by Diana Currie
"Yes, please," he replies smiling. "The service is so good here I don't know why I'm looking for a house at all," he jokes.
I smile at the compliment. Adam is so much more fun to look after than Agnes Coleman. "Lunch is coming right up," I say standing up to leave. Adam shifts his body slightly so that I can get passed him and I glance back briefly to ogle his jean covered ass before going down the steps to the kitchen.
To my surprise Mrs. Coleman returns in time for lunch so I make two sandwiches and leave them on the kitchen table with bottles of water, bags of chips, and a freshly sliced dill pickle before going downstairs to check the laundry. I'd moved both loads into the dryer before starting lunch and when I check on them only Adam's is done. His load was much smaller and therefore ready faster. I can hear him chatting with Mrs. Coleman up in the kitchen as I pull his clothes from the dryer. I fold them neatly into a pile and then separate Mrs. Coleman’s between the two dryers so they finish faster.
Adam’s missing from the kitchen when I get up to the main floor. His lunch plate is in the sink along with Mrs. Coleman’s. She’s sitting in the living room reading a magazine while I wash the plates and give the whole kitchen area a good cleaning. I can hear Adam moving around upstairs for the next hour or so while I tidy up the first floor and finish up the days laundry. Ten minutes before two o’clock a woman walks through the front door.
I recognize Caroline Brickman immediately. I’d never met her personally, but have seen her around Dr. Brickman’s office a few times, and her reputation precedes her. Her shiny blonde hair is twisted up into a bun with a few loose strands shaping her round face. She’s dressed in a lavender pant suit obviously tailored to fit her curves perfectly, nude stockings, and white pumps. Her long elegant neck is adorned with a single strand of pearls. Caroline Brickman is dazzling.
“Mrs. Brickman,” I greet reaching out my hand as I approach the foyer. “It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Amanda Sommerer.”
She flashes me a perfect smile as she takes my hand in a delicate shake. “Pastor Sommerer’s daughter. How nice to finally meet you,” she says.
Her beauty and grace overwhelm me and I feel insignificant and underdressed once again. What is it about these Brickmans? Adam resembles his mother in many ways. I can see the same flawless features in her face, the shocking green eyes, and impeccable manners.
“Adam is upstairs. Please have a seat; I’ll let him know you’re here.” I say gesturing to the sofas in the living room.
I take the pile of Adam’s clean clothes with me as I hurry up the stairs to his room. My knuckles rap on the closed door three times and I hear him call for me to come in.
“Mrs. Brickman’s here,” I announce taking a few steps inside his room and depositing the clothes on the edge of his bed. He’s lying down on it, head propped up on a pillow and reading the medical journal I’d noticed earlier. The book is shielding Adam’s face from view and as he lowers it to rest open faced across his chest I notice he’s wearing the reading glasses. The actual sight is so much better than my imagination, if that’s even possible. I don’t think there’s anything that could make this man less sexy.
“Thanks, Amanda.” He drops the journal back onto the night stand and takes off the glasses to use as a bookmark again. “Not quite 2 o’clock. My mother has never been a minute late in her life,” Adam chuckles and moves to stand beside the bed.
He adjusts his clothing, tucking his shirt back into the khaki pants he’s wearing and smoothes out the slight wrinkles with his hands. I look away, fearing a mighty big blush coming on. He follows me out of the room and down to the living room where Caroline is engaged in polite conversation with Mrs. Coleman.
“Hello, Mom,” Adam greets his mother warmly. She stands and wraps her arms around his waist, squeezing him tightly. I’m instantly jealous.
“It’s so good to see you, Darling! You look well.”
“Thank you. I told you before you needn’t worry so much about me,” Adam replies.
Caroline pats his shoulder in a placating manner. “Are you ready to go, Darling? We’re meeting Frank at 2:30,” she reminds him.
I’m surprised to hear Frank Harper will be touring houses with the Brickman’s. When Tommy and I were looking for a home Mr. Harper sent us around town with his nephew, Archie, who was only a year older than us. Adam must not be in the market for a little bungalow or a rancher to be getting the owner’s personal attention.
