Just like Grey

by Jessie Cooke

  Isabelle spent most of her life second-guessing herself. It was something she'd done her best to shake as an adult and recently she thought she had it kicked…until Sunday morning rolled around. What did he see in her? She tried to list it out in pros and cons in her head, sitting on the linoleum floor of her apartment. He thought she was pretty, okay, she'd give him and herself that. She was slightly above average in the looks department, she could live with giving herself that much credit. She was smart, or at least she thought so. Who really knew? Doesn't everyone think they're smart? All you had to do for evidence that even idiots think they're smart, is to sign on to social media and read the comments. So maybe she was smart and maybe she wasn't, but the truth was that Alex was a genius and she was definitely not on that level. He was one of the top two or three eligible bachelors in the city. She'd seen an article online…it was three or four years old, but it listed his net worth at over two billion dollars. Even after months of knowing him and seeing all that he owned, she couldn't wrap her head around that. The article talked about how he was “self-made” and how lucky the woman that “landed” him was going to be. That was how they worded it, “landed” him. She didn't like that word. She didn't think of herself as “landing” him. That sounded like she'd set out to find herself a rich man and her evil plan had worked. Huh uh, she didn't like that.

  Her big problem she told herself as she continued to sit on the bathroom floor and listen to Theo whine for his breakfast…was that she had no real accomplishments to brag about if his parents asked her. She went to community college and completed her bachelor's degree online and in weekend sessions because it was cheaper…and currently, she was technically unemployed. She had her building and she'd started acquiring fabrics and things she needed to make her accessories, she even made a few and sold them online…but technically she wasn't open yet, so she couldn't even consider herself self-employed. So when they asked her, “Isabelle, what do you do for a living?” What was she going to say? “I'm living off my severance at the moment, but your son pays for most everything we do….” That wasn't going to work, and the thought of it brought on more nausea.

  She didn't know exactly how long she sat on the floor, but when she finally pulled herself up, washed her face and hands and brushed her teeth, it dawned on her that she had no idea what to wear. Was this dinner casual or formal? Would she show up in evening wear and look like a fool next to his parents in jeans? Would she wear pants and a shirt and sit next to his mother in her expensive jewels. Shit! Maybe she should just tell him she was sick and couldn't make it. As she was staring at herself in the mirror thinking that Alex would believe that story if he saw her just then…her phone rang from the other room. She sucked in a breath and went to get it.

  She smiled at Alex's picture that popped up when he called. She'd taken it on the yacht, after he put his clothes back on. He's so handsome. Taking another breath before she answered she said, “Hi baby.”

  “Hey, how are you this morning?”

  “Good,” she lied. “How about you?”

  “My only complaint is that I didn't wake up with you next to me.” Isabelle had gone back to her apartment to spend the night for the first time all week. She had been stopping by every day to feed and care for Theo, but at night she would have dinner with Alex and stay in his bed until morning. Her nerves about Sunday's dinner had kicked in after they got back from their short little yacht trip however, so she’d begged off spending that night and she'd gone home. After the morning she had, she was glad.

  “I missed you too,” she said. “I'll see you soon though. What time are we leaving?”

  “I'll pick you up around five,” he said, “unless you want to do lunch earlier?”

  The mention of lunch made her want to puke again. “No!” she said, a little too emphatically. “I'll just find something here. I have some things to do today.”

  “Okay. Are you sure you're alright? Your voice sounds a little funny.”

  “I'm good,” she said again. “But hey, what should I wear tonight? I mean, how formal are your parents?”

  Alex laughed. “They only get formal when they have to go out. Home is…just home,” he said. “I mean, it's a big house in a nice neighborhood because I bought it for them and they feel obligated to live there,” he laughed again, “but they don't get fancy at home, ever.”

  “Oh,” she said, relieved. “So, a sweater dress or something like that?”

