Post by Saint Jimmy on May 27, 2006 19:14:47 GMT -5
This is what I've got so far of "Coseby", which is the story about Carey + Moseby in book form.
Coseby
By Me
Chapter One
Carey Martin walked into the lobby of the Tipton Hotel after her show in the ballroom. She was dressed in a silky red dress and wore what seemed like seven-inch high heels, which were making her feet hurt. The show had started at about seven o’clock, and it had just ended. It was now eleven o’clock, and Carey was sure that she was the only person left in the hotel that was awake.
She sat on one of the small couches in the lobby and took off her heels. Her feet still remained hurting, so she tried massaging them with her own hands. It wasn’t working too well. She sighed and leaned back on the couch cushions.
Suddenly, the manager of the hotel, Mr. Moseby, came into the lobby. He looked extremely worn out as well. He noticed Carey sitting on the couch and he went over and sat down next to her.
“How was your show?” Mr. Moseby asked. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there, as I had to hold a meeting with a few other employees of mine.”
“It was all right,” Carey said, still working on her feet. “Boy, those heels were killing me…I’m going to feel this tomorrow…”
“Here, let me,” Mr. Moseby said, taking one of her feet in his hands. He performed a strange massaging technique that seemed to work wonderfully. Carey smiled as he worked on her other foot.
When he finished, she said, “Wow, that felt…really good. Where’d you learn to massage like that?”
Mr. Moseby shrugged and said, “My mother used to make me do such to her feet after a long night out.” He paused. “Spencer, too.” He grinned at Carey.
Carey laughed a little and said, “Well, thank you, Mr. Moseby, for the foot massage. I’d better get back to my suite, Zack and Cody are probably up past their bedtime watching scary movies.” She stood, as well as Mr. Moseby.
“You know,” he said, “it’d really do some good if you had a man around the house.”
Carey paused, then nodded. “Yes, I suppose you’re right,” she said. “I guess I’d better get back into dating, huh?”
“Yes…that’s right,” Mr. Moseby said. “Here, I’ll walk you up. You never know if your feet might go bad on you again.” He smiled again, and they got in the elevator and went up to the twenty-third floor.
He led her along the hallway until they reached suite 2300. Carey, before unlocking the door and going in, said to Mr. Moseby, “Well, I appreciate you walking me up here. Good night, Mr. Moseby.” She unlocked the door and stepped inside, then closed the door.
Mr. Moseby stood there, half-dumbfounded and half-confused. He thought she’d appreciate it much more than that…Nonetheless, he had to go home, so he left.
As soon as Carey went into her suite, she noticed that Zack and Cody, her twin boys, were sitting in the dark watching late night television. As soon as they noticed her turn on the light as she came in, Zack flicked off the TV and Cody stood.
“What are you boys doing up so late?” Carey said, a little annoyed. “You’ve got school in the morning. And have you two even showered yet?”
Cody said, “I have, but Zack hasn’t. You don’t see him in his pajamas, do you?” Cody was indeed wearing his pajamas, but Zack was wearing the clothes he’d worn to school that day. He was lying on the couch, popcorn and chips surrounding him, a soda resting on his stomach. He belched loudly.
“Zack,” Carey began, “I want you to go take a shower right now, get in your pajamas, and go to bed. Cody, you get in bed right now.”
Cody obediently left the living room and went into he and Zack’s room. Zack slowly pushed all the junk food off of him and put the soda on the coffee table. He slowly rose and stretched.
“Mom, do I have to take a shower?” he said. “I mean, as you can see, I’m pretty tired…”
“No, you’re showering, and that’s final,” Carey told him. “Now go.”
Zack finally went into the bathroom to take a shower and Carey had to clean all the mess up. She threw away all stale food lying around and the empty bags of junk food. She’d have to worry about vacuuming tomorrow, but until then, she sprayed air freshener in the entire suite.
Right as she finished cleaning, Zack returned from his shower, dressed in his pajamas. Carey pointed to his room, her eyes saying, “Bed. Now.” Zack went into his room and went to sleep. Cody was already out.
Carey sighed as she undressed into her own pajamas and finally went to sleep on the couch, nearing midnight. As she was trying to fall asleep, she thought about the words Mr. Moseby had said just a little while ago.
You know, it’d really do some good to have a man around the house.
He was completely right. She knew she’d have to start dating again, and feared that Zack and Cody wouldn’t like it. The picture of Mr. Moseby’s smiling face remained in her head until she finally fell asleep.
Chapter Two
The next morning, around seven-thirty, Zack and Cody were up, dressed, fed, and ready to go to school.
“Have a good day at school,” Carey said as she kissed them goodbye. She was still wearing her pajamas. “Love you!”
“Love you!” Zack and Cody told her in unison as they left the suite to go to school.
As soon as they left, Carey began cleaning the suite. She vacuumed, dusted, washed dishes, scrubbed the bathroom, and left Zack and Cody’s room alone, for they would have to clean it after the returned from school. At about noon, Carey changed into a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt and went down to the lobby.
Not many people were in the lobby, but a few were. Mr. Moseby was at the Front Desk, as usual. Carey went up to him.
“Mr. Moseby, what you said last night was true,” she said. “You know, about having a man around the house.”
“It must be hard being a single parent, hm?” Mr. Moseby said. “So, are you going to get back into dating?”
Carey sighed. “Yes,” she said. “It will definitely do me good. The problem is, most men wouldn’t date a woman with fourteen-year-old twin boys…” She was looking doubtful. “Well, I have to go grocery shopping, so see you later!” She left the hotel.
“There is one man…” Mr. Moseby said very quietly, under his breath, after she left. He watched her go and then went back to his job.
At about two-thirty, Zack and Cody came into the Tipton, home from school. The went into the lobby and to the Front Desk to talk to the manager.
“Hey, Mr. Moseby,” Zack said, “do you know where our mom is?”
“Well, around noon she left to do her shopping,” Mr. Moseby said. “I expect she’ll be back anytime now.”
