Chapter Forty-five, Rhodes in Greece
Posted by DiF on Saturday, November 19, 2011
Title: Midnight Shift: Chapter Forty-five, Rhodes in Greece
Rating: PG-13 [drinking, language, mentions of sex]
Summary: Summer makes a matronly friend. Robert has settled with his family, enough to vacation with them in Greece too. Jimmy realizes he really shouldn't be leaving Summer alone...
Waking up with one hand on her swollen breast and the other on her rounded belly, Summer smiled and stretched carefully. She had been fairly lucky in adapting to the time zone change, as the baby growing inside her demanded occasional naps. Jimmy had not been so lucky and seemed to struggle with sleeping in Greece, not that he ever was big on sleeping as it were. Yet the night before, spurred by something she did not know, Jimmy made love to her for hours before finally passing out in exhaustion. She wanted nothing more than to let him sleep.
But the baby was dancing on her bladder.
Carefully removing Jimmy’s hand from her breast first, Summer slowly started to roll away. She paused at the edge of the bed, making sure he remained asleep. When his eyes remained closed, her toes touched the tile floor. She stretched slightly and shuffled towards the bathroom. Noticing a slight discoloration in the toilet when she stood up, Summer passed it off on getting used to the Greek food and headed out after washing her hands. She paused to pull a gauzy dress on before leaving the bedroom.
With a soft greeting to the cook, Summer passed through the kitchen, out onto the patio. She curled up on a large, padded chair. With the sun hitting her face, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Though the breeze from the Mediterranean Sea was not quite the same as being back home, it was much better than being locked up in New York. She could get used to this, even if it was only a brief vacation. Propping her feet up on a low-table, she smiled at the cook handed her a cup of tea and announced breakfast would be ready soon.
Delighted with the attention the older woman paid her, Summer requested the cook to remain and eat with her. She told her stories, seemingly all inspired by the breakfast foods she served. That alone made Summer smile even more. It was almost like having a mother or maybe a grandmother as the cook was gray-haired, taking care of her. Maybe that was how most girls’ lives were like. She did not know. But she liked it. She liked it a lot.
Sometime after noon, Jimmy dragged himself out of bed and went in search of his girlfriend. He searched the house but did not find her in any of the numerous rooms, not even the sunroom where a guitar resided. Grabbing an apple in the kitchen, he proceeded outside. Not finding her directly on the adjacent patio, he wandered about the grounds from seating area to seating area, certain he would find her lounging in the sun, looking at her baby books. Instead, much to his surprise, he found her in the least likely location in the entire estate: the pool. Yet there she floated, wearing a bathing suit that stretched tightly across her belly but gapped around her breasts. The cook, who also functioned as housekeeper, caretaker, and apparently now surrogate mother to Summer, lounged nearby on one of the chairs. Staying just outside the two women’s perceptive field, Jimmy listened in on their conversation.
“Now, egoni,” the older woman said, “when the baby comes, you will want to tie a mati and a filakto on her crib to ward off evil and protect her.”
“Her?” Summer sat up on the float to look at the older woman, her hands quickly slapping to the sides to balance herself. “You think my baby is a girl?”
“Absolutely, egoni! Absolutely.”
She laid back down and placed her hand on her belly, “Do you think she’ll be pretty?”
“How could she not be,” Jimmy spoke up, stepping near the pool and squatting, “with a mother as beautiful as you.”
“Jimmy!” Summer squealed.
And then promptly tipped her float over.
Remembering the incident involving the pool on the rooftop of the Riot House, panic instantly took over Jimmy. He quickly pulled off his shirt and moved to jump into the pool.
“No!” the housekeeper shouted, her words stopping him with his toes on the edge. “Let her figure it out on her own.”
“But she could drown,” he responded.
“She won’t. Trust me.”
His dark eyes left the older woman and focused on Summer. Slowly, her toes found the bottom of the pool and she righted herself. The pool depth was only five feet, but as she barely crested that in height, standing up barely pushed her out of the water. However, she knew enough to push off the bottom and reach for her float. Jimmy’s body remained tense, ready to jump in and rescue her. Her fingers grasped the float and she awkwardly climbed back on it, gasping slightly.
