by Heather B. Moore, Kaylee Baldwin, Annette Lyon, Jennifer Moore, Shannon Guymon, Sarah M. Eden
And seeing that hurt every other Sunday when Carol brought Jack back home broke Craig’s heart.
“I can see why you’re cautious,” Ada said.
“But you were right. A city-league basketball game isn’t really the huge risk I made it out to be. And Jack was so disappointed.” Sometimes Craig felt like a complete failure as a parent. Seeing Jack’s face at Tuesday’s game when he realized that Ada hadn’t come qualified as one of those moments. Craig had been disappointed at not seeing her again too. “If I haven’t completely pushed you away, I— well, there’s a— Jack has a game on Tuesday, and it’d be great if you came.”
He held his breath. That was about as on the line as he could lay it.
A smile spread slowly over her lips. “Tuesday would be great. I’m also free tomorrow night. I know Jack will be at his mom’s. You know, in case you want to go do something.”
Was she asking him out? He’d been hoping she’d simply listen to his apology. A date was more than he’d bargained for. Not that he was complaining. “Well, we’ve done coffee and hot dogs. I think the natural next step is a meal requiring utensils. Maybe a movie or something too.”
“Sounds good.” Her smile turned laughing. “Should we ask the book club what they think?” She motioned toward the front window.
The entire book club was watching them, faces pressed to the glass. Some of the ladies had to have been standing on furniture. One had her phone out, meaning Craig’s awkward efforts were probably already on Twitter.
He waved at them, and the group scattered.
“So, pick you up at like six?” he said.
“I’ll text you my address.”
“Perfect.” He didn’t know if he was relieved or scared out of his mind. He didn’t want to blow another chance to get to know her better. “See you tomorrow.”
He, the Awkward Avenger, had a date.
The next evening, Craig pulled into a low-key condo community a little before six o’clock. Somehow he’d pictured Ada living in a flashy, high-end house, maybe on the beach. Yet the sensibleness of it fit her.
As he climbed the stairs, his heart leaped around a little. He hesitated a minute before knocking.
When she answered the door, she was on the phone. She waved him in and silently mouthed, “Sorry.”
He wasn’t upset at all. The extra minute to catch his breath was welcome. The prospect of spending an entire evening with Ada had him tied in knots.
“I can get you two of your three requests, but not all of them,” she said into the phone. “Finding that size of home in that neighborhood for that price just isn’t possible.”
She looked amazing, as always. Craig had always been a sucker for brunettes. But the way her blue sweater made her eyes look even bluer than usual pulled him in that much deeper. She was definitely out of his league.
“I’m a Realtor, not a fairy godmother,” she said.
Craig bit back a laugh. She didn’t put up with a lot of drama. He liked that about her. He liked it a lot.
She met Craig’s gaze, then pointed to her phone and shook her head. Still talking to whoever was on the other line, she said, “Having an agent who fits you is almost as important as finding a property that suits you. So if you feel you’d rather work with someone else, I won’t try to talk you out of it.”
She was about to get fired by a client. From the look of things, she wasn’t broken up about it.
“Best of luck to you. I hope your new agent is the miracle worker you are looking for. Okay. Bye.” She clicked off her phone and slid it in her back pocket. “Why in the world do I do this for a living?”
“Because you’re good at it.”
She tipped him a half-smile. “I’m good at vacuuming, too, but you don’t see me working as a janitor.”
“You would hate being a janitor. But I’ve seen your face when you find someone the perfect home. You love that moment, admit it.”
Her eyes instantly regained their sparkle. “Man, I love that moment. I’m helping someone shape the next few years of their lives, possibly the rest of their lives. Knowing I’ve been a part of making that future better… I love that.”
“I’d say that’s your answer. Drama and shenanigans aside, that’s why you do this for a living.” He narrowed his eyes as if contemplating something more dastardly. “Of course, if you need me to go bust a couple of heads, I’d be happy to do it.”
She reached out and took his hand. “I’m glad you’re here. This day has been horrible.”
“Italian food makes everything better,” he said. “What do you say?”
“Sounds perfect.” She grabbed her bag from its hook near the door and her keys from a bowl on a side table. “Ready when you are.”
Outside her door, he slipped his hand around hers once more. A lot of time had passed since a woman had been affectionate with him. Her touch was magical in a way that had very little to do with his own loneliness. There was something about her.
“What do you think of my swanky digs?” Ada asked with a grin. “Fancy, right?”
“You’re living the high life.”
She laughed, swinging their hands between them. “I don’t know why, but people always expect me to live someplace really amazing.”
He’d expected that very thing. “Maybe because you’re so good at finding other people exactly what they want. We all figure you’d be living somewhere mind-blowing.”
“Not yet. I know what I want. I’ve seen enough properties to know where to find it and how much it’ll cost. I’ve been saving for almost a decade, a little at a time. A little longer, and I’ll have a really good down payment.”
Now that sounded like the Ada he was coming to know— practical, determined, forward-thinking. “So you’re thinking a super-spacious beachfront for under a million, right?”
