The Surprise

by Alice Ward

  “Speaking of the club, this is one of my team moms. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be right back.”

  “Of course,” Walt insisted with a dismissive wave.

  Ben strode quickly out of the dining room and I turned to my uncle, my eyebrow cocked again.

  “Five minutes ago, you were practically begging me to get rid of him. Now you’re volunteering to coach pee wee football?”

  “Yes.” He lifted his glass and swirled the liquid. “I’m going to give him a chance because you asked me to. And you’re going to think long and hard about what I asked you to do. Deal?”

  “Deal,” I agreed. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I was convinced that once Walt spent some one-on-one time with Ben, he’d understand why I had no intentions of leaving him.

  ***

  “Thank you for suffering through that with me,” I told Ben, kicking off my shoes. I sat down on his bed and started pulling off my jewelry.

  “It wasn’t that bad,” he assured me. “I learned not to take Walt’s jibes personally a long time ago. He’s protective of you. I get it. He’ll have to warm up to me sooner or later because I’m not going anywhere.”

  I laid my rings on the nightstand and started stripping out of my clothes. I had more than sleeping on my mind, but Ben didn’t seem to get the hint. He tossed me a clean t-shirt and stepped into the hallway.

  “I’m going to make a drink. Do you want anything?”

  “No,” I called after him.

  I tossed the t-shirt to the floor alongside my discarded clothes and wiggled between the sheets in nothing but my white lace panties. A few minutes later, I heard the television spring to life and groaned, feeling the spark of arousal doused. I leaned over the side of the bed and retrieved the t-shirt. I pulled it over my head and made my way to the living room. Ben was stretched out on the couch with a scotch and soda, his eyes fixed to a baseball game.

  “I thought we were going to bed,” I reminded him with a pout.

  “I was just going to check the score. But it’s all tied up at the end of the sixth. Why don’t you lay down and watch it with me?” he suggested.

  I sighed and squeezed onto the couch beside him.

  “We can’t fall asleep out here again,” I warned. “Last time, I had a crick in my neck for three days.”

  “Shh,” he said and nodded toward the TV.

  If Linda could see me now, I’d never hear the end of it. I think this is the definition of vanilla.

  Ben propped his elbow on the arm of the couch and took a long drink of his scotch. He covered my bare legs with a blanket and settled back down behind me. I waited until the commercial break to make my move. I turned in his arms, pushing my hips into his.

  “I really do appreciate the way you handled yourself tonight. It reminded me why I love you. And it made me want to show you just how much I love you.”

  I brushed my lips gently across Ben’s and stroked his face with a teasing finger.

  “Is that so?” he mumbled, leaning into my touch.

  I nodded and let my tongue dance into his mouth. I kissed him passionately, grinding my body into his. But I felt no response below Ben’s waist. The baseball announcer’s voice filled the room again, and Ben ended things as quickly as I’d started them. He reached for his drink and I rolled over in defeat.

  When did we stop having sex? This time last year, we couldn’t take our hands off of each other. Is it normal for the passion to fade so fast? Is this just part of the package when you finally find the person you’re supposed to be with? Is he just not attracted to me anymore?

  I tried to tell myself I was overreacting. Ben and I were only having sex about once a week. But it wasn’t as if we never touched each other.

  He just has a lower sex drive. All relationships are hot in the beginning. It’s normal that we’re not ripping each other’s clothes off anymore. But I’d think I’d at least get a rise out of him.

  I laid beneath Ben’s arm until I heard his soft snores, my teeth grinding harder with each exhale. I flipped off the television before waking him and dragging him to the bedroom.

  “I didn’t see the score,” he mumbled.

  “You’ll see it in the morning,” I promised.

  We stumbled into the bedroom and collapsed onto the mattress. Ben reached for me with a sudden urgency, pulling me roughly against his body.

  This is what I’m talking about.

  I found his lips with mine and kissed him hungrily, pushing him against the headboard. I climbed into his lap and pulled the t-shirt over my head, and he groped at my breasts with his mouth. I rocked against him, determined to make him hard.

