The Davonshire Series 2: Loving Words (10 page)

Wilfred had never really been to the grocery store before and had no idea what a wholesale club was or what they sold, but midway through the shopping trip, Elsie had to go and find him in the big box warehouse.  At one point he was surrounded by a group of cougars wanting to pet him.  He was giving them a sheepish grin while trying to sidle away.  One of the little old ladies patted him on the ass as he slid sideways to escape.

Elsie shook her finger at the silver-haired octogenarian.  “Shame on you!”

“I’m old. I don’t have much longer to live,” she told Wilfred with a saddened look on her face as the excess skin under her neck shook.

He surprised Elsie when he softly embraced the old woman and puckered up.  She tiptoed upwards and kissed him on the lips.  As he turned, he gave her an ass cheek that she happily patted.  She was all giggles when he told her,  “If I had more time, my beautiful lady.…”  He winked at her and walked away.

It took a minute to get him back on track.  The second time he got away from her, she found him in electronics loading up a cart with a big television and losing an argument with some kid.  She unloaded the cart and dragged him back to the food section.  When Elsie turned her back, Wilfred gorged himself on cheese nibbles and sautéed meats.  He loaded the basket with grapes, fruits, salads and more meat.  There was lots of meat. By the time they reached the register, he had added another television, a new laptop for Gianni, yard equipment for Raul, a container of nuts for Rita, dictation software, and a year’s supply of deodorant.  The lady at the register said the total was nearly four grand and Elsie held her breath, but he pulled out a black credit card, which caused three ladies in line behind her to gasp.  She gave them the evil eye and they hushed.

The drive back took several stops because his system was not accustomed to the sautéed meats and cheese nibbles he had insisted on munching.  The second part of the trip home she had to drive because he was balled up in a knot on the seat, groaning and bitching about the pitfalls of processed foods.  She stopped at a drug store in Sierra Vista and purchased him something to soothe his stomach along with a ginger ale.  The man reacted as if he had tasted manna from Heaven and insisted she go back in the store and buy five cases of ginger ale that had to be broken down to even fit into the vehicle.

By the time they reached the house, he had fully recovered and she was exhausted.  He grabbed her and once more gave her a hug and thanked her, “for the funnest day ever!”  She helped put away the groceries and knew tomorrow would be a prep day before the family arrived.

It wasn’t as if Elsie had not noticed the sparks between Wilfred and her, but had refused to acknowledge the subtle changes in the relationship.  She would be meeting her hero W.E. Devons in less than a day and she wanted to make things warm and welcoming for her homecoming, but not overt.  She had been living here alone with Wilfred for almost a month and though she had quietly looked, she did not see any photos anywhere in the house other than of Gianni.

She still did not know what his relationship was with the boy.  Each time the boy addressed him, he either just talked to him directly, or when he wanted something he called him Pops, Big Guy, Old Dude or some other metonym.  Which, coming from Gianni, was confusing.

The kid still called her Lady.

He called Rod, Man.

When speaking to Jaelon, he called her Baby Doll.

Mario he called Dude, and Raul, something in Spanish called
Jefe
.

She also noticed that Gianni was taking a liking to her while allowing her into his inner circle.  Mario was sharing more with her and the office staff, she absolutely adored.  Love was not in her vocabulary.  The only love she knew was from a man who beat her, forced himself on her and afterwards beat her again.  Roscoe had told her this was something that had to happen because he loved her.

White Bear had mentioned that he loved having her at the ranch.  It was becoming difficult to ignore his attempts to get closer to her, but the man hardly said two words at a time.  If he considered himself to be courting her, how was she to know?  The flowers he had brought a few days ago were nice.  They were sitting in the kitchen. 

Flowers! 

I need flowers in the house.
 She picked up the radio, called Raul, and asked him to come on the morning ride.

It was a brisk, short morning ride as she shared with the guys her idea about the flowers.  She needed Raul to head to town and grab some after the ride.  She was told the family would be arriving around one and they had plenty of time to get everything started.  She showered and nibbled on a few things while Wilfred prepared the meat for White Bear to grill.  Elsie was adamant that she wanted everything done by the time everyone arrived.  “Mr. Devonshire, do you normally eat in the dining room or can we go informal and dine on the patio?”

