Roommates Box Set #4-6

13. Alyssa

13

ALYSSA

Tuesday afternoon, Nana came over. She obviously had a key, because she knocked twice and then just came on in. I was at the kitchen table using my laptop, and Raphael was upstairs.

“Well look at you, out of bed!” she said as she made her way over. She had a big bag slung over one shoulder, and it slid down her arm and brushed against my back when she gave me a quick hug. I hugged her back, glad to see her. There was no doubt I was starting to go a little stir-crazy, and I was happy for the company.

“I forget, dear, how do you take your tea?”

I told her, grateful that she’d thought to make some. Raphael had a deadline to meet for a paper he was writing for a client and had been upstairs for quite some time.

Nana kept up a steady stream of small talk while she prepared the tea, but when we both had beverages, she sat down next to me at the table. “Now tell me how you’re really doing.” She put her hand on mine and looked me in the eye.

“I’m fine.” The answer was so automatic that it was ingrained.

“You were hit by a car,” she said bluntly. “Now you’re living with strangers. Nice strangers, but still—tell me how it’s going.”

And so I did. How I was grateful to my new company for giving me this paid time off to recover, but how I was also bored to tears at times. “It’s just so quiet here when Spencer and the twins are at school and Raphael’s either writing or teaching a fitness class.” I sighed and tried not to sound whiny. “I know it sounds dumb to be bored when I have the entire internet at my disposal.”

“It’s not the same as human interaction. My granddaughter and I have a video call once a week, and it’s not the same.”

“No, it isn’t. But some parts of my day are nice. Like Raphael made lunch and we ate out on the deck and talked for nearly an hour afterwards, until he had to go work on his paper again.”

For a moment, I basked in the memory of everything we’d talked about. He told fascinating stories of his childhood with Corrine. The land and culture in this part of Louisiana were in his blood. The childhood he described was very different from the one I’d had in Colorado, and probably from how Spencer and Flynn had grown up in Illinois.

“All my boys are so talented. And they all do double duty, too,” Nana said. “Raphael writes all that technical stuff and teaches fitness classes. Flynn’s a veterinarian, but he’s an amazing woodworker. And Spencer, he’s a principal and a single dad. He influences the lives of hundreds of children. I don’t know how he does it.”

“Me either.” When she put it like that, all three men did seem rather amazing. I’d truly admired how Raphael’s stories revealed his values and philosophy of life at lunch. For once, my mind hadn’t been in the gutter, and I’d just enjoyed talking to him. “Oh, I also went to physical therapy today. Raphael took me.”

“How did that go?”

“About how I expected,” I said neutrally, but Nana laughed.

“That bad, huh?”

Yeah, it had been pretty bad. Everything they did hurt, even when they were working with my good arm and leg. Still, I was determined to do my best and try all the exercises they gave me.

Once I got stronger, I could move around the house better instead of relying on strong men to carry me around. That was why I still spent so much time in the bedroom—my recovery required lots of rest, and if I was in there, I could lie down anytime I needed to. If I was in another room, like now, I was reliant on one of them to come along and help me.

Just then, Raphael jogged down the stairs. “I’m going to go meet the twins. They’re taking the bus home today because Spencer needs to work late. Alyssa, do you want to stay where you are, or are you ready to go back in the bedroom?”

It was almost like he’d heard my thoughts a moment ago. I wanted to stay out here, where the sun was shining in through the windows, but my body ached. Ninety minutes was about my max for sitting upright without too much pain, and Raphael had helped me get here nearly two hours ago.

He accurately judged my expression and picked me up. “Come on, Nana, you two can continue your visit in the bedroom.” She followed us in, lugging her bag with her, and settled in the chair at the foot of the bed.

“How about I come over and make lunch for you on Thursday?” Nana suggested once he’d gone. “Raphael teaches a lunchtime class, so I can keep you company.”

“Is your cooking as spicy as his?”

