The Surrogate

Chapter 7

Esther arrived at the mansion on the Upper East Side with a cold chill in the air. Weather reports were calling for snow on Thanksgiving for the first time in decades. The scent of snow filled her lungs as she hurried inside, helping the driver get her suitcase and the groceries out of the car. Only working a half-day with Hillary in the office getting some major projects wrapped up allowed her to run the grocery store after and beat the rush at five o’clock. Hillary however had not been much help at work this morning as the excitement of seeing the home took over her brain.

It still made Esther laugh as she recalled the eagerness of her friend. Hillary had been like a child at Christmas with questions about the history and design of the home. It was only second to her enthusiasm that she would not be spending her holiday in the kitchen cooking for her hoard of men. Her husband always did his best to help, but his accident prone nature apparently left him better off entertaining the kids in the living room at a safe distance. Her boys also tried to help, but one Christmas they ate half of the food before dinner. Hillary swore not to leave them in her little kitchen again.

So with the advice of her mother-in-law set to arrive that afternoon, Esther had made the shopping list and plans herself. Esther had all the bags out on the counter, and made a plan as to where to put everything exactly. There were so many cabinets, and the pantry was the size of a normal person’s bedroom. It took awhile for Esther to map everything out. Still, she loved the bright granny smith apple color of the paint. She loved the clean white cabinets and marble countertops. The kitchen island as big as her bed left her in awe. The breakfast nook in the corner underneath glass made it feel like one was dining in a greenhouse, which was a feeling only enhanced thanks to the view of the manicured garden space behind the house.

French doors opened to the seemingly palatial backyard in the heart of New York City. Back there, one could hardly tell they were in Manhattan. The old elm tree blocked out the city from view, and gave a large part of the yard a pleasant amount of shade on sunnier days. Looking out at it all, Esther remembered playing in that yard happily, but set her fond childhood memories aside to finish the task at hand.

Putting away the food quickly, Esther began to wonder if Archie was here. She remembered from a phone conversation that he had a lunch meeting that day, but he could have returned or gone over to the office to check on the finishing touches of the new design. He had flattered her by asking for her advice on the final drafts and allowed her to work with the decorator to help create a modern space for his new centralized space in Midtown.

Curiosity taking over, Esther wandered up the stairs and found his secretary had stepped away for a moment, but he was definitely there. Knocking twice before entering, Esther peeked in to see Archibald pouring over documents printed out before him and on his computer screen. His blue eyes looked like a foreboding sky prefacing a summer storm. The brilliant shade of his irises lost their saturation in the low light, but gained intensity. His lips were pursed as he thought deeply, and absent-mindedly he adjusted the skinny burgundy silk tie around his neck matching his modern gray suit.

Esther could not help but admire how handsome Archie looked there at the desk.

“I am surprised to see that you’re here,” Esther mused, rousing Archie out of his laser-focus centered on his computer.

“Essie!” he exclaimed, standing up.

“Please, don’t get up on my account,” Esther said, going to sit in the leather chair in front of his desk.

“I love your dress, Essie, Is it new?”

“You know that it is,” Esther huffed.

The loose floral print dress with a dark beaded collar and bow about Esther’s neck was one of several dozen outfits sent to her office as a surprise after she had mentioned needing new clothes to Archie without much thought. A kind older woman who ran an upscale boutique on Madison Avenue had come with her entire line of clothing for Esther’s perusal and selection. It had caused a flurry of chaos with the shock and excitement among the few interns and the secretary.

Esther purposely wore one of the new dresses to prove to Archie that she had actually accepted the gesture, and the grin on his face told her he liked it.

“You look beautiful. I’m glad you found something you like.”

“Yes, well. It’s something I can grow into, so thank you.”

She felt like a child saying that, but Esther was growing around her waistline. Her jeans were getting too tight to wear, and she had been a bit too tired to spend a day shopping. Regardless, she had been too busy with some new and very picky clients looking to renovate their gutted condo in Greenwich Village. The couple had not been able to come to an easy consensus on anything since they started working, and the stress of those two alone was enough to have Esther too preoccupied for anything like clothes shopping.

“I’m glad. I know you’ve been busy with that new client. I never knew countertops could be so intense for people.”

Esther paused. “How do you know that?”

“Esther… you told me. Remember our conversation when you called to thank me for the clothes?”

Esther shook her head remembering and feeling a bit foolish. “Oh, right. I’m sorry. I guess I have been a bit frazzled.”

“I could have a spa appointment made for you. I hear the deprivation tank therapy is very beneficial for both mother and baby.”

“Where?”

“I’ve been doing my research,” Archie replied proudly, holding his head like a child winning a science fair ribbon.

Esther smiled. “Maybe, I just don’t know if I have the time. We have a lot of new business right now, and I don’t want to have any work backlogged before I go on maternity leave in the next few months.”

“Maybe you should get some more help? Hire a new designer, maybe?”

“I’d love to, but we’d need to find a bar of gold in the break room for us to get a serious junior partner for the firm.”

“Well, at the very least let my new secretary get you scheduled for some self-care. Did you meet Quinn? She started only last week, but she’s already doing wonders. She has streamlined my schedules and put new apps on my computer to make everything connected. I’m very impressed.”

“She was not at the little desk outside the door I saw. That was new.”

“It’s better than the coat closet in the foyer Mrs. Petrolla insisted on taking over.”

Pressing a button on his office phone, Archie called in his new secretary, and the young woman quickly walked in looking like she had just stepped off a runway. Esther’s eyes widened as she raised her eyebrows, while looking this new employee up and down.

The dress she wore looked stitched to her skin, hugging her every slight curve of the woman’s body. The deep red form-fitting fabric shimmered in the light, and seeing her made Esther fully believe that this girl had no fat anywhere except for her perfect bre*sts. Even her backside looked fit and tight as she turned around to shut the office door. Walking toward them, her legs were a million miles long, and looked even longer in her black Italian stiletto heels. Her auburn hair cascaded down her back into pristine waves and smelled like a tropical destination. Her mossy green eyes had little creases at their corners, matching the lovely smile that she never let falter. The young secretary’s freckles seemed perfectly placed across her nose.