by Beth Rinyu
I pulled down the street that the house was on, taking in the elaborate array of Christmas lights on all the prestigious homes. I wondered how many of my students lived in this upscale development. I finally found the house number on the mailbox and seeing Dailan’s car in the driveway reassured me that I was at the right house.
I rang the doorbell and immediately heard footsteps of someone running to answer it. “Miss Morgan!” Ryan exclaimed as he opened the door with a huge smile on his face.
“Hey, Ryan.”
I was captivated when I walked into the custom brick colonial. I quickly looked around in awe. There was two-story foyer and beautiful hardwood flooring throughout. Ryan walked me through to the gourmet kitchen with beautiful granite countertops and a two-sided fireplace. One side faced the kitchen and the other the great room. I looked around for Dailan, who was nowhere to be found.
“Where’s your uncle?”
“Oh, he’s taking a shower; he just got home from work.”
The delightful aroma of what must have been dinner filled the air. I began to wonder how Dailan prepared dinner when he had just gotten home from work.
“Did your Uncle Dailan cook dinner?”
Ryan looked at me as if he were unsure how to answer. “Mrs. Fairview, my nanny, did. She cooks really good, but don’t tell my uncle I told you. For some reason, he wants you to think he cooked it.”
I crossed my fingers over my heart. “I promise, I won’t,” I giggled.
Ryan took my coat and placed it on the chair as we walked back in the kitchen to put the cake away. I showed Ryan the cookie that I had gotten him as well.
“Wow, that’s really cool,” Ryan said.
I heard footsteps coming down the staircase “Hey, Ryan have you seen –” Dailan stopped himself midsentence when he saw me sitting there. His wavy hair was still damp and he was shirtless. I was hoping what I was thinking wasn’t apparent on my face, which was – wow he looks hot!
“You’re early,” he said.
“Um, you did say ‘six,’ right?” I looked at the clock that was flashing 6:20. “I’d say you’re late.”
“Oh, sorry,” he said as he put the black t-shirt he had been holding over his head.
Seriously, you can leave it off, I said to myself, immediately scolding myself for having such thoughts.
“I just wanted to take a quick shower after cooking all afternoon,” he said with a straight face.
“Oh, yeah, of course,” I said, trying not to laugh. “Well, it smells really good. What did you make?”
He quickly walked over to the stove and began to remove the lids off the pots. “Umm, chicken and pasta,” he said.
“Oh, what kind of chicken?” I asked as I walked over to the stove.
“I don’t know what it’s called; it’s my mother’s recipe,” he said, sounding like he was trying to get me off the subject.
“Well, what’s in it?” I was relentless.
“It’s a surprise.” He placed his hands on my shoulders and led me out into the dining room.
I looked down at the perfectly set table. “Wow, did you set this beautiful table too?” Ryan stood in the doorway, shaking his head.
“Yup, I do it all,” Dailan said from the kitchen.
Ryan and I both began to quietly giggle. I heard the banging of pots and pans in the kitchen. Ryan was still giggling as he sat down next to me. “Oh fuck!” Dailan yelled. I quickly glanced at Ryan.
I got up and walked back into the kitchen. Dailan was holding his hand under the running water in the kitchen sink. “Do you need some help?” I asked.
“No, I’m good, I just burnt my fuckin’ hand on that damn fuckin’ pan.”
I cringed at the obscenities coming from his mouth right in front of Ryan.
“That’s because you never use the pot holders,” Ryan scolded.
“That’s because you never use the pot holders,” Dailan childishly mimicked Ryan.
“Will you please let me help you? That’s the least I could do after you spent all afternoon preparing this nice dinner.” I was pouring it on thick.
Ryan shook his head behind Dailan’s back. “I know,” I mouthed to Ryan as we both began to smirk.
Dailan finally gave in and let me help. Dinner was delicious. I completely agreed with Ryan; Mrs. Fairview was an excellent cook. I was thoroughly enjoying my time spent with Ryan and Dailan.
We were just about done trimming the Christmas tree when I heard an incoming text message. I pulled my phone from my coat pocket and scrolled down to read the message that Donna had just sent:
Hope you’re having fun and not having any more booty calls!
I laughed to myself at her message and replied:
Having fun, but not in that way! Trust me, I have no intention of sleeping with Dailan O’Maley ever again!
* * *
“Oh my God, this shouldn't have happened again," I said as I got up and began to dress. I had every intention of it not happening again, until Ryan's friend called at the last minute for a sleepover. Then, I had every intention of leaving when Ryan did, to avoid being alone with Dailan, until I found myself melting in Dailan's sexy smile, ending up in his bed – granny panties and all.
Dailan pulled me back down and kissed me on the lips. "Why not?"
"Because, you’re the legal guardian of one of my students. I could probably get fired if anyone ever found out about this."
"Calm down, how is anyone going to find out?"
"I don't know, Ryan could slip, you know seven year olds like to share everything.
“So what if they do find out? I’m not married and neither are you.” He paused for a minute. “Wait a minute; are you?” he asked with a laugh.
“Not funny,” I said.
“Oh, Nicole, come on. Stop worrying about what other people think – fuck em’.”
