The Davonshire Series 2: Loving Words (5 page)

Delphina Hughes was everything Wilfred had anticipated she would be, the epitome of a female corporate figurehead in a male-dominated field.  Delphina opened her mouth and confirmed his initial impression.  He immediately did not like her and liked Catherine What’s-her-name even less.  When Wilfred walked over to the couch, Catherine stood to shake his hand and he said, “It is a pleasure meeting you. You may leave.”

Her mouth dropped open like the jaw had become unhinged and Delphina immediately began a diatribe of what the contract stipulated, how he could not send his lackeys to do his bidding and, “Your most celebrated writer is doing this ghostwriting project if I have to fly out to Bumfuck, Arizona and write it myself!”

 Elsie was still standing halfway behind Wilfred when the shouting began.

“Oh, that will not be necessary,” he said with more calmness than he felt.  Wilfred wasn’t going to argue, but only added one point.  “The contract states that it has to be a ghostwriter from your staff, and I have selected the person I think would be a better fit for Devons.”

He looked to Chatty Cathy, who looked disappointed and dejected.  “I’m sorry, madam, but you will not work out for how Devons lives.  Your presence will upset the balance.  We can’t afford to lose six months of writing time.”

Delphina was still ranting on and on about lawsuits and something else Elsie could not wrap her mind around.

“Listen,” he said as he raised his voice, “Davonshire House is honoring the agreement, we are just not going to use Catherine, but instead, I have chosen Elsie here as the ghostwriter.”

Delphina was far angrier than she should have been as she said to him, “As CEO you are taking a great deal of personal interest in who scribes for one of your writers.  Are all CEO’s this invested in their staff?”  She added a hint of malice to her last statement.

Wilfred took a moment to choose the right words to end the insipid conversation and it struck him like a flash of lightning. 

“Yes, they do, especially when whom you select has to live under our roof.”  He put extra emphasis on the
our
.  “I am very particular about who stays in my house and lives in our home.“  Delphina, with squinted eyes, listened to his words.  “On top of that, W.E. is allergic to cats and Ms. Catherine here has three.”  Catherine shrugged her shoulders at Delphina, uncertain how he knew.  He smiled and turned to Elsie.

Wilfred put his hand into his pockets, looking for the list of the items she would need to bring to the ranch.  He provided her with a copy of W.E. Devon’s schedule and suggested she familiarize herself with the routine and read up as much as she could.

“W.E. eats very little red meat so there will be a detoxification process the first weeks at the ranch.”   He continued on about travel arrangements.  “Ms. Hughes, she will need to fly nonstop from Atlanta to Tucson.”  He turned to Elsie.  “It will be less stress and trauma on Champ.”  Delphina was still cursing, asking who the hell was Champ, but Wilfred ignored her.

He handed Elsie a business card with his personal cell phone number.  He removed the other cards that the women had slipped into his pockets and dumped them in the trash, all the while still talking.  “I live almost three hours from Tucson, so I will send a car to pick you up.  Please text me your arrival time, date, and airline so I can have a car ready for you.” Elsie looked at the list and realized there was a lot of stuff that she had to get.

“The smartest thing would be to ship most of that stuff ahead of time and travel light with an overnight bag and the dog.”  She nodded as if she was trying to take it all in.  Delphina marched over to where they were standing and he reached into his jacket pocket to remove his wallet. Wilfred was still treating her as if she was not in the room, he said to Elsie, “Here’s a prepaid card to get whatever you need.  There are very few stores close to the ranch, so again, ship as much ahead as you can.” 

Elsie took the card and looked at it strangely. Wilfred answered her unasked question.  “I think there is about five hundred dollars on the card.”  He paused and looked at her. She looked back at him.  “You may be right, and that may not be enough.”  Elsie touched her lips, checking to see if she had actually said anything.

Delphina looked at the two of them and had never seen an odder pair.  This man was the image of perfection and Elsie looked like a protestor from Occupy Wall Street.  Yet, the two of them had formed some kind of bond and connection, which meant Wilfred Devonshire had been in her building all day and no one had said a word to her. 
Where had he been hiding
?

Wainwright was making all sorts of fuss at Delphina’s office door, and finally Delphina walked over to see what the hustle and bustle was about. “Ms. Hughes, I have been trying to call you for the past ten minutes to let you know….”  His words trailed off when he saw Elsie and Wilfred standing there. 

Wilfred had opened his wallet.  “All I have on me is a few loose bills.”  He rifled through the stack of hundreds, handing them to Elsie.

“Wait, I need some money for dinner,” he said as he gave her six and placed the other four back in his wallet.  “I do need a receipt for everything, okay?”  He was smiling at her again and she smiled back for the second time.  Wilfred felt a warm, fuzzy feeling that made him a tad bit uncomfortable.

 Wainwright and Delphina were still at the door chatting.  He walked over to Catherine, who still seemed to not have found her voice.  He shook her hand again and apologized for it not working out.  He thought he would make her feel better as he leaned in a whispered, “My brother knows my taste – you would be a distraction in our home.”  He winked at her and watched her cheeks redden under the blush.  Wilfred wasn’t attracted to her, but it was an easier pill to swallow, being rejected because a man found you too attractive versus the truth.

He approached Delphina and said, “Pleasure meeting you.  I will make sure Rod is in contact soon.”  He paused.  “Most of your dealings from this point forward will be with him instead of me.”  He looked at Wainwright dismissively and did not bother to acknowledge the man even standing there.  He turned back to Elsie.  “Any questions for me before I leave, Elsie?”

“Yes, what is the name of your ranch?”

“Green Gables Ranch.”  She smiled again, but this time there was almost a twinkle in her eyes.  He realized that, as with many of his family members that he told, no one had ever gotten it until now.

