“Good morning.” She rubbed her eyes.
Allison was wearing a large blue bathrobe and her hair was a mess, but she looked pretty good to him. The tie on her bathrobe was just begging to be undone. Maybe they’d actually manage to do it in the kitchen today.
“Hey,” he said.
She glanced around the kitchen. “You went shopping at seven in the morning? You didn’t need to.”
“What else was I going to do? Plus you had no food.”
“I have plenty of food in the freezer.”
“That doesn’t count.”
“It’s not food because it’s frozen? I hear there’s an advanced cooking technique called defrosting.”
“So that’s what I missed by not getting two degrees in chemistry.”
The morning was already off to a great start. And it wasn’t even eight.
Allison walked over to the counter and picked up the baking powder. “What’s this for?”
“Pancakes.”
“When am I ever going to use it again?”
“I don’t know, but maybe you could tell me which cupboard you want it in.” And maybe we could have sex instead of arguing about baking powder.
She pointed to one with a sigh. Her hair stuck up at the back—she was rumpled in a rather appealing way.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Thanks for buying groceries. How much do I owe you?”
“You don’t have to pay me anything. I probably owe you a lot of money for food since I usually stayed at your place when we were dating.”
“That’s true. Your place was a dump. I was nearly too scared to step on the living room floor.”
“Oh, come on,” he said. “It wasn’t that bad. I admit it wasn’t great, but it wasn’t so bad that you should have been scared of stepping on the floor.”
“What about the mouse you—”
“That was one time. One mouse. Other than that, it was rodent free.”
“Like I’m supposed to believe that.” She threw up her arms, and the bathrobe opened up just a little, exposing more of her skin. “You have no proof.”
“How the hell am I supposed to prove that the house I lived in back in university did not have a mouse problem?” Actually, there had been four mice—or was it five?—but Allison didn’t need to know that.
“I suppose,” she admitted grudgingly.
“But you can see the place I live in now. In fact, you’ll have to see it because I need to go home to put on a different shirt before we see my parents.”
And he wanted to show it to her so she could get this picture of him living in squalid student housing out of her mind. Replace it with a nice, clean place looking over Lake Ontario. He’d always been a messy person until he bought his own place; now he kept to a strict schedule of chores.
Yes, he wanted to show it to her. But not as badly as he wanted to have sex with her.
“Fine. As you wish.” She crossed her arms over her chest, which pushed up her breasts just a little.
“As I wish, eh?”
“Within reason. I don’t like that smirk on your face.”
He put the flour and baking powder away, then turned toward her. She was about to leave the room; he reached out and put his hand on her shoulder.
“What I wish,” he said, stepping closer, “is to finish what we started in the kitchen when we came back from the bakery. And I think that’s what you want too, but you’re too chicken to say it.”
“I’m not too chicken.”
“Then why didn’t you say what you were thinking?”
“Who said that’s what I was thinking? I’m wearing an enormous bathrobe that covers everything. Does that suggest I’ve got sex on my mind?”
“Yep. It does.” He picked her up, set her on the counter, and untied her robe. As expected, she was wearing nothing underneath. Her skin was flushed, her nipples hardened. “And I’m supposed to believe you weren’t thinking about it.”
“Believe whatever you want.”
“Yeah?”
“For the next ten minutes, sure.”
“Ten minutes?” he said. “Not fifteen? Not thirty?”
“Fine. But no more than that.”
“No?” He slid his arms around her shoulders and pulled her closer.
“I’m hungry. For food.” She paused. “Does arguing with me turn you on? It sure seems to.”
Before he could disagree, her mouth was on his, and her hands cupped the back of his head. Arguing did not turn him on. But having her so close, beautiful and disheveled…that was a different matter.
* * * *
Half an hour later, Sidney was cutting up a grapefruit, and Allison was cooking bacon. She turned the bacon over with chopsticks—he remembered her doing this before. In fact, it was one habit he’d picked up from her. Whenever he cooked bacon now, he always used chopsticks, and it always made him think of her. Not like, OMG! I miss her so much! No, it just reminded him of Allison, and he didn’t feel anything in particular.
Of course he didn’t. They’d broken up a decade ago.
“I haven’t eaten bacon in a really long time,” she said.
“Because of the calories?”
“Yeah. But I’ve decided calories don’t count this weekend. I mean, I already have to put up with you. I shouldn’t have to worry about that, too.”
“I agree. That’s just far too much suffering for one weekend.”
“It really is.”
God, the bacon smelled good. Allison took it out of the pan and put it on a paper towel. She reached for the carton of eggs.
“So you saw my housemates from university,” she said. “What about yours? Are you still friends with them? Do they live in rundown, mouse-infested houses?”
He glared at her, but she was looking at the eggs, cracking them into a bowl.
“Dylan got married three years ago. He has four kids.”
“Four kids in three years? Or did some of those come before he got married?”
“No, they have triplets.” Sidney couldn’t imagine what that was like. “He’s pretty busy. Haven’t seen him in a while. But I saw Travis and Jose a few months ago. They act like they’re still in university.”
“Unlike you.”
“Yes, unlike me.”