  “Sounds great baby. You always look amazing.” Yeah…but do I ever look like the girlfriend of a billionaire? And one you want your son to bring home to dinner? “I'll see you at five, okay?”

  “Okay. Love you.”

  “I love you too.” She ended the call and Theo rubbed into her legs and howled again.

  “Okay, I'm going.” She slipped on her robe and slippers and went out to the kitchen. When she opened “Theo's” cabinet, the one where she kept the cat food, treats and nips, he went wild with his howling and tried to jump up on the kitchen counter. “You're acting like an animal,” she told him, shooing him off the counter. She pulled out a can of food and peeled off the top. The second the smell of it hit her nostrils, the nausea returned with a vengeance. She dropped the can and the smelly juice splattered all over the floor, cabinets and her robe and slippers. She called out another apology to Theo as she ran down the hallway, and that was pretty much how her day had gone. And now, as they made their way upstate, she was feeling it all over again. What the hell was she going to do if she had to puke when they got there? You can't puke at your new boyfriend's parents’ house…it just isn't the done thing.

  She tried breathing through it, with her eyes closed. Alex had soft music playing on the radio and he was letting her work through her nervousness in her own way, keeping most of his input to himself. She felt the waves of calm settling down over her just as he said, “Baby, we're here.”

  Izzy tore her eyes open and looked around. They were in a neighborhood where the towering trees were hundreds of years old and the houses varied from colonial style, built and remodeled dozens of times since colonial times, and modern, sprawling structures. Some of the homes sat well back off the road, surrounded by iron security gates, and others sat right up and hugged the road in front of them. Alex's parent's home was one of the ones that sat back. There was a pasture out front where horses…and some kind of large bird roamed. “Is that an Emu”? She asked as they drove by the pastures down the long driveway. Alex chuckled and said,

  “Yeah, Dad is crazy about animals. He collects strays and if he can't find an owner, he adds them to his own collection. The Emu's are fairly new, he actually found them just wandering the property out back.”

  Isabelle's nervousness receded just a bit. A man who would save homeless Emu's seemed like a man she wouldn't have to worry about being too judgmental. She turned around and the house began to come into view. Her stomach clenched again. It was huge, and gorgeous. It looked like it had just grown out of the rolling hills around it. It was surrounded by trees and the Adirondack forest was its backyard. Isabelle lived in a mansion for a while when she was a kid…and those people had judged her. She knew that was a stupid comparison, but when your anxiety was working overtime…strange thoughts creep in and take hold.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat and concentrated on her breathing again as Alex pulled the Maserati into the circular drive and parked right near the front door. He turned off the ignition and looked at her. “You ready?”

  “Mm Hmm,” she said, still staring up at the house. It was built like a log cabin…or like six or seven log cabins built all in one spot. It actually looked like one of those fancy chalet's you might stay in while on vacation in the Alps. She heard Alex open his door and she reached for hers when the front door of the house burst open and Mr. and Mrs. Romaletti raced out. Isabelle wondered if she just locked the doors, if they would leave her there. Alex was there already though, reaching for the door handle to let her out. It was too late, she had t
o do this.

  Alex pulled open her door before he was nearly tackled by his mother. She threw her arms around her son's waist and squeezed. Isabelle was smiling at his father who had stopped a few feet back. Up close she could see that he and Alex looked even more alike except that the son was a lot bigger than the father. Alex was taller and had a lot more muscle mass, thanks to his rigid morning workout routine. Isabelle couldn't really see his mother's face, since it was buried in her son's chest. She was a lot shorter than Alex and his father. She'd had heels on the night of the gala Isabelle guessed, because she hadn't noticed how small she was then.

  Alex finally used his hands to disengage her hold on him and held her back. “Mom, why are you crying?”

  Oh great! She was already crying! “I'm just so happy you're here,” she said. “You haven't been home in so long.”

