“Oh, my goodness,” she gasped, examining the cover carefully. “How?”
“I have no idea, Chris. You mentioned it this morning, and I had to show you.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to his side as her eyes examined the classic literature in its new packaging.
“Wow, this is it. This is the story—The Man in the Moon. Nana’s book was older and a few of the pages were torn and yellowed. I don’t even know what happened to it. But this...” Her words were raspy as she struggled not to cry. It was all too perfect to be real. This couldn’t be happening to her. Things simply were never that easy for Chris. She struggled to wrap her head around the fact these coincidences were happening in such a way that had her wondering about her lucky streak and how wonderful it was that many things in her life were suddenly starting to look up for her.
“I have a copy of this one at home. It’s yours, if you want it,” he told her in a gentle voice, kissing her temple.
Chris opened the cover and looked at the acknowledgements. “A.M. Designs, that’s you?”
“That’s me. I stumbled into the business after I graduated college and haven’t looked back. I love being able to work from home. I have a business trip in a few weeks, but other than that, I’m pretty much on my own,” he explained.
Chris handed him the book, which he put back on its shelf. “I would never have expected this. I mean, I knew you liked to draw and I suspected you did some web design stuff, but nothing like this. It’s really cool, Andrew.”
Andrew blushed at her praise as the pair walked down the aisle.
“Oh, I forgot.” Chris headed to the botanical section. “I googled tropical plants and there’s a book I need to find.”
Andrew followed her around the bookstore as they talked about random things. Their afternoon was off to a good start as the sparks between them intensified with each side eye and longing look.
. . .
“Nice place, Andrew.” Chris looked around the small entrance and liked what Andrew had done to the older home.
The walls were a classic sea blue color, accented by some black and white frames and a black side table. The dark wood floors were obviously original to the house and added a touch of hominess to it. To the left was a large living room and Chris smiled as she recognized a few of Julia’s hand me down pieces of furniture.
Andrew looked around and then let his eyes wander to Chris, as she stood in the middle of his living room, all bare feet and nervous clasped hands, chewing her bottom lip. “Yeah, so this is it, Chris.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s not like Mom and Dad’s house, that’s for sure, but it’s mine.”
She grinned as her eyes met his. “I remember when we walked by here on the way to school. They had a dog, I think.”
He nodded. “And pink shutters.” He remembered how tacky everything seemed when he visited the house for the first time, but he saw its potential then too.
“And pink shutters,” she repeated, giggling as she took a step toward the sofa, admiring the images hanging on the wall behind it.
Andrew had worked hard when he bought the house. The entire thing hadn’t been renovated since the late seventies and needed extensive work to bring it into this century, but it had been well worth it. He was proud of how it turned out and how his mother’s vintage furniture now added a certain sense of style to the newly revived home.
Andrew’s hands itched to touch Chris. They were finally alone together again, something he was beginning to like. After the intense night and morning they had shared, it seemed as though his body craved more of her.
“Can I get you something to drink?” He shook himself out of those impure thoughts. The last thing he wanted was for her to think he had brought her here to have his way with her, when all he wanted was to share more of himself with the girl he loved.
“No, I’m good.” Chris took a deep breath to calm her rapidly beating heart. She would be working tomorrow, plus the rest of the week, and felt sad their time together would end soon.
She enjoyed every second of being with Andrew, and as odd as it was, she didn’t really want to go back to her empty apartment.
Their eyes met, blazing with intensity and a powerful need to be together, and Andrew took a few steps to close the distance between them.
He took Chris’s face between his palms and pressed a kiss to her lips.
Chris smiled against his mouth and pulled back a bit, only to wrap her arms around his neck and push herself up on her toes to kiss him back.
They were on the same page, again, as Andrew fumbled to deepen their kiss while they moved to sit on the sofa.
“You know, we sort of skipped this part,” Chris remarked between kisses.
Andrew brushed Chris’s hair away from her face. “Yeah, well, our entire relationship is unconventional, and sort of backwards, don’t you think?”
She shrugged and kissed his lips, intensifying their kiss with a moan as his hand brushed up her thigh and settled on her hip.
Just as Chris leaned back into the seat cushion, cradling Andrew between her parted thighs, Andrew’s cell phone rang from somewhere in his pocket. “Shit,” he said with a sigh as he sat back, looking longingly at Chris while reaching inside his pocket for the damned contraption.
Sliding his fingers on the screen, he grinned when his mother’s face looked up at him. She had impeccable timing.
“Hey, Mom.” His eyes met Chris’s and she giggled softly, taking the decorative cushion from the end of the sofa and placing it under her head with one of her legs resting over Andrew’s thighs while the other was bent at the knee, laying against the back of the couch.
Andrew liked the view from this angle as his fingers tickled Chris’s inner thigh.
Chris squirmed, trying to be as quiet as she could while giving Andrew a stern look and mouthing, “Stop it!”
“Hi, honey,” Julia replied, excitedly. “I hope I’m not bothering you, I wanted to know how things went last night.”
“It went great, Mom.” He rolled his eyes at his mother while teasing Chris. Who said men couldn’t multitask?
