished, we're all stuffed. We say goodbye when we get out to the parking lot.
Walking over to Caroline, I pull her into a hug. "Congratulations. I'm happy for you."
"Thank you," she whispers, pressing a light kiss to my cheek. When dad starts the ignition, I jump into the passenger seat, buckling my seatbelt just as dad starts to back out and pull out into traffic, heading south towards home.
"Good morning Damon," April greets me when I step into the Happy Dale office Monday morning.
"Morning." My voice is nasally-sounding due to my cold. I walk over to the coffee maker to pour myself a cup, hoping the hot liquid will warm me up. When I start sneezing, I reach for some of the napkins to wipe off my nose.
After observing me for a few seconds, she furrows her brows skeptically. "You look a little green? Are you sick?"
"I caught a cold. My dad and I got caught in that torrential downpour on Saturday."
"Anna was with you that day right?"
"Yes, we got caught in the bad weather but my dad and I did our best to keep her dry. She is okay isn't she? I'd feel terrible if she got sick."
"Mrs. Lockwood told me that she hasn't stopped talking about it."
Sighing in relief, "I'm glad to hear that."
Forcing a smile on her face, she continues, "And I guess those things, I mean like bad weather can happen. I think maybe you should stay away from people today if you're sick though. And you're in luck. Our groundskeeper called off today. You can mow the grounds and do some weeding can't you?"
"Yeah, I can do some weeding. The grounds here are massive though," I utter, looking a little less than enthusiastic.
"We have a riding mower, Damon."
Relieved, my posture relaxes considerably. "That's good to know."
"Follow me, I'll take you to the grounds keeper's shed. That's where the mower is. Nodding, I finish my coffee then follow her outside, sneezing several times on the way. She unlocks the shed, points out where I can get some more fuel for the mower if I need it and then leaves me to do the job. Hopping on, I turn on the engine, back out of the shed and start mowing the lawn. I get a good swath done by mid morning so I turn it off for a little while so I can refuel it and get something to drink.
Once I do that, I go back outside and hop back on the mower to finish up the grounds. When I finish, I ride the mower back to the shed and grab some things to weed the flower and vegetable patches. I spend another couple of hours weeding and watering the grounds. My nose is running like a sieve and my head hurts by the time I'm done but it feels kind of good to use my hands.
After using the bathroom and washing my hands, I go back to lock the shed and take the key back to the office so I can check out, go home and get some rest. I look all around but I don't see Elena nor Anna today much to my dismay. I feel a little light headed by the time I finally reach the office. I take a few minutes just to sit down and relax since April isn't here to check me out anyway. I notice that my arms are red with sunburn. I suppose my face is too since I didn't have any sunscreen, having left it in Anna's bag when we brought her back here Saturday evening.
"Damon, you're done. You really did a good job too. Maybe we'll have you do the grounds more often," April adds, handing me a cold bottle of Gatorade. You look a little worse for wear."
"I think I'm a bit dehydrated so I appreciate this." After taking it from her hand, I take a big swallow, enjoying the coldness as it goes down.
"It's time for you to leave anyway. I'll sign you out. Get some rest." Nodding, I turn my back on her and walk outside and to the bus stop. By the time I get home, I'm completely exhausted. I go straight upstairs, strip off my clothes and hop in the shower. When I'm done, I dry off quickly, slip into a clean pair of boxers and fall onto the bed. I fall asleep almost as soon as my head hits the pillow.
When I wake up, I glance at the clock, my eyes widening when I see that it's nearly seven in the evening. I've slept for a good three hours. Although my head is still stuffed, I do feel a little better. I wrap myself in my bathrobe and slide my slippers on then walk downstairs to see what dad is doing.
"You're awake?"
"Yeah, I just felt boneless when I got home today. I'm sorry I slept so long." After expelling a breath, I plop down, sitting beside him on the couch.
"Are you hungry?"
