by Amber Lynn
Chapter Twenty-one
“I know this water is clear and all, but I think I like the lake water better. The unknown of whether a fish will swim by your leg is kind of exciting.”
Toby had just surfaced when he heard the voice. It came from behind him, and was so unexpected that his arms faltered, causing his head to dip under the water again. He’d been swimming for at least fifteen minutes and his arms were already starting to feel fatigue. Hearing Meredith’s voice didn’t help.
Water streamed from his mouth as he spun around to face the other end of the pool. He was used to seeing Meredith in jeans and t-shirts. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen her in a dress before, but even his lack of fashion knowledge told him that the sundress she wore wasn’t something she picked up in Keene. The dress was a light shade of purple and wrapped around her body, accentuating all the curves Toby loved.
Surprisingly, well even more so than the fact she was standing there to begin with, she didn’t have a baby in her arms or a kid wrapped around her leg. It was just Meredith, looking like the angel in his dreams.
“Is there something wrong with one of the kids?”
No matter if she was the woman of his dreams, the only reason for her to be standing in his house was if something horrible had happened. Tears weren’t streaming down her face, so Toby wasn’t sure what to do. He wanted to run to her and sweep her up in his arms, but the confusion of whether she was a figment of his imagination kept him treading water.
It'd been three days since they’d seen each other. She’d made it clear that on her side of things there wasn’t any future, and he’d left her a note saying he wasn’t going to take that for an answer.
“Last I saw they were being spoiled rotten by my mom. I’m starting to get scared that Caleb’s going to take up go-kart racing. I left them at the track a few blocks over so I could come talk to you.”
Meredith slipped out of her sandals and sat down on the edge of the pool, letting her toes dip into the water. The temperature was at a constant seventy degrees, so there wasn’t much chance of it causing a chill.
“The kids are with your mom? It was a big enough shock finding you standing there, but you made it clear that your parents were out of the picture.”
Toby started to wonder if maybe he’d hit his head on the pool or was in the middle of a blackout with a vivid dream accompanying it. He couldn’t remember a time when blackouts left any kind of impression, so he leaned towards hitting his head.
“’They were, but then some idiot came into my life who decided he could fix all my problems by digging into my past. How’s that going for you? Your brother found any of the loopholes you were hoping to find?”
After the first day of texting ten times to see how things were going, Charlie had been avoiding him. The lack of response didn’t stop Toby from asking. It just meant he didn’t have the answers he wanted. Since Charlie hadn’t reported anything, Toby sidestepped the question.
“How’d you get in here?”
Meredith laughed and kick water in his direction. Toby was twenty feet away from her, so the droplets splashed about five feet in front of him.
“The woman cleaning your house let me in. When I told her my name, she ushered me in like royalty.”
“As she should have.”
Toby decided the distance between them had been kept long enough. If she wasn’t a figment of his imagination, he wanted her in his arms. He surfaced next to the wall Meredith sat on and grabbed her ankles with his hands. The water was only five feet on that side of the pool, so he didn’t have to worry about treading water.
It was clear Meredith had made contact with at least her mom, but Toby didn’t want to hide that he was afraid there was still a threat out there. Charlie hadn’t come through, but Toby’s own investigation seemed to indicate Perry hadn’t settled down. Meredith had seemed sure that was because he was waiting for her to reappear.
“Charlie hasn’t found anything out about the contract yet, and I know you’ve already let the cat out of the bag with your mom, but I hope you’re keeping your visit at least somewhat low key. As far as I can tell, Perry’s still a threat to your happy life up in the woods.”
“How long before you’re done turning into a prune? I thought maybe we could grab some lunch and talk.”
There was something different about Meredith. Toby had thought it was part of his hallucination, but he could physically see her tension levels were nowhere near what they’d been since the moment they met. Her body language was completely different.
During their weeks in the woods, she’d lightened up, but her shoulders always told the story of how alert she was. They were never relaxed like they were as she sat on the side of the pool.
“I’m not sure what I have in the kitchen, but we can probably whip something up. Or we can peruse my exhaustive offerings of takeout menus. I’m pretty sure I’ve got one for every cuisine imaginable.”
Eating food with a variety of flavors took some getting used to after basically eating out of cans. Toby found his favorite spicy food was a little overpowering the first few bites when he’d ordered it the night before. He’d hadn’t purposefully eaten less adventurous foods before that, but the glass of milk he’d had to chug made it pretty clear his palate had changed.
“I heard there’s a cute little bistro on Broadway I thought we could check out.”
“Um, I don’t know about a specific bistro, but don’t you think a place on Broadway is a little too public?”
She’d said she and the kids had been over at the go-kart place, but that wasn’t as public as walking down Broadway and eating in some ritzy place. Toby didn’t have a problem doing that. He just thought it was best if she laid low.
“That’s kind of the point. I’m not hiding anymore. Apparently, I never was.”
Toby moved away from Meredith and pulled himself out of the pool. He needed to take a shower to rinse the chlorine and chemicals off him, but he needed to figure out what was going on before he got ready to go anywhere.
