Exposure Season 1 e-1

by Tonya Muir

  "Harper has told me a lot about you."

  "Really?" I raise my brows to my partner. Surely, she has better things to talk about than me when she calls home.

  "Mais, yeah."

  I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but since she’s welcoming me into her home and not ordering me off her property, I’ll go with the feeling that it’s been good. Will the surprises never cease?

  "Harper, you take Kelsey up and get her settled. She’s in the guest room at the end of the hall, next to your room." Her words are full of soft sounds – gentle d’s and t’s. I can understand why French is the language of romance.

  "Yes, Mama."

  "I’ll find your Papa and you two meet us in the garden for tea when you’re ready. Robie and Rene will be here with les bébettes soon. We’ll have supper once they get here."

  "Sounds fine, Mama." Harper nods as she begins collecting the bags again.

  I hold out my hand to take the overnight bag. Harper smiles, giving her head a little shake as her eyes shift to her mother. "Allons." She motions toward the front door.

  "Of course." I follow my partner.

  "Kels, could you get the door?"

  "I think I can manage that." I reach past her and push open the door.

  "Thanks."

  "Welcome."

  I follow her in and am immediately struck by the beauty and the charm of the house. It is furnished entirely with antiques, with wide young pine and cypress that accent the floors and ceilings.

  "It’s beautiful, Harper. You really grew up here?"

  "Yup, I sure did." She heads for the staircase, which immediately makes me think of "Gone With The Wind."

  "This is a Thomas Sully house, isn’t it?" I ask as I look at the intricate carvings on the newel post at the bottom of the stairs.

  Harper stops in mid-step halfway up the stairs. The look on her face is one of pure shock. "Yes, yes it is."

  "Thought so. The design of the house really reflects his work. From the crown moldings at the ceiling, I’d guess it was built between eighteen ninety and eighteen ninety-five."

  "Ninety-two, actually."

  "Well, what do you know?" I offer as I join her on the steps. "That year and a half I thought I wanted to be an architect finally paid off." I grin as I gesture up the stairs.

  "Amazing," she mumbles as she continues up the stairs. "You’re full of surprises."

  "So are you."

  "What’s that suppose to mean?"

  "You’ve been talking to your mother about me?"

  "Sure. We work together. When she asks about work, you naturally come up."

  "Naturally." I smirk just a little. I don’t talk to my mother about work. Hell, who am I trying to fool, I don’t talk to my mother.

  I continue to take in the fixtures of the house. The crystal chandeliers, the old gas lamps lining the hall that have been converted to electricity, the rugs, old portraits and photographs that line the walls.

  "Relatives?"

  "Hmm?" Harper glances at the wall. "Oh yeah, most of them. Family history is very important to the Kingsleys and the Boudreaux."

  "I figured."

  She stops at one room and opens the door, dropping her bags inside it. She turns to me with a grin. "My room. Mama and Papa have left our rooms ready and available to us, in case we ever needed to come home. So far, only Jean has needed to. Elaine threw him out when he told her she looked fat during her last trimester."

  "Ouch. Not good. My Mother turned my room into an office two weeks after I left for college."

  She doesn’t seem to know how to respond to this. She shakes her head a little as she shows me the next room. "This is yours. I think you’ll like it."

  A big four poster bed dominates the room, but the floor to ceiling French doors offer a beautiful view and lots of light. The light only serves to accent the marble mantle over the small fireplace and the crystal chandelier that hangs in my room.

  "Is there a room in the house that doesn’t look like this?" I ask as I take it all in.

  "No. It’s a pretty amazing place."

  "Oh, now there’s the understatement of the century."

  Harper places my bag down on the bench at the end of the bed and moves to the French doors. She pushes them open, allowing a soft breeze to blow in.

  "Kels, just relax and enjoy it. Feel free to look around and get to know the place." She waves her hand toward the outside. "You have a private balcony here, and, as far as I’m concerned, the most beautiful view the house offers: it overlooks the garden."

  I follow her out on to the balcony to find yet again more beauty. My view is of a formal garden below, filled with every flower known to man. God, no wonder she loves it here and wants to come home so often. I would too, if I had someplace like this to come to.

