Chapter 9 Oleanna
“Yes, Mrs. Smith, we’re ready for your daughter’s birthday party,” Oleanna said into the phone, appeasing a customer who was worried about the fifty guests expected to attend her six-year-old’s celebration.
Oleanna hung up and updated their schedule. She also reviewed other contracts for the month and audited their inventory. She was the jack-of-all-trades in her family’s business, doing everything from marketing to staffing when she wasn’t part of a cleaning crew.
She had kept herself as busy as possible since returning from Hawaii five weeks ago. The longer her hours on the job, the less likely her thoughts would stray to the man who kissed her lovingly and held her tight.
When she went for long summer runs, she didn’t stay up all night remembering the pleasure of his attentions, the beauty of his body. And when she went out with friends, she pretended that meeting new people didn’t feel like she was the biggest fake in the world.
Inevitably, the day she dreaded arrived. It brought news that Mr. Talstad had returned from Europe and was to be rescheduled into their regular rounds.
“Why can’t you cover for Malia?” her mom asked. “It’s only for a few hours. You’ve finished payroll, and this is extra cash for you. C’mon, things are picking up now that people are back from summer vacation.”
Axel’s place was always one of the last to be cleaned on Thursdays. She figured she could commit to the morning and avoid his house.
“I can help, but I’ve got an appointment after lunch.”
Mrs. Valdez nodded absentmindedly, thankfully oblivious to her daughter’s conflicted expressions: excitement and dread, hope and sadness.
So, when the crew pulled up his driveway first thing the next day, Oleanna almost screamed at her mother. She held back frustration and spoke through gritted teeth. “Why are we cleaning Mr. Talstad’s house first?”
“He’s home later this afternoon and asked us to come while he’s at the gym. Why does it matter? You’ll finish before lunch, like we talked about.”
Knowing he wouldn’t be home flooded her with relief. But it was relief mixed with the bitter taste of desolation.
All her efforts to forget him, all her delusions about her feelings, all the workouts and outings and overtime hours she used to fill her empty life were worthless.
Oleanna walked into his house and was hit with a longing so powerful, she almost fell to her knees.
His clean, pine smell was everywhere. The remnants of his coffee cup on the counter reminded her of his beautiful, intelligent mouth. And when she stripped his bed, she felt tears trickle down her cheeks. She wiped her face into his pillowcase and breathed deeply.
Her body clenched immediately because it knew, as much as her heart did, that there would never be another Axel Talstad.
Stop,she scolded herself. You made a decision, and it’s too late to back out now. The worst thing you can do is…
“Sorry, Mrs. Valdez! Don’t mind me, I forgot my compression socks.”
He was here! Holy shit, Axel was in the house! Getting socks! Getting socks meant he would come through this door!
Oleanna dropped to the floor, banging her knees and turning toward the wall. She pretended to gather strips of bedsheets when she heard him enter and stride toward his walk-in closet.
While in there, he called out to say, “I’ll be out of your hair in a second!” because that’s what you say to the maid cleaning your room.
She heard a drawer open, close, and then he was in the room with her. Ten feet away, he paused.
“Sorry to bother you, um, and thanks!” he called cheerily before jetting out so fast, she didn’t get a glimpse of him.
Still, his energy lingered in the air. The exquisite sound of his voice made her swoon. His voice was casual and carefree. It triggered a sense of longing that wove into the fabric of her memories. When he spoke sensual and demanding words she would never forget.
Where did you come from, Oleanna? It’s like you came straight from my dreams, do you know that?
I wanna look at you when I come. Get up here and kiss me.
Touch yourself, Oleanna. I want to watch you touch yourself.
Now that I found you, I can’t imagine letting you go.
The declarations she heard in her dreams every night hit her like a sucker punch and made her crumple on his floor. She bent over to bury her head in his bedsheets.
The irony of the situation—that she was tangled up in sheets that had touched his body when he was so far beyond her reach—worsened her emotional turmoil.
As relieved as she was that he didn’t see her, she was also devastated. Because if there’s one thing that proved she was right to walk away, it was this: he saw her, but he didn’t see her.
It wasn’t just understandable. It was expected.
Taking a deep and resolute breath, Oleanna stood on wobbly legs. She roughly gathered the bedsheets to take to the laundry room. Her movement tilted the side table, and a dresser opened.
What she saw inside made her heart stutter.
Her entire body shook as she reached in to graze her shell bracelet, the one she accidentally left in Kamea Koa in her rush to leave before he awoke.
Underneath the bracelet was a stack of pictures. They were of the last sunset they watched together. He had made her pose for him while they watched the horizon from the hammock. It was a series of images of Oleanna awash in the sun’s orange glow.
One of her swinging playfully, hair pulled over one shoulder.
Another of her sitting and looking back at him with a sly grin.
One was her profile, the tip of her nose catching the last rays of the day.
Another close up with her straps pulled down, hinting at exposed brown skin still tingling from his passionate kisses.
The last one was a selfie of both of them. She was laughing so hard; she looked ridiculous with her nose crinkled and her eyes closed. He was staring at her with so much affection, her fragile heart broke all over again.
She put everything back and closed the dresser.
And then, impulsively and without regret, she opened it and grabbed the picture of them together.
The only one she would ever have.