Not Just Friends (Brookfield)

by Wolfe, Lacey

  “What’s wrong?” Alyssa asked with a confused expression.

  “You didn’t do anything.” He smiled. “Well, actually you did.”

  “Did I do something wrong?”

  “No, you did it far too good.”

  It was as though a light bulb went off in her and her gaze found his groin, where he was certain she could see the wet spot through his khakis. He wasn’t sure what reaction he’d expected from her, but she started to giggle like a school girl. It felt fitting.

  Alyssa hopped off the counter. “I have some sweatpants that will probably fit you.”

  “You’re far too little to have anything that will fit me.”

  “Follow me.”

  Connor did and when he entered her bedroom and saw her bed, he felt himself harden again. Go figure. But at the moment his pride was too shot to even attempt fooling around with her again. He watched as Alyssa dug through a drawer and removed a pair of navy blue sweatpants.

  “Here, these will fit you.”

  Taking them from her, he held them out. “Thanks.”

  “Bathroom’s right there if you want to clean up.”

  He had to bite his tongue. The urge to ask her to join him was strong. Instead, he nodded and went into the restroom.

  * * * *

  Alyssa sat down on her couch and couldn’t help but grin. She’d made him orgasm. She had made Connor Phillips come! That was something she had never thought would happen in her life. And she was also certain that at this point, she and Connor weren’t just friends. Friends didn’t do what they had done in her kitchen.

  Her face beamed with happiness and she wasn’t sure it could be removed. Zoe hopped up in her lap. She scratched behind the cat’s ears and did her best not to talk to her. That would be the moment he’d reenter the living room and realize he’d just kissed a nut job.

  Zoe settled in Alyssa’s lap. Of course, now was the time the cat wanted to cuddle.

  “You were right. They fit.” Connor walked in.

  She suppressed a giggled at the sight of him in a button-down shirt and sweatpants. “I said they would.”

  “Look at this pretty girl.” He knelt down next to Zoe. “Aren’t you a beauty? You take after your mommy.”

  Alyssa laughed. “Do you make it a habit to talk to animals?”

  “Any chance I get. They always listen.”

  “And here I was worried you’d think I was a nut job if you caught me talking to her.”

  Connor sat down next to her. “So, did I clear up why I was stopping by today?”

  “Yes.”

  Connor took her hand in his. “I’d like to be more than friends with you. Do you think we can do that?”

  “I think so.”

  “Good. I was hoping you’d say that.”

  “Kiss me,” she whispered.

  “Gladly.”

  As his lips met hers, her breath caught in her throat. It was a kiss to show he cared and the passion he felt for her. She knew it wasn’t going to lead anywhere. Having a cat in her lap that wouldn’t budge also confirmed that.

  Connor pulled back and tucked her hair behind her ears. “I’m going to head out. But I want to see you soon. Tomorrow for lunch?”

  “I think I can manage a late lunch. Tina’s coming in at eleven and we usually get a little busy around noon when church gets out. Two?”

  “Perfect. I’ll pick you up.”

  “I can meet you wherever we go.”

  “I like having you in my passenger seat.” He kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  She nodded.

  “And tell your brother about Matt.” Connor left through the door that would lead him back to the bookstore.

  Alyssa giggled, wondering if Tina would notice he came in khakis and left in sweats. Tiredness swept over her and she decided to cuddle up with Zoe and take a short nap. She started to move so she could lie down. She pulled the cat with her. But instead of lying back down, the cat jumped off the couch and looked back at her with her bright green eyes as though she were evil. Cats, she would never fully understand them.

  * * * *

  “Matt’s back in town,” Alyssa proceeded to tell Cody over the phone.

  “Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me. I figured he’d show up eventually. What’s he want?” Cody asked.

  “Me.”

  “Tell me you aren’t going back down that street.”

  “I’m not, but he thinks he can convince me that we are.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Taking a deep breath, she said, “He was a little more forceful than I would’ve liked the other night.”

  “Forceful how?” She could hear the concern in his voice.

  “Just that he wanted a kiss and I didn’t want to. He held on to my wrist and begged me. Thankfully, Connor showed up right then and stopped Matt.”

  Cody sighed. “I’ll have a talk with Matt and see what’s going on. I’m surprised you even let him in after what he did to you. You haven’t even forgiven Diane.”

  “I’m not mad at Diane for what happened with Matt. Our issues go back a whole lot further than that and you know it. We’ve never gotten along and we probably never will.”

  “I wish you two would.”

  “I know and sometimes I do as well.”Alyssa wasn’t sure if it was the age difference or what. But they had never been able to be in a room together for more than twenty minutes without arguing.

  “I’ll find Matt and talk to him. In the meantime, stay away from him. If he bothers you again, we’ll get him for harassment.”

  Harassment. He wasn’t really doing that, was he? No. He simply wanted to work things out and didn’t like hearing she had moved on. She was sure after seeing her with Connor again, he’d back off. “I doubt it’ll go that far. In fact, I’m sure, since he knows Connor and I are an item, he’ll back off.”

  Her brother groaned again. “Connor and you are an item now?”

  “Yes, he likes me. Can you believe it?” She squealed.

