Page 16 of Finding Home

“Will I get Fitz-time after?” She batted her lashes.

“That could be arranged.”

“Have his people call me.” A throaty quality underscored her response. It was like the ghost of Marilyn Monroe possessed her. Elle imagined what her teenaged self would think about CJ Owens asking for her number, and how aghast she’d be about thirty-six-year-old Elle giving it to Clayton, hoping he’d use it.

SIX

“I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago.I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.”

~Jane Austen,Pride and Prejudice

Starting the day off with a run was not unusual for Elle. Every morning in California started with her solo treadmill jog, looking out her window at the pre-dawn sky. That was normal. What wasn’t normal was running with a former classmate turned hot farmer turned hot veterinarian Airbnb host.

Despite the veterinarian clinic being closed on Mondays, Clayton insisted on sticking with a six a.m. start time. Opening the door, she was startled to find him standing on the porch.

“Sorry. We never said where we’d meet this morning, so I just came to you.”He threaded his fingers into his short sandy strands. “I got here a bit ago but didn’t want to knock too early. I didn’t want you to feel rushed.”

With a nod, she smiled.

Walking to his pickup, he outlined the plan. Just knowing he had a plan made her knees wobble. She always had a plan. Herplans had plans. It was nice having someone else hold the map for once, even if she itched to take it back.

They drove to the Greenway, a former railroad track refashioned as a running trail cutting across several nearby towns. Two reusable water bottles sat in the cupholders filled with water for them. One of the bottles a simple black, the other with the wordsGo Pug Yourselfin white lettering skating over a pug silhouette. Clayton explained the bottle had been a gift from his sister Natalie.

Elle claimed the plain bottle for herself, his thoughtfulness making her stomach somersault. Being near him was reminiscent of sitting too close to a campfire on a cold evening. The flames’ hot breath a comforting blanket wrapped around you, but if you get too close, you’ll burn, and if you step too far away, you’ll freeze. It was a complicated dance to experience his thoughtful fire while reminding herself she was only here for a month.

“Thank you. Just don’t tell Fitz. I don’t want him to think I’m anti-pug.”

“That’s a tall order. He’s my best friend, even if he hogs the bed.”

“How big is your bed?” The innocent question sounded more suggestive than she meant. Blushing, she twisted and looked out the window.

“Big enough.” He cleared his throat, making her turn, wide eyes meeting his winking ones.

Oh dear.

The morning air was already thick. The forecast called for near ninety-degree temperatures for the next few days. She’d dressed appropriately, but her running shorts and exposed sports bra strap poking out from her tank top somehow made her feel naked. Elle tugged the hem of her shorts, feeling the caress of his side-eye gaze.

He's so checking me out. Wait, do I want to be checked out?

“Fitz must be so disappointed in Natalie for becoming a human doctor,” Elle said referencing Clayton’s sister, who was completing her residency in Boston.

The joke was an attempt to ease the sexually charged energy in the pickup, but there was a new tension punctuated with the clench of Clayton’s jaw. Everyone, including Elle, had assumed he’d grow up to be his dad. Even if she’d witnessed him go green in the gills at the sight of her blood in high school, it had seemed a pre-destined role for him. Only he hadn’t fulfilled that prescribed destiny.

Questions swirled within her at his mournful expression. She bit the inside of her cheek, fighting back the urge to ask.

“Belly rubs soothe all of Fitz’s disappointments,” he said, his tone quiet.

“I may need to try that.” She shot him a smile, which he returned. “I always liked your little sister, even if she used too much glitter on her projects at day camp. She’d insist everything needed sparkles.” She wiggled her fingers like jazz hands. “Didn’t matter what it was. She once made a football mobile with rainbow glitter. Glitter was everywhere but on her. Somehow, I had it all over me, even in my bra. No idea how it got there, but I had bedazzled rainbow boobs.”

The tense muscles lining Clayton’s face eased, a rumbling laughter erupting as she gestured to her breasts. She grinned, choosing not to be embarrassed by the motioning to and speaking of her breasts. The relief that came with the relaxing of his rigidity was worth it.

“She used to do the same thing with frosting. Mom would find smudges and globs everywhere. We’d be covered, but she’d be spotless. I swear she’s made of Teflon. Nothing sticks to her.”

“I think I’ve heard you speak more since the barbecue than in the entire time I knew you growing up,” she blurted. “I’m notsaying you talk too much. I’m not complaining, not at all. I like it, it’s nice. Now, I’m talking too much.” A line creased her brow.Where’s my filter around this man?

“I have a stutter,” he whispered.

What?Elle shifted in the seat to face him.

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