“I’ll let you know when I’m home. Have a nice night,” he said and left her standing there alone in the hallway.
It ached, and she didn’t like that it did. But what she wouldn’t have given, at that moment, for a goodbye kiss.
Peeking around the doorway, she watched as Mike sat down next to Gabe and they laughed as two men enjoying a moment might. At that very moment, she felt lonely. Her mother had Tracy, Gabe had Mike, and she had no one she could call and sort out her feelings with. No, instead, she’d been released from duty to return home to her son—whom was her salvation—and his father—her nemesis.
Chandra opened the back door to the house and immediately heard the sounds of her son and his father as they commented on the same game she’d left Gabe and Mike watching.
Hanging her bag and coat on the peg by the back door, she looked around at the mess of chip bags and Dr. Pepper bottles that littered the counters. A half-eaten pizza sat on the kitchen table. What had happened to walking into the clean kitchen and the smell of freshly baked cookies?
Chandra walked into the living room where Jason lay sprawled out on the couch and Austin, in only a pair of boxers, reclined in a chair.
“Hey, honey. What are you doing here?” Austin lifted his beer to his lips and took a long pull.
“I live here. Or did you forget?” Irritation filled her voice. “Jason, do you have homework?”
“I’ll do it in the morning,” he argued without looking at her.
She clenched her jaw, turning her attention back to Austin. “Where did you get the money for the pizza?”
“Your bra drawer,” he admitted with a chuckle. “You haven’t changed much. There’s some left. Have a slice and grab a beer. Grab me one too,” he ordered, as he turned his attention back to the game.
This was a moment she should take control of, she thought to herself. So why was she turning to simply head to her bedroom and fall into bed? It was early. Any other day she would have cherished the extra hours she’d get with her son, but now she was hell bent on hiding from him.
She heard Austin call after her when she didn’t return with his beverage, but she wasn’t about to start serving him in her own home.
Chapter Twenty
Mike fell onto the couch with the remote in his hand and a satisfied sigh. It had been a nice evening watching the game at the bar with Gabe and getting to know him.
The man had quite a story to tell. He’d lost his first wife in a car accident and had taken over the restaurant from his uncle as a method of healing. His wife Holly had been someone he’d met at the restaurant, and they’d had a one-night thing, which was uncharacteristic for both of them, and she’d ended up pregnant.
Now they were happily married with two kids, and Mike knew a smitten man when he saw one. Gabe Maguire was one of them.
They’d called Peter and invited him to join them. That too had been interesting. He had a story too. A fast rise in the corporate world with lucrative stock options. Then his wife runs off with another man.
Mike was genuinely glad the two men had happened into his life, though. It made him feel as though he had solid footing in this new life he was carving out for himself.
Pressing the channel button on the remote, he stopped at an early season of NCIS, back when Kate and Tony were still trying to figure each other out. He’d be the first to admit he didn’t mind when she’d left the show. He rather enjoyed Ziva. She was an exotic mystery.
Then the realization of that very thought hit him, and he set the remote down next to him on the couch.
When he was hanging out with the guys, there hadn’t been too much to tell about his ex-wife. Sure, she was dating again, but aside from the initial shock of it, he wasn’t bothered by it. And she hadn’t been unfaithful. That hadn’t been what drove them apart.
They just hadn’t been the right fit for each other.
Their relationship had always been friendly but certainly hadn’t had any heat to it. Life goals between them were similar. Job promotion was important and even having that one kid that they could dote on was equally agreed on.
But one day, it wasn’t enough.
That’s when his life changed, and he’d ended up in Colorado—and then there was the exotic beauty that was out of his league.
Mike hadn’t been prepared for the woman who happened to be behind the bar that sorrowful day he’d walked into Maguire’s. He’d gone inside simply to get warm and have a beer. Never would he have thought his entire life would change at that moment.
The thought of her face and that long dark hair flooded his mind. The tattoos that covered her arms fascinated him, and the few times he’d pressed his lips to her—well that could fill nights of wonder for him.
Mike sunk in the couch, kicking his feet up on the coffee table. The disappointment of Austin returning hit him solidly in the gut.
To look at the man, he’d easily be convinced that Chandra and Austin were equals. He and Chandra shared a common look, which simply said don’t mess with me. He could see where they’d found easy attraction in one another.
And he was back and in their lives. He was living in her house, and being a father to Jason. There was no room for competition there.
It was a sad reality, he decided as he reached for the remote and turned off the TV. There just wasn’t enough room in Chandra’s life for him.
Mike stood and turned off the lamps on his way to the bedroom. Thoughts of kissing Chandra filled his head, and he certainly needed to shake them free.
Deciding to take a late night shower, he turned on the water and let the small bathroom steam up around him, and he undressed.
It wasn’t going to be very easy to avoid Chandra now, he thought as he stepped in under the water. He and her mother, and her mother’s friend had all become business partners.
Like marriage, his partnership with her mother signified that Chandra would always be in his life—and likewise Austin.