“Is Chris with you? Oh, I’m so sorry for interrupting, honey!” Julia thrilled.
Andrew felt bad for not giving her his full attention.
“Yeah, it’s okay, Mom. Erm, I was just showing her my house. It went...better than I thought.” Chris blushed as he winked at her and weaved his fingers through hers, resting their hands on her stomach.
“Oh, Andrew, that’s wonderful. Would you two like to join your father and me for dinner? I know it’s late notice, but Richard would love to meet the girl who’s gotten you this smitten.”
Once Andrew relayed the information to Chris, she accepted readily, and they all agreed to meet at the house later.
“Where were we?” Andrew asked, after telling his mother they would be there on time and hanging up the phone.
Chris grinned as Andrew leaned down and captured her lips with his, thoughts of Julia and a dinner invitation far from either of their minds.
. . .
“Hi, kids,” Julia gushed as Andrew came into view, followed by a bashful looking Chris.
The pair were late for dinner, having lost track of time while they were busy making out like teenagers—and making up for lost time—on Andrew’s sofa.
Chris waved shyly at Julia, feeling Andrew’s hand tighten around hers in quiet support. She wanted to apologize, but wasn’t sure what to say.
I’m sorry we’re late. I was busy giving your son an orgasm with my mouth, sounded crude. She rolled her eyes at her inner musings and shook her head to clear it of those thoughts.
“Oh, you’re finally here.” Richard rounded the corner from the hallway, a teasing smile on his lips.
Chris’s cheeks reddened a shade darker as Julia giggled. “Richard, please, you’re embarrassing the kids.”
“Hey, you’re only young once,” he commented, walking over to Julia and kissing her cheek.
> Andrew introduced his new girlfriend to his father, hoping the older man wouldn’t embarrass him in front of Chris, but knowing full well the chances of that happening would be slim to none.
Richard had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to tease the ones he loved. “Now, Chris, promise me you’ll let us know if Andrew here steps out of line. I’ve taught him to be a gentleman, after all.”
Andrew blanched slightly, remembering the events of the past twenty-four hours, while Chris nodded and answered with a teasing, “Yes, sir.”
Julia watched the interaction and couldn’t help but feel content. It seemed as though everything was finally right in their world.
“Now that you two have come up for air,” Richard started, wiggling his eyebrows at the young couple, making Julia giggle, “we can finally sit down and eat.”
“Yes, please, good lord, let’s eat,” Andrew mumbled only loud enough for Chris to hear.
“He’s wonderful.” Chris laughed as they followed Richard and Julia into the dining room.
The two couples sat down at the elegantly put together table setting and relaxed as they enjoyed their meal. Conversation flowed effortlessly as everybody got reacquainted.
Chris recounted how busy she was going to be during the following weeks, while Andrew reminded his parents of his upcoming meeting.
Overall, dinner was a success. By the time they were done eating, conversing and finally helping out in the kitchen drying dishes, it was as if Chris was already part of the family.
“You don’t have to do that, dear,” Julia admonished from her perch at the kitchen island. These days, she was more of an onlooker than a participant in the daily chores. She had been able to help with some things during dinner preparation, but both Chris and Andrew insisted on doing the dishes.
“It’s no big deal, Julia. I’m happy to do it,” Chris responded, as she handed a serving plate to Andrew for him to dry.
“She’s a keeper,” Richard said in a sing-song voice, while entering the kitchen from the dining room, carrying a tray full of dirty dinnerware.
“Richard.” Julia clucked her tongue at her teasing husband.
“I mean it.” Richard patted Andrew’s shoulder, giving him a squeeze. “She is a keeper, son.” He winked and joined his wife across the kitchen island.
Chris kept quiet as she rinsed some dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher; her face warm and her heart overwhelmed from all the praise and love in the room.
Andrew handed Chris a few dirty plates as he cleared the counter. When their eyes met, crinkling at the corners, Andrew replied, “I know.”
Chris couldn’t help the face-splitting grin tugging at her lips as she turned and finished cleaning the kitchen.
By the time Andrew dropped off Chris at her house for the evening, she was already wondering how soon was too soon to invite him over for another sleepover. Andrew, on the other hand, couldn’t help the sudden feeling of loss in the pit of his stomach. She was going to be too far away for his liking and he promised himself, as he drove toward his house after kissing her goodnight by her front door, that he would make sure to see her as often as he could.
He agreed wholeheartedly with his dad, Chris was a keeper, and he had no plans to let her get away, but plenty of plans to do just that—and keep her...forever.
Chapter 9
“Okay, so you know who to call if you run out of supplies?” Mrs. Davis asked, busying herself with a last minute bridal bouquet. A couple had decided to get married on a whim and had asked Mrs. Davis to do a few basic arrangements for the event.
Chris nodded, picking out some small, colorful, fragrant wildflowers and gathering them with a simple, white ribbon. “Yes, I have all those numbers, as well as the emergency contact with Mrs. Phillips in Port Angeles. I’ll be fine,” she implored.
“Oh honey, I know you’ll be okay, but I haven’t been away from this place in twenty years. This is difficult for me.” Mrs. Davis’s voice had a slight tremble to it.