  "Is that Harper Lee I see standing tall and proud up there?" A man’s voice brings me clear of my own thoughts.

  I watch as Harper smiles and waves. "Yes, Papa."

  I look down into the garden to find a tall, good-looking man with slightly graying hair and a mustache smiling up at us.

  "And the very attractive young woman standing next to you would be?" He gestures my direction.

  "This is Kelsey Stanton, Papa. She’s my partner, from work."

  "Ah, yes, your Mama mentioned that you were bringing a guest. Good choice, Harper."

  "Thank you, Papa."

  I can tell that she’s a little embarrassed and I reach over and give her hand a little pat.

  "It’s nice to meet you, Kelsey. We’re glad you could join us for the holidays."

  "It’s nice to meet you too, Mr. Kingsley."

  "Eh, that’s a bit too formal for my tastes. Call me Jonathan."

  I smile and nod.

  "Well, when you two get settled, come on down and join us for a glass of tea."

  "We’ll be down in a few minutes."

  I feel Harper’s hand on the small of my back as she guides me back in. "I’ll leave you to get unpacked. If you need anything I’m right through that door there." She gestures to the door that connects our room which I hadn’t noticed before. "If you need me, just knock."

  "Uh, Harper why don’t we just open it now? I’ve got to be honest, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed here and I’d like very much to keep you close for a while."

  Truth is, here in this setting, I’d like to keep you close to me and naked … oh shit … did I just think that? Reality, Kels. Reality. But hey! it could lend to an interesting fantasy or two. God knows, I have enough of those.

  "Sure, we can do that." She moves to the door, unlocking it and pulling it open to reveal her room on the other side. "Now all you need to do is give a whistle. You know how to whistle, don’t you?" She is teasing me, I can tell.

  "Uh huh, put my lips together and blow. I’ve got that down. Thanks."

  * * *

  As I finish unpacking, I hear her clear her throat. "How you doing, Little Roo?"

  "All finished," I offer as I close the door to the wardrobe.

  "Great. Let’s go down and find my folks."

  "Harper?"

  "Yeah?"

  Oh God, how to do this? "I want to thank you again for the invitation. You’re right, this is better than old movies and popcorn."

  "It’s my pleasure, Kels. Thanksgiving is really fun around here. I think you’re gonna like it." She offers me her hand. "Come on."

  As I slide my hand into hers, I take a moment to notice how right they feel together. How could I have been so stupid to push her away from me? If I had worked at it a little maybe things could have been different for us. Damn.

  As we walk through the house, I notice more of the detail: the marble, the cut glass in the windows, the stained glass at the top of the stairs and over the entry. True beauty. Just like the woman walking in front of me. I screwed up. Damn.

  Damn my own fears, and damn my parents for putting them there.

  Harper leads me to the garden where her parents are. They�
�ve been joined by a young man and woman. The man is an obvious brother of Harper’s, being merely a male version of my partner. A small child is standing next to Cecile clutching her pants leg. Cecile stroking his hair as she speaks with the young man and gives him a hug.

  "Well, look there," Harper yells as we enter the garden. I’m waiting for her to release my hand now that we’re nearing her family, but she doesn’t. Actually, if anything, I notice her tighten her hold on me. "If it isn’t the ugliest thing on two legs since the zoo got its new baboon."

  The young man straightens up and turns our direction. "Ah, baby sister, don’t start what you can’t finish." He sprints toward us. My hand is released as they engulf each other in a fierce embrace, which resembles a tackle.

  I watch them until I notice I’m being waved over by Cecile. I leave Harper and her brother, who are now joking with one another, and join her parents and the young woman. I notice now that she’s cradling a tiny dark-haired baby in her arms. "Ah, this must be little Clark." I smile as I look at the baby. "Harper hasn’t talked about anything else since we got on the plane."

  "Yes, this is the newest addition to the Kingsley clan." Mama offers as she makes the introductions. "This is his mother, Rene, and his older brother, Christian." She gestures to the child clutching her pants. "Rene, this is Kelsey, your sister’s partner."

