Chapter Four

Tess threw one tutu after another into her small, tattered suitcase. She had them in every shape, length, puff diameter and color. Pink was her favorite and the pile, preventing her case from closing, attested to that.

A sequined singlet top appeared from somewhere under the mattress she was attempting to drag out of the apartment. Bending over, she struggled to reach it. Once she had it in her hand she dropped the mattress to inspect it more closely and remembered when it was part of her staple wardrobe. She doubted at this moment it would ever fit her again.

On a whim, she unbuttoned her sensible work shirt and threw it into her laundry pile. She stood in her bra and inspected her growing belly in the reflection of her window. How can she not even recognize her own body and how far could human skin stretch before it admitted defeat and just split up the middle? She wasn't sure but was confident she was teetering on the edge.

She pushed her arms through the armholes of the singlet. Poking her head through the opening she attempted to yank it down over her body. It snagged on her hair and she began to perspire profusely.

It refused to budge, she was stuck with her arms waving around above her head and her eyes covered by hot pink, sequined fabric.

So this is how it would end. They'd find her body in an apartment containing nothing more than a case of tutus and haircare products. They'd likely find her zebra print, stocking legs sticking out from under a pile of old makeup and rubbish.

She prayed the end would come quickly.

"Ummm, do you need some assistance?"

At the sound of Cole's voice, Tess struggled even more, "Get out." She screamed in the general direction of where she thought the door would be.

The tap on her shoulder told her she was disorientated.

"Here, let me help."

Before she could protest, strong hands grabbed her around the waist and spun her. The sound of the fabric being ripped apart wasn't enough to distract her from imagining what Cole's view looked like right at that moment. As he freed her and her vision was restored, along with the use of her limbs, she saw the look on his face. Surprisingly he wasn't repelled, he was looking at her like... well like he used to.

God, she wanted to die. He should have just left her there as roach and rodent fodder. Anything would be better than the humiliation she was experiencing. "Stop looking at me." She screeched.

He ignored her and reached out a hand and placed it on her stomach. "You're so beautiful." He muttered.

"And you're insane. Now get out, I need to get dressed." She shooed him to the door but he wasn't having it.

"I'll turn my back, that's the best I'm going to offer you." Cole turned and faced the cracked drywall and pulled out his cell phone. Tess watched him scrolling through emails until she was confident he was distracted long enough for her to cover up.

"How'd you get in here?" She demanded as she zipped around the room looking for something that actually fit her other than the work uniform. She settled on her robe, yanking it on before giving Cole permission to turn around again.

He pointed to the mattress that lay in the doorway. Half in, half out. The door hadn't even been closed. Her thoughts darted to old Percy across the hall. He was nearing a hundred years of age and had a bad heart. He would often sit with his own door open so he could see the happenings of the building from his rocking chair in the corner. Hopefully, his door was closed today or that performance might have finished him off.

"How did the mattress get there?" Cole inquired.

"I dragged it there, I need to get it out to the street for rubbish collection. It sort of got stuck in the doorway and I couldn't get it to the stai—"

"Stop talking." Cole shook his head.

"But I needed to—"

"Stop." He placed his finger over her lips and she was shocked into silence. When he was sure she wouldn't speak again, he continued. "Leave it all, I'll arrange someone to clean it and to bring your personal effects to the ranch. I'll just grab that overnight case and we can go."

Tess was embarrassed to tell him the overnight case was pretty much the only personal effects she owned. Other than a plastic shopping bag of dirty laundry and the twenty-year-old television set.

He picked up her case and stood planted to the spot while she walked to the door.

"You coming or not?" She asked.

"You're seriously going to walk down the street of New York City in a bathrobe? Not to mention board my plane."

Her hands sprung to her hips. "Is there an issue with that?" she challenged.

"Whatever makes you happy Tess." He laughed. "My mother will love it; she's got one just like it."

"I can't believe I agreed to this and you're irritating me already," Tess huffed.

Cole had called her every day to check on her. It was a nice feeling. Realistically, she knew he was only doing it to get the answer he wanted, but she let herself believe it was because he cared. Especially with the arrival of meals being delivered to her doorstep each night, always laden with vegetables and plenty of calcium and red meat.

She gave in and agreed to move to the guest house, after all, it wasn't like she had many other options. She threw caution to the wind and put her faith in the universe and her guardian angels.

