by Natalie Ann
“Very much so. When I was thirteen I finally told my father that he should just live with Jake. Ask him to move in. There was no reason not to, as everyone that was important in his life knew.”
“Do you think he was waiting for you to ask?”
“No. I think he didn’t like that I told him by doing what he was made me think he was ashamed. We fought that night too. One of those teenager fights. We had them now and again. I could be one of those emotional kids when I wanted to be.”
“I think you probably gave him the kick in the butt he wanted.”
Damn it all, Philip really got her. “That’s what he said. Jake moved in the next week and then a few years after it became legal to get married, they did.”
“Why did they wait if they’d been together for so long?”
“No clue. I never asked. Maybe I will someday.”
“Thanks for sharing that with me. I guess I need to hear and see that someone else who lost their mother at such a young age could be raised by a single father and turn out just fine.”
“You think I turned out just fine?” she asked and drained the rest of her wine, then crawled into his lap. “How is this for turning out just fine?”
He wrapped his hands in her hair and laid his lips to hers, their mouths opening, tongues seeking, her heart racing. She almost wished she knew this night was coming via a dream but was kind of happy it was a surprise for once in her life.
10
Felt So Right
“So are you going to tell me who the guy is that is putting that smile on your face?”
Blair turned to see her cousin Brina staring at her in the shop the next day. “Shhh,” she said, not wanting Nikki or any of her other employees to hear. “What are you talking about?”
“I’ve been here for one minute looking at you and you didn’t even know it, yet you are standing there grinning from ear to ear. Only a man does that.”
Blair sighed, knowing there was no way around this. Her cousin knew her too well. “Why do you think it’s a man? I haven’t had a man in my life in a long time.”
“Because you looked the same way when you told me about your first kiss back in the day. Then again when you went to second and third base. Do I need to go on?” Brina asked. “Besides, you’ve had no clue I was here. That’s a sure sign it’s a man.”
Blair grabbed her cousin’s hand and pulled her into her office out of earshot. “Maybe.”
“So, what’s his name?”
“Philip. He’s my new neighbor.”
“And…” Brina said. “It’s like pulling teeth with you, which isn’t like you at all. You’re the open book of the family.”
She loved how her father’s family considered her one of them. They never thought differently of her because she was adopted into the family. As Brina’s mother—her father’s sister—often said, “Your mother was like a sister to your father, which meant she was a sister to us. That makes you part of this family regardless of where your blood comes from.”
Philip had been right. Her family was extremely accepting when she knew so many weren’t out there. She’d often thought she was lucky but now realized it was her father that was the lucky one.
“And he has a child. He’s a single father. His wife died a few years ago. His daughter, Livi, is adorable and I’ve spent some time with her. Last night, after Livi was in bed, Philip and I had a glass of wine on the deck. Then he kissed me. Or I kissed him. I’m not sure, but we were kissing and it felt so right.”
“It feels different for you, doesn’t it? That’s why you didn’t say anything. Did you tell him about you? Your history?”
“Yes and yes. It feels different and I told him about my fathers. I wanted to know going in if he was going to have an issue with it.”
“I’m guessing he doesn’t?” Brina asked.
“Not at all. He was almost as accepting of it as the family is.”
“That’s good. One step down in your eyes,” Brina said.
“One step?” Blair asked. “What does that mean?”
“It means you always have trouble finding a guy that will accept your life. Between your personal history and the amount of time you put into your job, it makes us all wonder if you’ll ever settle down.”
“You’re single too,” Blair pointed out.
She didn’t bother to say anything about the dreams. Her cousins all knew she had them and they all told her over the years it freaked them out. She thought it was funny when they said those things when she was younger but then realized it really did bother them so she stopped talking about it as often.
“I am,” Brina said. “I like it that way. I’ve never been one that needs to find a man. If I’m still single when it comes to when my ovaries feel like they are drying up I might take a page from your mom’s book.”
Brina was by far the most liberal of her cousins. She was the oldest of her aunt Beth’s daughters, which was one year older than Blair at thirty-one. Hannah was three years younger than Brina at twenty-eight. Blair loved having female cousins she could hang out with and talk to growing up. She loved having her Aunt Beth help her through the female phases even though her father was pretty good about things.
“Never anything traditional for you, Brina,” Blair said.
“If it happens, it does. If it doesn’t, I’m okay with it. I’m still young. Thirty-five is the magic number. If I’m not in a relationship that could produce a child by then, I’ll look into other options. Are you thinking of kids right now?”
“Not like you think,” Blair said. “And when I have a kid someday I want it the traditional way.”
“No petri dish for you. I get it,” Brina said with a giggle.
“Not just that. I want to be in love with my baby’s father.”
“You always were the romantic one too.”
“Hannah thinks the same way I do,” Blair pointed out.
“She does. I guess I’m the odd one out. Romance doesn’t play a part in my life. Anyway, back to your new neighbor. So, you were making out on the deck. Anything else?”
