“What’s wrong with here?” Todd asked.
“Excuse me?” Bree responded in surprise.
“There’s no need for you to wait for Amber at someone else’s home if you can just as easily wait here,” Todd suggested.
“Okay, I’ll stay,” Bree accepted. “It’ll give us a chance to catch up." He was testing their new, transparent friendship. Given that she’d wanted to stay, but didn’t want to push things with him, his offer worked out well. With the exception of the one, searing kiss he’d given her a few weeks ago, their relationship had taken a completely platonic quality to it. Then again, they hadn't been alone until now.
“I’ve got a cherry pie that Amber and I picked up earlier and really good coffee. Can I get some for you?” Todd offered. “You look like you need a bit of sugar.”
“I don’t know about needing sugar,” Bree smiled, “but I sure do want some. And your snobbish coffee would be great, thank you.”
“Coming up,’ Todd moved to the coffee machine, turned it on.
“Can I help?” Bree asked.
“Nope,” Todd replied, “put your feet up. You were either really worried about Amber or you’ve had a busy day. You still look a bit pale.”
“The day’s been great. And, I was really worried about Amber,” Bree confessed. “But, not because I don’t trust you.”
“No need to explain,’ Todd waved the pending apology away, then placed a too large slice of cherry pie in front of her. “I’m not offended. It’s your prerogative as a mother to worry about your child. I wish my own had worried about us for just a fraction of what you just felt.”
“Oh, Todd, I’m sorry.” Bree empathized. “Is it hard to see Amber and me together?”
“Not at all. It’s a good thing. You’re a good mother, Bree and Amber’s a happy, loved child. I’m not sure how I’m doing yet as a dad. I’m taking it one step at time. I figured that if I go slowly that the mistakes I make will be easier to spot and rectify. But in terms of you and Amber, no, it’s not hard. It gives me hope that because we’re in this together, I’ll do a better job of raising and protecting her than what I did for my brother and sister.”
“That’s bullshit Todd," Bree bit out, angry at him for his self-depreciating thoughts. “You did an excellent job with your siblings, which, by the way, wasn’t your job to do in the first place. And, for what it’s worth, you’re a great father. So, you can stop the pity party right there.”
Taken aback by the sudden outburst, Todd took his time and studied her expression; you could always tell what Bree was feeling by her expressions - she wore her heart on her face. “I know that. But, I don’t always feel that way.”
“Well get over it,” Bree stated, still fuming. “For such a strong, intelligent man, you can have the most idiotic notions, and questioning your skills as a father is one of them. I could’ve understood this at the beginning, but not after seven months, not when you see our daughter happy, thriving, and loving spending time with you.”
“Okay, point made,” Todd gave in. Then with a glint in his eye, he teased, “Did I mention that you’ve become feisty since you’ve changed your hair color?”
“Indeed,” Bree responded sardonically, taking a spoon of whipped cream, she tilted it upwards and flung it straight into his face. She waited just long enough to see his surprise, before getting up and running upstairs. Todd was fast on her heels, nearly catching her. Squealing, she side-stepped him and ran into the bathroom, locking it.
“Bree, come out,” Todd ordered, “you’re acting like a child.”
Feeling like one, Bree stuck her tongue out at the door. “No way.”
“I won’t do anything,” Todd promised. “I know you don’t have clothes here.”
“I am not going to fall for that,” Bree declared.
“You can’t stay in there forever,” Todd stated, the obvious.
Bree realized that he was right, and that she hadn’t quite thought this through - she should’ve first grabbed her bag, and then ran outside instead of into the bathroom. He’d be waiting for her at the door. Four hours wasn’t that long, she lied to herself, and he wouldn’t retaliate in front of Amber, so she’d wait for Amber to return and come out then.
