“The house Nick and I bought was the first and only home I had. I remember that feeling that finally I belonged somewhere.”
“Do you still have it?” They hadn’t talked much about her past before she left the kids or about her late husband. Mitch hadn’t wanted to pry.
“Yep, it’s in a trust for the kids. When Nick got sick, we set it up that way for a variety of reasons. I think maybe he knew I’d flake out. It’s free and clear. Lucy was one of the executors, and it is rented out now and helping support the kids.”
“Or maybe he just wanted to make sure it wasn’t something you had to worry about. He sounds like a smart guy.” He was glad Nick had been a planner and had his family’s best interest at heart. That didn’t sound like a lack of faith in her, it sounded like he was a decent guy.
“He was. Not like you at all but similar in some ways.” He took a step closer. She was leaning on the frame where a window would later go, gazing at the lake. “Focused, a planner, quick to laugh, generous . . .”
“You see all those things in me?” He leaned in next to her and tapped his elbow on hers.
“Yeah, among other things.” She gave him a flirty smile.
“Oh really, do tell?”
“Seriously, you’re fishing for compliments?”
“Maybe.” He cocked his head and gave her a grin. “Or maybe I’m just curious. I see a lot of good qualities in you, if you’d like me to share.”
Her stomach let out a rumble, and he wasn’t sure if he was pleased by the interruption or not. “Come on, let’s get some lunch. Compliments will have to wait.”
The butterflies in her stomach took flight as they rolled the bikes down the incline to the Airstream. Minnie knew that she should shut this down now. No flirting, no more sexy glances, and no more touching. She wasn’t an idiot, and she knew their hands and shoulders kept bumping because that was what Mitch wanted. It wasn’t that she didn’t want it. She wanted it, and the butterflies definitely wanted it, but that didn’t make it a good idea.
They leaned the bikes beside the trailer, and Mitch headed for the door. He reached his hand in and flicked a switch and an electric awning unfolded itself over the wooden deck beside the Airstream on the lake side.
“I thought we’d eat out here, if you’re happy with that?”
“Of course.” Her nerves settled a little; outside was maybe better than inside next to the bed. “Can I help?”
“No. Well, maybe you can set the table.” He was carrying said fold-up table out from inside. “You’ll find everything you need in the cupboard to the left of the sink.”
The trailer was so well laid out that everything had its own special place, she could see that easily.
“Do you take this on the road at all?” she called to Mitch, who was heading back in.
“Not yet, but I plan to once the house is done. I used to travel so much. I miss it.”
Minnie let herself imagine for a brief moment what that would be like to travel around the country in this trailer with Mitch. Waking up in a new place every few days, setting this same table with a different view. It might be amazing. Then again, she’d fooled herself into thinking a road trip with Earl would be awesome and she’d been dead wrong about that.
Just the fact that she was even thinking about it made her feel ill. She couldn’t go down that path. She’d barely been back a few weeks and here she was alone with a man and fantasizing about heading off with him.
She finished laying the table and went inside to help. It was a small space, and they were in close proximity. She could smell the warm masculine scent of Mitch as he moved past her.
“I’m starving,” he informed her, a wolfish grin appearing on his handsome face. He looked like he was hungry for more than just food, so she grabbed a couple of glasses and went out and pretended to be fascinated by the lake. It was beautiful, but she just needed some air and some space between her and Mitch.
She was pretty certain he was one of the good guys but he was still a bad idea.
He came and joined her after putting a heaped platter of bread, cheese, cured meats, and fruit on the table.
“Are you okay? You’ve gone very quiet on me.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Why don’t I believe you?” He came and stood in front of her, bending down to read her face. “You look worried.”
“Just thinking.”
“Anything I can help with?”
She gave her head a shake. “No. Shall we eat? This looks amazing.”
“Okay.”
He’d bought some sparkling cider that he poured into their glasses.
“You could have something else if you wanted,” she assured him.
“Honestly, I spend my life surrounded by alcohol. I try not to drink on my days off, and even at the bar I’m not a big drinker. I like the atmosphere more than the drink.”
“Okay.” So, he was nothing like Earl in that respect. “This is all really wonderful. It’s been a great day.”
“It’s not over yet. Now dig in.”
Chapter 16
Mitch felt the air shift in the trailer and knew Minnie was pulling back. She was second-guessing being here, with him, and he could understand why, he really could but he didn’t like it.
As they served their lunch, he told her the story of finding the land, and then meeting Todd in a local bar. “And that’s how I ended up in your town. He talked me into it.”
“So, it was fate, then?”
“I guess so. I mean, I could have ended up anywhere. So yes, it was fate or destiny or who knows what. Not that I’m a big believer in fate. “
“No?” Her brows arched and her eyes widened. He’d surprised her.
“No. I believe in challenging work. Good choices. Making the most of opportunities.”
“You don’t believe in bad choices, then?”
“No, I’m a big believer in them and what they can teach us.”
“Oh yeah?” Her face was full of skepticism.
“Yeah, I mean, take you. You must have learned an awful lot from your choices over the last couple of years.”
