by SJ McCoy
Oscar blew out a sigh. “I’m liking this less.”
Reid raised an eyebrow at him.
“I don’t think it’s a setup or anything, but what’s the point?” Grace scowled at him, and Oscar laughed. “All I’m saying is that you’re only here for a week. Why not go out with someone who can actually go out? Find someone you can take to dinner, have fun with.”
Reid shook his head. “Because I don’t want to. There’s something about her. I want to get to know her, and the way to do that is to go to her place. I don’t know why it’s such a big deal. I didn’t try to have any input about the way you guys all got to know each other. I appreciate that you care, but this is my business.”
TJ nodded. “You’re right. It is. Go. I hope you have fun, but I’m going to need her address and phone number.”
Dani laughed. “You sound as though he’s going to be abducted while he’s there or something.”
TJ nodded. “And if he is, we’ll at least have a starting point.”
They all laughed, but Reid knew that TJ wasn’t joking. This was hard for him. “Okay. I’ll give you her address and her number if that will make you feel better.”
“It will.”
“What time are you going?” asked Dani.
“I said I’d be there at seven.”
Oscar checked his watch. “Do you want Darren to take you back to the hotel, then?”
“That’d be great. Thanks.”
~ ~ ~
Tara paced around the kitchen. Was she crazy? She’d never invited a man to her apartment before. It wasn’t what a single woman should do. She knew that. Then again, it was something Deb and Carolann did all the time. They went out, got drunk and took guys home with them. They were still alive! And they invited guys from the club. She’d only gone and invited Reid Davenport! She’d googled him when she and Owen got home. He was a programmer, who’d developed some apps. He was also a writer! She shook her head and blew out a sigh. She didn’t really have to worry about him being a serial killer, she was fairly sure of that. She probably wouldn’t have to worry about anything other than tonight. He lived in Washington state—the San Juan Islands, no less. She didn’t know how long he’d be in LA, but she doubted it’d be more than a few days. Her biggest worry should be about Owen. He’d taken such a shine to Reid already. The last thing he needed was to get attached to someone he’d probably never see again.
Her phone rang, and she jumped. Maybe it was him? Perhaps he’d changed his mind and wasn’t coming after all.
“Hello?”
“Hey. You didn’t call me.”
“Oh, hey, Nic. Sorry. We went out this afternoon.”
“Oh, good. Where did you go?”
“We went to the community center over on Gascoigne Street with Carolann and Deb. They’re having a book drive, and I wanted to give some of my old books.”
“Cool. I’m glad you got out. How’s Owen today?”
“He’s great.”
“Still listening to mystery man’s music?”
Tara had to smile. “He is. And you’re not going to believe this, but we ran into him again today, at the center.”
“Mystery man? Seriously? Is he stalking you or something?”
Tara laughed. “No. He’s not. His brother thinks I’m stalking him.”
“His brother?”
Tara drew in a deep breath, not sure how her sister would react. “Yeah, it turns out that my mystery man is actually Reid Davenport. His brothers TJ and Oscar Davenport run the center. That’s why he was there.”
“Reid Davenport? Holy shit, Tara!”
She laughed. “Yeah, that’s what I thought when I realized who he was.”
“Damn, girl. Tell me you got his number this time?”
“I did, and he got mine, too. In fact, he’s coming over for dinner tonight.”
“Coming over?”
“Yeah. He asked me to go out for dinner, but I couldn’t—because of Owen.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“Yeah, I don’t see why not. Owen likes him. It’ll be easier here than trying to keep Owen happy if we went out someplace.”
“I don’t mean is it good for Owen, I mean is it safe for you?”
“It is. He’s a good man. You can just tell.”
“He’d better be. Are you sure he is who you think is?”
“I am. I looked him up online, and there are photos of him and everything. It really is him.”
“Okay, then. But it makes me nervous.”
Tara laughed. “I’m nervous, too. Though I shouldn’t be. It’s just dinner. He’s only here visiting his brothers. It’s no big deal.”
“No big deal? You’re dating a Davenport, and you say it’s no big deal?”
“I’m not dating him, we’re just having dinner, that’s all. I’m sure he’ll leave in a few days, and that will be the end of it. You’re the one who encouraged me that I should have a life, even if it’s only for a few hours here and there. So, this evening, for a few hours, I will have a life. I’ll have a kind, handsome guy, who Owen likes a lot, over for dinner. Then he’ll be gone and I’ll go back to my normal—and you’ll be nagging me that I should do more.”
“I suppose. But be careful. I wish he wasn’t going to your place.”
“It’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
“Of course, I’m going to worry. You have to call me when he leaves—no matter how late it is, okay?”
Tara laughed. “Okay, I’ll call and let you know I’m still alive.”
“It’s not funny. If he chops you up into little pieces, I’ll never talk to you again.”
“He won’t. I promise. He’s a good guy.”
“Okay. But you’d better be right.”
“I am. I’m going to go now. I want to give Owen a bath, and I need to get changed.”
“What are you going to wear?”
“I have no idea. I don’t know what one wears on a first date anymore, I haven’t had one in years.”
