Chapter 6

Graham

Mrs. Reeves is a frail old lady, and she gets paranoid about everything. Last night, I managed to get the heater working again, but there is more that needs to be done to it. So, today, I’m back at her house.

She rents the place along with her son, who travels a lot for work. When he’s gone and things go wrong at the house, she leans on me to come over and handle things, even simple tasks. I don’t normally mind, though.

Mrs. Reeves is a little strange, but she’s nice enough, and they pay the rent one day early every single month. That’s a big deal. It happens from time to time that I have difficulty with other tenants. It’s a pleasure not to have to fight about rent with Mrs. Reeves or her son.

When I’m done installing the part, I find Mrs. Reeves in her living room, watching a cooking show. She tries to pull herself out of her armchair when I come in.

“Oh, don’t get up,” I say, and she sinks back into the cushions. She’s so small, it looks like the armchair is swallowing her whole.

“I fixed the heater. You shouldn’t have any more problems.” I don’t try to explain to her what I did. I doubt she’ll understand it anyway.

“Let me pay you for the parts, Mr. Cook,” she says.

I shake my head. “Don’t worry about it, Mrs. Reeves. It’s my job to keep you warm and safe.”

“Bless your heart, Mr. Cook.”

“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Reeves,” I say before I leave her house.

I don’t particularly enjoy spending time with my tenants. Most of the time, I avoid seeing them face-to-face or speaking to them on the phone at all. They pay me by electronic transfer or check, and unless something is terribly wrong, the arrangement works. I learned from experience that knowing them personally makes it difficult for me to do the right thing when they violate their lease or don’t pay rent. It’s easier for me to put down my foot when it’s necessary when I don’t know them.

Mrs. Reeves is an exception. With her son away so often and her paranoia and her age, I feel a little responsible to make sure she’s all right. It’s not much of a bother to me, and I’d to find out something bad happened to her when I could have gone over and helped. Plus, Mrs. Reeves reminds me of my grandmother. If I ever have to evict someone again, I pray to God it’s not Mrs. Reeves and her son.

When I arrive home, I notice Sarah is outside with who I now assume to be her sister and her niece. The little girl is running around the front yard, and her mother looks exhausted. With a child that energetic, I can understand why.

I consider going over to meet them. I hesitate, wondering if that would be intruding. I decide to go anyway. It’s my property, after all. Even if they don’t know it. Besides, I really want to see Sarah again.

When I walk around to her driveway, Sarah notices me first, and she smiles. She’s wearing a red coat that makes her dark eyes seem darker, and her hair is tied in a bun.

“Graham, hi,” she says. “Let me introduce you to my sister. This is Monica.”

When Monica turns around, I can see the resemblance. Her hair is darker, but she has the same deep eyes Sarah has and the same easy smile. Sarah is more beautiful, though, but maybe I’m just biased.

“Monica, this is my neighbor, Graham,” Sarah adds.

Monica holds out her hand, and I take it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I understand you’re in charge of the little matchmaker.”

“Oh, God, yes,” Monica says. She points at her daughter on the grass. “That’s her over there. Lindsay, come over and meet Santa.”

I chuckle. The girl — Lindsay — groans and comes to us.

“Mom,” she whines. “I already said I was sorry.” She turns her green eyes to me, her father’s eyes, I assume.

“This is Graham, Lindsay,” Sarah says, and I notice how she speaks to Lindsay. She worked at the school, I remember. She is used to being around kids. I can’t deny that it’s an attractive trait in a woman — men are naturally programmed to look for a woman who would be a good mother.

“Hello,” I said to Lindsay. “I have to thank you, Lindsay.”

Lindsay blinks at me. “For what?” she asks.

“For setting me up with Sarah,” I say, and Monica and Sarah laugh. Lindsay grins, looking pleased with herself.

“I didn’t know you’re not Santa,” Lindsay says.

I nod. “You’re right. I’m not. But I am interested in your aunt, so technically your wish got granted, didn’t it?”

Lindsay grins again.

I look at Sarah. She’s blushing, and I didn’t even mean for that to happen. I love it.

“I want to apologize for last night, Sarah, by the way. The client had a problem that couldn’t wait. Will you let me make it up to you? I’d like to take you out again.”

Sarah smiles shyly, and I notice Monica glancing at her. No doubt, the sisters talked about me. That’s not a bad thing generally. Sometimes, women can team up against a man, but I don’t get the feeling that Monica doesn’t like me. Whatever Sarah said, it must have been good. Monica looked eager to meet me, not irritated. That’s always a good sign.

“That would be nice,” Sarah says, nodding.

Score.

“Well, does Monday during the day work for you?” I ask. “I know it’s a little strange during the week, but…”

Sarah shakes her head. “I’m off with the school being closed for the day. Monday works perfectly for me.”

I smile and nod. “Monday, it is,” I say. “All right, I’m going to leave you ladies to your family time. It was nice meeting you, Monica.” I wave at Lindsay, who is playing on the grass again. She waves back at me with a big grin, and I’m sure she thinks we’re partners in crime. It’s always good to be in there with someone close.

When I turn around and walk away, I can feel both women stare at me. No doubt, they’ll gossip about me again. I don’t mind. I can’t see how they have anything bad to say, not if Sarah agreed to go on another date with me. Besides, I want a do-over. I want another shot at kissing her, making out with her, and taking it further.

Sarah is a stunning woman, beautiful and interesting, but she is also hot as hell, and I want her in my bed. Or hers. Both work for me. This isn’t just about a one-night stand, either. I want to get to know Sarah better. I haven’t had many women in my life besides the crazy ex, and even though I have opted for one-night stands until now, there’s something about Sarah that makes me want to try again. Of course, we’re only just getting to know each other, and I’m not planning on rushing anything.

Seeing her for another date so soon is rushing it, I admit to myself, but I’m not going to postpone the date. No way. I want to see Sarah. I want to spend time with Sarah. I want to fuck Sarah.