House Divided

by Peel, Jennifer

  I stayed in the shower until I pruned. I got out to find towels and a silk robe waiting for me. Doris was the best. I had forgotten how nice it was to have a housekeeper. I sat at the vanity and went through my nightly beauty regimen, taught to me by Aunt Lu. I masked and moisturized and hydrated. It had worked well for her over the years. I was hoping I had inherited those youthful genes, but only time would tell, I guess.

  After drying my hair, I climbed into my old bed and tried to settle in for the night. I was exhausted, but sleep didn’t want to come. After an hour I gave up and turned on my bedside lamp. I pulled out my phone and checked email and then wasted time looking on Pinterest. I knew what was bugging me, but I was fighting it. I kept looking at the hope chest across the room. I was determined not to open it and go down memory lane, but it was like it was taunting me and daring me to open it. It’s not like I didn’t know what was in it (well mostly).

  I finally gave in and threw off the covers. I sat crossed legged in front of it. I took a deep breath and carefully lifted the lid of the old cedar chest. I inhaled the scent of the wood and of days that had long gone by. My white cap and gown sat on the top, but my gown looked crinkled up like someone had gone through the chest and hastily laid the gown back in; that was odd. I gently removed them and placed them on the floor near me. It was what was under those that I was in search of. Next was Brady’s Lettermen jacket. I took it out and smelled it. It still faintly smelled like him, it was a musky masculine scent. I put it on. It was still way too big on me. Next was the state football championship game ball. He had signed it, “With all my love, Brady.” Next up was the thing that taunted me the most. It was a small burgundy velvet box. It was what he left on the sofa table that Christmas he broke up with me. I’d never had the courage to look to see what was in the little box. All I ever did was unwrap it. On many occasions I tried to open it, but I could never bring myself to do it. I tried to send everything back to him by courier, but he just sent it right back with a note that read. “These don’t belong to me.”

  I held the little box in my hand and just looked at it. Tears started to trail down my cheeks. I began to peek at the contents and the hinge on the box creaked. I snapped it shut before I could look inside. This was stupid. I took off his dumb jacket and threw it and the ball back in the “hopeless” chest. I took the stupid box back to bed with me and I threw it in my nightstand drawer. I turned off the light and cried myself to sleep.

  I woke early and dressed carefully for Aunt Lu’s sake. I felt a little silly getting dressed up to sit in a hospital room all day, but I was used to doing things that didn’t make sense for Aunt Lu. That was basically my life in a nutshell. I had brought a black Calvin Klein pantsuit that fit the bill. It fit me well and showed off my curves and slender figure. I matched it with pointed black stiletto heels. I even took the time to curl my now shoulder-length hair.

  Doris was waiting for me down in the kitchen, she had even made me breakfast. Bless her. I usually just grabbed a piece of fruit in the morning. I had never really learned to cook. My Aunt Lu hadn’t either, because we always had Doris, and if Doris wasn’t there, we had takeout. My cooking skills were limited to toast (but I even seemed to burn that frequently), smoothies and salads. Doris set my breakfast in front of me: blueberry pancakes, bacon and fresh squeezed orange juice. I needed a Doris in Atlanta.

  I made small talk with Doris while I ate. It was nice to have someone to talk to in the morning. It reminded me of how lonely my life was in Atlanta. Sure, I had business associates and employees and even a few people I would consider friends, like my agent, Olivia, but I lived a pretty solitary existence by choice. I dated on occasion, but no one seriously, even though a few of them would have liked to. I spent most of my spare time answering fan mail. I made it a point to answer each one personally. My agent said I was nuts to do that, but when a little girl (and occasionally a little boy) took the time to write me, it was the least I could do. I loved hearing about how they loved my books and how they wanted to visit the places in my books and about how much they learned about a particular place. Sometimes I even got heart wrenching stories from sick children or those that just needed to know that someone cared about them.

  I tried to help Doris clean up before I left, but she shooed me out the door. I made my way through town again. Yep, not much had changed. I don’t know if that was comforting or discouraging to me. Either way, I was just happy to get back on to the highway without anyone noticing me.

