Just Perfect

by Lynn Hunter

  She blushed prettily. Looking almost as young as her daughter. “I can tell, thank you.”

  He gave her the nod. “Tell Lily I want red velvet cupcakes if she knows how to make them. And make sure to add the last part.”

  “Oh I will,” a smile lit up her sweet face. “You’re in for a surprise Sam. In more ways than one.”

  Chapter 6.

  Lily woke from the best sleep of her life before the sun came up. She stretched then snuggled back under the covers. Memories started to creep into her groggy brain bringing her instantly awake. She sat up straight in the bed and felt cold air on her breasts. She looked down at her open robe.

  What had she done? With a groan, she dropped back on the bed. What kind of mother has a.. a.. thing with a strange man in her bed when her child was at the movies with his grandmother? She needed to get it together and put her attention back where it belonged. What did her son think about his mother sleeping the day away? What if he came in her room with a bad dream and she wasn’t wearing any clothes?

  It was official. She was a slut. Lily put a hand to her forehead. She certainly behaved like one yesterday with Sam. The memory of his hands on her body made her stomach flutter and her body flush with heat. She begged him… begged him to do those things to her. She could still feel his hands on her body, his fingers inside her body. She never had an orgasm like that. With John they had-Instantly she was filled with shame. How could she compare Sam to John? John was wonderful and sweet and would still be alive today if she hadn’t been so selfish and impulsive. Just like yesterday, she begged Sam to do things to her because she wanted it and couldn’t put her needs aside. Not again. Lily deliberately made herself think of the last time she spoke to John.

  After taking the home pregnancy test, Lily was terrified. Pregnant. What was she going to do? How could she have been so careless? How would she tell her dad? She was only seventeen. John was leaving for college in Texas in a few weeks. She ran to her room to get her cell phone wanting to talk to John right away. With shaky fingers, she pulled up his number from her call log. It rang twice then his happy voice came on the line.

  “Hey you,” he greeted, “I only have a couple minutes, I’m almost to work.”

  “Oh God, John…I’m pregnant!” Lily cried, unable to control her worry or panic.

  The response she heard was Johns terrified yell and a horrible crashing and the crunch of metal before the line went dead.

  Not one time since that day did she act impulsively. She didn’t deserve to be selfish. She needed to focus. Lily got out of bed and dug around for some clothes. Time to get back on track. She didn’t have any cake orders that morning so after she got Johnathan off to school, she was going to Falls and look for a job. Getting another job would go a long way to saving the house. The thought of having to leave the house made her sick. She was determined to get them out of this slump. They’ve come so far. She couldn’t give up yet.

  Sam was in his kitchen early making coffee. He wasn’t able to sleep much. Thoughts of Lily kept him awake. He decided to go see her tonight after work. He didn’t want her to have too much time to think about what happened between them and think it wasn’t what she wanted. Sam wanted to show her how good things could be for them.

  “Good morning sunshine,” Dean said, grabbing a cup from the cabinet.

  Sam grunted a response.

  “You say the sweetest things to me, big brother. I must get all my charm from you,” Dean placed a hand on his naked chest, “but I still have so much more to learn.” He added in all seriousness.

  Dean had all the charm, period. He was just like his dad, Alan. Sam remembered meeting Alan. It was a few years after Sam’s own dad left him and his mom. He was 13 years old at the time. He and his mom lived in a small house in Cincinnati. His mom’s car broke down when they were heading home from the store. They couldn’t afford a tow so they pushed the car almost a mile to the closest garage. Turned out it only worked on diesel engines. He remembered standing in the dirty office with his mom. The old women behind the cluttered desk told them they had to get the car moved because they didn’t work on gas engines and it was taking up space. Sam felt so helpless watching his beautiful mother’s shoulders slump in defeat. He put his arm around her shoulders and let her out of the office.

  “Come on, Mom,” he looked down into her tear-filled eyes. He was already several inches taller than her. “I’ll push, you steer.”

