Thanks everyone for sticking with the story! Yeah, if you haven't already figured it out, this is a cheesy romance story. We all like to read those now and then, right? Plus, I've always been a fan of age gap romances. I figure this story will have not as many chapters as my other stories, probably less than twenty, or even fifteen. We'll see.
~ ~ ~
The roast was still there. That was odd. Did he not help himself to the leftovers after he came home? Maybe he came back really late and was too tired to eat anything. On Thursdays, he tried to be back for dinner, even if he left right after, but sometimes, he was just too busy. He was still gone when I went to bed before nine.
I checked my watch. It was a little after six. He could be up, or if he had a late morning, he could be up in an hour. Best to put out something that he could just grab it and go.
Having a good idea of what I wanted to make, I got out the needed ingredients: flour, baking powder, sugar, salt... everything needed to make those homemade muffins, but this time, chocolate chips would be added. Elvis was a sucker for chocolate, even if he never said so. Like a kid, his eyes would light up when he could have chocolate. They would also light up when he could have peanut butter and banana whatever. I would cut up a banana and put out peanut butter. I had seen him spread the peanut butter over the top of the muffin and then dot the top with banana slices. He was an odd boy, but that was what made him endearing. I loved that his favorite color was pink and his favorite food was fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Sometimes he added bacon.
The minutes passed as I put together the ingredients, having Elvis in mind. Sandra would go nuts if she knew what was going on between Elvis and me. She hadn't called, and I hadn't called her since we talked on the phone last. She would be interested to know about Earnest, too, the man who was flirting with me after bringing in Elvis's televisions sets. Knowing my daughter, she would call the whole thing a love triangle. That was what it was, even though nothing really romantic happened between me and both of those men... like a kiss.
I slid the muffin pan with twelve muffin holes filled with batter into the oven and set the little timer on the counter near the stove. Once the oven door was shut, I leaned against the counter with my hip, and I thought of Elvis's lips and imaged them in my mind. I had noticed it before, but I always dismissed it. They were rather... luscious and... scrumptious.
"Oh my heavens," I exasperated and put both hands on my warming cheeks, and not because the kitchen was a little warm from the hot oven. "Stop thinking about that."
I took a yellow banana from the bunch on the counter across from the oven, peeled it, and started cutting it up into little circles. Without my consent, my mind sent me another image of Elvis's lips, including when they were pretty darn close to mine the other night. Would I have let him kiss me?
Probably.
I shook my head, trying not to think about it. I finished the bananas and picked up the little circles and put them in a bowl then got out a jar of peanut butter. I put them both on the counter next to the stove so they could be there after the muffins were done.
The timer still had thirty minutes, and Elvis didn't seem to be up yet, or he was just in his room getting ready. I could go and do some laundry. There were bed sheets that needed to be hung up on the line in the backyard - the sheets were too big to be put in the small dryer. I also had other sheets out there on the line that needed to be taken down. I would get the wet sheets and come back to the kitchen and check on the muffins.
Leaving the baking muffins that were just beginning to make the kitchen smell a bit like chocolate chip cookies, I went to the laundry room down the addition on the first floor, an addition that the owners before Elvis added. The laundry room was as big as my living room in my old house, the house that Randall kept after our divorce. I fell in love with the mansion not for the kitchen, since it was rather small, but for the giant laundry room. It wasn't big enough to hang a line and let the sheets dry that way, so I chose the backyard. I had other small things hanging on laundry racks in the laundry room, though, like dresses and whatnot, things I didn't want to put in the dryer. Nobody came into the room but me so I could hang up dresses and under things to my heart's content. Elvis and Vernon already told me before, when Elvis first purchased Graceland and I became the housekeeper, that the laundry room was mine and they would never enter it. I loved that. It was one of the things that sold me when I was deciding to move into the house.
