Cottages

Chapter 6

“So, how was the night in the treehouse?” Claire asked as John and Bobby came into the kitchen. “I hope it wasn’t too cold out there.”

“It was hot actually,” Bobby grinned. “Very hot!” He laughed and then scampered up the stairs.

“Shower,” John said with a big grin as he set the picnic basket down on the kitchen table. Claire smiled knowingly at her son. “Thanks for getting this ready for me, mother,” John added indicating the picnic basket.

“Not a problem. Bobby looks very happy this morning, and that’s what we both wanted.”

“I didn’t realize how much I was neglecting him,” John explained.

“It’s easy to get caught up in other things. I’m glad you realized what was happening before it got too serious.”

“I had a couple of people swat me upside the head and point me in the right direction,” John admitted.

“Well, at least you listened.”

John nodded. “Bobby suggested something last night that really caught my interest.”

“Oh, what was that?”

“He said he looked online and found that I might be able to use all my research on cottages towards a doctorate in architecture.”

“Ooh,” Claire said with a big smile. “I always wanted a doctor in the family, besides Dr. Dan,” she added.

John laughed. “Not that kind of doctor, and I would never want to be called Dr. Anderson.”

“I know, dear,” Claire said fondly. If there was one thing that was true, it was that John Anderson was not one to brag or toot his own horn. “I was teasing.”

“Oh,” John said sheepishly.

“Go join your happy husband. I think you need a shower as badly as he did.” She sniffed to emphasize her point.

John gave her a quick peck to the cheek before running up the stairs to join Bobby.

Claire watched him go and smiled contentedly.

 

*****
 

“Do you think John and Bobby had a good night in the treehouse?” Justin asked as he poured Brian another cup of coffee.

“I’m sure they did.”

“Why were my dads in the treehouse?” Patrick asked with a frown. He had spent the night in Gus’ room, and was having breakfast on the Kinney-Taylor side of Edna’s Treasures. “Why didn’t they take me with them?”

“Your dads needed some time alone,” Justin said quickly. He realized too late he should have kept that question to himself until after the children had gone to school. He looked at Bree who was eating her waffle and studying them all thoughtfully. That was never a good sign.

“But they can be alone here,” Patrick informed his uncles. “I could sleep over here like I did last night.”

“Well, um…” Justin muttered.

“It’s not the same,” Brian told Patrick, trying to rescue his husband. “Sometimes couples just want to get away to a different place and leave everything that’s the usual behind. It’s like a mini vacation.”

Justin smiled at Brian affectionately and squeezed his shoulder. He appreciated Brian’s support.

“Did my dads need to leave me behind?” Patrick asked with a frown.

“Of course not, buddy,” Justin replied hastily. “It was just a night away together for your fathers. They love you very much, and maybe next time they’ll take you with them.”

“I’d like that,” Patrick said looking more all right with that answer.

“Dada, will you take me to the treehouse to stay all night?”

Brian tried not to groan aloud. “Maybe some day, Squirt,” he finally said.

“Tomorrow?” she asked hopefully batting her eyelashes at him.

Then Brian did groan aloud. “Not tomorrow, but we’ll see.”

Bree studied her father. “Daddy, does that mean never?” she asked her other father, knowing that she had heard that answer before and it usually meant they wanted her to forget about it.

Justin laughed. “I don’t know, sweetheart. We’ll have to see, as your Dada said.”

Bree frowned but she didn’t think she was finished with this idea yet.

 

*****
 

“Ready to move into our new house?” Leda asked as she rolled onto her side and looked into Jamie’s eyes.

“Yes,” Jamie said softly.

“You don’t sound very sure,” Leda responded with a frown.

“It’s a bit scary,” Jamie admitted.

“Scary? But I thought this was all settled?”

“It is, but…”

“Tell me!” Leda ordered. “If you’ve got cold feet, I want to know before I check out of this hotel.”

“It’s not cold feet … exactly.”

