On His Desk by Mia Faye

Chapter 23

AVA

“Does anyone want to give it a try?” the farm guide, a friendly brown-haired man, says to us after he has demonstrated how to milk a cow.

“Not me!” Paige quips with a disdainful look on her face as if milking a cow is beneath her.

“I’ll give it a shot,” I say. “And don’t laugh at me. I’ve never been near a cow.”

We are in the milking pens and the guide gets up from the stool he’s sitting on and I take his place. Apprehension comes over me as I eye the huge black and white cow as it continues contentedly eating from a trough.

My gaze falls on its strong hind legs. One kick would send me sprawling across the cement floor. I inhale deeply and tell myself there is nothing to be afraid of. People have been milking cows for centuries.

“You can do it, Ava!” Michael says and I don’t miss the admiring tone in his voice.

That gives me courage and I straighten my shoulders. “Okay then, where do I begin?”

“Hold the teats and start pulling down from the base,” the guide tells me.

I do as he says, feeling worried about hurting the poor cow. Nothing comes out.

“Squeeze a little harder,” he says. “I promise she won’t feel any pain.”

I brace myself and this time I squeeze the teats as I bring my hands down. I’m rewarded by a stream of milk and I let out a squeal. Cheers sound from behind me.

“Do you want to try, Elly?” I ask.

“Yes. As long as you sit near me.” She says.

“I promise,” I tell her and Elly wriggles into my lap.

“Now, let your mommy place her hands over yours and you can milk together,” the guide says.

I look up at him, startled. “I’m not her mommy, just a friend.”

I wait for Paige or Michael to speak up behind us, but they don’t. I wish she was my daughter and, together with Michael, we were a family. I can’t fathom how Paige picked Charles over Michael. There are some things money cannot buy.

“Sure,” the man continues, unruffled by his mistake. I hold Elly’s small hands and guide them to the udder.

A nervous giggle escapes her mouth. “I’m scared.”

“Don’t be,” I tell her. “I’m right here with you. We’ll do it together.”

We hold the teats and after a moment we start pulling down. Elly is beside herself with excitement when milk trickles into the bucket.

“Mommy, look!” she cries.

“Very nice,” Paige says in a tone that does not conceal her boredom. “Excuse me, Mister, is there a café around here?”

“Yes, there is. Just where you came from. Go through the reception area and you’ll see it.”

The click of her heels gets fainter and fainter.

“Do you want to give it a try, Michael?” Elly says.

“After you finish,” Michael says.

“I’m finished,” Ally says and quickly wriggles out of my lap. We all laugh. I stand up too and hold Elly’s hand as we watch Michael take our place.

Michael doesn’t need any instructions. We stare in awe as he expertly holds the teats and milks the cow. The milk comes out in a fat stream, making splashes as it falls into the bucket.

“You’re not new to this,” the guide says.

“No,” Michael says. “I grew up on a farm. We had to milk the dairy cows every morning and evening.”

Elly leaves my side and goes to her dad’s. She drapes a hand on his shoulder. Their two blond heads are so similar, a stranger would easily know that they were father and daughter.

“Wow that’s a lot of milk,” she says.

“Cows like it when we milk them,” Michael tells her. “It makes them lighter and less full.”

It’s nice to listen to them chat. Elly brings out a tender side of Michael that I like to see. He listens to her attentively and nods as she speaks as if what she’s saying is of vital importance. He’s a wonderful dad.

My mind drifts to Paige. If I had known that she was coming I’d have declined the invitation. I feel like the third wheel when Paige is around. She doesn’t make it easier by bringing up topics of conversation in which I cannot participate like memories from her and Michael’s past.

From the conversation on the way to the farm, I deduced that they had been together for several years. I’d dismissed Paige as a casual ex-girlfriend but that’s not the case at all. In addition to having a child together, they had a load of memories.

“I never thought I’d ever go near a cow again,” Michael tells me as he gets up from a stool. “That goes to show that you never know about the future.”

I laugh. “Who knows, you might invest in a farm sometime,” I say.

He makes a face. “No chance.”

“Buy a farm, Michael!” Elly says, overhearing our conversation. “Please please.”

I stifle my laughter. “You’re in trouble,” I tell Michael.