After what seemed like ages, she felt as though she was going crazy. She didn’t have her phone to keep her occupied or to call on someone to distract him and, she could only stare at and count the bathroom tiles so many times. Stuff invasion of privacy, she thought and opened the bathroom cabinet, inspecting the contents. It was decidedly unexciting - no hidden secrets to uncover. And, her idea of looking for products to maybe give her hair a good condition while waiting was not an option as the guy used a shampoo and conditioner in one! Visibly shuddering at what that would do to her own hair, Bree stopped, hearing movement downstairs. Perfect. She’d slip out of the bathroom, make her way outside and go, pay Britney’s mom a visit.
Bree had just stepped foot on the landing, when Todd snuck up, jumped in front of her, and blasted her with a can of whipped cream. “Uurgh!” Bree groaned in frustration and lunged for him. Todd was laughing so hard that his attempts to dodge her failed, making it easy for her to tackle him. The surprise of landing on the living room rug stopped Todd’s laughter. Caught in the childish freedom offered by the fun of the moment, Todd narrowed his eyes, contemplating as Bree grinned with wicked satisfaction, whilst straddling him and tossed handfuls of cream at his face, neck, and chest.
“Like that, do you?” Todd glared.
“Yep,” Bree replied, rubbing cream into his t-shirt. “Okay Todd, you’ve had your fun and I’ve had mine. Truce?” she held her hand out to him.
“Truce,” he agreed and shook her hand. Just as she was about to get up, he gripped her hand and brought her down onto his chest, rolling them both around so that he pinned her arms to her side and trapped her under his weight.
Bree was about to let a string of expletives out when she became aware of the heady sensation of huis attention on her. She glanced up and met his intent gaze, immediately cognizant of the warm, heavy feeling of muscle on top of her. The position that they were in was inadvertently yet explicitly sexual. Baby blues met warm brown eyes and the awareness progressed to the humming undercurrent of acknowledged desire. It would have been the perfect moment for a kiss - the all-consuming kind - but Todd ended the spell they were under. Holding out his hand to help her up, he threw a grin at her. “Yep, you’re definitely feistier as a brunette,” he teased.
Bree blinked, surprised by the abrupt change in atmosphere. Then she caught the scowl she almost let go of and buried it. Fine, she thought, I’ll play along and responded, “You’d know, being one yourself.” She satisfied her wicked thoughts with a slap to his behind before traipsing upstairs to clean up in the bathroom.
Chapter 18
“So, how was the movie?” Kristine asked, as they all settled down for gossip and giggles with drinks in hand. It was their monthly Saturday get together without the kids, and because Bree had to bake mountains of smurf cookies and cupcakes for a birthday party the following afternoon, they’d agreed to meet at the Ramsay farmhouse. The kids had grumbled about missing out on time with Daniel, but when their mothers had explained that Daniel and Moira would be visiting friends and that Amber would be at her dad’s place, they’d acquiesced under the condition that they all got to go and help Daniel harvest the fall fruit from the greenhouse the next week.
Bree blushed, “How did you know about that? We only went last night.”
“And your point is?” Shelly chirped, before sticking a blue cake-pop in her mouth. She pulled the cake-pop out, inspected it, and declared, “These are yummy. Where did you get the idea?”
“Google,” Bree responded. “They’re really just balls of cake mixed with frosting and covered with chocolate on a stick. Because the theme of tomorrow’s party is, “The Smurfs," I had to use white chocolate, colored blue. I was a bit nervous that they might not come out right, so I’m really g
lad that you’re enjoying them. And, there’s more where that came from.”
Shelly lifted a brow, “Sure, bring out the baked goods. We’re happy to test anything. But,” she wagged a finger at Bree, “that does not mean that you’re allowed to change the subject. So you might as well get back to answering Kristine’s question.”
“It was great,” Bree, replied, “We saw the new romantic comedy with…” At the sardonic looks from all of them, she laughed and gave them a bit more. “The movie was great and the company was better.”
“Are you and Todd together again?” Megan inquired.