  I walked into my aunt’s new room, she had been moved out of the ICU. I found her giving beauty and fashion tips to the nurse, who was taking it like a champ. As soon as she noticed me, she turned my way. “Now look at my beautiful Ella Lu here, this is how a proper southern lady dresses and puts herself together. You would do well to follow her example.”

  I just shook my head and looked at the sweet little nurse. “Don’t worry; tomorrow I’ll be here in jeans and a t-shirt.”

  “You will do no such thing, Ella Lu Eaton.”

  I just winked at the nurse. She smiled and happily exited.

  I walked over to my aunt’s bed and kissed her on the cheek. “How did you sleep last night?”

  She waved over all her wires and tubes. “How can anyone sleep with these on? I told them it was unnecessary, but they refused to take them off.”

  I didn’t even try and argue with her. I just sat down. She immediately handed me a list. I took it from her, and I began to read its contents. It was a list of all the things she wanted me to do for her. It included everything from gifts to buy to decorating her Christmas trees.

  I looked over to her in confusion. “Can’t all of this wait? We still have three weeks until Christmas, and you’ll be home well before that.”

  “No, Ella Lu, I’m already behind and you know what is expected.”

  “What about Doris, can’t she do some of this? I want to spend as much time as I can with you.”

  “Ella Lu, you know I love Doris, but this is not her forte. I will not trust this to anyone else, do you understand?”

  I saluted her. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Do not sass and ma’am me, Ella Lu.”

  “I love you, Aunt Lu.”

  “I love you more than air, Ella Lu.”

  I spent the rest of the morning watching her horrible soap operas. I rarely watched T.V., so I was surprised these shows still existed. Thankfully her lawyer, Mr. Howard, saved me early in the afternoon. He brought lots of paperwork for us to sign, so much so my hand began to cramp up. In a matter of an hour, I had become a very wealthy woman. I had no idea how wealthy my aunt truly was. She always used to tell me people were nice to her because she had more money than the Queen of England; I realized now she wasn’t joking.

  After the marathon signing session, Mr. Howard clapped his hands. “All that’s left to do is to take you to Kaysville First National to sign their paperwork that adds you as a cosigner to your aunt’s accounts. And we need to file the power of attorney with them.”

  I looked at Aunt Lu with wide eyes. Going to the bank was not part of the deal. I knew why she kept her money there. It was a reminder to the Jacksons of the power she held, but I didn’t want any part of that.

  “Don’t look at me like that, Ella Lu. They’re expecting you there this afternoon. I want this settled today.”

  “Can’t they just fax me the paperwork?”

  “Not in this case,” Mr. Howard interjected.

  I knew my aunt would refuse any procedures until this was a done deal, but the last place in Kaysville I wanted to go was that blasted bank; the one owned by Brady Jackson’s daddy.

  Mr. Howard got up and looked at his watch. “I have an appointment set for four p.m. with a Mrs. Gayle Wells. If we leave now, we should make it in plenty of time.”

  I hesitated, and then Aunt Lu gave me her look. I just shook my head. I did not like this one bit. I kissed Aunt Lu on the cheek and followed Mr. Howard out.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,
sugar,” Aunt Lu called out in her sweetest voice.

  The whole drive over I kept praying that Mr. Jackson wouldn’t be there. I didn’t know much about what happened in Kaysville anymore, but I knew he was still alive because if he had died, my aunt would have thrown a party. I also wasn’t ready to announce I was in town, and I knew walking into that bank was going to do just that.

  I pulled into the parking lot and checked my hair and make-up. I added a touch more lipstick, took a deep breath, and then met Mr. Howard in the lobby. I felt like, instantly, all eyes were on me. I was an Eaton in Jackson territory. It was a reminder of why I had left and meant to never come back. With my head held high, but nervous as could be I walked to the receptionist desk with Mr. Howard.

  “We have an appointment with Mrs. Wells,” Mr. Howard informed the receptionist.