***

They arrived at the ranch around dinner time. It had been a busy day and she would have happily just curled up in bed and slept for days. Unfortunately, Cole wouldn't allow it and insisted she eat a hearty meal and, of course, he insisted they ate with his parents and his younger sister. Tess hadn't even gotten to see the guest house and was still in her robe. She wasn't sure it would be the hit Cole insisted it would. Luckily, they'd flown in on a private plane so she hadn't made too much of a spectacle of herself, until now.

The five of them, six if you counted Ms Washington's Pomeranian with the painted toenails, sat at a long-polished table. Tess felt like she was in a board room and almost expected a whiteboard to appear, displaying the latest sales figures. The home was beautiful but felt so sterile, no love or quirks, just antiques and expensive art that didn't look like anything.

Nothing much had changed since she worked here, it was as if they were preserving the past at the cost of the present. There were barely any current family photographs, you only made the wall of fame once you had achieved some sort of status or knowing the Washington family, a dollar value. Once her baby was born, she would shroud her house in pictures. Even if all he ever achieved was a smile.

Cole's father sat at the head of the table in a tailored suit and made no attempt to hide his distaste at having to dine with the former help. His gray hair was cut short and his steely blue eyes drilled into her. He questioned Tess relentlessly about her family history, one question after another, barely giving her time to answer. He reminded Tess of firecrackers going off, she cringed every time he fired another question at her but not as much as he did when her answers didn't live up to what he had hoped for his son.

"Do you often choose tattered flannel as dinner attire?" Mr Washington shook Tess from her daydream.

Tess pulled the robe around herself tighter. "Not normally no. I'm embarrassed to say, I've gotten quite large the last few weeks and have found nothing fits me now." She giggled, awkwardly.

Cole jumped in, "Mother, maybe you and Tess could do a spot of shopping tomorrow."

"That would be lovely but I'll have to check the wardrobe for something that might fit her. We can't go anywhere with her in a robe." His mother smiled.

"Why would one assume you would dress for dinner this way?" His father couldn't let it go.

Cole cleared his throat. "I suggested it. I want her to be comfortable."

"I see." Mr Washington muttered. But he didn't see at all. Tess could tell from the set of his jaw and the incline of his eyebrows. "And I suppose her comfort comes at the detriment of your family, Cole?"

Ms Washington patted her husband's hand. "Come now dear, it's only clothing and she's pregnant. It's hardly going to hurt anyone."

Mr Washington scoffed. "I never once saw you come to the dinner table looking like that when you were expecting. Not in all your pregnancies."

Tess shifted in her seat as she took a deep breath in through her nose and exhaled in small jagged blows. Clasped firmly between her teeth, was her bottom lip, should it suddenly, without permission interrupt the current discussion.

"It's a new thing, Norman. The hospitals encourage expectant mothers to wear loose clothing and to stay comfortable. I would have done it if it was the done thing back then."

They sat quietly for a moment, struggling not to make eye contact. Cole's mother rearranged the condiments for the sixth time and fussed with the lace tablecloth.

"Do you have a job?" Cole's father threw another question at her.

Her left eye twitched as she fought to hold back an eye roll. "I did... I mean I do." She stammered. "I'm taking time off until after the baby's born."

"I suppose we are to fund this vacation then?"

Cole ground his back teeth. "No, father, this is my child and my responsibility."

A handful of staff entered the dining hall and placed some small bowls down in front of them. Cole's father looked at the entree that had just been delivered and turned his nose up, Tess suspected he did that to many things.

"Do you have a job, sir?" Tess asked suddenly. Silence fell across the table like a blanket smothering all other activity. All eyes were on her at that moment and she wavered slightly, wondering if she had in fact, bitten off more than she could chew when she chose to give Mister Washington a taste of his own medicine.

Cole's father glared at her. "What do you think young lady? Do you suppose all this just landed in my lap?" He indicated the home.

"Well yes, actually, Cole mentioned you inherited this from your family and they from theirs before that." She tilted her chin upwards and met his gaze.

Veins popped in Mr Washington's neck. "So that's the appreciation and respect I get shown in my own home is it?" He threw his napkin down and stood, towering above them.

"I'm sorry, I merely thought we were having a conversation about our careers." Tess stared down at her lap and refolded her napkin. She hid the little smirk that threateningly pulled at the corner of her mouth.

