I DECIDED TO GRAB dinner out since I was down to very little in the apartment in the way of food. I went to the little diner I had suggested to Michael the first night I met him. I still liked the staff and the food was good, so I wasn’t going to let my bad experience with him scare me away from the place.
I was really glad I hadn’t seen him since returning. It would be awkward, and I was a little nervous, but I wasn’t going to admit that to Reaper. He was worried enough as it was.
The waitress greeted me in her typical friendly manner and told me to take a seat wherever I wanted. There were several tables open, so I chose one by the windows where the sun was still shining through, warming me in the cool AC.
I looked around to see if I knew any of the other patrons when I felt someone looking at me. There were families engrossed in laughing conversations, a young couple in what looked to be an intimate conversation, and a few old men chattering at a table in the corner. No familiar faces. No one looking my way. Hmm. I looked out the window, but with the sunlight coming in, it was hard to see out in the parking lot. Must have been my imagination.
I placed my order and noticed a text message from Reaper. I opened it and saw a pretty wrought iron fence separated by brick pillars with a beautiful gate. There was a horse cut in metal highlighted in the center. I laughed when I read the message, “Remi’s pony for now. Lol.” I zoomed in on the pic because, quite frankly, I was nosey and noticed an older, but pretty well-kept single-story farmhouse. It had a front porch that ran the length of the front of the house. I wondered if there was a matching porch on the back. Shoot, why did I care? It wasn’t like it was my house. And Reaper never really said what he wanted for us, just that ”we would see where things went,” and I wasn’t sure if that was a hopeful statement or a blow-off statement.
There was a garage that looked like it was added later with a breezeway connecting the garage to the house porch. There were several large oak trees that looked like they provided great shade in the summer. It looked like a big barn was in the back. Everything appeared in need of paint, but structurally sturdy. Of course, I was judging from a picture, so who knew. Either way, the place looked homey, cozy, and welcoming. I was slightly envious that I couldn’t provide that for Remi right now, but if things didn’t work out between her father and me, at least she had his place and my parents’ place to stretch her legs and be a kid.
After I overindulged in comfort food topped off with fresh apple pie with a crisp, flaky crust, I stepped out into the warm early evening. It was still daylight, but the sun was getting lower in the sky. As I walked to my SUV with the loose bits of asphalt crunching under my feet, I had the feeling of being watched again. I looked around, but still didn’t notice anyone. I thought I was getting paranoid because Reaper asked me about Michael last night.
I shook off the feeling and headed home, making a few stops on the way home to get gas, a lottery ticket—because you just never knew—some boxes, and a movie from one of those rental boxes. Sometimes I hated not having cable, but it was a needless luxury, one I was glad I had skipped when I thought about the money I had saved, money that would be going toward the changes I wanted to make at the Oasis.
I stopped by Pam’s apartment to see if she wanted to join me for my chick flick I picked, but she answered the door in an above-the-knee sequined dress and heels, putting a set of diamond studs in her ears.
“Hey girl! How’s the packing going?” Her smile was bright and infectious.
“Pretty good.” I nodded toward my flattened boxes shoved in two other boxes. “Just grabbed some more boxes. I was going to see if you wanted to join me for a movie, but I see you have more exciting plans.” I smiled at her and waggled my eyebrows.
“Yeah, I wish,” she said with a laugh. “We have an office party for the hub’s work tonight. Nothing like schmoozing with a bunch of stuck-up assholes and their banking clients.”
“Well, it’s your loss. I make some of the best microwave popcorn in the country.” I laughed and gave her a hug. Dang, I was going to miss her. We had started as a babysitter/mom relationship, but we had evolved into close friends.
“I can swing by tomorrow afternoon and help you with your packing if you want. Or we can hang out and drink wine…”
I clapped my hands like a small child would, and she laughed and waved as I headed to my apartment.
I dragged my boxes into my apartment, locked the door, and hung up my keys. I headed to the shower to wash off the sweat from lugging the boxes around in the humid air tonight. I set my phone on the counter and started the shower to heat up the water. My clothes got kicked into the growing pile in the hamper. Shit, I needed to do laundry tomorrow. A lot of those clothes would need to be packed up. If worse came to worse, I would shove them in a trash bag and wash them when I got home to my parents’ house.
I climbed in the shower, closed my eyes, and tipped my head back into the heated stream. I imagined the water jets were Reaper massaging my scalp. I slid my hands up my torso to cup my breasts, squeezing them gently and pinching my nipples. In my mind, it was Reaper whose hands touched me. As I ran my hands back down my body, one glided over my smooth mound, my finger finding a slick wetness that had nothing to do with the water from the shower. A soft gasp and moan escaped my lips as I pictured Reaper looking up at me as he buried his face between my legs and worked his magic. When I came, it was with his name on my lips.
