The house itself is as southern as they get, with a two-story wrap around porch, large fans lazily spinning in the slight breeze, and a minimum of five old ladies sitting in rocking chairs by the front door.
Wooden steps creak underfoot as we walk up, and through a screen door into a wide hall the length of the house. At the other end are a pair of French doors left open to allow the breeze to go through the home. In with it brings the scent of various foods and the sound of chatter and a guitar in the distance.
“Nate, your house is amazing,” I tell him, running my hand up the smooth black railing of the stairs in the hall.
He stops in the middle of it and looks around proudly. “It’s been in the Chevalier family since 1790. Actually, we lost it for several years, my great grandfather bought it back. Then it belonged to a distant cousin of mine who sold it. I was able to purchase it years ago for almost nothin’. Moved it all the way from New Orleans.”
My head snaps to him. “You moved it?”
“He sure did,” a woman says coming in through the French doors. “I’m Jane, Nate’s wife,” she greets with a bright smile and we shake hands.
“Cris,” I say.
“She’s Bo’s girl.”
“Ah, good job, Bo,” she says over my head and I turn to see Bo standing behind me.
He puts his arm around my shoulder and pulls me to him. “Thought you’d approve,” he winks.
It’s a little strange, pretending to be his girl, but I have to say it doesn’t take much effort to fall into that role.
* * *
Jane sends us upstairs to drop off our stuff before heading outside. I don’t say anything, though it just now hits me that although Bo said he’d take me home today, he had also said he’d be spending the night here with Old Nate. I guess I didn’t really think through that one, or maybe I just didn’t want to.
All of the bedrooms in Bonheur are on the second floor, with a long hallway the length of the house, just as they are downstairs. Our room is set at the front left corner of the house, with two sets of floor to ceiling windows on two of the walls, left open, white lacy panels blowing gently.
“They used these tall windows instead of doors to avoid paying more taxes,” I share a lesson smugly. “I think,” I add, unsure.
“Well, you’d know better than me.”
The old canopied bed set against the wall looks mighty inviting, so I pull back the mosquito netting and plop into it, laying on my belly facing the tiny bathroom.
“Was that a closet?” I ask. The room is cute, but very small, especially for a man Bo’s size I am sure. It has a pedestal sink, a toilet almost touching it, and right beside that a very narrow shower. Granted, the choices made in color, black and white tiny tiles and wainscoting add to the small charm, but it’s tight.
He chuckles. “You’d think. I hardly fit in here. It’s always been used as a washroom. There used to be an old copper tub in here. Jane had it put in the master suite. You should see that room, that girl’s got talent.”
“This place is so beautiful. They’ve really done an amazing job with it.”
“Looks old and creepy to me. You know this place is haunted,” he says peeking out of the tiny bathroom.
I run my hands over the soft quilt, noting the detail in the delicate pastel flowers. “What’s with you and ghosts?”
“Are you kidding me! I grew up surrounded by them. I don’t think there’s a house left in New Orleans that’s not got some poltergeist.”
Oh Bo, he’s afraid of ghosts and he went on that tour with me! No wonder he was so uncomfortable. “I’m sure there’s at least one,” I say, wondering myself if that is true.
“Well, I have yet to find it. Almost every place I’ve been to I’ve had something touch me, yanked on my hair or taken my blankets off in the middle of the night.”
I don’t say anything about the only thing touching, yanking his hair and getting him out of his blanket last night in my room being me, but I think it.
Bo closes the door and while he does his thing I send a quick video to my dad for Mia telling her how much I love and miss her.
“So we’re both staying here the night? I thought you were taking me back to the Quarter before nightfall,” I say to Bo when he comes out.
“Well, I still can if you’d like. But we’d have to leave before I can show you anything. I leave tomorrow too, same flight as you. If we leave here first thing, we can stop by your hotel and grab your stuff and still make it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. What do you say?”
It makes perfect sense to me. Of course, he knew I would say yes. We barely got here, I don’t want to leave yet.
“Bo, can you show me the old house where you and Nate grew up? The one you used to runaway to?”
“Wish I could. It was here. Burned down years ago.” There’s a small hint of sadness in his voice.
“Oh no!”
“No one was hurt. Old Nate had moved out and his dad was with me of all places.”
“Are you sad?”
“A little. But the people are still here. That’s all that matters to me.”
“Why do you call Nate, Old Nate?” I ask curiously.
He thinks on it for a second. “You know, I have no idea. Been calling him that since we could talk. Maybe it’s cause he’s older than me. Yeah, we’ll say that’s the reason.” Bo winks at me and I laugh.
He comes to me and I roll over onto my back. He bends over the edge of the bed, and kisses me on the forehead, then my nose and lastly my mouth. Our tongues meet and I taste him slowly, moaning into his mouth and reach up to him. He pulls my hands away and kisses my chin, then further down between my breasts before he stops.
“They’re waitin’ for us down there.”
I huff in frustration, “Tease.”
He leaves me lying there, chuckling with that deep voice that melts me.