He smiled at her.  “You’ve been here for over a month.  You can call me Will.”

 She wasn’t sure if she was comfortable with the intimacy, but she nodded her okay.  White Bear had returned.  “
Will
, I would like to place some fresh flowers on this table and the downstairs bedroom.”  The downstairs bedroom next to Gianni’s was the one she assumed belong to W.E. Devons.

The other bouquets went in the living room, the room across from hers, and the room next to hers.  She had started to think that that ‘
Will
’ and W.E. Devons may not sleep together. 
Who sleeps downstairs
?

Trying to snap out of the conversation she was having in her head, she asked him, “Do you have any more patio furniture?  White Bear mentioned that it was in the storage closet.”  She called Raul and Mario to have them pull it out, spray it down, and add some lights to the patio.  White Bear put on the first slabs of ribs at ten am.  The chicken went on at noon, followed by the sausages, hot dogs, peppers and steaks went 30 minutes later.  She was pleased.

As she worked the final touches on the potato salad, she thought she saw a plane land.  “I must be tired,” she said and kept working.

Wilfred was working alongside Elsie and was thoroughly enjoying the quietness of the productivity.  “Why do you say that, or is there something I can help with?”

“No, I just thought I saw a plane land down by the offices,” she said as she sprinkled celery seeds on the top of the salad.

“You did,” he replied as he placed the salad in the sub-zero fridge. “It’s Willie and most of the family.”

He saw Raul and Gianni head towards the garage, and suddenly there were two black town cars driving down the pebbled road. 
Where did those cars come from?
  She didn’t have time to care. Her hero had finally arrived.  In less than twenty minutes, Wilfred’s whole family would be here would be here for the Fourth., including, W.E. Devons.

W.E. Devons will be here.

White Bear came into the kitchen with a fresh platter of cooked dogs, steaks, and the last of the veggies from the grill.  She stuck it all in the oven, ran out to add more ice, sodas and beer to the chest, and looked at the big Indian with a crooked smile. 

“Relax, Little Doe, you have done great.  His family is going to love all of your touches.”  She gave him a hug of thanks and Wilfred walked in the kitchen to see them in the ends of the embrace. 
So she isn’t gay
.

She liked White Bear.

She hugged White Bear. 
When I hugged her, she didn’t hug me back
.

Elsie was looking at White Bear with that look a woman gives a man when he has done something to please her.

Thus far, she has not given me that look
.

He wasn’t happy. Wilfred was also unhappy, that he was unhappy. 
She is infecting everything with her girlyfication and making me feel stuff. I am not certain of what I am feeling or if I even like it.  I like her, though
…

He was lost inside his head, trying to sort through a pile of sludge and make it make sense. Fifteen minutes later, the town cars were coming back down the drive and the first wave of family had arrived.  Wilfred heard the doorbell for the front door and knew that it must be David.  It was amazing how that man had such impeccable timing.  He went to get the front door and White Bear opened the back. 

In walked two older black gentlemen followed by what appeared to be their wives.  They each looked at Elsie as Wilfred was coming back into the kitchen.  “Everyone, this is Elsie.  Elsie, this is the family. Individual introductions you can make on your own.”  He made the announcement only to add, “Conchetta is in Nogales celebrating the arrival of her first grandchild.”  There was a whoop of cheer and Elsie started pulling out the food from the oven.

Wilfred continued to speak, “Everything is ready and this evening we are eating on the patio.”  Everyone turned and looked at Elsie.  David entered the large space and nearly filled it with his presence and Elsie almost swooned.  He was the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life.  He walked into the kitchen, stood in the middle of the floor, and took in everything and everyone around him.  David’s gaze stopped at Elsie, who had stopped chopping vegetables and was staring moon-eyed at him.

“Hi,” she said in a breathy whisper.

David responded by asking, “Who the hell are you?”

The next few hours sped by in a comedic blur.  While Elsie stood there gawking at David, White Bear was mooning over Elsie.  Wilfred was uncomfortable with the whole scene, the family had gathered in the kitchen, and W.E. Devons still had not made her grand entrance.  As if on cue, the sound of the doggy door sliding open distracted David for a second.