I came to the pale-green washer and dryer and pulled out the sheets from the washer, a load that I started after I got up at five and got ready after that. Every two weeks or so, I would strip the beds in all the guest rooms and wash the bedding, just in case Elvis wanted to have one or two of his friends or cousins stay in the house for a few days. It had been about sixteen days since I last washed all the bedding, so I had been busy with washing it all the past two days.
After pulling four large sheets out of the washer, I folded them up the best I could and put them in a laundry basket, and it became heaping.
"Okay, let's go check on the muffins and then get to hanging these up."
I left the laundry room, set the basket near the back door, then headed on to the kitchen. The whole downstairs smelled of the baking muffins. The moment I stepped into the kitchen from the dining room, my heart lurched when I saw Elvis standing in the kitchen as he held the oven door open, peeking inside. He was dressed in a slimming black suit ensemble, and the color of the collar to his shirt that was shown over the lapels to the suit coat looked like the color of his eyes. His dark hair was done in its same style, and he was smirking as he looked inside the oven.
Good Lord, he's handsome...
He turned his head to me, and those lips spread into a full grin, showing his cheekbones that he inherited from both of his parents. He stood up straight and closed the oven door.
"Hey, good mornin', Mary!"
I suddenly felt self-conscious around him, and I pressed out my tan dress skirt on impulse. I should have worn my lavender dress. "Good mornin', Elvis."
He pointed to the oven. "I just had to see what was cookin' down here. I could smell it all the way up in my room, and my mouth started waterin'."
I came and stood near him, and I could smell that very nice men's perfume. My gaze went to his collar, which was visible since he liked having at least two buttons undone on his collar shirts, and this one really did match his eyes perfectly, making them pop.
"Yeah, I just thought that I'd make those for ya," I said. "Something quick. And I added the bananas and peanut butter."
"I saw that. You're amazin'."
There he goes again with those complements. "Thanks," I said somewhat sheepishly, and I could feel those butterflies start to flutter around inside of me. "So, um..." I met his gaze, and it annoyed me that he was making me so muddle-headed with those eyes of his and his very presence. "How much longer do they have?"
He glanced at the dial timer on the counter. "Looks like about ten more minutes. Nine to be exact."
I put a hand on my hip, thinking. "Hmm... I don't have time to go out into the back and hang those wet sheets, and I have that basket full of 'em over by the back door..."
Elvis slammed his hands into his pockets, that smirk there. It really was his signature smirk as the papers said. "I'll go and start on that for ya. You can take care of things in here."
I smiled at his willingness to help out. "Thank you, Elvis, but I think it makes more sense for you to stay in here and I go out there. You need to eat before you leave."
"How 'bout we both stay inside and wait for the muffins to be done, huh?"
I looked at the timer, and it read six more minutes. "Okay, let's do that. The wet sheets will be fine for a few more minutes."
"Alright, then." He took a hand out of his pocket and took a little banana circle out of the bowl and popped it into his mouth and chewed. "You don't have ta wash all the bedding in the house if they're not bein' used, you know."
He remembered that I always did that - washed the guest room bedding. I folded my arms and leaned against the counter as the timer ticked on quietly. "I do it once every two to three weeks, just in case one of your family members or friends comes by and wants to stay here for a little while."
He leaned against the counter as well, by his hip, and we faced each other as there was maybe four feet between us. "I get that, but you don't need to wash 'em all the time, just maybe one, just in case, like you said."
I liked that he was concerned about me, in that he wanted me to do less work as to not overdo it. "It keeps me busy. You know me."
He chuckled. "Yeah, chores are therapeutic for ya, I know. I still thinks it's insane."
We both laughed at that, and I thought what a beautiful moment it was. The alarm went off. Elvis turned it off and moved out of the way so I could open the oven, and as soon as I did, the scent of the chocolate chip muffins escaped.
"Mmm..." Elvis hummed. "That smells heavenly."
"And it's all for you." I put on an oven mitt and pulled out the tray of muffins and set in on the stove, and I pulled the oven mitt off and tossed it onto the counter. "I have to go tend to those wet sheets."
