Page 57 of The Only Time

“Wow,” I say as I join her. “That’s a pretty big honor. Thank you.”

I’ve played this with my niece, so I know how coveted the clerk position is to kids. Layla and I play several rounds of store with her until Layla manages to get Liam and Josh in the room. Brie convinces them to play, and we sneak away for a drink.

“So, how have you been? Any word about Don and his whereabouts?” she asks as she pours us a glass of wine.

I take my glass. “Thanks. Actually, the police have confirmed he’s back in Cleveland. My brothers just want to give it another couple of weeks to settle down and have him followed before I go back home.”

A hint of sadness crosses her face. “That soon?”

I smile. “It’ll be a little over a month by then.”

She sighs. “I know. It just feels like you got here yesterday. I’ve really liked having you here. And I think Eric has too.”

Before I can ask her what that means, Josh comes in and grabs her hand. “You don’t get to escape that easily. Brie has insisted that Auntie Laylay and Uncle Josh shop as a family.”

They both walk away laughing together hand in hand. I watch them in envy, wishing I had someone that loved me that way.

“They’re annoyingly cute, aren’t they?” Eric startles me.

I turn around and lose my breath again just like I did when he walked downstairs tonight before we left. He looks so damn handsome with his cream sweater which has a zipper that goes down about a fourth of the way, paired with dark jeans and brown shoes.

“I don’t know that I’d say annoyingly,” I say standing beside him.

“Trust me, it’s annoying. They make it look easy.”

I look up at him and once again want to know more about him. I want to know about his past relationships. Was he ever in love? Did she hurt him like I suspect?

“Maybe it’s easy when you find the right person,” I whisper as I watch him.

He doesn’t respond, just looks deep in thought. I don’t know if he’s going down a dark path of memories or not, but I suddenly feel the urge to change the topic.

“Your parents’ home is beautiful. It’s what I would have pictured a large southern home to look like, but it's somehow even more beautiful in person.”

When he looks back at me this time, he appears more laid back. Like whatever was on his mind is now a distant memory. He smiles. “Care for a tour?”

I smile in return. “I’d love one.”

He grabs my hand and pulls me away from the kitchen. “I think you’ve seen most of the first floor, but we can do a general recap.”

He never lets my hand go all through the tour of the basement, backyard, and first floor. As he leads me up the stairs, I start to wonder what his family must think if they spot us holding hands.

“Is this the house you grew up in?” I ask once we make it to the top of the steps.

“I guess you could say that. We moved into this house when I was eleven. Before that, we didn’t have much money. It was a bit of a culture shock for me.”

“Sometimes money makes things complicated.”

He doesn’t respond to me but opens the first door on the left. “This was my room. Not much to look at.”

“Wait,” I stop him before he can close the door. “It looks like your parents haven’t done much with the room. Is this all of your stuff?” I ask as I walk into the room.

“They haven’t changed much in all of our rooms. A fresh coat of paint and some new bedding, but other than that it’s all the same.”

The colors are just what I would have guessed for a teenage boys room with blues and greys. There’s dark wooden furniture that shows its age, but is still expensive looking. There’s some Green Day and New Found Glory posters hanging on the walls above the desk.

“You listened to punk rock?” I turn and smile.

He chuckles. “Yeah, I still find myself listening to that music in the car.”

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