Chapter 7

Rob watched lazily as Allison swung her legs over the side of his bed and sat up. She was wearing nothing but one of his T-shirts and little lace underwear, and her hair was wildly rumpled from a night of sex and sleep.

She blinked a few times, clearly trying to wake up.

“You can stay in bed for five more minutes,” he said, reaching out to tug on her shirt. She’d found it with the other clean clothes in his laundry basket last night, after they’d left the clothes she was wearing scattered down the hallway to his bedroom.

“No,” she said, the word stretched out like a groan. “I have to get moving or I never will. I hate five o’clock in the morning. I shouldn’t have come over last night.”

“Hey!” he replied in mock outrage. “It was your idea.”

“I know.” She smiled at him over her shoulder. “It was a really good night. I’m just exhausted now, and I have to be at work in an hour.”

“You can always call in sick.”

“I need the money.” She sighed and heaved herself to her feet. She stood looking down at him for a moment, her lips turning up in an affectionate smile. “Your hair is quite a sight this morning.”

He made a halfhearted effort to smooth it down. It was probably standing up on end, since he’d worked up quite a sweat with Allison. They’d been seeing each other—that is, sleeping together—for ten days now, and Rob would have been happy to spend every night with her. But she was clearly trying to be careful, so they’d only spent four nights together. They hadn’t been planning on last night, but Allison had shown up at his door unexpectedly, saying she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

He’d done the only reasonable thing a man could do in such a situation. He’d grabbed her and taken her quick and hard against the wall next to the front door. Then they’d headed for the bedroom for another round. When Rob had woken up in the middle of night, Allison had woken up too, so they’d had another go.

He was just as exhausted as she looked, but he could easily get turned on again just by the sight of her in his shirt. Clearly they were in the very early stage of their sexual relationship, when everything was new and exciting, but he couldn’t remember being this insatiable before.

At least Allison seemed to want him just as much.

“I thought I’d get a comment about my hair too,” she teased.

“Your hair is beautiful.”

She crawled over her side of the bed so she could kiss him. “You are such a liar.” When he tried to pull her over on top of him, she resisted. “No. I really have to go.”

Rob gave an exaggerated sigh and dropped his hands to his sides. “Fine. Just leave me in my torturous state.”

She gave his crotch a quick look. “Doesn’t look too torturous yet.”

“Well, he’s tired. He had quite a workout last night.”

She giggled and kissed him again before she climbed off the bed and leaned over to pick up her bra and then slip on her shoes. “I’ll see you at breakfast.”

“Yeah. Oh, hey, I almost forgot. I’m having a cookout on Saturday. You should come.” He made sure to give the invitation casually, as if it had just crossed his mind. He’d actually been thinking through how best to ask her for a ridiculously long amount of time.

“What? What do you mean?” She looked confused but not horrified, which he took to be a good sign.

“I’m having a cookout. Just some friends and folks from the neighborhood. Since you’re from the neighborhood, it would be perfectly normal for me to invite you.”

“So I wouldn’t be your date?”

“Would that be so wrong?” He met her eyes evenly but made sure to keep his tone relaxed.

“We agreed to keep this private for now.”

“I know, but things seem to be going well. Why would it be a problem for other people to know about us?”

“You know why. I’m not ready for a relationship. I thought you understood that. I thought you were okay with it.”

He let out a hoarse breath. “I am. It’s fine. We can go on keeping it private.” He smiled at her, trying to convey easy acceptance.

She obviously didn’t believe his smile. “Does it really bother you? Keeping it private? I thought you were okay with it.”

“I am okay with it.” He was mostly telling the truth. It wasn’t that he wanted to brag all over town about dating Allison. Mostly he was feeling a bit insecure about the relationship. Worried—like he shouldn’t be investing too much in it if she wasn’t in it for real. If they could tell other people about it, then he could know for sure she wasn’t just playing around with him.

He’d been played around with by women before. He wasn’t going to let it happen again.

They’d only been together a couple of weeks, though, so he was just being impatient. Allison needed time. She was coming off a bad divorce. Her hesitancy didn’t mean she was just going to use him the way other women had.

“I’m sorry,” he added, sitting up. “I didn’t mean to pressure you. I’m really okay with things as they are.”

She relaxed her shoulders and smiled at him. “Okay. Good. Just tell me if you’re not happy with things. I’m not trying to string you along or anything.”

“I know that.” He was telling her the truth, so he knew it was convincing. “And I would like you to come to the cookout. Not as my date but as my neighbor.”

“Then I’ll come. When is it?”