Meredith jumped to her feet and moved away from him. He didn’t take it personally as water followed him out of the pool.
“I don’t understand. You want people to see you?”
Instead of answering, Meredith just stared at Toby. Her eyes were focused low, which made his eyes look down. He knew what he’d find, but he still looked at his suntanned skin.
“You’re not wearing any clothes.”
Having never heard Meredith stutter, it was endearing to hear how flustered his state of dress made her. Toby had assumed she’d caught sight of the goods in the water.
“I was a little frustrated. With those fish you mentioned always lurking in the lake, it’s been a while since I skinny dipped.”
Since he was in his house, Toby didn’t have to worry about anyone telling him to put some clothes on. Even with that freedom, he didn’t do it often. After being away from Meredith for days and not coming up with any immediate answers, the swim was meant to work off some steam. It had made him tired, but the frustration hadn’t waned until Meredith showed up.
His towel was on a chair on the other side of the pool. Toby glanced over at it quickly, but looked back to Meredith, who was still either scared or fascinated at what she was staring at. It would be just as easy to walk to his bedroom than walk around and grab the towel, so he didn’t make any movements towards it.
“You’re gonna have to tell me what you’re thinking. You’ve been married and have a little boy, so I’m going to go out on a limb and say this isn’t the first time you’ve seen someone’s junk.”
As the seconds ticked by, her cheeks turned a rosy shade. Meredith didn’t generally blush, which made Toby a little proud.
“No, it’s not the first time. I just haven’t seen one quite that, um, well, big? You were just swimming, right? Isn’t that supposed to shrink it up?”
She pointed to make sure there was no confusion as far as what she was talking about. The action
wasn’t needed, but it was cute.
“Heated pool plus seeing you keeps shrinkage to a minimum. Are you going to explain to me this business about you going public with the fact you’re alive? I thought Charlie would have a chance to find something out by now, but the guy is screening his calls and texts.”
Standing around talking about his erection wasn’t helping soften things. Since literal cold water wasn’t available to dump on him, talking about her problems was the only thing he had going for him.
“I asked Charlie to let me tell you in person.” When Toby was quick to open his mouth to say something, Meredith hurried on. “When I got to town last night, I wasn’t sure what the official schedule was, but my mom is planning a press conference this afternoon to announce I’ve resurfaced. Technically, it's just a press release the family lawyer is sending out, but the news will be official this afternoon.”
“Okay,” Toby said slowly.
The answer didn’t explain anything. The confusion was enough to make Toby rub his head. It'd been about a month since he’d had any head problems, but the headache he felt coming on was a doozy. Maybe not knock him out level, but he needed to get things figured out to make sure it didn’t hit that level.
“The short version of the press release reads that I ran away from home in a stupid teenager rebellion, and then was too afraid of repercussions to come back.”
“So the basic truth. I don’t understand why you’re back, though. I told you I was looking into the contract so you wouldn’t have to reveal where you’ve been.”
Meredith took a step forward. The splash zone out of the pool was big enough that the step still put her three feet away.
“I’m not revealing where I’ve been. We’re just not hiding anymore. Can you get some clothes on so we can grab something to eat while I explain things? I’ve got a five-year-old waiting to challenge you in go-karts once we're done.”
“And there's a reason we can’t just have the conversation here?”
Toby didn’t think Meredith would ever step foot in his house, so he kind of wanted to keep her there for as long as he could. He hadn’t gotten around to talking to a realtor about listing it, but it was on the list he was still working through. Meetings with the people involved with his contract were over other than him signing on the dotted line. The last message Charlie had been kind enough to send simply told him not to sign anything until Charlie looked it over.
“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to spell it out, but, yeah, there’s a great reason to go somewhere else so I can explain things. If we stay here, we’re going to end up in your bed, and I’d really like if you’d take me on a real date before that happens.”
It was impossible to argue with that reason. He almost asked whether the lunch at whatever little bistro she’d mentioned qualified as a date. He also needed to figure out how long her mom was set to watch the kids. As much as he wanted to see both of them, if there was a chance for something a little more intimate than a kiss, Toby was up for exploring it. Things couldn’t go too far because of her condition, but maybe they could play a little.
“Give me fifteen minutes to jump in the shower and I'll be ready to go.”
Meredith jumped when he quickly landed a kiss on her lips on his way out of the room. He didn’t look back, but he hoped she got an eyeful of his toned butt.
Chapter Twenty-two
Meredith had wanted to at least pretend to be mad at Toby, but seeing him in the pool took every ounce of even false anger and made it disappear. She hadn’t noticed his lack of clothing while he made his way through the water. If she had anything to be mad at him about, it was the fact that he’d rendered her speechless.