“Must be doing a lot of shopping…” Cody said. “Well, if she comes in and asks for us, tell her we’re in our suite.” They ran into the elevator to go up to their suite.
“Will do!” Mr. Moseby called after them.
Right as the elevator door closed with the boys inside, Carey came into the lobby and she went straight up to Mr. Moseby.
“Are the boys here?” she asked.
“Yes, they just got in the elevator to go up to your suite,” Mr. Moseby said. He disliked playing messenger.
“Okay, wow, I just missed ‘em,” Carey said, getting into the elevator.
Mr. Moseby really disliked the small talk he always made with Carey. Besides job things, he’d never really had an in-depth sort of conversation with her before. He stood at the desk for a while, thinking…
As Carey went up in the elevator, she couldn’t help thinking about Mr. Moseby and her mixed feelings for him. Whenever she got near him or he got near her, she felt as though she were on fire. A fire she couldn’t put out. She was doubtful that he was feeling the same way about her, though…
Mr. Moseby touched a hand to his forehead to see if he was warm. He sure felt warm. He also felt that Carey didn’t like him the way he did. How was he to get her…get her in his arms?
Carey went into her suite and found the boys already doing their homework. “Wow!” she said. “This is a really unexpected surprise! Both of you are doing your homework!”
Zack and Cody looked up from their work and beamed.
“Wait…” Carey said. “…what’s the secret?”
“There’s no secret,” Cody said.
“Yeah,” Zack agreed. “Cody just forced me to do it so we could make you happy.”
“Aw, you two are so sweet,” Carey said, hugging them. “Now, when you’re done with that, will you clean your room, please?”
Cody gave Zack a look and Zack said, “Fine, okay, we will. When we’re done.”
Carey smiled. “Thanks,” she said.
Down in the lobby, Maddie came into the hotel with London. London still had her school uniform but Maddie had changed into her work uniform. Maddie went up to the Front Desk to check in for her shift and she noticed Mr. Moseby looked down.
“Hey, Mr. Moseby,” Maddie said. “What’s wrong?”
Mr. Moseby sighed. “It’s nothing,” he said.
Maddie folded her arms. “Nothing is something,” she said, a little annoyed by his behavior.
Mr. Moseby sighed again. “Why do you want to know?”
Maddie gave him a look and said, “Something’s bothering you…”
London jumped into the conversation and said to Maddie, “Don’t worry, I can get him to crack. I have my ways…Okay, Moseby, tell us. What’s bothering you?”
Mr. Moseby paused, as he knew London would call her father and say he was being a bad manager or something if he didn’t tell her. “All right…” he said slowly, “I’ll tell you.” Then, as if on cue, Carey came into the lobby from the elevator. Mr. Moseby couldn’t help smiling at her as she came in, but she didn’t see him do such.
Maddie noticed this and said, “Ooh, I see that glint in his eye - you’re in love!” She jumped up and down with London and giggled.
“Well, is it true, lover boy?” London teased.
“Yes,” Mr. Moseby admitted. “But - you two don’t know whom.”
Maddie looked around the lobby and quickly found Carey, the only other woman in the lobby. Maddie looked at Mr. Moseby. “We do now!” she said. “You like Carey? But don’t you hate Zack and Cody?” She carried a confused look on her face.
“Well, Zack and Cody are much more mature now,” Mr. Moseby reasoned. “Please, don’t tell Carey. I’d rather tell her myself.”
London sighed in disappointment. “C’mon, Moseby, a little gossip won’t hurt!” she complained. Both Mr. Moseby and Maddie looked at her.
“How do you plan to tell her?” Maddie asked.
“I don’t know,” Mr. Moseby said. “Maybe I’ll show up at her door with flowers or something. I want to take her by surprise. Anyway, Maddie, you’d better get to work.” He gestured to the small line forming at the candy counter and Maddie left to do her job.
Later that day, Carey was talking with Maddie about her dating issues.
“I just don’t know if he likes me or not,” Carey was saying to Maddie.
“Who’s ‘he’?” Maddie questioned, a little hopefully. She was hoping for Carey to be in love with Mr. Moseby like he was in love with her.
“Mr. Moseby,” Carey said through tight lips. Maddie felt relieved for Mr. Moseby.
“Oh,” Maddie said. “Okay. Well, I have to get back to my job. My break’s over.”
“Yeah,” Carey said. “Yeah…”
Chapter Three
At six o’clock, Mr. Moseby went home to his apartment to change clothes. He went into his bedroom and took off his suit jacket and tie, un-tucking his shirt and taking off his shoes. He opened the doors to his walk-in closet and looked for something other than a suit.
He found a white button-down shirt and a pair of blue jeans and a camel-hair jacket, so he took those out of the closet and took of his clothes. He showered, dressed, and put cologne on. By that time, it was about half past six. He drove to the flower shop and picked up a bouquet of twelve roses he’d preordered earlier while at the Tipton. His destination now: Carey’s suite.
He parked in the parking lot, in his reserved spot, and got out and went into the large building. He had Esteban take over the managing duties for the rest of that night for him. He stepped into the elevator, pushed the 23 button, and went up.
As soon as the doors opened, he stepped out and went straight to suite 2300. Before entering, he blew some air out of his mouth and breathed in and out twice. He knocked and put his hands, which were holding the bouquet, behind his back. He hoped Carey would answer the door.
To his dismay, Cody opened the door. “Mr. Moseby?” he said, looking a bit puzzled. “Why aren’t you wearing your suit? And why are you here?”
“Never mind those questions, Cody,” Mr. Moseby said. “Is your mother here? I’d like to speak with her.”
“About what?” Cody asked suspiciously.
“Just get your mother,” Mr. Moseby sighed, annoyed. Cody went back in the suite and closed the door. Mr. Moseby heard him shout, “Mom! Mr. Moseby wants you out in the hallway!” from inside the suite.
After a moment, Carey came into the hallway, closing the door behind her. She looked a bit surprised as to what Mr. Moseby was wearing.