Nana laughed. “You’re in Cajun country now, dear. So—yes.”

“I was kidding.” Mostly. “I’d love to have lunch with you. I’m sorry I can’t make it over to your place, though.”

“Don’t be silly. I’ve cooked here plenty of times.”

“That sounds great, then.”

“Oh, and then guess what? This weekend, my granddaughter’s coming to visit. She lives in New Orleans, you know. She’s about your age—it might be nice for you to hang out with another young woman.” Nana’s face lit up as she talked about her granddaughter.

“I’d really like that.” It did sound good to be around a woman my age, but I wished it could be Kylie or Sierra. Or even McKenna, from work. I’d only met her that first day, but it seemed like we were on our way to being friends. But though she’d texted a few times last week, she hadn’t answered the texts I’d sent her this week.

Nana and I talked a bit longer until we heard the sound of the front door opening. A moment later, the bedroom was twice as full. “Nana!” Lucas cried, while Charlotte hopped up on the bed and climbed over to sit next to me.

“How did you two do on your spelling test today?” Nana inquired.

“Nine out of ten,” Charlotte said, and I gave her a high five.

“Eight out of ten,” Lucas said, a bit more subdued.

Nana tilted her head to the side and then looked at me. “What do you think, Alyssa? Are those scores good enough for a treat?”

“Yes,” both twins said, and I laughed.

“I think so too.”

Nana reached into her bag and pulled out an ancient-looking cookie tin. Lucas took it from her and clambered onto the bed.

“Watch out for Alyssa’s cast,” Nana cautioned, but the kids were nowhere near it. It did ache a little when they made the bed shake, but it was a small price to pay for such cheerful company.

Lucas pried the lid off the tin and pumped his fist. “Pecan pralines!”

He and Charlotte immediately reached for the pralines, which were caramel-colored and looked like a cross between peanut brittle and a flat cookie that hadn’t risen.

“Here,” Charlotte said, handing me one.

I bit into it and smiled. It tasted like pure sugar, but a superior, flavorful kind of sugar. And the pecans added some crunch. Best of all, it wasn’t spicy. Raphael’s food was wonderful, but I half suspected it was drilling holes through my stomach lining. “This is really good.”

Nana beamed. “Never met anyone who didn’t like it.”

Raphael appeared at the door, and his gaze fell on the tin. He looked at the twins sternly. “Do you know the rule about eating in bed?”

I started to defend them, to say that they were there to keep me company, but he flashed me a quick wink and I stayed silent.

Lucas shook his head. “What rule?”

“You have to give me some,” he said, and the twins laughed, handing the tin over. His eyes lit up as he bit into one. “Your pecan pralines are still the best, Nana, no matter what those state fair judges said.”

She laughed. “That’s ancient history.”

Raphael finished the sweet treat and then addressed Lucas. “Uncle Flynn just texted. The owner is coming to pick up that black pig who had pneumonia. George, I think its name was. Do you want to go say good-bye?”

“Yes.”

Lucas hopped to his feet, but I called out to him before he could take off “Why don’t you take your other uncle some pralines?” He nodded and grabbed a handful.

“Charlotte?” Raphael said. “Do you want to go too?”

The little girl just wrinkled her nose and shook her head. Apparently, she was much fonder of horses than pigs.

Lucas headed out, and Raphael helped himself to one more praline before excusing himself.

“Just us girls,” Nana commented. Charlotte smiled, and it dawned on me that this was the kind of moment I’d been waiting for—the chance to talk with her one-on-one. Or maybe one-on-one-on-one. Either way, it was a nice opportunity.

I asked Charlotte about school, but quickly learned she preferred to talk about horses.

“I went riding a few times when I was a girl,” I responded when she asked me about it.

“Uncle Flynn can teach you. He taught me.”

“Let’s let Alyssa’s leg heal first. She needs to walk before she can ride,” Nana said. That struck me as half profound and half comical, and I couldn’t help laughing a little. “It’ll get there eventually,” she said with a kind smile.