“Summer?” Jimmy quickly rounded the pool in order to face her. “Are you okay?”
She grinned at him, “Uh huh.”
He stretched forward and snagged the edge of her float, pulling her over to the side of the pool, “Last time you were in a pool…”
“I know. But Sofia and I talked about it and she convinced me to face my fear,” she claimed.
His dark eyes flicked to the older woman and back to Summer, “If you are okay with it…”
“I would be more okay with it if you were in here with me…”
He smirked, glancing at Sofia again, “But my shorts are up at the house.”
“So go get them. Or… don’t wear any at all.”
Jimmy leaned down and kissed her quickly, “I will be right back.”
As he entered the house a few minutes later, Jimmy was pulled aside to answer a phone call. With the phone held to his ear, his smile quickly disappeared. Agreeing to the request, he wondered how he was going to explain it to Summer without making her worry or worse, want to go with him. With a sigh, he hung up the phone, found a cigarette, lit it, and headed back outside. Though he knew where Summer was located now, he did not walk any faster to reach her. Instead, he purposefully walked slow, hoping the delay in his walk would be enough to give him excuse to explain his departure to her.
“Jimmy?” her blue eyes went to his as she kicked her feet in the water. “I thought you were going to…?”
“My apologies, princess,” he frowned slightly. “I will have to take a rain check for a swim with you.”
Her eyes filled with concern, “But why?”
He knelt beside the pool and reached for her float again, “Unfortunately boring business matters require my attention in town.”
“Jimmy,” she whined.
“I will be back before you miss me,” he quickly kissed her.
“Impossible.”
Though she pleaded sweetly with him to stay, Jimmy extricated him from her with a few more stolen kisses and headed back up to the house after reassurance from Sofia that Summer would be cared for. Smoking another cigarette, he changed into more suitable attire before meeting the driver outside. With a quick declaration of where to go, Jimmy climbed into the back of the vehicle and left his princess behind. Meeting up with Charlotte and his daughter had better be worth it.
After a month of being stuck with his wife and children in Switzerland, albeit half the time with Bonzo’s family, Robert gave into his fate. He kept the blank business card in his pocket at all times, as if it was a magical pass to his dreams. Yet each day that passed and the card did not work any magic, he began to lose hope. He was never going to see his Summer again. This meant he put more and more effort into his family and attempting to repair his marriage with Maureen. He could almost forget about Summer, file her away as a road fling in the back of his mind. Or at least that’s what he kept telling himself.
“Daddy, daddy, daddy!” Karac ran into the room.
With a smile, Robert scooped his son up, “What are you up to, big guy?”
“Look!” he held up his hands.
“What do you have there?” he held out his hand.
The young blond opened his hand, releasing a squirming worm into Robert’s hand, “Squirmie!”
Laughing, Robert looked down at worm and shook his head, “Squirmies belong outside, Karac.”
“He special.”
“How is he special?” he asked, carrying the child and the worm towards the door leading to the patio.
“He went swimming with Carmen.”
Robert laughed, “You found him in the pool?”
“No. In the baff.”
He laughed again, “What was a worm doing in the bathtub?”
“I dunno,” the boy shrugged.
“Well, we’ll let it out right here and he can go make other worm friends,” he squatted and set the worm down in the flower bed.
Karac wiggled out of his arms, “Look, Daddy!”
“Yep,” Robert grinned. “There it goes.”
“Is it going back to family?”
“I bet so,” he responded. “Daddy worms always go back to their families.”
Karac looked at his father, “Like you, Daddy?”
“Like me,” he nodded and smiled.
The young blonde squeezed him tightly, “Don’t leave again, Daddy.”
Robert smiled crookedly, “We’re not going to stay here in Greece forever, Karac.”
“How come?”
“Well for one, your sister does have school back in England.”