  "How do you do, Kelsey?" She asks warmly as she adjusts the baby and offers me her hand.

  "I’m fine, thank you. Nice to meet you."

  I kneel down to the child and offer my hand. "It’s nice to meet you too, Christian."

  He gives me an embarrassed little smile and turns his face away. He’s adorable. I brush my fingers through his hair before standing back up.

  "Christian’s a little shy." Rene looks to her eldest. "But he’ll get over that soon enough. Christian, I want you to say hello to Ms. Kelsey."

  He peers up at his mother, trying to gauge how serious she is.

  "Say hello to Ms. Kelsey. You need to be polite, ma fils."

  He nods slowly and then fixes his big blue eyes on me. Apparently the Kingsley clan specializes in big, blue eyes that make your knees weak. "Hello," he says softly, but clearly.

  "Hello, Christian," I reply.

  "Baby!" I hear Harper yell as she moves across the grass to us. "Give me the baby!"

  Rene laughs as she gives up the child to the demanding hands of my partner. "Here you go, Tante Harper. Let me introduce you to Clark."

  "Ah, little guy, I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you arrived, but, rest assured, if you ever need me, I’ll be here for you." She coos as she cradles the child in her arms.

  Now there’s a sight. Harper Kingsley holding a baby.

  She unwraps the blanket from around the small body and inspects the child. Finally, she looks up and grins at Rene. "Thank the good Lord above this one also looks like you, Rene." She leans down and kisses her sister-in-law’s cheek. "There’s hope for him yet. Despite having Robie as his papa."

  "Hey now!" Robie protests good-naturedly. "I don’t see you providing Mama and Papa with any grandchildren."

  "Well, I’m in the infertile brother, remember?" Harper replies and then the two siblings explode in laughter, apparently over an inside joke.

  Little Clark lets out a small cry of protest at the noise, causing Rene to reach for her youngest son. Harper swats at her hand and nestles the boy closer to her.

  "Don’t worry, Ren, I’ll be good around him. Now, let me bond with my nephew." She drops to a knee. "And, little Christian, get over here and give your Tante Harper a kiss."

  The boy immediately obeys, throwing himself at my partner with abandon. She somehow manages to hold onto the infant and get an arm around the two year old. She pinches the small boy’s cheek, then kisses it. "Mmmmm, my little cochon de lait!"

  He laughs, a big belly laugh, nearly doubling his small body over. "Tante Harper! I am not a cochon!"

  "Mais, yeah!" she replies back. She leans forward and makes pig noises against his small neck, sending the small boy back into fits of laughter.

  If this is Harper Kingsley, who is the person I know back in Los Angeles?

  * * *

  At supper, Harper insists on two things. She demands that I sit on one side of her and Clark’s infant seat is situated in a chair on the other. I notice that her family takes this behavior in hand as if her love of children is common knowledge. I obviously don’t know her as well as I thought I did.

  Supper consists of andouille gumbo with sweet potato, jambalaya, and homemade French bread. It’s absolutely delicious. The family is loud and loving. I smile as I think how appalled my mother would be at the display before me: elbows on the table, people reaching across the middle, tossing pieces of bread from one end to the other.

  Harper is equally attentive to Clark and me. She makes sure my plate is full and often asks me if I’m doing okay even as she is holding a bottle for the baby and following the conversation around her.

  Christian, true to his mother’s words, has lost all shyness. Now Robie and Harper are taking turns challenging him to sing songs and he stands in his chair for each one, belting out classics like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Each round is greeted with cries of encouragement from the two siblings. "You sing, peeshwet."

  Somewhere in the middle of the meal, I forget to be uptight and reserved and start enjoying myself.

  Mama is bending my ear on one side, asking about work and how I got where I am. She brings up my family but drops the subject kindly when I’m reluctant to talk about them. Even though I’ve known her for less than a day, I’m certain the topic will come up again and I won’t be able to avoid it.