* * *
The back yard consists of different seating areas, some on patios, others simply chairs on the perfectly trimmed lawn. There’s a slight slope as you get closer to the water, with a black iron fence in place to keep large animals from crossing into the space.
A young girl sitting by herself is lightly strumming a beautiful guitar with several other instruments set on chairs beside her.
Children run to and fro, playing tag, bumping into adults too tipsy to care.
Long tables have been set on the porch where women tend to the pots and casseroles on them, and ensure everyone is getting their share of helpins’.
An older gentleman, about sixty, has large cuts of meat in a roaster, with about five other men standing around him with beers in hand chatting animatedly.
“Ever had gator?” Nate asks as he and Jane come up to us. Boy do they make a beautiful couple!
“A few times,” I reply.
The man roasting the meat walks over to us with a plate full of delicious cuts and he hands us each a small piece.
“Cris, this is my uncle Jim. Nate’s dad.”
“Nice to meet ya, my lady,” says Mr. Chevalier and shakes my hand. Even though he’s older, and time has not been kind to him, I can see where Nate gets his looks from, having the same crystal blue eyes and bone structure.
Bo told me that James struggled for many years, losing his job at an oil refinery, then bouncing from place to place. He said it really wore him down. But now, in his later years, Nate has been able to take care of him and give him the retirement he deserved.
Years ago, when he was dragged home by his father, Nate was told the truth behind their finances. He stepped up to the plate and began to help, then put himself through school and is now an engineer at the electric company. He certainly has the means to offer his dad a break it seems.
“What did you think of the room?” Jane asks when we walk away.
“It’s beautiful! You two did an amazing job with this place.”
“It’s all her,” Nate gives Jane all the credit.
“What can I
say? I do have talent.”
I giggle at her lack of modestly. “Well, it is beautiful. And this gathering, you have this every weekend?”
They both nod. “It keeps us busy,” she says.
“Well I love it! Makes me miss home. We used to have big family reunions every Sunday.”
“Not anymore?”
“No, we moved from California when I was sixteen. I still went back a few times, but then after I got mar…” I stop myself. Shit! I almost told them I was married. “Uh, it just got harder as I got older. I don’t have much family in North Carolina.”
Bo squeezes my shoulder when he sees how nervous I’ve become.
“Will you show Cris around, Jane? She loves old places.”
“I’d love to!”
“I’ve seen the place. Mind if I have a beer with Old Nate here?” Bo asks me.
I look at Nate, unbelievably handsome Nate, and still have a hard time getting over his nickname. “Of course. We’ll be back.”
Janes shows me all of the unique details of the house, what was kept, and what aspects were changed to reflect their lifestyle and/or for modern convenience. I had the opportunity to see the large copper tub, which as Bo had said was in their grand master bedroom.
One thing that caught my attention was the number of photographs in the house. On desks, tables, hanging from walls or in albums. They were all of Jane and Nate’s family, and yes, even Bo made quite a few appearances.
I stopped to look at a group of black and white prints hanging on the second-floor hallway wall. They were of Bo and his children, presumably at Jane’s wedding. The kids were much younger then, hanging on to a tuxedo clad Bo, looking handsome as ever, undeniably happy with his children around his neck.
“Do you like children?” Jane asks.
“Mm, I do.”
“Have you met his kids?”
“Once,” I say.
“Do you want kids? I mean, it’s probably too nosy, but you know when you’re dating someone with kids…”
I chuckle at her. “I know what you mean. It’s not nosy. I have a daughter.”
“You do? Where is she?”
“She’s with my dad. Do you have children?” I turn the question to her before she asks me more. It’s not that I think she’s prying, it’s that I don’t know how much I can answer safely.
“If I could I would. I’d have three.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“No! Don’t be. There’s nothing to be sorry about. I can’t physically have a baby, but that’s not going to stop us from having a big family. Well, we haven’t told anyone, but we’re expecting! Oh my God, I had to tell someone,” she squeals.
“What! Wait, I’m confused.”
“Well, we went through an agency and there is a young woman who simply doesn’t want to have a family. She’s too young. So, she found us. The baby is due in February.”
“Oh Jane, congratulations!” I give her a tight hug.
She wipes away at her tears. “Don’t tell anyone, got it. We’re not planning on saying anything until next year. Just in case, you know, she can still change her mind.”
“My lips are sealed. Besides, I don’t know anyone here, who am I going to tell?”
We head down and find a nice spot to sit and get to know each other a little more. It’s such a beautiful day, the sun, the breeze, the scent of everything deliciously wafting my way.
Jane leans in. “So, tell me everything. Where did you meet Bo? How long have you been dating? You know he’s never brought another girl here before. Well, other than Laura when they were married. But not since then. You do know about Laura, right?”
She’s throwing the questions out there so fast I can’t answer them, instead I giggle at her and shake or nod my head. “I, um…”
“Am I being nosy? I’m probably scaring you off with all my questions. I’ve always been told I pry too much.”
“No, no, of course not. I… we’ve only known each other a short while.” I like Jane. Actually, I like her so much I feel compelled to be honest with her. But I hold back because I don’t want to be the one who scares her off.