She noticed Cole raise his eyebrows in shock, but was that a smile?

"Please sit down, Norman," Cole's mother insisted, tugging at the sleeve of his jacket.

His father glanced around at the faces surrounding him, before regaining his composure and sitting stiffly back in his chair. "I work harder than you could imagine young lady," he said, calmly now.  "And to answer your question, no, I don't have a job, I have many."

Swiveling her soup in its bowl, Tess experienced a pang of guilt. She'd had her fun and it had blown up badly. Doubt invaded her mind, she wasn't cut out for this life, of that she was sure.

The attitudes of these people are suffocating me and I've been here all of eight minutes.

Cole's phone rang and he slipped it from his pocket.

"Answering a phone at the dinner table is incredibly rude dear, especially as we have a guest." Cole's mother smiled at Tess again.

"Sorry mother, but I really need to take this. I'll be back before dinner has been served. Excuse me, Tess." Cole stood and strode from the room.

Cole's sister, Beverly sat quietly in the corner. Her dark hair pulled back tightly in what appeared to be a headache-inducing top knot. Her expressionless face and feline-like eye make-up hardened her appearance and the hope they could be friends someday, drifted away. Beverly had stared silently at Tess from the moment she'd shuffled in the door.

Glancing up, Tess caught her eye. To her horror, the girl didn't politely look away, yet continued to stare. Tess's eyes darted around the room and flicked casually back past Beverly, who was still glaring at her. If ever she had met someone who had missed their calling, it was Beverly. Her destiny lay in poker, her face unable to be read.

"Are you home for college break, Bev?" Tess smiled warmly.

Beverly looked from Tess to her father and back again. "Yes, just for a few days," she answered. It was a surprise to Tess to find her voice was soft and sweet, almost like she was singing a song. It wasn't what she had been expecting to come from Beverly.

"The name is Beverly, not Bev." Cole's father corrected her. "So... have you been married before Tess?"

"No sir." She thought it best to just stick to yes and no to keep the peace until Cole got back.

"Is Tess short for anything? Anastasia or Teresa?"

Tess smiled, he was going to love this one. "Nope, just Tess."

"After your mother?" He pried.

"Nope, the one and only I'm glad to say. An original, I don't think the world needed a family line full of me."

The older man nodded his head. "At last, we agree on something."

Tess's mouth flew open as she struggled to keep her cool and reminded herself to be polite. She wrung the napkin in her lap and considered shoving it in Mr Washington's mouth. Or maybe her own to prevent her from saying what she would have liked.

"Was your family known for anything, Tess?"

Tess pretended to think about it. Really, she was stewing over which answer would make him want to cry the most. "We were infamous for our family arguments if that's what you mean. Mother didn't believe in bottling things up. She thought it stifled one's creative juices and would cause heart attacks. She liked to let it all out, you could hear her screaming from the end of the street."

Cole's sister choked on her wine and sprayed it out of her mouth and across the table, splashing her mother's white blouse.

"Beverly. What the hell has gotten into you?" Mr Washington bellowed. "My home has been turned into a damned circus."

"Please dear, calm down. It was an accident," Ms Washington soothed.

"Well, sometimes accidents cause a whole lot of trouble." He snarled and looked down his pointy, oversized nose at Tess's swelled stomach.

Tess knew if Cole had been here, he would have snapped. Maybe that's why Mr. Washington had kept such a scathing comment to himself until Cole had left the room. It wasn't really her place to take down Cole's father but he needed to know she could take care of herself. She'd dealt with pompous asses before, Cole's father was no different. In fact, she was beginning to revel in the fact, she was carrying his future grandson and he couldn't do a damn thing about it. Game, set and match, douchebag.

"You'd think it was done on purpose the way you're turning all purple," Tess said.

"Was it?" Cole's father practically popped a vein at this point.

"I'm not sure." She smiled sweetly.

"You're not sure!" His voice had risen beyond what Tess would have considered polite but hey, who was she to question the head of the Washington family on manners? She licked her fingers and burped after eating pizza so she was certainly no authority.

"Bev. Was it an accident." Beverly just blinked and stared back at her. "When you sprayed the wine on your mother. Was it an accident?"

"I was talking about your baby. Not the damned wine. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What?" Tess blinked and gave her best doe-eyed dear look. "When were we talking about my baby?"

"Oh for God's, sakes. She's a madwoman." Cole's father muttered under his breath and slumped back down into his seat.