“She go school here.”
He ruffled his son’s curly blond locks, “But I’m not gonna leave you guys again. So we can all go back to England after this holiday, if that’s okay with you.”
“I dunnooooo…”
Robert scooped him up again, “How about we go find some sweets to eat?”
“YAY!”
Heading back into the rented house, Robert carried his son into the kitchen. Letting the boy down, he kissed Maureen and reached around her, sticking his finger into whatever spicy thing she was cooking for dinner. She laughed and slapped his hand away, nudging him away from her. With a chuckle, Robert pulled open the refrigerator and pulled out some fruit, intending to slice it up for him and Karac.
“No. No eating before dinner, Robert,” Maureen declared.
“But, it’s just fruit…”
“No. You will ruin his appetite.”
“But—”
“No.”
He frowned and returned the fruit, “You’re making me look like a bad father.”
“No,” she leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Just a responsible one. Go ask Charlotte when Jimmy will be here.”
“Fine,” he sighed. “Come on, big guy. Let’s go talk to Charlotte.”
Lounging in the grass on top of a blanket, Summer looked up at the stars in the sky. Though she was sad Jimmy had to stay wherever he was for the next few nights, she understood. It also had the added benefit of giving her time to relax herself and to bond with Sofia. The older woman had not only helped her in the pool, teaching her to not fear the water, but took care of her as Summer imagined a mother would. She missed that feminine, matronly care. Joni had some of that, but not in the way Sofia did. It made her feel better than she had in awhile.
Yet as good as she was feeling emotionally, physically she was not. Lying on the grass was helping, but something still did not feel right. Maybe it was adjusting to the Greek food. She really could use a hot dog.
“Egoni!” Sofia called from the back door. “Your friend has returned your call.”
“I will be there in a moment!” she shouted back, slowly pushing up from the grass.
Feeling her back twitch slightly as she stood up, Summer rubbed it just as Sofia instructed her earlier in the day before shuffling towards the house. She accepted a cup of tea from the Greek matron before heading to the sofa. Picking up the nearby phone, she thanked Sofia before greeting Cameron.
“I miss you,” she instantly blurted out.
Cameron chuckled slightly, “I miss you too. How is Greece?”
“It’s okay…”
“And Jimmy?”
“I guess he’s okay. He’s not here now.”
“No?” Cameron attempted to conceal the concern in his voice.
“He had to go into town for some business or something.”
“I see…”
“How are you? Who are you touring with now?”
“The Eagles.”
“How’s that going?”
He paused, “Okay enough. You sound…”
“I’m okay.”
“How’s my baby?”
Summer smiled slightly, “She is doing well.”
“She? Have we decided the baby is a she?”
“Mmmmhmmm,” she rested her hand on her belly. “Sofia is pretty certain. She says I crave things a girl would crave.”
“Who is this Sofia?”
The two conversed about Sofia and the house for a few minutes, putting Cameron’s worry of Summer being alone at bay. He still did not really like that Jimmy would take Summer to another country and then leave her alone. He did not buy Jimmy’s declaration of having work to do. They were on holiday. There was no work to do. But he swallowed away his thoughts and focused on Summer.
But something was still not right…
“Do you feel okay?”
“Of course I do. I’m in paradise.”
“Summer…”
“I could really use a hot dog though. Sofia has made these sausage things for me, but they are nothing like hot dogs. I want your hot dog.”
“Um…”
“Sooooo good. I can’t wait to have it in my mouth again.”
Cameron was completely silent.
“Oh, I mean the kind we got together. They were soooooooooo good.”
“Oh, I see,” he cleared his throat slightly. “Well when you’re back, we can have hot dogs together again.”
“Okay, good,” Summer paused. “Hey, Cam?”
“Yes, Summer?”
“Can we read some more?”
“Of course, sweetheart. Hold on while I find it,” he responded.
“Okay. I’ll get my copy too.”