“Folks will start coming around four, I guess. They’ll probably stay until eight or so. You can come by whenever you want.”

“Will there be a lot of people?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know how many will come. It’ll be low-key, though. Nothing intimidating.”

“Okay. I’ll give it a try.” She grabbed the top she’d been wearing yesterday from the dresser where it had landed. “I really have to go now. See you in a bit.”

“See you.”

He let out a breath as he heard her leaving the house. He knew she watched out the window to make sure no one was in sight before she stepped outside and crossed the street. She was serious about not wanting people to know they were seeing each other. It would be really nice when the day came that she didn’t feel like she had to sneak out of his house in the morning, when he could show the world that she was into him, that he could be with someone as incredible as her.

She wasn’t ready yet, but that would change. She was being honest with him—something his two ex-wives had never done. She wasn’t going to make a fool of him like they had. She just needed to feel more comfortable here. Maybe meeting more people at the cookout would help.

He wanted her to like this town.

He wanted her to stay here a long time.

On Saturday Allison kept looking out the window at people arriving for Rob’s cookout. There was quite a crowd—at least twenty cars she could see.

It would be fine. She used to go to social outings all the time in the city—many times without Arthur. It was easy enough to make small talk and pass the time. This would be fine too. She was getting used to the culture here, and she’d met many very nice people. She could go over there, introduce herself to people she didn’t know, eat a hamburger, and then come home if she wasn’t having fun.

No one was going to assume that she and Rob were together and start putting pressure on them to be serious.

It was just a cookout.

She was wearing a red sleeveless top and her favorite pair of shorts—they were gray and made her butt look really good. She’d tried three different hairstyles until she’d finally pulled it back in a braid. She didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard.

It was entirely possible that some of these people would assume she was after Rob simply because they were both single and in close proximity.

At four thirty she finally made herself just walk over there. Rob had said she shouldn’t bring anything, but she felt kind of silly walking across the street empty-handed. The people were spread out on his yard and patio, and several kids were sliding down a long piece of plastic, wet by a hose and stretching down the steep bank on one side of his lawn. Rob was standing near the grill, laughing warmly with a young couple she didn’t recognize, looking completely relaxed, completely at home.

She felt a pull in her chest at the sight of him, as if he could draw her to him like a magnet. The feeling was confusing and a little disturbing. She stopped walking for a moment to process it.

He glanced in her direction and saw her. He smiled and waved her over. “I’m glad you could be here. Come meet some folks.”

She was introduced to all the people standing around, and there was no way she could remember all their names. They all smiled at her, and some of them looked at her curiously, as if they couldn’t quite figure her out.

She knew the feeling.

Doing her best to keep up, she talked about when she’d moved to town, how she was working at Dora’s, and what she thought of the beautiful sunny day for several minutes, until the group broke up into smaller groups.

Rob was now talking to another latecomer, but he looked in her direction a few times, as if checking to make sure she was comfortable.

She went to get a beer—which she’d drunk more of since she’d moved to town than she ever had in her life—and then looked around for someone to talk to. Everyone was involved in their own conversations, but there was an empty chair next to an older couple. They looked nice. And safe.

She walked over. “Is anyone sitting here?”

“Oh no,” the woman said. She had salt-and-pepper hair and a very warm smile. “Please sit with us. We haven’t met yet. I’m Tari, and this is James.”

“Howdy,” James told her with a funny little wave. He had a huge mustache, tanned skin, and looked in very good shape for his age.

“I’m Allison. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“So you’re friends with Rob, dear?” Tari asked.

“Well, yeah, I guess.” She swallowed, feeling like her answer had been stupid. There was no reason to feel flustered. No one would know how she and Rob had been spending their nights. “I mean, I live across the street—there—so we see each other some. Plus, I work at Dora’s, and he comes in every morning for breakfast.”

“That boy,” Tari said, tsk-tsking. “I tell him he needs to watch his cholesterol.”

“I tell him that too. He doesn’t listen.” Allison looked back toward him and saw him glancing at her again. Probably making sure she had someone to talk to.

“He never did. That boy.” Tari shook her head, smiling fondly.

James added, “Stubborn.”

Allison pulled her eyebrows together. “How long have you known him?”

“For a very long time.” Tari reached over and patted Allison’s hand. “We’re his parents, dear.”

“Oh my goodness, I had no idea! I’m so sorry.”

“No reason for you to know,” Tari said. “We don’t live in town, and James doesn’t like to travel anymore. We’re fortunate that Rob comes to see us every week.”