“All your fault,” he says and comes to me. He leans to whisper into my ear. “You know what your punishment will be, right? It involves your sweet ass.”

My feet almost buckle as a wave of desire goes through me.

“Should we go and see the pigs now?” Michael says.

“Yes,” Elly says completely forgetting about the cow.

***

Paige and I are seated opposite each other in the café. Michael and Elly have left to go and buy an ice cream cone. I lift my coffee and sip it, conscious of the silence between us.

She smiles at me. “So, are you and Michael sleeping together?”

My mouth falls open and it takes a while for my brain to wrap itself around her question and try and formulate an answer.

Before I can say anything she lets out a soft laugh. “Wait, don’t answer that. It’s incredibly rude of me. I’m sorry.”

I jut out my chin. I’m an adult and I have nothing to be ashamed of.

“Just a little friendly advice, don’t get too hung up on him. Michael doesn’t do commitment.” There’s no venom in her voice. She almost sounds like one friend talking to another. “I dated him for years and he still wouldn’t marry me. Don’t peg your hopes on it becoming anything more and you’ll be fine,” she says and pats my arm.

“I’m not interested in marriage,” I tell her. Not quite the truth. I’ve been fantasizing about a long-term relationship, even marriage, with Michael almost on a daily basis.

“You’re smarter than I was,” she says.

To my relief, Michael and Elly come back licking two huge ice creams.

“Want some?” he says and slides next to me on the bench.

“Sure,” I tell him.

I feel Paige’s eyes on us as we share the ice cream. Only two people who are pretty close can share an ice cream and if she had any designs on him, I hope that it sends the appropriate message. Michel is off-limits.

We spend another hour traipsing around the farm. We get to pick eggs, feed the chickens by throwing grains into their enclosed space, and watching them run eating. I have more fun than I expected to, and on the way back I tell Michael and Paige that. Elly is asleep on her mother’s lap in the back seat.

“I did too,” Michael says. “I had the best company.” He holds my gaze for a few seconds as he says this.

My heart stumbles in my chest. A shudder of longing goes through me and I can’t wait until we’re home.

“You have a beautiful home,” Michael says as we pull up the drive to Paige’s house.

Paige lets out a deep sigh. “Yes, but Charles neglected a few things and it needs major renovations. The roof is in shambles and the plumbing has lead and needs to be replaced.”

“Have you found a good company to do it?” Michael says.

“Yes, but we have to move out for them to do it,” Paige says with another deep sigh.

My body goes cold. I can see where this is going but a glance at Michael tells me that he has no clue.

“Where will you stay?” Michael continues.

“I’m too tired to think about that, to be honest,” Paige says.

Michael stares at the house. It looks pretty solid, but no one is asking me, and anyway, what do I know about houses?

“Is the water safe?” Lines of worry crease his brow.

Paige does not answer. It’s the correct reaction and I sit back in awe and watch her manipulate Michael into what she wants.

“You and Elly can move in with me while you get the repairs done and look for a new place. Her room will be ready in a few days and you can take the guest room,” he says.

“We couldn’t.” Even her tone does not sound convincing.

“Please do. I don’t think I’ll have a good night’s sleep worrying about you here. I’m disappointed in Charles. He should have known better,” Michael says, his voice tinged with irritation.

“It’s not his fault. He was busy with work a lot of the time,” Paige says.

“Work should not come before his family,” Michael says venomously.

“Thank you for watching over us, Michael,” Paige says. “I don’t know what we’d do without you.”

The same thing you did when he wasn’t in your life, I want to say but keep my mouth shut. I’m not stupid enough to point out to Michael that he’s just been lured into living with Paige.

She’s good, I have to admit. Nausea rises up my throat. A bad feeling comes over me. I have no doubt that Paige is up to something, and that something is Michael. She wants him back. The odds are stacked against me. She’s the mother of his beautiful daughter and they have a past together. I can only hope that Michael is enjoying what we have so much that he won’t want to let me go.

“I’ll carry her into the house,” Michael says and leans to kiss me on the lips.

Pleasure swarms me. Maybe I’m giving Michael too little credit. He may be softhearted when it comes to Paige but he’s not stupid and he knows what he wants.

“I’ll be back soon,” he says.

He gets out and goes to the back to lift Elly from her mother’s lap. Paige shoots me a smile of triumph as she gets out of the car.