“Yes, I’m ready. Amanda showed me where the office is located this morning. We’ll be there in plenty of time,” he chides her affectionately then turns back to look at me and winks.
“Agnes, it was a pleasure chatting with you again. Do tell your brother I said hello,” Caroline says to Mrs. Coleman.
“I’ll do that,” Mrs. Coleman replies politely.
Adam turns back again as his mother heads for the front door, opening it wide. “See you later, Amanda?” he asks me. I shift from one foot to the other, feeling awkward in my own skin.
I’m about to reply that I need to pick up the kids soon but will be back to make dinner when Caroline speaks first. “Adam, I promised Bianca you’d have dinner with us at the house. She’s in town until tomorrow and wants to see you.”
“Oh, alright. Well, have a good night, Amanda. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. Mrs. Coleman, have a safe trip home,” he says.
I feel my face scrunching up in confusion but somehow I force a smile instead. Who the hell is Bianca? “Good luck with the house hunting. See you tomorrow,” I manage to reply. Mrs. Coleman simply nods her head.
Caroline and Adam Brickman let themselves out and as the door closes behind them I turn back to Mrs. Coleman to gauge her expression. Her eyebrows are lifted and she’s smirking at me. Are my thoughts really that transparent? Can she tell how flustered Adam makes me?
“Don’t look at me, dear. I don’t know who this Bianca person is either. Though, if you want my opinion, whoever winds up getting her hands on that man’s fine ass will be one lucky woman indeed.”
Chapter Three: A New Friend
Before leaving the B&B for the evening I pull a piece of stationary with a hummingbird border out of the check-in desk drawer and scribble a thank you note to Adam for fixing the faucet in the bathroom.
You were very sweet today to fix the bathroom faucet for me. I’ll have to remember to thank Dr. Brickman for raising such a kind and capable man. I hope you enjoy your evening with your family. –Amanda
I fold the paper in half and take it upstairs to his room, leaving it on his pillow. Then I bid Mrs. Coleman a fond farewell and hurry out of the B&B faster than I ever have before. Once outside, I immediately call Rebecca and she agrees to meet me at the house in an hour. On my way to pick up Tyler and Gabby I stop to get two large pizzas and some soda for dinner. From the daycare parking lot I text Brett and tell him there will be free food at my place for dinner. It takes less than a minute for him to respond that he'll be there.
The kids are over the moon to be having greasy pizza for dinner. They are so used to eating at the B&B or the healthy mom-meals I come up with at home. It feels good to treat them to pizza once in a while. I'm excited too that my two closest friends are coming over to hang out with me. I'm calling this emergency get together because I desperately need a dose of my real life after spending the day under Adam Brickman's spell.
"He can't be that gorgeous," Rebecca insists folding her slice of pizza in half and letting the grease drip onto her plate.
"You haven't seen him yet, Becca. My knees shake when he's around," I reply. "I honestly don't know what's gotten into me."
The kids are sitting too close to the TV eating their pizza happily and watching Sprout. Brett rolls his eyes dramatically at me and quickly swallows the huge bite of food in his mouth.
"So what you're basically saying, Mandy, is that you're finally starting to notice men again? Seems like the one wild week you spent with me has kept you satisfied for nearly a year," he teases.
Brett huffs and shoots me an evil grin. "That's not how I remember it," he whispers winking at me.
I shove his shoulder playfully and blush. The truth is the few nights I spent in Brett's bed were not my finest hours. I'm not proud of my decision to sleep with him on the rebound the way I did, but he provided me with the comfort and feeling of independence I desperately needed at the time. I regret sleeping with him only because it would hurt Tommy greatly to know I ran right to my best friend to have dirty loveless sex after he moved out, and because of times like this when Brett brings it up to rub in my face. He's been flirty with me ever since my separation with Tommy in a way he'd never been before; either in high school or during the years Tommy and I were married. This makes me wonder just how innocent and teasing his advances truly are.
