Just Rose

Chapter 41

The girls heaved a sigh of relief when they were finally finished. The room had started to empty, and the girls helped clear tables and chairs and returned the normal empty hall back to its former glory. It was not an overly huge a room but large enough for most of the little clubs to meet and greet and some of the local schools to put on plays. It had nothing to the size of the rooms at the manor. Nothing she had ever seen could ever compare to that big old house.

It was still early in the day when they were done so Abby suggested they take Muffin up to the house and use the pool. Muffin had been occupied all day by eager fans and he looked ready to sleep for a week, his little head was bobbing with the effort to keep awake as Rose picked him up to stroke that tiny velvet muzzle. He was too tired to attempt any sort of licking and just rested his tiny face against her bosom.

‘You have a pool? Where? Rose laughed in disbelief. ‘I have been in your garden remember? In your house! I have never seen anything remotely pool like in all that time!’

Abby tilted her head. ‘That’s the beauty of the big house. So many secret places.’ She laughed, explaining there was a building fifty yards from the house on the grounds that sported a pool and sauna, concealed by trees. ‘It was one of dad’s indulgences, he practically lives in the sauna nowadays.’

‘Sounds perfect Abs, there is nothing I can imagine I would love more right now.’ She was attempting to peel her dress strap from her clammy skin.

Abby pulled Rose after her, towards the car. ‘Come on, we will take your car up so later you don’t need to come for it, we can leave Muffin with Alice, you know how she loves him.’ Rose could not argue. The thought of a nice cool swim in this sticky heat actually sounded amazing. She needed to cool off and relax after that hard shift as tea maid. Nothing sounded better than peeling off sticky clothes in this humidity and diving into cool clear water.

Well, something else would have sounded good but that ship had now sailed.

It did not take long to get the car out of the church car park and navigate along a side private road straight to the house with Abby’s direction. Realising this was where she had seen Morag drive earlier, it somehow felt wrong.

They parked up at the front of the house in the usual wide-open car park by the main entrance and Abby dashed inside to grab swimwear and deposit a now sleeping Muffin with Alice in the kitchen to be pampered some more. Rose made excuses and stayed outside, gesturing towards the red car next to Robs and Abby shrugged. She assumed Rose was hinting about the drama and their tiffle with Morag and dashed inside cluelessly.

She didn’t want to see him or her, if she was being honest, and she certainly didn’t want to see them together.

Rose meandered towards the flower bed and looked at the delicate white Roses all in full bloom waiting for her, lost in thought. Trying to keep her crazy pounding heart and trembling nerves under control.

‘Urge to climb in and take a nap?’ the humour of the familiar voice made her freeze, her heart crashing heavily into her rib cage. Slowly turning to see Rob leaning in the open door against the thick rustic frame lazily. He looked effortlessly masculine, his muscles on show under a t-shirt that did little to hide his body. One arm raised over his head as he leant in and made it even more pronounced. That little peek of skin at the waist line where the hem was pulled up.

‘Funny!’ Rose regained her equilibrium quickly as she wandered to the next bush, putting more distance between them, afraid he would see the way her body was starting to react.

‘I know you and Rose bushes...Flower baby.’ There was something unreadable in his voice, but Rose averted her gaze to some small pink Roses further along and tried to keep her voice steady.

‘Only when I’m under the influence.’ She shrugged ‘The rest of the time, I just like to admire them.’

‘You look nice today, really pretty.’ He sounded genuine, he was trying to be light and upbeat, but she could hear the deeper tone in his voice. He had already told her that at the church but the way he said it this time did funny things to her insides. There was a brief silence as they looked at one another for a moment before she lost her bravado and looked back at the flowers.

‘Rose?...’ The way he almost whispered her name caused her to turn without thinking, a soft unreadable look flashing between them, but he backed off as Abby came racing through. Stopping to throw a kiss on his cheek and waving two sets of bikinis in her hand and towels in the other

‘Darling brother, we’re going to use the pool!’ She was giddy and happy. Rob was eyeing up the skimpy costumes in her hand and looking back and forth at Rose. His expression unreadable once more and that dead pan mask back in place. His gaze lingered longer than necessary on her for a second and caused the familiar tingles and shivers to begin creeping over her.

Still he could affect her this way.

‘Sure, just as long as you don’t annoy dad. He went for a sauna about twenty minutes ago. I saw him trailing across the lawn in his white robe.’ Rob ruffled Abby’s hair and pushed her onwards out the door. She skipped down the steps towards Rose with a smile.

Abby grabbed Rose’s hand as she danced by, twirling her around and jerking her in the direction intended at the same time. Her skirt flying up lightly with the twirl she did and her hair following. She couldn’t help but give out a little squeal and laugh as she did so.

Abby the ever-fun loving child.

She caught Rob’s expression, just a fleeting moment.

Remembrance, maybe?

Clouded dark grey eyes and a pained expression. He watched them leave via the side of the house until they were out of sight, but she resisted the urge to look back at him, aware of his eyes still following them and wrecking her nerves once more.

The pool house was not far across the lawn, to the sheltered side of the house. Concealed by trees and bushes, it was almost like a secret little building and Rose could see why it was hard to find if you didn’t know it was there.

Once inside it reminded her of an expensive public pool. Tiled from floor to ceiling in hues of sea green and mint, with the unmistakable strong smell of chlorine and that echoing sound of water. The blue green pool was full to the brim with inviting cool clear water, Abby checked the temperature panel on the wall and smiled.

‘Perfect!’ She pointed towards the far end and two sets of doors. ‘Left is to the changing room. Right is to the sauna and my dad is most likely asleep in there, so I better go check.’ She handed the black bikini set to Rose with the towels and sent her towards the shiny white door while she took a detour and knocked on the other. A deep smooth voice so like Rob’s called out and invited her in and Abby slid in, casting a wave and gesturing one minute to Rose.

Rose opened the changing room door and slid inside, faced with a row of wood clad changing rooms with swinging doors. There was a bench along one wall lined with mirrors and silver hooks and a vanity with a couple of hair dryers, a basket of assorted toiletries, a single enclosed shower and bathroom in one corner. She opened the first door into one of the trio of small changing rooms and began to undress.

The bikini was a tad skimpy for her fuller figure than Abby’s, but it still covered her modestly. Catching sight of herself in the mirror she felt rather indecent. It was not her normal style for sure, riskier and naughtier than what she liked to throw on, but as she was in a private pool with her best friend, she figured it didn’t matter.

Abby walked in and wolf whistled

‘Check you! Sexy!’ ‘Thanks’ Rose laughed.