“In some ways, I don’t think you’re as different as you claim.”
He got two plates out of the cupboard. “Do I want to know?”
“Probably not, but I’ll tell you anyway.”
“I figured as much.”
She adjusted the heat on the stove. “I don’t believe trying to have serious relationships was you pretending to be something you’re not. No, I think refusing to have relationships is you pretending to be something you’re not.”
He hadn’t expected her to say something like that.
“Is that what you think?” he said. “We didn’t see each other for ten years. Hell, you even refused to be Facebook friends. I don’t know how you can say that when we hardly know each other now.”
“It’s just a feeling I have.”
“Well, you’re wrong.” He put some bread in the toaster, then leaned back on the counter and crossed his arms.
But she was sort of right. Having serious relationships back in the day—that wasn’t him faking it. He’d liked it. However, he didn’t see avoiding relationships as not being true to himself or some such bullshit. It was just a smarter life choice.
Allison sighed. “I think we better stop this conversation if we’re going to make it to the end of the weekend.” She stirred the scrambled eggs. “Maybe we should try silence. Or counting to a million.”
“You think we can make it to Sunday evening?”
“Sure. But it’ll be easier if we cut down on the talking. Just shove your tongue down my throat whenever you feel the need to speak.” She looked at the clock. “Damn. We still have ten hours until we meet your parents. Ten hours of just you and me alone.”
And ten years ago, that would have sounded like
paradise. Though actually…
Ten hours. That could mean an awful lot of sex. Which was still good. As long as they weren’t interrupted like yesterday.
But they were.
Chapter 7
The knock at the door—six quick knocks, in fact—came when Allison was reclined on the couch, arching her back up as Sidney swirled his tongue over her breast.
Damn. It was like the world was telling her she shouldn’t have sex. But there was nothing wrong with responsible sex, even if it was with her ex-boyfriend. It felt amazing, and it prevented her from stabbing him. So it really was the smart thing to do.
“Again?” he muttered. “Can we ignore it this time?” He ran his finger over her wet nipple.
“No.” She reluctantly slapped his hand away. “It’s my sister.”
“Jo, right?”
“Yeah. She always knocks the same way.”
Allison sat up, fastened her bra, and pulled on her shirt. No buttons on this one. Good. Fewer things she could screw up.
“What do you want me to say?” Sidney asked. “Or should I hide?”
“I…Whatever.” She threw up her hands, exasperated. But not with him. No, with Jo. Like her parents, her sister loved to show up without warning. “Just don’t say anything too stupid. Don’t tell her about the bet, okay?”
“Okay.” He adjusted his shirt. “At least I hadn’t gotten the condom out this time.”
“I suppose I should be grateful for the small things in life.”
She went to the door and pulled it open.
“Hey, Allison.” Jo pushed a stroller inside, nearly running over Allison’s foot. She wore tight jeans, a loose cream shirt, and several long, colorful necklaces. “How’s life? Say hi to your favorite nephew! Actually, don’t. He’s asleep. He always does that as soon as I’m about to leave him. No separation anxiety, that’s for sure.”
“Hi.” Allison sneaked a peek at Dexter, her sleeping one-year-old nephew. Jo had named him after the main character in her favorite TV show. “Did I agree to babysit?”
But Allison knew she hadn’t. The thing was, she’d be happy to look after Dexter once a week if she was asked ahead of time. Jo never called, though. Not one for planning, Allison’s older sister assumed everyone would cater to her whims.
It hadn’t been such a big deal before. However, that changed after Jo got married and Dexter was born. Jo would show up with her son and expect Allison to look after him for a few hours while she went shopping or got her hair done or had a manicure. No matter what Allison told her about having advance notice, it didn’t matter.
“Sorry,” Jo said carelessly. “Last-minute shopping trip with the girls. You know how it is. I really need the break.”
And Allison understood that. But it took Jo half an hour to get down here. Couldn’t she at least have called before she left the house? And asked, rather than just assuming Allison was free?
Maybe she should say no. Her plan for the day hadn’t included babysitting Dexter, whom she’d looked after on Monday evening. It was hard to say no when her nephew was involved, but maybe if she did that, her sister would finally understand.
Jo wasn’t a bad person. She really wasn’t. She was just thoughtless and a little self-centered. And showed up at super-inconvenient times.
“Look,” Allison said. “I have plans and…”
Jo glanced over Allison’s shoulder and smiled. “You have company?”
“Yeah.” Allison looked at the couch; Sidney merely lifted a hand.
“Well…” Jo pushed the stroller a little farther inside. “I’m so sorry to do this to you. But I’m going crazy. You’re not really busy, right?”
Allison gripped the bottom of her shirt—which should have been on the floor right now. She had a life, dammit. Just because she was childless didn’t mean she did nothing.
But maybe today was not the time to start standing up to her sister. Her plan for the day hadn’t involved babysitting, but spending the day with her annoying ex-boyfriend wasn’t all that fun. Why did Jo have to come over when they were doing the only thing that was fun? Dexter might be a good distraction from Sidney and would prevent them from fighting too much. And it would only be for a few hours.
