Page 4 of Knox
She’s been doing a lot of that the last few days. Ever since Summer moved into the spare room in the basement. It’s enough to make my blood boil.
It’s bad enough living under the same roof as Summer. Always aware of her nearby, but unable to do anything about it.
But with my mom hanging around. Making suggestive comments. Talking about wedding bells and constantly making not-so-subtle sales pitch stories about how great a guy I am and how I’ll make a lucky woman happy one day. How good I am with children, and such a hard worker…
“mom,” I growl.
“What?!” she says, turning around and flapping her dishcloth over her shoulder. “Can’t a mother dream? You bring a beautiful young woman home with you, and I’m supposed to act like it’s no big deal? I tell you, back in my day, this kind of thing would never have happened.”
“Nothing is happening,” I sigh, “how many times do I have to tell you? I barely know the woman. I met her at the diner. She needed help, and I stepped up to the plate. Just like you taught me.”
“Don’t you try and flatter me now, Knox.”
“Oh,” my dad says, “leave the kid alone, Martha. He’s young. He’s in love. Who are we to get in his way?”
“Dad,” I sigh. It's starting to feel like I'm back in high school. Finding my own place to live has never been so appealing. “I’m not in love with Summer. How many frigging times do I have to tell you people? She’ll be out of here in a few days. Maybe a couple of weeks. It’s just temporary. Okay?”
A deathly silence envelopes the room. My dad’s eyes are bulging out his face like one of those weird frogs you see on the discover channel.
I turn around to see what’s caught his attention, and, standing in the doorway in nothing but a towel is Summer.
“Err,” she says, her eyes glued to the floor, “there’s something wrong with the water. I’m trying to have a shower, but it’s only coming out cold.”
I stand up and give both my parents the evil eye. I mean, they could have at least told me she was standing right behind me.
“It’s the boiler,” I say, “It does this sometimes. No Problem.”
I squeeze past her, doing my best not to look down at her considerable cleavage. Her fresh pink lips look good enough to eat. I’ve never wanted anyone more in my whole life.
She follows me downstairs to the bathroom. “Look,” I say, “I don’t know what you heard just now. But I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“It’s fine,” she says, wrapping her long, brown hair around her ring finger. “Like you said, I’ll be out of here as soon as I get my shit together.”
I turn the boiler off and back on again. Then I turn to her. The pain in her voice is almost palpable. This woman’s been through enough. The last thing I want is to add to her problems. And, truth be told, I am kind of in love with her. Ever since the first time I set eyes on her I knew she was special. It’s just my parents have been driving me nuts. “You can go whenever you're ready. You don't have to rush. I mean it. That stuff I was saying, it's because my parents have been driving me nuts. They think we’re gonna get married or something. I just don’t wanna get their hopes up or anything.”
“And what about your hopes?” she asks, a naughty smile on her face.
“All I want is for you to be safe, Summer.” Then, changing subject before I lose total control of my ability not to kiss her, I say, “You nervous about your first shift tonight?”
“Kind of,” she smiles. “It’s gonna be nice to have some money coming in though. To finally have a job. I’ve been meaning to thank you. Properly. But it’s like we never seem to see each other.”
Yeah, that’s because I’ve been avoiding you like the plague, I think.
“You don’t need to thank me,” I tell her. “Carl, the owner of the bar, he said he needed a new bargirl, and I thought of you. I have to warn you, though. This place, it can get a little rowdy sometimes. If anyone gives you any shit, you just call my name and I’ll be right over.”
“You don’t think I can handle them myself?” she says, stepping a little closer.
“I think you can handle just about anything that comes your way. But it’s my job to protect you. So if any guy so much as looks at you funny, I’ll break his fucking nose and teach him some manners.”
The boiler behind me starts to gurgle. “Sounds like the hot waters back on. How about you jump in the shower, and I’ll give you a lift down. You don’t wanna be late for your first shift.”
“Okay, Knox.” She stands on her tiptoes and kisses me gently on the cheek. I swear, I’m surprised my hardness doesn't rip straight out my jeans. I have to hold my hands at my side in tight fists just to stop from pulling her to me and yanking that damn towel off her naked body. “And really, I owe you a thank you. Nobody's ever been this kind to me before. It means a lot.”
“Isn’t this you saying thank you?” I stutter, my eyes locked onto her mouth.
“No, Knox,” she grins mischievously. “If I was thanking you, you’d know about.”
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