by Natalie Ann
Her room was always clean; that was a plus. And she never left toys or books around either. Part of him wanted her to. Just to prove she was a kid, but the other part liked that she was as neat as him.
When the eggs were done, he slid some on her plate and his, sat down, and the two of them ate in silence.
He was just cleaning up the kitchen when the doorbell rang. Chloe jumped up and ran out of the room. That was only the second time she’d showed that much excitement. The first was when Kristen came over to help go through her clothes.
He’d love to run forward and greet Kristen too, but he’d let Chloe have her time.
***
“Where’s mine?” Kristen asked when she was pulled into the kitchen by Chloe.
The little girl was coming out of her shell just enough for Kristen to believe her life might be somewhat stable, or showing signs of it.
“If you were here just ten minutes earlier we would have left you some,” Landon said. “But Chloe ate yours.”
Chloe giggled. “I didn’t. You asked me if I wanted some. You didn’t say Kristen would be hungry.”
The sound of a little girl’s laughter was something that was missing in this house, she was sure. “I’m glad you had a hardy breakfast then. Are you ready to do a little shopping today?”
“I don’t need anything,” Chloe said, her smile dropping.
“Not clothes shopping. Girl shopping.”
“What is girl shopping?”
“You’ve got so much to learn,” she said, rubbing her hand on Chloe’s shoulder. “We are going to buy some stuff for your hair. Fun stuff. And maybe get a pedicure. Have you had a pedicure before?”
“No,” she said. “I don’t have any nail polish.”
“Then we’ll get you some. That is the type of girl stuff we are doing. I don’t think Landon would be really excited about doing those things. And we’re going to meet my mother for lunch. If you want some laughs wait until you meet her.”
“Why?” Chloe asked.
“We can take a bet in the car on how many different colors she’ll be wearing. My mother likes to stand out in a crowd.”
“Oh,” Chloe said. “Is she as nice as you?’
“She’s nice. A little loud. A little outgoing, but harmless. It’s a girls’ day and my mother used to do this with me. When I mentioned I was spending the day with you, she wanted to tag along. We’ll have fun, don’t worry.”
“Chloe, why don’t you go get your shoes and I’ll have a word with Kristen.”
“Put sandals on, Chloe. We need to show off your pretty toes.” She turned to Landon when Chloe ran up the stairs. “What did you want to talk about?”
He pulled his wallet out. “How much do you need?”
“Nothing,” she said, grinning at his frown.
“Come on,” he said. “You shouldn’t be spending money on her.”
“I want to,” she said. “Besides, you’ve paid for everything when we’ve gone out. Let me do this.”
He looked like he was going to argue, but finally put his wallet back in his pocket. “Don’t go overboard.”
“Now you’re sounding just like a father.” She patted his cheek and then leaned in to give him a kiss and whisper in his ear, “Did you sleep after my message last night?”
“What do you think?” he said, snaking his arm around and pulling her close, his lips going to hers.
“I’m ready, Kristen,” Chloe said, running into the room.
Landon stopped kissing her for a second. “Turn your back, Chloe, while I give Kristen a proper kiss.”
Chloe giggled again, and Landon laid one hell of a kiss on her to keep her warmed up the rest of the day.
Playing With Fire
Thursday night, Landon’s phone went off. He reached over to grab it and saw it was just after ten. Long gone were the nights he stayed up to midnight. Now he was in bed at a decent hour.
“Barber,” he said, recognizing the police department number.
“We need you to come in. They found two bodies behind the race track and one is a little girl that has been missing for a few days.”
He sat up and rubbed his hands across his face. He didn’t get called in often, but when something major like this happened they pulled everyone in they could. As he was grabbing clothes he suddenly realized he couldn’t leave Chloe home alone.
Shit. He supposed he could try to call Gabby but figured that might be pushing it too much. It wasn’t as if he had any family close by he could reach out to and even if he did, his mother would be the last person he’d want to do it.
He hesitated all of one minute and called Kristen. “Landon, what’s wrong?” she asked, the sleep heavy in her voice. He was glad to know he wasn’t the only one going to bed that early.
“I’ve got to go into work. I can’t leave Chloe alone and I didn’t know who else to call.”
“Okay. Not a problem. Give me a few minutes to get some clothes on and come over.”
“I can wake her and bring her to your house. I don’t know how long I’ll be,” he said.
“No. It’s best to let her sleep. You might scare her. I’ll come over. If you’re all night, I’ll get her ready for school and to daycare. We’ll figure it out, don’t worry. Worst case, I’ll just bring her to school myself before work.”
“I’m really sorry,” he said.
“Don’t be sorry. Let me hang up and I’ll be there in less than fifteen minutes.”
He’d just gotten done writing everything down for Kristen in case he didn’t get back before morning, when his front door opened.
“Hey,” she said, coming forward. “I’m here. You can go now.”
“Not before I get a kiss,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “I can’t thank you enough. It seems like all I do is rely on you to help me out with Chloe.”
