Not What She Seems (2 page)

He watched her face light up when she came back and saw the small jewelry box.

“Steven, what is this?”
Bailee
asked, smiling.

“Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Steven watched as she opened the jewelry box. A frown crept across her face when she saw the diamond earrings he had picked out for her. The frown disappeared and a look he couldn’t quite comprehend replaced it.
“Earrings, how precious.”

Later that evening, when he dropped her off at her apartment she had passionately kissed him good night. As he was leaving it had dawned on him that she had probably thought he was going to propose to her. Feeling like a dolt for disappointing her, he went back to apologize. He knocked on her door and let himself in when she didn’t answer right away. He was going to call her name when he heard her talking on the phone in the other room. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but when he heard what she was saying, he froze.

“Can you believe it? He got me
earrings
for Valentine’s Day. I swear, if he doesn’t ask me to marry him soon I’m going rip my hair out. I can’t stand much more of this. He’s a complete bore. I think I fell asleep three times listening to him drone on tonight. There’s got to be more interesting billionaires in
New York City
.”
 

Silently he left her apartment, devastated with what he had heard her say. After several days of brooding, he finally confronted her with what he had heard. She didn’t even try to deny it.

“Look, Steven, you need a wife with poise and refinement, and I need the kind of lifestyle that you can provide,”
Bailee
said with her hands on her hips. “I know how to act in your social circles, and you must admit we do look good together. In our social class every marriage isn’t about falling in love.” Steven frowned, muttered something about her being deplorable, and left thoroughly disgusted with her. He had never told anyone why he had stopped seeing
Bailee
.

Monday morning brought with it a light smattering of rain, and Steven got on the road once more. Blending in to a small town turned out to be harder than Steven had thought it would be. As he drove through
Nebraska
, he stopped in several places to eat and get fuel for his truck. The brand new truck he had purchased seemed to attract just about everyone’s attention, and he even caught a glimpse of someone taking his photograph on their cell phone as he drove by. Feeling a bit foolish for choosing such a flashy truck, he decided to trade it in for a less noticeable vehicle. After eating lunch in
Lexington
, he stopped at the first used car lot he saw. He ended up leaving with an older pickup, one with quite a few miles on the odometer and a bit of rust peeking out from under the body.

Steven pulled into
Huntington
at
seven o’clock
. He drove through the small downtown, looking at the few restaurants placed sparsely throughout the area. His stomach growled. Chinese didn’t appeal to him, and he definitely didn’t want to eat at a fast food joint. He found himself slowing down in front of a small café with red and white striped curtains and the words ‘Downtown Café’ scrawled across the top. The inside was brightly lit, and with dusk quickly disappearing into the night Steven found the café inviting. He pulled into a parking stall and turned off his truck, satisfied to have found such a nice place to eat.

As he walked into the Downtown Café, he was enveloped by the savory kitchen smells. He was hungrier than he had thought. The hostess appeared young. This was probably her first job, or perhaps she was the daughter of the owner. She handed him a menu and led him to one of the round Ethan Allen style pedestal tables.

His waitress was in her early fifties, with several grey streaks running through her dark curly hair. The lines around her eyes told him that she liked to smile, which she did as she approached Steven.

“What can I get for you, sweetie?” she said with a slight Midwestern accent.

“What would you recommend, Rose?” he asked, reading her name tag.

Her face brightened and she said, “We have a really nice grilled flank steak, with fried onions and tomatoes, but our herbed chicken breast is pretty good too.”

“I’ll have the steak, thank you.”

“And how would you like your steak?”

“Medium rare, please.”
Steven adjusted his wire rim glasses as Rose made some notes on her order pad.

“And would you like soup or salad with that?”

“I would love some of that wonderful smelling broccoli cheese soup.”

“Oh, that’s a good choice–” Rose paused, probably hoping to get a name from him. Steven had not thought about that yet. He surely wasn’t going to go by Steven Ashton. He glanced down at the table.

“Ethan,” he said.

“Good choice, Ethan.” Rose said with a smile.

Steven got up early the next day and started looking for an apartment. The town was clean; the people kept their lawns trimmed and neat. He found a small furnished two bedroom apartment for rent just a few blocks away from the short downtown strip. He looked forward to walking around the town and relaxing for a few days.

After he unpacked his things, and felt a little more settled, he decided to see what was on the television before going out to get groceries. He flipped through the channels, looking for something interesting. He stopped to watch the afternoon news. The newscaster was saying something about a fire in
California
.

“In other national news, Steven Ashton,
New York
’s youngest and wealthiest entrepreneur has been missing now for several days…”

Steven’s breath caught in his throat as he stared at his photograph on the television.

******

Richard threw his cigarette out the window and gripped the steering wheel. Emily could tell he was anxious, and didn’t know what to expect from him. Richard started hollering. “Did you hear that? Did you hear what they just said on the radio?” Emily was silent. She knew he didn’t want to hear from her. “They just said that Steven Ashton has been reported missing for three days! How much did that guy at the hotel look like Steven Ashton?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “It wasn’t him, Richard.”

“Shut up. I want to hear this.” He turned the radio up louder.

“Steven Ashton was last reported seen in LA. Mr. Ashton’s net worth is over 6.4 billion dollars.”

Richard took the next exit, looking for a gas station. The radio newscaster continued to another story, but Richard didn’t seem to be listening anymore. He parked beside the pay phone, and started looking through the papers that littered the floor. Emily knew better than to say anything to him.

“Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom,” Connor said.