Brett Tyson is like my brother. It certainly didn't feel that way while we were rolling around, sweaty and naked in his bed, but for most of our lives he’s been like a sibling. At the time, sleeping with him was a way of putting the final nail in the coffin that was my marriage; doing something that Tommy and I could never come back from. And I think subconsciously that was my intent. I was so fearful of back peddling; of changing my mind and taking him back that I wanted to do something to prove to myself that it was really over. Well, I certainly succeeded. While Brett was really good in bed and was able to give me just what I needed at the time, I don’t like feeling as though I used him and I often wonder if it meant more to him than it did to me.
I sit back against the sofa cushion and shake my head at him now. I've learned to let his little comments go without responding and just wait for the moment to pass. He lets it go faster this way, and with the kids in the room I really want him to drop it. Tommy still doesn't know about my tryst with Brett and nothing good could come from Tyler or Gabby parroting back to their father what their little ears are probably listening to Uncle Brett say right now.
Rebecca saves the day by bringing the conversation back to Adam. "So he's Dr. Brickman's son?" she asks.
"Yeah," I say shooting her a grateful smile. "Adam says he moved here from Chicago to join his dad's practice. He's a pediatrician."
Brett helps himself to another slice of pie but says nothing. I take another sip of soda, wishing it were white wine, as an unsettling thought occurs to me. "I think I'm so flustered by him because of the way he looks at me so intensely, as though I fascinate him or something,” I explain shrugging. “I'm nothing but the girl who cooks and cleans at the house he's staying in, but I feel like when our eyes meet he's searching inside my soul. Like he's trying to figure me out."
"That's kind of creepy," Brett says.
"Maybe he's just looking at me the way I look at him," I muse. "He's beautiful and mysterious. I still don't understand why he moved to Swainsboro in the first place. He doesn't seem to like small towns much."
"Now that you mention it, I remember my mom saying something about Dr. Brickman's son calling while she was in his office for my brother’s sports checkup a month or so ago. She said Dr. Brickman came back into the exam room apologizing for taking the call, claiming his son was having trouble at school. He said he wished that his son lived closer so that he and Mrs. Brickman could be more involved," Rebecca says. "Though he didn't mention which son. The Brickman's have three, don't they?"
"Yes," I say nodding, trying to process what Rebecca just said, "but Adam's brothers both live in Atlanta."
“Well, Atlanta is still relatively far away from here,” she countered.
“I don’t think either of Adam’s brothers are still in school.”
“Oh!”
"Seems to me like your lover boy might have a past," Brett adds amused.
I hate being a party to town gossip but I can’t help wondering if anyone else has heard about why Adam moved to town. People have been known to tell my father all kinds of things they hear because he's a religious figure, but because of that title he’s completely trustworthy and would never tell me what he’s heard. As much as it'd pain me to call Nikki, she would undoubtedly have more information. Maybe one of them could shed some light on the Bianca woman that Caroline mentioned this afternoon when she picked Adam up. Who is she? Why is she having dinner with the Brickman’s and asking to see Adam?
The idea for this evening was to get Adam out of my head so I can get back to my normal mundane life. “I need to stop thinking about him. He’s just another guest at the B&B. I don’t have time for a stupid crush on this man,” I say trying to sound convincing.
“What needs to be done there tomorrow, Amanda? I’m not subbing at the high school. Maybe I can take your shift and get an eye full of this man-god you’re describing,” Rebecca replies.
Becca doesn’t offer to work the B&B for me often so the idea is very tempting. I realize that I don’t want to miss the opportunity to see Adam and that makes me think it would be best if that’s exactly what I did. I could use a day away to clear my head. I could take the kids into Savannah to the really nice playground; we could get Tyler new sneakers, and most importantly I could not think or talk about the Adonis living in the B&B’s Red Room.
“Okay, you got it. Adam’s the only guest right now. He’ll need all three meals but so far hasn’t been picky about what I make. He even helped me with breakfast this morning,” I gush.