Except if Jo still wanted Allison to babysit when she had company, maybe Jo would never understand that her younger sister wasn’t a drop-in daycare.
“How did you get in the front door?” Allison asked.
“An old couple held it open for me. They were so sweet!”
“Right. How sweet of them.”
“Oh, come on.” Jo slapped Allison’s shoulder playfully. “You’re happy to see me, aren’t you? And of course you’re happy to see Dexter.”
“I can look after him today. But next time you show up unannounced, don’t expect me to say yes, okay?”
“But you always do!”
Yeah. Time to break that habit.
Allison looked at Sidney again, half hoping that he would come to her aid, that he’d stick up for her, and Jo would listen. That was the sort of thing he would have done when they were dating. Now he was just staring out the window. Staying out of the way.
It was silly to hope for anything more. She knew that.
Allison’s phone rang, and she answered immediately. Anything to get away from this situation.
“Hello?”
“Hey. It’s Maya. Can you buzz me up?”
“Why are you here?”
“Are you having sex? I can come back later if I’m interrupting.”
“No, no. Come on up.”
And she’d been worried about having ten hours alone with Sidney. Ha.
*
Sidney shoved down his instinct to get up and tell Jo to stop expecting drop-in babysitting services. She’d said she was sorry, but she didn’t sound sorry. Not one bit. He had the impression this happened on a regular basis.
But he was no one to Allison now. No one who should even be introduced to her family, let alone pick a fight with her sister.
He’d never met Jo before. She’d been studying somewhere far away—he couldn’t remember where—when he and Allison were dating. She looked a little like Allison. Same eyes, same nose. But not the same smile.
He tried to remember what Allison had said about Jo. She’s fun. Outgoing. Sometimes she seems scatterbrained. But she gets in this zone where she’s totally focused and works really hard and forgets to eat. She expects people to give her what she wants. Our parents always catered to her and sort of forgot about me, but that’s not a big deal anymore.
Something like that.
But it was none of his business. Allison could handle it.
“That was Maya,” she said, putting down her phone. “She’s here to—I’m not sure, frankly.”
Maya was probably here to make sure Sidney and Allison were actually spending Saturday together. But Allison wouldn’t say that in front of her sister.
Great. Another visitor to prevent them from having sex. Or stabbing each other.
“I haven’t seen Maya in ages,” Jo said. “How is she? After that thing with her fiancé? Has she gotten over that? That was so horrible, what he did.”
“She’s fine,” Allison said. “But please don’t ask her about it.”
Maya came in a couple minutes later, a large picnic basket in her hand. She did not seem like the picnic-basket type to Sidney.
“It’s so good to see you again!” Jo wrapped her arms around Maya. Maya stepped back and nearly dropped the basket. “Just came by to drop off Dex for a few hours. I should be going now.”
“Hold on,” Maya said. “Allison’s babysitting while she has a date?”
“Oh.” Jo twisted her mouth. “You’re on a date? Is that what people do on dates these days—sit on the couch at eleven in the morning?”
“I’m sure that’s exactly what they were doing when you showed up,” Maya muttered.
“I thought he was just your friend.” Jo looked to Allison for confirmation.
/>
Sidney had no idea what Allison would say. That it wasn’t a date? The thought of being on a date with him made her recoil, after all. He wasn’t sure she’d be able to get the word out. Or would she say that yes, she had a date, maybe a double date with Maya and Les? It seemed like Jo might actually consider this a legitimate excuse.
“Yeah. I have a…date,” Allison said, scrunching up her face a little.
He tried not to laugh.
“Well, that sucks,” Jo said. “I mean, not for you, obviously. But I don’t know what to do now.” She stared at the floor, her mouth turned down in a frown that was probably supposed to evoke sympathy. A sad-puppy look.
“Planning,” Maya said, completely unaffected by Jo’s expression. “You should try it sometime, rather than assuming Allison doesn’t have a life.”
“But she usually doesn’t!”
“She’s missed hanging out with friends, hockey, yoga, and I don’t know what else for you.”
“Those things aren’t important,” Jo said.
“But you consider a date important enough? That meets your standards?” Maya walked over to the breakfast bar and slammed down the picnic basket. “This is how she chooses to live her life. You should respect that.”
“I’m right here,” Allison said. “It’s a little weird that you’re talking about me when I can hear every word you say.”
Sidney was distracted by the thought of her wearing tight, stretchy yoga pants that showed everything. Yeah, he wanted to see that.
“And as she’s told you many times,” Maya continued, ignoring Allison, “she doesn’t want you to show up and expect her to babysit unless it’s an emergency. You can’t even call an hour beforehand. When she tries to say no, half the time you start to cry or make a big scene. Is that an act to make her feel guilty? I think you have serious problems. You should see a therapist.”
Sidney stayed quiet. She’s just like any other woman you’ve slept with. You shouldn’t get involved in her family issues. He glanced at the sleeping child in the stroller, but that reminded him of the things he and Allison had planned.
Well, that wasn’t true. What he’d planned for the two of them. She hadn’t wanted any kind of future with him.
Okay, this really wasn’t making him feel better.
Not a Second Chance Page 6
