Aiken
It was the end of summer session, and I wound my way down our new street. A whole year had passed since I met Claire. The first few months we officially lived together had not been easy. Emotions ran high, doors occasionally slammed, but we fell into a rhythm. We loved each other for who we were. We decided not to allow our pasts to ruin us, but to help us grow.
These days, we lived far off campus in an old farmhouse. The land had mostly been sold off to the surrounding farms, leaving us with a midsize vegetable garden and a small orchard. We painted the house white with a purple door. There were flower boxes on the front second-story windows filled with purple impatiens.
From afar, it seemed like we were a fairy-tale couple. And, damn, did we deserve our happy ending, but it was hard getting here.
My mother had admitted to being the mastermind behind the blast that killed Abbie and the bombing attempt at the second concert. She’d been sentenced to life in prison.
“Hey there, tough guy.” I patted Smitty on the head as I wandered around to the back of the house.
I looked up at the selling point, the balcony off the master bedroom, and there she was, looking over the backyard. She was standing next to the railing, drinking coffee, and watching the progress on the in-ground pool.
“I see you were rolling in the pond,” I told the sopping-wet dog.
“Don’t let him back in the house,” Claire called down.
I nodded and pointed toward the outdoor doghouse we’d set up for Smitty. He’d spent many days drying off in the pretend igloo.
“Can I come in?” I teased up to the balcony.
“Yes, but I have work, so you can’t distract me.” Claire winked.
She was going to have a hard time selling that to me in her white tank, jean shorts, and messy bun. My sexy professor, casual and gorgeous, and all mine.
When I made it upstairs, she was settled in a chair on the balcony, looking over papers.
“Is that important?”
She nodded. “Potential grad students for internships at the preschool. They have me working on the initial selection committee. There are some great ones, but I’m going to have to recuse myself, which kinda makes me sad.”
“Why?” I sat down across from her, taking a sip of her sweet coffee.
“Abbie. She wants to interview, and she deserves a fair chance. I just can’t be the one to decide.”
“Got it.” I knew better than to argue. We’d met with Abbie once, but Claire just wasn’t there yet. She wasn’t ready to make peace.
“I know being involved with the preschool is a dream for you. Should I tell Abbie to back off?”
“No, I don’t want you to do shit like that. I’m a grown woman.”
“Oh, I know. And a gorgeous one.” I leaned forward, my hand tracing her shapely calf.
No reason to poke the bear. Plus, I wanted in her pants.
I got up and snatched her paperwork and set it on the table.
“Hey, don’t you have homework?”
“I can balance my own schoolwork, Richards.”
I’d enrolled in a few computer classes, but I’d already been accepted to an elite segment of a federal agency, helping to hack into the dark web and secure information.
“Well, then, distract me, farm boy.”
