The unEXpected Plan

by Harper, Leddy

  Nellie’s gaze narrowed on me, and her brows pulled together the slightest bit, but it didn’t last long before she waved me off. “How should I know? My only two guesses would be Lindsey or Emily, his assistant. But honestly, I doubt they’re Emily’s.”

  “Why would you say that?” At this point, I didn’t care whose panties she thought they were, just as long as she didn’t suspect that they were mine.

  Mindlessly browsing the menu, she said, “Well, I was in there looking for a pen to leave him a note because he wasn’t at his desk, so of course, I pulled them out to see what they were.”

  “Of course.” As if that was the natural thing to do. Seriously, what else could they have been?

  “Anyway, they wouldn’t fit Emily. It’s not like they were big or anything, but she’s a really small girl, so it was fairly easy to tell that they’d be too big for her.”

  If that didn’t make me feel like shit, I didn’t know what would.

  Lucky for her, she didn’t know the panties were mine.

  “Oh!” I snapped my fingers, hoping she hadn’t caught the offense on my face. “Maybe he scored with Heather.”

  “Nope, he came back to his office before I left—but after I returned the soiled thongs—and I asked where he was on the plan, because I had the same thought. If they are hers, then he’s lying about his progress, and I don’t see why he’d do that. Lying wouldn’t benefit him at all.”

  They were cheekies, not a thong. But that was a moot point.

  “Where did he say he was on the plan?” For some reason, he hadn’t mentioned anything to me about Heather. I’d assumed he hadn’t made much progress since I’d seen him nearly every night—with the exception of Sunday, which he was at his parents’ house, and last night because I had laundry and cleaning to catch up on.

  “He said they had plans to get drinks last night, but since I saw him before his supposed date, I don’t have any other information. I guess he’s been busy with work, so that was the first opportunity he’s had to do anything. So yeah, they weren’t hers.”

  I doubted he would’ve met her for drinks without telling me, but it wasn’t like I knew that for certain. However, the more I thought about it, the more suspicious I became. The few nights we hadn’t been together, we’d stayed up late texting. But last night, they were quite sporadic. At the time, I hadn’t thought anything of it because I was busy picking up around the house. But now, I couldn’t shake it.

  “Okay, so that leaves Lindsey?” I needed to keep talking, or she’d definitely know something was up.

  Nellie closed the menu and set it aside. Really, there was no reason for her to have even opened it. This place was right next to her parents’ office building, so she frequently ate here. And she was the type to always order the same thing for fear of trying something else and hating it.

  “It’s possible. Not likely, but possible. Although, it’d be amazing if they were hers.” She let out a long sigh. “My parents love her and have already accepted her as part of the family. I would love to have her as a sister. We just need Corbin to straighten himself out, but he will. They always end up back together.”

  My chest constricted, and her words hit me like knives to the heart. I cleared my throat before continuing. “Well, is it plausible that he met someone online, and she stopped by for a midday quickie?” Even I didn’t believe that one, but I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  Once the waitress left with our food order, Nellie put her elbow on the table and perched her chin on her fist. If only her mom could see her now… “So what’s been going on with you?”

  “What do you mean? I’ve met you for lunch every day this week.”

  “Yeah, but we’ve been a bit preoccupied with my drama. I realized on the way here that I haven’t really asked you how you’re doing. How’s your job? How are you handling the Chase situation?”

  “Job’s good. Nothing new on the Chase front.” I wanted to tell her I’d be a lot better if we stopped talking about me, but that wasn’t exactly an option.

  “I’m still pissed at you, by the way. I totally would’ve come to get you at the hospital if you’d told me you were there.”

  “I know you would’ve, Nells. But you had a date, and I wasn’t about to ruin that.”

  “Yeah, but still, you shouldn’t have to rely on your neighbor to drive you home. She’s what…seventy?” Nellie was under the impression that she would never get old.

  “Sixty-two I think.”

  “Eh, close enough.” She was lucky that she came from money so that when the time came, she’d be able to afford all the plastic surgery to keep her from looking a day over twenty-nine.

  “Anyway, it’s over and done with. Let’s stop bringing that up.”

  “Deal. So why don’t you tell me what you’ve been up to this week?”

  Dammit, I thought we were moving away from me! “Not much, just relaxing and taking care of Phyllis. Same thing different day, but with the exception of not having to go to work. Oh, and having lunch with you every day. But other than that, nothing new. You know me…boring, boring.”

  I finally drank more water just to shut the fuck up.

  But her words about Lindsey stung and refused to go away.

  * * *

  With my arms over my head, I stretched out my entire body. It was the good kind that reached every muscle. I needed that extra moment, because today would be grueling work.

  I finally talked myself out of bed and padded to the kitchen in my socks to start the coffee. Phyllis must’ve still been asleep because her door was firmly closed. She usually slept until nine or ten in the morning, so we’d start without her. Knowing her, she’d come out to contribute, so I made a note to myself to leave the easy jobs she could manage.

  As I entered my bedroom, my phone beeped with a text message.