Allison couldn’t imagine a world where a half hour’s drive amounted to traveling, but she wouldn’t dream of expressing her surprise to these kind people. Now that she knew, she could see the resemblance in Tari’s smile and James’s brown eyes. “Rob said you have a dairy farm?”

Tari shot her a quick, assessing look that Allison didn’t understand. She didn’t think she’d said anything too revealing or inappropriate. Then the woman’s expression transformed back into a smile. “Yes. We do, although we’ve scaled back a lot in the last ten years or so.”

“She keeps making me get rid of my cows,” James muttered, his mustache quivering.

Allison gave him a sympathetic look. “You still have some, though?”

“Way too many,” Tari said. “But you don’t want to talk about cows, I’m sure. Tell us about you. You’re not married?”

“No. I’m divorced. That’s really why I moved to town, to start a new life.”

“Well, it’s a good place to start one,” Tari said, reaching out to pat her hand again. “We’re glad you moved here.”

It sounded like she meant it, and Allison appreciated the sincerity and the kindness both. “I’m glad too.”

“How are things going over here?” a voice came from beside her.

She looked up to see Rob, standing and looking down at them with a beer in his hand. He met her eyes, and he seemed to be searching for something. She had no idea what.

“We’re doing very well,” his mother said. “We don’t need you hovering, as if we might say something to embarrass you.”

Rob chuckled. “I’ve come to expect that, so I don’t waste time trying to stop it. Have they said anything embarrassing yet?” His eyes focused on Allison’s, and she could tell he was making sure she was okay in her present company.

Just because she didn’t want a serious relationship didn’t mean she couldn’t chat with his parents. She gave him a relaxed smile. “Apparently, they too are concerned about your cholesterol.”

Rob groaned and covered his eyes with his hands, making them all laugh, and Allison was surprised to realize she was enjoying herself.

He wandered off after a few minutes, doing his duty as the host, and Allison stayed where she was, talking to his parents, who told her some funny stories about trouble Rob had gotten into as a kid—blowing up a shed with a chemistry set and throwing rocks at beehives. In all the stories he’d pretended that everything was just fine and that he’d planned the disaster to happen that way.

“He always was like that,” Tari concluded with a smile. “Pretending that he had everything under control, even when he got himself into the biggest messes you could imagine.”

Allison laughed at the stories and at the visual of Rob as a boy, but her heart was touched in a strange way, picturing that boy and how hard he’d tried to hide his messes.

He was still doing that. She remembered how long it had taken him to let her see his messy house.

Eventually Rob put the burgers on the grill and everyone gathered on the patio to eat. A lot of the guests had brought their own chairs, and the others sat on the low brick wall that surrounded the patio. The kids sat on the grass.

When Allison got up to get her burger, someone took her chair, so she was looking around for a place to sit when she walked up to Rob at the grill with her opened bun.

He smiled at her—a secret little smile that felt intimate and special—and asked very softly, “How’s it going?”

“Fine. I’m having a good time.”

“And my folks really didn’t say anything embarrassing?”

“They told me about you blowing up the shed.”

Rob chuckled. “That’s okay, I guess. It was a really impressive explosion.”

Allison had to stop herself from reaching out to touch him—his face, his chest. She hadn’t realized how hard it would be to act like they were casual acquaintances after they’d gotten so close.

“It looks like everyone has their food,” Rob said. “Hold on a minute, and let me get a couple more chairs from inside.”

Relieved that she wouldn’t have to try to make pleasant conversation while sitting on the ground, Allison waited and took one of the chairs that Rob set up near the grill. He grabbed a plate and filled it up before coming to sit beside her.

“Hey, Jeanie,” he said, his voice pitched to carry, getting the attention of a middle-aged woman with long graying hair and a broomstick skirt. “Can you tell Allison about how to hook up with those craft fairs you go to?”

Allison looked at him in surprise. Since he hadn’t mentioned it again, she’d assumed he might have forgotten their conversation from a couple of weeks ago.

“Sure,” Jeanie said, leaning over to meet Allison’s eyes. “There are a few that happen every year, and then I’m on a list that announces some others. If you give me your email, I can put you on the list.”

“That would be great. Thank you. What kind of crafts do you make?”

“Pottery. I’d love to show you sometime. What about you?”

“I make jewelry.” She felt a little self-conscious announcing it, since about ten other people were now listening to their conversation, but there was nothing strange or unusual about making jewelry. Most people weren’t like Arthur, belittling it as an unworthy activity.

“You didn’t make that gorgeous bracelet you’re wearing?” That was from an overweight woman in a surprisingly clingy sundress who was sitting near her. Allison was pretty sure her name was Peg.

“I did,” Allison admitted, glancing down at the beaded cuff she wore.