“Wow, Mr. Moseby, you look nice!” she said, smiling.
“Thank you,” Mr. Moseby said. He took the bouquet of flowers out from behind his back, and as soon as he did, a smile launched itself onto Carey’s face. “These are for you!”
Carey said in a flirtatious sort of way, “Why, thank you, Mr. Moseby…these are very nice.” And then, without warning, she hugged her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.
Mr. Moseby’s face was hot after that, but he smiled anyway, and kissed her lips lightly. Then, Carey kissed him back and they began making out, her dropping the bouquet to their feet. Both were lost in the kissing.
After a moment they stopped and both stepped back, embarrassed. Mr. Moseby put a hand behind his head and grinned. Carey smiled back, her cheeks red hot.
“So…maybe I can take you and the boys out to lunch tomorrow?” Mr. Moseby suggested, as tomorrow was Saturday.
“Sure, that’d be great!” Carey said. “But what should I tell the boys?”
Mr. Moseby thought and said, “I know…you can say that I’ve rewarded you for doing such a good job with your shows that I’m taking you out to lunch.”
“Perfect,” Carey said. She kissed his cheek and said, “Meet you tomorrow in the lobby. Bye!”
“Bye!” Mr. Moseby said as she went into her suite. He waited five seconds then swiveled, crouched, and threw his head back and his fist up, saying, “Yesssss!”
“What was that all about?” Zack asked as Carey came back into the suite.
“Oh, Mr. Moseby said I’ve been doing such a great job with my show’s that he’s taking us all out to lunch tomorrow afternoon!” Carey said. “Isn’t that great?”
“Yeah, it’s cool,” Cody said. “Where at?”
“Good question, he hasn’t told me where,” Carey said. “So, you boys will shower tomorrow morning instead of tonight. Okay?”
“Okay!” Zack said, jumping on the question. He and Cody immediately went into their room to play videogames. Carey got on the phone and called Mr. Moseby.
“Mr. Moseby!” she said a bit excitedly when she finally got him. “It’s Carey. The boys want to know where we’re going to when we go out for lunch tomorrow.”
“Hm…I don’t know,” Mr. Moseby replied. “How about the Family Diner? That’s always a good place to eat.”
“Okay,” Carey said, “Okay, just make sure you don’t wear one of your suits there!” Mr. Moseby laughed as he said, “Bye.”
“You think it’s a little suspicious how Mr. Moseby came straight to our door, dressed in something other than a suit, to talk specifically to Mom?” Cody said to Zack. He was pacing the room while Zack was playing video games on their XBOX.
“No,” Zack said. “I think it’s cool that we get free lunch from him.”
Cody rolled his eyes. He sat down on the edge of his bed and watched Zack play the video game he was losing at. He couldn’t help but to think something weird was going on between his mother and Mr. Moseby…
At ten o’clock, Carey came into the boys’ room, saying, “Boys, it’s bedtime. Get a good night’s rest so you won’t be falling asleep at the table tomorrow…Zack.” She eyed her son, who smiled in a mischievous. “Good night, love you!”
“Love you,” Zack and Cody said in unison. Zack immediately got into bed and was asleep instantly. Cody reached over to his nightstand and grabbed his journal, a notebook he wrote in at bedtime almost every day. He began writing about his day at school, what had happened in the hotel, and wrote several questions that had been banging around in his head since Mr. Moseby arrived at the door to their suite.
At half-past, Cody was asleep, like his brother.
Chapter Four
The next day, Zack, Cody, and Carey met up with Mr. Moseby in the lobby. They got in his car and he drove them all to the Family Diner. On the way, Zack and Cody remained silent while Carey and Mr. Moseby talked up in front. When they finally arrived, they took a booth by the window. Cody made sure that his mother and Mr. Moseby weren’t sitting together by taking the seat next to Mr. Moseby.
Zack gave his brother a look that said, “Why are you acting so weird today?” as they ordered their drinks. It was after the waitress left that Zack noticed a prize grabber machine a few feet off.
“Hey, check it out, Cody!” he said, pointing. “A prize grabber!” He immediately looked to his mother. “Mom, can a have a few quarters?”
Carey sighed, rolled her eyes, and took two dollars out of her purse. “Here,” she said, giving one each to Zack and Cody. “You get four tries each. Go play!” She watched her sons run to the prize grabber, Cody a little slower than Zack. Cody threw his mother a look from behind while he was running.
“Boys will be boys,” Mr. Moseby said. “Spencer and I were a little like that when we were growing up.”
“Really?” Carey asked.
Mr. Moseby nodded. “Yes, except we got one dollar between the both of us. It usually ended up with me having to give Spencer all the money,” he said, giving a small smile. “We both knew better than to start a fight in public. Our fights were extremely violent back then…”
Carey laughed. “That’s a lot like the way my sister and I were,” she said. “Except boys always fight worse than girls.”
Mr. Moseby agreed and took a sip from his drink. He paused before saying, “Carey…about that kiss last night…”
She put up her hand to refrain him from speaking. “It’s all right,” she said. “Zack and Cody will never know if we don’t talk about it.”
“Right,” Mr. Moseby agreed. He smiled. “I never mentioned how good of a kisser you are.”
Carey blushed. “Why, thank you, so are you,” she said. It was as if the words were just pouring out of her.
Mr. Moseby smiled brightly and looked down at the table.
Neither Carey or Mr. Moseby were aware that Cody was watching them talking. He could hardly hear them, but he was almost positive he heard the words “kiss” and “kisser” a couple times. Zack was taking his four turns at the prize grabber and didn’t notice Cody watching them.
While Cody was taking his four turns, Zack annoyingly pressured him to try and win the one he wanted, but Cody wasn’t hardly paying attention. Without noticing, he won the prize Zack wanted and his brother kept it after he absentmindedly said, “Nah, I don’t want it.” He was watching his mother and Mr. Moseby like a hawk.
