by Rye Hart
“Okay,” I said as I looked down at her. “But you have to take a nap. No nap, we don’t go over.”
“Yay!”
Lanie went dashing back down the hallway as Tanya followed her quickly. I could hear the two girls giggling as she bedded Lanie back down, and I sighed as I listened to the sound. She looked like her father in every sense of the word, but when she laughed, she sounded like her mother.
Holy hell, how I missed my sister.
I started working on my chili as Tanya picked up the cabin. She worked around me, her grin lurking in the corner of my eye. I had no idea what she was up to or why she was so hellbent on making this happen, but I knew there was a plan formulating in that brain of hers. It was what she did when she was bored. She could come up with the craziest of activities for her and Lanie to participate in.
And when she was stumped with Lanie, she always tried to meddle with me.
Usually, it was her coaxing me to take a night off. Go into town, get a drink, maybe meet someone and get a hotel room. She’d offer her services watching Lanie for free so I had no excuse, but I would always turn her down. She would try to get me to interact with people and get back out there, so to speak, but I would balk and tell her I wasn’t interested.
So, why hadn’t I done that now?
The chili was cooked, Lanie was awake, and Tanya was about to leave for the night. She offered to keep Lanie one last time before I sent her away, then I packed up the chili and held Lanie’s hand. We walked up to Amanda’s cabin, and I was shocked to see the lights on.
Electricity was running through the rundown cabin, and it hadn’t burst into flames yet.
We walked up the rickety porch, and I could see the splinters popping up from the wood. It was a shame that this cabin hadn’t been treated with better care. The types of wood this home had been built with were sturdy. By the looks of it, the porch could still be salvaged. It needed to be sanded out, treated, and sealed, but if there were no foundational issues, it could be saved.
I shook the thought from my head as Lanie knocked her little fist against the door.
Amanda opened the door, and I could see the shock roll over her face. Her bright green eyes sparkled in the colors of the sunset as the rays tossed colors against the skyline. She was dressed in jeans and a sweater that was falling off her shoulder, teasing my lips for a kiss.
Part of me wished I had taken Tanya up on her offer to watch Lanie now.
“We brought chili,” I said.
“For dinner,” Lanie added.
“How kind,” Amanda said, smiling. “Um—”
She looked back into her home, and it gave me a second to peer into it. Many of the surfaces looked recently cleaned, but there was still a lot of work that had to be done. I could see a cupboard door hanging off its hinges and a dishwasher that had been worked out of its cubby. There were chairs with wobbling legs that looked as if they were going to tip over any second. Just from the glimpse through the door, I could see why Amanda was hesitant to let us in.
Wonderful. I could just leave this chili with her here on the porch and not have to get involved.
“You can eat it whenever you want,” I said as I handed it to her.
“Oh,” she said as she took it. “Well, thank you.”
“No eat?” Lanie asked.
I looked down at my niece as her big doe eyes looked back up at me. I knew she had been looking forward to staying. Part of me had entertained the idea as we walked here, but when Amanda opened the door, I knew I had to find a way out of this.
She was too alluring, and her skin looked too soft for me to be having dinner with her alongside my niece.
“Wanna come over?” Lanie asked.
“Lanie, I’m sure she has—”
“If the offer is on the table, I’d love to.”
My eyes found hers, and there was a brightness to them that hadn’t been there when she opened the door. Her eyes ran down my body before she found Lanie’s smile, and I watched a grin crawl across her cheeks. I could feel the electricity surging through my veins as I thought about kissing that exposed shoulder of hers. My toes curled at the idea of her whimpering at the way my beard would trail along the dip in her waist.
It was going to be dangerous to live beside someone like her.
“Then come on,” I said as I took Lanie’s hand.
“Let me slip some shoes on.
Lanie skipped ahead of us as she ran back to the cabin. I was carrying the pot of chili I’d made for Amanda while she limped alongside me. I could see the wince on her face every time she took a step, and I had to fight back the urge to throw her over my shoulder cave man style and carry her back to my place.
We settled at my kitchen table and dug into the food. I poured us all some soda and grabbed Lanie her sippy cup. Amanda hummed with every bite of the food she took, and I had to take deep breaths just to keep my cock at bay.
“This chili is delicious,” she said. “I can’t cook anything like this.”
“It’s easy,” I said. “Throw some stuff into a pot and let it simmer.”
“Yeah, you say that until I tell you I once burned an egg trying to hard boil it.”
I raised my head and looked at her. “So no one ever taught you how to cook?”
I watched a curtain of sadness drape over her features before she drew in a short breath.
She ignored my question when she finally spoke. “This chili’s really good. If you haven’t written down the recipe, you should. Someone somewhere will want it from you someday.”
I watched her lips curl over the spoon, and I shifted in my seat. Fuck, this woman dripped with sexual energy. The curves of her body and the slope of her waist. The way her jet-black hair cascaded down her long porcelain neck. The marks I could paint on her skin would leave a game of connect-the-dots that spanned her entire fucking body if she gave me one night with her.
What the hell had gotten into me? My niece was sitting right here, and I was all I could do to keep my dick from breaking my zipper.