“Then what is it?”

“If I move out of my place and sublet it, what happens if we have a fight or you kick me out? I’ll have nothing, including a place to live.”

“I’m not planning on kicking you out, or having a fight for that matter,” Leda said emphatically.

“People don’t plan to fight. It just happens sometimes.”

“Yeah, I guess it does. But couldn’t we just talk about whatever caused the fight?” Leda asked hopefully. “I wouldn’t kick you out.”

“I would hope not,” Jamie said. She was happy to have Leda’s reassurance, but it didn’t really solve anything.

“Look I’m not asking you to give up your job and be a stay at home wife. You’ll still have your income and your job and I don’t think you would be exactly homeless if something did happen between us. Not that I think anything like that’s going to happen,” she added quickly.

Jamie sighed. “I guess I’ve just got the jitters at all these changes that are happening in my life.”

“And that’s understandable, but … we’re worth it, aren’t we?”

Jamie smiled warmly. “Definitely worth it,” she agreed.

Leda rolled over onto her new love and proceeded to kiss her senseless.

 

*****
 

“Can you be done at the gallery by four?” Melanie asked as she buttered her morning toast.

Lindsay frowned. “I told you I’d be ready.”

“The days are getting shorter, and I want to have a look at the progress at the cottage before it gets dark.”

“We could go on the weekend instead,” Lindsay suggested.

“I probably will want to go then too, but I want to see if things are going the way they’re supposed to,” Melanie insisted.

“I’ll be ready,” Lindsay said with a sigh.

“Can I come?” JR asked when the discussion was over. She had been quietly eating her cereal while her mothers discussed their plans.

“Not today,” Melanie replied sharply. “You’ll have homework. I expect you to come straight home from school and get started on it.”

“Fine!” JR said angrily. She dropped her spoon noisily into her almost empty bowl. “I’m going to school so I can study and get lots of homework and stay the fuck out of your hair!” She stormed out of the kitchen.

“JR Marcus-Peterson, get back here!” Melanie ordered. Her only reply was the slamming of the front door as JR left. “That girl needs to be brought up short.”

“Or maybe she needs to be included,” Lindsay said softly.

“Included? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that we have only ever taken JR out there once. It’s like the cottage has nothing to do with her,” Lindsay explained.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with her. It’s supposed to be our place.”

“I know that, but it doesn’t mean that we have to exclude her totally. She could come out there for weekends. Brian’s going to make her a swing in the backyard.”

“Brian! I should have known this was coming from him. Why the fuck can’t he keep his nose out of our fucking business?” Melanie demanded.

“Because JR called Gus and said she was being left out, and Gus called Brian and…”

“Kinney called you.”

“Yes.”

“Where the fuck does he get off?”

“He’s not trying to interfere, Mel. He just said that Gus told him that JR was upset and could he help?”

“So he called you.”

“Would it have done any good for him to call you?” Lindsay asked pointedly.

Melanie shook her head. “How can he say JR’s upset? She’s our daughter. She lives with us. We’d know if she was upset.”

“Why do you think she stormed out of here? Of course, she’s upset.”

Melanie frowned. “You think so?”

“I know so.”

“What do we do about it?”

“We start by picking her up after school and taking her with us,” Lindsay said.

“Okay then,” Melanie said realizing her mistake. “I’ll call her on her cell and tell her that.”

“Good,” Lindsay said as she watched Melanie pick up the phone.

 

*****
 

JR was quiet in the back seat, reading, while her Mama was driving them up to the new cottage. She resisted wearing a smug look on her face didn’t make a snarky retort when her mother questioned her about homework. JR merely replied that she had a free period and did most of it then. The rest of it was reading, and that she was doing in the car. She finished most of it as they took the turn off to the cottage.

“Hello Ladies!” John called out as the car pulled up in front of their cottage. The flagstone front path had been completed a few days ago and had settled in enough so that it could be walked on. The front lawn had been mowed and a new lamppost lit their way.

