“I’m ok. Just making coffee for the guys and visitors.”
“Visitors?”
“Yeah um, Jake and Mary Ellen are here.” Then I didn’t know if she would know who they were. “Mr Dawson and…”
“I know who they are Arielle, they employ me,” she interrupted me kindly. She started bustling about and muttering.
“I’ll whip up a light breakfast for them, you go on dear, I’ll take care of this.” I watched as she sprung into action, like some domestic service interpretation of the Tasmanian Devil.
I stood there for about a minute or two, like a spare wheel in a cog. I realised that I really wasn’t needed and I was pretty sure she would only remain polite for so long before just asking me to leave her kitchen.
I retreated back to the sitting room. Only I didn’t want to go in. To see the betrayal in my friends’ eyes. I really was a coward, here I was considering disappearing up to the room they had given me. They had cared for me.Get a grip Elle, go in and face them.
I opened the door. No one had moved since I’d left and the air was heavy with the silence.
“Um, Mrs Green took over and um, sent me away,” I mumbled. Mary Ellen smiled at me and held out her hand to me, I took it and sat beside her. Jake merely nodded as he continued to type away on his phone. Matt, Connor and Colton hadn’t moved, or spoken it seemed.
Jake looked up from his phone and surveyed the room.
“Can I have a moment with my sons?”
It was almost like Mary Ellen had been waiting for it, she rose swiftly, taking me with her. “Matthew, come with us, since this silly heat continues, we’ll take coffee on the patio.” Matt rose but looked at Colton. A slight nod. Permission granted. Unfortunately, since I was watching for it, I then met Colton’s gaze.
I felt heat rush to my cheeks and I looked away guiltily. I hurried after Mary Ellen. We went through the kitchen where Mary Ellen informed Mrs Green we would breakfast on the patio. Even in the midst of everything that was going on, I couldn’t help but note how much I loved that sentence. It sounded so incredibly decadent,we’ll breakfast on the patio. I usually breakfasted standing up in my jammies in my kitchen.
Mrs Green nodded her acknowledgment but continued to bustle about as she prepared what seemed to be a mountain of food.
The three of us sat outside, Mary Ellen took off her suit jacket. She looked between the two of us. Matt was giving me the evil eye and I wasn’t meeting his glare.
“Matthew was two days shy of his fifth birthday when he met Colton and Connor,” she started. I looked at her and Matt mutteredmom. “We were at the club, Matthew was playing by himself, his sisters had been teasing him and he had ended up playing in the shallow end of the pool. I was watching him, but Amy Louise was still in a bassinet, so he was alone,” she smiled in remembrance. “We heard this commotion and Colton and Theo came running around the corner and cannon balled into the pool, splashing Matthew. A woman was with them, she was tall, but you knew she was frail. Absolutely beautiful though, she was so delicate and really, absolutely stunning.
“Matthew was upset about being splashed but he didn’t say a word. She sat beside me and watched the children playing in the pool. She called to one of them and this amazingly fierce little boy got out of the water. I watched him, a tiny little tornado, so ferociously intent. I remember even now; how vibrant those green eyes were. He went over to his mother and she reprimanded him for not being aware of his surroundings because he had splashed the little boy playing in the pool and that he had left his brother behind,” she laughed softly. “The little boy turned to Matthew and marched right up to him, he slipped into the pool, careful not to splash and went up to him. He stuck out his hand and said…” She paused. “What did he say again Matthew?”
Matt was also serene in his remembrance. “He said, “I’m Colton, I did not mean to splash you,” then he shook my hand.” He laughed at the memory.
“Colton went over to Theo who was still splashing in the water. He turned back to Matthew and asked why he was still in the shallow end,” Mary Ellen continued. “Matthew confessed he was not a good swimmer. Well, little mister fierce was right back to Matthew, along with the other boy, both of them took a hand and off they went to the deeper end together. That morning in the country club a friendship so deep and so full of trust was formed,” she shook her head. “About ten minutes later a tiny little wisp of a thing was carried around the corner by his father. Connor joined his brother in the water, but the three older boys all swam to the shallows to play with him and make sure he was ok. Just like that three became four.”
Mrs Green came out with breakfast trays, I murmured my thanks as she set a table and placed plates of sliced fruit, pastries, bacon, bagels and eggs. She placed the coffee in the middle of the table and Matt automatically placed it beside me.
His mom noticed and smiled. She made a plate of fruit and a bagel. I watched her, wondering why she was telling me the story of how the boys met. I had never known the origins of how they’d all become so close, but I knew they’d been friends from an early age.
“They were inseparable. Where one was, the other three were not far behind. When Emily became properly unwell, it was at the club that she told me. We were watching the boys playing. It was just Colton, Connor and Matthew, splashing about in the pool. Colton had been relentless in teaching Matthew more confidence in the water. She sat beside me. She was a quiet woman, adored her children and her husband. Everything about her was soft, gentle. Connor has more of his mother in him than he would like I think,” Mary Ellen mused. “Emily was drinking tea and she told me she had leukaemia and it was merely a matter of time. I offered my condolences and asked if there was anything I could do.” Her eyes were filled with sadness. “It’s what you do, you offer an insincere gesture. She turned to me, eyes fierce with the same resolution her oldest son had already at such a young age. He will need you when I’m gone. Jake will try his best, but Connor will need a mother and I need you to lie to me now and tell me that my boys will be loved like they were your own sons.”
I put my cup down, I was completely enthralled by her story. Matt was quiet also as he listened to his mother reminisce.
“I made the promise. I told her as long as they were in our lives, I would love them both,” Mary Ellen hadn’t eaten a bite of food even though she had been toying with her fruit. “I broke my promise.”
“How?” Matt asked. “You’ve been there for them as much as you have been there for your own children. You haven’t let them down. Colton knows how much you adore him.”
“But I played favourites and I’ve known for a long time now, Connor needs help. Proper professional help. His rage and insecurity are not manageable, and I have avoided it as much as his father has, as his brother has and as his friends have.”
“Then we are all to blame mom, not just you,” Matt clasped his mother’s hand in commiseration. My own head was spinning. Was I as guilty? I hadn’t really witnessed the spells of anger but then that’s because I had been so caught up in my world of books. Colton had told me about the cars the night I had broken up with Connor, the night my mother died. I mean that wasn’t rational behaviour when you thought about it.
Then I hadn’t been there. I hadn’t witnessed the aftermath because I had run away. I wanted to tell Mary Ellen there was nothing wrong with him, he was just a spoiled little boy acting out when he wasn’t the centre of attention. However, was he? He’d stolen five hundred thousand dollars from his trust fund to make the worst investment possible. I was no business major, but his deal had sounded like a complete run-around from the start, I was only grateful he hadn’t investedmore.
“I shall address the issue with Jake once he and your father have sorted this business out,” she said quietly. “Lord knows that will not be pleasant.”
“You should eat some breakfast Mary Ellen,” I said softly, “It’s going to be a long day and you need to keep your energy up.” She squeezed my hand.