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It’s too much. A pool first and now a trampoline. I feel overwhelmed.
A uniformed maid comes and offers us drinks. I settle for coffee. Luna crawls into the bouncy trampoline and before long her shrieks of laughter fill the garden.
“I’ve missed the sounds of a child,” Mrs. Carter says. “Ace, go and have a chat with your father, he’s missed you.”
Ace stares at me and I give him a reassuring smile. I love the way he’s protective of me. All my life, I’ve been the one who does the caring. With Ace, our roles are reversed. It’s a good feeling to be taken care of for a change.
“Tell me about yourself,” Mrs. Carter says. “What do you do? Where are your folks from?”
Wow! I smile as I formulate an answer. “Let’s see. I’m a bartender at The Alma.” I feel proud of how far I’ve gone, with no one’s help but my own efforts. Being a bartender is no small feat.
“You work in a bar?” Mrs. Carter says, her voice a little loud.
“Yes, a cocktail bar actually. I’ve been there for years,” I tell her. I’m a little reluctant to talk about parents. It’s not easy to tell people that you don’t know who your father is and that your mother is an alcoholic.
“What about your parents?” she says with an encouraging smile.
I love Ace and he loves me. I’m the mother of her grandchild. We’re family. I make a snap decision. “I was raised by a single mother. I have a sister named Vanessa who is a nurse. As for my father, we never knew him.”
“Your mother must be proud of how you girls turned out,” Mrs. Carter says.
“My mother is too wrapped up in her own problems to be proud of us,” I tell her with a small laugh to show that I’m over that. “But yes, I’m proud of Vanessa.”
“Oh?” Mrs. Carter says.
Shame floods me before I continue. I remind myself of what I always have. I’m not responsible for my mother’s behavior. I can only take responsibility for mine. “My mother was an alcoholic when we were growing up.”
Mrs. Carter nods as if we are discussing current affairs. I don’t see any judgment in her eyes and neither do I see any empathy or sympathy. Not that I want it, but it would be nice to know her thoughts. She hides her feelings well.
“I’m sure you know about Ace’s trust fund,” she says her gaze unwavering.
I have no idea what she’s talking about. I don’t respond and she takes my silence to mean yes.
“Did he tell you that he can only access it when he’s married?” she says.
“No, he didn’t but Ace and I have no plans for marriage. We haven’t talked about it and we’re certainly not in a rush. We’re just enjoying being together and raising our daughter.”
That seems to satisfy her. Luna, her dad, and grandad return soon after. She looks happy and she and Mr. Carter are still holding hands.
“Do you want a tour before lunch?” Ace asks me and I quickly say yes.
“Luna will stay here with us,” Mr. Carter says.
Luna is already at home and she’s running around in circles with her arms spread out like wings. Ace takes my hand and we walk back into the house.
It’s difficult to believe that only two people live in the massive house. The kitchen looks like it belongs in a five-star hotel with all its gadgets. I count four uniformed workers as we walk around the house.
We go up a grand staircase, it’s rail beautifully etched with flowery designs. It feels as if we're making our way up to heaven. Upstairs, there’s a library that makes my mouth salivate. I’d willingly be locked up in the room devouring all those beautifully bound books.
There’s another living room as well as the bedrooms.
“This was mine,” Ace says and pulls me into a large room with twin beds. He closes the door and pulls me into his arms. He kisses me deeply and I sigh as I melt into his body.
“Was this your plan all along?” I ask Ace with a laugh when we come up for air.
“Of course, I can’t survive more than two hours without kissing you.”
I wriggle out of his arms and look around the room. “Did you share with Declan? It’s a little big for a small boy.”
“Nope, no sharing. Mom insisted everyone have their own room from a young age. I hated it when night came around.”
I can see why. I walk to the window and look out. I smile at the sight of Luna and her grandfather kicking a ball between them. This is what I want for her. To have a relationship with her grandparents. That way, she’ll always have a support system around her.
I have a feeling Mrs. Carter and I will never really be friends. Something changed when I told her that I was a bartender. It’s as though she lost any respect she might have had for me which is weird. It’s an honest way to earn a living. I’m not sure if it was that or when I told her that my mother was an alcoholic. Something made her change.
