Veronica took a quick shower, changed into a pair of tight slim jeans that accentuated all her curves, and a floral blouse; before stepping out of her room to go downstairs and prepare breakfast. The grandfather clock on the landing told her that it was time for Frank to come back from his run. Which meant that it might give them an opportunity to talk in private before the girls woke up.
Veronica was flipping pancakes when she saw Frank enter the kitchen through the pool doors as usual. She jerked her head up to look at him and noticed how good he looked. The t-shirt he had worn for his run was sticking to his body, she could see the sweat trickling down the sides of his face. His hair looked damp and his eyes were bright and narrowed.
“Morning,” she said cheerily, recognizing how he made her feel just by entering a room. She was still stressed over all the thoughts in her head, and the big decision she needed to make, but she was sure that she would feel better once she spoke to Frank.
He grunted and turned to one of the cupboards to take a glass out. In silence, he filled it with tap water and turned away from her to drink it.
Veronica stared at the back of his head blankly. She couldn’t understand what was going on. He was usually happy and cheerful after a run, and on other days she would have been in his arms by now, embracing in a tight hug.
“Pancakes?” she forced herself to ask, which made him turn sideways a little, only to look at her over his shoulder.
“I’m good, thanks,” he said in a deep voice that startled her. Veronica was now getting the feeling that she had done something wrong. She remembered the way he had made love to her the previous night. He was rougher than usual, like he was trying to prove something…even though she had enjoyed herself, she couldn’t help but wonder if Frank was still jealous of the fact that she had gone on a date with Calvin.
“Frank, is something wrong?” she asked him, stopping the work she was doing.
He finished drinking the glass of water and smacked it on the kitchen island, before turning to her. She saw the rage in his eyes. His face was darkened and she could see that he was clenching his jaw.
“Nothing is wrong, Veronica,” he said, in that same deep voice that scared her a little. She licked her lips and met his eyes nervously.
“Did you spend the night in my room? I was surprised to find you missing in the morning,” she said in a meek voice, hoping that he might care to explain. She knew for certain now that he hadn’t slept in her bed.
“No. I was in my room,” he said flatly, without any intention of continuing the conversation.
“Frank, something is wrong. You’re not yourself. Please tell me what’s wrong,” she cried and walked around the kitchen island towards him. She was surprised to find that Frank took a step away from her. As though he didn’t want to get too close to her incase he got burned!
“Nothing is wrong, Veronica. Everything is exactly the way it should be. I hope you have a nice day. Say hi to the girls for me,” he said and with that he was out of the room in seconds. Veronica remained standing there in silence, watching him leave. She still hadn’t moved, even though she heard his shoes on the stairs, then the opening and slamming of his bedroom door upstairs.
She was completely at a loss now. He seemed fine the previous night, even if he admitted that he was jealous of Calvin, he hadn’t taken out his anger on her. Veronica gulped, still confused and a little hurt now as she went back to stacking the pancakes on plates. Wiping her hand on a kitchen towel, she went up to the girls’ bedrooms.
Ashley and Kaitlyn were never any trouble to wake up. She went through the usual routine with them, of helping them brush their teeth and wash their little faces. She brought them down to the kitchen after that, the whole time trying to keep a cheerful face on, for their sakes.
“Where’s daddy?” Kaitlyn asked after a few minutes of chewing her food. Frank usually came over to say bye to them before leaving for work, even if he didn’t have breakfast with them.
“He was in a rush. He told me to say hi,” Veronica told her, taking a seat across from them at the breakfast bar. Kaitlyn looked crestfallen as she ate, while Ashley hung her head over her food.
“What’s wrong girls? You’ll see him in the afternoon again. I’m sure he misses being here,” Veronica said, realizing that a lump had formed in her throat.
Ashley looked like she was hesitating to say something. She kept exchanging looks with her younger sister. They were too young anyway to successfully keep secrets, and Veronica gave them some time. She knew Ashley was going to spill eventually.
“We’re just sad that maybe daddy is going to go back to before,” she said in a sad voice.
“Go back to before? What do you mean, sweetheart?” Veronica asked, and reached for Ashley’s hand.
“Like before you came to the house. He was always sad and grumpy after mommy died. But ever since you came to stay with us, he is happy and spends more time with us,” she explained and Veronica felt her heart sinking.
“He just had work, girls. Nothing to worry about. Now c’mon, lets get you ready for school,” Veronica declared, standing up from her chair.
She guided the kids out of the kitchen and back up to their rooms so they could take their showers and change into fresh clothes for the day. The whole time, she felt like she was going to implode from what she had just heard, combined with Frank’s behavior from the morning. If the girls were being truthful, it meant that having her here had made a huge impact on Frank’s life. He was being honest when he said that he had never done anything like this before, with any of his employees. It could mean that their relationship actually meant something more to him than just sex.
Frank didn’t return in the afternoon, as was his usual routine. Instead, it was after dinner, after Veronica had already tucked the girls into their beds that she heard the front door opening. She hurried down the stairs and found Frank hanging up his overcoat on the coat rack and placing his briefcase by the door.
“Where have you been?” she asked, as she reached the landing of the stairs. She was aware of the strain in her voice, but she couldn’t help herself.
“Work. Why?” he asked, fixing narrowed dark eyes on her. His beard looked freshly trimmed and he was in his formal office wear that made him look more intimidating than usual. Veronica caught the lump in her throat and she gulped.
“The girls have been asking about you. We didn’t know you weren’t coming home at your usual time,” she said, taking a step towards him. She had missed him all day, especially after his behavior from the morning. Veronica yearned for his touch, but Frank stood his ground. She could see now that he wasn’t going to reach out to her.
“They know that I’m sometimes held back at the office. And it’s not like I need to ask for your permission before I change my plans,” he said curtly and it felt like a dagger had been struck in her heart. Veronica thrust her chin out to him and realized that her lip was quivering.