  She offered a shaky smile. “Well, we’re getting a workout and we get to spend quality time together.”

  She always tried to look at the bright side of things, even when his dad started spending more and more time away from home. One day, he just never came back.

  Just as they reached the car, someone called to them from the garage. They turned to see a man jogging in their direction. He was tall with pale blond hair and a smile that seemed to stretch wider when he took in his mother lovely face.

  Sam’s mother had straight jet black hair that reached past her shoulders, sharp, exotic features, and startling dark blue eyes. She was of medium height but had curves that always made men do a double take. Not that she ever noticed. Or she just chose not to.

  “What seems to be the problem with the car?” the guy asked once he was a few feet away.

  Sam was a little taken back. Most guys ignored him when he was with his mom.

  I’m not sure,” he finally said when the guy kept staring at him, waiting for an answer. “The lights and gauges were flickering when my mom tried to start the car, then, nothing.” He wished he knew more car talk. “The battery’s new,” he added.

  The man nodded as if he understood Sam’s lousy explanation. “Let’s have a look,” he said then turned his eyes to his mom, “is that okay with you?” He stuck out a large work-roughened hand to her. “My name’s Alan.”

  Sam could see his mom’s reluctance and didn’t understand why. Looking back now, Sam realized she knew what was coming. Alan fixed their car and then pursued her mom relentlessly for weeks afterward. It was hard to find anything about Alan to dislike. He was always kind, helpful, supportive but most of all charming. For the first couple of weeks of Alan coming around and helping around the house and teaching Sam about cars, his mom was uncharacteristically snappy and moody. Alan was never deterred. In fact, it made him try harder. The only time he ever saw Alan upset was when his mom accused him of using Sam to get to her. Sam thought that was crazy since he never hid his intentions. He wanted her and told Sam from the very beginning. Alan was pissed. He left that evening. He didn’t come back for a week. For that week, Sam saw his mom watch out the window for him, just like she used to for his dad. He was so angry with Alan for leaving and hurting her. But he came back. And when he did his mom answered the door with tears in her eyes.

  “Are you over your snit now, Janie?” he asked. “Can we move past the bullshit and have a real relationship?” His face was hard and his jaw clenched. His green eyes were demanding.

  She nodded. “Yes,” she whispered.

  Alan’s face melted into a relaxed smile. He’d been smiling ever since. Just like Dean.

  Sam didn’t know how anyone could be so damn happy all the time.

  “So,” Dean sprawled his long body in a kitchen chair. He scratched his head making his hair stand on end. “How did it go with your young lady yesterday?”

  “I don’t know,” he answered honestly.

  “How can you not know? You don’t know if she’s interested? Or you don’t know if you’re interested?

  Sam ran a hand over his bearded chin. The feel of it made him wonder if he marked Lily’s soft neck and breasts. He hoped he did. He liked the thought of her seeing it and thinking of him. “I’m interested. She just has some hang-ups.”

  “Like what?”

  “She has a seven-year-old son.”

  “That’s a hang-up?” Dean sounded surprised.

  Sam narrowed his eyes. “No. It’s not a hang-up for me. She thinks she doesn
’t want or need a relationship.”

  “I take that to mean you want a relationship with a woman who doesn’t want one with you?”

  “That about sums it up. She’ll come around.”

  Dean was silent for a minute. “You might try being nice and maybe take her on a date. You know, say nice things and try to convince her you’re not an ogre that’s demanding something she’s not ready to give.”

  Sam’s face turned dark and he aimed a glower at his brother.

  “You didn’t look at her like that did you? Cause if you did she probably moved out of town already and changed her name.”

  Sam clenched his jaw in irritation. “I was plenty nice to her yesterday.”

  “Really? It’s a wonder she’s not here knocking down our door trying to see you.”

  “We’re done talking,” Sam said. He turned and grabbed his coffee cup.

  “I’m just trying to help,” Dean defended himself. “You don’t have the friendliest disposition sometimes. Let’s practice smiling in the mirror after work today.”