Champ strolled in as if he owned the place, walked up to Wilfred, and placed his paws on his favorite master’s knee while standing on his back legs.  Everyone in the kitchen stopped talking and watched the scene unfold.  David was torn between watching Elsie and wondering when in the hell his brother, the germaphobe, had gotten a dog.

Wilfred used a soft tone with the hairy show stealer.  “If you want a treat, I’m sorry, you’ll have to dance for it.”  Champ backed up two steps on his hind legs and bounced around circus style.  Quickly, he placed his paws on Wilfred’s knee in a quiet plea for his doggy bacon strip.  Although the crowd was impressed, Wilfred wanted to show off. 

“You have to do better than that, Champ, ole buddy.”  The dog backed up again and turned in the other direction, this time raising one of the hind legs that he was standing on.

Wilfred clapped.  “Great job, now take a bow.”  Champ stretched out his front paws and rested his head betwixt the two.  Elsie had already gone to the cabinet, taken out a treat, and walked over to hand it to Wilfred. With a grimace she handed it to him.  “You are totally ruining my dog.”

David eyebrows were arched with a quizzical stare on his face.  “A dog?  When in hell did you get a dog?  And who is this woman?” 

Elsie was still at a loss for words and she looked at David again, with an even dumber grin.  “Hi,” she said again, this time adding a Forrest Gumpish wave.

The expression left David’s face as he looked to his father for answers.  He pointed at Elsie, who for some reason waved at David again. The look of confusion had turned into a
WTF
stare as she continued waving at him until he finally waved back.

David’s eyes were wide when he looked to his father who turned his back to keep from outwardly laughing at the look of confusion on David’s face.

The doorbell rang and Wilfred excused himself to get the front door.  On the patio, the uncles and aunts had unloaded from the kitchen, commenting on the new flowers, the summer mister, and the cooling ceiling fans that were not there last year.  David was still staring at Elsie, magically hoping that someone would come and explain why his brother had a dog and who the hell this weird woman was who kept waving at him and saying hi. He made a move towards her again, and all Elsie could think to say was, “Hi!”

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” David said as he turned to his Dad, hoping for some answers.  His father was leaning into his mother, laughing and sounding like Muttley.

Gianni walked into the kitchen, saying hello and passing out hugs.  As he reached Elsie, he asked, “Hey, Lady, you need help with anything?”

David’s pointed at Gianni, which only made his father laugh harder.  Especially when David asked, “Who the hell was this mild- mannered kid and what happened to the Tasmanian devil that used to occupy his body?”  He was getting frustrated, and somebody was going to give him some damn answers now!

Wilfred returned to the kitchen with his cousin Khalea, her husband Stefano, along with their three kids, two teenagers who Gianni was excited to see, that he also called Man and Dude.  Elsie was starting to think the kid had a short-term memory problem, why he never called anyone by their name.  The three teens disappeared upstairs to play with the new toys Wilfred had purchased at the wholesale club and Elsie now understood the reason for the mini-theater room in the upstairs landing.  It also had not escaped her attention that it was also the first time she had seen Gianni go upstairs.  Khalea’s daughter, Marietta, a cute little nine-year-old, spotted Champ and immediately fell in love.

David was not letting it go.  “Will, what did you do?  There were contracted stipulations that had to be met.  This is not the person I picked to write the autobiography!”

Wilfred went into the kitchen to help Elsie take the macaroni and cheese out of the oven.  He looked over his shoulder.  “But it’s who I picked, David.” 

Elsie spooned out a small portion for him to taste. “Wait, blow first so you don’t burn your mouth,” she told him.  Wilfred sampled it and gave her a high five.  She turned to the family.  “Hi, everyone, just in case you just arrived, I’m Elsie and dinner is ready to be served.”

Khalea touched David’s arm.  “He honored the agreement, David.”

“Did he check with you?”

“Yes, he did,” Khalea told him.

Wilfred was talking to Elsie.  “Khalea is the company attorney.”

She nodded mouthing, “Oh, okay.”

David was pressing forward in his search for answers. His wife Halley had come in behind Stefano, and they both took a seat at the table.  Elsie poured Halley lemonade, offered Stefano a cold beer, and shook their hands before heading back to the kitchen to put the finishing touches on the salad.