A phone rang in the room, and I welcomed the distraction. I left the table to answer it and saw her eyes trail after me. I could see her reflection in the window as I picked up the phone, her eyes darting around my features before sneaking down to my ass.
My pelvis heated at the fact that she was studying me like I was trying not to study her.
“Hello?”
“Brian, it’s me.”
“Hey, Luther,” I said to my lawyer.
“Listen, I’ve got an issue that’s arisen,” he said.
My jaw clenched. “What’s up?”
“Lanie’s father has lawyered up. He’s taking you to court for custody”
I looked over at the kitchen table and saw Amanda playing with Lanie. Lanie was giggling, and Amanda was tickling her feet. My eyes settled onto the scene and took it all in before I stepped out of the room, padding down the hallway with the phone still by my ear.
“What the hell?” I asked.
“Yes. Custody or money, that’s what he’s seeking.”
“So he doesn’t want Lanie. He wants to drain me of money,” I said.
“Right now, he has a compelling argument. He’s the girl’s biological father. The courts like to keep parents and children together whenever they can.”
“Biology doesn’t mean shit here Luther. That deadbeat asshole never gave a shit about Lanie before now. He knows I have money, that’s what this is all about.”
“I know that and you know that, but he’s laying it on pretty thick right now. His idiot lawyer actually thinks he gives a damn.”
Clenching my phone, I turned back toward Amanda and Lanie. The giggles falling from her lips were no match for the brightness that had arisen in Amanda’s eyes. She was playing with the little girl and laughing right along with her, and I could see a flush rising in her cheeks. It painted her skin in a healthy hue that drew me right in. That begged for my fingertips to run lightly across the color. I hadn’t
been this attracted to a woman in a long time, and I had shrugged off the idea of women altogether once Lanie had come to live with me.
“You could give him the money he’s asking for,” Luther said.
“How much is he asking?”
“Four million dollars.”
“Four million dollars. Is he nuts?”
“He’s a real piece of work is what he is.”
“And if I refuse to give him the money, he’s still going to try to take Lanie from me?” I asked, an ache in my gut at the thought of it.
I pinched the bridge of my nose as I turned my back to the girls.
“Looks like he’s willing to do just about anything to get what he wants,” Luther said.
“Fuck,” I said, groaning.
“Think on it and give me a call. Say, tomorrow?”
“You want me to have an answer for you by tomorrow?” I asked.
“Any longer of a timeframe and you look like you’re floundering. Quick answers come from sure fathers. I’m not just working your defense, I’m also painting your image to the jury. Remember that.”
“I’ll think about it,” I said.
I hung up the phone and shoved it into my pocket. I made my way back to the kitchen table, my mind elsewhere as Amanda’s eyes followed me. I could smell her body spray as I sat down at the table, the smell pulling my eyes up to hers as she grinned at me. My eyes hooked onto her lips before I sighed.
It didn’t matter how attracted I was to her, I had to control my urges. She was still a stranger, and I knew there was no way in hell she was sticking around. Childhood home or not, the inherited property that had been dropped into her lap was in rough fucking shape. It wasn’t suitable for anyone to live in safely, and by all I’d seen, she was not exactly a handy woman. There was no way she could take on those repairs herself, nor did it seem like she had the money to fund them.
The last thing Lanie needed was to get attached to someone who was going to leave.
CHAPTER 5
Amanda
“Hey there, Sarah.”
“Hey, stranger! You forgot to call me, you know.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’ve just been so busy cleaning up this place, and I forgot. You got my text message though, right?”
“I mean, yeah, but I was really hoping you’d call. So, how’s the cabin looking?”
I glanced around my grandmother’s home before I leaned against the kitchen counter.
“Not gonna lie, it’s a mess,” I said.
“How much of a mess are we talking?” Sarah asked.
“It’ll take me hiring someone to come in and do some of the repairs.”
“Oh, shit. What’s wrong with it?” she asked.
“For starters, it hadn’t been dusted in years. I’ve had the windows open trying to create crosswinds to blow some of this shit outside while I wipe everything down.”
“What do you mean by ‘everything’?”
“All my grandmother’s stuff is here. Well, mostly. Some of the furniture is gone, but the bedrooms are still furnished and so is the living room.”
“You’ll have to have all that furniture steam-cleaned with all the dust that settled,” she said.
“Yep. That’s one of the things I have on my list.”
“You have a list?’
“Oh, yeah. And it’s extensive. The staircase has to be completely redone. The wood’s so rotted and flimsy that I put my foot through it when I first came in.”
“Holy shit, Manda. Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. My neighbor rescued me and helped bandage me up.”
“You have a neighbor? Please tell me it’s a male neighbor.”
“It is,” I said, grinning. “And before you ask, yes. He’s fucking hot.”
“Ooooh, yes! Amanda, it’s about damn time you hooked your claws into someone,” she said.
“And he’s strong. Picked me up like I was nothing. He’s got these piercing eyes and rippling muscles. When he found me in the staircase, he was shirtless, Sarah. Shirt. Less.”
“Fuck. Does he have a beard? Please tell me he has a beard.”
“He does,” I said, giggling. “I figured you would like that.”
