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"My husband... well, he's my ex-husband and he's not really in the picture." Ashley admitted.
It was not something she intended to put out there but chalked it up to the wine loosening her tongue.
"Interesting," Ellie replied and hid her smile. "Let's go make sure the cook doesn't burn anything."
****
The girls were coaxed from the play-set long enough to eat a hot dog and some chips which they devoured despite the cookies from earlier. Ashley watched in fascination as Emily smiled and laughed at Rory's antics right along with her new friend Chloe. She found herself wanting to know more about her new neighbor other than her cursory sex offender check. With dinner over, she volunteered to do any dishes and insisted when Rory tried to do them himself.
"Go play with the girls. They need someone to push them on the swings," She told him.
"Yeah," two little voices shouted as Chloe grabbed him by the arm and pulled him towards the swings.
Ellie laughed and started to help Ashley clean up.
"So what's the big secret?" Ashley asked once they're inside.
"Pardon," Ellie asked.
"He was afraid of you telling me something earlier and it wasn't just that you two grew up here," She stated. "Hey, I told you that I'm divorced. Don't think I don't know that you're going to be sharing that little bit of info the second Em and I leave."
"If you don't want me to say anything about that I won't, Ashley," Ellie assured her.
"No, it's fine. It's not like it's that big of a secret in this town," Ashley answered. "So spill it. What did you mean when you called Rory the celebrated son ?"
Ellie looked out the window and made sure Rory was occupied before turning back to Ashley.
"You know how I said that Rory fixed scripts?" She asked and Ashley nodded. "That's what he did to make a steady living but he's really a writer."
"He writes books," Ashley asked. "Anything I might have read?"
"Have you read Darkness of the Hart or A Broken Hart?"
"I loved A Broken Hart!" Ashley enthused. "I heard they were thinking of making a movie based on the series from that book alone. Wait are you telling me that Rory writes the Tyler Hart novels? No way!"
"He does," Ellie answered with a grin. "He writes under a pen name and doesn't use a photo on the jacket because he doesn't want the notoriety of it. He saw firsthand what it can do when he was living in Los Angeles."
"Wow, really," Ashley asked. "I thought that most people that went to Hollywood were all about fame."
"My brother has always been the shy and retiring type. The glitz and glamour of Hollywood and the cost of achieving it was more than he was willing to pay. He'd probably tell you if you ask him, though you're more likely to ask him when the next book is coming out," Ellie laughed.
"I'll give him a few days before I hound him to read what he's working on now," Ashley laughed. "He left it on such a cliffhanger that I just have to get the scoop!"
"He'd probably let you read it. His two greatest weaknesses are kids and blondes. You're practically Kryptonite to him," Ellie shared.
"I'll try not to use either of those to my advantage," Ashley assured her as they started washing the dishes.
"Hey, use everything you've got, Ashley," Ellie smiled. "You both are single and believe me, he could do a lot worse."
"You don't even know me, Ellie," Ashley shook her head. "I could be some evil bitch that could wind up ruining your brother's life."
"An evil bitch would have sued him over the swing set incident," Ellie giggled. "I have a good feeling about you, Ashley. You're going to be good for my little brother even if you two manage to just stay neighbors."
****
Ashley and Emily started making trips over to use the swing set a couple of days after the cookout. When Ashley or Rory wasn't pushing Emily, they sat together on his back deck, watched Emily swing while they chatted. It took them about a week before she told him about Emily's father, Colin, who worked as a lounge singer on a cruise line.
"We were high school sweethearts," She confided one sunny afternoon as they sat watching Emily play. "He was out at sea for months at a time and I guess it was inevitable that he started cheating on me. I saw some pics on his phone when he was home and confronted him. He didn't deny it. He just suggested that we try having an open marriage. That's not me and I couldn't see myself bringing home different guys while trying to raise Emily. It would be too dangerous of a situation to put her in. I just wanted out so we got divorced."
"I'd never share you with... uh, I mean..." Rory stammered when he realized what he was saying. Ashley simply smiled and patted his hand.
"I appreciate that, Rory," She smiled at him.
"Does he come and see Emily often?" He asked hoping to cover his embarrassment.
She shook her head.