Setting the phone on the side table near its base, Summer slowly got to her feet and retrieved her baby book from the bedroom. With the large book balanced on her belly a few moments later, she picked the phone back up and smiled with Cameron’s returned greeting. They flipped to the last completed section and Summer put her finger under the first sentence. Ever so slowly they read through a couple of pages before Summer stopped.
“Cam?”
“Yes?”
“What does… what does that mean?”
“Um… do you remember what the placenta is?”
“Isn’t it the bag thing that the baby is in?”
Cameron paused, “It is.”
“So…”
“Basically it means that it comes detached and…”
“Does it kill the baby?”
“It can…”
“Cam…”
“Summer?”
“I’ve… I’ve not been feeling well,” she admitted softly.
“Like how?” he did not even attempt to hide the worry in his voice.
“I’ve had some cramps… and… Cameron, I’m scared.”
“I’m sure everything is fine, Summer. Really.”
“But…”
“Why don’t you call Jimmy and tell him? I’m sure he will make sure everything is okay,” he suggested.
“He didn’t leave me a number.”
Cameron remained silent for a moment, “Summer…”
“I wish you were here.”
He sighed, “Tell Sofia then. She sounds like she has been taking care of you in Jimmy’s absence.”
“But…”
“Tell Sophia, Summer. If you’re worried about it, then you need to tell her, sweetheart,” he declared.
“Cam…”
“I know, Summer. I know. But I think everything is going to be okay.”
She nodded, though knew he could not see it.
“Go find Sophia now, sweetheart. I’ll call you again later.”
“Okay.”
“Everything is going to be fine, Summer.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Waking next to Charlotte, Jimmy untangled his limbs from hers. She stirred slightly, but only enough to pull the blanket back over her naked body. Smirking, he dressed and headed out of the bedroom. He paused at the room where his daughter slept and pushed open the door. Standing in the doorway for a moment, he watched Scarlet sleep, a little plush lamb clutched in her arms. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly before she yawned. Her eyes found his in the dimly lit room.
“Daddy?”
Jimmy stepped into the room and sat on the edge of her bed, “Shhh, go back to sleep.”
“Is it morning yet?”
“Not quite yet, baby girl,” he responded, smoothing her hair from her face. “You go back to sleep.”
“Daddy?” she asked as he stood up.
“Yes, Scarlet.”
“You be here when I get up?”
“Of course I will be.”
“Okay, Daddy.”
Kissing her forehead, Jimmy left her room and closed the door. He continued down to the kitchen, poured himself a drink, and headed out onto the patio to smoke while the sun rose. His thoughts slowly faded away from his lover and daughter to… his other lover whom he left behind to spend a few days with his family. Guilt instantly touched his thoughts. He should not have left Summer alone in the large country estate without him.
Though he knew the families were going on a drive somewhere that day, Jimmy decided it was time to return to Summer. Being away from her for two days was enough. He would return promptly. Charlotte was used to it. Besides, they fucked enough that night to keep her satiated for awhile. He would return to his golden princess after breakfast with his daughter.
A few hours later, after hugs and a few shed tears, Jimmy climbed into the back of one car while the Plants and the children climbed into another. Charlotte leaned into the back where Jimmy sat and kissed him softly. He did not resist, but did not deepen the kiss either.
“You told Scarlet—”
“I know,” he interrupted. “She’s with Carmen now. She won’t even notice I’m gone.”
“Of course she will,” her eyes flicked to the other car as Maureen started it up. “She always does.”
“It will just be a few days or so.”
“It always is, Jimmy. It always is.”
He ignored the tone in her voice, “You better go before they leave without you.”
She shrugged and stole another kiss, “I’m following behind in another car anyways. They can leave without me.”
“I should go. You should go.”
“Call your daughter tonight, Jimmy,” she leaned out of the window. “That’s the least you can do.”
“Of course, Charlotte. Of course.”
As the last of the three cars pulled away from the rented house, Jimmy felt a sense of dread wash over him. Believing it had to do with Summer, he requested the driver to make it back to her as quickly as possible. Whatever was wrong, he would make it right, no matter what it took, once they were reunited. He would fix whatever was broken, no matter the cost.
