“On the counter would be great.” While he did as I asked, I moved the first load into the kitchen as well.
“Are you here to visit Haylee and Josh?” Although I tried to make small talk, I could feel my face flush as I remembered last night when I’d completely word-vomited all over the man.
“Uh, no. I have an office across the hall.”
“Oh. Right. I think Haylee mentioned that.” The thought of seeing him here often was both unsettling and exciting. The fact that he was dressed in a nice charcoal gray suit was doing nothing to ease my brain from leaning towards the latter.
“Mama.” Tristan’s voice broke my pervy thoughts of our neighbor just in time, giving me the reality check I needed.
“Hey, baby. Did you drop your train?” I walked over to where he stood and focused on the toy he’d dropped out of the pen and onto the floor. “Here you go. Do you want to watch Thomas on TV?”
He clapped his hands together. “Yes.”
I picked him up, put him on the couch, and started his favorite DVD of all time, one with Thomas the Train. That should buy me at least twenty minutes to get the groceries put away and start on food prep.
Turning towards Mark, I expressed my appreciation. “Thanks again for the help with the groceries. Any interest in dinner tonight?”
From the panicked look on his face, he probably thought I was hitting on him like I had the night before.
So I clarified. “Sasha and Brian are coming over later. I sent a text to Haylee and Josh to invite them, too. In case you were contemplating a restraining order about now regarding my invitation.”
That earned me a small smile. “I wasn’t. In fact, I was hoping you weren’t angry with me over last night.”
I’d started to unload the contents of the bags, but stopped to quirk my head to the side, completely confused. “Why on earth would I be upset with you? I was the one who firehosed you like a drunken tsunami with embarrassing information that Would. Not. Stop.”
He smiled fully. Wowsers, it was not making his hot factor any easier to ignore. And now I was staring at his hands again. Dammit. I really needed to get some batteries for my vibrator. Thankfully, I’d thought to pack it.
“I should’ve worked harder to stop you.”
I shook my head. “Believe me. There was no stopping the Mack truck that needed to get all of that shit off my chest.” Great. I was another dollar in. There was no way I was going to count the internal curse words, or I’d be broke.
Crossing over to the stool where I’d plunked down my purse, I took out of it the single plus the twenty which should cover last night’s curse words. Then I walked back over to the refrigerator where I reached up and stuffed the bills into an empty animal crackers tub on top.
“What’s the money for?” he asked, appearing curious.
“It’s for the swear jar. It’s only a matter of time before Tristan starts imitating all my words, and I can tell you now, I don’t want to be the mom of the two-year-old who introduces the word fuck to all the other toddlers in the daycare class.” Groaning at yet another slip, I crossed back over to my purse, pulled out another dollar bill, and put it up with the others.
“Uh, right. Yeah, that wouldn’t be good. What will you do with money?”
“Take him to Disneyworld. I like the irony of me saying fuck a lot funding a trip to the happiest place on earth. Plus, that way I don’t begrudge putting the money in.” And now another dollar. Crap. I was out of cash, so I started a tab on a sticky pad on the counter.
“Right. I should probably go.”
He looked as though he was on the verge of backing out of the room slowly, like he was in a cage with a wild, unpredictable, foul-mouthed animal.
I had to bite down on a giggle at the thought, else he spook. “See ya around, then. Thanks again for the help.”
“Sure. Anytime.” But his gaze honed in on the bags of cheese I was taking out, followed by some avocados. “What are you making, by the way?”
“Beef and chicken enchiladas. Are you sure you won’t come for dinner? It won’t be for another four hours, so you have time if you have some work to get done first.”
He was about to answer when Haylee came to the still-open door. “Hey, Juliette. Oh, hi, Mark.” She glanced between us curiously, causing him to look even more awkward.
“I was leaving. Nice seeing you again, Juliette. Take care, Haylee.”
“Wait. Are you coming for dinner?” Haylee stopped him steps before his clean getaway. Her eyes flicked to mine. “That’s okay, isn’t it?”
