Chapter 164

Chapter 164

Kitty

Where has the time gone? I have dropped Belle off at first school. She’s now five and loves meeting up with all her little friends. She looks too cute in her pale, blue dungarees with a pink T-shirt underneath. Her hair is in pigtails. Her daddy made her breakfast this morning, and listening to them chatting away filled my heart to the brim. Scratch that, overflowing.

I have some exciting news to share with Jett when I get back home to the cabin. First, when Belle is greeted by her favorite teacher, Mrs. Simmons, I will head off to Malibu to meet up with Cecille and the ladies for our morning meeting about the businesses.

After that, I am treating myself to a spa treatment and facial, followed by a quick visit to my mom and stepfather. They are getting ready for their worldwide cruise. My mother is more excited than a five-year-old at Christmas. It has been a long time coming, and Mom truly deserves this. The best news is, Mom had her five-year post-cancer check-up and she has the all clear. We are all breathing again.

Mrs. Simmons comes out dressed in a long, flowing hippie-type skirt. She wears her red hair in braids on each side of her head and has one of those trusting faces with deep, green eyes and a wide smile always on display. Belle runs to her, dropping my hand like a hot cake. She adores her teacher, which is, of course, a good thing. She doesn’t even look back; she is that excited. I let out a little sigh, and as always, my heart kind of pangs at the thought of not being with Belle all day.

It took a while for me to get used to her going to school, having had her at home all those early years. Even Jett misses her. We both had tears in our eyes on her first day, as we held hands with her to the school gates and inside. At the steps, the teacher, whom we had already met, took Belle’s little hand and I honestly thought I was going to drop to my knees and bawl my eyes out. Thankfully, Jett was there holding an arm around my waist to save my fall. The man is a solid rock to cling to. He never lets me down and we rarely argue. As for sex, it is through the roof. The man is relentless in wanting me. I love it. After five years together, who wouldn’t be?

“Bye, sweetheart,” I call after her. Mrs. Simmons leans down and says something to Belle. My beautiful girl turns her head and waves with a smile on her face. I wave back and wait for them both to enter the school building before I get back in Jett’s truck and pull away from the parking area.

I can smell strong coffee as I enter the salon. Cecille is sitting at one of the stations with her reading glasses on, her mobile in her hand. “Hey, Ci-Ci,” I say warmly as I close the door behind me and walk towards her. She stands and hugs me. “What are you up to? Not doom scrolling at this hour of the morning, I hope.” I place my Hermes bag on the small table in front of the mirror.

“What? No, of course not. I don’t have time to scroll through Facebook or anything else. I was trying to analyze the reports from San Jose on my mobile.”

I laugh. “Girl, you have to stop that. It’ll make you blind. Do it on the laptop in the office.”

She places the phone down and walks towards the bar area, where we have an industrial-sized coffee machine, because, well, you know, we love our coffee. She goes about making me my favorite cappuccino with extra sprinkles.

The door opens and a couple of the other ladies enter. They are all wearing the smart black pants and smocks with the salon’s initials stitched on, in aqua blue. A fancy C and a fancy K back-to-back for Cecille’s and my first initials. They all greet us. Cecille makes more coffee.

Eventually, we are all seated in the back, large office with windows that overlook the lake behind. “First up, I want to say thank you to everyone coming in today. Some of you have the day off, so I really appreciate it,” Cecille opens the meeting.

They nod and smile. The ladies love that they have a job with good pay, benefits and health insurance.

“We are running a thirty-four per cent profit on last year. You know what that means, ladies. An extra ten per cent bonus for everyone.” There is some happy clapping and whistles.

“Thank you,” one of the ladies says to both Cecille and me.

“Which brings me to some other news. Since we are doing so well, and San Jose is turning a fifty-per cent profit, we are opening another C&K. It’s going to be in Pasadena. We are looking for four volunteers to start it off on a six-month contract, hiring new local ladies and managing it until we find the right manager. Hands up if you are interested and able to commit to six months in Pasadena.”

More than a few hands go up. We knew they would be excited about this. Plus, it comes with extra pay and bonuses.

The meeting lasts another hour. I get up first and thank everyone again for coming before I grab my bag. I kiss Cecille on the cheek and arrange to meet up with her later in the week for dinner.

Outside, the sun is warm. I pull my shades down from my head to cover my eyes and hop back in the truck and make my way over to the next town for my spa.

An hour and a half later, I feel more relaxed than I have in a while. Running a multi-business organization from Belle being a baby and being there for her every day, to five years later, is not an easy task. It is worth it, however and I love how much freedom it gives me. My independence in intact whilst being part of a happy couple.

Mom greets me at the door when I pull up. “You’re here. I thought you had got lost,” she tells me as she kisses both my cheeks. Today, she is wearing cream slacks with a crease down the front and an easy, off-the-shoulder matching top.

“I had a spa, it felt wonderful.”

We walk inside and find my stepfather at the kitchen island, looking through something on his mobile. “Hey, Kitty. How are you, sweetheart?”

“I’m good, thanks. Busy morning. Looking forward to your cruise?”

He nods emphatically. “We sure are. Just a few more hours to go. We have the housekeeper looking after everything, meaning you and Jett do not need to keep travelling down from the cabin to check on anything. The cameras have been checked and the alarm is checked too.”

That is a relief because it takes over forty minutes to get down from the cabin to my folks’ house. I nod and take the coffee my mother has just passed to me.

We chat about the cruise. Mom takes me up to their room and shows me some of her colorful outfits, which makes me smile since Mom is usually a pretty conservative dresser. I love how she is broadening out of her comfort zone. This latest clean bill of health has meant a lot to her.

“Do you have anything to tell me, sweetheart?” she asks as she sits on the bed now scattered with outfits.

“No, like what, Mom?” Can she tell?

“Are you sure, Kitty. I know you too well. You happen to be looking radiant of late, and you seem to have a bigger appetite than usual.” She tilts her head to one side. Okay, busted.

I did want to tell them when they came back from their trip, and after I had a chance to tell Jett first. However, I know he will understand, and my mom will love having this news to carry with her on the cruise.

Resting my palm on my still flat stomach, I say, “I am pregnant again, Momma.”

She claps her hands together and smiles so wide, it pinches at my heart. There are tears already forming in her eyes. “I knew it, Kitty. I absolutely knew it. I was only telling your stepfather the other day at breakfast that I thought my little girl was pregnant with grandbaby number two.”

I sit down on the bed with her. We hug each other tightly. “I’m only six weeks, Mom and didn’t want to say until after the twelve weeks were up.”

“Don’t be superstitious, Darling. You are going to carry full-term and give Belle a beautiful baby brother or sister. Does Jett know already?”

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I was going home to tell him after visiting with you. He is going to be so excited. He wants a whole bunch of children.”

We laugh. “He is the man for it, sweetheart. That man with his daughter, it’s a beautiful thing to see.”

Mom can say that again. The way he plays with her and carries her around, and the way she follows after him, is a beautiful thing to see. When he reads her a bedtime story, he does all the voice-overs and animal impersonations. It’s too adorable.

“Well then, off you go. Tell that man he is going to be a father again. I love you, Kitty.”

“I love you too, Mom. Have the most wonderful vacation on the cruise. Jett and I will see you in a few months.”

As I leave my old house, I have a spring in my step and a full heart. Excitement curses through my body at how Jett will react when I tell him the good news.