"Not really. My head hurts and it feels stuffy. I'm going to take something for pain before I go back to bed." Reaching over, he places his palm on my forehead.
"You have a fever. Are you sure you don't want something to eat? I made chicken noodle soup because I have a bit of a cold myself."
"Actually that does sound good."
"I'll get you some. Stay put."
"Yes sir." When he stands up, I tease him with a mock salute. He's back in no time with a supper tray. He hands it to me, making sure I have it firmly before he lets go. I set it on the end table while I get comfortable. Picking up the bowl, I stick the spoon in, blow on it and take a sip.
"It's good," I tell him, continuing to eat it.
"I certainly wasn't expecting Stefan and Caroline to tell us they were having a baby did you?"
"No... no, I didn't." My eyes drift sadly to one of the pictures on my wall. Forcing a smile, I turn to face my dad again.
"I am glad he's going to continue on at the business though." Although I try to concentrate on dad, I find myself gazing at the wall again. As soon as I hear his voice, I turn my eyes back to him.
"Are you serious about me moving here?"
"Yes dad. Despite the reason you felt you needed to come, I am glad to have you here with me. I'm sure you never expected to hear this from my mouth but I'm really happy that you're here."
"I'm glad I'm here too." Smiling, he reaches over to give my forearm a squeeze.
"I'll do some calling around tomorrow. I mean, I'll have to sell the house, pack up my things. Oh my, that'll be quite a job."
"I could close up shop for a couple of weeks. Stefan, Caroline and I could fly back to help with the packing and stuff. I'd be glad to do that, dad."
"I know you would. But let's not worry about that now. Why don't you take some aspirin and go back to bed. You still look pretty droopy." Standing up, I take my tray into the kitchen and put it in the sink. Reaching into the cupboard, I grab the aspirin bottle and swallow a couple. Yawning widely, I reach into the fridge to grab a bottle of water to take upstairs with me. I take a moment to tell my dad goodnight before going back upstairs. After dropping off my robe and kicking off my slippers, I go into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. Completely worn out, I crawl back under the covers and let the darkness eclipse the light.
"Hello Elena," I greet her, but quickly turn away so I can cover my mouth to sneeze. This cold is going to be the death of me.
"Excuse me. It seems I've come down with a summer cold." After grabbing a tissue, I turn away to blow my nose.
"No worries."
"How's Anna? I'd like to take her out again sometime. Perhaps you could join us?"
"I'd like that," she says softly.
"Well, why don't we show you aroun...," I start to say when I have to sneeze again.
"Bless you."
"Thank you Elena. Come, let me show the place and tell you a little bit about what we do here." First I take her into my office/drawing room. I have my drafting table and my computer set up on side of the room while my work desk is on the other end. I do most of my work in here. I have a refrigerator for cold water and sodas. After she looks around, running her hand along the top of my desk, I gesture for her to follow me.
"Stefan?" Reaching up, I rap on the door frame to get his attention.
"Come in." He motions with his arm for us to join him.
"Elena, this is my brother Stefan. Stefan, Elena. She's going to take Melanie's job. I wanted her to get an early start so Melanie can train her before she leaves."
"It's nice to meet you Elena." Standing up, he walks over to shake her hand.
"Stefan is in charge of public relations, I guess you might say. He meets with investors and buyers. He's really good at what he does." He smiles at me because he knows that I'm being sincere when I say that.
"Nice to meet you too." I jump slightly when I hear the crack of the door, relaxing when I see that it's Caroline.
"I wasn't expecting you, sweetheart," Stefan says, a big smile on his lips. He gets up and walks over to her, lifting a kiss from her lips.
"Elena, this is my sister in law, Caroline. Caroline, meet Elena." As soon as I introduce them, Caroline has a huge smile on her face.
"It's so nice to meet you." She takes Elena's hands in her own, giving them a squeeze. Caroline has a whirlwind personality. She's fiercely loyal and kind but God help anyone that crosses her or anyone she loves.
