Page 9 of Fight For Us
“My mom always wanted to live on the water. That’s why they bought this house about ten years ago. I still remember the day my father surprised her with the keys.” I felt my lips tip up.
“That’s so sweet.” Her voice had a wistful quality. Musical even. “Is she home too? I know you mentioned your dad watching Lilly.”
“Not yet. She volunteers most Saturdays with her church. Feeds homeless folks, helps collect donations, stuff like that.”
“She sounds like an absolute saint. Nothing like my mother.”
“A saint?” I chuckled. “Trust me, she has some unholy moments.” Namely anything that comes out of her mouth about my ex-wife. I kept that thought to myself. “She used to bring Lilly with her until an incident at the shelter involving a man, a trench coat, and a police report. I’ll let you fill in the blanks.”
“That’s utterly disturbing.”
“My thoughts exactly. Thankfully Lilly didn’t see anything, but to be safe, she stays here with my dad while I’m at work.”
I held the door open for them to go inside. The kids pushed through first and Lilly said, “Come on, I brought my Switch from my mom’s house. Let’s play games.”
“What do you have?” Alex asked as they jogged down the hallway.
“Nothing violent,” Olivia yelled at their retreating frames.
“Don’t worry, I think it’sMario Bros.,” I said. Olivia passed through the doorway, brushing my chest with her shoulder. The top of her head reached below my chin. I could smell herhair. Faint hints of lavender and mint—what I’d imagine the feeling of calm smelled like.
“Come on in, make yourself at home.” I gestured toward the wooden kitchen table, scattered with paper and markers from Lilly. “Sorry about the mess.”
“Please, I’m a mom to a ten year old boy. This is nothing.” She tidied the table, piling the paper and sliding the markers back in their box. She held up a picture Lilly must have drawn earlier of a cartoon looking cat. “She’s really good. I can’t believe this was done with magic markers.”
I opened the fridge and grabbed two beers, popping the tops off with my magnetic bottle opener stuck to the fridge. “Yeah, she definitely doesn’t get that talent from me. Here you go.”
She took the beer with a thanks and drank a long sip. I watched the way her lips molded around the open bottle and the way her delicate fist wrapped around the base. Her throat bobbed as the sip slid down it and I had to force myself to turn my head and gulp down a sip of my own. I was staring like a creep. And hell, my pants were tighter than they’d been five minutes ago.
“That hits the spot,” she said. “It has no business being this humid outside.”
“Welcome to Florida—humidity, bugs, and gators. Oh, and tourists. Lots of those.” I pulled out the chair opposite her and slowly sank down, biting back a groan.
“Can’t wait to be a resident.” She laughed. “Honestly where I’m from isn’t much better. Upstate New Yorkhas awful humidity, killer mosquitos, and way too many hikers. I don’t understand the appeal.”
“Not a nature person?”
I found myself sitting forward waiting on bated breath for her every word. She broke her gaze away from the soggy beer label and pinned it on me.
“Nope. Not unless you’d call the beach nature. Sand I can do, but dirt?” She visibly shuddered while bringing the bottle back to her lips.
“How’s that working out for you, being a mom to a boy? Does your husband do the outdoorsy stuff with him?”Slick, Wes. Real slick.She choked on a sip of beer. “Shit, you okay?”
“Yup,” she said in between coughs. “Went down wrong.” When she’d composed herself she answered, “No husband. I’m painfully single.”
Was I mistaken, or did a blush spread across her freckled cheeks? Either way, a burst of warmth hit my chest like a bullet. What the hell was this feeling?
“Painfully single, huh?”
“Yup. And not looking to change that anytime soon.” She raised a brow and studied my face.
“Noted.” I smirked, adding, “I’ll have to tell the line of single guys that followed us over here to hit the road.”
Her eyes flicked to the door and back again. “Smooth.”
“I thought so.” I chuckled and pulled at my beer.
“So… about that pizza you promised?” she asked.
