“I—guess I could do that.”
“Word of advice from a friend who’s been around the block a few more times than you and regrets it more than a little.”
“What’s that?”
“If you want to save yourself for marriage like I know you do—No more kissing in—or near—the bedroom.”
Chapter 16
Mari stretched wide on the bed and yawned. Sunlight peeked through the windows, and she curled to her side and smiled.
What a great Monday morning.
She had no idea what today would hold, but after last night, she was ready for it.
The numbers on the alarm clock blurred into her vision, so she blinked the sleep from her eyes to see how long she had left—
What?
She sat up and stared at the numbers as if they would roll back in time by sheer willpower.
Eight-thirty in the morning?
How could she have overslept?
She always set her alarm for six-thirty—
Her heart thudded in her chest as she slapped a hand over her eyes. She was so stupid. She hadn’t set the alarm last night after hanging up with Danielle.
This couldn’t be happening. She threw the covers off and scrambled out of bed. Jerking out the dresser drawers, she grabbed the first t-shirt and jeans she found and threw them on, then ran out the door.
The basement was quiet, and Brandon’s door stood ajar.
She headed for the stairs but—
Something wasn’t right.
Brandon’s room. Had it been—
Glancing at the steps, she frowned. She was already late, another minute wasn’t going to change that fact.
Walking over, she stood in his room, her mouth dropping open.
It was empty.
The bed he’d moved downstairs on Thursday was no longer there. Most of the storage bins were gone except for a few stacked in the corner.
Breathe, Mari, breathe.
There was a logical explanation. Maybe he’d moved upstairs. But why—
Was it the kiss?
Did he regret it? Or was he as overwhelmed by what almost happened as she was? Maybe he wanted space between them.
That was a good thing, right?
Taking the stairs by two, she reached the main floor and went in search of any other human being who could help explain what was going on.
But the rooms were empty, and she heard no voices.
A white piece of paper on the dark island granite caught her eye.
She picked it up and skimmed the note.
Mari, Brandon asked if he could take the girls to have an Uncle day, and I told him that would be fine! Figured you could use a day off after being on call most of the weekend! Relax and enjoy your day!! We’ll see you in the morning! - Natalie
An uncle day.
No mention of the vacated room downstairs.
When had he moved everything?
A quick check of the house found the bed back in the guest room and most of Brandon’s things stacked in one bay of the three-car garage.
Her heart slammed in her chest as she went back into the kitchen and sat on a bar stool, fingering the note in her hand.
Did he regret kissing her?
Had she repulsed him?
He hadn’t seemed that way last night. Quite the opposite actually.
Surely he hadn’t been fleeing the temptation of her.
Ha.
Or—well maybe. She definitely needed to after last night.
She reread the note again, hoping for some clue—and found it at the bottom in a PS she hadn’t noticed before.
PS - Here’s Brandon’s number if you need him.
She needed him alright.
Taking out her phone, she added him to her contacts.
Now to decide—to text or call.
Text. Definitely.
Hey, It’s Mari. I was just—
Lovely. What did she say? —just checking to see if you regretted last night?
No way. Delete.
—just checking to see if I scared you into moving out of the basement?
Even more of a no way. Delete delete delete.
—just checking to see if my mad kissing skills last night tempted you so much you had to move out?
Mari snorted. Now that was the kind of text Brandon would love, but one she’d never send.
She started to hit the delete button, but her finger slipped and—
Oh, crap.
Crap crap crap.
Was there a way to delete a text after it sent?
Nope. Too late. The little box showing that he’d read it popped up in the bottom corner.
She shoved the phone on the counter and walked away, pacing the kitchen with her hands on her hips. She’d just screwed it up now. What if he’d regretted kissing her and that’s why he was putting distance between them? What if—
Oh man.
What if she’d been a terrible kisser?
What if he’d pushed her away because he couldn’t stand it anymore and was trying to let her down gently? What if he wasn’t attracted to her?
What if—
The phone vibrated with an incoming message.
Her stomach clenched. She was gonna be sick.
Humiliation was like a band-aid, right? Best just to rip it off and get it over with.
Straightening her back and taking a deep breath, she marched over to the counter and picked up the phone.
You must have a gun, baby, cuz u just blew my mind twice in 1 text. Figured u would avoid the “K” word today—but yeah. Nanny got some skilz, definitely.
Ah, Brandon. So like him to make her laugh and ease her mind. Even if she wasn’t 100% sure if he was joking or not.
She walked over to the great room and curled up on the couch to reply.
Sorry about that. Didn’t mean to damage that normal mind of yours. How did I blow your mind twice, though?
His reply came a minute later. Mari? You spell ur name MARI? Here I thought u were a normal Mary. You’re not nearly as normal as I thought u were, sweet Mari.
Should she tell him?
Eh, why not? She’d already humiliated herself much worse. Ready for your mind to be blown a third time? Mari is short for Maribelle. And my grandparents were Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Her phone buzzed two seconds later. Dead. I’m just dead.