“I get it,” she said to him and he smiled.  He felt comfortable with her and his choice.

“What is your favorite color?”

“Purple,” she added, as if there was ever any question.

Laughing as he added, “And your favorite artist, of course is…” in unison they both said, “Prince.” 

Wilfred was pleased. This was going to work out well– he had made a good choice in Elsie and he felt comfortable with this decision.

“I expect you and Champ at the ranch by June 1. Please make sure all of your loose ends on this side are cared for because it’s a pretty remote ranch.”

She nodded and he extended his hand for a shake.  She reluctantly accepted.  “I look forwarded to seeing you at the ranch in three weeks.”  She placed her hand in his for the handshake and he immediately felt his hand warm and a spark shoot up his arm.  She must have felt it, too, because they both dropped their hands to their sides and he nodded his head and left as abruptly as he had walked in.

“Have a great evening, all,” and he took the stairs instead of the elevator out to the ground floor where his car was waiting.

`Wilfred returned from Atlanta feeling triumphant and slept like an over-suckled baby during the flight back to the ranch.  Chuck again decided to stay for dinner and Wilfred was surprised to find his parents still at his house. Rod walked up to the hacienda to share the evening meal as well as get an update.  Jaelon claimed she wanted to spend more time with her favorite uncle and aunt and was seated at the table with her face full of concern.
Maybe I have been pathetic and everyone knew it but me
.

Dinner was quiet as everyone waited for Wilfred to speak, until finally David Sr. could not take it anymore. “Doggone it, son, did you find a replacement or are you going with David’s choice?”  The whole table seemed to exhale.

“I found her, Dad.”’

Rod spoke up next.  “Well, who is she and how did you pick her?”

Wilfred laughed and for once, was not uncomfortable with so many eyes on him.  “Ironically, I was just about to give up when she walked to the elevator with, of all things, one of my books tucked under her arm.”  He replayed the whole thing to include Elsie’s first impression of him as a full-sized Prince, which caused Rod to burst out laughing.  Wilfred didn’t think it was that funny.

Rod was still laughing.  “I am dying over here because when I first saw you, I thought the same thing!”

Wilfred scowled at him, only adding the same thing he said to Elsie, “Oooooh, oop!”  This only made Rod laugh harder.  “And I look nothing like Prince.”

The remainder of dinner went well and Wilfred pulled his mother to the side.  “Can I ask of favor of you, Mamí, while you’re here?” 

Elena patted his cheek.  “Anything you need,
Maní
.”  Wilfred frowned at the use of his childhood name.  

“The front bedroom will be ideal for Elsie to use, but it needs to be updated a bit, with new linens and drapes, and the bathroom should be girly-fied.”  He smiled at his mother.  “She’s going to be here for six months and it should be a place of comfort, you know, kind of a personal retreat.” 

Elena loved the idea and asked what color.  “Purple, with a framed Prince poster.”  He paused.  “She also has a dog she’s bringing.” 

“I’ll get started right away,” she said, which also meant his parents would be staying longer.  That idea was more of a comfort to him than a strange woman coming to live in his home.

The next few weeks went by in a blur and Wilfred did not want to admit that he was actually looking forward to Elsie’s arrival.  After White Bear finished with the garage at the guesthouse for Rod’s car, he had him install an electronic doggy door that was attuned to an ultra-sonic collar that would be applied to Champ when he arrived. 

Gianni sulked for three days until finally he asked, “Why does the lady get to have a dog and I have been asking for one for ten years?”  Finally, on Friday evening, Wilfred took him out to dinner for a burger, fries, and milkshakes. 

All thoughts of a dog went away.

His mother finished the bedroom and bath in a little less than two weeks and Wilfred thought it looked like something out of J.C. Penny’s catalog.  The tufted, purple and gray bed coverings, pillows, and froufrou drapes made him feel dizzy.  His mother, true to form, had purchased the matching shower curtain, corresponding rugs, and bath accessories that would create a woman’s dream space. She even had White Bear install some fresh tiles to coordinate with everything. He left Elsie’s room and went into his sister’s, which was butted against Elsie’s on the east side of the house.  Her bathroom also had plush rugs, containers of cotton balls, cotton face pads and other stuff he did not understand.  Wilfred went back to Elsie’s room and noticed the huge picture of Prince on the wall.  It looked as if he was staring at the pillows on the bed. 
Yeesh!

Wilfred shivered and hurriedly left the room.   As he bounded the front steps two at a time, a light grin eased across his lips. 
She is going to love that room
.  His phone chimed and it was a text from her.  She would be arriving in a week on a six am flight, getting into Tucson International at about 11 am, which would put her at the ranch at about four.  He called Rita to have her make the arrangements.  “Rita, make sure the driver arrives with some sandwiches for the lady and treats and water for the dog.”

Jaelon had been working on a company email address for Elsie and an office workspace.  He had upgraded his internet in the house with WiFi.  A few adjustments were added to his downstairs office to accommodate her as well as the purchase of a new laptop, an external hard drive, a dedicated printer and anything else he thought she would need to get settled and start to work.

There was only one problem: what the hell was she going to write about and how would he tell her that he was W.E. Devons?

Everything was almost settled.  Elsie made arrangements to have the power shut off in her place and the cable disconnected while she was away.  Elsie was careful not to give the landlord any specific details other than, “I’ll be away for six months.”   Ms. Hughes had taken care of her rent for six months since she was officially considered to be on assignment.

The day before Mr. Devonshire had arrived, the notice came from the Georgia Department of Corrections notifying her that Roscoe Jenkins would be getting out on June 15th.  Her ex had never been a man of great imagination and she knew his primary focus when he gained his freedom was to remove hers. Blessing or fate, she would make the most of her time in Arizona and maybe even score a permanent job.