“Dude, what’s wrong?” Zack said to Cody when he noticed how strange Cody was acting. “You’re acting like a robot. You’re hardly talking.” The stuffed lion he’d wanted was in his hand. He planned on giving it to a girl he liked. He took his cell phone out of his pocket and checked his messages because he felt uncomfortable trying to talk to somebody who was nearly muted for the day.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Cody said. “C’mon, let’s go sit down.” He walked with Zack back to the table and noticed that Carey had moved to sit next to Mr. Moseby. A little angry, he sat next to his brother as their food arrived.
“Yum,” Zack said as he began eating the hot dog he’d ordered, the same as Cody’s meal. Carey had gotten chicken breast and Mr. Moseby ordered a hamburger. It took Cody a minute to figure out he was expected to eat and he took a bite of hot dog and ate a couple fries.
“Cody, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you eating?” Carey questioned.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Cody assured her. “I’m just taking my time. I don’t want to choke.” That was the best excuse he could make up in his mind.
Carey looked at him a little strangely before going back to her chicken.
“So, boys, how’s school going?” Mr. Moseby asked, trying to make conversation.
“It’s cool,” Zack said. “I’m getting better at reading.”
“Good for you, Zack,” Mr. Moseby said. “How about you, Cody? Still making straight A’s?”
“Yeah,” Cody replied. “Sort of. I used to have a B in Spanish, but I just brought it up to an A. So I guess I’m getting better at that like Zack’s better at reading.”
“Good, then,” Mr. Moseby said. “You boys like your teachers?”
“They’re okay,” they both responded in unison. Mr. Moseby laughed a little.
Zack laughed, “I guess that was twin telepathy, huh?” He smiled. Cody gave a small grin but it faded quickly. Zack looked at him for a moment, but then returned to his food.
When they finished eating, Zack, Cody, and Mr. Moseby went to the bathroom. While washing their hands, Mr. Moseby asked Cody, “Cody, how come you’ve been so quiet? You hardly talked today.”
“Yeah,” Zack agreed. “You’ve been acting different.”
“I’m telling you guys, nothing’s wrong with me,” Cody said. “Maybe I’m just a little tired. I didn’t sleep too well last night.” He left the bathroom right after saying it. Zack looked up at Mr. Moseby and pointed after him, mouthing, “Weirdo.”
While in the car on the way home to the Tipton, Carey thanked Mr. Moseby. “Thank you so much for taking the boys and me out for lunch,” she said. “Boys, what do you say?”
“Thank you,” Zack and Cody said together.
“My pleasure,” Mr. Moseby said as they pulled into the parking lot. They all got out of the car, the boys went straight up to their suite. While they were running into the building, Mr. Moseby kissed Carey’s hand goodbye…but he didn’t know Cody caught a glimpse of it.
“I knew it!” Cody said under his breath as he went up the steps into the hotel.
“Huh?” Zack said.
“Nothing, just muttering to myself,” Cody lied. Zack rolled his eyes and they went up to their suite.
“Call me, Carey,” Mr. Moseby told Carey.
Chapter Five
The next day, while Zack was at Bob’s house and Carey was rehearsing for her show, Cody tried to think of what was going on between his mother and Mr. Moseby. He paced the living room for over an hour, thinking.
The image of Mr. Moseby kissing his mother’s hand replayed over and over again. He then got to thinking of how Mr. Moseby showed up the other night at their house wearing something other than a suit, wanting to speak to Carey personally, and he wondered why it took his mother so long to talk about her job. The last thing he thought of was the bouquet of roses Carey brought in with her after talking to Mr. Moseby.
Then the truth hit him and he said, “Mom and Moseby are…dating!” out loud. He nearly fainted and immediately wanted to talk with his mother. He put on his shoes and ran down to the ballroom, where Carey was practicing for her show.
He went down in the elevator and ran through the lobby, down the hallway, and into the ballroom where Carey was practicing. The only people in the ballroom were Carey, himself, and…Mr. Moseby.
Carey stopped singing and said, “Cody? What are you doing here?”
“I want to talk to you,” Cody said. “In private,” he added.
Carey gave a baffled look to Mr. Moseby, who shrugged, and she put the microphone back on the stand and went into the hallway with Cody.
“What do you need?” she asked.
“I want to know,” Cody said, taking a deep breath, “what’s going on between you and Mr. Moseby.”
Carey looked to the left, then to the right, and finally looked at her son. “Cody,” she said, “sweetie, there’s nothing happening between us. We’re just friends, okay?”
“You’re lying,” Cody said instantly. “You’re not looking me in the eye. Look me in the eye and tell me nothing’s happening.”
Carey couldn’t resist the challenge and finally said, “Okay…we’re going out.”
The shock of it wasn’t as huge on him as it was when he first figured it out. “I knew it,” he said. “That’s how you got the roses the other night. Tell me…what else happened in that hallway?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Cody!” Carey said, annoyed. “Look, I have to practice, so you can talk to me later. Go back up to our suite, please.”
“Fine,” Cody said. “I’m going.”
“I’ll see you up there.”
“Whatever.” He started walking but stopped. Carey had only cracked the door. Cody stood next to it so he could eavesdrop on his mother and “boyfriend”.
“What was that all about?” Mr. Moseby was saying. “Does he know about…us?”
Cody heard his mother sigh. “Yes, he knows,” she said.
“How did he handle it?”
“Not too badly, actually. It’s his brother I’m worried about.”
“Zack? Why?”
“Well, Cody’s been a little tougher on the inside for a while now, while Zack isn’t exactly the same either. Haven’t you noticed how assertive he’s become?”
Mr. Moseby laughed. “Yes, I see your point. Anyway, you’d better get back to rehearsing, as your time’s up in ten minutes.”
When Cody heard his mother begin singing again, he left. He ran up to the suite. So it was true! He couldn’t wait to tell Zack, but he wouldn’t be getting back until much later. About fifteen minutes later, Carey came up into the suite with Mr. Moseby.