Drying myself with a plush towel, I felt my core pulse as I dried between my legs. I braced my hands on the edge of the counter, hanging my head as I tried to calm my breathing. My wet hair dripping cold water on my arms became chilly in the AC, and I broke out in goose bumps, shivering. What was I going to do if he didn’t want me after all? Let’s face it, I was fricking obsessed with him. I was pathetic.
My phone started to ring. The caller ID read Unknown Caller. As I walked out of the bathroom, trying to decide if I should answer it, I heard my doorknob rattle again. I answered the call, keeping an eye on my door.
“Hello?” Silence. Are you for real? “Hello? Who is this? If this is a wrong number, please make note of the number you called so you don’t keep calling me.” No response. This was starting to piss me off. Stupid kids? Surely not Michael. He would just knock on my door and holler at me if he wanted to bother me again.
The call cut off, and I didn’t see or hear anything more from my door. I stood wrapped in my towel with my hair dripping on the hardwood flooring for several minutes before I shook it all off and went into the bedroom to put on clean pajama pants and a T-shirt. My phone rang again, and I looked to make sure it wasn’t unknown. It was 8:30 p.m. Reaper.
“Hey, you,” I said with a slight quaver in my voice. I didn’t need to let shit shake me up. I was probably letting my overactive imagination make more out of stuff than there really was. Pasting a smile on my face, I tried to keep my tone light. “How was today? I love the fence! Nice job!”
“Thanks, baby. It was a real pain in the ass with a bunch of hungover bikers, but it went better than I expected. So you like it? I didn’t want to just put up some crappy chain-link. The pillars were put in a few days ago by some guys moonlighting on their masonry jobs, so I can’t take credit for those, but I felt like we did a good job on the rest. I have a key fob for you for the gate when you get here.” He sounded so pleased with himself. I knew they had busted their asses. There was no way I was mentioning the stupid phone calls and getting him worked up and worried for nothing.
“Well, it looks great. I’m so pleased you did that to keep Remi safe. You’re doing pretty good at this father thing, huh?”
“I’m trying.” He laughed. “I know she’s probably getting a little spoiled with me, and I apologize in advance. I still cannot get over how fucking happy that little girl makes me. She smiles and pops those dimples on me, and I can’t tell her no.”
“Ahhhh, now you know how I feel with the two of you!” I laughed too.
“Oh really? Yeah, totally filing that information away for later.”
“Whatever! Like you didn’t know that already.” Every time we spoke he made me laugh so much. I just loved talking to him. It seemed as if he was always able to make me feel better when I was lonely or upset, even when he didn’t know I was. It may sound cliché or too soon, but I felt like I was falling for him deeper and deeper every time I talked to him. Unfortunately, the fear of getting my heart broken still crept into my mind.
“Hey, your little girl wants to talk to her momma.” I heard rustling again and then my precious little girl’s voice.
“Momma! Kisses Momma!” It wasn’t lost on me that Remi had picked up the more southern term of “momma” for me. Total evidence of hearing her daddy’s influence. It warmed my heart.
“Hey, baby! Yes, Momma is here and thank you for the kisses. Only six more sleeps and Momma should be home. I miss you, beautiful!” A conversation with a two-and-a-half-year-old isn’t exactly stimulating conversation, but I loved every second of it. The words she knew interspersed with jumbled babble were the sweetest sounds I had ever heard. She finished all she felt was important to tell me and left with a kiss on the mouthpiece of the phone before running off to play before Daddy put her to bed.
“I’m glad you’ve been able to have her with you overnight this weekend. I hope she hasn’t been too wild for you.” I worried she would get naughty and have him questioning his sanity at sticking around. It was different for a parent there from birth who was already used to the occasional temper tantrum or naughtiness. I didn’t know what it would be like for him stepping in at this stage in the game, and I was worried about him getting overwhelmed.
“Oh, we’ve had our moments, but I dealt with privates in the Army that were less manageable than her.” He chuckled. “I can handle my little princess, but like I said, I make no guarantees on how spoiled she might be by the time you come home. Are you sure you’re doing okay? I know you’re missing her, and I’m sorry for that, but I hope having her here has helped you with your packing at least.”
“Oh, it has. I cannot imagine what it would be like trying to pack with her running around unpacking as fast as I pack and trying to get in her naps and meals. Yes, it has definitely helped. I just really do miss her. Like I said, I’ve never really been away from her.” My heart ached talking about how much I missed my girl. I truly was glad he was able to spend this time with her though.
We talked about my parents, my ideas for the bar, and how many days were left before I would be home. We hung up with a hesitancy that implied we didn’t want to let each other go again. It really had my mind wandering in regards to what direction we were heading. He called me “baby,” but he was from Tennessee, and I knew they called a lot of people darling, sweetheart, and baby.
A week from today and I would be home—less if my brothers and I could manage to get everything loaded up and out of here quickly. I didn’t tell Reaper, though, in case it didn’t work out. Lordy, I couldn’t wait to see him again.