“Don’t even think about bringing anything up that you are using me.”
“I won’t,” he said, kissing her one more time. He turned to walk away and felt the flat of her hand on his ass. Yeah, he could get used to her.
He drove to the racetrack, following all the police cars parked behind the stables. “What do we have?” he asked the captain that worked the night shift.
“Double murder. Woman and the missing girl from earlier this week.”
He knew about the case. The little girl’s father was a horse trainer and there’d been talk about doping and investigations into all sorts of allegations. There’d been no leads on the girl or the girl’s mother.
“How long have they been here?” he asked, walking back to check out the scene. They were dressed, their hands tied in front of them, single gunshot wounds to the back of the head.
Normally he didn’t get sick when he saw scenes like this, but crimes against kids always turned his stomach. Add the fact he had Chloe at home now, and he was having trouble concentrating.
Four hours went by while they collected evidence and searched the grounds. The father had been notified and was trying to be calmed down. Sometimes that was the worst part of the job.
Thoughts of someone breaking the news to Chloe that Jennifer had died were going through his mind too. The counselor still hadn’t gotten much out of her about that night or the week that followed. Nor had Landon talked to Lynn in weeks. She wasn’t returning his calls and he suspected she was moving on with her life.
Didn’t she say she wasn’t cut out for kids?
So much of Chloe’s life was a mystery to him at this point. He wondered how much he needed to know. Wasn’t it more important that going forward everything was stable?
He knew that wasn’t the case though. That things that happened in a child’s past shaped them for their future.
He’d watched his father and mother push each other around. He’d heard yelling and screaming. He’d decided he wasn’t going to be shoved around by anyone in life and started to take karate.
No one ever touched him. He didn’t know if it was because he could f
ight back—he was bigger than most of the kids his age back then—or because no one cared enough about him.
He had friends. He had girlfriends. He had parents, but they didn’t concern themselves with him that much.
Once his mother remarried she was more about her new husband and baby. His father remarried too and spent time with Landon when he was supposed to, but they never really bonded over anything.
When it came time to go to college, he left when he could and barely came back to visit. When he was home, he worked or stayed with friends. Home life was stressful and he’d had enough of it.
He was guessing Jennifer did too at eighteen, but he wished he’d reached out to her. That he didn’t try to avoid so much of the family drama that she was trying to escape too.
There wasn’t much he could do about it now. Nor should he be thinking about it when he had work to do.
By the time he left the scene, it was close to three a.m. He drove home and let himself into the house. He’d have to go back in the minute he dropped Chloe off at Gabby’s, but at least he could get a few hours of sleep now and make sure he was there when she woke in the morning.
He noticed all the lights were out in the house, so he turned to the living room thinking he’d find Kristen on the couch under a blanket.
Nope. Nowhere.
He went upstairs and looked in on Chloe who was sound asleep. That was good. Now he had to find Kristen.
He opened his bedroom door and saw her under his covers.
Someone was playing a massive joke on him. The first time he could get her in his bed and she’s asleep with his niece in the other room.
Without turning the light on, he moved closer and sat down on the edge. She was under the covers and he was curious what she had on. He was afraid to look.
His hand went to her shoulder and he gave her a little nudge. “Kristen,” he whispered. “I’m back.”
“Tired,” she mumbled. “Need to sleep.”
Heaven help him. “I know. I’m tired too.”
She rolled a little and tossed the covers back. He thought she was going to get up, but all she did was pat the bed next to her. He was too exhausted to argue. Especially when he noticed she had on one of his T-shirts.
“Do you want to get up?” he asked just to cover his bases.
She shook her head and made room for him. He undressed and slid in next to her, pulled her back against his chest and closed his eyes. He thought for sure he wouldn’t be able to sleep but found he was wrong.
***
Kristen felt toasty warm. Warmer than she normally did when she was sleeping.
She stretched her feet and realized they’d come in contact with something. Another foot. A bigger one attached to a hairy leg. Landon.
She was trying to recall how she got in his bed and remembered that she drove over here so he could go to work. That she fell asleep on the couch and was afraid she wouldn’t be able to hear Chloe, so she went upstairs and decided to climb into his bed after changing into one of his shirts.
She hadn’t thought he’d mind and since he crawled in next to her, she figured right.
“Landon,” she whispered. She had no clue what time it was, but it wasn’t that dark out so it had to be close to morning. “Wake up.”
The arm around her waist hugged her tighter. “I want to stay like this all day.”
She felt something start to poke her in the back. Man oh man, she’d love to call in sick and remove the little clothing between them. But Chloe was in a room down the hall and this was not how she imagined their first time together.
“Me too, but another day. When does Chloe get up?” she asked.
He rolled over and grabbed for his phone. “Another two hours. It’s only five.”
“I should get up and leave then.”
“Or you can stay for breakfast?” he asked. She moved to the side of the bed and looked at him. He had a nice growth of beard on his face, his hair was messy and she wanted to just start kissing him everywhere.