  Sam heaved a heavy sigh. “I’m not going to pretend to be someone I’m not to attract a woman who has issues with being in a relationship. How do you think she would feel when she realized I’m not who she thinks I am? That’s called lying, dumb ass.”

  Dean looked thoughtful. “I think you have a point there, Sam.”

  Sam rolled his eyes and left the kitchen. “I’m going to eat breakfast before work. Get dressed if you’re coming.”

  “Hopefully, that’s not another line you use with the ladies. It may work on me but I’m easy.” Dean called.

  “So I’ve heard. I’m leaving in five minutes.”

  Sam and Dean sat in the cafe waiting for breakfast to arrive when he saw a familiar blue Honda pull into the parking lot. Lily got out of the car looking so different from what he was used to. She wore a pink dress that came almost to her knees and lightweight denim jacket. On her feet, she wore flat leather sandals. He couldn’t see her toes but he already knew they were painted pale pink. He watched her through the glass of the diner as she approached the door. She was so pretty his gut clenched. But for some damn reason, she straightened her beautiful curls. Why would she do that? Those curls were perfect on her.

  Had she come looking for him? Was she actually seeking him out? Hope bloomed in his chest.

  “Is that your girl, Sam?” Dean asked.

  “Yeah.” Sam never took his eyes off her as she opened the door and walked inside. She scanned the crowd, then stepped to the counter and smiled a sweet smile at the older waitress standing at the register. They spoke for a moment and the other women disappeared into the kitchen briefly before coming back out with a man in his early forties. He took Lily in from head to toe then motioned for her to follow him to the back.

  “What the hell?” Sam was on his feet before he even realized it.

  Dean grabbed his arm and yanked. “Sit down. What are you gonna do? Bust in there and drag her out? I’m sure that will endear you to her much more. Sit back down Sam, you can talk to her when she comes out.”

  Sam slowly slid back into the booth. “She’s here looking for a job.” He accused.

  “Looks like it. What’s wrong with that?”

  “She already works too hard.” He hardly noticed when the food arrived, his eyes were trained on the kitchen door.

  When Lily finally emerged ten minutes later, Sam stood and made his way to her. The guy she followed to the back smiled at her and they shook hands. Sam clenched his jaw. He was obviously more than happy to give Lily a job and it made Sam want to break his nose. The pissed look on Sam’s face must have shown because the guys eyes got wide when he caught sight of him standing over Lily.

  Lily’s heart thumped in her chest when she turned and saw Sam looming over her. All she could do was stare at him for a few seconds and he just stared back. Jeff, her new boss, cleared his throat. “Oh…thank you, Jeff, I’ll see you next week.”

  “That will be fine, Lily.” He glanced curiously at Sam again before walking back to the kitchen.

  “Are you hungry, Lily?” Sam asked. His deep voice brought back all the memories from the day before and her body started trembling. She needed a little space from him before she found herself begging for his attention…again.

  “No, thank you. I need to get home.” She turned and was going to walk out the door when he snagged her hand with his much larger one.

  “I’ll walk you out then.” His voice was mild but she could hear steel behind it. What was his problem?

  He practically dragged her to her car and then turned her so her back was against it and he faced her.

  “What are you doing?” His sounded irritated…no… exasperated. Her spine stiffened.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Did you come here to get a job?”

  “That’s none of your business, Sam.” She snapped. Did he think he owned her now because of what they did yesterday?

  “You can’t work here.” He sounded firm as though that was the end of it.

  She was dumbfounded. “Excuse me?” she repeated. Her heart beat wildly in her chest. “You have no right to tell me what to do.” How dare he tell her what to do. She took a deep breath trying to calm her frazzled nerves. “Things got a little out of hand yesterday, Sam, but that doesn’t give you the right to tell me what to do.” She licked her lips. “I had a weak moment but don’t want to do it again.” Lie, lie.

