The McIntosh twins playing with their dolls under the trees of Renwick Avenue watched the man on a red bicycle stop outside the former Johnstone home and look up at it for a while before dismounting.
The twins lost interest and resumed playing but their mom on the front porch sipping lemonade who's been supervising the three-year-olds, kept watching the guy with growing alarm. She saw him take a measuring tape from his backpack and measure the width of the gate and write the information into a pocket notebook and he then counted the steps in the two flights up to the entrance of the house and noted that.
Jennifer became alarmed and reached for her phone and poised, prepared to call the cops, believing this guy was up to no good. But then she relaxed because he was on his bike again and did a half circle and stopped right alongside the kids.
Jennifer stiffened, ready to jump and run down on the charge. But he remained on his bike.
She heard him quite clearly. "I don't play with dolls."
What a stupid thing to say to three-year-olds. Beside he'd frighten them into silence.
Then astonishingly the shy and quiet Rose said, "My doll's name is Susan."
The talkative know-all Megan said, "You should play with dolls. They are pretty and keep clean."
"Ugly dolls are good too aren't they?"
The guy was told Susan was ugly and Megan snapped, "No she's not."
"Turn them so I can see their faces and I'll decide if Susan is ugly."
Jennifer watched in disbelief as both girls scrambled to their feet and carried their dolls over to the guy, who sat with his arms folded.
"Which one of you twins is the boy?"
"We are girls silly."
"And your name is...?"
"Megan. Don't you know that?"
"No sorry. I must have forgotten."
"What is your name?"
"Fenton."
Megan said no one was called Fenton and he said, "I wish you could have told my mommy that Megan."
"My mommy's name is Jen and some people call her Jennifer."
"I bet she is pretty."
Megan laughed and said, "How did you know that?"
"You and your sister are pretty. That's how I knew."
"Do you kiss mommies?"
"Sometimes. Well I must go. I am going to live in that house over there."
"You can't. It has been sold."
"Yes Megan but I paid lots of money for it and now it's my house."
"You're lucky. Mommy would love to live in that house."
"Well go back on to the rug and play. I think both of your dolls are pretty."
As the guy went to cycle off he looked straight at Jennifer and waved.
She remained motionless; shocked that he'd noticed her. She had been sitting so still in the shade.
Jennifer thought he'd been excellent with the children, basically talking to them at that level and he'd not been nosey. She had to admit he'd been very nice, although who knows.
That evening Jennifer's husband Gary called Gayle the real estate salesperson who'd handled the sale; he'd been at college with her. Gary told his wife the guy's name was Fenton Wagstaff and he was the new chief executive of the city council. His wife left him for another guy and had since divorced him and won custody of their two children and now lived in France. He was thirty-eight and was keen on cycling and hiking and very keen on pretty women.
Jennifer asked, "That last bit about women; did Gayle really say that?"
"Yes and I said did he really say that and she said oh god, don't ask how she found out."
Jennifer giggled. "God he's just arrived in the city and already has seduced his real estate salesperson."
"Don't turn your back on him darling."
"Don't be so foul Gary. He'll know I'm married."
"That didn't stop him with Gayle. She's married."
"Well I'm off limits; tell him that Gary."
"Calm down Jen. Gee I haven't even met the guy. Anyway he probably asks first before lifting a babe's skirt."
"Gary, for god's sake, the children."
"What about them? They're in bed asleep. Calm down. He's the city's CEO and will know how to behave. Oh, or perhaps that's how he won the position?"
"Gary!"
Next morning as Gary was leaving for work an 18-wheeler carrying a big shipping container arrived and minutes later a woman arrived in a car and began organizing the four guys who began carrying the furniture into the house.
Ah, that's why the guy, er Fenton, had been measuring the width of the gateway and counting the steps to inform the relocation company. Jennifer worked out the clipboard the woman was holding contained a house plan and she was directing where each piece of furniture went. Each piece was well-wrapped and once it was inside it was unwrapped and the wrappings were bought back down and put into a huge canvas bag to be taken away.
During the lunch break the woman who introduced herself as Brittany spoke to the twins who were looking out the gate, wondering why were the men sitting down instead of working.