There's gonna be more soon! I hope you took the time to read this thouroughly and I will post more soon.
Coseby
By Me
Chapter One
Carey Martin walked into the lobby of the Tipton Hotel after her show in the ballroom. She was dressed in a silky red dress and wore what seemed like seven-inch high heels, which were making her feet hurt. The show had started at about seven o’clock, and it had just ended. It was now eleven o’clock, and Carey was sure that she was the only person left in the hotel that was awake.
She sat on one of the small couches in the lobby and took off her heels. Her feet still remained hurting, so she tried massaging them with her own hands. It wasn’t working too well. She sighed and leaned back on the couch cushions.
Suddenly, the manager of the hotel, Mr. Moseby, came into the lobby. He looked extremely worn out as well. He noticed Carey sitting on the couch and he went over and sat down next to her.
“How was your show?” Mr. Moseby asked. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there, as I had to hold a meeting with a few other employees of mine.”
“It was all right,” Carey said, still working on her feet. “Boy, those heels were killing me…I’m going to feel this tomorrow…”
“Here, let me,” Mr. Moseby said, taking one of her feet in his hands. He performed a strange massaging technique that seemed to work wonderfully. Carey smiled as he worked on her other foot.
When he finished, she said, “Wow, that felt…really good. Where’d you learn to massage like that?”
Mr. Moseby shrugged and said, “My mother used to make me do such to her feet after a long night out.” He paused. “Spencer, too.” He grinned at Carey.
Carey laughed a little and said, “Well, thank you, Mr. Moseby, for the foot massage. I’d better get back to my suite, Zack and Cody are probably up past their bedtime watching scary movies.” She stood, as well as Mr. Moseby.
“You know,” he said, “it’d really do some good if you had a man around the house.”
Carey paused, then nodded. “Yes, I suppose you’re right,” she said. “I guess I’d better get back into dating, huh?”
“Yes…that’s right,” Mr. Moseby said. “Here, I’ll walk you up. You never know if your feet might go bad on you again.” He smiled again, and they got in the elevator and went up to the twenty-third floor.
He led her along the hallway until they reached suite 2300. Carey, before unlocking the door and going in, said to Mr. Moseby, “Well, I appreciate you walking me up here. Good night, Mr. Moseby.” She unlocked the door and stepped inside, then closed the door.
Mr. Moseby stood there, half-dumbfounded and half-confused. He thought she’d appreciate it much more than that…Nonetheless, he had to go home, so he left.
As soon as Carey went into her suite, she noticed that Zack and Cody, her twin boys, were sitting in the dark watching late night television. As soon as they noticed her turn on the light as she came in, Zack flicked off the TV and Cody stood.
“What are you boys doing up so late?” Carey said, a little annoyed. “You’ve got school in the morning. And have you two even showered yet?”
Cody said, “I have, but Zack hasn’t. You don’t see him in his pajamas, do you?” Cody was indeed wearing his pajamas, but Zack was wearing the clothes he’d worn to school that day. He was lying on the couch, popcorn and chips surrounding him, a soda resting on his stomach. He belched loudly.
“Zack,” Carey began, “I want you to go take a shower right now, get in your pajamas, and go to bed. Cody, you get in bed right now.”
Cody obediently left the living room and went into he and Zack’s room. Zack slowly pushed all the junk food off of him and put the soda on the coffee table. He slowly rose and stretched.
“Mom, do I have to take a shower?” he said. “I mean, as you can see, I’m pretty tired…”
“No, you’re showering, and that’s final,” Carey told him. “Now go.”
Zack finally went into the bathroom to take a shower and Carey had to clean all the mess up. She threw away all stale food lying around and the empty bags of junk food. She’d have to worry about vacuuming tomorrow, but until then, she sprayed air freshener in the entire suite.
Right as she finished cleaning, Zack returned from his shower, dressed in his pajamas. Carey pointed to his room, her eyes saying, “Bed. Now.” Zack went into his room and went to sleep. Cody was already out.
Carey sighed as she undressed into her own pajamas and finally went to sleep on the couch, nearing midnight. As she was trying to fall asleep, she thought about the words Mr. Moseby had said just a little while ago.
You know, it’d really do some good to have a man around the house.
He was completely right. She knew she’d have to start dating again, and feared that Zack and Cody wouldn’t like it. The picture of Mr. Moseby’s smiling face remained in her head until she finally fell asleep.
Chapter Two
The next morning, around seven-thirty, Zack and Cody were up, dressed, fed, and ready to go to school.
“Have a good day at school,” Carey said as she kissed them goodbye. She was still wearing her pajamas. “Love you!”
“Love you!” Zack and Cody told her in unison as they left the suite to go to school.
As soon as they left, Carey began cleaning the suite. She vacuumed, dusted, washed dishes, scrubbed the bathroom, and left Zack and Cody’s room alone, for they would have to clean it after the returned from school. At about noon, Carey changed into a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt and went down to the lobby.
Not many people were in the lobby, but a few were. Mr. Moseby was at the Front Desk, as usual. Carey went up to him.
“Mr. Moseby, what you said last night was true,” she said. “You know, about having a man around the house.”
“It must be hard being a single parent, hm?” Mr. Moseby said. “So, are you going to get back into dating?”
Carey sighed. “Yes,” she said. “It will definitely do me good. The problem is, most men wouldn’t date a woman with fourteen-year-old twin boys…” She was looking doubtful. “Well, I have to go grocery shopping, so see you later!” She left the hotel.
“There is one man…” Mr. Moseby said very quietly, under his breath, after she left. He watched her go and then went back to his job.
At about two-thirty, Zack and Cody came into the Tipton, home from school. The went into the lobby and to the Front Desk to talk to the manager.
“Hey, Mr. Moseby,” Zack said, “do you know where our mom is?”
“Well, around noon she left to do her shopping,” Mr. Moseby said. “I expect she’ll be back anytime now.”