  “Let me kiss it,” I whispered into his ear.

  Ben let out a happy groan and unfastened his belt. I tugged down his slacks and boxers before diving for his cock.

  I took the head into my mouth, licking and teasing with everything I had. Despite my best efforts, he remained limp in my hand.

  “I’m sorry, Em,” he finally groaned. “I don’t think this is going to work.”

  I crawled off of him and collapsed on the other pillow. “Is something wrong?” I whispered. “Did I do something, or not do something?”

  “Nothing’s wrong,” he assured me with a yawn. “I’m exhausted, that’s all. The overtime I’m putting in at the club is draining me. I still find you incredibly sexy.”

  “You’re just tired?” I pressed.

  “Yes, baby. I’m just tired and I have a lot on my mind. The scotch probably didn’t help either.” He stroked my arm with his fingers. “Look Em, I know we’ve fallen into a bit of a rut. I promise I realize that, and I have every intention of doing something about it. But right now, I’m just too tired.”

  “I understand,” I assured him and propped myself up on one elbow, planting another soft kiss on his lips.

  “I think this is normal,” I continued. “Every couple goes through a sort of ebb and flow in the bedroom. I love you. That’s all that matters.”

  He pushed my hair back from my face. “I love you too, Emily. And I promise I’ll kick things back into ‘flow’ just as soon as I adjust to my new schedule.”

  Ben rolled over onto his side and pulled my back into his chest. His scruffy stubble tickled my neck as his breaths slowed and his snores started again.

  This man loves me and together we’re going to build the life I’ve always wanted. So what if we go through some dry spells. At least we’re going through them together.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “Thanks again for my special snack, Miss Kinkaid. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Alfie Hollis stood in the doorway of my classroom, waving at me with a bright smile.

  Unlike a lot of schools, The Day School hadn’t yet imposed a ban on parents bringing treats to school on their children’s birthdays and other special occasions. The parents were asked to keep their selections allergy friendly, but they seemed to consider this as a suggestion, not a requirement. I’d anticipated the problem and stocked the bottom drawer of my desk with dried fruit and vegan, nut free cookies so Alfie would never be left out.

  “You’re welcome, Alfie. Have a good night.”

  “You too, Miss Kinkaid.”

  He darted into the hallway and I shut down my laptop. I’d had a long, exhausting day complete with an injury report after one student whacked another upside the head with a wooden train. The principal and I were scheduled to meet with both sets of parents the following afternoon and I’d given my entire class a long talk about the importance of sharing. When the dismissal bell finally rang, all I wanted to do was go home, change into my pajamas, and have a lazy night with Ben. I locked up my classroom and found him in the school gymnasium shooting free throws.

  “Nice shot,” I called out as the ball swooshed through the net. He turned to me with a charming smile.

  “Thanks, babe. How was your day?” He dribbled the ball toward me and then tucked it under his arm as he leaned down to kiss the top of my head.

>   “My day was terrible.” I leaned all my weight against him. “Are you ready to go? I thought we’d lay around my place and maybe order dinner in.”

  “I wish I could, baby. I have practice at the club tonight. And after, I’m meeting with the volunteer moms about the cheer program they want to start, remember?”

  “That’s right,” I sighed. “I forgot all about that. Do you want to come to my place later?”

  “I need to stay home tonight. The landlord is stopping by in the morning to look at the garbage disposal. I’m sorry, baby. I can tell you’ve had a rough day. Do you want me to cancel practice?”

  I shook my head. “No. I wish you could hang out with me, but I don’t want the kids to be disappointed.”

  “You could go to my place. I’m not sure what time I’ll be home. But we could have a little time together.”

  “That’s okay. I really feel like being home right now. Tomorrow night?”

  “It’s a date,” he agreed. “Go home, take a hot bath, and pamper yourself. I’ll call you when I leave the club.”

  I leaned in for a quick hug and then turned toward the door. “Have a good practice,” I called over my shoulder.