It wasn’t as if they had a relationship. He was simply a middle-aged, smitten man. Of course, that sounded creepy even in his head, and it had him laughing to himself.
It was time to move forward he decided as he lathered the soap between his hands.
The apartment was coming along nicely. If things went well, he’d be able to secure the house in the next month or so. Part of having a B and B was that he’d live there too. No more small apartments above restaurants, or hotel rooms for him.
The bonus would be that Jason would still be around and he couldn’t wait for Dane to get to know him.
And he and Chandra would still be friends.
The loneliness of the evening began to wash away.
Perhaps tomorrow he’d borrow Gabe’s truck and get the rest of his stuff out of that storage and over to Chandra’s garage.
Mike rinsed and turned the shower off. His mind had eased as he dried off and then climbed into bed.
But as he closed his eyes the thought of the kiss he’d shared with Chandra in his living room filled his mind. Maybe he was going to have a harder time letting the thought of her go.
~*~
Laughter resonated from the other room, and it broke her heart. What she wouldn’t have given for Jason to have a father he could have been proud of. One that would go to his soccer games every week and cheer him on. But she’d fallen hard and fast for Austin, and she always did when he returned.
She should have been enjoying her son’s sounds of enjoyment, but she wasn’t. She didn’t want to think about what it all meant for him to get so comfortable with his father around, only to know he’d leave again.
But he wasn’t leaving.
That had Chandra turning in her bed, bundling the quilt around her, and over her head to dull the noise. Just when she thought she’d met a nice man she could trust, Austin walked back in.
Who was she fooling? Mike was just that—a nice man. An interested nice man, she had to remind herself. And now her mother’s business partner. There was no gett
ing away from him, but did she want to?
What she wanted was a warm set of arms to hold her when she was feeling low, just as she was right now. She wanted an attentive ear when she had a story to tell. An easy glance her way that spoke of affection and appreciation would be nice too.
The laughter in the other room died down, and soon she heard footsteps and closing doors. Then there was a tap at her door.
Without invitation, the door opened, and Austin stood with the light from the hallway illuminating him from behind.
“Hey, you seemed mad about the pizza.”
Chandra sat up and studied his figure in the doorway. Once upon a time, those tattoos told stories, and she’d fallen for each and every one of them. That hair, which now fell around his shoulders, was an instant attraction to her, and so were his dark eyes.
Why couldn’t he have lived up to her expectations?
“I am mad about the pizza. You can’t just steal my money.”
He stepped into her room further. “I’ll pay you back. It was a spur of the moment thing, and we were having fun.”
“It’s fine.”
Austin moved in further, closing the door behind him. “You know, usually when I come home, you’re a lot happier to see me.”
She let out a snort. “Home? This isn’t your home. It never was your home.”
“Home is with you two.”
“You’ve never felt that way,” she reminded him as she tucked her legs under her and pulled the quilt around her.
“Things are different now. I’m thinking I need some stability. You know, a real job, time with my kid, and my woman.”
That was a knife in her gut. “I’m not your woman.”
Now he moved to the bed, sat down, and took her hand in his. “I’m not kidding, Chandra. This is what I want.”
The smell of alcohol on his breath and cigarettes smoke on his clothes was a familiar memory. Why couldn’t it be a bad one, she wondered as he stroked his thumb over her knuckles.
“Austin, this isn’t a good idea.”
He reached behind her and pulled the band that held her hair in its braid. “I like your hair down,” he said as he pulled the strands until it fell over her shoulders. “I’m not going to let you down, sweetheart. You can trust me,” he said as he stroked his hand up her throat.
His fingers offered her that contact—that connection she’d been dreaming of. She closed her eyes and let his touch warm there on her skin. “I’m afraid I can’t trust you,” she admitted, her voice full of air, her eyes closed.
Because he was predictable, she knew his lips would come to her neck, and they did. They would trail kisses from her ear to her collarbone—but in her desperation, it was welcomed.
Austin eased her back on the bed, still trailing kisses over her skin. She was going to regret this in the morning she thought as she felt his hand on the bare skin of her stomach. But it had been a very long time since a man had touched her or kissed her—except for Mike.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she soaked in the feel of Austin’s touch. It was only one night, she promised herself. Only one night.
Chapter Twenty-One
The blinds had been pulled, and the room was still dark when Chandra forced open her eyes. Her bed was empty, and she pulled all of the covers over her naked body.
She closed her eyes again until the reality of the voices outside her door shook her into full alertness. Grabbing for her phone on the nightstand, she turned it on to realize she’d overslept. Dear God, this was only one reason not to sleep with a man she swore she would never have anything to do with again. Now she was late for work.
Pulling on the pair of pants she’d thrown to the floor, she hobbled to the closet to find a Maguire’s polo. Luckily she had two left. Now the reality of needing to do laundry hit her too.
When she opened the bedroom door, she could hear Austin and Jason in the kitchen.
“Hurry. You’re going to miss your bus,” she shouted over their talking.
“Mom, Dad is taking me to school. I’m fine.”