Bree shrugged, her face puzzled, “I have no idea. He calls often and not just to speak to Amber. Then again, it all started after I told him about Doctor Roz. Then, since that almost-kiss, he's started calling more often. We’ve shared a few meals, when I’ve popped around at his place, and Amber was playing with one of the neighbor’s kids. And then, during our exercise session at gym the other night, he asked if I’d like to go and see a movie with him.”
“Sounds like you’re dating,” offered Alice, getting nods from the rest of them.
“I’m not so sure,” Bree said, shaking her head. “It’s kind of like high school. I mean, we haven’t even made it to first base since that one night.”
“The one night where you told him that it’s not all about sex?” Shelly questioned.
“Yes,” Bree responded, grimacing at the recollection of the fight.
Shelly cocked her head, considered, and then spoke, “From what you’ve said, the fight was a mean one. And, you were quite vocal about sex complicating matters. If the guy really wants a shot at you, he’s not going to go straight for the goal after you made your feelings so clear.”
“But things have changed between us,” Bree argued. “And, we don’t talk about feelings or about us. We just kind of hang out and have fun together.”
“Well, that’s not a bad thing, hun,” mentioned Megan. “You guys were always so intense around each other - like old souls who had found their long, lost loves, or other halves or something. It’s not a bad thing to just relax and have fun. Heck, once you’re married, sharing a mortgage, and many other bills, you don’t get all that much time to just have fun. Sometimes I even have to pre-arrange when we’re going to have sex.”
“Really?” Bree asked, astonished.
“Really,” Megan nodded. “It’s not that we don’t love each other or even want each other; life just gets in the way, sometimes of the more intimate part of a relationship, let alone the fun stuff like movies and dating.”
“But that’s just it,” Bree interjected, “I don’t know if we’re dating. We don’t talk about us in that way or at all really.”
“Maybe you should ask him?” suggested Kristine. “What do you have to lose?”
“I've considered it,” Bree agreed. “And if he doesn’t make a move soon, I will ask him, but I’m still very weary to approach it with him. For the first time in ages, there’s no drama with whatever is going on between us. Things feel natural, sexually frustrating, but I can live with that for a while longer. If it means that, we’re building something here - if not for now, then for the future. I mean, he could just be being nice to me because of the depression. He did say that he would do what he could to support me. Maybe going out, having fun, the exercise thing, and the phone calls are his ways of showing that support.”
“And, maybe I’m an eighteen year old cheerleader,” Shelly challenged.
“Well, you were eighteen once and a cheerleader,” Bree countered. “And, even though your tongue is blue from stuffing your face with those cake-pops, you, sadly, could still pass for eighteen.”
“Yep,” agreed Kristine, joining in on the teasing and giving Bree a helping hand out of the friendly interrogation. “Bree’s right. You could pass for eighteen. I bet you even still wear the same bra size.”
Shelly responded by throwing a cushion first at Kristine then at Bree. “You’re right,” she grinned, “my aim is still as good as when I was eighteen, too.”
xxx
Fall was in full swing, Bree observed, relishing the crunch of the leaves underfoot as she walked along the main street of Devil’s Peak. Already, the businesses were geared up for Halloween. Fake, plastic pumpkins, ghostly faces, and characters from scary myths and legends graced the windows of the businesses. Regardless of the type of business, each window display was using Halloween fever, a regular bug that bit during October, as a means of marketing their trade.
Bree passed by the toy shop, and despite her heavy load, was tempted to venture inside. Nearly an hour later, though it seemed like moments, she exited the shop with an even heavier load, having splurged some of the extra income she’d begun earning from the parties on yet more Halloween décor for Amber. One of the coolest things about being a parent, Bree thought, was the license to indulge your child and reap the same benefits of enjoying the treat without any guilt. So, really, the Halloween décor was for her too, not that she would admit that to anyone - including Amber.