"He tries but Colin is not one that likes to be reminded of his failures and that's how he sees our marriage. He calls her on the big holidays and she gets postcards from him now and again from his ports of call but that's about it," She explained.
"I'm sorry, Ashley," He said.
"It's life," She sighed and they went back to watching Emily play on her swing set.
****
"I guess I should tell you the real reason I got out of L.A.," Rory brought up the next time they came over.
"Traffic," Ashley asked with a laugh.
"Partly," Rory laughed. "I had started seeing someone out there. Her name was Kat and she's an actress."
"Has she been in anything I might have seen," Ashley asked intrigued by the kind of girl that Rory dated.
She pictured in her head some statuesque platinum blonde with huge boobs and an ass that looked like it was sculpted in marble due to thousands of squats. Ashley made a mental note to renew her gym membership soon.
"She was in a couple of music videos but I forget which ones and she has a minor part in a movie coming out next year unless things have changed since I left," He answered.
"Sorry I interrupted, go on," She encouraged him.
"We were introduced through a mutual friend that thought we might hit it off and we did, for a little while at least. That is until I walked in on her and this producer she knew, going to town on each other. I yanked him off her and punched him a couple of times before she stopped me. She tried telling me that's just the way things are done there and that it didn't mean anything," Rory sighed.
"It always means something," Ashley stated.
"That's how I feel too." He assured her.
"What happened with the producer?" She asked.
"Instead of calling the cops on me, they called the studio. They sent someone out to talk to us and see what we all wanted to keep it out of the tabloids," Rory told her.
"Now I know how Kat has a movie coming out." She said with a frown.
"It was so surreal, Ashley," He sighed. "I expected to be in cuffs but in walks my agent and the studio people. They all treated it like some kind of business meeting and everyone wanted something."
"What did you want," She asked him.
"I wanted to leave that madness behind," He shook his head. "My agent knew this and got me out of my contract with the studio the producer worked for. After some haggling back and forth, I packed up my stuff and came home. I came back to lick my wounds according to Ellie."
"But you don't think that's why," she asked.
"That was a big part of it but I was also tired of playing the Hollywood game and I can write anywhere in the world," He said.
"So you came home," Ashley stated.
"So I came home," He nodded and noticed Emily was swinging a bit higher than he thought was safe.
"Not so high Em," He called out as he got to his feet.
Ashley smiled warmly as she watched him start to push her daughter in the swing so he could control just how high she could go. Emily was giggling away and telling him about something that happened at school that day. Ashley leaned back in her chair and watched the pair interact like it was the most natural thing in the world. Her once shy daughter had made a couple of new friends and so had she.
****
A Week Later
"So bored, mama," Emily sighed as Ashley stood in the aisle checking the ingredient label on a package of cereal.
They had been in the store less than ten minutes but Emily had been ready to head right to Rory's after school but Ashley had to get to the store.
"I know, baby," Ashley answered absentmindedly as she debated on whether to put the cereal back or just buy it.
"Did I hear someone say that they were bored here in the cereal aisle," Rory asked as he approached them with his own empty cart.
"Rory," Ashley exclaimed as she jumped slightly when he spoke. "You scared me."
"Not my intention," He laughed.
"I'm bored, Mr. H," Emily repeated she said in greeting.
Ashley tried having Emily calling Rory, Mr. Harrison for awhile but Emily had shortened it to Mr. H recently and Rory was fine with that.
"Bored are you, Miss Em," He asked while he tapped his chin. "I think I have an idea about how we can make shopping a little more exciting but only if your mom agrees that you can go with me around the store."
"Take my only child," Ashley asked in mock horror. "I would never allow such... Yes, please take her. Just promise to write to me while you're gone, baby."
"Now who's being silly," Rory chuckled as Emily laughed.
"Just be safe and listen to Rory, Emily," Ashley said in seriousness.
"I will," Emily promised.
"Hop in then, Miss Em," Rory said as he picked Emily up and placed her into his shopping cart. "The game is afoot!"
With a nod to Ashley, he quickly pushed his cart down the aisle away from her. She shook her head and laughed as she could hear Emily still giggling. Now she could shop in peace.
"What's the game, Mr. H," Emily asked as Rory spun the cart and made his way up another aisle.