  "Mama made sweet potato pie for dessert, Kels," Harper says, interrupting our conversation. "She makes the best pie so you better save some room." To her mother she says, "I have had such an envie for good food, Mama!"

  Mama replies with a wide smile, full of affection of her youngest.

  "Save some room? You’re the one who’s been piling food on my plate," I laugh.

  Harper pats my knee and winks at me. God, she’s even more gorgeous here with her family.

  "Hey," Robie calls from his seat across the table. "Quit flirting over there. You get to see Kelsey all the time. I think Clark needs his tante to hold him."

  Harper doesn’t miss a beat as she reaches over to free Clark from his seat and cradle him against her. "Thank God I get to see Kelsey more than your ugly mug, Robie."

  Clark fusses momentarily and I wave my fingers at him. He looks comfortable there on her chest. Of course, who wouldn’t be?

  "You wanna hold him, Kels?"

  I blink for a moment. Me? Hold a baby? "No, that’s okay."

  "No, really." She’s already moving closer to me, pressing the baby into my arms.

  "Maybe she doesn’t want to hold Clark, Harper," Robie chastises.

  "Ça! Don’t worry. She won’t drop him on his head like Papa did you, big guy." Her blue eyes twinkle at me. "You won’t drop him, right?" she whispers.

  I shake my head rapidly.

  "Good." She’s tucking my arm around him, sliding it under his well-padded bottom.

  "His head?" I don’t know much about babies but I remember something about wobbly necks.

  "It’s fine," she assures me. "Just support it on your elbow like that. There."

  Oh shit. Her hands are gone and I’m holding Clark. He looks as uncomfortable as I feel.

  "Relax," Harper whispers, rubbing my knee warmly. "Isn’t he wonderful?"

  I nod. He’s warm and solid in my grip and his eyes are so trusting. I can’t help but smile.

  "Smell him."

  "Huh?"

  The entire table bursts out laughing and I blush bright red. I can feel the heat of my face.

  Harper smiles. "Smell his skin. Babies smell so good. As long as their diapers are clean."

  I do as she says and there is something about his scent that’s comforting. He smells fresh and cozy. The sce
nt of baby powder lingers on him. I look up to Harper and we meet eyes as she nods.

  "Wonderful, huh?"

  "Yeah," I agree. "You love kids."

  "Sure, I do. What’s there not to love?"

  "Have you ever thought of having them?"

  "Nah," she waves me off. "I’m the world’s best aunt. That’s good enough."

  Christian agrees readily and Robie makes a comment about swollen heads. Harper ignores him as she helps me settle Clark and shows me how to eat one handed. It’s harder than it looks.

  * * *

  I know I’m in for it when I sneak into the kitchen just after midnight and Mama is sitting at the table.

  "Thief!" she accuses and I smirk.

  "Is there any more of that pie, Mama?"

  "Mais, yeah."

  She starts to stand but I wave her back to her seat. "I’ll get it. You want a piece?"

  "Oh no, bou. I’m stuffed."

  She lets me stew through half of my midnight snack before she speaks up. "Tell me about this sweet Kelsey and you."

  I meet her eyes, knowing that they are exact replicas of my own. She’s not teasing or pressing, she honestly wants to know.

  "Not much to tell. We work together."

  She purses her lips in thought. "But you want more?"

  "It’s complicated."

  "Tell your Mama," she soothes. How often have I heard that phrase?

  I consider how much to tell but I know she’ll get it all out over the course of the weekend. Poor Kelsey, she won’t be safe from my mother’s questioning. "We work well together, we click in a lot of ways. When she’s herself, she’s wonderful. But she’s almost always hiding behind this imaginary person she thinks she has to be."

  "She’s hurt you."

  Uh oh. "Non, Mama," I say quickly, trying to save Kels from her wrath. "Well, we’ve hurt each other. But we’re moving past that."

  "She wants a relationship with a woman, though? This you know?"

  I smirk, finishing my pie. "I know she does."

  "And she likes you?"

  "Who wouldn’t?" I give her my best smug look.

  Mama laughs and reaches out to smooth my hair back. "Who, indeed? What do you know about her people?"