“Of course. I just invited him.”
“Oh, well, in that case, you’re joining us, right?” Haylee asked him.
Mark, meet the spot she was putting you on. While I was more of an observer of someone put on the spot than a rescuer, after considering last night and the fact I’d already put the guy through a full therapy session, I gave him an out.
“It’s all right. He has to work, but maybe a raincheck for another time.”
He appeared relieved, but it was short-lived because Haylee sighed. “Okay, but Abby would sure love to see her Uncle Mark. She lights up when you hold her.”
Oh, boy. Baby guilt. Home girl didn’t mess around.
And it was clear Mark had a soft spot for her daughter. “You know, I should be done with my work by, um, did you say six o’clock?”
I nodded. “Yep. Six o’clock.”
“See you then.”
The door shut, leaving me to laugh at Haylee’s satisfied smile. “The Uncle Mark pretty much did him in.”
She smirked. Like Mark, she was still dressed from the luncheon, in her case in a beautiful pink dress. “I can’t help it. He’s like family and would spend all his hours working if I didn’t guilt him into the fun stuff.”
“Does he live local or in New York?”
She walked over and gave Tristan a big smooch. “He lives here in New Haven, although he does travel sometimes. His office is a one-bedroom apartment across from you, so you may see him from time to time.”
“Is he, um, single?” God, my subtlety needed work.
The way she stood up from where she’d bent down to talk to Tristan, with her eyes wide, caused me to clarify.
“I didn’t mean it that way. I guess I was only curious about him. I’ve always known he was Josh and Brian’s best friend since college and that he’s Josh’s lawyer, but nothing more. I’m sure I’ve talked to him on the phone a bunch of times when he’s called the office, but last night at your party was actually the first time I met him in person.”
“Huh. It’s surprising you’ve only just met, but I suppose he doesn’t get down to Charlotte a lot since he works mainly with Josh’s acquisitions and real estate deals. And, to answer your question, he’s single. But, uh, he doesn’t date.”
“That doesn’t beg for a backstory or anything, does it?”
She laughed before sighing. “Brian and Josh know a lot more than I do, but he lost his fiancée a number of years ago during law school. But do me a favor and don’t mention it to him. He’s very private and I don’t want him thinking we’re talking about him. At the same time, I didn’t want you to maybe think…”
That I had a chance.
I finished the sentence in my head. It wasn’t just the tragedy regarding his fiancée which had me thinking he would never date me. First, I’d pretty much ensured that would never happen with my embarrassing TMI session last night. Second, he was a successful attorney living in Connecticut, which was pretty far away from Charlotte, my real home. And third, I wasn’t in a position to look for anything romantic. “I wasn’t thinking that. I tend to be genuinely curious about people.”
“Actually, you might be good for getting him out of his shell. Anyway, I came down with the intention of asking if we can bring anything tonight. It’s very sweet of you to offer to cook.”
I smiled. “I love doing it. If you want to bring drinks, you could. Otherwise, I have everything else covered w
ith enchiladas.”
She came over, surveying the ingredients. “Wow, I can’t wait. Someday, if you have time, I’d love to watch you cook. Maybe pick up a few pointers.”
That gave me an idea. I might never be able to pay her and Josh monetarily, but I could definitely return their favors in dinners and cooking pointers.
“Anytime.” I meant it. “See ya at six.”
***
Tristan napped while I cleaned, not that there was much to do. I was quickly finding out that a thousand square feet was easy to keep tidy. I’d been able to unpack and organize some things, so at least I wasn’t living out of suitcases. We’d driven up with my SUV packed full of clothes and toys. Thankfully, Haylee had furnished the two-bedroom apartment with comfortable furniture, including a crib for Tristan. She’d also provided things like sheets and towels, saving me the trouble of having to pack or buy them.