“The electricity is on?” Lindsay asked with amazement. For some reason she was expecting something more primitive.

“You also have running water and heat. You even have a gas stove,” John said in a whisper as he winked at JR. JR burst out into laughter. “Come on; let me show you what we’ve done. I can make you a cup of tea.”

John showed the girls around, commenting on the progress made so far.

“I had to replace the roof,” John began. Mel was about to protest. She had authorized the repair but knew nothing about a replacement. “Hear me out before you yell at me. The whole back section of the roof was damaged down to the wood. We were lucky that all the beams are intact and showed no signs of rot or termites. By the time we removed the damaged sections, seventy-five percent of the roof was gone. I made the decision to give you a whole brand new roof. It will last for at least fifty years. By that time, JR can hire Patrick to replace the roof.”

By silent communication, the girls agreed that having a new roof made sense. John was too honest to cheat them.

“I also gave you a finished off storage space. This cottage doesn’t have a basement or an attic. I kept it simple. There’s an access panel in the hall with a pull down ladder. It’s not tall enough to stand up in but it is usable. It’s completely insulated up there.”

John took the time to show Lindsay and Mel how to pull down the ladder to access the storage area.

“You have a fireplace in the living room and I have a surprise for you,” John said with a note of excitement in his voice as he led the girls to the master bedroom. “You have a small fireplace in here.” The girls oohed and ahhed as they began to explore the room for themselves.

John backed out of the master bedroom hearing a small sigh emanating from JR.

“Feeling a little left out?” John asked as he leaned down to JR’s ear.

“A little. I know they’re really looking forward to spending time here but where am I supposed to go? Sometimes I think they’ve forgotten all about me.”

“No, they haven’t, little lady.”

“No?”

“Nope. Come with me.” John showed JR to the bedroom Mel and Lindsay had designated as hers. “Look!” John said as he opened the door. The bedroom was simple enough with a window that looked out over the side of the house but the main feature was the small fireplace in the room.

“Does it work?” JR asked in awe.

“Yes, it does. We had all the chimneys cleaned and inspected. They’re all in perfect working order. If you stay up here during the winter, you’ll all be toasty warm.”

“Oh, thank you, Uncle John!” JR said as she threw herself into John’s arms.

“You’re very welcome, sweetheart. You deserve it.”

“Do I?” JR asked with tears in her eyes. Sometimes she felt left out of everything being in the middle. She wasn’t the first like Gus or the cutest like Bree, nor did she have Brian Kinney for a dad. In her head JR knew she was loved but sometimes she didn’t feel it in her heart.

“Don’t ever think that you don’t, little lady. You hold a very important place in this family.”

“I do?” John gently pushed the young woman back so that he could see her face. JR had her mother's almost defiant look, desperately holding back the tears.

“Do you know what a fulcrum is?”

“Um, the pivot point of a lever?”

“That’s right! It’s usually in the middle; it’s a support point. Our family unites through you. You join Debbie, your father and Danny into our family. You’re very important on many levels but mostly for who you are. Don’t ever forget it.”

John could see a few tears slipping down the girl’s face.

“Let’s check out the new bathroom. I think we have some tissues in there.” John led the girl out and discreetly down the hall to the new powder room. “I want you to inspect it,” John said out loud for the benefit of the moms who were still oohing and ahhing over their closet space. “I had to stop Gordon from turning it into a locker room.”

JR giggled as she indeed found the tissues and blew her nose. John gave her two thumbs up then left her to inspect the bathroom.

 

*****
 

“JR!” Bree screeched as John and his company walked through the front of Brian and Justin’s side of Edna’s Treasures.

“Hi Bree!” JR greeted her diminutive sister.

“Dada, what time’s dinner?”

“You have about fifteen minutes,” Brian replied.

“Okay!” Bree said as she took JR’s hand. “Want to see my new books?”

“Sure,” JR answered as they ran off to Bree’s room.