Jennifer learned Mr Wagstaff and his possessions had arrived from England. Brittany's husband worked as a senior engineer for the council and had been told there were seventy-two applications for the position Mr Wagstaff had won including the deputy CEO who had resigned and left in a huff.
"He's a real honey."
Jennifer said, "Who is, Mr Wagstaff?"
"Yes, he's thirty-eight, is big into fitness, has a charming manner, dresses immaculately and he can park his slippers under my bed anytime he likes."
"Then he hasn't seduced you yet?"
"Good heavens no, I'm married."
"Why don't you bring your lunch over here. I'm about to have lunch on the front porch with the twins."
"Oh yes, I'd like to do that. The twins are gorgeous. I want babies but never thought of having twins."
"Neither did I but the twins had different ideas."
Over lunch Jennifer learned that Mr Wagstaff had began with a military career and served behind enemy lines in the Middle East in a crack special services unit and between tours of duty the Army put him through university and he ended up with a degree in public administration and an MBA. His ex-wife was super-rich as well as being a super bitch and the divorce left him wealthy.
"So how did you learn so much about him if your role is only to supervise the moving in process?"
"I had lunch with him and afterwards we... oh god, what am I saying?" Brittany said, turning scarlet.
That conversation left Jennifer feeling a little more secure about Fenton Wagstaff. As an officer in the British Army he would have been trained to act like an officer and a gentlemen as well as to cut throats behind enemy lines when on reconnaissance. Also Brittany wasn't a bimbo who would fall to any guy who placed a hand on her butt. She obviously had fallen for the guy and he was no longer married so was free to play the field, although Jennifer would had been less critical had the two women who she knew had fallen to him had not been married. God it appeared no woman was safe with him around.
Jennifer watched Fenton arrive and open one of the two garages that opened off the street and were dug into the side of the hill on which his house was located. The house has lovely views over four rows of houses on her side of the street to the river and riverside parklands and the woodlands beyond that. There were cycle routes and hiking tracks through those woods within easy access from his house.
Fenton emerged from the garage and closing the door walked towards the entrance gate and steps and he waved to her. She waved back thinking he must assume she sat all day on her front porch.
Jennifer watched Mrs Smith go up the steps with what looked like an apple pie under the cloth and stand on the porch and chat to Fenton for a while. Two more neighbors arrived during the next fifteen minutes carrying 'welcome to the neighborhood' gifts and then that slut Veronica Alpin who'd twice attempted to have it off with Gary at dinners, arrived bearing cooking. Oh for heaven's sake; the slut was almost obscenely dressed in a bikini. While Fenton chatted to Veronica on the front deck he twice looked across at Jennifer and she was sure he was grinning.
When Jennifer and Gary's 7-year-old arrived home from school she sent Milly over to Mr Wagstaff with a bowl of fruit and a small pack of chocolates. Milly arrived back ten minutes later when Jennifer was preparing dinner and said he was nice.
"Bend down mommy."
Milly kissed her mom and said, "When I gave Mr Fenton the fruit he said thank you and said to give you a big kiss of thanks."
"Did he kiss you?"
"No I'm only a kid. He would only want to kiss babes."
"Milly!"
"What?"
"Please don't use the word babes for young women."
"You are young mom."
"Thank you darling."
As Milly went off to find the twins Jennifer realized if Milly thought her as being young then she thought of her as a babe. Oh god, that meant Milly thought her mom should be kissed by Mr Wagstaff. This was getting out of control. No, calm yourself Jen said thought. As Gary would say, "Calm down."
After checking with Gary she sent Milly over with a pen and piece of paper to ask Mr Wagstaff for his phone number. When Milly returned she called Fenton.
"Hi its Jennifer McIntosh. I'm..."
"The very attractive brunette who lives opposite, mother of Rose, Megan and Milly."
"Yes," Jennifer said, blood feeling as if it were rushing from behind her knees to her face. She sat down before she fell over. God he was so smooth and fancy remembering her children's names. "Um."
He gave her a moment before asking, "You were saying?"
"Oh we, that is my family, would like to invite you to Sunday lunch at 1:00."
"Love to."
"Love to what? Oh I know what you mean, you'd love to come to lunch."
"Yes that's what I meant. Thank you for the gorgeous fruit and chocolates."