  “Please be careful.”

  “I will. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “I’m a police officer. I always worry. There are some weirdos out there. And after the scare with Ava and her ex taking her hostage, I don’t take what Matt’s doing lightly.”

  “Matt would never go to that extent,” she reassured him.

  “We’re not going to argue. Call me if you have a run-in again with Matt, okay?”

  “Promise. Well, I need to run downstairs and do the inventory. I let Tina close tonight, but I want to double check, just in case.”

  “All right. Have a good evening.”

  “You too. Bye.” She touched the end button on the screen to her phone.

  A few minutes later she was in her shop. Tina had done a great job, or so, it looked. The verdict was still out, but Alyssa was certain everything would be fine. She walked up and down the aisles, letting her fingers run along the spines. All the books were in place. At the front, she looked through the ledgers they recorded financial stuff in. It appeared everything was how it was supposed to be.

  She could tell it had been vacuumed and it even looked like Tina had taken the duster out. She had done a great job and Alyssa was going to let her know the next morning. She checked the front door and found it locked.

  Gazing out at the town, she saw a light snow was falling. The weatherman had predicted a dusting, not much. Which was good. She was ready for spring.

  Alyssa headed back up to her apartment. She’d brought a book up earlier that she was going to read for a bit since she’d taken her nap. Closing the door and locking it from her side, she went to the kitchen first and grabbed a snack.

  On the coffee table, she saw her phone was blinking. Picking it up, it alerted her she’d missed a call. But when she saw who had called, she wondered if this day was going to get any stranger. Diane had called. First Matt and now Diane. What in the world was going on?

  Diane had at least left a voice
mail. Taking a deep breath, Alyssa held down the button that would take her to the message.

  “Hi, Alyssa, it’s your favorite sister. I keep meaning to call, but you know, life gets in the way. Anyway, I’m looking for Matt and was wondering if you’d seen him or not. We’ve been seeing one another and well, after I gave him some news, he just kinda took off. Call me when you can and if you’ve seen Matt, send him home.”

  Matt and Diane had been seeing one another? And he was at her house wanting to get back together with her? Alyssa sat down on the couch, wondering if Cody knew about this. She’d call her sister back tomorrow. Right now she had to let this sink in.

  Chapter Nine

  The morning had been chaos and Alyssa was thankful when she saw Connor enter the bookstore. Not only because she’d have a chance to spend some time with him, but it meant she got to leave.

  They weren’t usually busy on Sunday mornings, but word was spreading fast about the upcoming visit from the author. People were coming in for info, such as how to get her book ahead of time, and how much a signed book would cost. She called Julie and asked her to bring some flyers by, containing all the answers. Julie had ordered a big box of books for her to have there this week, but they had yet to arrive. Hopefully tomorrow. But business was good and it kept her mind off her sister and ex.

  After lunch with Connor, she planned to call Cody and see what he could tell her so she wasn’t in the dark when she talked to Diane.

  “Hi,” she said to Connor as he approached.

  “You look tired.”

  “I am. It’s been busy. I’m starving.” She turned to Tina. “You sure you got this?”

  “Yeah, go enjoy lunch. Julie’s coming by anyway, you said. If it gets crazy, I’m sure she’ll help.”

  “Call me if it does, okay? I don’t want you to stress.”

  Tina smiled and looked at Connor. “I’ll be fine.”

  Connor leaned forward and kissed Alyssa’s cheek. “You heard her. Let’s go.”

  Alyssa was not used to him being so close. It was as though overnight they went from friends tiptoeing around one another to this. Whatever this was. Then she remembered that this was something good.

  “Where would you like to go?” he asked as they walked out of The Reading Corner.

  “Somewhere we can walk.”

  He held his arm out to her and she wrapped her hands in the crook of it. “Which way?”

  “Let’s go to the small sandwich store a few shops down.”

  They started that way and silence stood between them. Alyssa wasn’t worried though. Sometimes it was nice to be with someone and not have to fill the time with words. From the corner of her eye, she could see the smile on his face. He was happy, at least, and so was she.

  At the deli, he opened the door for her, allowing her to enter first. They approached the counter. She decided to get an egg salad sandwich with fresh homemade chips. After they had their food, they sat at a small table in the corner.

  “Do you eat here much?” Connor asked.

  “I do. Wait until you try the chips. They’re really good.”

  Connor took her suggestion and bit into one. “You’re right.”

  She grinned and then felt the urge to visit the lady’s room. “Watch my food please. I’ll be right back.”

  * * * *

  Connor watched as Alyssa went to the restroom. He took another bite of a chip. They really were good. He’d have to figure out how to make these. Or make this place a weekly stop. He’d never tried it and now knew what he’d been missing.

  It was taking every ounce of his control not to lure her back to his place. In the past, he’d never cared about how much time it took to get a woman into bed. That was the sole goal. Get the girl naked and flat on her back. That was one of the goals with Alyssa as well, but on the backburner. She was special and he wanted much more with her than sex.

  Something was off with her today. She was always quiet and he liked that about her. But he could see the wheels turning in her head and he wondered if it had anything to do with that ex of hers who was hanging around. Men didn’t come back for no reason. And Connor hated that he had competition. Though the man had cheated on Alyssa, so how much competition could he really be?