“Well, don’t ask me. I never had a first date that I didn’t go out on.”
“It’ll be fine, don’t worry about me.”
“I will. I’m sure it’ll be okay, but it makes me nervous.”
“I’ll call you when he leaves. I promise.”
After they’d hung up, Tara went to check on Owen. He was playing with his volcano. He loved that thing almost as much as he loved his dinosaurs. He looked up when he saw her standing there. “Play?” he asked.
She nodded and went to sit on the floor beside him. She hoped she wasn’t being stupid letting Reid come over for dinner. If Owen didn’t like him so much, there was no way she’d have agreed to it. Perhaps the fact that Owen liked him was a reason she should have said no. Either way, she had agreed to it, and she didn’t want to back out now. It was just one evening—possibly an enjoyable break from their usual routine—possibly an unmitigated disaster, but whichever it turned out to be, it was only one evening. It was a risk worth taking.
~ ~ ~
“You don’t have to wait,” Reid told Darren when he brought the limo to a stop in front of Tara’s apartment building.
Darren smiled at him in the rearview mirror. “That’s what you think. I’m under strict instructions from both your brothers and Grace, that I am not allowed to leave here without you. You stay as late as you like. All night if it works out that way, but I’ll be sitting right here the whole time. I would, even if no one had told me to. I have to say, I’m not entirely comfortable with this setup.”
Reid laughed. “She’s a single mom, not some Mata Hari who’s going to drug me and kidnap me.”
Darren laughed with him. “I’m sure you’re right, but can you imagine how we’d all feel if this chick really was a stalker and something happened to you?”
“Yeah, I suppose you have a point, but she isn’t, I assure you.”
“Okay, well, you’d better
get going before your pizza gets cold. And like I said, stay as late as you want. Don't worry about me.”
“Thanks, Darren.” Reid got out and looked up at the building. It wasn’t the most inviting looking place. But Tara and Owen were inside there somewhere, so he set out with his pizza toward the main doors.
The building was run down, but not dirty. The elevator smelled stale, and he held his breath until the doors opened on the twelfth floor. The hallway didn’t smell much better. He followed the numbered doorways until he found 1222. That was her. He tried the doorbell but didn’t hear any sound. He waited, not knowing if it was broken. Just when he was about to knock, the door opened, and there she was, smiling at him. She took his breath away. “Pizza delivery,” he said with a smile.
“Great. Come on in.” She stepped aside and gestured for him to go ahead of her.
For a moment, he hesitated. TJ and Grace’s warnings filled his head. What if they were right? What if there was a guy waiting in the next room, ready to bash him on the head and knock him out? He stepped through into the living room. There was a guy there waiting for him, but the guy was about two and a half feet tall, and he didn’t bash him on the head and knock him out; instead, he smiled up at him and tugged on his hand. “Volcano.”
Reid smiled at him. “Volcano?”
Owen nodded eagerly. “Volcano.”
Tara appeared beside him. “No, Owen. I told you, when Reid came we’re going to eat pizza.”
Owen frowned, and Reid hoped he wasn’t going to get upset. Thankfully, he didn’t. “No volcano?” he asked sadly.
“You can play for a few more minutes if you like,” said Tara.
Reid watched him go.
“Do you want me to take that?” she asked.
He handed her the pizza box and followed her to the kitchen area. The apartment wasn’t big. There was a sectional and a TV on one side, a kitchen that wasn’t much more than a kitchenette on the other, and a small dining table. Owen had disappeared through one of three doors off the hallway into what Reid assumed must be his bedroom, with the others leading to a bathroom and Tara’s room.
“What would you like to drink?”
“What are my options?”
“Beer, red wine, soda or water.”
“I’ll take a beer, please.” It seemed safer than unidentified red wine.
She took two bottles from the fridge and handed one to him. “Are you ready to eat?”
He nodded. “We probably should. I don’t think I got here as fast as a delivery driver would have.”
She smiled. “I never invited a delivery driver inside before.”
He smiled back. “I’m glad to hear it; that could be risky.”
She laughed. “I think my sister believes this is even riskier.”
He laughed with her. “She wasn’t impressed?”
Tara shook her head. “Not one bit.”
“If it’s any consolation, my brother wasn’t, either. Though what he thinks you might do to me, I don’t know.”
She smiled. “I could tell he thought I was stalking you this afternoon.”
“It’s nothing personal.”
“No, I can understand his concern.”
Reid raised an eyebrow.
“Well, I’m sure your family has to be careful.”
“You know the name Davenport then?”
“I do.”
He shrugged. He’d hoped she didn’t. But the way she’d reacted at the center this afternoon when he’d told her that his brother ran the place had made it seem that she did. At least, she’d seemed uncomfortable about it—not eager to date a rich guy like so many other women. The silence lengthened as they stared at each other. It wasn’t awkward. It felt comfortable—familiar—as if the two of them were connected by an understanding. Their siblings might be wary of the underlying motives behind this date, but the two of them knew. What did he know about her? He knew that she had a good heart. He had a feeling that, just as Dani had said, she was his person and he was hers. It wasn’t a concept to which he’d ever given any credence until yesterday afternoon when he’d met her. But now it seemed like some irrefutable natural law. She was meant for him, and he was meant for her. Now all that remained was the not so minor detail of turning the concept into reality.