Jane is that type of person you like instantly. Beautiful on the outside, with possibly the darkest skin I’ve ever seen, long black hair, big brown eyes, large lush lips and a curvaceous body any man would drool over. Even more so beautiful on the inside, with a happy playful soul, yet you can see she’s a feisty thing. Her smile is genuine and heartfelt, her manners soft and sophisticated, and her attention is so focused on you it seems like there is no one more important.
There’s a perky side to her that really makes me miss Jess so terribly!
“Well, you must be something special because I’ve never seen him so smitten. I mean, just look at him, he can’t take his eyes off you!”
I turn quickly to catch Bo looking our way. He smiles, his dimples lining his face, and raises his beer to us before going back to his conversation with Nate and a few other guys. They roar with laughter at something and Nate slaps him on the back.
Jane shakes her head and I see her watching Nate with so much love in her eyes I feel a twinge of jealousy at how free she is to do so.
I decide to turn the conversation to her, more curious about them now. “How did you and Nate meet? Have you been together a long time? You seem really in love.”
“Oh my,” she says playing with the hem of her skirt. “Child, it is such a long story. Suffice it to say that it was this house that brought us together, and we weren’t so in love then. More like in hate. At least on my part. But you know, things happen.”
“You can’t leave me like this! Now you have to tell me.”
“All right, how about if I tell you, you tell me a little more about you and Bo, cause girl I have a feeling there’s way more to that story than you’ve only known each other for a short while.”
“Deal.” I agree because I am too intrigued.
“Well, I was living in New York City, and a friend of mine was researching her ancestry and she sparked that interest in me. I start searching, wanting to know where I came from. I knew there had been a large part of my family that came from New Orleans on the Underground Railroad. But there were some that stayed, and I wanted to know what happened to them.
“So I trace them back to an old family, the Chevaliers. I see that the house they served in still exists and is for sale. Now don’t ask me what the hell I was thinking wanting to buy this house in Louisiana where my family had once served. But there was something about it, when I saw the pictures of it in such a shabby state. Maybe I felt like it should be mine, sort of an inheritance.
“So I show up ready to buy it, and don’t you know, not only has it been purchased, but it’s been fully dismantled and in the process of being moved to this swamp! Oh, I was livid. This was my house, where my people had worked, granted they were no longer slaves at the time, but they suffered and bled for this house. So, I drive to the site and there are tons of workers, and no one knows what to say to me other than, sorry lady. Not good enough. I make them call whoever dared move this house.”
“Nate,” I say complete engulfed in the story.
“Yup. I waited three hours. He shows up and I let him have it. And instead of fighting me, telling me that I should go home and give up, he laughs like it’s something funny. Laughs! Then he has the audacity to invite me to see the house being built.”
“So what did you do?” I know how the story ends; obviously, they end up together. But it’s still so exciting!
“I go back home, settle any outstanding business and move to Louisiana. Luckily a lot of what I do I can do from home, so it doesn’t matter where I am.”
“What do you do?”
“Graphic designs. I have an online business.”
“Nice.”
“Thanks,” she adds chipper, then her eyes widen and she goes back to the story. “So I live here now and come every single day with the mind of making his life hell. I don’t know wh
y, I just felt the need to pick on him. I ask lots of questions, tell him everything he’s doing wrong. And all he is, is amused! It drives me crazy. Then one day when I interrupt him and the contractor to tell them my opinion on what the study should look like, Nate tells him, ‘Well, do what the lady says.’ From then on I take over the house plans.
“Nate starts bringing us breakfast and sometimes lunch. I don’t know when it happened, but somehow we fell into a routine. Then when the house is done, I know I really have no say in what happens to it because at the end of the day, it’s his. We are walking around the house doing the final walk through and I say goodbye, and he says, ‘The house can be yours under one condition. Marry me.’”
“And you did.”
“I did,” Jane says.
“So, I’m confused. At what point did you fall in love?”
“With Nate? Oh, from that very first day. Actually, what I didn’t tell you is that I slept with him that first night. I was so mad at him, I just needed to get some of that anger out.” She cackles and claps her hands.
“Jane!”
“Yup, every night I’d get even,” she said laughing even harder. “Oh, lordy.” She wipes the tears from the corners of her eyes. “So now you know about me. Tell me about you.”
I sigh. “I hope you don’t judge me too harshly.”
“After what I just told you, never!”
“Well, I’m married and I am here cashing in my ticket for one night with Bo so that I can forgive my husband,” I blurt out.
Her mouth parts and a strange little gurgle comes out before she closes her eyes and gathers her thoughts. “Okay. I can’t say I expected that.”
“Sorry.” I regret telling her.
“No, no! Don’t be. Listen,” she says touching my knee with a slender hand. “We all have stories to tell. It just makes me sad to know you’re not really with Bo. He deserves a good lady, and the way he looks at you,” she whistles.
“I guess he’s attracted to me.”
“You think? Maybe a little more than that if I had a say.”
The Affair: Cristiana’s Full Story Page 14
