The furniture store has come and gone, leaving each room filled with a modest amount of stuff. Trevor and Jenna each got to pick out their bedroom furniture last week when we went shopping. We did a large haul at the local linen store and the rest over at Target. I make a mental note to suspend the kids’ college fund payments the next couple months so I can get my credit cards paid down.
“Come on, you two, this is the last of the boxes,” I tell them as I pull the hatch of my SUV open. We’ve cleared out the storage unit, and the stockpile from my brother’s house. The kids each brought items from Heath’s over so they can keep them with me. It didn’t get past me that a lot of it was dirty laundry. I’m sure they think I’ll break down and wash their clothes, but they each have another thing coming.
“I thought Uncle Tony and Will were supposed to help us?” Jenna whines.
“They did,” I say as I hand Trevor a box.
“They didn’t help us till the end,” Jenna complains.
“They did enough– Here.” I hand her a box that I know she won’t drop. “Take them inside. They go in my room,” I yell at their retreating forms.
I stretch my body into the back of the car, my fingertips barely grasping at the brown cardboard. “Come on, you sucker,” I say through clenched teeth. My hamstrings burn as I continue to reach, but once I get a firm grip relief floods my body. “I seriously need to workout.” I grab the box, moving my hands under it. I hike my leg up trying to get a firm hold on the teetering case. My leg drops as I’m about to lose my balance, causing the box to slip down my thighs.
“Mother–”
“Here.”
A deep voice comes up from behind me, making me gasp and lose my grip on the box completely, lucky that the deep voice has cat-like reflexes because he swoops in from behind and grabs the box with a grunt before it hits the ground.
“Jesus, what do you have in here? A body?”
“Don’t be silly. A body wouldn’t fit. There’s just body parts in…”
My sentence dies when I turn around and see who saved my books from becoming bent up piles of trash. “Holy shit…” I utter under my breath, but apparently not quite enough because my reaction gets a chuckle out of him. It’s Liam Prescott, Ben’s father. I’d recognize that face anywhere. His sandy brown shaggy hair and beard is the complete opposite of what the military usually demands, but when you’re in the middle east, they like the soldiers to try to fit in. I notice that he and Ben both share the same seafoam green eyes. To put it simply, he’s stunning.
With a smile, he shifts the box to get a better hold. “Where can I put the body parts?”
I swallow, trying to clear my mind of some serious lust induced fog. “Yeah, um… Inside?”
He laughs again. “Are you not sure where you want this?”
I shake my head and laugh. “I’m sorry, yeah, follow me.” I step around him and head into the condo. I’m such a ditz sometimes.
When I enter, it’s quiet, which means the kids are probably in their rooms unpacking. More than likely they’re in their rooms so they don’t have to do any more physical labor, but they’re not getting off that easy. I survey the room, trying to figure out where the box can go. “Anywhere?”
I spin around and see Liam standing at the threshold of my door. “Yeah, you can drop it anywhere. They’re just books.”
“You a big reader?”
“What–No? Oh, I’m an author.” I stop at my confession. “Shoot. Pretend you didn’t hear that.”
The box slides down his arms as he carefully sets it on the floor next to his feet. “Is there anything else you didn’t want me to hear?”
I scrunch my nose. “What?” He jabs his thumb over his shoulder towards the door to where my car is, and that’s when it hits me. He’s talking about the ‘holy shit’ comment. Closing my eyes, I will the embarrassment to stop as it creeps up my neck.
“So why do you want me to pretend I didn’t hear the last part?”
“Mom!” Jenna shouts from her room before coming down the hall. Her steps falter a bit when she sees Liam in the living room. “Oh. Um, you’re Dillon’s dad, right?”
He nods, shoving his hands in his pockets and smiles. “Yep, that’s me.” There’s a slight blush that hit his cheeks.
“Sup,” I hear Trevor say from behind me, and the low baritone of his voice startles me. When I turn to look at him his brows are furrowed. He’s not happy with our guest. I want to laugh, and then I want to ruffle his hair and tell him I’m proud that he’s protective of me.
“Hey.” Liam gives a small wave while smiling.
The room falls silent. Okay, this entire situation is a bit awkward.
“So, anyway,” I say trying to break the tension, “I’m Whitney James. I’m Ben’s teacher.” I step towards him and extend my hand. He immediately takes it with a firm but gentle handshake. There’s a familiarity when my skin touches his.
“I’m Liam Prescott, but I guess you already knew that. I’ve got a place a few doors down.” And now he’s a neighbor. Perfect.
“Yeah,” I reply, a bit too breathless for my liking. He drops my hand, and I instantly rub it on the side of my shorts. His eyes flick to my movement before bringing his eyes back to mine.
“I thought you said you’re an author.”
The kids choose this time to conclude that the situation is now boring and retreat to their rooms.
“Yeah, I am. Part-time, I guess you can say, but no one on campus knows what I do after hours. I don’t like to advertise it because we do have uptight parents and I wouldn’t want them to have an issue with my teaching their children, you know?”
He looks confused. “I don’t get why it’s such a big deal.” Hoping that he’ll take a hint and maybe leave while the getting’s good, I start to busy myself with pulling boxes open. “Not going to answer?” His voice startles me making me turn to see he’s now standing beside me.
Making a quick look towards the hall to make sure I don’t have any eavesdroppers, I drop my voice to almost a whisper, “Because I write romance and not your hearts and rainbows type, either. Hot and heavy is more my speed, if you get my drift.” I raise my eyebrow as I wait for him to get what I’m saying.
He rocks back on his feet, doing that snap and smack of his hands thing. His eyes go wide, and I know he now understands what I’m implying. The blush hits his cheeks again, making him seem younger than what I’m sure he is. “Ah, I totally get the secrecy now.”
“Yeah, not everyone is open-minded,” I tell him as I continue to unload the box of knickknacks.
“So what do you write about? Like… um, ball gags and butt plugs?”
My head snaps to him. “What?” I shriek, making my voice a little higher than I intend. “No, definitely not that.” I laugh. “That’s considered erotica, and I’m nowhere near brave enough to travel down that road.”
“Everything okay, Mom?” Trevor questions from the hallway.
Turning my head, I see the concerned look on his face again. “Yeah, honey.”
“Well, I better get going,” Liam says.
“Oh, yeah, right,” I respond, somewhat relieved that this visit is coming to an end.
“Later,” Trevor comments before heading back towards his room.
“Thanks for the help with the box,” I tell Liam as I walk him towards the front door.
He stops and turns towards me. “I’d like to read your books if you don’t mind.”
“Oh, no, that’s okay.” I shake my head. “You don’t have to do that. Let’s forget that you know I write at all, okay?”
He laughs. “You know I can look you up online, right?”
“Well, you could if you knew my pen name, but you don’t so good luck with that.” I pat him on the shoulder.
Sighing in defeat, he continues out the front door. “I’m pretty good at finding things,” he tells me over his shoulder as he continues to retreat down the path.
“Not as good as I am at hiding them,” I call back before shutting the door, ending the conversation.
“Mom?” Jenna’s voice startles me, making me turn around. “Why are you blushing?”
“No reason, baby.”
No reason at all.