“Probably not a good idea. Chloe doesn’t even know I was here and it’s best she doesn’t. No reason to confuse her.”
“What’s the big deal? I couldn’t leave her home alone.”
“No, you couldn’t. But do you want to bring that up now that it might happen again? Maybe bring it up a different time that it could happen, but you’d never leave her alone. I just don’t think now is the time.”
“You’re probably right. How about you come sit in my lap so we can make out before you leave?” he asked, grinning.
“That’s playing with fire when we both know neither of us would want to stop.”
“You’re tough this morning.”
“Sorry. How about I see if my mother will watch Chloe for the night on Saturday? They had a great time last weekend and I think my mother could use the company. Maybe Chloe could benefit from some laughter like that in her life. Not to mention a grandmotherly type of figure?”
“I think that’s a great idea if your mother is willing. Can we spend the night together then?”
“That was the plan,” she said, standing up and turning her back on him. She lifted his shirt over her head, baring her back and black panties, while she grabbed her bra and put it on, then pulled on her shirt and jeans.
“You are one cruel woman,” he said.
“Just something to tease you with. Only a few days away and then you can look all you want.”
“I plan on doing more than looking,” he said.
“Then we’re both thinking the same thing.”
Tame Women
“So, your first night with Landon?” Kristen’s mother asked her.
She turned to look at her mother who was grinning at her. So much for hoping that Mary Reid would tone down her wardrobe for meeting Landon for the first time.
Her mother was wearing bright purple leggings, a black and red sweater that hit her at mid thigh and looked like it was made for someone three times her size. Multi-colored flats were on her feet, at least there was red, black, and purple in them. Kind of.
It didn’t stop there though. There was a gold and silver bow in her mother’s wild hair that belonged on a child performing a dance recital, but her mother had seen it when the three of them had their girls’ day and she was determined to be in possession of it.
Kristen thought back on that day and how much fun Chloe had. How much she’d laughed. How much even Kristen laughed herself.
Sure, her mother was kooky, but she was harmless, if not a tad bit embarrassing.
She was used to it by now, but she wasn’t so sure what Landon would think of it. Or how he’d feel about Chloe spending the night with Mary.
“You couldn’t wear something a little less like you belong on the crazy bus and more like tea with the ladies?”
“This is what I’d wear for tea with the ladies. With a little bit of bourbon in it.”
Kristen rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”
“And I am the way I am. You didn’t answer my question. First night?”
“I’m beyond the time where I talk about my sex life with my mother.”
“You’re never too old to talk about your sex life with your mother. If I had one I’d talk to you about it.”
She shuddered. “No. I’m glad you don’t. Or maybe I’m not, but either way, I don’t want to know.”
“You’re no fun today. Are you nervous about me meeting Landon?”
“What could have given you that impression?”
“Relax, Kristen. Clothes don’t make a person who they are.” Her father hadn’t thought that, but there was no reason to bring that up to her mother as a reminder of her failed marriage.
“Thank God for that. But you still could try not to be so...bold today, please. I don’t want Landon to doubt my sanity or be worried he’s leaving Chloe with a stranger tonight.”
“I’m not a stranger. I’m his girlfriend’s mother,” her mother said with her hands on her hips.
“We haven’t established the word boyfriend or girlfriend yet.”
“Oh come on, Kristen. You’ve been seeing each other for weeks. He has entrusted you with Chloe more than once and is taking your word I’m not some nutcase to leave her with so you two can get some nookie.”
“And it’s words like that that make me worried.”
“Relax, Kristen,” her mother said, sitting down. “I know you really like this guy. You haven’t really liked anyone since Steve.”
“Don’t bring him up around Landon!”
“I wouldn’t think of it. What do you take me for?”
“There have been plenty of times in my life where you’ve brought up topics in front of people I wish you hadn’t.”
“I won’t tonight, don’t worry.”
Kristen didn’t have time to dispute before the doorbell rang. She rushed forward and pulled it open to see Chloe standing in front of Landon with her backpack on. “Hi, Kristen,” Chloe said, smiling.
“Hey, there. Are you looking forward to spending the night with my mother?”
“I am. I brought some books to read too.”
“You won’t need books,” her mother said, coming forward. Kristen caught the look in Landon’s eye as he gazed at her mother’s outfit. “I’ve got the whole night planned. I’ve got board games and movies. We’ll be plenty busy.”
“That sounds like fun,” Chloe said.
“I’m Landon,” he said, coming in and holding his hand out.
“Yes, you are. Yummy, Kristen.”
She closed her eyes and ground her teeth, but Landon only laughed. Thankfully.
“You’ve got my number if you need anything, right? Kristen gave it to you?” Landon asked.
“She did, but I can reach her too and since you two will be—”
“Thanks, Mom,” she interrupted, not knowing what words would come out of her mother’s mouth in front of Chloe. “But it sounds like you’ve got a fun-filled evening planned with Chloe.”
“I do. Let’s go get some dinner first. What are you in the mood for?”