"Aw, c'mon," he whined playfully. "You're not stayin' to eat breakfast with me?"
"I ate already, but thanks. Now excuse me."
I turned to go.
"Mary."
My heart started speeding, and I turned just my head to face him. "Yes?"
"You look nice today."
I saw the sincerity in his eyes and the small, cute smirk on his face. I cleared my throat. "Thank you. Excuse me."
Attempting to not let myself react to his sweetness, I left the kitchen and came to the back door and took up the basket of wet sheets. I left out the door into the backyard that had a line connected to the roof of Vernon's study to the top of the shed on the other side of the yard. The sheets already there were billowing in the morning wind and illuminated because the sun shone on them. Some birds chirped in the trees somewhere.
Okay, yes, I was trying to escape him on purpose, mainly to avoid that awkward conversation that we almost had twice. He probably picked up that I wanted to talk about what was going on between us, but now, I tried to avoid it. He would ask at some point, though. I had to be prepared for it. Thankfully, it didn't come up as we were talking moments ago.
"Phew, this is nuts," I breathed, referring to this whole situation since Elvis arrived home. I took off a dry white sheet from the line of billowing baby blue and pink sheets, plus other white ones. The long line, maybe fifty feet long, was full of sheets. I had my work cut out for me. I got to it.
Maybe twenty minutes passed, and I was on only the second sheet. I would take one dry sheet off, fold it the best I could, and then replace it with a wet sheet after putting the dry one in one side of the laundry basket.
I went and stood behind a dried light-blue sheet and took off the pins. Once I pulled it off, Elvis suddenly appeared behind it. I gasped and put a hand to my heart that nearly jumped out of me. "Oh my Lord, Elvis! I thought you were a ghost for a split second."
He laughed as I held the sheet bundled up in my arms so it wouldn't fall to the ground. "Sorry, I always seem to startle ya. Maybe I am a ghost."
"Very funny." I came back to the other side of the line and tried to make sense of the sheet in my arms. Elvis said nothing and took some of it, and we walked away from each other and stretched it out. He was about to say something, but I said before he could, "So, did you like your breakfast?"
We folded the sheet long-ways. "Yeah, it was delicious, especially with the peanut butter and banana added to it. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Is the Colonel not here yet?"
"Not yet. Thought I'd come out here and help ya."
I smiled graciously. "Thank you."
"Not a problem."
We folded the sheet long-ways again, then he came up close to me so it could be folded the other way. He came not a foot away from me, and I gulped as he stood there for a moment, staring down at my face, and I noticed the wind catch his bangs a little. I cleared my throat. "Let's fold it again." He smirked and walked backwards a few steps. "So... you came back late last night?"
At the mention of last night, he pressed his lips together, and he stood there for a moment with a sullen expression. Concern started to course through me as I took the sheet and folded it the rest of the way. Something was wrong.
"Oh dear... Is everythin' alright, Elvis?"
He let out a breath through his nose, that smile of his nonexistent. "Well... I suppose things could be better."
I dropped the folded sheet into the basket. "What happened?"
"I, well... Yeah, I came home 'round nine last night, and the moment I walked through the door, the phone rang. You were nowhere to be found, so I answered it. Turned out to be Anita."
Of course, I knew about his girlfriend since '57. We spoke of her a few days ago, and I was there when she frequented the house when they started going steady. "Oh my heavens, really? She must've been so thrilled to hear from you. Why wasn't she around when you came home?"
"She was busy with work and things like that, but she wishes she could've been there to greet me."
I studied his sad eyes as they were aimed at the grass. This seemed to be more serious than I originally thought. "Is that why you seem so sad? She wasn't there?"
He shook his head. "No. It was... The conversation wasn't all that great. She of course found out about Pricilla and basically demanded that I tell 'er everythin'... so I did. To make a long story short, we argued, and by the end of the conversation, we broke up."