  “Did you like the way I touched you, Lily?” His rough voice made her shiver.

  “What?” She hadn’t expected him to actually bring up yesterday’s activities.

  “Did you like the way I made you feel?”

  Lily’s eyes swept the parking lot. “Sam, this isn’t the place-”

  “You’re right. I’ll pick you up for dinner at seven.”

  “What?”

  “Dinner, Lily. Seven o’clock.” His voice broke no argument.

  She crossed her arms over her chest, “I can’t Sam. I don’t want to date. I have a son at home that needs me.”

  “Your son is going to need you when you’re in this shit hole waiting tables too, Lily. What? You’re going to leave as soon as he gets home from school to come here to work then go back when he’s already asleep? Yeah, that’s being there for him.”

  Sam knew he’d been as asshole many times in his life but this took the cake. She jerked as if he’s slapped her then all the color left her face.

  With a curse, he reached for her and she yanked her arm away so violently he thought she would fall. Rather than cause a scene in front of the diner he let his hands drop.

  “Stay away from me, Sam,” she said with a trembling voice.

  “Lily-” he paused. What was he going to say? That he was sorry? He wasn’t sorry for what he said, just how he said it. “I’ll give you time to calm down.”

  She threw him a glare over her shoulder as she snatched the car door open. Judging by the look on her face, she wasn’t going to calm down anytime soon. She left him standing there in the parking lot, looking like an idiot, as she pulled away.

  He went back inside and took his seat across from Dean.

  “You’re right. Your no charm method works wonders. She looked about ready to fall at your feet.” Dean was already done with his breakfast and starting on Sam’s. “Sam,” he gestured with his, or Sam’s, toast. “She might not like you.”

  Sam found his first smile. “She likes me just fine,” he remembered the way she clung to him the day before. There was plenty of attraction there, she was just fighting it.

  Dean chuckled. “If you say so. You should try to get her to relax before you do the This is how you should do things lecture.”

  He could get her to relax if only he could get his hands on her.

  “Dean, I’m thinking of buying a bigger house.”

  Chapter 7.

  Lily fumed all the way home. How dare he talk to her like that. He didn’t know anything about her. She didn
’t want to spend less time with her son. She was trying to save their home. She didn’t want Johnathan to have more change in his life. He needed consistency. She would do whatever she could do to provide that. The only problem was she never worked outside of the house before. She only had a GED, which she got when she was pregnant with Johnathan. After that, she learned all she could about cakes with the idea she would have her own business. And she did, sort of. She wouldn’t give up. She was young, healthy, and smart…. sometimes. If she worked hard enough, she could do anything. She wished there was a bakery in town, that would have been the perfect job for her. But what she really needed right now was money. The diner seemed to be the fastest way to get it. There were other jobs in town, but she needed the flexibility of the diner to be with Johnathan and for the baking business.

  When she arrived home, there was an unfamiliar car in the driveway. They weren’t expecting any company that she knew of. Entering through the kitchen door, she saw her mom having coffee with a brunette woman. They looked to be around the same age.

  “Hi, Lily,” her mom greeted “this is Karen. She’s the real estate agent that we’re going to list the house with.”

  Lily felt as though her stomach had fallen to her feet. This was actually happening. She wasn’t going to be able to stop it. No no no.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Lily.” The woman smiled.

  “Nice to meet you too,” she said automatically and glanced at her mom. “So, the house is officially on the market?” This can’t be happening.

  “Yes, the listing will go out tomorrow.” Her mom watched her face carefully. Waiting for Lily to lose her mind probably. But she felt too numb to do anything except nod.

  “Well, that was fast.”

  “It doesn’t take long,” Karen said.

  Lily’s throat started to close up, threatening to choke her.

  The two women stood. “We’re going to go to lunch, honey, and talk about the house a bit. I’ll be back this afternoon.”

  “Do you want me to pick you up in town?” Forcing herself to be polite when all she wanted to do was throw a tantrum.