Peg gasped and leaned down to examine the bracelet more closely. “It’s stunning. Those don’t look like normal Walmart beads. Where did you get them?”

“A couple of years ago I found a big tub of beads at a thrift shop in Charlotte. Some of them were just cheap plastic, but some of them were really valuable, and they were all thrown in there together and offered for almost nothing. It was an amazing find. All I had to do was sort through them all.” She remembered the days she’d spent trying to sort out all of those beads. Even that tedious task had been enjoyable, since she could imagine what she might make out of them after she was finished.

“It’s amazing,” Peg said. “You’re really good.”

“Thank you.”

“Stuff like that would do really well at the craft fairs,” Jeanie told her, nodding in a competent, no-nonsense way. “You should definitely get hooked up.”

“I will. Thank you.” She turned to smile at Rob, who was watching her with a strangely satisfied look.

Since the conversation had broken up, Rob asked her quietly, “How did your trip to the college go yesterday afternoon?”

“It was good,” she said. “I talked to a really nice lady in the financial aid department, and she helped me fill out all the forms. She said that in my situation a Pell Grant would cover a lot of the tuition.”

“So when do you start?”

“Their next session starts in a couple of weeks, so I’ve signed up for an online class then.”

“Good.” His eyes were very warm. “I’m glad.”

“I just hope I can do it on top of work.”

Peg, sitting nearby, must have heard that part of the conversation because she broke in, “I got my degree while I was working. It kicked my butt sometimes, but you can do it.”

“Well, that’s the plan.” Allison decided that going back to college wasn’t a really personal issue, so it didn’t matter if other people heard about it.

“Someone said you were married to a billionaire,” Peg said, after taking a few chips off the plate of the silent man who must be her husband.

Allison almost choked on her bite of burger. Once she’d gotten it down, she said, “Not a billionaire.”

“Some bigwig in Charlotte?”

“He’s an executive at an investment firm.” Allison didn’t want to talk about Arthur, but she also didn’t want to be rude.

“So how come you’re so tight on money, after being married to him?”

Allison was definitely uncomfortable now. In her previous circles no one had ever talked about money. Of course, everyone had had it in her old life, so things here would likely be different. She spoke carefully, making sure not to sound offended or annoyed. “We had a prenup. We had to be married for ten years before I got any real money. I left him after eight.”

“And you couldn’t stick it out for two more years, just for all that cash?” Peg’s eyes were completely sincere. She wasn’t being catty. She really wanted to know.

Because Allison recognized that, she kept the bitterness from her voice. “It was a bad marriage. And honestly, at the end of it I didn’t want to feel like I was bought and paid for.”

Peg’s face changed, as if she were thinking through the words. Then she nodded. “Makes total sense. A girl’s got to know her own worth—and that ain’t money.”

Allison was surprised and gave an appreciative smile. “Exactly.”

Rob had moved his hand so it was slightly behind her. He rubbed her back with the tips of his fingers very lightly. Anyone looking would probably not realize he was doing anything intentionally, but Allison felt it. She knew he was being supportive.

It meant something to her.

She glanced over and noticed Tari looking in her direction, so she smiled, pleased when the older woman smiled back.

Today had felt awkward a few times, but overall it had been pretty good. These people were different from her, but they weren’t as different as she’d assumed. She was glad she had come.

It was eight thirty before the last of the guests finally left. Rob was ready for them to clear out an hour early, but everyone was having a good time and it was just now getting dark.

The good thing was that Allison had stayed to help clean up, so he didn’t have to cross the street to find her. She was right in his kitchen.

“You don’t have to do that,” he murmured, walking over to press himself against her back and wrap his arms around her.

“So everyone is gone?”

“Finally.” He tilted his head so he could brush a few kisses against her jaw and then her neck. “I’ve been dying to kiss you for hours and couldn’t do it.”

“Poor Rob. Tortured in that way.” Her voice was light, her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were smiling.

He turned her around with her back against the sink so he could kiss her properly. “Poor Rob indeed,” he murmured against her lips.

She responded to the kiss, her body softening, her tongue meeting his, but she pulled away before he wanted her to. “Let’s finish cleaning all this up.”

“It can wait.”

“But if it waits, it will still be here for days, and I really don’t want to see all these dirty dishes the next time I come over here.”

The guests had used paper plates and cups, so the only dishes were the ones they’d served food from. It didn’t really take that long to get them washed, and Rob was pleased by the sight of his halfway neat kitchen when they were done.

It had never looked that way until Allison came into his life.