She let out a soulless laugh. “Oh yeah. I learned I’m an alcoholic. I’m not much of a mother, and I have bad taste in men.”
“Or you learned that when you drink those things are true. Nick was a good man, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And you chose him, didn’t you?” She gave a nod. “So, you don’t always choose bad men, and when you’ve been sober, you’ve put your kids first, so I think you maybe need to assume that when you’re sober you have good judgement.”
“Is this good judgement? You and me? It feels like it might not be.”
“Based on what? The fact that you like me and I make you feel good about yourself?” Another nod. “And you don’t think you deserve to be happy so, therefore, I’m a bad choice. But what about this for a thought: What if you’re less likely to drink if you’re happy, so being with me shows good judgement?”
“Your ability to twist that around is impressive.”
“I’m an impressive guy.” He was half teasing. He really did believe he was good for her, and she needed to believe it, too.
“And humble.”
“I’m not super humble,” he admitted. “I’m not arrogant either, but I’m not going to talk myself down and neither should you. You’re smart, sexy, beautiful. Yes, you definitely have made some big mistakes but you’ve learned from them, and you should be proud of that.”
“I don’t think you have a realistic picture of me.” Her hand was resting on the table, and he reached out and took it.
Her eyes fell where their hands touched. “I think I’m very realistic. I think you’re the one with the skewed vision.”
“I don’t think you’re a saint, Minnie, in fact, I hope not. I’m pretty sure dating a saint would be a bit hard to live up to. I know you have a past, I do, too. Heck, some of my past is currently camped out in my spare room. I like y
ou regardless. There’s something here that I think is worth exploring. We have . . .”
“Chemistry,” she finished the thought for him.
“Among other things,” he added “But yeah, that’s definitely part of it. I am deeply attracted to you and I think that’s mutual.”
She gave another nod and a small smile. “Is that enough, though?”
“It’s a good place to start. Look, I’m not asking you to marry me or run off in my trailer to abandon your kids. I know you have stuff to work out, all I’m saying is why not give this a chance?”
The problem was with Mitch looking at her like that, as if she hung the moon, she was having trouble figuring out why not.
“My kids won’t like it.”
“Okay, so how about we don’t have PDAs in front of the kids, then? I can live with no making out or holding hands at a track meet.” He was making light of it, but it was serious.
“I think it’s more complicated than that.”
“Okay, so we’ll just hang out in groups or behind closed doors. Not a secret exactly, just no flaunting it. Your kids like me as a person, it’s not like they’ll run screaming from a cookout at Todd’s if I’m there and you’re there. They never have before.”
“I’m trying to be open with them. And my mother . . .” Her voice trailed off. Her mother would not approve.
“So, don’t lie to them. If they ask you about us say we’re hanging out.” He made it sound so simple, and the distracting circle he was making with his thumb on the back of her hand had her hormones doing a happy dance.
“Maybe we don’t have any real chemistry,” she suggested.
The wolfish grin from before returned. “Yeah, maybe not. You think we should find out?”
“I can’t promise you anything, Mitch. Remember that. This needs to move real slow,” she warned him.
“That’s fine. I can kiss you real slow, Minnie.”
Good grief, she didn’t stand a chance. Not when he stood up and pulled her to her feet so that her body came flush up against his. She could feel the hard planes of his chest against her own soft curves. Not when he ran his hands down her back, resting one in the small to hold her in place, and then bringing the other one back up to the back of her head to tilt it just so. Not when he went to whisper in her ear first before kissing her.
“I’ve been waiting to kiss you all day.”
Not when he kissed her cheek gently before covering her mouth with his and running his tongue first along her bottom lip and then her top so that she parted them and let him in. And certainly not when, true to his word, he kissed her slowly until her whole body felt boneless, and were it not for his hands holding her in place, she would have fallen at his feet.
She didn’t know how much time passed before they came up for air and just stood there breathing heavily, clinging to each other.
“Yep, no chemistry,” he said through a smile. Obviously, he was joking, they clearly had enough chemistry to blow up a lab.
“Oh well, nothing ventured. Nothing gained,” she said, trying to take a step back, but he held her in place.
“I don’t think so. If this is good science, we need to repeat the experiment.” And then he kissed her again with an intensity that had been missing from the first kiss. It came with an urgency and his hands were moving all over her body, searching and discovering. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her back and the warmth of his body in front of her and it felt divine.
She broke that kiss. She was aware that she wanted this, all of this, too much. She needed to take it slow, just like she’d said.
Mitch did not want this moment to end. What he wanted was to take Minnie into the trailer and peel off all her clothes and make love to her as slowly as he could, but he knew that wasn’t in the cards. She had to set the pace. He knew she wasn’t a blushing teenager. It wasn’t the physical that scared her, it was the emotional connection. He had to let her set the pace. He didn’t have to like it.
He brushed her hair back off her face and kissed her forehead before resting his where he’d just kissed her.
“Shall we have dessert?”
“Is that a euphemism?”