Rating: PG-13 [drinking, language, mentions of sex]
Summary: Summer makes a matronly friend. Robert has settled with his family, enough to vacation with them in Greece too. Jimmy realizes he really shouldn't be leaving Summer alone...
Waking up with one hand on her swollen breast and the other on her rounded belly, Summer smiled and stretched carefully. She had been fairly lucky in adapting to the time zone change, as the baby growing inside her demanded occasional naps. Jimmy had not been so lucky and seemed to struggle with sleeping in Greece, not that he ever was big on sleeping as it were. Yet the night before, spurred by something she did not know, Jimmy made love to her for hours before finally passing out in exhaustion. She wanted nothing more than to let him sleep.
But the baby was dancing on her bladder.
Carefully removing Jimmy’s hand from her breast first, Summer slowly started to roll away. She paused at the edge of the bed, making sure he remained asleep. When his eyes remained closed, her toes touched the tile floor. She stretched slightly and shuffled towards the bathroom. Noticing a slight discoloration in the toilet when she stood up, Summer passed it off on getting used to the Greek food and headed out after washing her hands. She paused to pull a gauzy dress on before leaving the bedroom.
With a soft greeting to the cook, Summer passed through the kitchen, out onto the patio. She curled up on a large, padded chair. With the sun hitting her face, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Though the breeze from the Mediterranean Sea was not quite the same as being back home, it was much better than being locked up in New York. She could get used to this, even if it was only a brief vacation. Propping her feet up on a low-table, she smiled at the cook handed her a cup of tea and announced breakfast would be ready soon.
Delighted with the attention the older woman paid her, Summer requested the cook to remain and eat with her. She told her stories, seemingly all inspired by the breakfast foods she served. That alone made Summer smile even more. It was almost like having a mother or maybe a grandmother as the cook was gray-haired, taking care of her. Maybe that was how most girls’ lives were like. She did not know. But she liked it. She liked it a lot.
Sometime after noon, Jimmy dragged himself out of bed and went in search of his girlfriend. He searched the house but did not find her in any of the numerous rooms, not even the sunroom where a guitar resided. Grabbing an apple in the kitchen, he proceeded outside. Not finding her directly on the adjacent patio, he wandered about the grounds from seating area to seating area, certain he would find her lounging in the sun, looking at her baby books. Instead, much to his surprise, he found her in the least likely location in the entire estate: the pool. Yet there she floated, wearing a bathing suit that stretched tightly across her belly but gapped around her breasts. The cook, who also functioned as housekeeper, caretaker, and apparently now surrogate mother to Summer, lounged nearby on one of the chairs. Staying just outside the two women’s perceptive field, Jimmy listened in on their conversation.
“Now, egoni,” the older woman said, “when the baby comes, you will want to tie a mati and a filakto on her crib to ward off evil and protect her.”
“Her?” Summer sat up on the float to look at the older woman, her hands quickly slapping to the sides to balance herself. “You think my baby is a girl?”
“Absolutely, egoni! Absolutely.”
She laid back down and placed her hand on her belly, “Do you think she’ll be pretty?”
“How could she not be,” Jimmy spoke up, stepping near the pool and squatting, “with a mother as beautiful as you.”
“Jimmy!” Summer squealed.
And then promptly tipped her float over.
Remembering the incident involving the pool on the rooftop of the Riot House, panic instantly took over Jimmy. He quickly pulled off his shirt and moved to jump into the pool.
“No!” the housekeeper shouted, her words stopping him with his toes on the edge. “Let her figure it out on her own.”
“But she could drown,” he responded.
“She won’t. Trust me.”
His dark eyes left the older woman and focused on Summer. Slowly, her toes found the bottom of the pool and she righted herself. The pool depth was only five feet, but as she barely crested that in height, standing up barely pushed her out of the water. However, she knew enough to push off the bottom and reach for her float. Jimmy’s body remained tense, ready to jump in and rescue her. Her fingers grasped the float and she awkwardly climbed back on it, gasping slightly.