“You women are ridiculous. He’s just a guy. Sure, he’s good looking and a doctor. Is that all you two care about?” Brett groans.
I blush again and look to Rebecca for an answer. “Don’t judge me,” Becca replies. “I haven’t even seen him yet. He might not be my type.”
“Trust me Becca,” I pipe in, “Adam Brickman is every woman’s type. Even cranky Mrs. Coleman was eyeing up his ass.”
Rebecca laughs and Brett rolls his eyes. “That’s disgusting,” he says.
The three of us are all laughing when I hear a knock at the front door. Tyler jumps up to answer it and Gabby follows close behind. Only one person ever comes to the house at night and both the kids know exactly who it is.
“Daddy!” they shout in unison.
I stand to greet Tommy as he comes down the hall, one hand being tugged by each of the children.
“Are you here to tuck us in, Daddy?” Gabby asks.
“Yeah, pumpkin. I just got done work and wanted to see you before bedtime,” Tommy replies. His eyes meet mine and he smiles cautiously. “Brett, Rebecca,” he greets my friends politely.
They used to be Tommy’s friends too. I’ve heard it happens a lot; two people split up and their mutual friends are forced to take sides. It was only natural for Brett and Rebecca to gravitate towards me. Tommy got custody of Eric and Nikki, but I wasn’t complaining with the latter.
He looks at me, and I can tell he’s wondering if he’s welcome in the house. I go to him, giving him a friendly hug and offer some of the leftover pizza.
“No, I ate. Thanks. I just wanted to see the kids. Maybe read them their bedtime stories,” he says.
“Sure. I think they’re done eating. Right guys?” I ask. They both nod their heads. “Daddy’s going to help you with pajamas and read to you. Sound good?”
“Yeah! Yay!” they shout.
Tommy smiles at their enthusiasm and helps carry their dirty dishes into the kitchen. Rebecca, Brett, and I change our conversation to the auto body shop where Brett works. I could care less about the car Brett and his friends are fixing up but any topic is better than Adam Brickman right now. Rebecca tells us about her latest attempt to tell Eric Conners about her feelings for him.
They both went to University of South Florida after high school and I was sure at some point they’d hook up there. Eric is just as crazy about Rebecca as she is about him. After graduating Eric and Rebecca
both moved back to town and have been not dating ever since. They are both so shy and self conscious that I’m at my wits end. This has been going on since we were all fourteen for crying out loud.
I hear Tommy come down the stairs about half an hour later. “What happened to the closet door in Gabby’s room?” he asks walking into the living room.
“Tyler ran head first into it last week and it came off the track,” I respond.
“Oh, well I fixed it,” he says rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “I was also going to change the air filter on the furnace. It needs to get replaced every six months.”
“I don’t know if I have any clean ones,” I say unsure of what he’s even talking about.
“We do. They’re in the garage,” he says awkwardly, turning to go down the hall to the garage.
I didn’t miss the “we” but let him walk away without another word. I look over at Rebecca who’s giving me the puppy dog face. As much as she’s been there for me this past year I know she’s still hoping I’ll change my mind and somehow start loving Tommy again. I wish it were that simple, because if I could make myself feel that way, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
Tommy takes a big filter into the utility closet and emerges a minute later with an incredibly filthy one. He shows it to me, if for no other reason than to remind me that I still need him, for maintenance on the house at least. He’d just love it if I mentioned the back porch light was out and I didn’t know how to change the bulb. I was planning on asking Brett to fix it before he left.
“Thank you, Tommy,” I say sincerely.
“No problem. I’ll just chuck this in the trashcan out front. It was nice seeing you guys. Becca, how’s your mother feeling?” he asks.
“Much better, thanks. It was good seeing you, Tommy,” she replies.
Brett gives Tommy a tough guy nod and he reciprocates. My best friend and my husband were never the closest of friends. I walk him to the door and thank him for coming to see the kids. I know he did it because he misses them. It’s been hard on both of us to not see them every single day.