She bumped him with her shoulder. “I told Vincent that if I ever found that, I’ll buy it myself. I meant it.”
“Barring that miraculous discovery, what kind of property are you saving up for?”
“A bungalow a walkable distance from the beach. At least three bedrooms. Open floor plan. Room in the back for a hoop.”
She really did sound like a baller.
“Updated kitchen,” she continued. “Master suite. Low-maintenance landscaping.”
“You really do have it all figured out.”
“I’ve seen enough properties over the last ten years to have figured out what I do and don’t like.”
He nodded. “And you are the best.”
“I never should have put that on my business cards.”
Conversation continued easily between them all the way to the restaurant. They kept it up over calamari, minestrone, penne and pesto, and tiramisu. She had a degree in finance and could keep up with accountant talk. He didn’t know much about real estate, but managed to hold his own. They delved into plenty of other topics too— childhood adventures, favorite subjects in school, favorite basketball teams and dream vacation spots.
By the time they walked back to her condo, he was almost speechless with amazement. “This is by far the least awkward, least disastrous date I’ve been on in— well, ever.”
“Too bad. I was hoping to meet the Awkward Avenger.” She leaned her back against her closed front door. “Promise I’ll get to meet him eventually?”
He propped his elbow against the wall next to her. “Meet him? Don’t you remember the hot dog/ice cream fiasco?”
“That wasn’t Awkward Avenger.” She reached up and brushed her fingers along his cheek. “That was a really great dad looking out for his son.”
He slipped his hand over hers and turned his head enough to press a kiss to her palm. Her free hand slid up his chest, coming to a rest just above his pounding heart. Was she caressing him or pushing him away? He was so out of practice in the whole romance area that he didn’t know. He eyed her, trying to figure it out. Her gaze turned questioning as well.
In an instant, the moment was gone. S
he backed away the smallest bit. Her hands dropped free. Something like an apology touched her face.
I’m an idiot. The thought kept repeating through the rest of their awkward doorstep goodbye. He thought it during his drive home. He was still thinking it late into the night.
He just hoped Ada had a high tolerance for idiots.
Chapter Six
Ada went to Jack’s next two basketball games, though she gave the Adamson guys some space that weekend, when Jack was home. After all, she could appreciate Craig’s concerns. Dropping into Jack’s life wasn’t a good idea until they knew with more certainty whether she’d continue to be part of it. Slow and steady was the best approach. One day, one step, at a time.
They closed on Craig’s townhouse. She took him through his final walkthrough and got his keys. He held her hand a lot during those times. He even kissed her, very briefly, a couple of times, but almost in a friendly way, nothing deep or emotional or passionate about it. Ada had no idea at all what he was thinking or feeling.
She loved being with him. He was smart and funny. She’d never seen him be unkind to anyone; he didn’t talk bad about people. Craig was the kind of person who made everyone around him happier.
He invited her to his housewarming party a week after closing. She decided that was a good sign. Craig moved slowly, but at least they were still moving forward.
She arrived fashionably late, but only because a client had taken longer than expected. She’d hoped to have a few moments with him before everyone else arrived.
People wove around and about one another. Craig had said he’d invited friends from work and some of the parents from Jack’s team, as well as nearby family. She was glad he liked having people over; so did she.
She kept mingling, all the while trying to find Craig. She caught a glimpse of him now and then, but couldn’t seem to pin him down.
When he headed up the stairs, she followed. Voices down the hall convinced her to hang back. She didn’t want to interrupt anyone, she just wanted to finally say hello and maybe hold his hand for a minute.
“I haven’t seen you like this in all the years I’ve known you.” Bianca’s voice. She sounded like she approved of Craig’s unusual behavior; that it was a good thing. “She’s good for you.”
Ada’s breath caught. Craig’s sister-in-law was cheering for her, was making her case, in fact.
“But am I good for her?” Craig said. “I come with a lot of baggage.”
“But you like her,” Bianca said. “Admit it.”
“I’ve known her only about six weeks. But—” His words stopped short. Ada’s heart stopped as well. “But I think I love her.”
I love her. The shock of those words pulled Ada around the corner. Love. He just said love.
And he’d said it without stumbling, without hesitation.
Bianca froze the moment her gaze fell on Ada.
Craig noticeably stiffened. “She’s right behind me, isn’t she?”
Bianca only nodded.
Craig didn’t look back, though he turned his head just enough to direct his next words at her. “You’re probably entirely freaked out now.”
That was not a simple yes or no question, and it wasn’t one she wanted to answer with an audience. Freaked out? A little. But also a little relieved. Mostly, though, she was amazed.
She met Bianca’s wide-eyed stare. “Could you give us a minute?”
Bianca didn’t wait long enough to answer but slipped past Ada and down the stairs without a second glance.
At last, Craig turned around. Tension rolled off of him. His Adam’s apple bobbed with a thick swallow. Apparently he was expecting something awful.
She stepped up to him. “Craig.”
The worry didn’t leave his eyes. “If you just want to go, I—”
She set her hands on either side of his face and held his gaze as firmly as she could. “I don’t run out on people. I never have. I’m not so easily scared off.”