  “Thanks, baby. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  The sound of his basketball bouncing off of the court echoed down the hallway as I made my way out of the building. I slid behind the wheel of my blue Prius, a graduation present from Uncle Walt, and drove out of the King neighborhood and into a much older, more white collar Irvington area.

  When my parents passed away, I was left with just shy of a quarter of a million dollars in life insurance money. Half of it was safely in the bank, earning interest. I’d spent the other half on a small condo about twenty minutes away from the school. If I’d gotten my way, I’d have bought something closer to work. But Walt insisted that I live in a safer area. He didn’t believe the King neighborhood was as revitalized as the locals claimed.

  I pulled into my parking space and quickly retreated to my unit before any of my neighbors spotted me. After the day I’d had, I was in no mood to make forced, friendly small talk.

  I changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt, pulled my hair on top of my head, and settled in on my soft white sofa to binge on reality television. After three hours of watching spoiled socialites choose their wedding gowns, I realized I’d forgotten all about dinner. And the meal I was craving came from a diner that didn’t deliver.

  I’ll call it in but eat at the counter so I don’t have to deal with the take-out trash.

  I padded across the beige carpet in my socked feet and retrieved my phone from my purse. I called in my order and was told it would be ready in fifteen minutes.

  That doesn’t give me time to change. I’ll probably run into half of my parents if I leave the house looking like this. Screw it. My job is to teach their children, not wow them with my fashion sense.

  The Day School was technically a public school, so families weren’t charged tuition. But the school’s innovative teaching programs drew both the lower income families in King as well as the more affluent families in my neighborhood. Some days, I felt like I couldn’t turn around without tripping over someone from the school. But I was starving and didn’t have time to worry what they’d think of my sweats and oversized t-shirt. I stuffed my feet into laceless sneakers, grabbed my purse, and set off for the diner.

  I arrived ten minutes later and found the parking lot nearly empty. A bell chimed when I pushed open the heavy glass door and the smells of bacon, coffee, and pie hit my nose. A short, curvy woman with curly grey hair greeted me as I sat down at the counter.

  “What can I get for you, darlin’?”

  “I called in an order for Emily,” I explained.

  She looked at a little notepad. “Chicken fry with mashed potatoes and salad?”

  “That’s the one.”

  She turned to the order window, where a small bowl of ranch covered lettuce and tomatoes waited atop a bucket of ice. She delivered it to me with a set of silverware rolled in a paper napkin.

  “Your steak will be up shortly. What can I get you to drink?”

  “I’ll have a Coke, easy on the ice,” I replied, mixing the salad with my fork.

  She filled a tall plastic cup and slid it across the counter. I took a long drink and shoveled lettuce into my mouth with a saltine. The bell chimed again and a few moments later, the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen sat down two stools away from me. I felt my face flush hot and kept my eyes fixed on my bowl.

  “Back so soon, Ethan?” the waitress asked, passing him a menu.

  “What can I say, Gladys. I dream about your apple pie.” His voice was warm and deep, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at him.

  “Water with lemon?” she asked, already filling his glass.

  “Yes, ma’am. And I’ll have my usual.”

  “You got it,” she replied. She jotted a few words on a ticket, tore it off her pad, and hung it in the window. “Order up, Earl,” she called into the kitchen. She turned back to my new dinner companion with an almost star-struck grin.

  I don’t blame you, Gladys. This guy looks like a statue of a Greek god brought to life.

  “So how was practice?” she asked. “Think you’ll be ready next month?”

  “I think so,” he told her. Before he could say more, the bell chimed again and a group of a dozen teenagers filled the diner. They spread out in four of the six booths and a few clustered around the jukebox. My meal appeared in the window and Gladys delivered it before setting off to greet her new customers. I stared down at my giant, gravy soaked plate and felt myself blush again.

  Fantastic. I’m sitting three feet away from Adonis, about to pig out in four-year-old sweatpants. I’ll eat fast and get out of here before I have to make eye contact with him.