Chris pulled her eyes away from her task and noticed the older woman wiping tears from her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Davis—are you okay?”
With a watery smile, Mrs. Davis answered, “I will be, dear. It’s an emotional time for me, you know. I’m handing my baby over to its new mother.”
Chris put the flowers down and walked around her workstation to stand in front of Mrs. Davis, where she wordlessly pulled her into a comforting hug. Comforting being the operative word, as both women leaned on each other and laughed, reassuring one another things would be okay.
“You won’t miss this place once you’re on that boat,” Chris teased.
“Oh sweetie, if I’m lucky, I’ll be too busy to miss this place.” She gave Chris a salacious eyebrow wiggle. “I know you’ll be okay; I can’t help it.”
Chris nodded in understanding. “Just enjoy yourself, Mrs. Davis. It can’t be that bad. And I’ll still be here when you get back.”
. . .
Andrew dropped the phone on his desk with a sigh. His meeting was rescheduled for this Thursday and he didn’t want to go.
“Fuck-fucketty-fuck...” he swore, pulling at his hair. He was already on edge about having to go away in a couple weeks, knowing he would miss Chris and their new found relationship. Now he was dreading having to pull himself away from her this soon.
Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes, trying to clear his head. Little did he know that doing so would make it twenty times worse, because all he could see was deep brown eyes surrounded by thick, long lashes looking up at him.
After dropping her off the previous night, he had gone home to an empty house. It had taken forever for him to fall asleep. He didn’t understand how quickly his life had been altered, but he also knew he wouldn’t have it any other way.
With a resigned sigh, Andrew got online and made hotel and airfare reservations, hoping he could be back as soon as the following Saturday. He also promised himself to see Chris as often as he could this week. He would have to drop by the shop in the middle of the day to kiss her or touch her; any sort of contact with her would hopefully tie him over for the upcoming desolate and drab weekend.
. . .
Chris handed Mr. Varner his change and gave him instructions on taking care of his bouquet, just as the bell over the door chimed.
“Thank you, Chris. This is lovely. Mrs. Varner will appreciate it,” he said, turning to leave, nodding toward the customer who walked in.
Andrew grinned, enjoying the view before him.
Chris stood behind the counter, her apron draped across her small frame and the sleeves from her thermal pushed up her arms; her hair was up in a messy bun, exposing her soft, slender neck. Andrew hummed, delighted with the thoughts and images running through his mind as he watched her skin flush.
“Hi, sweetheart.” His voice felt like a caress to Chris’s ears.
She smiled, replying, “Hi yourself, stranger.”
Andrew leaned over the counter, reached for Chris’s hand and tugged her toward him, planting a quick kiss to her lips. “I hope you don’t let just any stranger do that, do you?” he teased as he moved back a bit.
Chris pulled Andrew closer to her and scratched the short hair behind his neck as she leaned in for a second kiss, then whispered against his lips, “Nope, you’re the only one.” Pulling back, she added, “So, what do I owe this pleasure?”
Andrew scratched at the stubble on his chin apprehensively. “Actually, I needed to talk to you about something and I couldn’t do it over the phone...and I couldn’t wait until later.”
Chris motioned for him to follow her to the back of the shop. “This doesn’t sound good,” she said, groaning as she felt her stomach twist.
“It’s not that bad, but it’s not great either,” Andrew stated softly, while watching Chris cut the ends off a few stems. “Remember the meeting I was supposed to have?” Chris nodded, looking up to meet his wary eyes, as he continued. “So, apparently it got rescheduled
for this Thursday. I’m flying out Wednesday and coming back on Saturday.”
“That’s it?” She took a deep breath in relief. For a moment she thought the worst, but deep down, knowing Andrew, she knew it couldn’t be something that would come between them. She already felt as though whatever they had could survive anything. After all, it had survived a couple decades of separation.
Andrew shrugged, not really knowing what else to say. “Yeah, I guess. It’s just...I...We’re so new and I wanted... I would have liked for us to spend the weekend together,” he stammered, nervous at his admission.
Chris bit her lip, smiling as she put her flowers down and came around the table to stand in front of him. Looking up, she took a moment to really appreciate him, still not believing this beautiful man was hers and hers alone. “Not that I want you to go, but it’s your job and it’s important—and you know I’ll be here when you come back, right?” She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her toes. “I’ll be working through the week and weekend, but I’ll miss you, too,” she admitted and pulled him down to kiss his lips.
Andrew’s hands were planted firmly on Chris’s hips as he kissed her like his life depended on it. His tongue dancing with hers as the two put into actions what mere words couldn’t express.
I love you.
I’ll miss you.
I’d do anything for you.
Please come back to me.
I need you.
Chris’s hands slid from Andrew’s neck, down his chest and along his waist as she pulled him by his belt loops, grinning into their kiss as Andrew groaned.
“Sneaky girl,” he whispered against the delicate skin of her neck, before lifting her up and depositing her on the edge of the workstation. “Getting me all worked up back here.”
Chris wrapped her legs around Andrew’s waist and scratched at the stubble along his jaw. “We seem to have a thing for counters.”
Man in the Moon (Sweet Escapes Book 1) Page 9