  The young receptionist asked us to have a seat. I felt lots of eyes on me, and I knew they weren’t staring at me because they recognized my face from the back of my books. They were staring because I was an Eaton, and a long time ago I broke the granddaddy of the rules. It made my skin crawl.

  After a few moments, the receptionist walked over to us. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Wells has left for the day, but Mr. Jackson is expecting you.”

  It was my worst nightmare. My heart began to beat rapidly. I needed this to be done today so that my aunt would schedule her procedure, but the thought of being in the presence of that man made me feel ill. First he broke my aunt’s heart, and then he ripped mine out when he made Brady break up with me. I had always wondered, though, if that was just an excuse Brady used, because he took no time falling right into Amber Capshaw’s arms. But regardless, they hated me.

  Mr. Howard must not have been clued into the Jackson-Eaton drama because he didn’t consult with me, and he answered for both of us. “Perfect, lead the way.”

  It wasn’t perfect. It was anything but. The whole way back I kept reminding myself, I’m not seventeen anymore, I’m successful, and oh yeah, I have more money than the Queen of England. I wouldn’t let Mr. Isaac Jackson intimidate me.

  There was only one problem, though. It wasn’t Mr. Isaac Jackson I was meeting with. It was Mr. Brady Jackson.

  Chapter Three

  Why didn’t my aunt tell me Brady Jackson was the Vice President? She surely knew. I froze as we were shown into his office. He, on the other hand, immediately rose and walked over to greet us. His eyes were alight as he approached me. Mr. Howard’s hand was stretched out, in anticipation of shaking Brady’s hand, but Brady paid no attention to him. He came directly toward me. He looked amazing. His sandy hair had darkened, but his eyes were just as blue. He didn’t look like a kid anymore; he looked like a man now, an extremely attractive man.

  “Ellie!” he sounded so happy to see me.

  I wasn’t happy to see him at all. “It’s Elle, Mr. Jackson.”

  His face dropped, but he recovered quickly. “Well, Elle, please have a seat.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Jackson.”

  He winked at me. “Maybe you forgot, but it’s Brady.”

  I would not be falling under the influence of his country boy charm. I just sat down, along with Mr. Howard, and let him take it from there. He explained to Brady why we were there and what we needed to have done. Brady nodded and replied when appropriate, but the whole time he looked at me and smiled that smile I loved so much. I mean the smile I used to love so much. I hated it now.

  Brady turned his attention toward Mr. Howard. “I believe we have all the necessary paperwork in order.” He looked back over at me with a genuine smile. “We just need your signatures, Ellie, I mean Elle.”

  Mr. Howard got up. “Perfect. I will leave you to it then, Ms. Eaton.”

  “You’re leaving?” Panic was definitely setting in.

  “Yes, I have another appointment. Don’t worry, I think you’re in good hands with Mr. Jackson.”

  Oh, no no. I am not in good hands. They are the worst hands possible.

  Brady looked at Mr. Howard. “I’ll take good care of her.”

  Mr. Howard rubbed his hands together and smiled. “Excellent.” He looked at me as he exited. “If you need anything, Ms. Eaton, you have my card and cell number.”

  I do need something. I need to get out of here.

  Brady saw Mr. Howard out and asked his secretary to bring in the paperwork that had been prepared for me. He came back in and took Mr. Howard’s empty chair next to me. His secretary brought in a stack of papers and handed them to Brady, and then she shut the door on her way out. I felt trapped.

  Brady looked at me and grinned. I didn’t return it. I just wanted to get this over with.

  “You look fantastic, Ellie.”

  “Mr. Jackson, can we please just skip the niceties and get on with it.”

  “Please, call me Brady.”

  I reached into my purse and got my pen out. “Just tell me where to sign.”

  He looked at me thoughtfully for a moment, then he began to arrange the paperwork on his desk. There were signature tabs on each of the documents. He directed me to sign at each tab.

  I started signing the plethora of documents. I felt like that’s all I had done all day.

  “How’s your aunt?” Brady asked as I signed.

