“Maybe we should call it a night here,” I whispered.
His arms still around me, arms that felt nice and strong, gave me a reflexive squeeze but he nodded.
“How are you set for tomorrow night?” he asked.
How I was set was that Junior and Alyssa wanted a date night and so did their eldest daughter, Sofie, who usually looked after he kids when they needed her to. But now she had a boyfriend who was about to go to Boston to start his freshman year of college so she wanted all the time with Conner she could get.
Therefore, I’d told Alyssa I’d come over and watch the kids and she’d fallen on that like a man dragging himself through the dessert had just hit the water hole at an oasis.
“I’m watching a friend’s kids tomorrow night. The next?” I asked.
“I have a work thing,” he muttered with disappointment. Then he gave me another squeeze. “I’ll call.”
I smiled at him, my arms still wound around his shoulders.
“That’d be good,” I said softly.
His eyes dropped to my mouth then his lips dropped there.
We didn’t make out again but our kiss was hot and heavy, just brief, before he gave me a quick peck, a sexy smile (that actually was sexy), said goodnight and walked toward his burgundy Infinity.
I watched him go for a moment before I let myself in, closed and locked the doors.
I went to the kitchen and flipped the lights before I took out my phone and did what I did more than occasionally since the last one she didn’t answer.
I texted Robin with, Hey, things are happening and there’s a lot to tell you. You’re not replying, which has me worried. Give me a time that’s good for me to call and I’ll call. Love you!
I got ready for bed, doing it a little dreamily because Bradley was a little dreamy and it was clear he liked me, but by the time I was ready for bed, I realized that Robin again hadn’t texted back.
So, finally being grown up, I phoned her.
I got voicemail and left a message.
“Okay, now I’m really worried. Honey, we need to connect. There are some things I need to explain to you. Please call me.”
I got a book and went to my buttery leather chair but I didn’t read and slowly lost all the dreamy.
Because my friend didn’t contact me.
*
The next morning, as I was rushing into Dove House, I heard my phone chime with a text.
I dug it out as I pushed open the front door and I looked to Ruth at the reception desk.
I waved and said, “Hey,” as she smiled at me and said, “’Morning, Amelia,” and buzzed me in.
I pushed open the side door that locked the old folks in and walked through as I looked down at my phone.
I stopped dead, hearing the door click behind me.
Feverishly, I swept my finger over the screen to read the whole text.
Got the garage opener, Auden had texted. Like your note said, I’ll park in the garage. Thought you should know I got it.
That was it.
No, later.
No, bye, Mom.
No, love you.
I didn’t care. I’d take it.
Smiling huge, I started walking again just as I heard shrieked, “Nazi!”
I looked to my right to see Mrs. McMurphy sitting in the lounge glowering at me, her hand a fist above her head and lifting, her tongue lolling out, doing a signal of death by hanging.
“Good morning, Mrs. McMurphy,” I called.
She jabbed a finger at me. “Got my eye on you.”
I kept smiling but I walked away and started giggling.
Because Mrs. McMurphy might think I’m a Nazi.
But still, I was happy.
*
I was in my bedroom, packing an overnight bag, doing this attempting not to expire from death by paint fumes, when my phone rang.
I feared it was Alyssa, who’d shared she’d had a very good date night with her husband that began and ended in a motel room with a bottle of bourbon and another of chocolate sauce, thus she wanted to do it again.
Soon.
However, I’d spent that time with her kids, who were awesome, but they were rowdy and they’d done me in.
I wanted to be a good friend. I liked being around her kids. But I needed to ration that or her kids might kill me.
I saw the unknown number on my screen, but it was a number that was local and vaguely familiar, so I took the call, now hoping it was not the painters telling me the project of painting Cliff Blue would take two weeks rather than one.
They’d done my bedroom that day, painting the walls a beautiful dove gray with an elegant blue accent wall. This was why I was packing. I couldn’t sleep in there, I didn’t want to sleep in my kids’ rooms and the guest bedroom was a wreck because the painters were moving on to that the next day. The living room had been painted the day before and still smelled, therefore the couch was also out.
So I was spending at least one night at Lavender House with the Spears.
I took the call and answered, “Hello.”
“Amy,” Mickey bit off.
I shot to straight at his tone and replied, “I thought we weren’t talking.”
“We aren’t. Problem with that shit is my kids don’t know we aren’t and Ash’s got some recipe she wants you to eat. She wants you over for dinner tomorrow night.”
Disaster.
A disaster that had to be avoided.
To do that, I remarked, “I think that perhaps the fact that you and I clearly don’t get along would mean that you should shield your children from that.”
“I think the fact that since you’re all grown up, you can be adult enough to act like you like me so my kids who like you can have you over so my girl can cook for you and my boy can talk your ear off,” he returned.
It was frustrating that he was right.
“Fine,” I snapped.
“Right,” he clipped.
“Time?” I gritted out.
“Six,” he bit off.
“Wonderful,” I hissed.
“Terrific,” he ground out.
With that, he hung up on me.
And with that, my head exploded and my thumb moved over my screen, not only programming his number in so I would never be blindsided again by Mickey Donovan, but also so I could tap his number and call his ass back.
Which I did.
“What?” he asked curtly as his greeting.
“I’m not fond of people hanging up on me,” I shared waspishly.
“Noted,” he grunted like he wished he didn’t even have to make that noise while communicating with me.
“I also need to know if you want me to bring anything,” I told him.
“Don’t give a fuck what you do. Knock yourself out,” he told me.
He could not be believed!
“Charming,” I mumbled.
“Got a Ford and a job that means a tool belt hangs on my hips, Amy. Charm’s just not in me. Not a man with an Infinity and bad manners, which means he makes out with a woman on the front step of a house in a family neighborhood.”
He’d seen Bradley and me.
I felt my eyes turn to slits. “You are spying on me.”
“Amelia, you were goin’ at it on your front step,” he returned tersely. “Not hard to see.”
“Don’t look,” I retorted.
“Take that shit inside,” he fired back.