“Summer?” Jimmy quickly rounded the pool in order to face her. “Are you okay?”
She grinned at him, “Uh huh.”
He stretched forward and snagged the edge of her float, pulling her over to the side of the pool, “Last time you were in a pool…”
“I know. But Sofia and I talked about it and she convinced me to face my fear,” she claimed.
His dark eyes flicked to the older woman and back to Summer, “If you are okay with it…”
“I would be more okay with it if you were in here with me…”
He smirked, glancing at Sofia again, “But my shorts are up at the house.”
“So go get them. Or… don’t wear any at all.”
Jimmy leaned down and kissed her quickly, “I will be right back.”
As he entered the house a few minutes later, Jimmy was pulled aside to answer a phone call. With the phone held to his ear, his smile quickly disappeared. Agreeing to the request, he wondered how he was going to explain it to Summer without making her worry or worse, want to go with him. With a sigh, he hung up the phone, found a cigarette, lit it, and headed back outside. Though he knew where Summer was located now, he did not walk any faster to reach her. Instead, he purposefully walked slow, hoping the delay in his walk would be enough to give him excuse to explain his departure to her.
“Jimmy?” her blue eyes went to his as she kicked her feet in the water. “I thought you were going to…?”
“My apologies, princess,” he frowned slightly. “I will have to take a rain check for a swim with you.”
Her eyes filled with concern, “But why?”
He knelt beside the pool and reached for her float again, “Unfortunately boring business matters require my attention in town.”
“Jimmy,” she whined.
“I will be back before you miss me,” he quickly kissed her.
“Impossible.”
Though she pleaded sweetly with him to stay, Jimmy extricated him from her with a few more stolen kisses and headed back up to the house after reassurance from Sofia that Summer would be cared for. Smoking another cigarette, he changed into more suitable attire before meeting the driver outside. With a quick declaration of where to go, Jimmy climbed into the back of the vehicle and left his princess behind. Meeting up with Charlotte and his daughter had better be worth it.
After a month of being stuck with his wife and children in Switzerland, albeit half the time with Bonzo’s family, Robert gave into his fate. He kept the blank business card in his pocket at all times, as if it was a magical pass to his dreams. Yet each day that passed and the card did not work any magic, he began to lose hope. He was never going to see his Summer again. This meant he put more and more effort into his family and attempting to repair his marriage with Maureen. He could almost forget about Summer, file her away as a road fling in the back of his mind. Or at least that’s what he kept telling himself.
“Daddy, daddy, daddy!” Karac ran into the room.
With a smile, Robert scooped his son up, “What are you up to, big guy?”
“Look!” he held up his hands.
“What do you have there?” he held out his hand.
The young blond opened his hand, releasing a squirming worm into Robert’s hand, “Squirmie!”
Laughing, Robert looked down at worm and shook his head, “Squirmies belong outside, Karac.”
“He special.”
“How is he special?” he asked, carrying the child and the worm towards the door leading to the patio.
“He went swimming with Carmen.”
Robert laughed, “You found him in the pool?”
“No. In the baff.”
He laughed again, “What was a worm doing in the bathtub?”
“I dunno,” the boy shrugged.
“Well, we’ll let it out right here and he can go make other worm friends,” he squatted and set the worm down in the flower bed.
Karac wiggled out of his arms, “Look, Daddy!”
“Yep,” Robert grinned. “There it goes.”
“Is it going back to family?”
“I bet so,” he responded. “Daddy worms always go back to their families.”
Karac looked at his father, “Like you, Daddy?”
“Like me,” he nodded and smiled.
The young blonde squeezed him tightly, “Don’t leave again, Daddy.”
Robert smiled crookedly, “We’re not going to stay here in Greece forever, Karac.”
“How come?”
“Well for one, your sister does have school back in England.”
“She go school here.”