  Corbin: On my way, gorgeous. See you in fifteen or so! Xxx

  Me: Sounds perfect. Jumping in the shower now.

  Corbin: Naked?

  Me: Is there another way to take a shower?

  Corbin: No…dammit. That image caused something to stir. Why couldn’t you have said you were doing laundry…never mind, that still made me hard and think of you naked. Xxx

  Laughter bubbled through me as I read his texts one more time before jumping in the shower. I’d never been known to evoke that sort of reaction or think of myself as sexual in nature. Yet he encouraged those feelings in me like no one ever had. Our chemistry was undeniable, and even the thought of him in that way did things to me. I enjoyed it. These newly sparked sensations left an impression on me, but sometimes left me confused.

  Once I finished my shower, I began to straighten up the living room and kitchen. There wasn’t much to do. With just the two of us living here, things were kept pretty tidy, but I had nervous energy. I hadn’t seen Corbin in a few days, and the excitement of him coming over made butterflies dance in my stomach.

  I jumped at the knock on the front door, even though I’d been expecting him.

  “Hi,” I greeted him, shyly.

  “Hi, yourself.” He kissed me softly, and I nearly melted in his arms. The feel of his lips always did me in—and automatically made me want to take things further.

  I opened the door wider to silently invite him in. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

  “I brought us sustenance. We’re going to need it.” He grinned like a little boy on Christmas morning, which didn’t match our current predicament. We had this gargantuan project hanging over us, which was stressful, yet he seemed giddy.

  “Thank you. And I made coffee.”

  “Perfect.”

  We silently ate our sandwiches at the kitchen table, but it wasn’t an awkward silence. It was familiar and safe.

  “Which tasks should we tackle first?” I finally broached the daunting projects that awaited us outside, knowing he’d had it all scheduled out. That was his thing—organizing. So rather than pester him all week about the plans for
the house, I’d decided to wait for this morning.

  “I actually have a surprise for you. I’ve got several guys coming to help. They should be here in a few minutes.” Corbin shot me a tentative glance while he waited for me to answer.

  “Seriously? What will that leave us to do?” Excitement practically bubbled over at the thought of having help. I’d spent all week imagining that we’d be doing all the work. “I mean, that’s amazing.”

  “I had a buddy of mine—well, he’s actually an old client from years ago—come out last week to evaluate the condition of the house, and it turns out it’s a lot more extensive than I originally thought. So, I hired his crew to help us with the structural stuff. It shouldn’t take them long, but I’d rather things were put back accurately versus leaving us to guess what to do.”

  “Oh my God, Corbin! That’s too much!” I’d gone from grateful to guilty in a matter of seconds. When I’d agreed to his crazy idea of cleaning up the outside, my one stipulation was that he couldn’t pay anyone to do it. It was hard enough to bite back my pride and let him spend money on the supplies—the paint alone wasn’t cheap. “I told you I didn’t want you paying for labor.”

  He smiled, as if my irritation was cute. “It’s not a big deal. We either let a few professionals handle the bigger stuff, or we do it and risk creating more issues…which would require us to have someone come out anyway. I figured at that point, it might cost more money, because not only would they have to fix the original problem, but all the shit we fucked up trying to do it ourselves as well. Think of it as a time and money saver.”

  “I appreciate it, but I’m still upset that you went behind my back and did what I specifically asked you not to.”

  “Be honest…if I’d mentioned it to you first, would you have gone along with it?”

  “Hell no.” I shook my head and smiled, realizing his point without him having to state it.

  Just then, someone knocked on the door. Corbin stood to answer it, leaving me at the kitchen table to finish eating. There was something so domestic about that simple action, and it’d sent me into a daydream of what my future with him would look like while he dealt with the workers at the front door.

  When he returned, I stood and kissed his cheek. “Phyllis will be so happy. Thank you.”

  “No need to thank me, babe. I fully plan to collect payment when this is all said and done.” He chuckled and patted my butt before returning to his seat at the table.

  Since he’d prearranged to have a crew come to work on the structural projects, and those needed to be done before we could paint—or do any other cosmetic work—we took our time going over his plan of action.

  When we finished eating, I got Phyllis settled on the sofa in front of her daily soap operas, and then we set off for a hardware store to pick out plants for the yard. I’d allowed him to get everything else, but my one request was that he’d let me choose the flowers—a contingency he’d willingly agreed to.

  The contractors were almost finished by the time we made it back from the store—to give them extra time, we’d visited a few nurseries as well. The transformation took my breath away. The shutters had been removed and neatly stacked on the side of the house. All the peeling paint had been sanded away, and even though there were areas that still needed work, it already looked a hundred times better. Someone had stopped by to mow the grass, so all that was left was the weeding, painting, and planting. It was such a relief that so much had been done. The project would still take a good amount of time, but now, it didn’t feel so daunting.

  Phyllis came out in the early afternoon and insisted on helping, so I set her up on a stool in the shade pulling weeds from a planter while Corbin and I dug up the flowerbeds in the blazing sun. It didn’t take long before I was completely drenched in sweat. There was no way in hell I looked even the slightest bit attractive.