“Dailan, it’s not that sim—” He didn’t let me finish. He pressed his lips against mine and it was only in a matter of seconds that I found myself surrendering to him once again - all night long.
I had to admit waking up in Dailan’s arms felt pretty good. Waking up to amazing sex was even better. “I seriously have to get going. I have a ton of things I have to get done today,” I said.
Dailan pulled me closer, tightening his grip on me. I tried to squirm out of his hold, but it was of no use. “Dailan, come on!”
“Okay, but first I want you to admit something.”
“What!”
“I want you to admit that was the most mind-blowing sex that you ever had.”
I began to laugh hysterically. “Um, no, I’m not going to say that.” He tightened his grip on me. “Well, maybe I didn’t think it was,” I lied.
“Oh, then you should switch professions because you would make a really good actress.” He chuckled.
“All right – it was good,” I finally admitted. “Can I go now?”
“Wait. One more thing,” he said.
“What?” I asked in annoyance.
“I want you to stop pretending like you don’t like me. Stop putting up a fight every time I ask you to go out with me – I know that you really want to.”
“Oh, Dailan, I don’t do the whole relationship thing very well,” I said, being completely honest.
“That’s fine; neither do I. So let’s just say I’m some guy who you like, that you frequently have sex with.”
“Some guy who I tolerate, that I occasionally sleep with,” I said.
“No, ‘frequently’ sounds better,” he joked.
He kissed me on the top of my head before releasing me from his hold. I got up and began to dress, while he remained lying down, watching me.
"What the heck is up with that underwear?" he asked.
"I wore them just for you," I joked.
"Why don't you let me cook you breakfast?" he asked.
"Oh no, I couldn't have you do that, especially after you worked all day in the kitchen yesterday, cooking that delicious dinner," I sai
d with a grin.
He flashed that mischievous smile that made my stomach flip and if I wasn't already dressed and ready to go, I probably would have jumped right back into bed with him. He quickly jumped out of bed and pulled on his jeans, which were lying on the floor. He walked me to the door pausing for a brief second before opening it.
"Are you sure you don't want breakfast?"
"Positive."
"I feel so used," he joked.
I put my hand on his bare chest and playfully pushed him. "Thanks for dinner." "Anytime," he said as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer.
I rested my head against his warm chest as my hands moved up and down his bare back. "You better go while you still can," he whispered.
I pulled away from his embrace. "Well, hopefully you won't be dropping your phone in anymore toilets and I'll be hearing from you sooner than the last time," I joked.
"Oh, darlin' even if I did, I think you're worth sticking my hand in there to get it out," he said, almost sounding sincere as he kissed me on the top of my head.
I got into my car and waited for it to warm up. I couldn't believe that I let this happen yet again, and why did that hug goodbye feel like it meant something to me? The last thing I wanted was to have any feelings for Dailan O'Maley. The only positive that I had in this whole situation I had gotten myself in was that he clearly wasn’t the type to let his emotions get in the way. I was depending on that cool, impassive attitude of his to reign me in if my emotions started taking over. I bit my lip and smiled - yes, I could do this!
Chapter 19
I threw a load of laundry in while I eagerly waited for my much-needed cup of coffee to brew. I was so tired from the lack of sleep last night. I smiled and my stomach fluttered just thinking about it. That’s enough Dailan O’Maley thoughts for the day, I scolded myself. I had way too much to get done and didn’t need to be getting sidetracked with thoughts of him.
I looked at the caller ID on my ringing phone to see my sister’s number. Oh no, do I really want to deal with this before I’ve even had my first cup of coffee for the day? I took a deep breath before answering it, making sure that I had my cup of coffee in hand.
“Hey, Renee,” I answered as cheerfully as I could.
“Hey, Nic, what’s new?”
I was just about to tell her when she placed me on hold to yell at her kids. I patiently waited for her to get back to the phone and when she did, it was the same one-sided conversation as usual. Everything was about her, her husband, and her kids. Not that I minded hearing about my nephews, but not every little minor detail in their life.
“What did you get Joey and Christopher for Christmas?” she asked abruptly.
“Oh, Mom gave me a list of DVD’s and books that they wanted. I got them each a couple of them and a gift card to Toys R Us.”
“Oh, okay,” she said, sounding disappointed.
“Why, isn’t that what they wanted?”
“No, that’s fine.”
Whatever, not like I’ll be seeing them for Christmas anyway, I thought to myself.
“So Mom tells me you’re dating someone?”
I was taken off guard by her question. My sister never really asked me personal questions, because the truth was, she could care less about what was going on in anyone else’s life but her own. “I am? That’s news to me,” I said sarcastically. I was annoyed at how my mother took one little thing and spun it into something that she wanted to believe was true.
“She said that you went to a Christmas party at the Oceanview with some guy.”
“I told her he was just a friend – that’s all!”
“Oh, well, don’t get mad at me, she was the one who said it. I still say you were a fool for breaking up with Drew – but that’s just my opinion.”
“Well, you know what they say about opinions, Renee.”
“Geeze, someone is cranky. Joey, do you want to talk to your Aunt Nicole and cheer her up?”