"We are on a case, Miss Em," He said in a quiet voice. "The H and Em detective agency has been hired to stake out this market to see what sort of people shop here.
"Awesome!" Emily shouted then looked around to see if anyone heard her. "Oops, we're supposed to be undercover huh?"
Rory nodded and looked around himself before explaining to her how to play the game.
"We look at what each person has in their cart and determine who they might be," he explained to her.
"Like that guy there has a lot of lunch meat and soda's in his cart so he's..." Emily paused not sure how to continue.
"Ah, that's the notorious Party Thrower," Rory said. "Notice how he's grabbing all the chips as well. He's going to throw some big party this weekend."
"A criminal party?" Emily asked conspiratorially.
"Possibly," Rory nodded. "We'll keep a close eye on him later. Now, what about that lady?"
They played their game for several minutes until they happened upon Ashley again, and again her back was to them.
"What about that one," Emily giggled quietly as she pointed to her mom.
Rory smiled at her.
"That one," He said looking over Ashley's cart. "That one is a great mother who loves her child very much. See how she's reading the label to make sure that all the ingredients are good and healthy?"
"Uh huh," Emily whispered. "Should we keep an eye on her too?"
Rory, who was already appreciating the way Ashley's jeans were hugging her butt, nodded. "We'll have to keep a close eye on that and live by her example," He said.
"Good choice," Ashley said having heard them as they neared.
She had nearly finished shopping and her cart showed it. She shook her head when she saw Rory's was still empty.
"You didn't shop?" She asked as he helped Emily down.
"We were on a case," Emily announced happily then explained it to her mom who laughed and shook her head.
"Same time next week, Mr. H," Emily asked excitedly.
"You have only yourself to blame, Mr. H," Ashley teased him with a laugh.
"I guess that I do," Rory agreed then turned to Emily. "We shall resume our stakeout next week, Miss Em."
****
A few months later
"Rory, I am so sorry," Ashley apologized again as soon as he opened the door.
Her apologies were something he had grown used to over the past couple of months. After the occasional visits to the swing set became a daily occurrence and the shopping trips started he had become her back up babysitter if her friend Tara or his sister wasn't available. She still apologized every time she dropped Emily off.
"Fourth time you've apologized," He chuckled as he stepped back to allow them inside his house. "If you make it to six, I hear you get a really mediocre toaster."
"What's mediocre mean?" Emily asked as she skipped past them and headed for the big screen TV in the living room.
"Just my life, baby," Ashley sighed when she was sure that Emily couldn't hear her.
Not that she had to worry, Emily was already looking for Scooby Doo cartoons on Rory's television.
"You don't have to put up with this you know. Them calling you at the last minute and on your day off," Rory told Ashley.
"Unfortunately I do if I want to keep working there," She sighed. "I hope I'll be here to pick her up no later than seven."
"We'll be here, Ash," He told her.
She gave him a relieved smile.
"I will make this up to you, Rory," She promised him.
"Dinner at your place say... Monday night," Rory asked.
"Let me guess, you want me to make chili again don't you?" She asked with a smile.
"I'm a simple man," He laughed.
She leaned up and kissed his cheek.
"I've yet to see the simple side of you, Rory. See you tonight," She laughed as he walked her to the door.
"Be safe," He called out as she walked to her car.
Rory still watched her ass as she walked away from him noting that she's filled out a little since they first met making it even nicer to look at. She waved before backing out and he waved back before heading inside to find out what Emily had gotten up to.
"Mr. H, I can't find Scooby," She informed him as she waved the remote in the air.
"Scooby is on DVD, sweetie," Rory reminded her. "Have you had breakfast yet?"
She shook her head.
"Mommy's work called before she could make my waffles," She told him.
"Waffles huh... well, I think we can do better than waffles. That is if you are ready for a day of adventure. Are you ready for an adventure Miss Em?" He asked giving her a wink.
She giggled and hopped to her feet.
"I am Mr. H.!" She announced.
"Then let's get that coat of yours back on and head out into the world," Rory said, "Adventure awaits us!"
****
"Aren't you a cutie," the waitress at Lauper Family Restaurant asked Emily as she seats them.
"Thank you, ma'am," Emily answered her politely.
"Polite too," The waitress smiled. "Your daddy here must be proud of you."
Rory started to correct her but Emily smiled and jumped in.