“Now that the cleaning is done, we can get to the kissing.” He pulled her against him again and this time had a much more satisfying embrace.

“So did you have a good time?” he asked, holding her in a hug after their lips had finally broken apart.

“Yeah. I did.”

“Why do you sound surprised?”

“I don’t know. I just didn’t know anyone. You know how that is.” She paused and glanced up at him. “Or maybe you don’t.”

“I don’t always know people.”

“I didn’t mean to imply there was something wrong with it. It’s great you’re so connected here. I just wonder how long it’s been since you’ve felt awkward and insecure around people you don’t know.”

“I do my best never to feel awkward or insecure,” he said. It was true. He tried to avoid it as much as possible. Allison didn’t have to know how often he felt that way, especially when it came to his previous marriages.

She chuckled. “Yeah. I guess you do. Anyway, it was nice to get to know some of the people in town, and I really liked your parents.”

“Good. They’re pretty nice.”

She stretched up to brush a kiss against his cheekbone. “And they have a pretty nice son.”

“I have no objection to you believing that.”

He gave her a few kisses, then murmured, “Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?”

“There’s no good answer to that question.” Allison was stroking her fingers down his back in a way that felt incredibly good.

“Well, I’m telling you that you are. And I’m feeling a little guilty because I wanted everyone to know that this damned gorgeous woman wants to be with me.”

For just a moment it felt like she tensed up, but when he pulled back to check her face she was smiling.

“Is that all right?” he asked, wanting to make sure he hadn’t accidentally said something wrong. Surely a woman wouldn’t mind being called gorgeous.

“Of course it’s all right.” She pulled him back into a kiss.

He was really getting into it when a voice interrupted them. “Rob? Rob?”

They jumped apart, but not soon enough. Rob was pretty sure that Cali had seen them as she entered the kitchen.

“Cali,” he said, darting a quick look over to Allison, hoping she wasn’t going to freak out. “What are you doing here?”

“The door was wide open.” She wore jeans that were way too tight and a halter top that showed far too much cleavage. Her makeup was very heavy—as heavy as Dee usually wore. Rob wasn’t her father, though, so he couldn’t say anything about it.

“I had a cookout earlier, and people were just leaving. Is everything all right?”

“Yeah.” She was peering at Allison curiously. “Mom’s not going to be happy about this.”

Rob had to stifle a groan. He stopped himself from acting worried or urgent, though, since he knew that would encourage the girl to do exactly what he didn’t want. “She doesn’t have to know,” he said casually.

“She’ll find out soon enough.”

“No one knows yet.”

Cali’s eyes widened. Then she laughed in a decidedly naughty way. “Nice. So it’s a secret, then.”

“Up to you,” Rob said with a shrug. Allison was obviously letting him handle this, since she hadn’t said a word or moved a muscle.

“I won’t tell her,” Cali said, suddenly looking much younger than she usually looked. Even her makeup looked more like dress-up than anything else. “You’re that waitress from Dora’s.”

“Yes,” Allison said. “I am. And you’re Cali. I’ve seen you around.”

“Only when my mom is making a fool out of herself,” Cali said. “I love your shoes.”

Allison was wearing red sandals that looked very fancy to Rob. “Thanks,” she said. “They’re one of my favorites.”

“Did you need something?” Rob asked. “To make you come over, I mean.”

“Oh yeah. I ran out of gas just down the block there. Do you think you can help me?”

“Sure,” Rob said, relieved it wasn’t any sort of real crisis, particularly one involving her ass of a boyfriend or Dee. “I can run down to the station and get you some. Do you want to come with me?”

“I can stay here with Allison.”

Rob shot Allison a quick look. They weren’t supposed to be in anything like a serious relationship. The last thing she was going to want was to spend time with his rather pouty ex-stepdaughter.

At least Cali seemed in a reasonable mood today. That might help.

“Sure,” Allison said, smiling at Cali and then nodding at Rob. “That would be okay. She can help me clean up the last of the trash.”

Rob felt a little nervous about this, but there was nothing he could do. So he left them in his house and drove as quickly as he could to the gas station at the end of town to put two gallons in a tank, then drove it back to where Cali’s little car was pulled over on the side of the road.

He wondered if she had genuinely forgotten or if she’d just run out of money. He wondered if that Nelson boy was taking her money.

Either way, he’d put enough in to get her through the evening, and now he needed to get back to make sure that Allison was all right.

He was never more surprised than when he walked into his house and found Allison and Cali talking enthusiastically about shoes and jewelry as Allison swept a pile of dust into the pan Cali held steady.

Cali was smiling for real. Rob hadn’t seen that expression on her in years.