She started to reply, but her phone rang instead, Brandon’s number on the screen. “Hello?”
“You can’t tell me you have the most amazing name ever and that you’re directly related to Santa and not expect me to call you.”
“Uh, where are the kids? Or should I even ask?”
“Tearing up McDonald’s Playplace. Need I say more?”
“Got it.” She launched into the story of her youth, being raised by grandparents who loved Christmas much more than the average person and played Santa and Mrs. Claus year-round in the family-owned Christmas Boutique in Gatlinburg.
It’d been a most unnormal childhood, but it shaped who she was today. That said, it wasn’t something she told most people.
Or really anyone for that matter.
“Wish I could’ve met your grandparents. They sound amazing.”
“They were. A little strange and definitely old-fashioned, but they were one of a kind.”
“Sounds like a dapper, twenty-six-year-old drummer I know.”
Mari rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Huh. You’ll have to introduce me to him sometime. I know a drummer, but I’m not sure dapper is how I’d describe him.”
“Oh, sorry. Ruggedly handsome?”
“Definitely not. More like—” Sexy. “Cute.”
Brandon snorted. “Cute? That’s all you got?”
“Call ‘em like I see ‘em. Hey, are you ever going to answer my question, by the way?”
“What question was that? Oh, wait, the one about your mad kissing skills?”
Even though she had the mansion-sized house to herself, her cheek
s still burned hot. “Keep it down. What if the girls hear you?”
“Listen.” The phone filled with loud squeals and laughter for a moment. “Do you hear that? Believe me. No one is listening to this conversation. I can barely hear myself talk, much less them.”
“Okay, okay. Yes. That’s the question I was referring to.”
“Then your answer is yes.”
That didn’t really answer anything. “Yes, you’re moving out?”
“Yes, that kiss tempted me too much, so I’m moving out. Well, I’d been planning to find my own apartment for a while but just hadn’t gotten the time. This just bumped it into a higher priority. In fact, the girls are helping me look at apartments today. They told me they had to approve it before I could move. I think they’re hoping to find a place with pink walls or something.”
Mari tried not to laugh at the thought. “Um, pink would be an—interesting color.”
“Listen. I guess what I’m trying to say without getting too detailed for little ears is—I respect you. Because of that, I think some distance would be a good thing. Agreed?”
She should agree. Little by-the-book Mari who had her life planned out should definitely be on board with this plan. “I—yes. That’s very respectable of you.”
“It’s settled then. Listen, I gotta go. The girls and I have an appointment at ten for a townhouse for rent down in Franklin.”
“You don’t have to take them for the day, you know. Why don’t you bring them back—”
“Absolutely not. You more than deserve a day off. Go get yourself a pedicure or massage or whatever girls do on their day off. No work. Got it?”
“Will do.” As she hung up the phone, she braced her hands on the counter.
Brandon wanted distance.
He wanted to respect her.
Both very good things under the circumstances.
Even though part of her wanted to balk at it, a greater part knew the wisdom in it.
For now, she needed to put the whole thing behind her and enjoy her day off. Maybe get that pedicure and massage Brandon mentioned. It’d been a long time since she’d allowed herself a day of leisure.
She smiled.
Yes, that was exactly what she’d do.
Chapter 17
“Yesterday was the most terrible idea on the planet.” Brandon shuffled to the kitchen, praying someone had already made coffee.
Mari was pouring milk into the girls’ cereal bowls at the breakfast bar but turned and smiled. “I’m not sure most terrible on the planet is accurate. What about nuclear war or terrorism or—”
He groaned. “It was just a bad idea, okay?”
“Here. Let me get you some coffee, Mr. Grumpy Pants.” She pulled down two mugs from the cabinet and filled it to the brim. “Cream or sugar?
Usually he took both, but today? The stronger the better. “Black, please. And you don’t have to do that.” She was the nanny, not his servant.
“I don’t mind. Plus, the way you look, you might start drinking from the pot, and I’d like some too.”
He accepted the coffee from her and leaned back against the counter as he sipped the hot brew, letting the bitter caffeinated liquid stimulate his senses to a semi-awake state of mind.
Trinity smiled at him while she dipped her spoon in her crispy rice cereal. “Can we go ‘partment shopping with you again today, Uncle Brandon? That was fun!”
Over his cold, dead body. “No, I think Nanny Mari has a lot of fun things planned for you two.”
And if not—that was her problem.
Yesterday had been nightmarish.
He’d thought taking them to look at apartments with him would help get them excited about him moving out and lessen their sadness at him leaving. He had been living with them most of their lives.
But instead, they had turned into little terrors.
Everything had gone south starting with twin temper tantrums while leaving McDonalds. The other mothers had looked at him like he was a potential child abductor. It was a miracle none had called the police or something.
After that, he’d bribed them with ice cream. That worked for a little while.
The first few showings had been fine, except Brandon vetoed them both due to size.
He’d grabbed more fast food for lunch, but then the real headaches began.