“Must be doing a lot of shopping…” Cody said. “Well, if she comes in and asks for us, tell her we’re in our suite.” They ran into the elevator to go up to their suite.
“Will do!” Mr. Moseby called after them.
Right as the elevator door closed with the boys inside, Carey came into the lobby and she went straight up to Mr. Moseby.
“Are the boys here?” she asked.
“Yes, they just got in the elevator to go up to your suite,” Mr. Moseby said. He disliked playing messenger.
“Okay, wow, I just missed ‘em,” Carey said, getting into the elevator.
Mr. Moseby really disliked the small talk he always made with Carey. Besides job things, he’d never really had an in-depth sort of conversation with her before. He stood at the desk for a while, thinking…
As Carey went up in the elevator, she couldn’t help thinking about Mr. Moseby and her mixed feelings for him. Whenever she got near him or he got near her, she felt as though she were on fire. A fire she couldn’t put out. She was doubtful that he was feeling the same way about her, though…
Mr. Moseby touched a hand to his forehead to see if he was warm. He sure felt warm. He also felt that Carey didn’t like him the way he did. How was he to get her…get her in his arms?
Carey went into her suite and found the boys already doing their homework. “Wow!” she said. “This is a really unexpected surprise! Both of you are doing your homework!”
Zack and Cody looked up from their work and beamed.
“Wait…” Carey said. “…what’s the secret?”
“There’s no secret,” Cody said.
“Yeah,” Zack agreed. “Cody just forced me to do it so we could make you happy.”
“Aw, you two are so sweet,” Carey said, hugging them. “Now, when you’re done with that, will you clean your room, please?”
Cody gave Zack a look and Zack said, “Fine, okay, we will. When we’re done.”
Carey smiled. “Thanks,” she said.
Down in the lobby, Maddie came into the hotel with London. London still had her school uniform but Maddie had changed into her work uniform. Maddie went up to the Front Desk to check in for her shift and she noticed Mr. Moseby looked down.
“Hey, Mr. Moseby,” Maddie said. “What’s wrong?”
Mr. Moseby sighed. “It’s nothing,” he said.
Maddie folded her arms. “Nothing is something,” she said, a little annoyed by his behavior.
Mr. Moseby sighed again. “Why do you want to know?”
Maddie gave him a look and said, “Something’s bothering you…”
London jumped into the conversation and said to Maddie, “Don’t worry, I can get him to crack. I have my ways…Okay, Moseby, tell us. What’s bothering you?”
Mr. Moseby paused, as he knew London would call her father and say he was being a bad manager or something if he didn’t tell her. “All right…” he said slowly, “I’ll tell you.” Then, as if on cue, Carey came into the lobby from the elevator. Mr. Moseby couldn’t help smiling at her as she came in, but she didn’t see him do such.
Maddie noticed this and said, “Ooh, I see that glint in his eye - you’re in love!” She jumped up and down with London and giggled.
“Well, is it true, lover boy?” London teased.
“Yes,” Mr. Moseby admitted. “But - you two don’t know whom.”
Maddie looked around the lobby and quickly found Carey, the only other woman in the lobby. Maddie looked at Mr. Moseby. “We do now!” she said. “You like Carey? But don’t you hate Zack and Cody?” She carried a confused look on her face.
“Well, Zack and Cody are much more mature now,” Mr. Moseby reasoned. “Please, don’t tell Carey. I’d rather tell her myself.”
London sighed in disappointment. “C’mon, Moseby, a little gossip won’t hurt!” she complained. Both Mr. Moseby and Maddie looked at her.
“How do you plan to tell her?” Maddie asked.
“I don’t know,” Mr. Moseby said. “Maybe I’ll show up at her door with flowers or something. I want to take her by surprise. Anyway, Maddie, you’d better get to work.” He gestured to the small line forming at the candy counter and Maddie left to do her job.
Later that day, Carey was talking with Maddie about her dating issues.
“I just don’t know if he likes me or not,” Carey was saying to Maddie.
“Who’s ‘he’?” Maddie questioned, a little hopefully. She was hoping for Carey to be in love with Mr. Moseby like he was in love with her.
“Mr. Moseby,” Carey said through tight lips. Maddie felt relieved for Mr. Moseby.
“Oh,” Maddie said. “Okay. Well, I have to get back to my job. My break’s over.”
“Yeah,” Carey said. “Yeah…”
Chapter Three
At six o’clock, Mr. Moseby went home to his apartment to change clothes. He went into his bedroom and took off his suit jacket and tie, un-tucking his shirt and taking off his shoes. He opened the doors to his walk-in closet and looked for something other than a suit.
He found a white button-down shirt and a pair of blue jeans and a camel-hair jacket, so he took those out of the closet and took of his clothes. He showered, dressed, and put cologne on. By that time, it was about half past six. He drove to the flower shop and picked up a bouquet of twelve roses he’d preordered earlier while at the Tipton. His destination now: Carey’s suite.
He parked in the parking lot, in his reserved spot, and got out and went into the large building. He had Esteban take over the managing duties for the rest of that night for him. He stepped into the elevator, pushed the 23 button, and went up.
As soon as the doors opened, he stepped out and went straight to suite 2300. Before entering, he blew some air out of his mouth and breathed in and out twice. He knocked and put his hands, which were holding the bouquet, behind his back. He hoped Carey would answer the door.
To his dismay, Cody opened the door. “Mr. Moseby?” he said, looking a bit puzzled. “Why aren’t you wearing your suit? And why are you here?”
“Never mind those questions, Cody,” Mr. Moseby said. “Is your mother here? I’d like to speak with her.”
“About what?” Cody asked suspiciously.
“Just get your mother,” Mr. Moseby sighed, annoyed. Cody went back in the suite and closed the door. Mr. Moseby heard him shout, “Mom! Mr. Moseby wants you out in the hallway!” from inside the suite.
After a moment, Carey came into the hallway, closing the door behind her. She looked a bit surprised as to what Mr. Moseby was wearing.