  Alex chuckled. “I was here for Christmas, Mom.” She started to say something else, but she noticed Isabelle then. Moving over, she grabbed both of Isabelle's hands and said,

  “You've never brought a sweet girl like this home with you before. Hello, I'm Leticia. You must be Isabelle? Oh, you're just as beautiful as Alex said you were!” Isabelle's face heated up and she said,

  “Yes, I'm Isabelle. It's lovely to meet you, Mrs. Romaletti.”

  The blonde woman, who smelled like roses, pulled her in for a hug. As tightly as she was holding her, Isabelle thought it must rival the one she had given Alex in force. “It's Leticia, dear, or Letty,” she said when she pulled back. “We're not formal here. Look Armando! It's Isabelle!”

  Armando smiled. It was his son's smile. “I see her, Letty,” he said. “I was waiting for you to finish hogging them both so that I could say hello.”

  Alex's mother tapped him on the shoulder with her palm and said, “Behave. Isabelle this smart-aleck man is Alex's father, Armando.” Armando held out his hand and Isabelle gave him hers. She expected him to shake it but instead he bent at the waist and kissed her hand. These people definitely knew how to make a girl feel welcome. “Well come on you two, let's get you into the house.” Alex started to put his arm around Izzy, but his mother got to her first. She walked arm and arm with Letty through the door of the big house that had frightened her so much and was pleasantly surprised when she got inside. The house that she'd lived in for a short time and any mansion she'd been in when she was living with the rich people had been either sparsely decorated with the emphasis on designer furniture and priceless art, or overdone with antiques or modern art. This one was decorated as if people lived there. It was warm, and oddly enough as big as it was, it was cozy. Letty led her into a large living room where there was a sectional sofa and two recliners, both pointed at the television which was on, but muted. A large fireplace was along one wall and on the mantle were family photos. There was one after the other of a little dark-haired boy that had to be Alex. Letty looked like she was going to tell her to sit down until she noticed her looking at the photos.

  She led her over and said, “Look, this is Alex's first bath…”

  “Mom!” Alex had just walked in behind them with his father. Isabelle tried not to laugh, and Letty ignored him.

  “This is his kindergarten photo, and his first little league game…”

  “Leticia, let the girl sit down,” Antonio said.

  “It's okay,” Isabelle told her. “I love looking at family photographs.”

  That seemed to thrill Letty who continued to point at each photo and tell her how old Alex was and where it was taken. When they reached the end of the mantle there was an antique-looking silver frame, but it was empty. Letty picked it up and said, “Maybe you'll be in this one someday.” She winked at Isabelle and looked over her shoulder at Alex.

  “Mom…”

  “Okay, okay, you can't indulge an old woman?” Alex rolled his eyes back at her, but he smiled. It was obvious that there was a lot of affection between them. Isabelle was envious, but not jealous. She'd never felt that kind of family connection, but she was grateful that Alex had. It made him the good man she was with today. “Isabelle would you like to help me in the kitchen?”

  “Leticia, she's a guest,” Antonio said.

  “She's family,” Letty said.

  “I'd love to help,” Isabelle told her, sincerely. She'd much rather dice or chop or boil than sit idly. Besides, she already liked Alex's mother and she didn't mind spending some time getting to know her away from the men. They were on their way through a large dining room when Isabelle spotted two kittens, rolling around, wrestling in a basket. “Oh goodness!” They were both orange, like Theo. One had blue eyes and the other green.

  “You can pet them,” Letty said. “They're strays my husband found last week. We fed them with a dropper at first, but I found out yesterday they were quite capable of eating on their own.”

  Isabelle knelt next to the basket and picked one up. She cuddled it into her chest, remembering how small Theo was when she first found him wandering through the alley behind her apartment building. “They look like my cat,” she said.

  “Oh, what's your cat's name?”

  “It's Theo…short, for Theodore.”

  “That's a strong name,” Letty said as Isabelle put the kitty back and stood up. They continued on into the kitchen and as Letty tied on her apron and Izzy washed her hands Letty said, “Was Theodore your father's name, or someone close to you?”