His shoulders rose and fell with a tense breath. “Even if a guy you’ve known for only six weeks says he’s falling love with you? Most women would run and never look back.”
“Then it’s a very good thing I’m not ‘most women.’” She slid her hands to his shoulders, very nearly embracing him.
He wrapped his arms around her. “You really are out of my league.”
“Something to shoot for.”
Finally that grin she loved so much made a reappearance. He pressed his forehead to hers. The smell of him, which had become so achingly familiar, filled the space between them. His mouth brushed over hers so lightly her lips hardly felt the kiss, but her heart definitely did. Her pulse hammered through every inch of her. She threaded her fingers through his hair, keeping him there.
His next kiss was ardent. Fervent. Exactly the kiss she’d been waiting for the past weeks. A kiss telling her that his feelings ran deeper and more passionate than he’d let on. That he really was falling in love with her.
Laughter floated up from below. Craig broke the seal of their lips but didn’t release her. “If we just stay up here, do you think they’ll leave on their own?”
She pressed one more quick kiss to his lips before stepping backward. “You need to go be a good host.”
“No, I really don’t. Being a good host: not that important to me.”
She laughed. “You’re only saying that because you don’t want to go downstairs.”
“You’re going to make me, aren’t you?”
She held her hand out to him.
He took it, but shook his head. “You’re so mean.”
“A good point guard knows when to take her team up the court.”
The metaphor earned her a kiss on the back of her hand. Then the tips of her fingers. Her palm. The inside of her wrist.
“Your guests, Craig.” She tugged him toward the staircase.
As the night dragged on, she regularly caught Craig looking in her direction; he smiled quietly, and she blushed. The entire party must have known they were both wishing the other guests would call it an early night. It was hard to be in love in public.
Eventually, the house emptied except for a lot of dirty dishes and garbage. Ada stayed to help clean up, grateful it was finally just the two of them. Whenever they crossed paths, he brushed his hand along her arm, or smiled softly at her. A man who could make a woman’s heart pound while cleaning a kitchen had some mad superpowers.
They’d almost finished when someone knocked at the door.
“Who could that be this late?” he wondered aloud.
“Maybe someone forgot something.”
But it was Jack on the other side of the door, standing next to a woman Ada figured must be his mom.
“Carol. What’s going on?” Craig asked.
“I need to be in San Francisco tomorrow, and I can’t bring him with me.” Carol nudged Jack inside.
“But this is his weekend with you,” Craig said. “He’s been looking forward to it.”
“I just found out,” she insisted. “The CEO is giving out awards to the top employees. I can’t just not show up. I could get a promotion out of this.”
Jack’s eyes were firmly focused on the floor. His backpack hung limply on one shoulder. Ada remembered feeling the same way when weekends with her dad were cancelled. Not until she was grown and on her own did she find out that her mom was the one who’d called off the visits and then blamed it on her dad. So much about how her parents handled their divorce had been painful— for their children.
She caught Jack’s eye and waved him over. Craig and Carol were still having a somewhat tense conversation at the door.
“Let’s go up to your room,” she whispered. “We’ll get you unpacked.”
“Okay.” He shrugged, his words more muttered than spoken.
She set her hand on his back and walked with him, hoping the contact was reassuring and comforting.
“I didn’t even get to go swimming,” Jack said, his feet dragging as
they climbed the step.
It’s the only thing my mom likes to do with me. Not doing that one thing had surely cut extra deep.
“You can go swimming here,” she suggested. “I know it’s not the same, but it’s something. And maybe in the morning, I can meet you guys at the beach to see if the seagulls are in an attacking mood.” She couldn’t imagine Craig saying no. He must realize how disappointed Jack was.
“Could we get hot dogs again?” Jack looked so hopeful.
“Sure. And ice cream. Vanilla for you, chocolate for me and your dad.”
His smile was fleeting, but it was there. Maybe she’d managed to relieve some of the ache.
Jack tossed his backpack onto his bed. He stood there a moment, eying it. “Do I have to unpack right now?”
“Nah. I think it can wait.”
Jack climbed onto his bed and sat there, his feet dangling over the edge. “What’s the big deal about San Francisco?” he asked quietly. “Is it super big or something?”
He wanted to know why his mom had chosen a city over a weekend with him. That was one of the hard things about being a kid: everything felt so personal.
Ada sat on the bed beside him. “I’d guess there’s something really important there that she can’t do closer to home or on another day.”
“I guess.” His gaze remained on his swinging feet.
“My parents split up when I was a kid. I lived with my mom, but I missed my dad when I wasn’t with him. I hated it when I thought I was going to get to see him but then didn’t get to.”
Jack nodded. She wouldn’t force him to talk or listen to her history. She just wanted him to know that she knew that it was hard. She knew that well.
Ada put her arm around his shoulders and hugged him. After a moment, he leaned against her. She was almost certain she heard a sniffle.
Little wonder Craig worried so much about people walking out on Jack. He hurt enough without someone adding to it.
I’m not walking out on you, sweet Jack, she silently vowed. On you or your dad. I promise.