“Wow, Mr. Moseby, you look nice!” she said, smiling.
“Thank you,” Mr. Moseby said. He took the bouquet of flowers out from behind his back, and as soon as he did, a smile launched itself onto Carey’s face. “These are for you!”
Carey said in a flirtatious sort of way, “Why, thank you, Mr. Moseby…these are very nice.” And then, without warning, she hugged her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.
Mr. Moseby’s face was hot after that, but he smiled anyway, and kissed her lips lightly. Then, Carey kissed him back and they began making out, her dropping the bouquet to their feet. Both were lost in the kissing.
After a moment they stopped and both stepped back, embarrassed. Mr. Moseby put a hand behind his head and grinned. Carey smiled back, her cheeks red hot.
“So…maybe I can take you and the boys out to lunch tomorrow?” Mr. Moseby suggested, as tomorrow was Saturday.
“Sure, that’d be great!” Carey said. “But what should I tell the boys?”
Mr. Moseby thought and said, “I know…you can say that I’ve rewarded you for doing such a good job with your shows that I’m taking you out to lunch.”
“Perfect,” Carey said. She kissed his cheek and said, “Meet you tomorrow in the lobby. Bye!”
“Bye!” Mr. Moseby said as she went into her suite. He waited five seconds then swiveled, crouched, and threw his head back and his fist up, saying, “Yesssss!”
“What was that all about?” Zack asked as Carey came back into the suite.
“Oh, Mr. Moseby said I’ve been doing such a great job with my show’s that he’s taking us all out to lunch tomorrow afternoon!” Carey said. “Isn’t that great?”
“Yeah, it’s cool,” Cody said. “Where at?”
“Good question, he hasn’t told me where,” Carey said. “So, you boys will shower tomorrow morning instead of tonight. Okay?”
“Okay!” Zack said, jumping on the question. He and Cody immediately went into their room to play videogames. Carey got on the phone and called Mr. Moseby.
“Mr. Moseby!” she said a bit excitedly when she finally got him. “It’s Carey. The boys want to know where we’re going to when we go out for lunch tomorrow.”
“Hm…I don’t know,” Mr. Moseby replied. “How about the Family Diner? That’s always a good place to eat.”
“Okay,” Carey said, “Okay, just make sure you don’t wear one of your suits there!” Mr. Moseby laughed as he said, “Bye.”
“You think it’s a little suspicious how Mr. Moseby came straight to our door, dressed in something other than a suit, to talk specifically to Mom?” Cody said to Zack. He was pacing the room while Zack was playing video games on their XBOX.
“No,” Zack said. “I think it’s cool that we get free lunch from him.”
Cody rolled his eyes. He sat down on the edge of his bed and watched Zack play the video game he was losing at. He couldn’t help but to think something weird was going on between his mother and Mr. Moseby…
At ten o’clock, Carey came into the boys’ room, saying, “Boys, it’s bedtime. Get a good night’s rest so you won’t be falling asleep at the table tomorrow…Zack.” She eyed her son, who smiled in a mischievous. “Good night, love you!”
“Love you,” Zack and Cody said in unison. Zack immediately got into bed and was asleep instantly. Cody reached over to his nightstand and grabbed his journal, a notebook he wrote in at bedtime almost every day. He began writing about his day at school, what had happened in the hotel, and wrote several questions that had been banging around in his head since Mr. Moseby arrived at the door to their suite.
At half-past, Cody was asleep, like his brother.
Chapter Four
The next day, Zack, Cody, and Carey met up with Mr. Moseby in the lobby. They got in his car and he drove them all to the Family Diner. On the way, Zack and Cody remained silent while Carey and Mr. Moseby talked up in front. When they finally arrived, they took a booth by the window. Cody made sure that his mother and Mr. Moseby weren’t sitting together by taking the seat next to Mr. Moseby.
Zack gave his brother a look that said, “Why are you acting so weird today?” as they ordered their drinks. It was after the waitress left that Zack noticed a prize grabber machine a few feet off.
“Hey, check it out, Cody!” he said, pointing. “A prize grabber!” He immediately looked to his mother. “Mom, can a have a few quarters?”
Carey sighed, rolled her eyes, and took two dollars out of her purse. “Here,” she said, giving one each to Zack and Cody. “You get four tries each. Go play!” She watched her sons run to the prize grabber, Cody a little slower than Zack. Cody threw his mother a look from behind while he was running.
“Boys will be boys,” Mr. Moseby said. “Spencer and I were a little like that when we were growing up.”
“Really?” Carey asked.
Mr. Moseby nodded. “Yes, except we got one dollar between the both of us. It usually ended up with me having to give Spencer all the money,” he said, giving a small smile. “We both knew better than to start a fight in public. Our fights were extremely violent back then…”
Carey laughed. “That’s a lot like the way my sister and I were,” she said. “Except boys always fight worse than girls.”
Mr. Moseby agreed and took a sip from his drink. He paused before saying, “Carey…about that kiss last night…”
She put up her hand to refrain him from speaking. “It’s all right,” she said. “Zack and Cody will never know if we don’t talk about it.”
“Right,” Mr. Moseby agreed. He smiled. “I never mentioned how good of a kisser you are.”
Carey blushed. “Why, thank you, so are you,” she said. It was as if the words were just pouring out of her.
Mr. Moseby smiled brightly and looked down at the table.
Neither Carey or Mr. Moseby were aware that Cody was watching them talking. He could hardly hear them, but he was almost positive he heard the words “kiss” and “kisser” a couple times. Zack was taking his four turns at the prize grabber and didn’t notice Cody watching them.
While Cody was taking his four turns, Zack annoyingly pressured him to try and win the one he wanted, but Cody wasn’t hardly paying attention. Without noticing, he won the prize Zack wanted and his brother kept it after he absentmindedly said, “Nah, I don’t want it.” He was watching his mother and Mr. Moseby like a hawk.
