A Room With A View

Chapter Eighteen - Elena

September 15th, Friday

The doorbell rang.

"Doorbell! Doorbell!" The twins called to each other instantly. They got louder and louder, as if each one was trying to one up the other.

"Shh," Elena admonished. She pulled a red- and white-checked apron from the closet and wrapped it around her middle, brushing the dust from the front pocket.

The doorbell rang again.

"DOORBELL!" Jeremiah screamed.

"Oh for god's sake," Elena muttered. The boys erupted into giggles. They were hunched over a new plastic dinosaur they had gotten from the museum, no doubt comparing how many teeth it had to the other dinos in their collection.

Joshua was still in the bedroom getting ready, so Elena ran to get the door. She fluffed her hair in the mirror, checked her smile, and yanked on the handle.

Neil and Gordon stood shoulder to shoulder on the threshold. Neil had the high-cheekboned and golden locks look as the man on the cover of Elena's latest contraband paperback. She cleared her throat.

"Hello! Welcome," she said, ushering them inside.

"Thank you for the invitation," Neil said. His voice was high and reedy, bringing the cover image likeness to a skittering halt.

"Oh my gosh of course. We haven't seen the both of you in ages. In fact, maybe not since the wedding. Here, let me take your coats." Elena held out an arm and Neil and Gordon draped matching slim-cut pea coats across it.

"Joshua will be out in a second. Please, make yourselves at home." Elena turned toward the closet. She checked the labels of the jackets before hanging them up. J. Crew. She would have to make a pilgrimage there next week to snap one of these up for herself.

"Is that Isaac?" Gordon asked. He was dark where Neil was fair, and had a trim goatee framing a too-wide mouth.

Elena smiled, then stopped. She looked between the two boys. "Yes," she said, catching sight of Isaac's unblemished nose.

     "He's so big! They were just infants at the wedding!" Gordon got down on his hands and knees and picked up a dinosaur. "Ooh, the triceratops," he said. The twins stared wide-eyed at him.

     "Now I remember why I like him so much," Elena said to Neil.

     Neil beamed. "I'm rather fond of him myself. But look at you! You look great!" Neil took hold of Elena's hand and spun her around.

     She laughed. "And now I remember why I like you!"

     "I thought I heard a kazoo in here," Joshua said from the hallway. He stopped in front of Elena and Neil and finished tying his tie.

     Neil cupped a hand to his ear. "I'm sorry, what's that? I can't hear you over the rug strapped to your face."

     "Hey, I just shaved," Joshua said, stroking his patchy beard.

     Elena scoffed. "Yeah, last week."

     Joshua stepped closer and peered at her face. Elena could feel her cheeks flushing.

     "You're one to talk. You have red sauce on your chin."

     Elena reached up to quickly brush it away, but Joshua beat her to it. He ran a thumb across her chin and licked the sauce from it.

     "Mmm, spicy."

     "Don't get on her case too hard, she's the cook. She can poison your food. Besides, I think your charming wife looks beautiful this evening."