Already the farmhouse looked like pumpkin-ville. Alaskans had the benefit of good soil and unusually long daylight hours from summer to fall, and the result sometimes were super-sized vegetables. With her grandfather’s skill at anything growing out from the earth, they’d been able to supply nearly the entire population with pumpkins for the Halloween festivities. Of course, the Ramsay household and now Todd’s place too, got the best of the bunch and about thrice as much as another indulgence to Amber. Although, Bree believed that her grandfather enjoyed her grandmother’s pumpkin baked goods and carving the jack ‘o lanterns as much as Amber did.
Todd, of course, had been included in the decorating and had entered into it with such eagerness that watching him Bree had felt moved. He’d never experienced any traditions celebrated when he was a child as there’d been no parental interest and no money. Now, that he had both a family and the financial resources, he seemed to be making up for lost time.
Bree was beginning to hope that this was the case with their relationship too. He continued to be singular in his attentions to her and being part of a small town, she knew that he wasn’t dating anyone and in fact, hadn’t dated anyone since she’d returned to Devil’s Peak. But, the fact was, they were dating. Any intelligent human being would interpret the flowers she got on occasion ‘just because’, the movie and dinner dates, the impromptu lunches, and daily phone calls as such. The only thing missing was physical intimacy and now that she knew how great sex between them could be as adults, she felt like a starved dog staring at a bone every time they saw each other. She was starting to see Shelly’s point about him being wary of going there with her due to what she'd said during ‘the fight’. She was tempted to test that theory, but was still trying to figure out the best way to do it without outright seducing him and risking emotional rejection.
The Bree that had been depressed wouldn’t have thought of Todd having genuine interest in her. And, Bree acknowledged, she’d always doubted, questioned his interest in her before being diagnosed with depression - as far back as when they dated in high school. Working with Doctor Roz, she’d unpacked her insecurities as well as her overly developed self-criticism and after months of therapy and a full prescription of anti-depressants, she could finally allow herself to feel good about the positive and negative in her. That also meant that she could allow herself to see how others truly cared about her and that included Todd.
Arriving at Todd’s shop, Bree grinned at the ‘ghoul-inspired’ changes she saw through the window. Even the sign had been changed to read, “Scary Adventures." Again, it wasn’t very imaginative, but to the type of clientele that Todd drew, it got the job done. When she entered the shop, Todd came forward to relieve her of the multitude of bags she carried.
“Is there anything left in town,” he teased.
“I couldn’t resist,” Bree’s lips curved in delight. “I will not go past the toy store again until after Halloween or better
yet, until I need to do Christmas shopping. Besides, it’s Amber’s first Halloween in a proper house, with friends and family and well, I couldn't resist getting things I think she’d like.”
“At this rate, we’re going to have to build a shed to house all of it,” Todd groaned.
“As if you’d mind,” Bree scoffed. “Especially since you’ve spoilt her the most.”
Todd grinned sheepishly, uttering denials that fell flat.
“Oh, and this is for you,” Bree held out a bag. “Gran and I have begun bottling jams, pickles and fruit to fill the winter pantry. It’s amazing that in summer we take it for granted and then in winter, when there’s no fruit or fresh vegetables to be had, we’d die for a taste of them.”
“It’s in our nature as humans to forget. It’s how we cope.” replied Todd. “And, there’s no need to die for anything. I can always get you what you want when we run the plane to Fairbanks.”
“Thanks but I want Amber to fully experience Alaska and making do with what you have during our long winter is part of that. Besides, getting fruit in winter, even if it is coming from Fairbanks is super-expensive and a bit over-indulgent.”
“With the exception of coffee, that’s my philosophy too,” Todd smiled appreciatively. “And speaking of coffee, do you have time for some?”
“Sure,” Bree replied, amazed at how much had changed since the first time she set foot back in town and he’d asked her that same question. That day, she hadn’t fully appreciated the gourmet coffee. Heck, she’d been a nervous wreck, worried about how he’d respond to the knowledge that he had a six year old daughter. In retrospect, she hadn’t fully appreciated many things. Smiling to herself, Bree was glad that she had moved very far from that place.
Home for Love (An Adult Contemporary Romance) Page 16