  “No,” Isabelle said, using a paper towel to dry her hands. “My father's name was Paul. He passed away when I was twelve.”

  “Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that.”

  “Thank you.”

  “So tell me, where did Theo come from?”

  “The cat, or the name?” Letty had bowls of vegetables sitting on the center island along with two wooden cutting boards and an assortment of knives. The kitchen smelled wonderful and while they chopped and cut vegetables, Isabelle told her so. They talked about the roast in the oven and how much Alex loved her roast. They talked about Theo and how Isabelle had named him after a fictional character in a book she loved as a child. They talked about Alex, their common ground…and by the time dinner was ready, Isabelle's nervousness was gone and she felt right at home.

  Alex and his Dad raved about how good everything looked and smelled as they all took their places at the table. His father said grace and as Isabelle was ladling potatoes onto her plate, Alex's mother said, “So Isabelle you told me about your father…what about your mother? Does she still live in New York?” Isabelle and Alex both froze. Isabelle's hand was in midair as she ladled gravy over her potatoes and Alex had been scooping green beans onto his plate. Mrs. Romaletti must have picked up on the change in them both because she said. “Oh no! Did I say something wrong? I'm so sorry. I just have this tendency to run off at the mouth. I shouldn't be so nosy…”

  29

  “No,” Isabelle said, sitting the ladle back down in the gravy dish. “It's okay.”

  Alex felt sick to his stomach all of a sudden. He knew his parents wouldn't judge Isabelle by her family's past, but he did know that it was a question that was bound to make Isabelle uncomfortable. “Baby, you don't have to talk about this,” he said.

  “No,” Antonio said, looking at his wife with his eyebrows pulled together in the center. “You don't have to talk about anything you don't want to talk about. Leticia I've told you that you ask too many questions.”

  “Really,” Isabelle said, “it's okay.” Alex reached under the table for her hand and she gave it to him. He held onto her tightly as she said, “My mother is in prison. She's been there since I was eighteen. My stepfather as well.” She sucked in a breath and Alex heard the quiver in her voice as she said, “They were terrible people. He was a murderer and my mother helped him kidnap another girl that he probably would have killed, if I hadn't accidentally found her in the attic.”

  “Oh honey,” Letty put her napkin down and got up. Going around the table to where Isabelle sat, she bent down slightly and put her arms around her
. “I'm so sorry.”

  “It's okay,” Isabelle said. “I don't think about it much anymore.” Alex was sure she thought about it a lot more than she wanted to admit and she hated that his mother felt bad. She did look comfortable in Letty's maternal “cocoon” as Alex called it. She'd never had that growing up. Maybe his mother can help in that department. The woman was a born hugger.

  “I'm sorry you went through that, and I'm terribly sorry I put you in such an awkward spot with all of my questions,” his mother told Isabelle.

  Izzy pulled out of the hug and smiled at her. “It's really okay. You didn't know, and this is what getting to know each other is about, right? You both have no idea how grateful I am to you for opening up your home to me. You're so kind.”

  Letty squeezed her shoulders and with warmth in her eyes she said, “You're family now and our door will always be open.” She looked at Alex then with that look she gave him when he was little and about to make a bad decision, “You better hold onto this one, or you'll have to answer to me, mister.” Alex smiled at his mother and squeezed Isabelle's hand underneath the table. He intended to hold onto her, tightly.

  The rest of the meal was passed with small talk. Letty and Antonio talked to Alex about some real estate investments that they made recently. Alex had taught them as much as he knew about the real estate market and a few years earlier they had begun buying and flipping houses. They'd made a decent living from that to add to the pension they were both collecting and for the past few years they hadn't let Alex give them any money at all. Isabelle didn't say much during that part of the conversation, but she looked content and when his mother got up to go get the dessert and coffee, Isabelle insisted on going with her to help. As soon as she was gone Alex's dad took something out of his pocket and with it between his palms he said,