Game, set, match. As I'd suspected.

Cole strode back into the room and stopped when he was hit in the face with the tension in the air.

"Is everything alright?" His eyes darted briefly to his fathers and back to hers.

"Oh yes, your sister just had a little accident with her wine," Tess said with a smirk.

"Alright," Cole said, hesitation thick in his voice. Before resuming his place at the table.

Dinner arrived, it looked wonderful, Tess had no idea what she was expecting. Maybe a poison-laced quail egg or a fancy, tiny morsel that would be unrecognizable on an oversized, white dinner plate. Instead, the meal placed in front of her was huge with plenty of trimmings. Under normal circumstances, there was enough food to feed her for a week, but the last few days she had found herself readily eating the meals Cole had been sending to her apartment door.

Cole relaxed his shoulders. "Ah, dinner smells delicious. Nothing like good southern cooking, you wait until you taste the chicken, Tess, I bet you've never had anything like it." He threw a wink at her and her heart raced, causing her to blush slightly.

Ms Washington smiled. "That's my boy, he's always had a great appetite you know Tess?" Her eyes twinkled as she stared over the table at him. "It's been good having you home Cole."

"I can't wait to try it," Tess said. "I don't eat much chicken, so maybe this will convert me."

Her hand hovered over the row of cutlery, unaware where to start. Casually Cole reached over and took her hand as if to hold it, but guided it to land on the correct fork. She smiled up at him, grateful she didn't need to look any more like a fool than she already did.

Although she couldn't stand Mr Washington he had opened his home to her and she began to regret the earlier fiery exchange. He would be part of her baby's family after all. Poor little munchkin, having to put up with this lot. Their only saving grace was Cole's mother. She was extremely proper but so very kind.

***

Dinner finished off, incident-free. As Cole walked Tess out of the house and across the property, she stopped to pull off her shoes and let the cool grass soothe her swollen feet. Strolling in the moonlight with Cole was just like old times. But it wasn't old times and it would pay her to remember that.

"You can see the stars so much clearer out here than in the city," Tess said in barely more than a whisper. She wished she could just lay down on her back and stare up at the stars until she fell asleep. Her body wouldn't thank her for that in the morning so she kept walking.

"See there are some advantages to being out here." Cole couldn't help but smile. "Thank God for the stars because dinner with my parents clearly, isn't a big drawcard in this situation. "

Having Cole so close, caused her heart to leap, she was so aware of him there, so close to her, her skin prickled. He must have felt it too as he reached out and took her hand. Tess stopped and pulled him back towards her.

"Cole... I'm sorry I started out on the wrong foot with your father. I don't know what's wrong with me. Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones."

"It's alright, he deserved it. He was being rude asking all those questions." Cole pulled her along and they continued to stroll toward the guest house. The moonlit a path and their feet flattened the cool grass, releasing a cool, earthy aroma into the night air. "He's not as bad as he seems, you know? He just isn't very personable; he treats everything like a business acquisition. You were right to put him in his place."

"I'm just a hothead. I feel terrible about it now, maybe I should go and see him tomorrow and apologize."

"Don't worry about it. He'll be gone back to the city by then and to be honest, it wouldn't make any difference."

They stopped outside the door of the whitewash guest house, where they stood making small talk and if she was honest, it was because she wanted to keep him there as long as she could. She hated saying goodbye to him already and contemplated inviting him in but it seemed weird, considering it was his property and not hers.

Cole reached out and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. It was a simple gesture, one he barely seemed to register but it made her heart race. He pulled back and the scent of his aftershave hung in the air between them, just like all their unspoken words.

"I hope you like the place. Keep in mind, it's only temporary," he said.

"I'm sure I'll love it." She smiled at him but she wasn't really listening. She struggled to draw her focus from his lips as he spoke. His top lip was thin and sort of tucked under when he smiled, it was the most endearing thing. Maybe because it was the only imperfection he had and it drove her crazy with desire. She bit her own lip subconsciously, wishing it were his.

She raised her eyes slightly and found herself staring directly into Cole's eyes. He had incredibly long lashes for a man, it softened him, he had kind eyes. Had he gotten closer? His eyes fluttered closed and she realized while she had been lost in her desire for him, he was giving in to his. He placed his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her lips to his.