"We're going to be great friends Elena, I can tell."
"I hope so," Elena replies albeit a bit shyly. After we exchange pleasantries, I nudge Elena along so I can show her the rest of the building and introduce her to the rest of my employees. When we walk into Melanie's work area, I introduce the two of them. Melanie is very gracious and kind to Elena.
"Mel, can you show her around and explain what you do and stuff?"
"Sure boss. I'll take good care of her." Mel gives me a wink and starts shoving me out of the door. I can't help but smile.
"I guess Mel is saying that I need to leave you two alone. Elena, please stop in my office when Mel is through with you."
"I'll do that." I nod then walk out of the room and go back to my office. I get busy and start to do some work but I keep sneezing and my nose keeps running. Finally I give up and go to lay down on the couch that I have in here. I must've dozed off because the next thing I know, Stefan is nudging me to wake up. I open my eyes and yawn widely before breaking out in one sneeze after the next. After about six sneezes, I finally raise my eyes to my brother.
"Sorry Stefan. I just don't feel good. Could you take Elena back to 'Happy Dale'? I need to go home and take some cold medicine."
Although he covers it quickly, I don't miss the pensive, almost disapproving look that crosses his features at the mention of Happy Dale.
"I can do that. Mel said she's a quick leaner," he adds, sitting on the couch beside me. Although I sense his disapproval, I just don't have the strength to get into it with him today so I let it pass without comment.
Looking at me with concern, he gives my knee a pat. "How are you, brother?"
"I'm taking things one day at a time Stefan. There's nothing else I can do."
"I know. You know you can talk to me right?"
Bobbing my head up and down, I give his knee a squeeze and get up. "I'm going home. I have to be at Happy Dale tomorrow but I'll try to stop afterwards." He looks at me for a few seconds, squeezes my shoulder then walks out of my office.
I decide to go to say goodbye to Elena before I leave. Reaching up to wipe my nose with a Kleenex, I walk over to Melanie and Elena. My voice is all nasally and stuffed up sounding. "How's she doing?"
"She's doing great boss. I'd like her to spend a few hours here everyday this week so I can really get her up to speed on things. Is that okay?"
"Absolutely. I just came to tell you that I'm going home. I just don't feel good so I'm going to take some cold medicine and get some sleep. Stefan is going to take you back to Happy Dale, Elena."
"I can walk."
"No you can't. I want to make sure you get home safely."
"Okay. Thank you."
"You're welcome. I'll see you soon." I turn my eyes to Elena, giving her a discreet wink. I smile when a subtle blush covers her cheeks and her neck.
"Goodbye ladies." After taking the time to check in with Stefan and say goodbye, I put on my hat and sunglasses before stepping outside through the back door, dreading the walk to the bus depot. I walk slowly down the alley towards the sidewalk. As I'm about to step onto the sidewalk, just by happenstance, I look across the street, stunned to see April sitting in her car, her eyes on my building. I'm tempted to walk over there and ask her what she's doing but I don't want her to know that my suspicions have been aroused. Something is definitely not right at Happy Dale and I intend to find out what it is...
Hmmm? What is April up to?
Thank you so much Eva. Love you lots.
chapter title: 'Crimson and Clover' by Tommy James and the Shondells
No words to express my thanks to all of you that review and follow and favorite the stories but an extra shout out and sincere thank you to those of you who do write a couple of words.
I have posted the first 2 chapters of 'It Came Upon a Midnight Clear'. Chapter 3 will be entirely in Elena's point of view. Watch for 'When You Wish Upon a Star' to start posting a little later this month. I have written a one shot based on a popular writer's prompt for the 5th annual DE A2A exchange on Live Journal. This will be my third year of participating. I will be posting that a little later in the month too.
'Rainy Days and Mondays' updated yesterday.
Please do remember to review. .
As always stay safe, be aware and have a fabulous rest of your weekend... Until next time.