Two pans of enchiladas were about to go in the oven when the first knock came at the door. Brian and Sasha arrived with smiles and Mexican beer. It wasn’t long before Josh, Haylee, and their four-month-old baby girl, Abby, joined us. The final knock brought an awkward-looking Mark, who had changed into jeans. Jeans, I might add, that when he bent down to pick up baby Abby, encased the man’s ass quite nicely.
“Ow,” I squealed. I was putting the pans in the oven and had hit the rack with my finger while preoccupied with said ass.
Sasha glanced up from the fridge, where she was grabbing sour cream. “You okay?”
I ran my throbbing thumb under cold water in the sink. “Yep. All good.” And let that be a lesson to me. Stare at the ass, and you’re bound to get burned.
The evening was fun. I couldn’t begin to count the number of compliments I received on the meal. But what I loved most was the way everyone was with Tristan. They all took time to engage with him and ensure he was getting extra attention. When eight o’clock rolled around, however, it became the witching hour, bedtime for both Abby and Tristan and everyone ready to say good night. I was adamant that the pile of dishes be left alone, not allowing anyone to touch anything.
“I have nothing but time and a great big dishwasher,” I argued, giving Sasha and Brian hugs and making them promise to send work my way come Monday. I was the office manager in the Charlotte branch of Gamble Advertising. I might be working remotely, but I wanted to continue to earn my money.
“We’ll be traveling, so why don’t you take a week off?” Brian offered.
“And do what? You know I need to be busy. Josh, do you have anything I can help with?” I knew he had a completely competent admin in Nigel, a man who’d worked for Josh for many years, but maybe there was some task I could work on.
“I just thought of what would be a good project and would take at least a couple weeks of your time, if not more.”
I was all ears. “What’s that?”
“Organizing Mark’s office. Since he works for the company, that would make it a work project. If you’re up for a challenge, his files are a mess.”
My eyes met Mark’s. I could already see the fear set in. Whether he was afraid of anyone touching his stuff or that I would now have an excuse to be near him, I wasn’t sure.
“My stuff is fine,” he grumbled, making both Brian and Josh burst out laughing.
In good old ribbing fashion, Brian then teased, “Your office is like an episode of hoarders. You hold onto everything.”
“Legal documents are important,” Mark defended, without any heat. Being with the other two men over the years had clearly led him to develop a thick skin.
But I enjoyed the idea of having something to do and piped up, “If you have the cabinets, I have lots of time.”
Brian vouched for me. “She’s organized the entire office, man, so you’d be in good hands.”
Yeah, he would. Thankfully, the indecent thought stayed internal. “I’d love to do it, so I guess let me know.”
Mark gave me a smile which was noncommittal, at best. “Sure.”
Everyone finished up saying goodnight, and with my front door shut, I focused next on getting Tristan to bed. Later there would be plenty of time to do the dishes and clean the kitchen. Then if I had time, I really wanted to get signed up for online classes. It might take me ten years to get a degree, but I was determined to do it. And if I had to choose between exercise and school on how to spend my free time up here, well, it was school, hands down.
After changing my sleepy boy into his PJs and setting him down in his crib, I took a moment to caress his face and read him a quick story. By the time I was done, he was out.
I slipped out of his room, shutting the door quietly and then froze at the sound of dishes clinking. Turning towards the kitchen, I saw Mark gathering up dirty plates.
“And here I thought the crime rate was low in New Haven. But I was unaware of the growing trend of dishwashing break-ins.”
His eyes met mine while he flashed a sheepish grin. “Sorry. The door was still unlocked, and I felt guilty about leaving you with the dirty work after you did all the cooking.”
“That’s very sweet, but with Tristan down, I have all the time in the world.”
“Good. Then you can dry.”
He threw me a towel, obviously unwilling to give up on the task. “Your phone keeps buzzing, by the way.”
I glanced over and expelled a frustrated breath at the phone lit up on the counter. Rob’s parents had been calling all day with escalating messages. Their son had been arrested earlier today. And according to my attorney, the charges included drug trafficking, tampering with evidence, witness intimidation, and possession. The latest message from his mother had been that it was my duty to put up the twenty-five thousand dollars for his bail. How quickly they seemed to forget we were divorcing and I owed Rob nothing.