The kiss was firm and urgent. Cole tangled his fingers in Tess's hair while she wrapped her arms around his neck. She knew this was wrong. The memory of GG telling her he would try this thundered louder and louder in her mind until she couldn't bear it anymore. She pulled away from Cole and touched her lips as if sealing in the memory.

They stood awkwardly for a moment, neither knowing what to say. Cole shuffled his feet before shoving his hands into his pockets and pulling out a set of keys.

"Here you'll need these, and if you want anything else just call," he said quickly and started off across the yard. He made it a few yards before he stopped and turned around. "Tess... goodnight." He called out and then stalked away, disappearing into the night.

She took a few minutes to recover, before unlocking the door and sneaking inside. She almost felt guilty at not calling out to announce her arrival and she felt like an intruder, creeping around a stranger's house.

It was bigger than she expected but was adorably quaint and homey compared to the main home. Tess fell in love with it immediately and the thought of ever leaving drifted further from her mind. Her overnight and a couple of small boxes sat in the corner of the living room, right next to a gorgeous old rocking chair. She imagined herself sitting there with her child on her knee, reading books she had loved during her childhood.

Dr Seuss and Enid Blyton classics were her favorites, she wondered if her son would like the same stories she had. Would he watch cartoons or sneak away to watch the news like his father? An image of Cole sitting in the chair with their baby on his lap, reading the stock exchange for dummies made her realize that no matter what these rich people pulled, her baby needed her in his life. He needed a buffer between all the expectations that would be laid on him and the chance to enjoy his childhood.

She strolled around the house, checking every room and looking in every drawer and cupboard. The angels had been looking out for her. This place was gorgeous and as she plopped back into the sofa she thought how great it was to be off her feet and without the demands of work and the stress of bills. She could say a lot about Cole, but at least he stepped up and helped her out, even if he didn't love her.

***

"Norman, I wish you wouldn't fly off the handle like that, it's such a common trait to not control your temper," Ms Washington scolded her husband in hushed tones.

Coles parents had moved from the open space of the dining hall to the privacy of the den. His father was sprawled back on the leather sofa, a cigar in one hand, scotch in the other. Cole stood unnoticed in the doorway.

Norman swirled the amber liquid around in its glass. "This charlatan is nothing but a con woman. She hooked her claws into our only son to get her hands on our money and to give this bastard child of hers, our family name." He threw back a huge gulp and squeezed his eyes shut from the after-burn.

Gertrude shook her head at him. "None the less, you need to stay calm and let me take care of it. Don't I always take care of everything?" she soothed. She closed the distance between them and perched herself on the arm of the sofa. "The last thing I need is your temper ruining any chance of me seeing our grandchild."

"If he even is our grandchild. You know what these people are like."

Cole stormed into the room. "No father, I don't, please enlighten me."

His father slammed his drink down and the silver drinks table shook. He sprung to his feet. "You know exactly what I'm talking about Cole. I won't let you destroy hundreds of years of the Washington name, by shacking up with the help and her bastard child."

With his pulse thundering in his ears, Cole grabbed his father by the front of his blazer. "I will not let you talk about my son like that again, nor the mother of that child." He pushed his hands off of him, shoving him backward, slightly. Cole straightened his own tie and smoothed back his hair. "Do we have an understanding father?"

His mother after a moment of shock dashed over to stand between them with her eyes wide. "Cole, don't..."

"Oh, for God's sake, boy. If you can't see her for the opportunist she is, you're a bigger fool than I thought." He butted his cigar into a marble ashtray and stormed from the room. His mother stood planted to the spot. Clearly torn between chasing after her husband and comforting Cole.

"Your father doesn't speak for everyone Cole. I think Tess is lovely and I'm sure he'll come around. Just give him time dear."

"We don't have time. Tess could give birth at any moment and I won't have anyone bad-mouthing my child or his mother."

"I'll talk to him, sweetheart. Just let him calm down," Mrs Washington said as she scurried to the door, where she paused. "I'll have the chef make some fresh chocolate chip cookie to send over to Tess, that will be nice."

When Cole didn't respond she turned and left, shutting the double doors behind her. Cole sighed and flopped down onto the leather sofa. Maybe it had been a mistake bringing Tess here. This wasn't the place for her and he was becoming less sure it was the place for his son.

He pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and slid it open. His fingers flew across the screen, messaging his secretary asking her to start searching for a property back in New York, immediately.