  I didn’t even bother to look up at him as I wrote out my signature for the hundredth time that day. The sooner I could get out of there the better. “Feisty. She’s driving the doctors and nurses crazy.”

  Brady laughed. “How long will you be in town?”

  I gave in and looked over to him. He hadn’t changed much, other than he was even more handsome, but he still had country boy charm written all over his face. He looked at me sincerely.

  I turned back to the paperwork. “Hopefully not long.”

  “Are you staying at your aunt’s house?”

  “What is this, twenty questions?”

  He reached over and lifted the pen out of my hand. “Come on, Ellie, can’t we just talk?”

  “Why do you insist on calling me Ellie?”

  “You used to like it.”

  I took my pen back. “That was a long time ago.”

  He tugged on my hair. “It wasn’t that long ago.”

  He was starting to get on my nerves. This was business. “Do you treat all of your customers like this?”

  “No, but you’re my most beautiful customer.”

  “Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Jackson.”

  “Please, Ellie, you’re killing me with the Mr. Jackson.”

  I finished signing the last document. “I think that will do it.” I got up quickly to leave.

  “Please don’t go yet.”

  I turned back around. “Why, Brady? If I remember right, you’re still a Jackson and I’m still an Eaton, with no titles or crowns, and this is still against the rules.”

  “Things have changed, Ellie.”

  I edged closer to the door. I didn’t know what that meant, things had changed, but I knew one thing that hadn’t changed, and that was I still loved him and I could never have him. I needed to get away from him.

  “Thank you for your help,” I said as I reached for the door.

  He was standing now too. “My niece loves your books. She would love to meet you,” he quickly blurted out.

  That caught me off guard. His nieces would be way older now than my target audience of four- to eight-year-olds. That is unless he was married and he was talking about his wife’s side. I admit I had already looked at his left hand to see if there was a ring there and there wasn’t, but maybe he was just one of those guys that didn’t wear one. I hated thinking about him married, but look at him, he was a catch to be sure. I was sure he was already married.

  “That’s really sweet, I’ll have my office send some signed copies to the bank for her,” I said all flustered. Then I made a quick exit. As I marched through the bank, the stares continued. I felt like yelling, “Don’t worry, Brady and I didn’t do anything against the rules.” I hated this town
.

  I sped through town and got to Aunt Lu’s house, which was technically mine now, just in time for her three freshly cut Christmas trees to arrive. She had also ordered fresh garland for all the mantles. I let the men in and showed them where to set up each tree. It was going to be a long night of decorating. Each tree had a theme. The one in the foyer was always decorated in orange and blue, the one in the family room was decorated in all white, but the one in the drawing room was my favorite, it was decorated with ornaments from around the world.

  Doris was off, so I had the house to myself. Once again, I was alone with my thoughts, and of course they centered on that darn Brady Jackson. My aunt was going to get an earful from me tomorrow. She could have at least given me a warning I might see him. And why did he have to be so dang nice to me? Ex-boyfriends should be cold and indifferent. They shouldn’t look fabulous in their suits and ties, and they shouldn’t call you Ellie, and they shouldn’t be perfect.

  I changed out of my suit and rummaged through my old closet. I hadn’t really packed anything appropriate for tree decorating. Everything I brought was too nice to get tree sap on. I was grateful my aunt never threw my old stuff away and that I could still fit into my jeans from high school. I guess there were some perks to not having any kids yet. I slid on my old jeans and threw on an old Auburn jersey and then made my way to the attic to begin pulling down box after box of decorations. I don’t know why she insisted on decking out the house, she rarely entertained anymore. I’m sure she would just say, “Because that’s what southern women do.”

  It took me an hour just to get all the boxes out and placed in the appropriate rooms. By then, my stomach started growling. I hoped Doris left something in the fridge for me. She knew I was an awful cook. On my way to the kitchen, the doorbell rang. I turned around, and for old time’s sake, I slid across the marble entry way in my socks on the way to the door. It made me smile, but then I opened the large Mahogany door and I wasn’t smiling anymore.