“No. I’m the first person he’s been with since his wife died. There is no reason to rush things.”
Plus she was sick of getting hurt.
Which brought her right back to Philip and his easygoing nature. The chemistry she felt for him and her suspicion that he felt the same way. Now if only she could have a dream to tell her if it was true or not.
A week had gone by and though Philip wanted to spend more time with Blair, he knew he might be pressing his luck.
After those spectacular kisses they’d shared, he’d found a way to sneak out and see her each day when he saw her outside.
Of course Livi was always by his side and he hadn’t been able to get his hands on Blair again, but he saw the sparkle in her eyes that she knew what he might be trying to do.
When he decided to make the move here, he never expected he’d find someone so fast that he wanted to get to know better.
Someone that enjoyed being around Livi as much as him. Or that Livi loved to be around.
Because if he’d heard it once, he’d heard it multiple times, that Livi wanted to visit with Blair.
So when Livi started to bug him again, he told her to go outside and play on the swing set while he sat on the deck and planned his lessons for the upcoming semester.
Did he know Blair was in the back? Sure, he did, because the FedEx guy just dropped off a big shipment.
“Hi, Blair,” he heard Livi yell over the fence. “You’ve got a lot of boxes today.”
There was his daughter’s laughter followed by Blair’s. “I do. I needed more jars for my candles. I was getting low.”
“Can I help you?” Livi asked.
That was Philip’s cue to stand up and rein his daughter in. Maybe. “Now, Livi,” he said, walking toward the back, fighting his grin. “Blair is busy working.”
“I’ve always got time to stop and socialize,” Blair said.
&
nbsp; “It sure does look like you’ve got a lot of stuff there. Do you need some help?” he asked. The FedEx guy had carried in most of the boxes that he’d been able to see, but now that he looked over, her big doors were open and the boxes were just inside, stacked by the front door.
“I could use a hand if you want to come see my shop?”
“Please, Daddy. It smells so nice in there. You’ll love it.”
He laughed at his daughter’s excitement. “As long as we aren’t in Blair’s way.”
“You won’t be if I’m directing you where to put the boxes,” she said, grinning. Then she walked over and unlatched the gate for him and Livi to cross into her property.
He’d been wanting to see what was in her shop but hadn’t been able to figure out a way to ask. This achieved a dual purpose now.
He and Livi crossed the property and he got a better look at her gardens. It was just amazing back here and he couldn’t imagine how she kept it all straight.
Livi was running ahead of him toward the shop. He stepped up the two steps and walked in and realized it was much bigger than he’d thought it was. Than it looked from the outside.
There were shelves and racks all over the walls loaded down with candles, lotions, jewelry, soap, and other things he wasn’t sure of. “Do you do all of this yourself? Make it all?” he asked.
“I do,” she said. “I make it in bulk. It seems like a lot of work. Well, it is a lot of work, but that is why I spend more time here than in the store. I need the products to sell.”
“No one else makes any of these things?” he asked.
“No. I like to keep my ingredients a secret, you could say. When it’s all mixed and done, I’ve got staff that help me jar and bottle, or box it up. You can see I’ve got machinery in here to help with the filling of jars too.”
He was glad to see she didn’t lift everything on her own, at least by the looks of it. “So tell me where you want these boxes.”
For the next hour he helped her unload her shipment, and then she invited them into her house and made them sandwiches for lunch. He’d have liked to ask for a tour of her place, but figured if she wanted him to see it, she’d offer and she didn’t.
When lunch was cleaned up, Livi ran out the backdoor and over to the swing set, leaving them in private and he was damn well going to take advantage of it.
His hand snaked around her and pulled her close, his lips laying on hers and her mouth opening. They stood in her shop, their tongues tasting and retreating, his body hardening and reminding him how long it’d been since he’d been naked with a woman.
“I think you wanted Livi to come over here so you could find a way to get your hands on me,” she said.
He felt his face flush over Blair’s words, which only caused her to laugh. “Maybe just a tiny bit. It seems you are okay with it though.” Her hands were running up and down his back, making the buddy in his shorts twitch. Damn, he might embarrass himself in a minute.
“I’m definitely okay with it,” she said, then pulled his head down and kissed him with a need greater than his, he was sure.
11
Left Behind
“I see you are getting friendly with Blair.”
Philip was walking out with the weed whacker to get the high grass by the front porch after he finished mowing the lawn. He’d yet to meet any of his other neighbors but had seen this woman watching him now and again.
“Is that a problem?” he asked, knowing that he’d have to pay better attention to who was around and watching things. He always got along with his neighbors in the past, but they had a mutual respect to keep their noses out of each other’s business too.
“Of course not. She’s a sweet girl. I’m Carol Shanahan.”
He reached for her hand and shook it. She looked to be in her early forties. As much as he didn’t want to pay too much attention to his neighbors it was hard not to in the development. Everyone had some yard but not as much as Blair did.