  She returned and took her seat. “Sorry about that.”

  “It’s no problem at all. Though I can’t say the same for your food.”

  Her eyes lit up.

  “It tried to get up and leave.”

  Alyssa giggled. “I’m sorry it was so hard on you.”

  He took a bite of his sandwich and waved his hand. “Anything for you.”

  “My knight in shining armor.”

  “We’re real, not just in books.” He watched as she laughed a little more and returned to her food. He liked seeing her happy and even better, he liked knowing he had put that smile there.

  After a few more moments of silence, she broke it. “I talked to Cody as you asked. He’s going to talk to Matt.”

  “Oh good.”

  “My sister called as well.”

  “That’s great,” he said, but noticed she didn’t look happy about it. “I take it that it isn’t great.”

  “We’ll never be close and I expect that. We’re nothing alike and have a good age gap between us.”

  “I sense a but.”

  Alyssa smiled. “In her voicemail, she said she was seeing Matt and couldn’t find him and for me to call her if I see him. I know I need to call her, but it’s shocking to know they’ve been seeing one another. Matt made it sound like he hadn’t seen her since the kiss. And no one has told me they were together. I wonder if Cody knew and never said anything. And if so, I’m really upset about it.”

  “You have every right to be. That’s a big secret to keep from you.”

  “Cody and I are close. I can’t see him keeping it from me.”

  “Maybe he didn’t know either. Does Diane talk to him?” He took a bite of another chip.

  “Not often.”

  “Don’t be mad at him until you talk to him and know everything.”

  She nodded. “You’re right.”

  “Words a man doesn’t hear often.”

  Alyssa took a sip of her drink and grinned as she shook her head. “Thank you for listening and making me smile.”

  “Anytime. It isn’t like I don’t like you or anything.”

  “I wish I didn’t have to go back to work. I’d rather go see your place.”

  Connor gulped. He had a feeling what she was insinuating and he would love to be doing that as well. “You close early today, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Maybe after work, we can eat again.” Real good line.

  “I’d like that.”

  Score. “Want me to pick you up?”

  “That’s silly. I’ll drive to your place. Because then you’d have to drive me back home.”

  “Or you could stay.”

  Her smiled faded and he worried he’d crossed the line.

  “We’ll see.” Alyssa took a bite from her sandwich.

  “I understand.”

  For the rest of their lunch, they kept the conversation light. He was happy knowing she would come over. Which meant he had to figure out what the heck to make. He wasn’t much of a cook, so most likely he would find somewhere that delivered. It had been a long time since he’d had a woman over just for the sake of hanging out. Typically, he went to their place and left. It kept things less personal. But what he was doing with Alyssa was personal.

  He walked her back to the shop and placed a kiss on her cheek. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Okay. Text me your address.”

  “Will do.”

  Alyssa gave him a slight wave and disappeared into The Reading Corner. Connor headed to his car and started the drive back to his house. When he got home, he needed to make sure the place was clean and presentable to a woman. He wasn’t there often enough with his job to make housework one of his top priorities.

/>   * * * *

  Alyssa closed the shop. Tina stayed and helped the process move a little faster. Thankfully, tomorrow was Monday and that meant a day off. She couldn’t wait to spend the evening with Connor, but first, she had to take care of something she’d been putting off.

  Earlier when she had spoken to Cody, he said he didn’t know about Diane and Matt, and she believed him. Diane was secretive, and it didn’t surprise her that she and Matt were off playing house and no one knew. Cody offered to call Diane for her, but Alyssa said she could handle it.

  Entering her apartment, she kicked her shoes off. After her usual snuggle fest with Zoe, Alyssa removed the cell phone from her back pocket. She couldn’t put off calling Diane any longer, and she couldn’t bear to have it on her mind all evening.

  She scrolled through the list of recent calls until she came to her sister’s number. She pressed the picture and put the phone to her ear.

  “Alyssa,” her sister answered on the second ring.

  “Hi, Diane, how are you?”

  “Not well at all.”

  Alyssa rolled her eyes. Diane was always dramatic. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s Matt.”

  “Am I really the person to be talking to about this?”

  “You dated him too. I thought you could help.”

  Alyssa sighed. “I had no idea you were seeing him. But that’s beside the point, I guess. What has he done?”

  “He’s disappeared and I have a feeling he’s back in Brookfield. Have you seen him?”

  “Yes, I have.”

  Diane was quiet. “What did he want?”

  “He wants me back.” For some reason being able to say this to her sister sent a thrill of emotions through her. The guy her sister had apparently stolen from her wanted her again.

  “What did you say to him?”

  “No. I’m with someone else.”

  “You are?” Diane asked hesitantly.

  “Yes, Diane, if you had anything to do with me, you’d know. I’ve rejected your boyfriend. Why you want him beats me.”

  “I’m pregnant.”

  What? Had she just heard her sister right? “Pregnant?”

  “Yes, and he left when he found out. Something about this was just fun and he never wanted to settle down with me. He also doesn’t think the kid is his. Personally, I think he was pissed at me.”