I tried to keep Charlotte talking. “Did you know that today was the first time I ever tried a pecan praline?”

The little girl looked shocked. “Ever?”

“Ever. What other things do you think I should try?” I raised my eyebrows at her before adding, “Except not alligator.”

She giggled. “Nana makes the best beignets.”

“What are those?” I had an image of a soft, pillowy donut-type thing in my head, but Charlotte, as a Louisiana native, could probably explain it better. And she did. The subject of local specialties—especially desserts—was one she seemed almost as enamored with as horses.

Then Nana got to her feet. “I need to go back and start making dinner, but you two stay,” she said, as if I had much of a choice. “It’s nice seeing you get the chance to chat.”

She gave Charlotte a kiss on the top of her head and sent a wave in my direction. Then she stopped. “I almost forgot.” She dug into her bag again and pulled out a cardboard box. “This came for you earlier. I had to sign for it—I guess you and Raphael were at physical therapy.”

“Thank you.”

Charlotte took the box from her and handed it to me. “What is it?” she asked when Nana had left.

I scanned the return address. “It’s a present from my friend Sierra.” The package was a total surprise, but perhaps it shouldn’t have been. Sierra was a kind person, and I had almost gotten used to the idea that a genuine Hollywood actress was my friend.

“Sierra? I’ve never heard that name before.”

“It’s a bit unusual.” I managed to get my fingernail under the edge of the packing tape on the side of the package. “It’s nice to get presents, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” She seemed more excited than I was. It made me wonder what the twins were like on Christmas morning.

Finally, I got the box open. Inside was another box. The lid was a pale pink with white flowers on it. Carefully, I lifted the lid off and set it aside. Inside was white tissue paper, and I began to wonder if I’d ever get to the present itself. But it was just one more layer down.

At first, I didn’t know what it was. It was made from a smooth, pale peach material that was incredibly soft and silky.

“What is it?” Charlotte asked. She touched the fabric with her finger and smiled.

“I don’t know yet.” I lifted the fabric from the box. It was long and slinky. Was it a scarf? Then I realized it was a robe. An incredibly luxurious one, though it looked a bit on the short side. Maybe Sierra had chosen it so that it wouldn’t get in the way of my cast?

“It’s beautiful,” Charlotte said as I held up the robe. Then she picked up the next item in the box. It was made of the same soft material. One side of the fabric was lined with lace and—oh crap. Crap. Had Sierra sent me lingerie ?

As Charlotte lifted it, a pair of panties fell onto the bed. The fabric—what little there was of it—matched the robe and the other item that I now realized was a teddy. “Oh my god,” I began, and then recovered. “It’s, um, really pretty, isn’t it? But I think I’d better put it away so that it doesn’t get any praline crumbs on it.”

But Charlotte was still fascinated. “Feel how soft it is. It’s slippery.”

Good god, an eight-year-old girl was holding the sexy lingerie I’d just been sent. My cheeks flushed as I gathered it all back and put it in the box.

Then Charlotte asked the question I’d hoped she wouldn’t. “But what is it?”

“It’s a nightgown. Do you wear a nightgown to bed, or do you wear pajamas?”

“A gown,” she said. “But it’s not as nice as that.”

“I bet yours is pretty, too.”

I shoved the fancy box under the covers. I’d been planning on asking Charlotte if she wanted the box to keep, but not now that I realized it probably had the name of a lingerie shop on it. “I know you’ve had pralines, but if you’re still hungry, I bet your Uncle Rafe will make something else for you.”

She nodded and got up to leave, with one last look at the lump under the covers where my present was.

I wasn’t a parent or an aunt or even friends with any children besides the twins, so I didn’t know if I’d handled that the right way. Then I broke into a small grin. I’d known enough to use distraction there at the end, though. That was a tried-and-true parenting technique, right?