She turned her attention to the man who was wearing boxer shorts and one of her mother’s aprons.
“You’re taking him to school on your motorcycle? It’s February.”
“It’s Colorado,” he said as he flipped a pancake which was much more batter than cake. When he turned to look at her, he lifted a brow and wrinkled his nose. “You’re going to work like that? You’re a mess.”
Chandra gritted her teeth. Never a warm word. Never a compliment. It was never going to change.
“Jason, get your stuff and get in the car. I’m taking you to school,” she demanded as she gathered her coat and her bag for work. “And you,” she turned and directed her anger at Austin. “You’d better have this all cleaned up when I get home. This is a freaking mess.”
“You’re just pissed cuz your mom moved out and isn’t cleaning up after you.” He flipped another pancake and batter splattered on the wall behind the stove. “It’ll be fine, and I can still take him to school.”
“I’ll take him. He’s worked too hard to keep his grades at passing and his attendance in good standing. I’m afraid you might forget to go to school, and they’ll be calling looking for him. I’m not sure my heart can take a phone call like that.”
“You worry too much,” he accused as he ladled more batter onto the griddle.
For the first time since he arrived, he was right. She did worry too much—and thank goodness for that. If she didn’t worry if she didn’t care or have a concern, who knows where her little family might be. Had she not, at one time, had some sense about her, Austin would probably have been a permanent fixture in their lives. As it was now, he dropped in and left when he was done with normal.
But as she flung her bag over her shoulder she realized this was perfectly normal. He came. He caused chaos. He fell into her bed. He left. What did it matter what he promised this time? It would all be over soon, and she’d go back to worrying too much without him in the picture.
Jason’s snappy moves as he flung his backpack around and stomped his feet into his shoes as he tried to put them on without untying them, brought her back to the moment. Sure, he never wanted to go to school, but he was usually very diligent about getting ready and getting on the bus. But watching his mood sour as it was, she couldn’t help but blame Austin for the disruption to their lives.
Once they were in the car, and Jason had thrown his backpack at his feet, he crossed his arms in front of him and kept a narrowed gaze out the window.
“Something wrong?” she asked as she pulled the car out into traffic and headed to the school.
“I’m fine.”
“Hmmm. This doesn’t look like fine to me.”
“What would you know? You’re working all the time now.”
Seriously? This was going to be her fault?
“You knew that I’d be gone the whole time Gabe was at home with his new baby. Trust me. Holly needs him home more than I need him at work.”
“But you’re gone all day.”
“It’s almost over. He’ll be back by spring break and then we can have a nice week doing fun things.”
“Whatever. Even Grandma doesn’t want to be around me.”
That was the last straw she thought as she pulled the car over to the curb a few blocks from the school. Turning toward him, she rested her hand on his folded arms.
“That’s not true and you know it.”
He shrugged, keeping his eyes forward. “Feels like it.”
“She doesn’t want to be in the way with your dad here.”
“She’s not in the way.”
“I know that, but…”
He let out a huff. “It’s not like he’s going to be here for long anyway. C’mon, Mom. He can’t stand to be a family. We know that. This is just a game to him.”
Chandra was sure her mouth had fallen open, so she mindfully shut it. So this was the new wise age?
“He says he wants to
stay,” she reminded him. “He’s going to get a job and stay with us.”
Jason rolled his eyes, and his head, toward her. “And you believe him?”
No, she really didn’t. “I don’t know.”
“For spring break do you think we can spend it together? Doing stuff?”
She chuckled. “Yes.”
“Dane is coming to visit Mike for spring break. Maybe we can do something with them.”
Chandra swallowed hard. “Maybe.”
“I like him, Mom. He’s a good guy. I’m glad he’ll be around.” He sat up and looked out the window. “My bus is pulling up. I’ll walk from here.” He lifted from his seat and kissed her cheek. “I love you. Tell Mike hi.”
Opening the door, Jason climbed from the car and walked toward the school while she watched. It seemed as though he’d grown so much in the past few weeks. He was turning into a wise young man.
Traffic heading into downtown slowed Chandra’s progress. She was now twenty minutes late. Hopefully, the kitchen manager had his key.
She hated being late. Catching a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror, she cringed. Perhaps she’d get the chance to see the remodel on Mike’s apartment after all. It looked as though she might need that shower she’d missed if she was going to make it until close at ten.
Now nearly a full half hour late, Chandra pulled up behind the restaurant to see Gabe’s truck parked there.
Slamming the car into park, she ripped the keys from the ignition and grabbed her bag. Of all mornings for him to break his promise of staying away. She didn’t know if she should be grateful, or if she should kill him.
Chandra plowed through the back door. The few kitchen employees who saw her stopped and watched her rush through.
She marched right to his office, only to find it locked.
With a huff, she walked out to the restaurant where others were setting tables and stocking the bar. But Gabe was nowhere.
The only other place he might be is visiting with Mike, and even that seemed a little too close for her.
Never Saw it Coming Page 14