I put a hand to my heart, honestly hurt on his behalf. "Oh my, Elvis... I'm so sorry."
His gaze remained on the grass. "Thanks. I guess... well, she said that she doesn't wanna add to the list of women who are after me or the ones who I chase, whatever. She's tired of sharin' me."
I came up and placed a hand on his arm, hoping to comfort him a little. I said gently, "Elvis... girls, mainly the ones that you're in a relationship with, just have to deal with that. They have to know what they're getting into when they start a relationship with you - they start a relationship with all your fans as well."
He nodded. "I know, and she knew it, too."
"Then... she wasn't willin' to push through it."
"She was hurt. I went behind her back." He gulped hard. "She doesn't deserve a cheatin' jerk like me."
It was difficult for me not to feel happy that he was officially available, but it was also difficult for me not to be sad for him. If only Randall was this remorseful. It could have saved our marriage.
"Elvis," I began softly, squeezing his arm. "Please, don't say that. You're a good man, a famous, handsome one who the ladies love."
"Yeah, and I fall for 'em way too easily. It's like an illness with me."
His gaze lifted to mine, and I found myself gripping his arm as I stared up at his blue eyes. I held my breath for a moment.
"But I don't regret it a lot of the time," he finished. His message rang loud in my ears, and I took my hand back and commenced getting a dry white sheet off the line.
"So... what about Priscilla?" I asked, trying to move the conversation away from him almost telling me that he fell for me.
He took hold of the sheet as well, and we stood there as it was stretched out to its full size. We folded it long-ways. "I donno," he said. "I mean, we did have somethin' back in Germany, but..."
"The way you described it to me, it was love at first sight. I wouldn't give that up."
"Yeah..." was all he said, and I figured he didn't want to talk about it further, so I shut my mouth.
We folded the sheet long-ways again, and then he walked up to me to fold it the other way. He stopped close to me again, and my heart lurched when our noses almost touched. He didn't move. My breath backed up in my lungs. It had been a long time since I forgot how to breathe when a man was so close to me.
My heart pounded and heat seared my cheeks as we both held the sheet up, our fingers touching. Suddenly, his fingers tangled with mine, and I felt the warmth of them as well as his body heat. That and his perfume was making my limbs feel weak.
"Elvis..." I muttered as his forehead nearly touched mine as he leaned his head down.
"I wanna tell you somethin'..." he mumbled close to my face, and I could feel his hot breath that hinted of those muffins. "I really hope you don't meet Earnest again."
Even though I had a good idea of the answer, I asked in a small voice, "Why?"
"I think you know."
This was it. We were talking about it, and he was only a couple inches away from my face. Our noses touched as his fingers mingled with mine and as we held the sheet up, making it a thin partition between us up to our chests.
"Elvis... what's goin' on here?"
He said nothing and leaned in just a tad more. His head tilted, and suddenly...
I felt those soft luscious lips on mine. His long fingers tightened their hold on my own as his lips moved, and if it wasn't for that hold, I would've dropped the sheet since I lost the will to keep it up or even try to leave the situation.
The morning wind blew gently, and the birds chirped... I stood there like a statue, dazed, and trying to make sense of what was going on. He took a breath through his nose and moved his mouth on mine again, and I found myself feeling his.
"Elvis, you back here?!"
I gasped through the lip-lock and instantly turned around, my face aflame, heart pounding through my head, and the sheet out of my hands. I had my back turned, but I didn't even care if the sheet dropped to the ground. My heart banged inside of me, and tears stung my eyes in both shock and amazement.
I allowed a man eighteen years younger than me to kiss me... and I kissed him back.
~ ~ ~
I held my breath as I stood there holding up the sheet. Did that really just happen? She seemed mortified, or just shocked that it happened. I stared at her back, stunned, as the Colonel came out from the house. What he didn't want to happen happened...