Carol either didn’t work or worked from home, or maybe she was a teacher and off like him. Either way, she didn’t leave the house each day or not at a set time. Not like her husband did each morning at seven and came home a little after five.
There were at least two older kids in the house, maybe college aged. Or upper level high school as both seemed to share a car and had friends coming and going all the time. And knowing that made him realize he was watching his neighbors too. He needed to get a life.
“Philip Aire,” he said, returning the shake.
“Do you work from home like Blair does half the time?”
“No,” he said. He was trying to be neighborly for now. It wouldn’t hurt anyone. “I’m a professor at RPI.” He rarely said he was a doctor, nor did he say he was a department head—a promotion he got with this position. Since he still taught, he was a professor in his eyes.
“That would explain it then. Your daughter is a sweetie. Livi, right? I’ve heard her talking to Blair and saw her drawing with her chalk in the driveway.”
“Yes. Livi.”
“Are you new to the area?” Carol asked.
“I am,” he said, wanting to get a move on, but his feet kept him in place. It didn’t hurt to get to know people. He was a stranger here and the more people he knew, the better it might be for Livi.
“Did you know there is a playground and all sorts of activities in the development? It’s less than a mile or so from here. Easy walking or a quick bike ride. My kids used to spend all their summer there.”
He did know. His realtor showed him all around when he was looking at the place. He’d yet to bring Livi over and thought maybe now he should consider it. Anything to get her out of the house. Maybe she’d meet some other kids over there that she’d go to school with.
“Yes. We haven’t had a chance to check it out.”
“This is a great place to raise a family. I’ve been a stay at home mom for years but now my boys are all grown up. I’m glad they are home for the summer. My baby is leaving for college soon, my other going back for his last year. Time just flies.”
“It sure does,” he said.
“If you ever need someone to watch Livi for you, I’m always around. Maybe get her on and off the bus for school?” Carol asked.
He was probably judging her too harshly thinking she was nosy when maybe she was just lonely. “That’s a great offer. I might just take you up on it if my class schedule gets hectic. The before and after program at school will have us covered the first semester.”
“Livi’s mother isn’t around to help?” Carol asked.
His nosy radar just popped up. No use lying. “My wife passed away.”
“Oh, dear. I’m so sorry. I often put my foot in my mouth and talk too much. I love gabbing with Blair. She can be a little chatterbox too. An open book she is, if not a little wacky at times.”
“Wacky?” he asked and almost wished he hadn’t. Maybe he didn’t want to know, but the other part of him realized that he needed to know more about her. More about her personally, as she really was a stranger to him too. Especially since Livi and Blair seemed to be bonding.
“Blair kind of had an untraditional upbringing,” Carol whispered.
“You mean her fathers?” he asked.
“She told you?” Carol waved her hand. “I should have realized that. Like I said. An open book.”
“She did tell me. It’s not a big deal at all.”
“No, no,” Carol said. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Then what way did you mean it?” he asked.
Carol blushed. “Just that people talk. I like her a lot, but others kind of roll their eyes at her. Between her business and upbringing.”
“She has a pretty successful business by the looks of it,” he said back. What the heck was he missing here?
“She does. But this part of the development has a lot of the old timers.” Carol laughed. “I don’t consider myself old, but I guess I am to some. I’m only fifty, but many aro
und these streets are the original owners. They are my age or older. In the past few years we’ve seen a lot of houses go up for sale and younger families come in, but most tend to be in the newer section of the development.”
“The world is all about change and evolving,” he said. “Get with the times or be left behind.”
“I agree with you. I don’t want you to think otherwise. I think most are just old school and can’t understand how anyone can make a living selling candles and lotions that have healing properties. Energy stones and such. I mean it’s not like she preaches that and some of her lotions really do work. My aching joints have never felt as good as when I started to use some of her stuff. I tend to get carried away with my flowers and my back gets all out of sorts.”
Talk about an open book, Philip was thinking. How the hell was he going to get away from this conversation?
“That’s good. Guess she has a great product.”
“She does. And I’m boring you. So sorry. Maybe we’ll have a cookout and you can meet my husband, Ralph, sometime.”
“That’d be nice,” he said when he really didn’t want to. He’d have to make sure he was busy if that came about. Whatever free time he had he was thinking he’d rather spend it with Blair than any of his other neighbors.
Carol went back to her flowers and he started up the weed whacker and got back to work on the yard while he thought of what was said about Blair.
Maybe she was an open book because so many people judged her on her life.
Did he know anyone that had two fathers or two mothers? Not personally or that he was aware of, but he was betting one or more of his students had a home like that. He couldn’t pick them out for you though and didn’t care to.
He had gay students and didn’t care about that either. Why would he?
It brought him back to what Blair said her father had told her. That when you love someone, race and gender didn’t matter.
Blair’s father was one wise man and he hoped to hell he could be half that to Livi.