“Dude, what’s wrong?” Zack said to Cody when he noticed how strange Cody was acting. “You’re acting like a robot. You’re hardly talking.” The stuffed lion he’d wanted was in his hand. He planned on giving it to a girl he liked. He took his cell phone out of his pocket and checked his messages because he felt uncomfortable trying to talk to somebody who was nearly muted for the day.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Cody said. “C’mon, let’s go sit down.” He walked with Zack back to the table and noticed that Carey had moved to sit next to Mr. Moseby. A little angry, he sat next to his brother as their food arrived.
“Yum,” Zack said as he began eating the hot dog he’d ordered, the same as Cody’s meal. Carey had gotten chicken breast and Mr. Moseby ordered a hamburger. It took Cody a minute to figure out he was expected to eat and he took a bite of hot dog and ate a couple fries.
“Cody, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you eating?” Carey questioned.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Cody assured her. “I’m just taking my time. I don’t want to choke.” That was the best excuse he could make up in his mind.
Carey looked at him a little strangely before going back to her chicken.
“So, boys, how’s school going?” Mr. Moseby asked, trying to make conversation.
“It’s cool,” Zack said. “I’m getting better at reading.”
“Good for you, Zack,” Mr. Moseby said. “How about you, Cody? Still making straight A’s?”
“Yeah,” Cody replied. “Sort of. I used to have a B in Spanish, but I just brought it up to an A. So I guess I’m getting better at that like Zack’s better at reading.”
“Good, then,” Mr. Moseby said. “You boys like your teachers?”
“They’re okay,” they both responded in unison. Mr. Moseby laughed a little.
Zack laughed, “I guess that was twin telepathy, huh?” He smiled. Cody gave a small grin but it faded quickly. Zack looked at him for a moment, but then returned to his food.
When they finished eating, Zack, Cody, and Mr. Moseby went to the bathroom. While washing their hands, Mr. Moseby asked Cody, “Cody, how come you’ve been so quiet? You hardly talked today.”
“Yeah,” Zack agreed. “You’ve been acting different.”
“I’m telling you guys, nothing’s wrong with me,” Cody said. “Maybe I’m just a little tired. I didn’t sleep too well last night.” He left the bathroom right after saying it. Zack looked up at Mr. Moseby and pointed after him, mouthing, “Weirdo.”
While in the car on the way home to the Tipton, Carey thanked Mr. Moseby. “Thank you so much for taking the boys and me out for lunch,” she said. “Boys, what do you say?”
“Thank you,” Zack and Cody said together.
“My pleasure,” Mr. Moseby said as they pulled into the parking lot. They all got out of the car, the boys went straight up to their suite. While they were running into the building, Mr. Moseby kissed Carey’s hand goodbye…but he didn’t know Cody caught a glimpse of it.
“I knew it!” Cody said under his breath as he went up the steps into the hotel.
“Huh?” Zack said.
“Nothing, just muttering to myself,” Cody lied. Zack rolled his eyes and they went up to their suite.
“Call me, Carey,” Mr. Moseby told Carey.
Chapter Five
The next day, while Zack was at Bob’s house and Carey was rehearsing for her show, Cody tried to think of what was going on between his mother and Mr. Moseby. He paced the living room for over an hour, thinking.
The image of Mr. Moseby kissing his mother’s hand replayed over and over again. He then got to thinking of how Mr. Moseby showed up the other night at their house wearing something other than a suit, wanting to speak to Carey personally, and he wondered why it took his mother so long to talk about her job. The last thing he thought of was the bouquet of roses Carey brought in with her after talking to Mr. Moseby.
Then the truth hit him and he said, “Mom and Moseby are…dating!” out loud. He nearly fainted and immediately wanted to talk with his mother. He put on his shoes and ran down to the ballroom, where Carey was practicing for her show.
He went down in the elevator and ran through the lobby, down the hallway, and into the ballroom where Carey was practicing. The only people in the ballroom were Carey, himself, and…Mr. Moseby.
Carey stopped singing and said, “Cody? What are you doing here?”
“I want to talk to you,” Cody said. “In private,” he added.
Carey gave a baffled look to Mr. Moseby, who shrugged, and she put the microphone back on the stand and went into the hallway with Cody.
“What do you need?” she asked.
“I want to know,” Cody said, taking a deep breath, “what’s going on between you and Mr. Moseby.”
Carey looked to the left, then to the right, and finally looked at her son. “Cody,” she said, “sweetie, there’s nothing happening between us. We’re just friends, okay?”
“You’re lying,” Cody said instantly. “You’re not looking me in the eye. Look me in the eye and tell me nothing’s happening.”
Carey couldn’t resist the challenge and finally said, “Okay…we’re going out.”
The shock of it wasn’t as huge on him as it was when he first figured it out. “I knew it,” he said. “That’s how you got the roses the other night. Tell me…what else happened in that hallway?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Cody!” Carey said, annoyed. “Look, I have to practice, so you can talk to me later. Go back up to our suite, please.”
“Fine,” Cody said. “I’m going.”
“I’ll see you up there.”
“Whatever.” He started walking but stopped. Carey had only cracked the door. Cody stood next to it so he could eavesdrop on his mother and “boyfriend”.
“What was that all about?” Mr. Moseby was saying. “Does he know about…us?”
Cody heard his mother sigh. “Yes, he knows,” she said.
“How did he handle it?”
“Not too badly, actually. It’s his brother I’m worried about.”
“Zack? Why?”
“Well, Cody’s been a little tougher on the inside for a while now, while Zack isn’t exactly the same either. Haven’t you noticed how assertive he’s become?”
Mr. Moseby laughed. “Yes, I see your point. Anyway, you’d better get back to rehearsing, as your time’s up in ten minutes.”
When Cody heard his mother begin singing again, he left. He ran up to the suite. So it was true! He couldn’t wait to tell Zack, but he wouldn’t be getting back until much later. About fifteen minutes later, Carey came up into the suite with Mr. Moseby.
There's gonna be more soon! I hope you took the time to read this thouroughly and I will post more soon.