I did something about my feelings for Mary, and it was making the whole of me limp. She kissed me back, too. She most definitely had feelings for me. I was right the whole time. Then again, it was kind of obvious.
"Elvis, there you are," the Colonel said as he came up to me, and I knew he noticed the expression on my face. "Hey, what's going on?"
It took all that I had in me to snap out of it and fold the sheet the rest of the way, but my heart was still pounding in my ears. "I was just helpin' Mary with the laundry."
He suspected something, but he didn't ask on it, thank goodness. "Well, okay, but we have to go."
"Right."
I plopped the folded sheet with the other ones in the basket as Mary stood there, her back still to us. She just stood there, maybe with her arms folded. I knew she was reacting to what just happened. Why wouldn't she be?
"Mary... I'll see ya, okay? We'll talk later."
She said nothing, just nodded, and the Colonel took my shoulder, beckoning me to leave. I walked on with him, and as I did, I saw Daddy come out of his study. My heart jumped in alarm. Did he see what happened between Mary and me?!
We held gazes, and the weary expression he gave me told me that, yes, he saw everything.
The Colonel and I went back inside the house that still smelled of those muffins. I had eaten half of them. Now they were just making me feel sick to my stomach because of my nerves.
We came into the entryway, and that was when my manager stopped and turned around to face me, his arms folded, and had the look on his face that Daddy had at times when he knew I did something wrong. "Elvis... I want you to tell me the truth now."
I slammed my hands into my pockets. "Well... okay. I talked to Anita last night on the phone. She asked about Priscilla, so I told 'er what went on over there, and... we broke up."
He sighed, and I knew it was in disappointment. "That was a stupid move. She was good for you."
"Maybe so, but she was the one who wanted it. She doesn't wanna be one of my string of women."
"Does that string include Mary?" I pressed my lips together. He took a step up to me, his hazel eyes scrutinizing. "I'm not an idiot, you know. I know what happened between the two of you out there, and..." He shook his head. "I have to say, I'm disappointed in you."
My lips lowered, and the ill feeling I had became worse. I hated displeasing my manager, even in the smallest way, the same with my own father. "I would say that I'm sorry, but I'm not."
"You honestly think it will work out between you and a woman twenty years older than you?!" he quipped. "You're not thinking! God, the army really did mess with your brain."
Anger gripped my sternum, and my mouth ran faster than my mind... "Bein' in love with someone messes with your brain, too."
"You're not in love with her. It's a wild infatuation."
"I'm in love with 'er, and nothin' you say is gonna change that."
He glared at me, the atmosphere thick and uncomfortable between us. Someone suddenly came into the entryway.
"Colonel, leave the boy alone. He's still adjusting to being back."
Daddy. The Colonel was quick to respond. "So, you're alright with your world-famous son being involved with a woman who is technically old enough to be his mother?"
"I'm sayin' that we should drop it for now, okay? Now, I'm comin' with ya today. Let's head out."
Really, Daddy just wanted to be a babysitter in this situation, to make sure the Colonel and I behaved ourselves. Honestly, I was thankful for that since I was feeling frayed due to all this. The Colonel huffed and promptly left out the front door. I faced Daddy.
"You saw it, didn't ya?"
He nodded. "Yeah. But let's not talk about it right now, okay? The Colonel always seems to be on a short fuse, so let's not make it worse."
I didn't have any other option, but I couldn't help but ask, "What do you think?"
Our blue gazes locked, and I saw the worry in his eyes. "I think you're smitten with Mary, and she is with you, but... what will come of it? You know this may not turn out well, Elvis."
As always, he didn't mince anything. "I know, but... what I said to the Colonel... it's true."
He took my shoulder and squeezed. "Yeah, I know. And I believe it. Let's just talk later, okay?"
"Okay."
We both left out the door, leaving Mary in the back to, again, finish the chores on her own. Only this time, I doubted it would be therapeutic.
~ ~ ~
I thought this song was cute and I think describes the situation between Elvis and Mary pretty well.