“Nope, we have apple pie, as well you know, and we should eat it. You wait here, and I’ll go get it.”
He headed in to get the pie from the small kitchen. He needed a moment to collect himself, gather his thoughts and his emotions. He’d kissed more than a few women over the years but none affected him like this one. He knew he was taking a risk here, and he was asking her to do the same. He understood her commitment to repairing things with her children and not wanting to add any extra drama to their lives.
It occurred to him that he was probably being selfish, wanting her as he did. Not resisting, but the truth was he couldn’t help it. He liked her. And he believed he was good for her. He didn’t think going to work and then sitting alone in that apartment when she wasn’t visiting her kids for an hour a day was.
He carried the pie out. She’d returned to her seat.
“I just need to tell you one thing . . .”
He held up his hand to stop her. “You’re going to get into the details of your past, and I don’t need to know, Minnie. You’ve done things you regret. I understand. The details aren’t important.”
He’d heard snippets already. She’d run off with a lowlife. She’d been working in a dive bar. He knew all that and he still didn’t care. That wasn’t the woman he knew.
“Mitch . . .”
“Minnie.” His tone silenced her. “Trust me on this.”
He turned his attention to the pie, cutting two large slices and plating one for each of them. He could feel her watching him with a mix of curiosity and maybe frustration. His frustration was sexual, he suspected perhaps hers wasn’t.
Handed her the pie and leaned in to kiss the top of her head. “Enjoy.”
Then, he took his seat and forked a delicious mouthful of pie into his mouth, taking in the beautiful lake and the beautiful woman he was sharing the afternoon with, and he felt lighter, he realized, than he had in a long time.
Minnie sat in the car, contemplating the day. It had been magical. Mitch’s little piece of paradise, as he referred to it, was just that. So peaceful and so beautiful. She could have happily stayed in that trailer for weeks on end, eating pie and hanging out with Mitch.
That, however, was not her reality.
“So, Cheryl’s still about, huh?” she asked as they took the turn back toward town. “And working for you.”
“Yes, you were right. I didn’t kick her out.”
“You’re too nice, Mitch.”
He really was and that was a problem. She didn’t want to be just another woman taking advantage.
“Not really, she is working for me at least. Actually, one of the other hostesses has a spare room, so she’s moving in with her in a day or so.”
That was interesting. She was moving but not leaving. “And how do you feel about that?”
“Would I rather that she was leaving altogether, yes. But she’s not a bad person, really. I think maybe some time in a small town, actually earning her keep, might be good for her.”
“If you say so. Hey, it’s not my place to judge.”
“Exactly, Min, everyone deserves a second chance.”
Well, he had that right. “Today was amazing, by the way, thank you.”
“It’s not over yet.” It was sunset, and the sky was just turning from soft pinks and oranges to gray.
Except, when they pulled into the parking lot there was another pretty blonde woman standing in the portico of the building waving at Mitch.
“Harper,” he mumbled under his breath.
“Wow, Mitch, you sure are popular.”
He let out a laugh. “That one is my sister. Nothing to worry about there.”
Minnie wasn’t entirely sure about that. If the shoe was on the other foot, she would not want Mitch dating Minnie and she had no reason to believe his si
ster would see if differently. This date was definitely over and that pretty blonde was definitely something to worry about.
To say the day hadn’t ended as he would have liked was an understatement. He was thrilled to see Harper, whose arrival was unexpected, but her arrival was like flipping a switch where Minnie was concerned.
He introduced her to Harper, and they exchanged pleasantries, but then Minnie grabbed her bike and tried to wheel away.
“You guys should catch up. I’ll see you around.”
“Minnie, why don’t you come down to my place?”
“That’s fine. I’ll leave you two, or you three rather, to it.”
“Cheryl’s still here?” Harper asked.
Okay, this was a hot mess. Before she got too far, Mitch loaded the bike basket with food, including the flowers he hoped she would enjoy, and slung a bag of groceries over the handlebar. “Don’t forget these.”
Harper seemed to find the whole situation amusing, unlike Mitch. As soon as Minnie was out of earshot she was on to him.
“So, two girls, Mitch. How very unlike you.”
“Cheryl is just a houseguest.”
“And Minnie?”
“That is yet to be determined.”
“Did I kill the mood?” she asked, knowing full-well she had done exactly that.
He slung his arm over her shoulder and pulled her in for a noogie that had her squirming. “You know it. But I’m really glad you’re here. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“Ah, where’s the fun in that?”
Mitch had a feeling there was more to the story, but he grabbed her bag and the leftovers from his lunch and lead the way upstairs. “Come on, let’s get you settled.”
To say that Cheryl wasn’t happy to see Harper would be an understatement. Especially as she answered the door when she heard them in the hall in nothing but one of Mitch’s old cycling jerseys. That was a moment Mitch would likely never forget, especially the look on Cheryl’s face before she scurried off to her room to add another layer.
Harper, on the other hand, was having the time of her life. “This trip has already been so worth it.”
Any Way You Spin It: An Upper Crust Novel (The Upper Crust Series Book 7) Page 14