"He and mommy are very proud of me," Emily stated. "They say it all the time."
Rory raised an eyebrow and shook his head then smiled at the waitress. After he gave the lady their orders he asked Emily what that was all about.
"Shh, we're undercover, Mr. H," She told him quietly.
"We are huh," Rory asked.
She nodded then glanced around the dining area as if to see if they were being watched. Rory chuckled and slid the crayons across to her so she could color on her placemat while they waited for their food. Emily opened them up and started to carefully color while Rory looked around the restaurant. He saw several women glancing in their direction. Most smiled before looking back at their meals but a few let their eyes linger as if trying to figure out if he was a single father. He nodded at a few of them then turned back to Emily.
"So about our mission today Miss Em," He began and she looked up eagerly. "We're to infiltrate the aquarium and determine if the fish are happy with their accommodations."
"We're going to the aquarium?" She asked excitedly.
"Now, it could be a dangerous case but since you have our disguises in place today, we should be fine," He told her.
She smiled wider at Rory's acceptance of her little ruse with the waitress.
"Okay dad," She said with a wink. "I've got it!"
****
It was seven fifteen when Rory's doorbell rang.
"Sounds like your mom forgot that she has a key, Em." He told her as he wiped his hands off with a dish towel. "I'm leaving you in charge of the kitchen while I let your mother in."
"Got it," Emily announced.
He and Emily had been working hard on dinner. Well, Rory was working hard while Emily added the spices he had set out for her. He opened the door and a haggard-looking Ashley greeted him with a forced half smile.
"You know, you can just let yourself in anytime you want or was your day so bad that you forgot I gave you a key?" He asked.
"Yes I know and you have no idea," She sighed but put a genuine smile on when Emily ran up to her.
"Mommy!" She shouted and jumped into her arms.
"Hey baby, did you have a good day?" Ashley asked as she hugged her.
"Uh huh," Emily nodded as she returned the hug.
"Do you have all your stuff together? I forgot to stop and get us something to eat so we've got to hit a drive-thru before we head for home," Ashley said but Rory took her by the shoulder and steered her inside.
"No, you have to sit down, take off those heels and let your daughter tell you about her day. Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes, "He informed her as he pointed towards the couch.
"Rory, we've imposed on you enough today," Ashley tried to argue.
"Red or white," He asked ignoring her argument.
"What," She asked confused.
"Red will help you relax," He decided. "It'll pair well with the salmon too."
"Rory..." She tried to argue again but Emily was already tugging at her coat.
"Come on Mommy," Emily said. "We worked hard on dinner and I've got to tell you about my day."
Rory gave Ashley a smile then ducked into the kitchen while Emily crawled into her mom's lap where she started telling her about their adventure. Rory reappeared a few moments later with a half filled glass of red wine.
"So you worked hard on dinner huh?" Ashley teased Emily.
"Uh huh," She answered. "Uncle Rory had me measure out all the seasonings myself."
"And you did a wonderful job of it. Just like today at Lauper's," He complimented her.
"We went to Lauper's for breakfast and I had so many pancakes that I almost burst!" Emily said as he handed Ashley the glass of wine.
"I really shouldn't," She argued but her hand reached out for it anyway.
"You really should. More than one probably but we'll see, for now, start with this," Rory told her.
"I'm not a huge fan of you being right, you know that don't you?" She playfully glared at him.
"Yes dear," he quipped as she took the glass.
"Mommy, I was talking about pancakes," Emily stated wanting her mother's full attention.
"Yes dear," Ashley echoed then laughed as Rory retreated back to the kitchen to check on dinner.
****
"So then we went to, what did they call it Mr. H," Emily asked as he placed bite sized pieces of salmon steak on her plate.
"Behind the scenes," He told her. "Careful, it's still hot."
"Behind the scenes where they showed me how they get the fish in the tank and I got to help feed them!" Emily said excitedly.
"You had a really big day, Em!" Ashley said matching her daughter's excited tone.
"Uh huh it was a lot of fun," Emily answered then took a bite of her salmon.
"I'll never be able to repay you for all this," Ashley grumbled jokingly. "Spoiled rotten by Mr. H should be your next mystery."
"That's no mystery, mommy," Emily laughed happily.