He ruffled his son’s curly blond locks, “But I’m not gonna leave you guys again. So we can all go back to England after this holiday, if that’s okay with you.”
“I dunnooooo…”
Robert scooped him up again, “How about we go find some sweets to eat?”
“YAY!”
Heading back into the rented house, Robert carried his son into the kitchen. Letting the boy down, he kissed Maureen and reached around her, sticking his finger into whatever spicy thing she was cooking for dinner. She laughed and slapped his hand away, nudging him away from her. With a chuckle, Robert pulled open the refrigerator and pulled out some fruit, intending to slice it up for him and Karac.
“No. No eating before dinner, Robert,” Maureen declared.
“But, it’s just fruit…”
“No. You will ruin his appetite.”
“But—”
“No.”
He frowned and returned the fruit, “You’re making me look like a bad father.”
“No,” she leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Just a responsible one. Go ask Charlotte when Jimmy will be here.”
“Fine,” he sighed. “Come on, big guy. Let’s go talk to Charlotte.”
Lounging in the grass on top of a blanket, Summer looked up at the stars in the sky. Though she was sad Jimmy had to stay wherever he was for the next few nights, she understood. It also had the added benefit of giving her time to relax herself and to bond with Sofia. The older woman had not only helped her in the pool, teaching her to not fear the water, but took care of her as Summer imagined a mother would. She missed that feminine, matronly care. Joni had some of that, but not in the way Sofia did. It made her feel better than she had in awhile.
Yet as good as she was feeling emotionally, physically she was not. Lying on the grass was helping, but something still did not feel right. Maybe it was adjusting to the Greek food. She really could use a hot dog.
“Egoni!” Sofia called from the back door. “Your friend has returned your call.”
“I will be there in a moment!” she shouted back, slowly pushing up from the grass.
Feeling her back twitch slightly as she stood up, Summer rubbed it just as Sofia instructed her earlier in the day before shuffling towards the house. She accepted a cup of tea from the Greek matron before heading to the sofa. Picking up the nearby phone, she thanked Sofia before greeting Cameron.
“I miss you,” she instantly blurted out.
Cameron chuckled slightly, “I miss you too. How is Greece?”
“It’s okay…”
“And Jimmy?”
“I guess he’s okay. He’s not here now.”
“No?” Cameron attempted to conceal the concern in his voice.
“He had to go into town for some business or something.”
“I see…”
“How are you? Who are you touring with now?”
“The Eagles.”
“How’s that going?”
He paused, “Okay enough. You sound…”
“I’m okay.”
“How’s my baby?”
Summer smiled slightly, “She is doing well.”
“She? Have we decided the baby is a she?”
“Mmmmhmmm,” she rested her hand on her belly. “Sofia is pretty certain. She says I crave things a girl would crave.”
“Who is this Sofia?”
The two conversed about Sofia and the house for a few minutes, putting Cameron’s worry of Summer being alone at bay. He still did not really like that Jimmy would take Summer to another country and then leave her alone. He did not buy Jimmy’s declaration of having work to do. They were on holiday. There was no work to do. But he swallowed away his thoughts and focused on Summer.
But something was still not right…
“Do you feel okay?”
“Of course I do. I’m in paradise.”
“Summer…”
“I could really use a hot dog though. Sofia has made these sausage things for me, but they are nothing like hot dogs. I want your hot dog.”
“Um…”
“Sooooo good. I can’t wait to have it in my mouth again.”
Cameron was completely silent.
“Oh, I mean the kind we got together. They were soooooooooo good.”
“Oh, I see,” he cleared his throat slightly. “Well when you’re back, we can have hot dogs together again.”
“Okay, good,” Summer paused. “Hey, Cam?”
“Yes, Summer?”
“Can we read some more?”
“Of course, sweetheart. Hold on while I find it,” he responded.
“Okay. I’ll get my copy too.”
Setting the phone on the side table near its base, Summer slowly got to her feet and retrieved her baby book from the bedroom. With the large book balanced on her belly a few moments later, she picked the phone back up and smiled with Cameron’s returned greeting. They flipped to the last completed section and Summer put her finger under the first sentence. Ever so slowly they read through a couple of pages before Summer stopped.