Putting that aside, I focused on the man in front of me instead. “Thanks for helping.”
“Yeah, well, I have time on my hands, too. And about the organizing of my office: I don’t want you to feel obligated.”
“I don’t at all. If anything, I’d be grateful for something to keep me busy.” I noticed while standing next to him that my five-foot-two inches only came up to his chest. And when his dark blue eyes focused down on me, I had to force my thoughts to the dishes instead of on how much I wanted to climb him. Jesus, since when had I been so affected by a man?
“Okay. In that case, I’ll buy some cabinets and get them set up. You could start in a couple of days, but only if you’re sure.”
“Believe me, if I didn’t want to do it, you’d know.”
To that I got a chuckle. “What will you do with Tristan during the day?”
“Haylee has been generous enough to offer to share her nanny, Natalie, who watches Abby. I need to work out logistics, but I think if Natalie can watch Tristan for five hours in the morning, I can then put him down for a nap here. That’ll give me a full work day.”
What I didn’t mention was needing to discuss the cost with Haylee. I might be willing to accept some charity in the form of this apartment, but I was absolutely insistent on paying for my portion of childcare. Of course, the amount would impact the number of hours I could afford. Unfortunately, I already had a lot of financial obligations. I was not only on the hook for our mortgage solo—Rob hadn’t bothered to pay towards it in months—but I was also still paying for childcare in Charlotte since I didn’t want Tristan to lose his spot. But if I was here more than a couple of months, I might have to reconsider paying double and un-enroll him for now.
My phone was once again buzzing on the countertop, interrupting my train of thought.
“Are you planning on answering that?”
“No.” Then, because he raised a brow and I was, for the most part, an open book, I shared: “It’s my soon-to-be ex’s parents. Rob was arrested this morning, and they want me to put up money for bail. One, I don’t have the cash without selling the house, and two, I wouldn’t give it to him anyhow. The messages started friendly, but, uh, they
aren’t real nice now. So there’s no way I’m answering.”
“You should get a new phone number.”
I sighed. “Yeah, probably.”
“It would be the safe thing to do, in case they know anyone who can track the phone's location to you here.”
The blood drained from my face as the thought hadn’t occurred to me.
He stopped the water and dried his hands, quick to reassure me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m probably overreacting, but with your ex being a police officer, it might be the most prudent course of action.”
There was something surprisingly sexy about hearing him say smart words such as prudent, but it didn’t detract from my worry. “Yeah. I didn’t think about that. Plus I’m tired of having my inbox full of nasty messages as if I should be responsible—”
I stopped midsentence, hardly believing I was unloading on the man yet again. He didn’t need to know I’d listened to every one of their messages, telling me I should be ashamed of myself for not being a better wife to him. “I’m sorry. You got enough of an earful last night.”
He turned back towards the sink, shaking his head. “Don’t apologize. I’m a good listener.”
“Oh, yeah. Last night make you want to drop the law and become a therapist?”
He laughed fully. Something told me this wasn’t a man who did so easily. “Not quite, but, um, if you want help with a phone tomorrow, I’ll be around.”
“Thanks, but I have it covered.” Although it was tempting to have someone to lean on, I was used to being independent and needed to do these types of things for myself. “Can I talk you into taking some of these enchiladas home with you?”
“I wouldn’t say no. It’s been awhile since I’ve had a good home-cooked meal.”
I grinned, putting some of the leftovers into a container. “Well, then, turns out you have the right neighbor.”
CHAPTER THREE
By the time Tuesday afternoon rolled around, I’d grown comfortable with Natalie watching Tristan along with Haylee’s daughter, changed my cell phone number, and run out of things to do from home for Brian and the Charlotte office. I’d registered for two online courses, but until the materials arrived—hopefully tomorrow—I couldn’t get started. In the meantime, I was bored.
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