David was getting angry.  “How did you find her, Will, strolling through an online listing of Hughes’ employees?”

“No, David, I hand-selected her, interviewed her and everything.”  He was slicing tomatoes for the salad. “And just so you know, I did not like that Cathy woman.”  He stared dicing cucumbers for the salad, checking with Elsie to make sure that he had cut enough. The remainder of the family was watching the interaction between Wilfred & Elsie.

“Wilfred, I seem to be missing something here.” David was still adamant and Halley had started to talk to Elsie about the strawberry lemonade and how refreshing and southern it was.

Elsie admitted, “I am nothing if not Southern.”  David couldn’t keep up with the whole conversation and before he knew it, he had raised his voice.  “How the hell did you pick a new ghostwriter over the one I chose, Will, without getting us sued?”

Chuck had entered the kitchen and was happy to see his sister, Khalea.  He gave a bear hug to his brother-in-law, and went to shake David’s hand, but David refused, still attempting to put everything in perspective.

Wilfred kept working on the salad and talking to David.  “I went to Atlanta.”

Chuck looked at David and nodded.  “Yep, he did, I flew him there.”

Elsie looked at Wilfred.  “You have a plane?”

“No, Willie has a plane,” he corrected as he fed her a slice of cucumber, like it was something they did every day.

David was still trying to wrap his mind around what had happened in the past month.  “Help me understand this, Will!”

Wilfred poured Halley – who was a bit swollen with her pregnancy – another glass of lemonade.  “I consulted with Khalea, called Chuck, flew to Atlanta, saw Elsie, interviewed her, took her to meet Delphina,” he set down the lemonade. With his hands in his pockets as he stood toe-to-toe with his former COO, he continued, “I told Delphina I didn’t want the woman you chose, and since you were no longer COO and have no more say in the day-to-day operations of
my
company, I could choose whom I wanted.”  He pointed to Elsie.

David’s face was tight with concern. 
What if this went all wrong
?  “Yes, but I still own half the company, which still gives me half a say!  Tell me, little brother, how did you choose her?  Is she qualified?”

Wilfred was annoyed with David’s refusal to trust his judgment.  “I spent the day in Atlanta at Hughes Publishing. I spotted Elsie here with a Devons book under her arm.  I lent her a hand getting a large box back to her desk.  While there, I conducted an in-depth, 20-minute interview, took her to meet Delphina, and here we are.” 

“Yes, but is she qualified for the job, Will?”  David had changed the mood of the whole evening and Elsie’s adoration of the extremely good looking man had left the room.  In Elsie’s opinion, this man was a control freak and picking on her boss.  Even worse, he was picking on her boss about his selection of her as the ghostwriter for Devons.

She decided to pipe up.  “I have a BA in literature, an MLA with a focus on Elizabethan Studies and an MFA in Creative Writing,” she told David with a smile that almost reeked of, “
Up yours, buddy, I’m qualified
.”

Before David had a chance to say anything further, Elsie could smell her before she even entered the house. 

Was this Devons
? 

I finally get to meet my literary hero.
 
I have so many
questions, so much I want to discuss about characterization
. 

How did she come up with the concept for Honour’s Splendor living in a desert, and so much more. 

The statuesque woman entered the kitchen in a wide-brimmed hat, a ton of very expensive perfume that caused Halley to hold her nose, and a mound of hair reminiscent of early Diana Ross.  She immediately went to Will with her back still to Elsie.  She flung herself into his arms and he in turn gave her the kind of hug that required your eyes to close.

Elsie felt a tug of something on her heartstrings that almost made her gag when the woman planted a full blown kiss on his lips that left him with smeared red goo over the lower portion of his face.  She gave David the same kind of hug but planted kisses on his cheek.  She kissed Halley.  She gave Stefano a squeeze and turned to spot Elsie.  “Who in the hell are you?

Elsie dropped the tongs when she realized that the lady who was standing before her was not W.E. Devons, but instead the super model, “Vanity Devons?”

She only smiled.  “Yes, that’s my name, but please call me Willie.”  Vanity removed the hat.  “And again: who are you?”

No.  The question is, who the hell in this family is W.E. Devons?