“Cam?”
“Yes?”
“What does… what does that mean?”
“Um… do you remember what the placenta is?”
“Isn’t it the bag thing that the baby is in?”
Cameron paused, “It is.”
“So…”
“Basically it means that it comes detached and…”
“Does it kill the baby?”
“It can…”
“Cam…”
“Summer?”
“I’ve… I’ve not been feeling well,” she admitted softly.
“Like how?” he did not even attempt to hide the worry in his voice.
“I’ve had some cramps… and… Cameron, I’m scared.”
“I’m sure everything is fine, Summer. Really.”
“But…”
“Why don’t you call Jimmy and tell him? I’m sure he will make sure everything is okay,” he suggested.
“He didn’t leave me a number.”
Cameron remained silent for a moment, “Summer…”
“I wish you were here.”
He sighed, “Tell Sofia then. She sounds like she has been taking care of you in Jimmy’s absence.”
“But…”
“Tell Sophia, Summer. If you’re worried about it, then you need to tell her, sweetheart,” he declared.
“Cam…”
“I know, Summer. I know. But I think everything is going to be okay.”
She nodded, though knew he could not see it.
“Go find Sophia now, sweetheart. I’ll call you again later.”
“Okay.”
“Everything is going to be fine, Summer.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Waking next to Charlotte, Jimmy untangled his limbs from hers. She stirred slightly, but only enough to pull the blanket back over her naked body. Smirking, he dressed and headed out of the bedroom. He paused at the room where his daughter slept and pushed open the door. Standing in the doorway for a moment, he watched Scarlet sleep, a little plush lamb clutched in her arms. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly before she yawned. Her eyes found his in the dimly lit room.
“Daddy?”
Jimmy stepped into the room and sat on the edge of her bed, “Shhh, go back to sleep.”
“Is it morning yet?”
“Not quite yet, baby girl,” he responded, smoothing her hair from her face. “You go back to sleep.”
“Daddy?” she asked as he stood up.
“Yes, Scarlet.”
“You be here when I get up?”
“Of course I will be.”
“Okay, Daddy.”
Kissing her forehead, Jimmy left her room and closed the door. He continued down to the kitchen, poured himself a drink, and headed out onto the patio to smoke while the sun rose. His thoughts slowly faded away from his lover and daughter to… his other lover whom he left behind to spend a few days with his family. Guilt instantly touched his thoughts. He should not have left Summer alone in the large country estate without him.
Though he knew the families were going on a drive somewhere that day, Jimmy decided it was time to return to Summer. Being away from her for two days was enough. He would return promptly. Charlotte was used to it. Besides, they fucked enough that night to keep her satiated for awhile. He would return to his golden princess after breakfast with his daughter.
A few hours later, after hugs and a few shed tears, Jimmy climbed into the back of one car while the Plants and the children climbed into another. Charlotte leaned into the back where Jimmy sat and kissed him softly. He did not resist, but did not deepen the kiss either.
“You told Scarlet—”
“I know,” he interrupted. “She’s with Carmen now. She won’t even notice I’m gone.”
“Of course she will,” her eyes flicked to the other car as Maureen started it up. “She always does.”
“It will just be a few days or so.”
“It always is, Jimmy. It always is.”
He ignored the tone in her voice, “You better go before they leave without you.”
She shrugged and stole another kiss, “I’m following behind in another car anyways. They can leave without me.”
“I should go. You should go.”
“Call your daughter tonight, Jimmy,” she leaned out of the window. “That’s the least you can do.”
“Of course, Charlotte. Of course.”
As the last of the three cars pulled away from the rented house, Jimmy felt a sense of dread wash over him. Believing it had to do with Summer, he requested the driver to make it back to her as quickly as possible. Whatever was wrong, he would make it right, no matter what it took, once they were reunited. He would fix whatever was broken, no matter the cost.
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