Eventually, she tore her gaze away from his. “I should …” She picked up the pizza box and rummaged in a drawer to find the cutter.
Chapter Seven
Once they were all seated at the table, Reid raised his glass to her. “Here’s to …” He hesitated, and she wondered what he was going to say. To us hardly seemed likely. To a pleasant evening, seemed the only reasonable thing to say, maybe to getting to know each other?
They both laughed as Owen filled the silence. “Bach,” he said with a smile.
Reid nodded. “I like it. Here’s to Bach, without whose music, we wouldn’t be sitting here right now.
“To Bach.” Tara was happy to toast her gratitude to the composer. She had a lot to be grateful to him for. He’d brought Reid into her life, even if it was just for this evening, and more than that, he seemed to be bringing her son much more peace than he’d known until now.
She smiled at Reid. “So, how long are you in the city for?” She might as well as know from the beginning.
“Just the week. I wanted to come and visit my brothers and see how the book drive was going.”
She nodded. It was longer than she’d expected.
“How about you? Have you always lived here?”
“Yes, I grew up here. I always thought I’d move away someday, but it never worked out.”
“Where would you go?”
She smiled. “You’ll probably think I’m nuts, but I’ve been thinking about moving to Wyoming. Well, dreaming is probably a better word. I doubt I’ll be able to make it happen.”
“Why Wyoming?”
“Because I’d love for us to live somewhere like that. Somewhere quiet, rural, about as different from the city as you can get.”
“It’s definitely that. What do you do? Could you get a job in Wyoming?”
“I work from home.” She smiled. “I’m a freelance editor.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, Rupert, I know you write.”
He chuckled. “Now I’m nervous; I feel like you’ll be silently correcting my grammar.”
She laughed. “No, you have no worries there. I’m an editor by trade, not by nature. I’ve only been doing it for the last few years. I enjoy it, but I still think of myself as a teacher.”
“What kind of teacher?”
“A fourth-grade teacher. I loved it, but I couldn’t find a way to keep doing it.”
Reid cocked his head to one side. She liked the way he did that. He looked like a puppy who was trying to figure out her reasoning but couldn’t.
“It’s hard with Owen.”
He nodded. “I imagine it is. You don’t go anywhere without him?”
“No. Very rarely. Anyway, what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Well, I know you write, and I know you’ve developed some apps. What does your everyday look like?” She imagined it was very different from hers.
He smiled. “I work from home, too. I arrange my time in sections. For two months, I write and then the next two months I code. I find my brain works better with a break in between.”
“You sound like Owen.”
“That’s probably because I am like Owen.”
She put her fork down and stared at him. “That’s how you knew about the music—that it would help?”
“Yep. I used to be very much like him at his age. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found ways to cope.”
“Wow! You have no idea how much hope that gives me.”
He smiled. “I’m glad it does. I know when I was small, my folks thought I’d be that way for life. You should talk to my mom; she’d be better able to
tell you how it was for her.”
Tara shook her head. This evening seemed almost surreal. It was hard to believe that he was sitting here in her apartment having dinner—it was crazy enough that any guy should be sitting here doing that, especially when she’d only met him yesterday. But to think that he was who he was, and that he understood Owen—and that he was suggesting that she should talk to his mom!
He shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. “Are you back to thinking that I might be some creepy stalker, saying you should talk to my mom?”
She laughed. “Pretty much the opposite. I was thinking how amazing it is that any guy I just met would suggest that I talk to their mom.”
He laughed with her. “I think we’re getting off to anything but a conventional start here, aren’t we?”
“Start? You see this as the beginning of something?”
He nodded. “I hope I don’t freak you out—I hope you don’t want to throw me out when I say this, but yes, I hope this is the beginning of something. You said you felt it, too, yesterday. There’s something between us, something I’d like to explore—if you would?”
She nodded slowly. “It does sound crazy—but it feels right.”
He smiled. “Then shall we see where it goes?”
She nodded again.
~ ~ ~
When they’d finished eating, Reid watched Tara clear the dishes. She wouldn’t let him do anything. Owen went back to his room, and for the first time, Reid felt safe to ask about his father.
“Is his dad still in the picture?”
Tara shook her head but didn’t turn around, continuing to load the dishwasher. “No. He wasn’t able to deal with Owen. He found it too difficult and so he walked.”
Reid closed his eyes, wondering how any man could walk out on their own child—and on their wife, leaving her to cope by herself. When he opened them again, she’d turned around and was looking at him. “I’m sorry.” Was all he could think to say.
She smiled. “I’m not. It’s better this way. Owen stressed him out, which stressed me out. Me being stressed upset Owen and so it was all just one big vicious circle. We were all unhappy and exhausted. At least now it’s just the two of us. Owen’s calmer, and I’ve found ways to make it work.”
