“Shit. We’ll talk later, okay?”
Rushing away from a confused Alex, I ran upstairs to find the girls fighting over a bed in the dollhouse. It took a while to remedy the situation, and by the time I made it back down to the kitchen, Alex was long gone. So gone, in fact, she was nowhere in the house. I knocked on her bedroom door, but there was no answer, so either she was avoiding me, or she left the property.
I was hopeful she’d be back soon so we could nip this lustful bud before it was too late.
Hours passed while I helped the girls empty their suitcases into the dressers. The travel storage unit arrived, and I helped them navigate it behind the home and into the spot Autumn designated for me. She’d used orange spray paint to mark the area.
I wanted to spend more time in the workshop, but with no one to monitor the girls, I only got a couple of minutes in there as the girls touched every power tool in sight. I could only overpower my fear for so long before it crashed over me, and I took them back to the house.
Luckily, they were more than content to lose themselves in an ice princess movie, so I could catch a quick shower before dinner.
I wasn’t sure what time the Easterlys expected our arrival, especially if we were accompanying Alex. So, I sent a message to Andrew to find out. By the time I stepped out of the bathroom, the message remained unread. If there was one thing I despised about my friend, it was that he was terrible about checking his messages unless he sent the initial one. Like when to meet at a bar or to pick him up from the airport. If it didn’t serve a purpose for him, he never checked the messaging app.
Just as I tugged on a pair of khaki shorts, the sound of the front door closing reverberated. I realized it was most likely Alex arriving back at the B&B, but the irrational side of me feared it was one of my daughters leaving through the front door.
Shorts still unbuttoned, I rushed barefoot out of the room and down the stairs, only to collide with Alex as I reached the bottom. My arms reached out to steady her as her hand pressed against my chest.
“Shit,” I said as I spun past her to open the front door, looking around anxiously for signs of one of my daughters. Molly would be the one most likely to escape, as she enjoyed testing her boundaries with me.
“Are you okay?” Alex asked from behind me as I worked to steady my breath.
“Yes. Er… was that you coming in the door?”
“Yeah, I…. Do you need to sit down?”
I suddenly felt lightheaded and took her advice to sit down on the steps of the front porch. Then she guided me through some deep breaths.
“I thought it was one of the girls. I mean, I knew it wasn’t. They’re probably still upstairs watching the movie, but my mind immediately went to the worst-case scenario.”
“I’m sorry. I should have called out a greeting or something when I came in. I’m not used to living with other people.” Her apology was heartfelt, and when I turned my eyes to her, I could make out the remorse in her gaze.
“It’s not your fault. This parenting thing isn’t for the weary, that’s for sure.”
I took her in as we sat next to each other. She wore a pale-yellow sundress with straps that tied at the top of her shoulders. Every ounce of me wanted to untie those strings and uncover the prize beneath. But I knew better.
“Do you ever wear a shirt?” she asked, and it took me a moment to remember I’d only pulled on a pair of shorts before stumbling my way downstairs.
Smirking at the way she stared at my chest with longing, I replied, “Only when it’s required.”
“Hmm….”
“Earlier today, you wanted to talk to me about something. What’s on your mind?”
Alarm registered as her eyes grew, back growing stiff, until she launched up from the stairs. I did my best not to notice the soft-looking white panties she wore beneath her dress as I reached for her arm, but I was too weak and failed.
“Alex,” I implored as I tugged at her wrist to sit back down beside me.
It was a warm day in the valley, but nothing compared to the heat that sparked between the two of us. As she sat, I rubbed small circles on her wrist with my thumb, feeling the increase of her pulse with every stroke.
Her eyes were trained to where I held her, and she licked her lips before asking me to refrain from touching her. “I can’t think when you’re doing that.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“It’s not that. I just… ugh. I’m just going to come out and say it.”
“Okay,” I replied as I reluctantly pulled my hand away.
“We met about a year ago.”