“Well, take him in then.” Richard waved his arm. “I have to make a phone call anyway.” He held up the receipt from their hotel stay in
Nevada
.

When Emily came back to the car, Richard was almost beside himself.
“That so-called computer error, the one that got us a free night’s stay?
Well guess what! I just talked to the front desk of the hotel. A dark haired man from room two-twelve paid him to say that. He wanted to pay for your room! Can you believe our luck? Steven Ashton’s got eyes for you. Get in the car!”

Chapter Three

Steven jumped up and pulled his cell out of his pocket. The phone was shut off. How long had it been like that? He turned it on and dialed his mother’s number. She must be worried sick.

“Hello?” Caroline’s voice was strained.

“Mom, I just saw the news–”

“Steven? Where are you? Oh, we’ve been so worried.” Her voice lowered. “It’s Steven. Thank goodness he’s all right.”

“I told you, I’m on vacation.” He tried not to let his exasperation come through his voice.

“Where, dear?
You’re not at your cabin or at the resort…” her voice trailed off.

“I know, Mom. Listen, I’m fine. I wanted to get away for a while. Please, get my photo out of the news.” He couldn’t sit still, so he paced the room.

“Steven, just tell me where you are, so I can get a hold of you.”

“I’ll keep my cell phone on. I didn’t realize it was off. I’m sorry, Mom. I can’t tell you where I am right now. But I promise I will carry my phone so you can call me anytime. Okay?”

“Are you all right, Steven?”

“Yes, Mom, I’m fine. I’m even better than fine. I feel wonderful. This vacation is just what I needed.”

“Okay, dear,” she said,
then
let out a sigh.

He spoke with her for almost a half an hour, and when he was sure she was all right, he said goodbye. Later, the newscaster reported that the wealthy Steven Ashton had been located, alive and well.

******

Steven spent the next few days roaming the town of
Huntington
, enjoying the cool fall breeze, and the joyful noise of children playing. He frequently stopped in to eat at the Downtown Café, and enjoyed watching the people who came and went.

An elderly man named Harold always insisted on sitting at the same table. If he found it otherwise occupied, he would stubbornly wait to be seated until the table became empty. He always called for ‘Rosie darling’ when he wanted anything, and he had a habit of taking out his teeth and pocketing them when he finished eating.

A young man liked to frequent the café, but brought a different girl with him each time he came in. The hostess appeared to know him, and would scowl at him when he wasn’t looking.

Rose was Steven’s favorite waitress, and he enjoyed chatting with her about the town. He had found out that Rose and her husband owned a farm just outside of the city limits. She worked at the Café to bring in some extra money. Farming didn’t pay what it used to, and her husband was getting too old to learn anything else.

Steven’s mother called him daily, but he didn’t mind. She had always worried a bit too much about him, but he knew it was because they were always in the public spotlight, and along with that came security risks. When he was young, they had made up a code word, “Mrs. Donaldson”, so if there was ever any trouble they could trust whoever knew the code word.

Steven smiled as he thought about “Mrs. Donaldson” and his childhood. Even though he came from a privileged background, his parents taught him the value of hard work. He was probably the only child in his school
who
cleaned his own room, and put away his own clothes. Even his best friend Alex had teased him about his chores. But Steven was grateful that his parents had enough sense to teach him how to work hard.

Sitting at a table in the corner of the café, he waited until Rose came to take his order.

Rose lit up when she saw him. “Ethan, how are you this evening?”

“Just perfect, Rose.
And how is life treating you?”

“I’m fine, but my poor Frank strained his back yesterday,” she confided, lines of worry on her face.

“Does your husband need any help on the farm?” Steven asked without thinking. Then he added, “I’m a city boy, but I am a quick learner.”

Rose hesitated, and he sensed she was choosing her words carefully. “We could use a little help, but we can’t pay much.”

“Oh, I’m not looking for a job, just something to do for the next couple of weeks before I have to…” Steven had not thought ahead to what he was going to say. He needed an excuse as to why he had to leave town.

Rose shook her head. “We couldn’t possibly let you work on our farm for free.”

Steven thought for a few moments, and then said, “Why don’t I come by tomorrow morning, and help Frank out? If I do a good job, then you can pay me whatever you think is fair. If it doesn’t work out, you don’t have to pay me a dime. I have to leave on a business trip in two weeks, so I’ll only be able to help for a short time anyway.”

“That sounds wonderful, Ethan.” A smile lit up her face. “Now, what can I get for you tonight?”

******

The sun hadn’t even crept above the horizon yet when Steven awoke, filled with anticipation for the day ahead of him. His help on the farm would be appreciated, and he was always up for a new challenge. He arrived at the farmhouse just as the morning sun started peeking over the trees. The cozy little house nestled in between two rather large oak trees. A wooden plaque on the front of the house said “The Svoboda Home” in rustic lettering. An orange cat lay curled up on the porch, and as he drove up the gravel road it lazily stood and stretched its back.

Steven surveyed the land, looking for the cows that he could smell from up the road. He supposed they were in the barn, as he only saw a black dog running up to greet him. He hopped out of his truck and pushed his glasses up his nose. He felt more alive than he had felt in years. Rose opened the door before he had the chance to knock.

“Ethan, thank you so much for coming to help. Frank is out in the barn. I’ll introduce you to him.” Rose, wearing a t-shirt and sweat pants, looked much more at home without her apron and pink uniform on. She led him out to the barn, cautioning him to watch where he stepped.