“So what do you think of the renovations, so far?” Justin asked as he was stir frying a large pan of vegetables. Bobby and Brian began to move things into the sun porch to accommodate their added guests.

“It’s better than I imagined,” Lindsay said dreamily. "The studio's almost finished.”

“My den,” Mel began with a wistful tone. “I can see a soft comfy sofa and thick rug on the floor. It’s beautiful.”

“I’m glad you think so,” John said as he grabbed the dishes. “We wanted you to feel the intimacy of the place.”

“I think you’ve accomplished that. And JR loves her fireplace. I’m surprised Bree doesn’t have one,” Lindsay commented.

“You have to remember, Bree’s room started out as Brian’s office and then when Bree came along, a fireplace wouldn’t have been practical in the nursery,” Justin stated.

“I suppose that makes sense,” Mel agreed. “So why does our cottage have so many fireplaces?”

“Because it was a tollhouse and sort of an inn. Overnight guests, weary from the long cold ride, paid dearly for a room with heat,” John explained.

“Dinner!” Justin announced. Everyone assisted in setting the table and then they all settled down to have a quiet meal.

 

*****
 

“Honey, I’m home!” Jamie called out as she entered the cottage door. “Something smells good. Did you cook?” Jamie asked Leda. Leda was serving up what looked to be eggplant parmagiana.

“Hell no! I’m a lousy cook but I do know how to order out. I happen to be an expert in that area.” Jamie giggled. “Did you know that Emmett’s Place Too does take out? Well, they do and they suggested a wine to go with our dinner.”

“How about I do us up a salad to go with dinner?”

“Excellent idea. I’ll set the table.” Within minutes the new partners had dinner on the table and were enjoying each other’s company in their new cottage.

Later on, the girls were snuggling on the sofa, sipping their wine.

“And how was your day, dear?” Leda asked, being silly.

“Actually, I had a very good day. I’m chairing a committee that will be in charge of this year’s holiday art show. It’s an honor to be asked.”

“I’m sure you’ll live up to the honor. In the meantime, it would be my honor if you’d allow me to take you to bed.”

“Mmm, the honor would be all mine,” Jamie purred.

 

*****
 

“Hello up there!” Bobby called up to the attic office.

“Hello down there,” came the reply.

“Are you coming to bed anytime soon?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Will I have to wait long?”

“Another fifteen minutes or so.”

“Okay. Guess I’ll have to start without you,” Bobby declared as he started back for the door into his side of the cottage.

A rumble was heard from above and then heavy footfalls coming down the spiral staircase. John skidded to a halt just at the entrance to their home.

“Hi,” John said with an impish grin.

“Hi, yourself. You ready for bed now?” Bobby asked with a coy smile and holding out his hand to his spouse.

“Yes, sir,” John replied as he took his lover’s hand. John moved closer to Bobby, bringing Bobby’s hand up to his chest, close to his heart. “I will go with you anywhere. I love you, Bobby,” John murmured then kissed his lover deeply.

“John,” Bobby whispered as his eyes grew dark with lust. “Take me to bed, please, John.”

“Yeah,” John mumbled as he nibbled Bobby’s soft lips.

The lovers went to bed, leaving the world behind them.

 

*****
 

“Lindz, why does JR hate me?” Mel whispered as they cuddled together in bed.

“She doesn’t hate you,” Lindsay reassured her wife.

“But I can’t seem to do anything right in her eyes.”

“I think you’re trying too hard. Try not to be so perfect. JR doesn’t care if the cottage is perfect or if our house is perfect. She just wants to be with you.”

“I think you should take your own advice,” Mel said after a moment of contemplation.

“I’m trying,” Lindsay replied with a chuckle.

“What’s so funny?”

“Just remembering a story that Justin told me.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, about a time when he was painting part of his Seasons collection and his grape hyacinth wore a hat.”

“Oh.” The girls snuggled closer, gently caressing each other. “What’s a grape hyacinth?

 

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