  “That’s quite a steak you’ve got there,” he commented, shattering my hope to get through my meal unnoticed.

  “I’m hungry,” I explained awkwardly.

  Hungry and lame.

  “It’s nice to see a woman with an appetite,” he replied, but I couldn’t tell if he was teasing, serious, or simply grossed out.

  I finally looked up at him and my heart instantly raced.

  Like me, Ethan was wearing a plain white t-shirt and a pair of sweats. He had dark hair, hypnotic hazel eyes, and I could tell by the fit of his shirt that his body was as chiseled as his chin and cheekbones.

  “I’m Ethan McAlister,” he said with a cocky, expectant grin.

  Well, isn’t he impressed by himself? Though I guess I’d be a little cocky too, if I looked like that.

  “Nice to meet you, Ethan. I’m Emily Kinkaid.”

  “It’s nice to meet you too.” The expectation on his face turned to amusement and he spun on his stool to face me. “So tell me, Emily Kinkaid, how is it that a beautiful woman such as yourself is dining alone tonight?” His voice dripped with charm.

  “My boyfriend coaches a pee-wee football team at the Boys Club, and they have practice tonight.”

  “And you didn’t tag along? Not a sports fan, I take it?”

  “I’m a huge sports fan. I just don’t like football.”

  He gave me an understanding nod and took a long drink of his water. “Let me guess, you think it’s too violent.”

  I swallowed a bite of my potatoes and chased it with a sip of my soda.

  “I think it’s too dangerous,” I corrected him. “For kids, at least. I don’t mind watching it on television, but when it’s one of your children on the field, it’s a completely different story.”

  His eyes widened with surprise. “You have kids?”

  “No,” I replied with a laugh. “I’m sorry. I teach kindergarten. I have a bad habit of referring to every kid in the school as mine.”

  The shock changed to relief and Gladys reappeared behind the counter. A platter of pancakes, sausage, and eggs appeared in the order window and she set it in front of Ethan before returning to the booths with a pot of coffee.


  “Kindergarten, huh? You must have a lot of energy,” he commented, covering his pancakes with syrup.

  “It ran out long before the final bell today, which is why I look like I’ve been hit by a truck,” I explained with a light-hearted laugh.

  “If you’re this beautiful when you’re exhausted, I’d love to see you on a good day,” he countered. I still couldn’t tell if he was teasing or being serious, but I was surprised by how at ease I felt around the handsome, charming stranger.

  He’s like Linda. I bet he’s never met a stranger. And I’m sure he flirts like this with every woman he comes across. But what the hell? It’s harmless. I may as well enjoy it.

  “I’m serious,” he continued. “I’m new to the area. I’d be incredibly grateful if you’d show me around sometime.”

  I shifted on my stool, suddenly nervous. “I have a boyfriend,” I told him again.

  “Which is why I’m asking for a tour, not a date,” he replied, completely undeterred. “Come on, you’d be doing me a huge favor.” He gave me the most adorable, pitiful puppy dog eyes and I had to turn away. I knew if I stared at him much longer, I’d agree to anything he wanted.

  “I really can’t,” I insisted. “Even if it’s innocent, it’s a line I’m not willing to cross.”

  “So you’re beautiful and loyal. Your boyfriend is a lucky man.”

  “Thanks.”

  I stared down at my half eaten meal and knew I couldn’t take another bite. I leaned over the counter and fetched my own to-go box.

  “In a hurry?” he asked.

  I lifted a shoulder. “Sort of.” I filled the box and pulled a twenty from my wallet.

  “Gladys looks like she’s going to have her hands full for a while. Will you make sure she gets this?” I asked, setting the bill on the counter.

  “Sure,” he agreed. “If you’ll give me your phone number.”

  I blushed and shook my head. “I’m sorry. I just can’t.”

  “I understand. But I can’t stand the thought that I may never see you again.”

  I knew he was just flirting, but my pulse quickened and my heart felt like it might explode from my chest with excitement. I slung my purse over my shoulder and met his eyes with a smile.