“I love facial hair on guys. Have you seen him since your accident?”
“I have. He invited me over for dinner last night, and it was a wonderful evening.”
“You went on a date, and you didn’t call me!?”
“Well, it wasn’t really a date. He had his niece with him.”
“Niece? He a babysitter or something?” she asked.
“I don’t really know the story, but she’s adorable. She couldn’t be more than three, though she talks really well so she might be older. I’m not really sure.”
“Have you learned much about him?” she asked.
“Not much. I mean, I kind of deduced that he’s a recluse. Not used to being around people. His niece, Lanie, is the one that always wants to come around. It’s almost like she drags him along.”
“A three-year-old dragging around some burly man with a beard? That’s adorable..”
“It s just about the cutest thing ever,” I said.
“Are you attracted to him?”
“I just told you he was hot,” I said.
“You can find someone good looking and not find them attractive. Remember Michael from our sophomore year?”
“Oh, fuck yes. He was beautiful.”
“But a raging cockhead. So, he’s hot but not attractive. Got it? Are you attracted to him?” she asked, again.
I paused for a second before I hopped up onto the counter. I heard something creak and groaned, hoping the entire damn thing wouldn’t give way underneath my body weight. I could still see some dust floating around in the streams of light coming through the window, and I tried to swat them away.
Was I attracted to him?
“Manda?”
“Yeah? Sorry. Dust and shit. I mean, I am—I think. I’m not sure.”
“What do you mean?” Sarah asked.
“Well, he can be standoffish. I’d call him a dick if I couldn’t throw the same treatment back at him.”
“Ah, so he’s tugging at your sassy side. Okay, but he’s not, like, bullying you or anything.”
“Hell, no. Nothing like that. It’s almost like he’s being mean so I’ll leave him alone. Except Lanie keeps destroying his plans.”
“Yep. That’s a recluse if I’ve ever heard of one.”
“I like his looks more than his attitude. Let’s just put it that way,” I said.
Sarah laughed in my ear, and it pulled a smile across my cheeks.
“You ready to move on from Daryl?”
I sighed into the phone as the counter creaked underneath me again.
“I don’t know if I’m ready to date, but I know I’m over him,” I said.
“That’s better than what I expected. Daryl was a dick, and I had no idea what you saw in him from the beginning.”
“He was sweet to me at the beginning, and that's all that mattered at the time,” I said.
“But he was never supportive of your art.”
“I figured he would come around eventually. I mean, that’s what people always said about my art. Everyone would have to ‘come around’ to it. I figured he was the same.”
“Manda, you’re smarter than that,” she said.
“I know. At least, I am now.”
“Are you okay living in that house alone with all the issues it has?” she asked.
“Oh, I didn’t tell you my list of stuff. Okay, the furniture needs to be cleaned, the staircase needs to be repaired, the entire kitchen needs an update, but I would settle for just repairing the things that are broken.”
The counter creaked underneath me again, and I slid off before I caused any more damage.
“Do you have that kind of money?” Sarah asked.
“I’m trying to figure it out. I need to go into town and price some things o
ut, but if I can find the right contractor, I should be able to get the bigger things fixed.”
“Do you at least have electricity and running water?” she asked.
“Oh yeah. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. Actually, my grandmother’s bathroom has one of those walk-in shower-tub combination things. The bath has a fucking seat in it. I’m going to go take one now.”
“Sounds like you need it with all that dust. I can hear your voice already getting scratchy.”
“Yep, allergy meds are on my list too! Call you later this week?” I asked.
“Manda, are you sure you’re okay staying there by yourself?”
I sighed as I looked around the room, allowing the silent memories to crash to the forefront of my mind.
“It’s weird, being here without her. And it’s definitely bringing back memories. But I’m okay. They’re all good memories once I get past the custody battle years. There are some pictures still hanging on the wall that haven’t been damaged, and those make me smile.”
“Your grandmother always knew how to take a good picture,” Sarah said.
“Hell yeah, she did.”
“Well, let me know how your trip into town goes. Some things happening at work, so I’m not sure if I can get to you this weekend or next. But, if I can’t get out this weekend then I’ll ship you your art stuff.”
“Don’t worry about it. With the cabin still in disarray, I don’t want to taint my art supplies with the dust and shit just yet. Thank you, though. When I’m ready for them, we’ll figure it out then.”
“Sounds good. I’ll talk with you soon.”
“See ya, Sarah.”
I could hear the hot water calling my name as I made my way to the back of the house. My grandmother, in her last years before the nursing home, couldn’t get up the steps. So she had a back portion added to the cabin which had become her new master bedroom and her bathroom. I stripped myself of my clothes and stepped into the tub, then turned on the hot water and let it flow. I didn’t have any bubbles to make it nice or anything, but what I did have was a seat to lean back in as the water crept up my body.
I closed my eyes and the steam wafted around me. I loved hot baths. The kind that turned my skin red and made me sweat. I tossed my leg over the edge of the tub and stretched, allowing the water to wash away the sweat and grime from my day of cleaning. I closed my eyes and relaxed, letting memories bombard me as I thought about my grandmother.