The next two landlords refused to rent to him because of their antics, even after he assured them the twins wouldn’t be living with him.
The third magically raised the rent quote by two-hundred bucks by the end of the tour.
Evidently he’d underestimated the extreme importance of their afternoon naps. His sweet little nieces had morphed into monsters by one-thirty.
He’d come home early, hoping to hand them off to the nanny, only to find her gone, having taken advantage of her day off.
Not that he blamed her. If he had to corral these creatures on a daily basis, he’d need a day off too.
Mari poured herself some coffee and winked at him. “We have a full day today, starting with a playdate in an hour.”
Ah, her schedule.
He was almost relieved to hear her say that, which wasn’t like him at all.
But then again, he had places to be today too, after taking the day off yesterday and still being fruitless. Which meant for the time being, he was stuck sleeping upstairs in a guest room and having zero privacy.
He almost regretted moving out of the basement.
Almost.
Mari flashed a smile at him as she leaned a curvy jean-clad hip against the counter, her gorgeous blond hair down today, skimming her neckline and taunting his fingers.
If the girls weren’t here, he just might give into the urge to kiss her again.
Sleeping upstairs was a very wise move.
“I hear Dave gets home on Thursday.”
She nodded. “Yup. Natalie’s taking Friday off so they can spend some time as a family. Two days off in one week for me, I guess.”
And opportunity for him. “I don’t suppose you’d want to hang out with me on Friday, would you?”
“I dunno. The girls said you were a little grouchy yesterday.”
Serenity piped up. “Uncu Bwandon yewwed a wot at us.”
Mari raised her eyebrows at him. “You gonna yell a lot at me too?”
The little imp. He slowly made his way around the island, trying to be nonchalant. “I promise to be the perfect gentleman, just as soon as I—” He grabbed Serenity off the stool and hauled her up into his arms. “—teach this little munchkin a lesson.”
His niece squealed as he tickled her and planted loud zerberts on her belly, then swung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “So what do you say, Nanny Mari? Is it a date?”
She threw her head back and laughed. “As long as you promise you won’t haul me around like that, you’re on.”
“Deal.”
Chapter 18
In exactly twenty-two minutes and a handful of seconds, she was going on a date.
Not the full-day date Brandon had wanted since Andrew had called an impromptu band meeting this morning, but they were still going to spend the evening together, and in a way, that felt more like a real date anyway.
Mari glanced away from the clock as she twirled another swatch of hair around the curling iron, waited a second, then let the blond curl bounce back to her shoulder.
This was ridiculous.
She was ridiculous.
She hadn’t curled her hair like this since Christmas probably, and here she was, trying to look her best when she very well might get taken to the drive-in at Sonic for all she knew.
Already her nerves were bunched up.
They’d spent the last couple days harmlessly flirting.
Coffee together each morning while the girls ate breakfast.
Texting off and on throughout the day.
He’d gotten in the habit of coming downstairs while Natalie put the kids to bed so they could watch TV together.
>
Well, more appropriately, they’d talked while the television played in the background.
She’d told him more about her childhood that revolved around all things Christmas, and he’d told her about growing up in Texas and his rebellious years after moving to Nashville and how he’d come to finally embrace the faith he’d grown up with.
They had an unspoken no-kissing-alone-downstairs rule, so the only time he’d kissed her was once when the girls had left the room, and he’d snuck one really quick before they came back.
She’d done a lot of soul-searching this week too.
Okay, so her ten-year plan had a few more years to go until finding a husband was on the list.
And she’d always looked at men as an obstacle to steer clear of on her way to meeting her goals.
But what if she was wrong? What if she could date and have fun along the way? Enjoy a tiny dose of that spontaneity Brandon seemed to be an expert at?
It worked for him. He was following his dreams and having fun while doing it.
Mari, on the other hand? She was wrestling her dreams into submission.
Dating a guy didn’t mean she was committing to him forever. It didn’t have to be this serious, complicated thing, right?
Nothing about spending time with Brandon this past week felt complicated. He loved Jesus, he had a successful career, and he seemed content to just casually date and have fun without a commitment right now.
It was exactly what she needed.
When she finished with her curls, she doused it with hair spray, then dabbed on a light bit of makeup.
Standing back, she surveyed herself in the mirror.
It would do, thanks to her friend’s expert advice.
She’d debated for about ten seconds between a casual dress or jeans, but a quick Facetime with Danielle had solved that problem.
Dark blue skinny jeans, her brown ankle-high boots, an off-white flowy blouse, and her short, brown leather jacket.
It was casual enough to not seem like she was trying too hard, but nice enough she wouldn’t look completely out of place if he took her to a nice restaurant or something.
Her mouth turned up into a giddy grin.
This was crazy.
A knock on the basement door sent her heart all aflutter.
“Okay, Mari. It’s just dinner. Be cool. Relax. Have fun.”
Love at First Laugh: Eight Romantic Novellas Filled with Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever After Page 56