  “This is disgusting.” I lifted the hem of my shirt to wipe off my dripping brow. “I’m getting hungry, so maybe we should finish this last one and stop?” We’d successfully weeded the walkway and were on the last planter box.

  “Brooke?” Phyllis called out and then shuffled over to where we worked. “I think I’m done for the day. This is more work than I’ve done all month.” She chuckled to herself.

  “I know. But it’s going to look so good once it’s all finished.” I got up to help her inside. “I can’t wait for you to see the final product.”

  She stopped me for a moment and turned to face Corbin. “Do you like Chinese food?”

  He smiled widely and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Good, because that’s what we’re having for dinner. I suspect you’ll want to stay around for a bit and relax after all the work you two have done today.” She took my hand and continued toward the front door, waiting until we’d reached the top step before saying to me, “Let him know he’s welcome to stay over with you.” She patted my hand and then let herself into the house.

  She’d taken a liking to Corbin.

  And she wasn’t the only one.

  Yardwork had its pros and cons—the pros being all the time it lent to thinking. And I’d spent all day thinking about Corbin, contemplating how I felt about him and our situation. I’d allowed my mind to wander while sorting out the things I never had time to process otherwise.

  I had come to care very deeply for him. We’d started spending a lot of time together over the last several weeks, and I honestly couldn’t imagine a life without him in it. But after lunch with Nellie the other day, it was clear that her family didn’t see anyone else but Lindsey in Corbin’s future.

  We’d definitely reached a crossroad. Either we stopped things now and tried to salvage what was left of our friendship or carried on with what we were doing. I wouldn’t lie, after all we’d shared together—especially these last two weeks—it’d be hard to remain friends, but it could be done. We’d simply go back to the way things were before we’d slept together. I’d hardly see or hear from him, but that would be best, especially if he went back to Lindsey.

  That thought tore me apart, which led me to contemplate our other option: continue things as they were and see where it led. But if I took that fork in the road, my friendship with Nellie would suffer, and I couldn’t imagine a world without her in it, either.

  It was an impossible situation, which was why I rarely let my thoughts go rogue. I hated to think about the future—or lack thereof—because both options killed me. There was no way to win in the end, and that would only happen if Corbin and I had what it took to last. Which, considering the odds, was a bit of a gamble.

  “You look deep in thought,” Corbin mused as he shoveled through the last corner of dirt.

  “Yeah. That tends to happen when I garden. My mind begins to drift to things I’m able to suppress during the normal day-to-day grind.” I attempted a smile, even though I knew it came out half-assed.

  “Is something bothering you?” His brow creased as worry set in.

  “Honestly, nothing worth mentioning.” I leaned over and kissed him.

  Luckily, Phyllis chose that moment to stick her head out the front door, stopping him from continuing the conversation. “I just ordered Chinese. It will be here in twenty minutes.”

  “Thank you!” I smiled at her and then began to gather our tools to put them away.

  “Looks like we’re finished here.” Corbin groaned as he got up from his crouched position. “I may need a massage later.”

  “Oh, yeah?” I teased. “Is that your payment for today?”

  “No, that’s just because you like me. Your payment will be way more than that.” He grinned at me so wickedly my face burned.

  “Then I guess it’s your lucky day, because Phyllis let me know earlier that she doesn’t mind if you stay the night.” My stomach flipped with nerves. I’d stayed over at his place countless times, yet the thought of him being here caused heart palpitations. There was something intimate about having someone share your personal space, like letti
ng them inside your walls. It took a lot of trust to be that vulnerable. “You know…if you want to.”

  He smiled while putting the last of the tools in the box. “I’d love to.”

  I wanted to offer excuses for why it made sense that he’d sleep here—earlier start in the morning, less driving—but I couldn’t form any words that would take away from my honest desire to have him next to me…in my personal space.

  “Come on.” He broke me from my thoughts by grabbing my hand and tugging me toward the front door. “Let’s go get washed up for dinner.”

  Today had been nearly perfect. I’d never had someone take care of me before. I mean, when I was little, I had my mom. And she was the best and showed me what unconditional love truly was. But I’d never been in a relationship where I’d experienced that sort of thing.

  Chase had never demonstrated that level of love; our relationship had been very one-sided. I had fully supported him in every aspect of his life, and even though he’d argue that he had done the same, I’d never seen the proof. Hell, he’d never once visited my school. Granted, anytime I wanted to do something—hang out with friends, become a teacher—he never stood in my way, and I guess I’d confused that with support.

  Yet somehow, in the short time I’d been with Corbin, he’d shown me what is was like to truly be supported. He’d succeeded in every area Chase had fallen short. And for the first time in my life, I began to believe that unconditional love wasn’t solely reserved for parents—it was obtainable in a romantic relationship as well.

  I’d given Chase my heart and soul; he was my everything. And when he dumped me, I was left with nothing. He’d taken everything with him. Our future, mutual friends, his career that we’d nurtured together. Everything had disappeared in the blink of an eye. Life as I’d known it had been erased.