After her mom spent a day up at the cabin convincing her that there was no reason for her to live up there alone and watching as the tears ran down her face like a rain shower when she was introduced to both her grandson and granddaughter, Meredith decided to give the city a small chance. She had no immediate plans of moving back, but it was a nice little vacation for them.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten in a legitimate restaurant. Keene had a diner and an ice cream shop, neither of which would ever be confused for high-class eating. The bistro Toby ended up finding had come as a recommendation from Layla. She had claimed it was posh and quiet enough for whatever talk needed to happen. Meredith hadn’t explained to her mother exactly what the discussion was about, but as long as the elder McLarson kept sending pictures of the kids at the go-cart place to Meredith’s new phone, she felt comfortable being away for a little while.
“So, you’ve basically been hiding for no reason. That sucks.”
Toby had listened intently as Meredith relayed the facts she’d put together. He summed up her initial sentiment perfectly. Picking up one of the Parmesan fries from his plate of barely touched food, he held it out to Meredith. She quickly snatched it from him and bit into it. The garlic and Parmesan coating the fries was to die for, which explained why her serving was already gone.
“I like to think without my years away, I wouldn’t have ever really grown up. And I sure as heck wouldn’t have Caleb and Grace. Lawrence had his faults, some of which I’m still learning, but my marriage wasn’t the loveless one it sounded like I was going to have if I stayed around.”
Since they were in a public place, she’d been careful about saying names and spelling out every last detail. Toby had been quick to connect the dots, though, and he still couldn’t believe it based on his head shaking back and forth.
“Someday when we’re alone somewhere, I’m sure I’ll have questions about all that, but what I’m hoping we’re getting to is what this means for us. Last we talked, you told me there was no us.”
What a difference a few days and some clarification made. A lot had come out of the woodwork, so there still wasn’t a clear indication of what the future would hold.
Before saying anything, Meredith looked around the room of fellow diners. She’d done the same thing at least a dozen times, searching for any familiar faces. She didn’t expect to find any, but she was so used to being on high alert.
The closest group was three tables away, having what looked like a business lunch. Meredith couldn’t hear the conversation, but half the time they looked dead serious and every once in a while someone had to make a joke because the five men would crack up.
On the other side of them and to the left, a pair of women were flipping through a large binder. They kept pulling out their phones and fawning over them. Meredith imagined they were planning a wedding. She couldn’t think of anything else that went along with their actions.
Meredith had picked out a reason for every other table’s visit. She wondered what people thought of when they looked over at her and Toby. She’d caught some quick looks away during some of her glances around the room.
“By the way you’re checking out the guys at that table over there, I’m started to get scared that you’re looking to take this newfound freedom for a twirl.”
The silence had gone on probably a little too long for Toby’s comfort. Meredith quickly focused back on him to make sure he didn’t get any further idea she had a wandering eye.
“Sorry, it’s been a while since there were so many unknown people around me. Back home, I know everyone by looks and basically do my best to stay away from them. Here, I find myself looking for people I might have gone to school with or remember from seven years ago.”
Meredith grabbed a fry off his plate before she continued. She needed to figure out the recipe to try to recreate them at home. Her pre-baby weight was never going to disappear if that became a reality.
“It’s stupid. I’m sure I wouldn’t recognize anyone even if I did see them, but I’m used to knowing everyone.”
“There’s nothing stupid about that at all. Although, I highly doubt you’d ever know everyone here even if you decide to stay.”
Toby pushed his plate forward, grabbing a fry for himself once the plate was in the middle
of the table. Meredith had already asked him if his Reuben tasted okay, and he claimed it was fine, but there only seemed to be two bites missing from it.
“I know I’ve asked it already, but why aren’t you eating? You said earlier you were too busy listening, but the story is all out there and you’re feeding me instead of yourself.”
Reaching over, Toby intertwined his fingers with the ones on Meredith’s left hand. His fingers were moist, almost greasy feeling. She didn’t remember him rubbing them in the fries, but it felt like he had. It was weird enough that she almost drew her arm back. If he hadn’t already hinted about being worried she was checking out other guys, she would have.
Plus, the wedding planners kept looking over, and she knew they weren’t looking at her. Making it a little clearer that they were together didn’t hurt anything.
“I’m a little concerned anything I eat right now is going to make a reappearance, so I’m trying to keep it light.”
“Is your head okay? I should have asked about that before I dumped all this on you. I know I’ve witnessed what happens, but it’s easy to forget.”
Meredith wasn’t sure what to do. Toby had driven them, so she’d need him to hand over the keys and then hope he could give her directions to the nearest doctor. It was one thing to be up in the woods and be afraid something would happen to him before she could get a doctor. They were in a city with huge hospitals, so there had to be someone who could keep the downtime to a minimum.
She vaguely remembered the hospital her mother had taken her to when she’d banged up her knee playing tennis in the eighth grade. It was on the other side of town, but she was fairly certain she could find it.
“Hey.” Fingers snapped in front of Meredith’s face. “Do I want to know where you just disappeared to?”
Furrowing her brow, Meredith wondered what in the world Toby was talking about. His fingers were still wrapped around hers, so it was obvious she hadn’t gone anywhere.