Oh God, please let him say “no”; the last thing I felt like listening to right now was a three-year-old screaming in my ear.
I couldn’t help but smile when I heard my nephew’s adorable voice on the other end of the phone. I listened to him as he told me all about his trip to see Santa and as he yammered on about something that was completely incoherent. “Bye, Aunt Cole – I yove you,” he said sweetly.
“I love you too, Joey,” I said as I blew him kisses over the phone. Much to my delight, he hung up the phone before my sister could get back on and torment me with her normal hour-long goodbye.
I threw my clothes in the dryer before jumping in the shower. I quickly dressed and was out the door. I stopped down to see Mrs. Tallone to check if she needed anything from the grocery store to which I was headed. She always would say “no” and I would always pick her up something anyway. The parking lot in the grocery store was packed. With Christmas less than a week away, I wasn’t surprised. I began to throw my things into my cart and somewhere down the pasta aisle I decided to be bold. I pulled out my phone and texted Dailan:
Just wondering if I could return the favor and cook dinner for you and Ryan tonight.
My hands were shaking as I hit the send button. A million thoughts raced through my mind. I shouldn’t have done that, I just saw him last night. I don’t want him to think I’m getting too clingy. I don’t even know how to cook!
I was really starting to feel low when I hit the frozen food aisle and still hadn’t heard back from him, causing me to throw two gallons of chocolate chip mint ice cream into my cart. Then I heard the beep of a text message. My stomach did a somersault as I looked at my phone, which I had tightly gripped in my hand.
What time?
A smile stretched across my face that must have been a mile wide. The old man standing next to me picking out his ice cream smiled at my enthusiasm as I said “yes” underneath my breath.
Six o’clock –which means six thirty in your time, I texted back.
My phone beeped almost instantaneously after I sent the message.
I promise I will be there on time.
My excitement quickly turned to panic. What the heck was I going to cook? Do I dare run back to the pasta aisle and throw a jar of sauce in my cart after that delicious dinner that Dailan had cooked for me last night. My mind began to plot. Mrs. Tallone was an excellent cook, especially when it came to Italian food. I stood in the middle of the frozen food aisle and dialed her number. I walked down each aisle as I was on the phone with her, throwing each ingredient that she instructed me to buy into my cart. I hurriedly checked out my groceries and made my way home. Mrs. Tallone was waiting for me with all of her cooking utensils in hand. She followed me up to my apartment as I carried in the bags of groceries and quickly put everything away.
“Okay, I’m ready,” I said, finally putting the last of my food away.
We immediately began to get to work, forming the meatballs, sautéing the garlic and rolling out the dough for the pasta.
My apartment smelled heavenly by the time we were done. Unlike Dailan, I had actually cooked the entire meal, under close supervision from Mrs. Tallone, of course.
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Tallone, you’re a lifesaver,” I said.
“Anytime, sweetheart. I love to cook and I don’t get to do much of it anymore with it just being me. Well, I have to get running so I can finish up my packing,” she said. Mrs. Tallone and her man-friend, as she referred to him, were driving up to Connecticut to visit her family for Christmas. I offered to watch Elmo for her, but she was adamant that he go wherever she went.
“Oh, wait a minute. I have something for you,” I said as I ran over to the Christmas tree. I reached under it and grabbed the box with her name on it.
“Oh, Nicole, you didn’t have to do this,” she said with a huge smile on her face.
“It’s just a little something. Open it,” I said.
As she slowly opened the box, a smile spread across her face. She pulled out the cream-color
ed cashmere scarf that she had admired so much on one of our shopping trips.
"You remembered," she said.
I smiled and nodded. "Thank you so much, honey," she said as she gave me a hug.
"I figured you could wear that if you and your man-friend go out on the town while you're away," I said as we both began to laugh.
I walked her to the door, thanking her again for all of her help. "Now remember let that sauce simmer for a few more hours on low. The pasta should be all dried out by then as well. Just throw it in the boiling water for about four minutes right before you're ready to eat," she instructed.
I nodded.
"I hope your fella enjoys it," she said as she walked out the door and we said our goodbyes. I waited until she was down the steps and into her house before closing the door.
Dailan O’Maley as my fella? Suddenly, that wasn’t sounding so bad after all.
Chapter 20
Dailan kept his promise. My doorbell rang at 5:58. I opened the door and was in complete shock when I saw the purple swollen ring around his eye.
“Oh my God, what happened?” I asked with complete concern.
“Rugby match today,” he said nonchalantly.
“Did you get that checked out?” I asked.
“No, it’s fine.” He laughed as if I were ridiculous for asking such a thing.
“I don’t know; that looks pretty bad,” I said as I lightly rubbed my thumb under his eye.
“Trust me, this is mild compared to some of the others that I’ve had.”
“It is,” Ryan agreed.
“Ryan, do you watch him play?” I was hoping he didn’t. I didn’t know much about rugby, but from what I had heard, it was a pretty violent sport.
“Yup, I’m gonna play some day too,” he said.
“Oh no, Ryan, your face is much too cute to mark up like that,” I said, giving Dailan a sarcastic grin.
