"Oh, and by the way," he continued, "we're flying to Italy for Christmas, so you and your wife will have the place virtually to yourselves. We operate with a skeleton staff only, but I give them several weeks off for the holidays. Usually, I have someone come in for security, but I'm sure you and your wife will be enough to ward off any interlopers." He laughed. "Seriously, unless you know we're here, you'd never know from the road, would you?"
Eric had to agree. When the Town Car had pulled in, it had felt like they were headed into a dense pine forest. Only when they stopped so that the chauffeur could enter the gate code, did it appear they were, in fact, approaching civilization. Donna's going to love this place. And with utter privacy, I'll tell her to bring some "toys" for sure. He'd just arrived in Florida, and already, he could hardly wait for her to come. His cheeks reddened. Come indeed.
Eric worked every day from six until six, pausing only when Asahi, the cook, brought him refreshments. She reminded him of a tiny doll—a rather ordinary doll—but her culinary skills were a wonder, based on the foods she delivered several times a day. She was comfortable enough around him now that she would sit and chat a bit as he ate at the bar or in the conversation pit, away from his tools and materials. He was careful to protect all the surfaces from his dust.
It had only taken a few days of solitude for Eric to engage Asahi in conversation. The Steins rarely made an appearance, and other than those precious FaceTime calls each night with Donna, Eric was getting lonely.
"What does your name mean?" he asked one afternoon as he set his bowl of miso soup down on the bar.
Asahi lowered her head shyly. "It is Japanese, for morning sunshine."
Eric smiled. "That's lovely. And appropriate, Asahi. You bring sunshine every time you bring me food. This place is awfully quiet."
"You should play music, Eric-san," she said with a little bow. "Just tell the house."
"Tell the house?"
Asahi giggled, covering her mouth. "I put instructions in your room. Set it up to obey your voice, and then wherever you are, you tell the house what you want to hear. Like this." Asahi looked up and spoke more loudly. "I want to hear J-pop," she announced to the air.
Instantly, guitar music and Japanese lyrics wafted through the big room from several directions. "My favorite group," she said.
I'll need to set it up for myself, definitely, thought Eric. Music would help pass the time, but he decided that after a few hours of J-pop, he'd be hungering for something in English. "Nice. Thanks, I'll work on it. So tell me about this Thanksgiving party," Eric said, standing. He brushed his hands off before he gloved up again for work.
Asahi giggled again, her eyes wide. "Ooh. Are you going to the party, Eric-san? I make all of the food but will have the night off."
Eric was offended on her behalf. He turned to her with a frown. "They don't let you go, after you did all the work? That's not right."
Asahi shook her head, her eyes bright. "Oh no, Eric-san. I do not want to go to the party. Pochapocha." She laughed. "But you—you would be fine, Eric-san."
"Pochapocha?"
Asahi laughed as she left him with a wave. "Pochapocha, pochapocha."
I'll have to google that. Eric took a deep breath. Four more hours of work. Steam shower in the gym. The dinner Asahi will have left in my room, and then Donna. She had a way of making their FaceTime calls quite the adventure.
7
An Early Celebration
"Everything was delicious," Worth commented as the family festivities wound down at the Hendersons'. Because Worth's mother was popping in for a quick visit on Thursday, everyone had agreed to move their celebration to Wednesday instead. No one at the magazine had minded getting an extra day off, and the schools at which Keith and Jon taught had taken the entire week for Thanksgiving break. Layla had given her notice when she started experiencing discomfort, but Kari still worked as a paralegal.
Layla groaned, rubbing her belly. Now in the second trimester of her pregnancy, she could legitimately wear maternity clothes. Before, she'd gotten away with fuller lines and larger sizes, but there was no mistaking the baby bump at this point. "I know I'm eating for two, but today, I think I must've eaten for four or five."
Keith put his arm around her. "This is no time to diet, sweetheart." He kissed the top of her head.
Jessica nodded. "Enjoy it while you can. Mom keeps telling me that at a certain age, we'll all wish we had exercised more."
Across the long table, Carol laughed. "Well, it's true." She stood to fetch a pitcher of iced tea for refills, her hands on her hips. "I have to really work to keep this figure."
Chet beamed proudly. "I heartily approve."
It was a full house—Chet and Carol, Jessica and Worth, Chet's daughter Kari and her husband Jon, Chet's son Keith and his wife Layla, and Donna. And it also was, Donna thought, the happiest Thanksgiving she'd had in many years, even with Eric out of state. "Thank you again for
