I woke up alone again the next morning. The night before had been magical. Aiden was a skilled and tender lover, without a doubt the best that I’d ever had. Not that I’d had that many, but enough to know that the way he concentrated on my wants and needs and unselfishly brought me pleasure was not the norm. I wondered if he left the moment that I had fallen asleep. Was that to keep himself distanced? Was he trying to not have feelings for me, or did he really not?
I stretched out in the comfortable bed and told myself not to think about it now. There would be plenty of time to figure that out while we work on conception and then spend nine months awaiting the arrival of his miracle. I shuddered again at that thought and made myself change tracks. I had to take my mother to rehab today and then meet the contractor at her house and discuss with him what needed to be done there.
I threw back the sheet and climbed out of bed. I put on my robe and slippers and wandered through the big, empty apartment to the kitchen. I found myself looking around as I poured my coffee, but there was no note today. Yesterday’s was a fluke, just to orient me to my first day. He wasn’t my husband, or my boyfriend. I was his employee and he was under no obligation to tell me where he was going, when he would be back, or to wish me a good day.
I took my coffee out on the balcony again and as I sat there and sipped it in the cool morning air I reminded myself that Aiden wasn’t the only thing I needed to be careful of not getting overly attached to. The lifestyle could be addictive as well.
After finishing my coffee I showered and dressed. I was just getting ready to leave the apartment when my cell phone rang. It was Rose.
“Hey girl! What on earth is going on? Joe said you quit.”
“Yeah, I went in to give him my two week notice. He told me I could just go and you all would be fine. I was going to go out and talk to you but it was the lunch rush and you looked awfully busy. I’m sorry.”
“Why did you quit? Is it your mother? Is she giving you a hard time again?”
“No…well yes, she was. I’m taking her to a rehab facility out in Scarsdale today. Hopefully it will stick. That wasn’t why I quit though, I have a new job.”
“Doing what?” Rose asked.
“I’m a personal assistant, of sorts.”
“Wow! I didn’t even know you were applying.”
“I wasn’t,” I told her. “Sometimes it tracks you down and presents itself.”
I held my lips closed and said something completely unintelligible. I really didn’t want to tell her.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“I said, Aiden Scott,” I repeated.
Rose actually gasped, “Are you kidding me? The Aiden Scott? The one who has the giant hots for you?”
I laughed, “He does not have the “giant” hots for me,” I said, trying not to blush as I thought about all of the things he did to me the past two nights.
“Honey you’re either lying, delusional or in denial. I always knew he had it bad for you. Now it’s just confirmed. Is he paying you good?”
“Better than you can imagine,” I told her. She went on again about how he “wants me” and then she let me in on some of the gossip going on around the café. When I finally got off the phone, it had been an hour conversation from start to finish. I felt bad not telling my friends the whole story, but I just didn’t think any of them were going to understand. Some days, I wasn’t sure I understood myself.
I had to wait another hour when I got to the hospital for them to get Mom and her things ready. We finally headed out to Scarsdale around eleven-thirty. She complained the entire way and I was trapped on the train with her.
“Holly, I want to go home. I want to be in my own house in my own bed…”
“We’ve already had this conversation, Mother. If you leave this facility before you’re deemed ready to go by the staff, that’s it for us, do you understand me? If this is how you choose to live your life, I can’t stop you. It is not how I choose to live mine, and I can make the choice to not live it that way.”
My mother didn’t have anything to say to all of that, but she didn’t refuse again, but even if she did, she’d have to wait now and get on the train back to midtown when we got to Scarsdale.
We got to the train station and she still hadn’t said a word, so we got a cab to the rehab facility and she sat silently on that ride too. She thought she was punishing me, but I definitely preferred it to the incessant whining. She refused to speak to the admissions worker as well, so I answered all of the questions. She did sign the paperwork which I was thankful for. When I got ready to leave I said, “I’m sorry that you’re angry with me, but I’m only doing this because I love you.”
She wouldn’t even look at me. I kissed her cold cheek and told her to call me if she needed anything. She stared straight ahead with no response. I left with tears in my eyes and allowed myself to cry all the way home. Then once I got there, I told myself that was it, there was nothing left to cry over, she was on her way to being well, and I was on my way to financial freedom, at last.
AIDEN